NHL, 2006-2007 season

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Well, the Islanders snuck in and got the last playoff spot. Sabres in 5...

Ferguson will be fired and a new GM will not likely be a big name, and will likely not be much better. With any luck we might either get better draft picks or have the Cap raise to the point where we can get more big name players...

 

It is too bad that the Leafs didn't make it but if they had won their last game against the Isles then they never would have been in that position.

Still, NJ tying the game with 0.9 seconds left only to lose it in the shootout made for one hell of an exciting finish.

 

Good start for the Playoffs. San Jose-Nashville went to double OT and Vancouver and Dallas are in the second OT as I write this...

 

Wow, the Vancouver Dallas game finally ended with less than two minutes left in the fourth overtime period. I can't see anywhere saying what time the game ended but it is quite possible that I could have watched the end of the game when I got up this morning!

 

I watched that game in its entirety; it ended at 12:30am pacific time. Needless to say there are some very tired people driving and working today

Canucks lost their two best penalty killers in that game due to injury. Apparently playing two forwards short didn't hurt them in that game, but I hope it doesn't hurt them in the long run.

As for tonight, go Flames go!

 

Go Anaheim!

 

I stayed up to the end of the game (3:30 am EDT) but I didn't have to get up that early this morning. Up later tonight with Internet stuff...

 

OK then, I guess I couldn't have watched the end of the game. I get up at 5:00 am on weekdays so I would have missed it by 90 minutes or so.

So far everything has been going pretty much the way that it was expected with all of the favourites winning their first game.

 

Well, Canucks lost Game 2 due to lapses in the first minute of the periods. It really doesn't feel like they lost that game for some reason. At least Naslund looks like he's elevated his game after his sluggish regular season. And that minor league callup looked really good - speed and nice passes. Although that could be an illusion with everybody still a bit fatigued. I wish Bulis has better offensive instincts and skills, he's had great chances in the first couple games but botched them due to poor decisions.

 

Stupid Radulov. He's my leading point getter in the draft I'm in but he managed to get kicked out and might get suspended. Hey, your Russian, score goals don't hit. Leave that for Tootoo.

 

I'm surprised how ugly the playoffs are getting this early. Players and teams are getting pissed off at each other really early...

 

Anyone else watch Game 5 of Stars vs Canucks and see that pass back to the point during the delayed penalty? It went all the way down the ice and just grazed the post of the empty net! But imagine if that had gone in and the Canucks won 1-0 on that goal. Then Marty Turco would have stopped all the shots he faced and still lose 1-0 ! That's going to look really weird in the books, especially when you look back after a few decades.

[ April 21, 2007, 05:36: Message edited by: Blog ]

 

The Canucks games are on too late for me to watch them when I have to work the next day so I am afraid I missed that - but it would be pretty damned weird if that was how a 1-0 game was decided.

 

Well, four teams are out.

Atlanta: Those big moves and still swept? Tkachuk probably won't get big dollars this summer, and the Thrashers will probably suffer as they traded off their top defensive prospect and three draft picks...

New York Islanders: Hard luck on injuries, legacy of Mike Milbury with the Yashin contract (and Satan was not a great signing either), Smyth is likely gone this summer, and again, some decent prospects and a first rounder gone. I don't see them competing next year...

Pittsburg: Maklin was a non factor this year, but Whitney and Stall didn't look bad, and Crosby will only get better. The question is will Fleury develop to be able to compete with Brodeur or Luongo?

Nashville: Speculation is that with what they gave up for Foresburg and a couple other deals, that Nashville will likely sink. They've suffered injuries to key players too...

Right now, I have Buffalo and New Jersey in the Conference final in the east, but the West is not sown up yet...

 

Second round starts tomorrow! I'm relieved that Vancouver won the coin flip against Dallas, but I can't see them getting by Anaheim. Luongo is going to have to steal some one-goal games for the Canucks.

Detroit and San Jose will be a more exciting matchup to watch I think. I can't pick a winner there. Buffalo should beat the Rangers somewhat handily... Ottawa needs to keep New Jersey off the power play and try to win some low scoring games. It should be a good series.

 

I am going to go with the boringly obvious and predict that Anaheim, Detroit, Buffalo and New Jersey will win.

Hmm, I wonder when the last time was that the conference finals were both #1 vs #2?

 

Okay, poking my head in here for a question from the 'experts' (after a brief anecdote) :

Finished work last night and when I went to get my coat and that from the break room, the New Jersey - Ottawa game was on the TV; close to the end of the first period.

While I'm changing, I hear that the Senators get a power-play, and then hear a quick series of "OOOHHHH!"s from the crowd; during the instant replay I actually watch why Marty Brodeur gets paid.

At one point, he's on his back, sprawled; seems like there's two Senators between him and the net, and in all the scrum, the puck goes flying away, with Ottawa's team captain^1 looking on vainly as his stick got wrenched from his hands already.

(1. shows how much of fan I am - don't know the player, couldn't even catch a name or number )

ANYWAY. This got me thinking about the rules of hockey: is it akin to soccer in that ONLY the goalie is permitted to deliberately touch the puck with anything other than his stick?

In other words, could've that poor guy kicked the puck into the goal?

 

There are several rules about contact with the puck but as far as scoring is concerned the puck can strike your body and deflect into the net but you can not intentionally direct the puck into the net with your body. If you are just skating towards the net and a shot deflects off your leg it is a goal but if you kick a puck into the net it is not. Similarly a shot that deflects off your hand is fine but grabbing the puck and tossing it into the net is not.

Of course the distinction between the two can be pretty hard to make at times given the gliding nature of moving on skates.

 

Well, the only series that's surprising me so far is Buffalo/New York - it's closer than I thought it would be. Ottawa is winning more of the one-goal games than New Jersey so they are up. Detroit and San Jose - didn't pick a winner and still cannot as they are tied in the series. Thorton has at least one assist in every game. Anaheim is waded through Vancouver's defense and getting too many screened shots, so they are up.

 

Yeah, Anaheim won in double OT, eliminating Vancouver. Now Canada's hopes rest on the Ottawa Senators...