Tips For Hockey

5 NHL Players That Stepped Up in Round 2

Eric — Fri, 14 May 2010 02:35:39 +0000

Every year a new story begins in April and ends in June. Each time it’s written differently. It will have new twists, new characters, and new champions. I am of course talking about the playoffs.

And, like every story, the NHL playoffs has a few heroes. But who are those key players? What did they accomplish? And how is it that they were able to rise above the other players in the same situation?

Here are five “characters” that made a huge splash in chapter two of the NHL playoffs.

5. Johan Franzen: F, Detroit Red Wings

Although the Red Wings were completely outplayed by the San Jose Sharks, Johan Franzen was a force to be reckoned with.

With their backs against the wall, Detroit came into a desperate Game Four where they were down 3-0 in the series. And Franzen responded. He came only a couple of seconds away from setting the record for the fastest hat trick in the NHL and ended up scoring four goals in the game.

Although this didn’t make a huge difference in the series, it did resonate with Red Wing fans. Franzen gave some much needed momentum to a depleted Wings team and finally gave the fans something to cheer about in the second round. Unfortunately for the Wings, they were unable to continue the momentum in Game Five and were eliminated.

4. Matt Carle: D, Philadelphia Flyers

Carle is a player that easily could have gone under many people’s radar. That includes the Boston Bruins. Although he hasn’t scored any goals in the playoffs, he’s still been a huge part of the Flyers’ recent success.

Carle really stepped it up at the end of round two, tallying five assists during the three consecutive victories the Flyers had over the Bruins. Five of the 11 goals the Flyers have scored in the last three games have been set up by Carle. That includes the important overtime goal that was scored by Simon Gagne to force a Game Five.

He is also tied for the ninth best +/- rating in the NHL (+9) and has seen an average of 25 minutes of ice time over the course of the playoffs. He may not be the goal scoring defenseman, but he has been instrumental in the success of the team, both offensively and defensively.

3. Joe Pavelski: F, San Jose Sharks

Pavelski has been huge in the playoffs for the San Jose Sharks. Over the course of the playoffs he has scored nine goals, four of these coming in the second round.

His first two goals came in the Sharks 4-3 Game One victory. Coincidentally, Pavelski scored two goals in Game Two where the Sharks also won 4-3 in regulation. Four of the Sharks’ eight goals in the first two games were off the stick of Joe Pavelski. He definitely stepped up his play and was instrumental in giving the Sharks a 2-0 series lead, a lead that the Wings would fail to overcome.

2. Jaroslav Halak: G, Montreal Canadiens

I don’t think that this list would be complete without Jaroslav Halak. We thought that Halak stepped up in the first round against the Washington Capitals, but the fact that he was able to do it again in the second round against the Pittsburgh Penguins is just a testament to how good of a goalie he actually is.

Halak had the NHL’s fourth best save percentage (92.4 percent). This is despite having to battle Carey Price for the starting job. However, he was still able to be successful and have one of the best seasons he’ll probably have in his career.

This success continued into the playoffs when he helped defeat the Washington Capitals after facing a boatload of shots in the final games. The same story occurred in the second round when he helped shut down another one of the NHL’s best offenses in the Pittsburgh Penguins.

1. Michael Cammalleri: F, Montreal Canadiens

Cammalleri has been great all season. He scored 26 goals in 65 games and tallied a total of 50 points.

However, it’s his playoff numbers that are making him stand above the crowd. Cammalleri has a league-leading 11 goals in the playoffs and is fourth in points (16).

In the first round, we were impressed by his five goals. But it was the second round that really stood out. To date, he has scored six goals in the second round and was instrumental in the Habs overtaking the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

The goal that sticks out the most is the first one he scored in Game Six. His goal came just over a minute into the game and really inspired the rest of his team. He ended up scoring the team’s second goal in the second period before Jaroslav Spacek was able to gain the lead for the Habs.

How the Boston vs. Philly Series Doesn’t Represent the NHL

Eric — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:19:29 +0000

The Eastern Conference was full of upsets. The most shocking was Washington losing to Montreal. However, there were two others. Philadelphia beat New Jersey and Boston beat Buffalo. This leaves the four, six, seven, and eight seeds in the conference semi finals.

The interesting thing is that the six and seven seeds (Boston and Philly respectively) are playing against each other. Neither one of these teams was able to clinch a playoff position until the final games of the season. It also means that one of these two teams is going to make the conference finals.

Fans were questioning whether or not either one of these teams would make the post season, and now you’ve got one of them making it to the conference final. Meanwhile, you’ve got the Washington Capitals sitting on the sideline watching the remainder of these games. Granted, after their blowing a 3-1 series lead they kind of deserve it.

This is hockey, but this is also a big surprise. After all, who would have guessed that the President trophy winner would be out of the playoffs in the first two weeks and two teams that barely made the playoffs would be battling for the Eastern Conference Finals.

Quite honestly, I think that the road has just been cleared for Pittsburgh to make another run at the Stanley Cup. They are now the most talented team in the Eastern Conference and are also the team with the least amount of problems. Boston and Montreal have had a hard time scoring goals during the season and Philadelphia has two injured goaltenders.

Personally, I’m a little disappointed with the outcomes in the Eastern Conference. A lot of the NHL’s best talent has been eliminated in the first round. Ovechkin, Semin, Miller, Brodeur and Kovalchuk are all finished. Now, Sidney Crosby has another opportunity to take the Penguins to the Stanley Cup, and I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Playoff Tickets on Sale: Best Places to Buy

Eric — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 02:09:08 +0000

With the playoffs starting, there are many people that are going to be looking forward to going to games. Usually, you can go to the team’s website and buy tickets, but what happens when the game is sold out? Is there anything that you can do to get tickets to a game?

The answer is a quick and resounding yes. Now, there are probably a few red flags that are going off in your head. The first is probably the fact that ticket companies aren’t always credible, and there’s no way to tell if the tickets you’re getting are real, or even if the business is legal.

The company that I’m about to talk about is real. They guarantee the authenticity of your ticket and are based in the United States as a legal company.

I’m talking about is Vivid Seats, which is a secondary ticket resale company similar to Stub Hub or Ticket Exchange.

The thing that I like about this company is that they have a 100% guarantee for all customers. They promise that you will get authentic tickets, that everything will be accurate, that the tickets will be delivered before the event, that they will refund the ticket if the event is cancelled, and that the transaction will be safe and secure.

If you’re going to go to a sporting event then buy your tickets from Vivid Seats.

Vivid Seats is an affiliate of Tips for Hockey and Tips for Hockey does receive a portion of the sales.

3 Hottest Teams Heading Into the Playoffs

Eric — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 19:58:04 +0000

#3. Boston Bruins

This isn’t something that I would have predicted a few weeks ago. Many fans didn’t even think they would make the playoffs. In the month of January, they only won three games and went ten consecutive games without a win between late January and early February.

Recently, that terrible play hasn’t existed. They have been winning more games and, in my opinion, are the third hottest team heading into the playoffs.

The Bruins play great defensively. They have to because their offense was ranked dead last in the NHL. This defensive play leads to many low scoring games, and can make it difficult for some of the NHL’s best teams to beat the Bruins.

During their last ten games, the Bruins have gone 6-3-1, and are heading into the playoffs on a three game winning streak. However, the biggest thing that makes them number three is who they’ve beaten. The Bruins ended their season with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Washington Capitals, and before that they scored a 3-1 victory over Buffalo, a 1-0 victory over the Devils, and a 5-0 destruction of the Calgary Flames.

Although they’re not the favorite in the series between them and Buffalo, the Bruins should make it entertaining. I actually said in my first round predictions that Boston would beat Buffalo because of how they’ve been playing recently plus the fact that they took the season series. Probable? No, but certainly possible.

#2. San Jose Sharks

For a number one seed, the San Jose Sharks have gone on a couple of really bad streaks. Twice this season, the Sharks went five consecutive games without a win. The most recent of those bad streaks, was only a few weeks ago when they lost five straight to the Ducks, Stars, Canucks, Flames and Oilers.

However, during their last ten games they have gone 8-1-1, and are another hot team heading into the playoffs.

Even if San Jose wasn’t on a hot streak, they would still be a dangerous team. The fact that they are hot before the playoffs should be a huge concern for the Colorado Avalanche, or any other team they face in the playoffs.

The problem is that San Jose is even more determined to get into the second round this year. After last year’s embarrassing loss to the Anaheim Ducks, the Sharks are looking to redeem themselves. I think it’s unlikely that this team will step off the gas in any round. Any team they face will have a hard time because they are good, they’re hot, and they’re determined to win.

#1. Detroit Red Wings

This one’s a bit of a no brainer. The Red Wings had a spectacular March and April. Like the Sharks, the Wings are 8-1-1 in their last ten. The difference is that they have been playing great hockey for the last month and a half. In fact, the Wings have only lost three games in regulation since March 1st.

For the Wings, everything has been happening at the right time. Jimmy Howard has been amazing all season long, but he’s been very good over the last month and a half. More importantly, the Wings were able to get a bunch of players back from injury. Johnan Franzen is the most notable return because he missed most of the season with a serious knee injury.

No team wants to face Detroit in the first (or any) round of the playoffs. They have a ton of talented players, and many of them have played in the post season before.

Any team that faces them, will have to get past their experience, skill, and confidence to pull away with the series. In no way do you want to count this team out of anything, because they have the ability to go far.

Three NHL Teams That Should Start Over

Eric — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:47:41 +0000

With the NHL finally entering the playoffs, there are many teams fighting for the Stanley Cup. For the next month and a half, all attention will be put on the playoffs as fans watch their favorite teams make cup runs.

The thing we can’t forget is that many other teams missed the playoffs. These teams have already started their off season, and are hopefully getting ready to make the necessary changes for next season.

The NHL will not allow a team to make any trades before the Stanley Cup finals are over. However, this won’t stop the speculation. You could argue that every team that missed the playoffs needs at least a little bit of work. That’s completely true, but here are the three teams that need it the most. These will probably be the teams that you hear a lot of speculation about for the next month and a half.

#3. Toronto Maple Leafs

There are a lot of teams that I could consider for number three (or two or one). But I chose the Toronto Maple Leafs mainly because of their stats this season.

Right now, the Toronto Maple Leafs are in need of some big change. Their offense was tied for the fifth worst in the NHL with only 2.56 goals per game. However, their defense was a little more alarming. It was the second worst in the NHL and allowed 3.21 goals per game during the season.

At the beginning of the season, the offense wasn’t too bad. They actually had a fairly decent power play and were ranked in the middle of the NHL. Unfortunately, that didn’t last the whole season. As the season wore on, their offense got worst and worst. Most of that has to do with the fact that they gave up Matt Stajan, and Niklas Hagman to the Calgary Flames.

Defensively, they also need to get a lot better. Jonas Gustavsson has had an okay rookie season, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. However, he’s a rookie, and I’m sure that his numbers will improve over the next few years. I won’t pick on him.

As important as it is for Gustavsson to get better, it’s even more important for the defense in front of him to get better. This year, there were only two defenders with positive +/- ratings. They were Luke Schenn (+2) and Carl Gunnarsson (+8), and Gunnarsson is a rookie. However, Gunnarsson only played in 43 games this season, so we’ll have to see if he can do it again next year.

Personally, I think the Maple Leafs’ defense will get better as the rookies gain more experience. I think that offense is going to be more of a concern during the off season because Toronto gave some of their better goal scorers to Calgary. Now, they have to find replacements for these players. This is going to be their biggest challenge during the off season.

#2. Florida Panthers

The Panthers haven’t seen the playoffs since the 1999-00 season when they finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. Through the years, they have been mismanaged, and many poor decisions have been made. It seems like they’re always rebuilding.

This trend has to stop. Tomorrow never comes, and neither does next season. At some point, you have to stop investing in the future and start hoarding your talent for the present.

As the Florida Featured Columnist, I’ve heard many fans talk about how you need to give up good players to get good players in return. Florida has a few good players in Stephen Weiss, Nathan Horton, David Booth, Michael Frolik, and most importantly, Tomas Vokoun.

Many fans want to see these players traded to get more talent. The problem is that these players have done good things for the team. There are many other players on the lower lines that don’t have the work ethic or determination to be successful in the NHL. They are the ones causing the problems.

So, you tell me who needs to be dropped. The good players that are producing for the Panthers, or the bad players that are hampering the good players’ effort. Personally, I have a hard time getting rid of the players that aren’t causing trouble. You need to get rid of the players on the lower lines and get players with a better work ethic and more talent. In fact, there are only seven players on the team with more than ten goals this season. Trading any one of those players for another player that only scores ten goals will not help the team.

There will be plenty of players on the free agent market that the Panthers could sign. Some or these players could play on the second or third line and score 10-15 goals in a season. Not only that, but many of the players that are currently on the second or third line could be moved down a line and will be facing easier opponents. Granted, their ice time would drop, but their on-ice performance should be more productive.

The thing that puts Florida at number two is the fact that they are at least developing the attitude they need to win. Randy Sexton, the GM, is not happy with his team’s performance, and made a few explicit comments to the media about how important change is.

He’s right, change is a necessary thing in Florida, and it will only come if the front office knows how to attract good players. More importantly, they must keep the good players they already have.

#1. Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton finished dead last in the NHL this season. Offensively, they were ranked 27th in the NHL and defensively they were ranked as the worst. Needless to say, there were many problems with both areas of their game.

A lot of these problems had to do with injuries. Ales Hemsky and Sheldon Souray were two of the biggest players who missed the majority of the season.

As much of an effect as I think injuries had on the team, I don’t think that they would have seen a lot more success anyway. They finished 33 points away from a playoff position. Even if they made up that ground, they would still find themselves against a one seed in the first round. If this team wants to get past the first round, they need to completely revamp their lineup.

That’s going to be even more difficult now that Souray has demanded a trade. Personally, I think that Edmonton is pretty much forced to give Souray the trade he wants. After all, they would rather have a player that was willing to be on the team than a player that doesn’t want to be there. However, the big thing that Souray did was re-raise some questions about Edmonton’s management.

Personally, I have to somewhat agree with him. The management has not done a good job of building this club. They can’t win games. Even at the beginning of the season, before injuries got as out of control as they eventually did, the Oilers struggled to win games.

Edmonton needs more than a draft pick. They need to get talented players on the team through whatever means necessary. Not only do they have to get the good players on the team, they have to keep the good players on the team. If the management is truly as bad as Souray says it is, then they’re going to have a hard time doing either one of those.

Sheldon Souray Re-Raises Questions About Edmoton’s Management

Eric — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:12:58 +0000

The Edmonton Oilers have had a tough season. They finished with the worst record in the NHL, and struggled in all areas of their game. Offensively, they were 27th in the NHL, and defensively they were dead last. They were one of the first teams to be counted out of the playoffs, and many fans had already given up on the season before the season was half over.

Every Oiler fan has to be holding out a little bit of hope for next season. After all, it’s a new season and a new opportunity to succeed. However, Sheldon Souray has made next year look bleak for Edmonton. The off season has started out the exact opposite way that the Oilers wanted.

Today, Sportsnet.ca reported that Souray asked to be traded away from the Edmonton Oilers. He cited management as the reason that he didn’t want to stay for the remainder of his contract.

Souray missed most of this season with a couple of different injuries. The first was when he was taken into the boards by Jarome Iginla, and missed 16 games with a concussion. Then, in January, he fought Iginla (probably retaliatory) and broke his hand during the fight. After that, his hand became infected and he was forced to sit on the sidelines for the remainder of the season.

The problem is that Souray isn’t the first player to ask to be traded away from Edmonton. Only a couple years ago, Chris Pronger made the same request. I think it’s interesting that two great players would leave the same city for the same reason.

Personally, I think that management is completely at fault for this season. Great franchises are made from great front offices. They are the ones who land the great players in the city, hire the coaches, and scout out much of the young talent. It’s their fault that they can’t keep the good players on the team, and it’s their fault that they can’t find the players or prospects necessary to win games.

The problem is that they have started to get this reputation among players as a bad place to play. Edmonton can’t just get one or two prospects and make a playoff run next season. It doesn’t work like that. They need to get better players on the team, and they can’t do that if the players don’t want to come. What this team needs most is an attitude adjustment.

Not only is the front office responsible for creating a bad place to play, they are also responsible for not being prepared for the season. They didn’t get enough talent on the team to contend with the rest of the NHL. And that’s before the injuries. Once players started getting injured, they didn’t have many solid replacements.

That seems to be the characteristic of this team. They were simply unprepared for this season, and with Souray wanting to leave, they have a lot of preparation to do for next season. The lack of preparation for this season is completely the management’s fault. Either this front office needs to change its outlook on hockey, or the Oilers need to get a new front office. Until either one of those two things happen, the Oilers are going to continue to struggle. They do not have a strong ability to attract talent, and they don’t have a strong ability to prepare a good team.

2010 NHL First Round Playoff Predictions

Eric — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:25:24 +0000

A few months ago, the standings were a lot different. The Red Wings weren’t in the top eight of the Western Conference, the Avalanche were competing against Vancouver for the division lead, and the Flyers still had their goalies.

All of that has changed. The Red Wings have risen from ninth in the Western Conference, all the way up to fifth. The Avalanche stopped fighting for the division, and started fighting for a playoff spot in general. And the Flyers, suffered injuries to both Michael Leighton and Ray Emery. They are now going to rely on Brian Boucher in the playoffs when they play the Washington Capitals.

For the last month, we have been looking at predictions of who will be in the playoffs. Now, we are going to start looking at predictions of the playoffs themselves. As always, that will be much more entertaining.

#1. Washington Capitals vs. #8. Montreal Canadiens

Washington is a very offensive team. They have a lot of good players, and they use these players to run up the score. The biggest star is Alex Ovechkin, but the Caps also have Alexander Semin who scored 40 goals this season, and Nicklas Backstrom who scored 33 goals and tallied a team leading 68 assists.

The good thing for Montreal is that they have a great goalie in Jaroslav Halak. Halak tied with Detroit’s Jimmy Howard for the fourth best save percentage in the NHL (92.4%).

However, that doesn’t change the fact that the Candadiens are only 13th in the NHL in defense (2.66 goals against per game). The bigger statistic is going to be offense. Montreal is tied with Toronto for the fifth worst offense in the NHL (2.56 goals per game). This offense has scored 101 less goals than the Capitals’ offense this season.

Montreal is going to have a tough time beating the Caps. They don’t play at the same level, and I’d be pretty surprised if the Caps didn’t win this series.

#2. New Jersey Devils vs. #7. Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia has one big problem. They are being forced to play a third string goalie with very little playoff experience because Ray Emery and Michael Leighton are out with injuries.

New Jersey, on the other hand, has the best defense in the NHL. They have only averaged 2.28 goals against per game this season and are the only team in the NHL to allow less than 200 goals.

There really isn’t much of a comparison to be made between Martin Brodeur and Brian Boucher. Brodeur is a world class goalie that many look at as the greatest goalie of all time. Boucher is a third string goalie that is going to be facing Ilya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, and Travis Zajac. The difference is that Brodeur is better able to handle the skilled players Philadelphia throws at him because he’s a more talented goaltender.

#3. Buffalo Sabres vs. #6. Boston Bruins

Both Buffalo and Boston are very defensive. In the six games that these two teams have played against each other this season, the winner has only score more than three goals one time. That was when the Bruins defeated the Sabres 4-2 on November 7th in Boston

I’m going to make this my first upset of the article. Before you start leaving a bunch of comments talking about how I don’t know what I’m doing, bear with me for a second.

Like I said, both teams are very defensive. The Bruins have slightly better numbers. They’re second in the NHL in defense and the Sabres are fourth.

Both teams are also missing some of their scorers. The Bruins are still missing Savard after his hit from Matt Cooke about a month ago, and the Sabres are missing Tim Connolly, who scored 17 goals and tallied 48 assists this season. According to CBS Sports, Savard is questionable for this series and Connolly is out until at least mid-April.

The biggest challenge for the Bruins to overcome is Buffalo’s superior offense. The Sabres are eighth in the NHL in offensive production and the Bruins are dead last.

However, that hasn’t been true when the two teams play each other. During the season, Boston has won four of the six games they’ve played against each other. In the past, the Bruins have been able to contain Buffalo’s better offense, and, in fact, the Sabres have only scored more than two goals against the Bruins twice this season. If this continues into the playoffs, Boston will have a great chance of upsetting the Sabres.

#4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. #5. Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh has a couple of problems. The first is that Marc-Andre Fleury has been below average this year. His save percentage is tied with four other goalies for 33rd in the NHL at 90.5%. However, that isn’t much lower than what it was last year when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup.

Defensively, the Penguins have had a little bit of trouble. They are actually tied with the Ottawa Senators for 18th in defense.

The difference comes in the offense. Pittsburgh is fifth in the NHL in offense and has one of the best goal scorers in the NHL in Sidney Crosby. Over the course of the season, the Penguins averaged three goals per game and constantly proved that they can shred apart some of the best defenses in the NHL.

Ottawa is going to have an even bigger problem because they are missing Alexei Kovalev. Kovalev has been a big part of the offense this year with 18 goals and 31 assists.

Pittsburgh’s offense is going to be too much for Ottawa to handle, and the Penguins will win the series.

#1. San Jose Sharks vs. Colorado Avalanche

San Jose is looking to redeem themselves for last year’s embarrassing first round exit to the Anaheim Ducks. This year, they are once again the number one seed in the Western Conference, and will be facing another number eight seed.

Last year, the Sharks faced a number eight seed that really didn’t play like a number eight seed. Last year, the Ducks rose into eighth place. This year, the Avalanche sank into eighth place.

At the beginning of the season, Colorado was the team to beat. They were at the top of the Western Conference. It was very difficult to beat them. As the season wore on, they started to sink. They gave up the division lead to Vancouver, and saw themselves go from fourth, to fifth, to six, and all the way down to eighth.

Finally, at the end of the season, they are fighting with Calgary for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. And although they beat Calgary, they haven’t been playing their best hockey recently. They have only won three of their last ten games. Compare that to San Jose who’s won eight of their last ten.

San Jose is a better team, that’s been playing much better recently. They shouldn’t have much trouble defeating the Colordado Avalanche.

#2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. #7. Nashville Predators

Nashville has been playing some great hockey over the last month. Since the beginning of March, they have gone 14-6-1. And although I think that Chicago will win the series, I think that Nashville is going to be tough to beat.

Chicago has two things going for them. The first is that they have a great offense. They have a ton of talented players, including Jonathon Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane. Each one of these players has scored a ton of goals for the team. In fact, Chicago has six players that have scored 20 goals or more this season.

Defensively, Chicago is just as solid. With their goaltending trouble, it may be surprising that they have the sixth best defense in the NHL. However, they are able to rely on the players in front of the goalie to stop the puck from getting to the goalie. This has worked very well for them for the entire season.

Nashville does not have the talented offense needed to get around Chicago’s defenders, and they don’t have the talented defense to stop Chicago’s forwards. They do have a lot of heart. They have played very well recently and will come after the Blackhawks with some great plays. But I don’t think that it will be enough to win the series.

#3. Vancouver Canucks vs. #6. LA Kings

LA and Vancouver have both had up and down seasons. The beginning of the season did not start out well for Vancouver. Roberto Luongo started the season in a slump, and Daniel Sedin was sidelined with an injury. Both of these factored into a tough start for the Canucks.

LA had one of their best runs at the end of January and into February. At that point, they set a new franchise record with 9 consecutive wins, and propelled themselves up the standings.

The difference in this series is going to be Vancouver’s offense. The Canucks finished second in the NHL in offense behind the Washington Capitals. A lot of that has to do with the fact that they have the best line in the NHL in Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, and Alex Burrows. Together, these three players have scored over a third of the team’s goals.

However, they also get you with some great depth players as well. Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan Kesler are the two that come to mind.

Together, this has created the second best offense in the NHL. Vancouver is a chemistry based team, and it’s going to be very difficult for any team to defend them. You can expect to see them overrun the Kings’ defense with some great plays, and a lot of passing.

#4. Phoenix Coyotes vs. Detroit Red Wings

I can’t think of any team entering the playoffs hotter than the Detroit Red Wings. Over the last month and a half, they have really come together and played great hockey.

The problem for them was injuries. At one point, they had nine of their 18 starting players out with injuries. This forced them to call up a ton of rookies from Grand Rapids. Not only did these rookies perform well, but they played a huge role in keeping Detroit in playoff contention long enough for the injured players to come back and make a difference

With all respect to Phoenix, they are not getting a good break during the first round. With all of the distractions that they have faced, this season has been a minor miracle.

A lot of the success this season has been due to Ilya Bryzgalov. As always, he’s been a solid goalie and a huge reason that this team placed as high as they did.

However, I don’t think that they’re going to be able to overcome the Red Wings. Obviously, the Wings have won a lot of championships. In fact, in the last three years, they have never been eliminated before the third round.

Many of the players that accomplished those feats are on this team as well. More importantly, they have Jimmy Howard who has been phenomenal in goal. In fact, his numbers are actually better than Bryzgalov’s. Granted, only slightly. His GAA is .03 lower and his save percentage is .4% higher.

The difference is Detroit’s offense. With Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterburg and Johan Franzen, the Wings have a ton of players that Phoenix will need to cover. Not only that, but this team has a bunch of younger players that can make plays as well. Darren Helm is the one that sticks out in my mind.

However, it should be an entertaining series, because both teams should win some games. Eventually though, I think that the Wings are going to come out on top.

Final Day of Regular Season – Important Games to Watch

Eric — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 14:46:52 +0000

With the final games of the season getting ready to be played, there aren’t a lot of entertaining games that we can look forward to. At this point, you’re probably going to ignore most of the games today and not watch another game until the playoffs (if you’re team is in).

I can understand that. At this point, only one playoff spot remains open, and most of the games will only impact the seeding.

However, that one open playoff spot is going to create a ton of excitement. The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers are currently tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, and they play their final game against each other at 3:00 eastern time. The winner of this game goes to the playoffs, and the loser stays home. That will be the game that I tune in for, and if you have an afternoon off, it should be a fun game to watch.

But as that game is going on, there are a couple more games that are going to impact the seeding. The Red Wings, Kings, and Predators are all within one point. If the Wings lose to the Blackhawks, there’s a chance that they will be sent from fifth place, to seventh place.

The final game that will be worth watching is between the Sabres and Devils. They too are only one point away from each other. If Buffalo wins in regulation, they will take second in the Eastern Conference and play Montreal in the first round of the playoffs.

I’m sorry I can’t update you with a fun article this morning. Like I said last night, I’ve got a few articles planned, and I’m currently working on. Tonight, I should have my predictions for the first round of the playoffs done. I’m writing that article for Bleacher Report and they wanted me to go through and talk about why a bunch of things that are supposed to happen, won’t happen. In other words, I’m supposed to find the upsets. I can already see the comments I’m going to get from the other B/R writers on that one. It’s going to be a fun article to write.

What Next on Tips for Hockey?

Eric — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 04:10:20 +0000

Since the season is coming to a close, and everything has pretty much been decided, there really isn’t a lot for me to say. Everything I could write about has already been talked about so much that I won’t be able to provide anything useful or entertaining.

I have a couple of articles planned though. Over the next few days, my playoff coverage will begin, and I’ve got some fun articles going through my head. I have actually already started writing an article counting down the top ten games of the season, but I want to wait until after tomorrow’s Rangers vs. Flyers game before I finish. That game has the potential to be one of the most exciting games we’ve seen all season. With Montreal clinching tonight, it really will be the winner going to the playoffs and the loser staying home.

However, I have a few other things planned as well. I was asked to write an article for Bleacher Report that would give BOLD first round predictions. They want me to go against conventional wisdom and discuss why certain things that are supposed to happen won’t happen. I can already see the comments I’m going to get on that article at Bleacher Report, and I can hardly wait to get that one up. It will be a fun one to write. I’m supposed to have that article up tomorrow night on Bleacher Report, and I’ll make sure that I put it on Tips for Hockey either tomorrow night, or Monday morning.

Make sure that you check back then and see what I’ve published. I’m also going to be updating my newsletter with the articles, so if you’re interested in my newsletter, you can subscribe to that in the right hand corner.

Anyway, I hope you’re ready for the playoffs. We’re going to see some great hockey, and hopefully, we’ll see a few surprises along the way. That would definitely make the playoffs entertaining.

Red Wings Earn Tenth Consecutive 100 Point Season

Eric — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:34:58 +0000

After a season full of injuries and questions, the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in a shootout to win their 43rd game of the season. With 14 OT losses, this puts the Wings at 100 points on the season.

This is the tenth consecutive 100 point season for the Wings, and their 16th in franchise history. Despite the fact that many questioned their playoff chances at the beginning to middle of the season, the Wings have still found a way to win.

The problem for the Wings was injuries. At one point, they had nine of their 18 starting players on injured reserve. This forced them to call up many players from Grand Rapids. But in February and March, those injured players started returning, and it made a huge difference. In fact, they have only lost three games in regulation since the beginning of March.

When the Red Wings make their playoff appearance, they will not be the typical five or six seed. They will be a handful for any team to face, and could possibly be too much for many of the teams ahead of them.

Right now, everything is going right for the Wings. They have won eight of their last ten, and have climbed from ninth in the standings at the beginning of March, to fifth in the standings as we near the end of the season. Jimmy Howard has improved immensely as he gained more confidence, and the Wings’ scoring threats have been even more threatening.

You can’t count this team out of anything at this point. They are still a threat to go to the late rounds, and have the ability to beat any team they play against. They are a tough and determined team that will be fighting for everything when the playoffs begin.

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