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Canadiens Making Big Trades? Blackhawks Making Goalie Changes?

David — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:23:10 +0000

It’s early in the season and the Canadiens are already looking to make more moves in overhauling their roster. Latest rumors coming out of Montreal are that GM Bob Gainey has a few possibilities in the works. Nashville Predators veteran centerman Jason Arnott and defenseman Teemu Laasko could be heading to the Canadiens as part of a big trade that would send brothers Sergei and Andrei Kostitsyn, forward Tomas Plekanec and a second-round pick to the Predators. Montreal has been trying to unload the Kostitsyns ever since their off ice incidents with Russian organized crime in the city. Their on ice performance is the main reason for Gainey wanting to move the brothers, both are just not living up to their potential. Gainey is also talking to two other teams as well, the New Jersey Devils and the Phoenix Coyotes. The deal with the Coyotes is: defensemen Adrian Aucoin and Keith Yandle and a first rounder for goalie Jaroslav Halak, the Kostitsyns and Tomas Plekanec. The deal with the Devils is Cory Murphy and Colin White for Sergei Kostitsyn and Glen Metropolit.

After Nikolai Khabibulin took the Blackhawks to the Western conference finals some worried that with his departure to the Edmonton Oilers in the offseason that the goaltending duties would be well handled by Cristobal Huet. Well, it seems that some of those fears are now being realized. If backup netminder Antti Niemi continues to play well, and Cristobal Huet continues to struggle, there will be a change in goal for the Blackhawks. This comes after Huet, the No. 1, was pulled last night after just seven minutes into the third period, after allowing three goals on five shots.

NHL Offseason Rumors Heating Up! Kessel and Heatley, Two Names You’ve Heard Before.

David — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 07:02:20 +0000

From everything I can gather young star forward Phil Kessel is done negotiating with the Boston Bruins. So here are the three scenarios left for Kessel: Either he’ll be traded, or he’ll be signed to an offer sheet by another team and the Bruins will or won’t match it, or he’ll play for the qualifying offer the Bruins gave him earlier this summer. The Maple Leafs might package the draft picks they have stocked up, along with one of their blue liners, for Kessel and GM Brian Burke has made it no secret that he wants Kessel. The San Jose Sharks are also interested in Kessel, and it appears they may submit an offer sheet. But if anyone submits an offer sheet, the Bruins management say that they’ll match any offer. The New York Rangers are also interested, but they appear to be looking to trade for rights to Kessel so they can avoid giving away draft picks. But talks have reportedly died down. Believe it or not but the Nashville Predators are also giving Kessel a look and considering making an attempt to obtain the youngster.

Theo Fleury is meeting with commissioner Gary Bettman and his deputy, Bill Daly seeking reinstatement to the NHL. He applied for reinstatement, but Fleury hasn’t completed the drug rehab program he was suspended to in 2003, and might not have time to complete it prior to the season. However, Fleury met with NHL and NHLPA’s substance abuse programs doctors, and they may not force him to complete the program. In fact I just learned that the NHL has cleared Fleury to join any NHL team for training camp. Fleury says he’s been sober for four years. Earlier, there was a rumor that Fleury was signing with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat, but that rumor was debunked. He will get a invitation to the Calgary Flames camp to show if he has anything left in his tank.

It’s possible that New Jersey Devils center Patrik Elias may miss the start of the season as he recovers from hip/groin surgery. He had it on June 12 and it takes three months or a little longer to recover. Elias, the Devils’ all-time leading scorer, is likely going to start the season as the second-line center.

Rumor has it that Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher is dangling centerman Eric Belanger out to be traded. The 31-year-old center is in the last year of his contract. Fletcher is looking for a strong two way center who can contribute on the penalty killing unit.

The Dany Heatley situation is one that is really starting to bug me. All parties involved need to come together and get a deal done for the sanity of the Ottawa Senators organization and for all of its fans. No one deserves to be treated this way. Both parties should stop being babies and just reach down deep inside and show what it means to be a PROFESSIONAL.

The most recent rumor has a potential three-way deal with the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings getting in on the fun. The Kings’ Jarrett Stoll and Alexander Frolov would go to Ottawa, Patrick Marleau would head south to the Kings and Heatley would end up in San Jose. Another rumor has Ottawa sending him to the New York Rangers for Marc Staal and Brandon Dubinsky but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one happening.

Stay tuned for all future breaking news and rumors. You can follow us on twitter for daily updates.

The Nashville Predators Offseason Review–What Will This Year Hold In Store.

David — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:02:50 +0000

Last year the NHL’s Western Conference’s Nashville Predators were a team that was missing a few key components to truly compete for the Stanley Cup Trophy. The most glaring shortcoming for the Predators last season was a lack of scoring. Nashville tied for 25th in the league with 2.52 goals per game. Scoring came easier late in the season, when forward Steve Sullivan was back in the lineup and igniting the offense after a two-year absence but Nashville will still have to make a couple of moves to help the offense continue to grow as a unit. It would be interesting to see what the Predators could do with a little more talent, a playoff spot is definitely within reach. Time will tell if the team’s offensive game will come together for a postseason berth in 2009-10

After helping Boston University to an NCAA title in April, Colin Wilson,the sophomore star quickly decided to turn pro. He signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Predators, who had selected him with the seventh overall pick in 2008 NHL draft. The 6-foot-1, 213-pound power forward was the Terriers’ leading scorer with 55 points in 43 games during the ‘08-09 college campaign. Now, the 19-year-old seeks to follow in the footsteps of his dad, former NHLer Carey Wilson, who played for the Calgary Flames, the Hartford Whalers and the New York Rangers during a 10-year career. While the Predators definitely can use some offensive help — they ranked in the bottom third of the league last year — Wilson will have to have an impressive training camp to make the big league roster in October. In recent years, Predators veteran GM David Poile hasn’t been quick to rush his top prospects to Nashville. Rather, he usually opts to give them further seasoning with the club’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. Now or in the near future, Wilson projects as a top-six forward. A workout warrior who impressed scouts with his physical conditioning during his draft year, Wilson has terrific puck skills and excellent hockey sense. In fact, longtime BU head coach Jack Parker went out of his way on several occasions to talk about Wilson’s hockey smarts. His heady nature is definitely something that will be a big help at the next level. He’s getting into his mid-30s, but Jason Arnott remains very productive, scoring 33 goals in just 65 games. He remains Nashville’s offensive leader. Jean-Pierre Dumont led the Predators with 65 points, but he managed only 16 goals, his lowest total since 2002-2003. Still Dumont will play a big role in the offense again next season.

The Predators, a team that was good on the defensive side of the puck last year is littered with blue-line talent. Rising star Shea Weber is the cornerstone of the Predators defence corps, if not the entire franchise. He finished second on the team with 23 goals and led the Predators in ice time, shots on goal and power play goals. Weber can still tighten up some defensively and, if he does, he’ll be a Norris Trophy contender for the next decade. Dan Hamhuis is a durable top-four defenceman. He’s not a standout in any one aspect of the game, but does just about everything well while handling the toughest defensive assignments. Naturally, the Predators will try to address their shortcomings on a budget, so one or two prospects like Jonathon Blum and Cody Franson could make the squad. Blum, coming off a dominant junior season, may have the most potential, while Franson had good size and a couple of years of AHL seasoning in his favour.

Lets move onto The Predators goalie situation. As it now seems to be an annual occurrence in the Predators’ crease, the number one goaltender at the start of the season wasn’t the number one by season’s end. Last season, it was Pekka Rinne, the lanky 26-year-old Finn who finally landed in the NHL after three seasons in the AHL. The year before, Dan Ellis was the surprising sensation in goal for the Predators, and he struggled somewhat under the weight of the starting job. Nevertheless, the tandem of Ellis and Rinne gives Nashville a strong and economical goaltending situation. The organization has terrific depth in goal as well, with prospects Chet Pickard and Mark Dekanich in the pipeline.

With the 11th pick in the NHL draft Nashville selected Ryan Ellis, the 5′9″ 175lb defenseman out of the OHL. Ellis is a really smart, heady defenseman. His puck movement is excellent and the way he moves the puck around the zone is excellent. He’s a real high-end offensive guy. He’s got a great shot and he gets it through to the net. A lot of guys have their shots blocked, but he’s got a real knack for getting it through, and that leads to a lot of tip-in and rebound goals. He’s a smaller guy, but he’s not afraid of taking the body. He shows no fear of getting involved in scrums, he never gets intimidated.

Nashville has the makings of a team on the rise. There’s still time for them to pick up another winger who can put the biscuit in the basket and with all the other facets of their game coming together we’ll be seeing a much more competitive Predators team in the near future. For Predator fans the rallying cry this year will be “playoffs,playoffs”.

NHL’s Free Agency Period Spurs Flurry Of Signings And Trades

David — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:17:08 +0000

Yesterday was one of the most exciting days in the NHL, even though the excitement came in the off-season and off the ice. Free agency began at 12:01 am and teams wasted little time in scooping up the talent. By the time the day was over only a handful of top tier players remained. Names like Saku Koivu, Mat Sundin and Rob Scuderi are still available but won’t be for long. Word is that Koivu may end up in Minnesota playing along side his brother Mikko, they have a very strong bond with each other especially since Saku’s battle with cancer a few years ago. A reason that may torpedo the whole deal is that Saku is very respectful of his brother and what Mikko is hoping to accomplish as a professional hockey player. If Saku joined the Wild, he could possibly overshadow his brother. The desire to respect his brother’s place as an emerging leader in Minnesota may be a factor in Saku’s deciding to sign elsewhere. I would think though that the brothers would ultimately just want to play with each other for a few years. Besides, Mikko is 8 years younger then Saku, he has more than enough time to accomplish individual goals.

The city of Vancouver is happy today, the twins are staying put. Henrik and Daniel Sedin have agreed to separate five-year deals worth $30.5 million apiece to stay with the Canucks. The deals also include no-movement clauses. The two elite players scaled back their demands for a mega-multiyear deal and agreed to the twin contracts, ( no pun intended ). They were originally demanding 12 year $63 million each.

I knew the Montreal Canadiens were going to have a distinctly different look next season ( because of all of their free agents ), and that look began to take focus through a day of dramatic moves by GM Bob Gainey. After acquiring skilled, playmaking center Scott Gomez in a trade with the New York Rangers on Tuesday night, Gainey added Calgary free agent Mike Cammalleri, the sniper on the wing Gainey has long coveted. Cammalleri had 39 goals last season for the Flames. The Habs GM then added behemoth blueliner Hal Gill, fresh off his stint with the Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins, and underappreciated Jaroslav Spacek from the Buffalo Sabres. With Andrei Markov and Roman Hamrlik being fully healthy and defensive-minded coach Jacques Martin behind the bench, the Habs’ defense has the potential to be much-improved after finishing 21st in the league in goals allowed per game in 2008-09. The meltdown that occured in Montreal last year has left Gainey no choice but to go for broke. His job is now on the line, if this team he’s putting together doesn’t produce then he will be out of a job. Brian Gionta has also agreed to a five-year deal with the Canadiens. The Habs are hoping he regains his 2005-2006 form when he scored 48 goals and had 89 points with the New Jersey Devils.

A few names that still have yet to be moved are the Ottawa Senators Dany Heatley and Tampa Bay’s franchise player Vincent Lecavalier. For Lecavalier today meant total peace of mind. As of this morning the superstar center is in full control of his future. His no-movement clause kicked in Wednesday along with his 11-year, $85 million deal. Only he, and he alone, has the final say on whether he ever gets dealt and where. As for Heatley, things are still a bit cloudy. A trade to the Edmonton Oilers was completed Tuesday night but could not go through until Heatley decided whether to waive his no-movement clause. Heatley met with Edmonton Oilers president Kevin Lowe and GM Steve Tambellini in his offseason home of Kelowna, British Columbia, earlier Wednesday night, but the sales pitch didn’t produce an immediate result. Heatley has said before that his preference would be to play in New York for the Rangers but earlier in the day they picked up free agent star winger Marian Gaborik signing him to a 5 year $37.5 million contract, so that option is no longer available. One thing that should be mentioned is that Senators GM Bryan Murray has said all along that he’s not interested in moving Heatley after having to pay him the $4 million roster bonus that kicked in at midnight ET. If the deal does eventually go through then the Senators would get forwards Dustin Penner and Andrew Cogliano and defenseman Ladislav Smid in return.

The Chicago Blackhawks made a couple of interesting moves today. First they signed free agent forward Marian Hossa to a 12 year $68.2 million deal which will cost the Hawks an average of $5.2 million annually. Hossa was a key figure in the Wings’ five-game series victory over Chicago in the Western Conference finals this past spring. Now, he’ll be asked to help get the Blackhawks over the hump as they chase the Stanley Cup Trophy, which has eluded them since 1961. They then let goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin sign a four-year $15 million deal with the Oilers. I just don’t understand why you would let go the guy who carried you in the playoffs go. They also let Free agent Martin Havlat leave to sign with the Minnesota Wild. Havlat’s deal is 6 years for $30 million. I guess that’s why Dale Tallon is the GM and not me.

I thought that it was interesting to see Erik Cole stay in Carolina after failing to re-sign before the start of free agency. I think what you saw was a player getting a reality check on the open market and realized it was best to stay where he’s played his best hockey. He signed for $2.8 million next season and $3 million in 2010-11 — a pay cut from the $4 million he made this past season.

Some other NHL signings taking place yesterday was Colorado inking veteran goalie Craig Anderson to a two-year deal worth $3.625 million. Alex Ovechkin will get some help from winger Mike Knuble who has signed a two-year deal with the Washington Capitals for $5.6 million. Scrappy veteran Ian Laperriere has found a new home. He has signed a three-year deal worth $3.5 million with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Columbus Blue Jackets signed veteran center Samuel Pahlsson to a three-year deal worth $7.95 million. Steve Sullivan signed a two-year deal with the Nashville Predators for $7.5 million. The Ottawa Senators re-signed gritty winger Chris Neil to a four-year, $8 million contract.

Blues, Ducks Are In–Nashville’s Playoff Hopes Flushed down the Toilet With Loss!

David — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 07:02:59 +0000

The Nashville Predators lost to the Minnesota Wild 8-4 effectively killing any playoff hopes that the Predators were hoping for. Minnesota took control early and never looked back as they cruised to victory. It seemed like Nashville just couldn’t get anything going. Nashville didn’t do themselves any favors by going 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, not that bad, just not a good enough effort for this time of year.

The St.Louis Blues clinched a playoff spot beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. Keith Tkachuk lead the way with 2 goals and an assist. The 37 year old is playing like a true seasoned veteran. He’s coming on strong at the right time of year to help lead his team to a playoff berth. It seems as though the Blue Jackets played as if they still had hangovers from celebrating their own playoff berth and a chance at the winning it all, the Stanley Cup.

The Anaheim Ducks clinched the last playoff spot available in western conference after disposing of the Dallas Stars 4-3 in a shootout. The Ducks jumped into 7th place with an outside chance at claiming the number six seed. Anaheim got a great team performance to pull out the victory. Their goaltending in the shootout was extremely clutch for such a high pressured situation.

Both the Ducks and the St.Louis Blues are finishing the season clicking on all cylinders. They are two of the hottest teams in the NHL right now. I know that the San Jose and the Detroit Red Wings are awesome teams but if they’re not careful the lower seeds are going to prevail. I’m so excited for the playoffs to begin. Next week the real NHL season begins, as the playoff teams get to continue their quest for the Stanley Cup.

In the last game of the night the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames by a score of 5-1. The loss means the Flames will now have to start the playoffs on the road, probably not what they had in mind. The Oilers were eliminated from playoff contention a few days ago.

NHL’s Eastern Conference Playoff Set–The Western Conference Still Unsettled

David — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:08:13 +0000

We saw some awesome hockey last night, teams fighting for playoff spots seems to bring out the best hockey. The eastern conference saw its playoff brackets sealed after the New York Rangers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers and the Montreal Canadiens earned a point for its overtime loss to the Boston Bruins. Now all that’s left is to determine the order of position for each team. Even though the Florida Panthers and Buffalo Sabres won their games last night they were still both eliminated from playoff contention.

The New Jersey Devils collected their 50th win of the season becoming the 5th team in the NHL to reach that plateau. The Devils beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in a shootout securing the Atlantic division. Martin Brodeur turned aside 28 shots to get the win adding to his NHL career leading win totals.

In the western conference the Nashville Predators beat the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in a shootout to remain alive in the hunt for that ever elusive last playoff spot. The Predators were led by Jason Arnott who scored a third period goal, his 31st of the season, also added the game winner in the shootout. Chris Osgood played a decent game but if Detroit wants to go far in the playoffs their goaltending will have to be much sharper.

Tonight will settle the playoff race when all three who are vying for the last 2 spots play. All three teams have 88 points however Anaheim and St.Louis both have a game in hand over the Predators. Easy way to look at it Nashville needs a miracle to make it, we’ll see tonight if they get their miracle.

NHL Playoff Positions Still a Mystery For Western Conference Teams: Eastern As Well!!

David — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 08:08:57 +0000

New York got a huge win last night over the Montreal Canadiens at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers scored two 2nd period goals to pace them to a 3-1 win. Chris Drury netted his 21st and 22nd goal for New York to lead all scorers. More importantly the Rangers got the critical 2 points to move out of a tie with the Florida Panthers and creep to within a point of Montreal for 7th place in the Eastern conference.

The Panthers lost their game to the Philadelphia Flyers by a score of 2-1. The Panthers desperately needed this win, their playoff hopes are in some serious trouble. Judging by who their last 2 games are against ( Washington and Atlanta ), I don’t see how they can make it in. I don’t see them winning both games and that’s what they need just to have a shot. Like I said a couple of days ago the Panthers have circled the drain. Jeff Carter scored his 45th goal for the Flyers in the win.

The Pittsburgh Penguins who were led by Sidney Crosby’s 2 goals beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 6-4. With the win the Penguins clinched a spot in the upcoming playoff race for the Stanley Cup. Evegni Malkin added two assists in the victory. The Carolina Hurricanes Continued their hot play by exploding for 9 goals over the lowly New York Islanders. The Islanders, who by the way are the worst team in the NHL played their worst hockey of a terrible season. They got flattened by a surging Hurricanes team. Eric Staal had a hat trick and an assist to lead the canes.

Over in the western conference things at the top of the standings stayed the same while at the bottom of the standings there are still 4 teams battling for the last two playoff spots. The Minnesota Wild got a big win to stay mathematically alive in the playoff race. The Nashville Predators lost to the Chicago Black Hawks 4-2 in yesterdays match up. Nashville has lost 3 of their last 4 games, this is not the time to be playing like a team who’s already been eliminated. The St.Louis Blues are in sole possession of 8th place after a 5-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. The Blues are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games. My money is on St.Louis to get in.

With a 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings the Edmonton Oilers were officially eliminated from the playoff race.

The Vancouver Canucks behind Roberto Luongo’s 46 saves beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 in front of a sold out crowd at the General Motors Place. The win pulled the Canucks into a tie with the Flames for the lead in the Northwest division. With only two games to go its a question of who wants it more. Here’s a fast fact for you, Calgary is 0-31 on the power play in their last 8 games. These numbers will not get it done, if the power play drought persists Calgary will make a quick exit from the playoff race once it starts.

Lastly, the San Jose Sharks, what can you say they just keep winning. They shutout the Colorado Avalanche but it took overtime and a shootout to do it. Evegni Nabokov recorded his 7th shutout of the season for the Sharks turning aside all 20 shots he faced. This is a team clicking on all cylinders right now. They will be extremely difficult to beat for any team that is matched up against them. This would include the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings who are the number 2 & 3 teams respectfully in the NHL standings, both with over 110 points.

NHL Playoff Chase–Carolina’s on Fire Right Now, So Are Ducks!!!

David — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 07:05:52 +0000

First off, I must mention the Carolina Hurricanes. They are scorching hot right now and are definitely a force to be reckoned with. Last night’s overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins marked the 8th straight win for Carolina. The Hurricanes who are 12-1-2 in their 15 games, are making a strong case that they will be a tough out for anyone who tries to get in their way of a Stanley Cup trophy.

The Boston Bruins shutout the New York Rangers 1-0. The shutout was goaltender Tim Thomas’ 5th of the season. Shutout number 5 came just a day after Thomas agreed to a new 4 year $20 million dollar contract extension with the Bruins. Thomas is 34 years old and playing the best hockey of his career. The Bruins got an early 1st period goal from rookie left winger Blake Wheeler. The rookie netted his 21st goal of the season in his young career. Wheeler is proving to be a solid NHL forward early on. With the win Boston crept to within 1 point of the league leading San Jose Sharks. The Sharks had a chance to add to their point total but they couldn’t overcome the Anaheim Ducks who beat San Jose 4-2. The win was crucial for the Ducks who are cementing themselves in 7th place in the western conference. The Ducks are also one of the hottest teams right now, they are 9-1 in their last 10 games.

Of the other games that took place on Saturday night the Montreal Canadiens won by a score of 6-2 in a cake walk over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Center in downtown Toronto. The two teams are usually locked in a tight grip battle all game but the fact that the Leafs are out of playoff contention showed with their lackluster performance. Montreal went up 4-0 early in the 2nd period and cruised to the victory. The Habs are now 3 points ahead of the Rangers and just 1 point behind the Penguins for 6th place in the eastern conference.

The Nashville Predators got a big jolt in their playoff hope by beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4 in a shootout. The win put the Predators back into the 8th and final payoff spot. Jason Arnott scored twice and added an assist to lead Nashville. Arnott’s goals were his 28th and 29th of the season. They are locked in a battle with the St. Louis Blues who lost a heartbreaker last night to the Dallas Stars 5-4 in overtime. The loss pushed the Blues out of the last spot even though they both have 86 points, Nashville has the tie breaker in their favor because they have more wins.

The Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 in what turned out to be a very exciting game. The 3rd period was when it got exciting. Six goals were scored, 3 by each team. Every time the Canucks scored to make it a one goal game, the Oilers responded with their own score to once agian increase the lead to 2. The six goals were scored in a span of 12 and a half minutes. Very exciting stuff, however the win comes too little to late for the Oilers. With only 3 games to go they can’t make up the ground to reach the playoffs.

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Black Hawks Clinch First Playoff Berth in 7 Years While Florida Starts circling the Drain

David — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 07:05:44 +0000

The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in what turned out to be a high scoring game. The Flyers netted 8 goals to the Male Leafs’ 5. Jeff Carter lead the way with his second hat trick of the season. The Flyers exploded for 5 goals in the first period and never looked back. Six different players scored for Philly pushing them into sole possession of 4th place in the eastern conference standings. The Leafs who are out of playoff contention are just finishing out the rest of their schedule, 4 games remain until their summer vacation kicks in. Probably not what they had planned when the season started. Oh well, there’s always next year for the Leafs.

The Florida Panthers road to the playoffs got a lot tougher with a loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. Florida is definitely not playing their best hockey right now. They sure are picking the wrong time of year to play flat. Maybe the sunshine in south Florida is getting to them or maybe they would rather be on the beach, either way their hearts just don’t seem to be in it.

Alex Ovechkin scored his league leading 55th goal of the season in as the Washington Capitals lost to the Buffalo Sabres in overtime 5-4.

The New Jersey Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in overtime reaching the century mark in team points for the 5th time in the last 6 years and 9th time in their last 11 seasons. The Devils have been one of the NHL’s elite teams in the last decade picking up 2 Stanley Cup championships along the way.

Over in the western conference the Chicago Black Hawks beat the Nashville Predators 3-1. The victory clinched a playoff berth for the Black Hawks for the first in the last seven years. Chicago has been mired in mediocrity for the last few years and it’s good to see one of the original 6 ( teams the NHL started with in its inception in 1909 ) to make the playoffs. The Predators who are locked in a bitter fight for the last playoff berth missed their chance at adding to their point total. They remain 1 point behind the St. Louis Blues, if the season ended today the Predators would be on the outside looking in. Luckily for them the season does not end today, they have 4 games remaining to get their act together or they really will be on the outside looking in.

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Blues, Sabres Losing Ground While Ovechkin Scores Again!

David — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:46:17 +0000

Just a few games were played last night on the frozen pond. The St. Louis Blues blew a golden opportunity to pick up a precious 2 points by losing to the Chicago Black Hawks 3-1. The Blues fell behind 2-0 in the 1st period and were never able to recover. St. Louis still sits one point behind the Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the western conference.

Over in the eastern conference the Pittsburgh Penguins handled the New Jersey Devils with ease. Sidney Crosby and Evegni Malkin both scored to lead the Penguins to a 6-1 win. It was Crosby’s 30th goal of the season while Malkin’s was his 34th. With the win, Pittsburgh climbed into a tie for 4th place with the Philadelphia Flyers who they are battling with for home ice advantage in the 1st round of the playoffs. Even with Philadelphia’s 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs last night, the Flyers still hold the advantage because they have a game in hand on the Penguins. Buffalo’s loss to the Atlanta Thrashers pretty much ended the Sabres playoff hopes. The Sabres are 5 points back with 6 games to go. I think that is to much ground to make up in so little time. Oh well Buffalo, there’s always next year.

NEWS AND NOTES

Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL league leading 54th goal of the season helping the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders. With the win the Capitals topped the century mark in points giving them 101, making them only the second team in the eastern conference this season to do so. The Boston Bruins lead the conference with 108 points.

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