[Inclag]

me too, Krejci is a big part of that offense. Have you heard anything about mcquaid? Hopefully, Stuart is ready to come back if hes going to miss some time. Who else do the B's have for D-men, Bodnarchuk?

Who do the B's play instead of krejci, marchand?

It's been confirmed by different sources. Krejci is out for the remainder of the season.

IMO the loss shouldn't be too big even though he is an important player. The Bruin's are loaded at center depth, and they can slide the lightly used Savard into his spot. Sobotka is playing like he's injured and I suspect that he may have cracked some ribs running into the post during game 1, so that will hurt the B's as well, but overall they should be able to weather storm since they are smart defensive oriented team above all else.

As far as McQuaid , he lost his footing and fell into the boards awkwardly. Apparently he was limping after the game. Not sure if he'll be back, but he was getting minimal minutes and wasn't playing too well (poor pinches at the blueline and inability to break the puck out cleanly). Word is the Stuart is skating during practice and just needs medical clearance for a return, so they can slide him back there if need be. Either that or they will put Bodnarchuck or Penner back there for a game or two.

So yea, I think that the Bruins should be able to compete without him since they aren't lacking at center, but it won't be as easy.

 

[MMcG]

Who's the healthiest club still alive in the playoffs right now?

Seems like the West coast teams are a bit healthier overall than the Eastern teams.

Montreal is pretty thin on the blueline.
Pittsburgh without Staal
Boston without krejci etc.

Could it be a case of the healthiest club going into the conference finals and cup finals is the team that wins it all?

 

[kingbee]

...Pittsburgh without Staal...

Staal could be back any time.

http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=528179&navid=DL|PIT|home

 

[JohnE]

Who's the healthiest club still alive in the playoffs right now?

Seems like the West coast teams are a bit healthier overall than the Eastern teams.

Montreal is pretty thin on the blueline.
Pittsburgh without Staal
Boston without krejci etc.

Could it be a case of the healthiest club going into the conference finals and cup finals is the team that wins it all?

Playoffs are always a war of attrition anyways. I am rooting for the Wings v. the Sharks, if only to tire out the Sharks. Hawks are pretty healthy (Crosses fingers, knocks on wood, throws salt, sticks another needle in his Syd the Kid voodoo doll...)

 

[MMcG]

Anyone else impressed with the play of P.K. Subban for Montreal? This kid is playing some really good hockey and getting major minutes in a hurry. He's gotten better with each game and I think actually giving him more ice time has helped him. He could/should have a very bright future in the NHL.

 

[kickstand]

Anyone else impressed with the play of P.K. Subban for Montreal? This kid is playing some really good hockey and getting major minutes in a hurry. He's gotten better with each game and I think actually giving him more ice time has helped him. He could/should have a very bright future in the NHL.

yeah I have been very impressed, they have spoke very highly of him during the broadcasts too.

 

[UNHrider]

It's been confirmed by different sources. Krejci is out for the remainder of the season.

So yea, I think that the Bruins should be able to compete without him since they aren't lacking at center, but it won't be as easy.

sounds pretty logical. would rather see stuart back there if hes healthy enough instead of penner or bodnarchuck. Those guys have what 5 NHL games between the two of them?

Good assessment on Sobotka, hes been nowhere near the pest he was in the series against buffalo.

you think boston will play marchand or whitfield? whitfield is the more reliable guy, but marchand has that little edge and spark.

Hopefully Savard gets back into it full swing, and guys like wheeler and lucic get on a run to supplement some scoring. what do you think of having paille on the first line with bergeron and recchi?

 

[kickstand]

Here's that wings team that played the coyotes in game 7......can they come back out for 3 more games? I unfortunately think not.....

 

[Jozz]

Habs FTW!

 

[MMcG]

Les Habitants stole that game from the Pens. But a win is a win!

 

[jsg04]

Damn you Habs... damn you. I have visions of the Washington series in my head all over again. Well it is tied up now, just got to win at home.

The Wings should save some of those goal for the next game.

 

[JohnE]

Doesnt matter if they stole it or not...Go Habs! And yeah, PK Subban is impressive. Shows alot of poise and confidence for being such a youngster. I dont remember him as so much from the WJHC.

Wings have a pulse...take it to 'em. I want that series to go as long and be as brutal as possible...

 

[MMcG]

Subban might have missed the gold medal game in the WJHC - he may have been suspended for a hit in the game prior to the gold medal game. I am not sure, but I recall something like that, maybe it was a different player (come to think of it - I think it was another guy). I'll have to do some research.

 

[kingbee]

I'm so frustrated with the Pens loss. I hate that you can dominate a game and still not win. (Thats a backwards way of giving props to the Habs...)

I think this series will go 7 games.

 

[aaronrocker]

How will Luongo and Vancouver stop Byfuglien! Got to love Buff's hat trick!

 

[jsg04]

How will Luongo and Vancouver stop Byfuglien! Got to love Buff's hat trick!

You have to love Byf's goal celebration on his second goal.

http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-dustin-byfuglien-goal-celebration.html

 

[jsg04]

You will pay for this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xgY7BPQFRN8&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xgY7BPQFRN8&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>

 

[rigidhack]

I am officially giving up on the Canucks. I'm not even going to watch game 5. No point.


At least Whistler opens next week.

 

[JohnE]

Great game by the Hawks...Lou is done, as is Vigneault. The Sedins matching contracts...how are those looking right now? Go Hawks!

Go Wings too...streeeeetttttcccchhhhh that series as far as it will go!

 

[JohnE]

You have to love Byf's goal celebration on his second goal.

http://ndgoon.blogspot.com/2010/05/is-dustin-byfuglien-goal-celebration.html

To quote Eddie O..."Thats one happy human!"

 

[jsg04]

The Canucks just plain suck in big games. End of story.

Go Pens.

 

[kickstand]

Great game by the Hawks...Lou is done, as is Vigneault. The Sedins matching contracts...how are those looking right now? Go Hawks!

Go Wings too...streeeeetttttcccchhhhh that series as far as it will go!

be careful what you wish for, if the wings do make it past the sharks (not likely) and meet up with the hawks, I AM confident the wings can get past chicago.

 

[MMcG]

Toews comes alive last night! Lookout folks!

Can Montreal "steal" another one in Pittsburgh?

 

[splat]

even though the Bruins lost last night , I really liked there never give up attitude, and they almost pulled it out in OT.

 

[MMcG]

That was some good hockey last night in that game.

 

[JohnE]

be careful what you wish for, if the wings do make it past the sharks (not likely) and meet up with the hawks, I AM confident the wings can get past chicago.

I just want the series to go long...really long. Like 10 or 12 games...

 

[kingbee]

Pens win! I hope they can wrap this up on Monday.

 

[eric strt6]

SHARKS WIN THE SERIES

 

[JohnE]

Dont you mean REFS win the series for the Sharks? Just sayin...

 

[eric strt6]

Dont you mean REFS win the series for the Sharks? Just sayin...

right, thats why the Wings finished the last minute and a half with a 6 on 4 power play and still couldn't score on Naby

 

[kickstand]

Dont you mean REFS win the series for the Sharks? Just sayin...

although I thought the refs were HORRIBLE throughout the entire series, the sharks still outplayed the wings in 3 of the 5 games.

 

[JohnE]

Sharks ouplayed them badly, agreed. Raffy with a bad give away, Howie didnt show up like had been, and the studs were less than studly. They played one good game, a glimpse of Red Wings past. But the reffing was just bad.

Eric, there were 58.5 other minutes in the game too...but anyway, GO HAWKS- Finish the Nuckleheads!

 

[kickstand]

Hawks and sharks should be a good series, Canadiens are still holding a glimmer of hope in cancelling out the pens, which would just make my day as I can't stand crosby and all his whining, no matter how good the kid is.

Go Hawks, Go Habs.

 

[rigidhack]

Watching both the Habs series and the Canucks series, all I can say is that it is clear that the NHL has no interest in having a Canadian team in the finals. Watching the refereeing in both series is like being witness to a particularly sleazy used car deal go down. Bettman needs to lose his job. Playoffs should be about hockey.

 

[JohnE]

Hawks let me down tonight, along with 20K other fans...looks liek we have a series now.

 

[ZoRo]

I just want to say GO CANADIENS DE MONTRÉAL. GO PK. GO HALAK. GO CAMMY. GO GIONTA. GO (slow) GILL.

 

[kickstand]

Watching both the Habs series and the Canucks series, all I can say is that it is clear that the NHL has no interest in having a Canadian team in the finals. Watching the refereeing in both series is like being witness to a particularly sleazy used car deal go down. Bettman needs to lose his job. Playoffs should be about hockey.

Wings fan perspective.


1. Why is Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and their respective teams the golden boys for the NHL when the wings have been the most dominant team in the league for 19 straight years (19 straight play off appearances and how many cups?)

2. Why are the rules for Regular Season hockey so different than playoff hockey? Seriously? The wings were the least penalized team in the regular season, one of the most penalized in the playoffs, something doesn't add up. (Yes, I think my team was outplayed and it wasn't "fixed" but it also wasn't "right")

3. Agreed on the candian teams thing, problem is this, a vancouver - Montreal final to a hockey fan is a great thing, and still of interest, but consider the US has like 25,000 times the TV viewers that canada has he "wants" viewers, so that doesn't do a league that has no TV contract with a major US network any good for increasing fanfare and interest. It's dirty and crooked and wrong....

4. Get rid of the stupid trapezoid rule.

5. A goal is a goal, I don't care if it is kicked in, directed in, or any of the above, you want more scoring to bring in casual fans? allow those types of goals, that still takes talent too....

6. Two Line passes, I am torn on this on one hand it allows for cherry picking and fast action out of the zone, on the other hand it allows for a lot of long passes that just end up with the cherry picker to miss the pass and it is either called icing or its just brought back down by the other team, north south "ping pong" hockey isn't that fun to watch in my opinion.

7. Put some of the physicality back into the game, hockey used to have tons of huge body checks in the game, not anymore, and that was part of the excitement.

Just my ramblings.

 

[stevew]

7. Put some of the physicality back into the game, hockey used to have tons of huge body checks in the game, not anymore, and that was part of the excitement.

dave schultz agrees...

 

[MMcG]

Wings fan perspective.


1. Why is Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and their respective teams the golden boys for the NHL when the wings have been the most dominant team in the league for 19 straight years (19 straight play off appearances and how many cups?)

2. Why are the rules for Regular Season hockey so different than playoff hockey? Seriously? The wings were the least penalized team in the regular season, one of the most penalized in the playoffs, something doesn't add up. (Yes, I think my team was outplayed and it wasn't "fixed" but it also wasn't "right")

3. Agreed on the candian teams thing, problem is this, a vancouver - Montreal final to a hockey fan is a great thing, and still of interest, but consider the US has like 25,000 times the TV viewers that canada has he "wants" viewers, so that doesn't do a league that has no TV contract with a major US network any good for increasing fanfare and interest. It's dirty and crooked and wrong....

4. Get rid of the stupid trapezoid rule.

5. A goal is a goal, I don't care if it is kicked in, directed in, or any of the above, you want more scoring to bring in casual fans? allow those types of goals, that still takes talent too....

6. Two Line passes, I am torn on this on one hand it allows for cherry picking and fast action out of the zone, on the other hand it allows for a lot of long passes that just end up with the cherry picker to miss the pass and it is either called icing or its just brought back down by the other team, north south "ping pong" hockey isn't that fun to watch in my opinion.

7. Put some of the physicality back into the game, hockey used to have tons of huge body checks in the game, not anymore, and that was part of the excitement.

Just my ramblings.

1. How many times were the Red Wings on NBC for Sunday night hockey vs. the rest of the teams in the league?

2. I can't comment as I didn't see a ton of the Red Wings v. Sharks series.

3. Montreal isn't out yet - although they've got a tough road to climb to beat the Pens. Vancouver ain't dead yet either. And if the Blackhawks play like they did last night they could blow this 3-1 lead.

4. Trapezoid rule is really dumb - I agree.

5. Interesting perspective. What if you allowed a guy to throw the puck in the goal - that'd be more handball than hockey right?

6. Eliminating the red line was a brilliant move - the game is much quicker as a result. I love that rule change.

7. Find an old game on ESPN Classic or something and then watch a modern NHL game. I suspect you'll find the hits in today's game to be a helluva lot harder than in the 70s, 80s, even 90s era of hockey. Players today are bigger, faster, stronger and they hit a helluva lot harder as well.

Also, watch an old NHL game and witness all the clutching and grabbing and interference that went on. Those old games are boring in comparison to the game as it stands now. Goalies weren't nearly as athletic as they are now, and the goaltending training is of a standard that you just never saw back then. Technology has also helped - skates are unbelievably light, equipment is more protective, yet lighter, and better designed. And players today essentially train year round. Much different.

* The one rule I'd like to see looked at bit more is automatic icing. I'm on the fence on that rule actually because sometimes the chase to the puck is good to see, but many other times it results in a cheap shot "push the guy into the boards when he's a foot away type hit" that can be very dangerous and potentially career ending for some of the top talent in the game today.

 

[MMcG]

I was reading the CBC recap on the Canuck's win last night and here's what they had to say about Sami Salo's injury:

"Salo was hospitalized after blocking a shot in the midsection from Chicago's Duncan Keith in the dying seconds of the first period. The Canucks would not disclose the nature of the ailment, but the word around the United Center after the game was that Salo had suffered a ruptured testicle."

Ruptured Testicle! Oh man. ouch.