A Knockout And A Beatdown

It was a busy night in the NHL and there was certainly a lot to talk about when all 10 games wrapped up. But the games that had the most tongues wagging were the Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals and the Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens.

The Pens-Caps game got of to a quick start when James Neal drew first blood for the home team and got the Consol Energy Center roaring. But the crowd was silenced in the second when Mike Knuble evened up the scoreboard, and early in the third Pittsburgh's Public Enemy No. 1 Alex Ovechkin scored the go-ahead goal to bring the tally to 2-1 Washington.
The highlight of the game, which was more of a lowlight in actuality, was the FIGHT between Arron Asham and Jay Beagle. After roughing up Kris Letang hard enough to send Letang’s helmet flying, Beagle found himself squaring off in a fight with Asham. It was a fairly good tilt until Asham KO’d Beagle, then skated off to the box while making a ‘sleeper’ motion as if to taunt Beagle for passing out. The incident caused an uproar; later Asham admitted that the gesture was classless and apologized for it.
After 16 scoreless minutes, Neal got himself a tying powerplay goal to prevent the game from ending in regulation. The extra frame saw Dennis Wideman shoot a wrister to beat Brent Johnson. But it wasn't all bad for the Penguins; the extra point they earned kept them atop the Eastern Conference in standings, and today it was officially announced that captain Sidney Crosby has finally been cleared for contact.

In their home opener, the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Calgary Flames, and in the first 5 minutes of the game the Habs’ Andrei Kostitsyn threw a goal past Miikka Kiprusoff. Considering how the Flames had been playing of late, this early goal was almost unanimously thought of as an indication of how the rest of the game was going to play out.
But something sparked the Flames and there was an offensive explosion shortly after, with 2 powerplay goals by Rene Bourque and Niklas Hagman, and a pretty wristshot from David Moss.
The Flames padded their lead in the following period, thanks to Bourque’s second of the night, and despite a flurry of chances, the Habs could not beat Kiprusoff, who made several amazing saves in the third, particularly one complete robbery of a shot by Habs captain Brian Gionta.
At the sound of the buzzer, the final score was 4-1 for the Flames. With their first win of the season, the Flames hope to gain momentum and start climbing the ranks of the Western Conference, where they are currently second-last, just above the Columbus Blue Jackets.

There were 2 potential milestones to be reached in tonight’s game, involving both teams' goalies. If the Habs had won, Carey Price would have earned his 100th career win. But instead it was Miikka Kiprusoff who made his mark, surpassing Mike Vernon for the franchise record with 263 wins.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Washington Capitals, October 13th, 2011

A Capital Victory

The Ottawa Senators came into their home opener against the Minnesota Wild with a record of 0-2 and frankly, no one was really surprised. They were struggling in the few seasons past, and are most likely to continue the struggle for a little while longer.
Sens fans were not in a pretty mood at the beginning of the game, not only booing former Senator Dany Heatley as he skated onto the ice, but also current roster member Sergei Gonchar.

The first period didn't give the fans much more to cheer about, as the Wild proceeded to build up a 2-goal lead. Halfway through the second, youngster Nick Foligno put a wrister past Niklas Backstrom to cut the deficit in half.

But the third period was where the game really got interesting. The Wild's Nick Johnson scored an unassisted goal in the first 2 minutes of play, but was answered by --not one, but two!-- goals from the Senators' Chris Neil and Colin Greening. Craig Anderson managed to stave away a third regulation loss for his team to send the game to a shootout.

Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza potted their first two attempts easily, while Mikko Koivu's failure to score put the game in Daniel Alfredsson's hands. And those very capable hands delivered, as the captain made no mistake as he calmly but beautifully tucked the puck right over Backstrom's shoulder. The team captain scoring the GAME-WINNING SHOOTOUT GOAL: nothing says storybook ending quite like it.

It was a much-needed win for the Senators, and it couldn't have happened in a better place than on home ice.
The team plays another home game against the Colorado Avalanche before hitting the road to face against one of the NHL's elite teams, the Washington Capitals.

Ottawa Senators vs Minnesota Wild, October 11th, 2011

Fire On Ice

Over 40,000 hockey fans braved the bitter cold on Sunday, February 2oth, to watch the much-hyped Heritage Classic. Old rivals met again as the Calgary Flames and the Montreal Canadiens squared off to play outdoors in Calgary's McMahon Stadium.
The 2 most prominent meetings between these clubs happened in 1986 and 1989, both of which were Stanley Cup Finals. The Habs won the '86 Championship, while the Flames were the very first team to hoist Lord Stanley in Montreal's Bell Center in '89.

Despite the -15 degree weather, McMahon Stadium was filled from end to end in jerseys of red, with a surprising amount of blue and white as well. At least the sun was shining and the beer and hot chocolate flowed freely.
Opening ceremonies included a quick aerial show of 5 jets above the stadium, performances by Tokyo Police Club, Paul Brandt singing the national anthem, and the ceremonial puck drop that saw legends Bob Gainey and Lanny McDonald on the ice with Jarome Iginla and Brian Gionta.

It was an exciting game, with both teams playing well but there were 2 key factors that determined the outcome.

1. Calgary's offence was just too much for Carey Price. Rene Borque's two goals and Anton Babchuk's slick move boosted the Flames to a 4 goal lead over the Habs.

2. Kiprusoff was a door. Despite windy conditions going against him, Kipper denied any chance of a Habs goal and earned his 41st career shutout.

In NHL outdoor game history, the visiting team was usually the one to skate away with a victory, but the Flames, who have been very hot of late, picked up the two points this time around. A home win over a storied rival helped add to the electric "C of Red" atmosphere.

It had been 8 years since the last outdoor NHL game was played in Canada, but it seemed to be well worth the wait. Overall, the Heritage Classic weekend was a success, and it became clear early on that hockey fans are unlike any other; willing to sit for hours in weather well below freezing, all for the love of the game.






Calgary Flames vs Montreal Canadiens, February 20th, 2011

The Crumbling Canucks

Last night, the struggling Vancouver Canucks travelled to Minnesota to go head to head with the Wild. It looked promising for the Canadian team in the first few minutes of the game when Daniel Sedin fired a puck right past Minnesota's Cory Schneider. But Vancouver's lead lasted less than 5 minutes, when during a Minnesota powerplay, Wild defenceman Marek Zidlicky pushed the puck past Roberto Luongo. The remainder of the period saw the Wild score twice more, bringing the scoreboard to 3-1.

And it just got worse for the Canucks. Luongo allowed another 3 goals in the second, all less than 5 minutes apart from each other. And halfway into the second, Rick Rypien created the biggest buzz of the night.
Frustrated after earning himself a 10-minute game misconduct for fighting with Brad Staubitz, Rypien stormed off ice, shoving an official in the process. As he made his way down the tunnel, an overzealous Wild fan leaned over the barrier, clapping and cheering. Rypien would have none of it, and responded by grabbing the fan by the collar of his jersey and roughing him up for a few seconds before a Canucks teammate pulled him away.

Needless to say, Rypien did not return for the remainder of the game.

In a last-ditch effort, Daniel Sedin scored a powerplay goal in the third, to bring the final score to 6-2 Minnesota.

As for Rypien, he is suspended indefinately until his hearing on Friday, Oct. 22. It is speculated that he will receive a minimum 5, maximum 10 game suspension for his actions. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to appear at the hearing.

The Vancouver Canucks have only won 2 of their 6 regular season games so far, and are sitting at 10th in the Western Conference, a far cry from their projected standing of 1st in the West, as predicted by TSN prior to the start of the regular season.

Vancouver Canucks vs Minnesota Wild, Tuesday Oct. 19 2010

Click HERE to see a video of the altercation between Rick Rypien and the Minnesota fan

Banishing The Devils

In every matchup the Pittsburgh Penguins faced against the New Jersey Devils last season, the defending Stanley Cup champions couldn't seem to win one.
And though they had played two games already at the start of the new season, the Penguins were held winless against the Montreal Canadiens and the Philadelphia Flyers.
It was time to turn things around this Monday, Oct. 11 when the Pens travelled to New Jersey to once again attempt to take down Martin Brodeur and his Devils.
The majority of the first period went by uneventfully, with no scoring on either end of the ice. But just over a minute left in the period, Alex Goligoski managed to slap the puck past Brodeur, giving the Pens the first lead of the game.
As a result of a penalty on New Jersey, Mark Letetsu (who was a key player in the previous game against the Habs) scored on the power play to increase the lead to 2. Kris Letang and former Devil Paul Martin assisted in the goal.
Halfway through the third, Devils' left winger Patrik Elias cut the lead in half with a snapshot that whizzed right by the Penguins' backup goalie Brent Johnson.
With less than 2 minutes remaining in the game, the Devils pulled Brodeur to heighten the chances of tieing up the scoreboard. But in the last few seconds remaining, Paul Martin managed to take the puck and bury it into the empty net, taking the final score to 3-1 Pittsburgh.
It was a much-needed win for the Penguins, who lacked the momentum to start strong in the season. Their first 2 games played in the brand-new Consol Energy Center resulted in tough losses to their cross-state rivals and to the team who bounced them out of the playoffs last season.
Part of the reason for Pittsburgh's shaky start may be the fact that veteran players Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Sergei Gonchar have all left to play for other teams, and defenceman Jordan Staal is still out with a foot injury.
Pittsburgh will have their next chance at climbing higher in the standings on Wednesday, Oct. 13 when they face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs.





Pittsburgh Penguins vs New Jersey Devils, October 11 2010

Young Flames Fired Up

Just weeks before the start of the NHL regular season, rookies vying for a spot on the Calgary Flames roster decided to show the club just exactly why they were ready to make it in the big league.
Unlike some of the Edmonton Oilers youngsters who are participating in the Young Stars rookie camp tournament, the players on the Calgary team remain relatively unknown. But during yesterday's game against the Anaheim Ducks' rookie team, you would have guessed the roster was packed full of seasoned all-stars.
Playing their first game of the tournament, the Flames got off to a great start, dominating the Ducks with a final score of 8-4.
It was an action-packed game from the beginning, with the first half seeing equal effort put in by both teams. The Ducks' Jon Kurtz set the score in the first 5 minutes, burying a fast one right past Flames' goalie Matt Keetley. It wasn't until 15 minutes later that the Flames' Jon Rheault was able to tie up the scoreboard, with an assist from Mikael Backlund.
Bryan Cameron followed up the late goal with another one of his own, but with only a few seconds left in the first period, the Ducks rallied to tie it once again.
The second period was a little more one-sided than the first. Jon Rheault, quickly making a name for himself as a potential NHL Flame, shot an unassisted goal past Ducks goalie Marco Cousineau but seconds later was answered by the Ducks' Devante Smith-Pelly.
With the period half over, Mikael Backlund and Carter Bancks furthered the lead to 5-3 for the Flames.
It was all fire for the Flames in the third, as Rheault managed to pull off a hat trick, the first in the entire tournament, accompanied by goals from Josh Meyers and Keith Seabrook. Sitting comfortably with 8 goals, the Canadian rookies didn't sweat too much when, in the final seconds of the game, the Ducks' Jack Carrick put in a last-ditch effort, sliding the puck past an unexpecting Keetley.
The end result was a scoreboard that read 8-4 in favour of the Flames, and riding high on the win, the team is set to face the likes of much talked-about Edmonton Oilers draft picks Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall.
With limited cap space remaining in Calgary, no doubt the young Flames will put on a show just as impressive, to show Sutter and the gang who really deserves to be skating with the big boys in this upcoming season.




Mikael Backlund was one of the breakout rookies from the Abbotsford Heat who was called up to the Flames several times last season. Backlund reeled in one goal and one assist during last night's game.

Hawks Win Fight, Take Flight

The 2009-2010 post-season has been anything but dull, full of shocking eliminations, incredible goalie record-breakers and Game 7 heroics. And on June 9th, the end was just as much of a nail-biter as the beginning.
For the first time since 1961 the Chicago Blackhawks can call themselves the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champions. One of the top ranked teams during the regular season, the Blackhawks continued their determined path to Lord Stanley, making it through the playoffs with an unrelenting style of play. The Blackhawks went into Game 6 of the finals with a 3-2 lead on the persistent Philadelphia Flyers and finished them off in overtime.
Though the Blackhawks were the favorite to win the Cup, the Flyers put off a good fight, matching each Chicago goal with one of their own. Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd contributed goals in the first 3 periods, while Philadelphia's Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell kept their team caught up, with Hartnell scoring the last 2 goals.
But it was Patrick Kane who was the difference maker in this high-energy game, delivering a wrist shot less than 5 minutes into the overtime period to clich the title for the Blackhawks. Kane was also responsible for 2 of the 3 assists for the previous goals.
For Marian Hossa, winning the Cup has been long overdue. In the 2007-2008 season he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins and made it all the way to the finals, only to lose to the Red Wings. Determined to get his Stanley Cup ring, Hossa left the Penguins the following year to join the Chicago Blackhawks, only to watch his former team, led by Sidney Crosby, take the championship. And now, for the first time in his 13-year NHL career, the Slovakian right-winger has lifted the Cup.
Youngster Jonathan Toews, who already has an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case, can not only add the Stanley Cup Championship, but the Conn Smythe Trophy for MVP as well. With this achievement, Toews becomes only the second NHL player to have won Olympic gold and a Stanley Cup in one year, after Patrick Roy.

Chicago Blackhawks vs Philadelphia Flyers, June 9 2010

Can`t Knock The Canucks

Not making the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 7 years is already a sore subject with the Calgary Flames, but to add insult to injury, they were brutally beaten down by Western Conference rivals and fellow Canadian club the Vancouver Canucks at their last game of the regular season.

On Saturday, April 10 the Flames traveled to Vancouver to face off against the Canucks, who have easily earned the number 3 spot in the West. Within the first 10 minutes of the game, the Nucks scored 3 goals and were only answered by Niklas Hagman late into the period. In the second, Hagman cut the deficit in half by scoring his 25th goal of the season, but Ryan Kesler extended the Nucks`lead to 4-2 before the end of the period.

3 more goals by Daniel Sedin and Kevin Bieska propelled the Canucks to a surefire victory, despite Rene Bourque`s last minute goal towards the end of the third.

The game closed out with a final score of 7-3 in favour of the Canucks.

Talk about a bad season for the Calgary Flames. The team saw success only for a short time late in 2009, and began a tumultuous downward spiral at the beginning of the new year.

The club has acknowledged that big changes need to be made to their team, and have sparked speculation of the removal of big names like Sutter and Iginla, who have over the years become synonymous with the Flames.
So golf season has begun for the Calgary Flames, and all the team and their fans can do is enjoy the little break before worrying about the future of their franchise.

Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks, April 10 2010

Sharks Dash Flames' Playoff Hopes

It was a do-or-die game for the Calgary Flames on April 6, 2010. With 3 games left in the regular season and trailing on the heels of the Colorado Avalanche, the desperate Flames needed to win against the San Jose Sharks in order to keep their playoff dreams alive.
The first period began well for the Flames, who played strong and consistently. Though halfway through the first, Rob Blake scored a powerplay goal that took them to a 1-0 lead, that was extended to 2-0 by Jaime McGinn in the second, the Flames outshot the Sharks 39-26.
Early in the third, Rene Bourque tipped in a powerplay goal to cut the deficit in half.
The calm and steady play by the Flames began to dissolve halfway through the second period, when the team's desperation began to show.
Despite their best efforts (though some critics would say the Flames were hardly trying) the San Jose Sharks closed out the third with a score of 2-1 in their favour.
Even with their loss to the Sharks, the Flames still had a chance at a playoff berth, depending on whether or not the Colorado Avalanche lost their matchup against the Vancouver Canucks. That game ended in a shootout, with the Avalanche's Matt Duchene scoring the winning goal for his team.
As a result of the Avs' victory, the Calgary Flames will not be heading into the NHL playoffs for the first time in 7 years.
The disappointment has led to speculation that beloved captain Jarome Iginla will be traded to a different club, as his performance this year with the Flames has been less than passionate. For die-hard Flames fans, this is devastating news, but it is very unlikely that Iginla, who has played with the Flames since he was 19, will leave Calgary.
For a team that has had relative success in the NHL within the last decade, not making the playoffs may seem like the end of the world, but once they, and their fans, get over the bitter loss, the next season should prove to be much better than the last.




Calgary Flames vs San Jose Sharks, April 6 2010

A Flicker of Hope

Calgary Flames fans can't decide whether to give up on their team or continue to push on. So far this month, the Flames have posted a record of 8 and 6, and each game's performance was either very good or very bad. Against hot teams like Detroit and New Jersey, the Flames dominated, but games like the one against the Boston Bruins on Saturday March 27th, they were beat to a pulp. A stoic Jarome Iginla told the NHL after the game that the Flames aren't done yet, and in the remaining games before the playoffs begin, the team is going to "run the table."

Previously battling it out with Detroit for the 8th and final playoff spot, the Flames watched the Red Wings soar up the ranks with several wins.
It seemed to be all over for Calgary following the embarrassing 5-0 loss to the Bruins, but the next day, against the top team in the league, the Flames pounded the Capitals. The final score: 5-3 in favour of the Flames. The first 4 goals were scored in the first period, 3 of them made by new Flames Ian White, Ales Kotalik and Niklas Hagman, the other put in by Jay Bouwmeester for good measure. The Capitals attempted to rally ahead by scoring 3 goals, but one last shot delivered by Rene Bourque ensured that the Flames remained victorious.

A win against Ovechkin and his Caps was a much needed boost of confidence for the slipping Flames, and with 6 games to go and 4 points behind the Colorado Avalanche, that boost needs to remain in order to keep the Flames' playoff hopes alive.

Calgary Flames vs Washington Capitals, March 28 2010

Do You Be-Leaf?

Following a 7-game scoreless drought, Sidney Crosby exploded onto the ice and helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to a win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday March 28th.
The Penguins had lost 3 of their last 4 games, and despite some good effort made by the team, what they needed was a win to hold on to their 4th place rank in the eastern conference.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, on the other hand, have been on a hot streak of late. Though still sitting in last place in the east, the infusion of energy by youngsters like Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, the Leafs have won 4 out of their last 5 games.
The showdown in Toronto was not short of excitement, with no period idle. In the first, Colton Orr delivered a wristshot into the net, less than 5 minutes into play. Tyler Kennedy tallied up the score for the Pens halfway through the period.
Phil Kessel responded early in the second, but Toronto's lead was short lived. Within the span of 5 minutes, Pens captain Sidney Crosby scored back-to-back goals, assisted by Brooks Orpik. The goals couldn't have come at a better time, as Crosby hadn't scored in 7 previous games.
However, Toronto did not give up and pushed on to score another goal late in the second.
The third period saw goals by the Leafs' Tyler Bozak and the Pens' Matt Cooke. By the end of regulation, the scoreboard was sitting at 4-4, and it remained that way through overtime.
Leave it to the Kid to come through during a shootout.
Sid, along with Ruslan Fedotenko, snuck the pucks past J.S. Giguerre, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all of Toronto's shootout attempts.
Brooks Orpik, who expressed his frustration after losing two straight games to Washington and Detroit, was able to calm himself after his two assists, and Crosby's 3-goal night pushed him past Alexander Ovechkin for leading scorer in the league.
Crosby now holds 47 goals under his belt, to Ovechkin's 45, making him the current top contender for the Rocket Richard trophy.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs, March 28 2010

Devil On My Shoulder

It was the second time this month that the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils went head-to-head. And it was the second time this month that the Devils bested the Pens with a 2-goal advantage. In fact, in all 6 games played against each other this season, the Pens have not been able to beat captain Rob Niedermayer and his crew.
Although Pittsburgh's Chris Kunitz scored the first goal early on in the game, it was followed by 4-goal blitz by the Devils, delivered by Parise, Elias, Martin and Zubrus, respectively. By the start of the third, the Pens began to show their desperation, with Sidney Crosby being sent to the bench for goalie interference, a rare occurence on his part.
Partway through the third, Ruslan Fedetenko banged home a quick wristshot to narrow the deficit to 2, but with less than 2 minutes left in the period, Niedermayer sealed the Devils' win.
What is it that the New Jersey Devils have over the defending Stanley Cup champions that keeps them winning at every one of their matchups?
Penguins fans might blame the Pens' loss on the recent injuries of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, but the fact is that the Devils have been having an outstanding season, and are sitting comfortably at 6th in the league, just above the Penguins.





Pittsburgh Penguins vs New Jersey Devils, March 17 2010

Toskala Proves His Worth

Brent Sutter has not been shy about taking risky chances this season, as shown by his several shocking moves during the NHL trades. But one move he made today raised more than a few eyebrows: choosing recently aquired Vesa Toskala to start in a big game against the Colorado Avalanche.

By the end of the game, however, eyebrows went down and Calgary fans somewhat breathed a sigh of relief. With a final score of 3-2 in favour of Calgary, the team is now inching its way back into the playoff race.
Taking on the Avs has not gone too well for the Calgary Flames in the past. The Flames have lost to Colorado 4 times already this season. But they looked to turn around that statistic by taking the lead early on in the game. In the first 3 minutes, Rene Bourque scored a shorthanded goal by breakaway. Less than 5 minutes after, Eric Nystrom put one in by way of a sneaky backhand.
The first period hardly posed a challenge for Calgary's back-up goalie, as the Avs' defence was weak and their offence was messy.

Things turned around slightly during the second period when Colorado picked up their game, and the Flames reverted back to the play that caused them to lose to the Vancouver Canucks a few days ago. Though Rene Bourque scored another goal halfway through the period to bring their lead to 3, their unorganized play in front of the net allowed the Avs' Chris Durno to score.

It seemed as if the Flames had the win in the bag throughout the third, with Toskala making 31 saves against a much better Colorado. In the last minute of the game, Miljan Hejduk narrowed their deficit to 3-2, but Calgary hung on to claim the victory.
In an earlier interview, Brent Sutter expressed his trust in his backup goalie, and many Flames fans wondered what it was exactly that Toskala posessed to earn this trust. In a tough game, an important one for the Flames, Toskala was given the chance to show us what he's got.

Calgary Flames vs Colorado Avalanche, March 17 2010

Flames Put Out

For the first time since 2005, the Calgary Flames are struggling to even make it into the playoffs. For Calgary fans, their team's stint as the Western Conference division champions 5 years ago seems like a distant memory, and an accomplishment is now nearly impossible to achieve. Last night's game against the Detroit Red Wings affirmed the Flames' status as one of the lower teams in the league, though it was a hard-fought battle.
The Flames exploded in the first period with tons of energy, and less than 2 minutes into the game Craig Conroy put one past Red Wings netminder Jimmy Howard. The Flames managed to maintain their 1-goal lead until late in the second period, when Pavel Datsyuk tied up the scoreboard.
And, as if to parallel the Flames' early first goal, the Red Wings determined their opponent's fate by sinking in a late goal to gain the lead, less than 2 minutes before the end of the third.
It was the way the Flames played prior to the Olympic break that lowered their chances of making the playoffs. January saw the team struggle through a 9-game losing streak. You have to give the team credit for their performance after the break, adjusting well to the many trades and improving on their play, but all that now seems to be in vain.
The Calgary Flames play 13 games left in the regular season.





Calgary Flames vs Detroit Red Wings, March 15 2010

You Win Some, You Lose Some Pt. 2

Another two-game day involving the Calgary Flames and the Pittsburgh Penguins resulted in one favourable outcome, and one that was not so favourable.

It was the battle of 2 Canadian division rivals, the Flames and the Vancouver Canucks, that ended badly for my hometown team, breaking their 4-game winning streak. Although the Flames didn't play their worst game, they certainly didn't play their best.
The final score was 3-1 Vancouver, with all 3 of the Canucks' goals scored in the first period, where the Flames played a messy game. The Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, each scored a goal, along with Ryan Kesler.
Mikka Kiprusoff was subsequently pulled and replaced with newcomer Vesa Toscala at the start of the second period. The second and third periods showed good plays, patience and effort by the Flames, who at one point outshot the Canucks 20 to 6. The entire third period went by without a shot on goal by the Canucks. There were some great opportunities but the puck never found its way past gold medal-winning goalie Roberto Luongo. Late into the third Robyn Regher scored his second goal of the season, brining the score to 3-1. But despite several more shots on goal and a last-minute power play in favour of the Flames, the Canucks skated off the ice victorious.
It was a crucial game for the Calgary Flames, who have found themselves once again sitting in 9th in the league, as the Detroit Red Wings retook their previous spot at 8th.
The Vancouver Canucks are the highest ranked Canadian team in the league, currently in 4th.

A five-game road trip that began on Thursday, March 11th, hasn't been going too well for the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the first two games ending in losses. But against the Tampa Bay Lightning today, the Penguins did what they do best: stay resilient and rally to reclaim the upper hand.
In the first few minutes of the game, Pens captain Sidney Crosby suffered an injury as a result of a hard-hitting crosscheck by Steve Downie. Downie came up from the side and took out Crosby's right knee, which bent back and got caught beneath both Crosby and Downie's falling bodies. Crosby was slowly escorted off the ice to be attended to, but was able to return to the game.
After a scoreless first period, Tampa Bay captain Vincent Lecavelier delivered a wristshot that sailed past Marc-Andre Fleury, and the entire second period remaind 1-0 in favour of the Lightning. But a few minutes into the third, Pascal Dupuis tied up the scoreboard, and less than 3 minutes later Sergei Gonchar put another one in, allowing the Penguins to take the lead. The Pens continued to hang on to their 1-point lead all the way until the end of the third, thanks to some solid defensive play.
The Penguins' win allowed them to hold on to the 6th spot in the league, just below the Phoenix Coyotes.





Calgary Flames vs Vancouver Canucks, March 14 2010

You Win Some, You Lose Some

Yes, it was a much anticipated day for me as my 2 favourite NHL teams were taking to the ice (not against each other, but it still made for a very entertaining few hours of TV).

First, the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Carolina Hurricanes, and although it seemed like an easy win for the defending Stanley Cup champions, the game went all the way into overtime and Brian Pothier delivered a snapshot that made the final score 4-3 in favour of the Hurricanes.
The 2 more renowned Staal brothers (Jordan and Eric) each scored a goal for their own teams, while Matt Cooke attempted to shake the negative scrutiny from his hit to Marc Savard off by scoring a goal with a slick backhand.
It's a well-known fact that the Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby does not like to lose, but his team's fall to the Hurricanes doesn't hurt their chances too much. Pittsburgh has a 21-point lead over Carolina, and is sitting comfortably in the 5th spot in the league.

Things just keep getting hotter for the Calgary Flames, who extended their winning streak to 4 tonight against the Ottawa Senators. It was a relatively slow game, with the entire second period remaining scoreless, but nonetheless the Flames took the win with a final score of 2-0.
In the first 5 minutes of the game, former Maple Leafs forward Jamal Mayers scored his first goal as a Flame. The Flames maintained the single point lead until the last 10 minutes of the third period, when Christopher Higgins' slapshot pushed it up to 2. It was Higgins' second goal since with Calgary, proving to doubtful Flames fans that Darryl Sutter made the right choice when trading him from the New York Rangers for Ollie Jokinen. Mikka Kiprusoff, often called "the hardest working man on the Flames roster," earned his 34th career shutout to match the number he wears on his back. The Flames are now only 2 points behind their Canadian counterparts.




Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Carolina Hurricanes, March 11 2010

It's The End Of The Road

The Vancouver Canucks played their last of a 14-game road trip tonight against their western conference rivals the Phoenix Coyotes. Playing that many road games in succession is an exhausting task, but the exhaustion did not show in the Canucks' game. Though they lost in a two-round shootout, the Canucks battled fiercely against the Coyotes, who are riding their coat tails in both conference and league standings.
Each team scored a goal in all three periods, and the scoreboard remained even all the way to the shootout. It was Mason Raymond of the Canucks whose missed shot on goal allowed the Coyotes to walk away with the 4-3 win.

The Coyotes' win brings them to a tie at the 4th spot in the league, just edging past the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Vancouver Canucks vs Phoenix Coyotes, March 10th 2010

Whoa, Canada!

All across Canada, hockey fans were glued to their TV screens watching as their teams did battle on the ice. Today, all 5 Canadian teams played, and it was a good day for Canadian hockey indeed.

The only losers of the Canadian NHL clubs were the Edmonton Oilers, who can't seem to get out of their downward spiral. The Oilers, who currently sit very last in the league, faced off against the Ottowa Senators on home ice. Perhaps it was no surprise that the Sens swept the game 4-1, given their outstanding season, and the Oilers' disappointing one.
The solitary goal for Edmonton was scored by Fernando Pisani, his third of the season. Goals scored by the Sens were made by Cullen, Fisher, Michalek and Kelly, respectively.

While the Sens continued their hot streak in a win against the Oilers, the Vancouver Canucks were busy jumping over their northwest rivals the Colorado Avalanche to claim the top spot in the division. It was an exciting game that boasted several goals during each period. Though the first period was owned by the Avs (3 goals, 2 of them by Matt Duchene and the other by Chris Stewart), the second period saw the Canucks answer back with 3 goals of their own. But by the third period the Canucks managed to come back from a 1 goal deficit and bring the final score up to 6-4. Daniel Sedin played a major part in the comeback, scoring the first hat trick of his career.

The Montreal Canadiens took to the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning and came out victorious, with the final score at 5-3 in favour of the Habs. The first goal was shot in a power play, by Glenn Metropolit, less than 3 minutes into the first period. Scott Gomez followed it up 10 minutes later, giving the Habs a 2-0 lead going into the second. Though the Lightning did their best to tie up the score in the second by scoring twice, those goals did not go unanswered, as Benoit Pouliot and Mathieu Darche made sure the Habs maintained their 2-goal lead.
In the end, despite the Lightning's best efforts, the Canadiens did manage to keep that 2-goal lead and skate off with the win.

Luca Caputi played his first game as a Maple Leaf tonight against the Boston Bruins, and it was a good one. Caputi scored one of the goals that put the Leafs ahead, and led them to a 4-3 victory over the Bruins. Primeau and Gunnarsson also contributed to the regulation time goals but it was Nikolai Kulemin who scored the winning goal in overtime.
A little over 19, 000 fans packed the stadium to watch their team win, and it was a much-needed win for the Leafs, who have lost 3 of their last 5 games.
Maybe homegrown Caputi, who is from Maple, Ontario, could be the good luck charm for the struggling team?

And it was a great day for Calgary Flames fans, who anticipated the big game against the Red Wings in Detroit today. The Red Wings sat in 8th in the western conference, just ahead of the Flames, denying them that spot into the playoffs. But the Flames and their fans waxed optimistic, given the Flames' stellar performance in their past 2 games.
The entire first period went by with neither team making it onto the scoreboard, but shortly into the second the Flames gained the lead courtesy of Daymond Langkow. As the period progressed however, the Red Wings rallied not only to tie the Flames, but take the lead, with Holmstrom and Datsyuk each claiming a goal. Coming into the third, Jarome Iginla stepped up and reminded the NHL once again why he remains one of Canada's current hockey heroes with a powerful backhand. Iginla followed that up with an assist for Rene Bourque, and in the last 2 minutes of the game, Christopher Higgins earned his name as a new Flame in the recent trade, by delivering a slapshot and taking the final score to 4-2, Calgary.

It was the third straight win for the Calgary Flames, who, prior to the Olympic break, were sliding down a slope of back-to-back losses. The Flames had not had a 3-game winning streak since early December of last year.

The Vancouver Canucks lead their Canadian counterparts in league standings, sitting pretty at #4, while the Calgary Flames have moved up one spot to cinch 13th. They are followed closely by the Montreal Canadiens, who are at #16, while the Toronto Maple leafs (#29) and the Edmonton Oilers (#30) are expected to watch the playoffs from a distance, holding the last 2 places in the NHL.

Flames vs Red Wings, March 9th 2010