Hockey

Is generating at least three shots per game in the AHL a sign of NHL success? Do the OKC Barons have a good chance to win their way to the Calder Cup Finals?

A smart player wouldn't take a penalty against the Pittsburgh Penguins. One of the NHL's most lethal units in the 2013 season, the Pens' power play was awe-inspiring for fans to watch and nightmare-inducing for the opposition. Its movement was harmonious with multiple snipers ready to strike at any moment, anywhere on the ice. They would make you regret the temporary lapse in judgment or extra cross check in the crease. Especially after the acquisition of Brenden Morrow and Jarome Iginla, one discussion would consistently remain in circulation: "Who gets first dibs on the power play and where?" With so many possibilities, the Pens could roll two distinct units that could skate as a top unit on any team in the league. The power play's domination carried over into the playoffs, but there were glaring lapses readily exposed by the Islanders and now the Senators. Penalty kill units learned that to stop the Pens' power play was to attack it. As a result, the Pens have allowed three shorthanded goals in 10 playoff games. The Pens' power play wasn't looking too good. It seems difficult to justify because at 28.6%, it remains the NHL's best. Blame the shorthanded goals, but the confidence that suffocated so many penalty killing units just wasn't there. Doubt and hesitation took its place, but the Pens' unmatched goal-scoring talent would still bring in the tallies regardless. However, Paul Martin's presence on the point seemed to change that. In the second round, he's been on the ice for three of the Pens' five power play goals. He was on the ice for Daniel Alfredsson's shorthanded goal in Game 3, but I hardly think Martin's play in that shift takes away from what he adds. I would love nothing more than to see Martin start as point man on every power play. Here's why: Defensive presence Power plays must be prepared for when things go wrong, and the Pens have had their fair share of meltdowns, one of them costing a 3-0 series lead. Penalty killers have learned to attack the point which increases mistakes and overall hesitation. Martin has been the Pens' best defenseman in the playoffs and his innate offensive ability makes for a good balance that addresses these weaknesses. His sound defense on the point has been key to good offensive pressure on the power play, starting with smart passes under pressure and keeping a bobbling puck in the zone. With the Pens allowing three shorthanded goals, I wouldn't be opposed to having two defensemen and three forwards, especially if those defenseman can produce offensively. And Martin can. He can get pucks on net Can't say it any better than that. Martin may not weave pucks through bodies like Sergei Gonchar once did, but I think he's the next best option. The Pens have plenty of players who can rip the puck from the top of the circle and get it by most NHL goalies. Craig Anderson has been chased twice this series, but he has been seeing the puck well and the Sens have done a good job blocking the Pens' chances. Their best scoring chances have come when Anderson's vision was impeded or multiple players crashed the crease. Having Morrow or Chris Kunitz park in front of Anderson on power plays with Martin sending pucks into dangerous areas from the point is a recipe for success. And it has worked. Calming influence on Kris Letang Letang has had a rough playoffs and his work on the power play has seen better days. At times, he tries to do too much which never ends well. Many have called for Letang to surrender his spot on the top unit, but that's not happening. Having Martin alongside him ultimately creates a calming environment for Letang. Not only is Martin strong with the puck on his stick, but his presence takes away some of Letang's defensive responsibility. We can't always erase the effects of shorthanded goals; it only takes one for hesitation to settle in and the Pens have allowed enough goals that we all feel the twinge of concern when the Pens have the man advantage. W

Shane Doan, we hardly knew ye. Hunter of Taylor Hall, broken by Flames, fire hath destroyed your stoic career too early. Yannik the Great, destroyer of dreams. Erie, PA will forever hold your spirit. Thus the world turns and the tides change. Soon a new Villain shall emerge from the ashes. The Minnesota HoneyBadgers mourn your passing. Never again will they not give a fuck. For they give a fuck for you... BSH Xbox league part 9. Shane Doan, we hardly knew ye. Hunter of Taylor Hall, broken by Flames, fire hath destroyed your stoic career too early. Yannik the Great, destroyer of dreams. Erie, PA will forever hold your spirit. Thus the world turns and the tides change. Soon a new Villain shall emerge from the ashes. The Minnesota HoneyBadgers mourn your passing. Never again will they not give a fuck. For they give a fuck for you... BSH Xbox league part 9.

So I hear there is a big game at The Joe tonight. The Wings can put a stranglehold on this series, and you just know that the 'Hawks will be under serious pressure for this game. LGRWContinue reading "GDT - WCSF Game 4: Red Wings (2-1) host Hawks (1-2) 8:00"

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Soo.... yikes. In the span of about four hours last night, the mood around the Ottawa Senators, its fans changed considerably. The way the team is viewed by the national media and fans from around the league, seemed to have changed. I understand that this time of year people are very emotionally invested in the team, and while a double overtime win can help your spirits soar, the drubbing the Sens took last night is tough. So here we are. The morning after. Yesterday we were talking about how pesky the team was, how they never say die. Experts were saying they had a good feeling about them, because they never quit. Today? We sit here bombarded with questions about Daniel Alfredsson's leadership. About Paul MacLean blowing his stack last night. About how, "it has been a good run". About the "Pesky Pens". I think, however, that I can find some digital ink to talk about some positives from last night and going forward into game 5. So in honour of Paul MacLean's 13 second press conference, here are my top 13 positive thoughts. Craig Anderson: The guy was lights out in the first half of the game. It slipped away from him like it did for the rest, but his record after being pulled is something else. Erik Karlsson: No, he is not the Erik Karlsson of old, and yes he is still getting caught defensively on occasion. But he was in the play more last night, and had 2 assists to show for it. The Powerplay: Actually didn't look horrible (though it barely saw the ice). If Jason Spezza scores instead of hitting the post, this is an entirely different game. The Penalty Kill: Sure is getting a lot of work, and while it gave up a couple last night, it has been strong in this series against a Penguins powerplay that is almost unfair. Tomas Vokoun: Not sure how he is getting the job done, but he is. Fact is, he looks shaky and is giving up rebounds galore, and that means there are goals to be scored there. We scored first: And that means we held a lead. In fact, we held a lead twice. Which means we can. This team doesn't give up leads often, so don't expect it to happen again. Erik Condra, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Colin Greening: Need I say more? This line has been excellent especially in Pittsburgh where the Sens will need a spark. Milan Michalek's Speed: Has been lacking. Last night he flew for that goal. That speed on the PK may give the Pens something to think about. Kyle Turris: How awesome has he been? His 5th goal of the playoffs last night and he is doing a great job head to head with Sidney Crosby, no small feat. No Pressure: Would be stretching it if I said the Sens have them right where they want them, but the fact is all of the pressure is on the Pens to close this out. Speaking of which... Pens are 0-6 under Dan Bylsma when trying to close a series in Pittsburgh. (Trib) Perspective: There are 15 teams in the East. After tonight, there could be 3 left standing and our Senators are one of those teams. Impressive. (Yost) It is not over: Despite the obit nature of some of the articles you are seeing, we get at LEAST one more Senators game this year. Its been a fun ride, but we aren't at the end yet. Feel a little better? Sens Links: Let us get this out of the way: Alfie's "Probably not" comment. [PD] Recaps of the game [SSS] [Globe] [Pensburgh] Aftermath [6thSens] [Milks] [Warren] Paulrus Presser [PD] [SE] See you in Pittsburgh.

Paul J. BereswillBrad Richards during Game 1 of series vs. Bruins. In one last act of desperation, John Tortorella decided his Rangers team has the best chance to win with former Conn Smythe winner Brad Richards out of the lineup. Tortorella will make Richards a healthy scratch for Thursday night’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against the Bruins at the Garden. The Rangers are down in the best-of-7 series, 3-0, and are on the brink of elimination. “I don’t know if I’m surprised,” Richards said. “Disappointed.” Since Game 6 of the first-round series against the Capitals, Richards has been placed in a very reduced role on fourth line with rookie Chris Kreider and grinder Arron Asham. Since then, his minutes have dwindled, getting a career postseason low of 8:10 in Tuesday’s 2-1 Game 3 loss, just 5:58 of it at even strength. When asked if it was hard to be effective in that role, Richards was quick to answer succinctly, “Yes.” Tortorella called Richards Thursday morning to tell him the news, and the coach spoke briefly to the media at the morning skate, all before it was revealed Richards would be a scratch. The two won a Stanley Cup together in 2004 with the Lightning, when Richards was named playoff MVP. The 33-year-old center signed a nine-year, $60 million deal with the Blueshirts before last season. The team has one more amnesty buyout remaining to use this summer or next, and if used on Richards it would clear his $6.67 million cap hit. “Nothing’s over,” Richards said about his approach. “Work harder and try my best to not let it happen again.” Richards finished the regular season with 11 goals and 23 assists in 46 games, his 34 points placing him third on the team. Yet in the first 10 games of this postseason, Richards had one point, a goal coming in Game 4 of the first round when Capitals goalie Braden Holtby was out of position and Richards poured one in. Now, with the Rangers season on the line, Richards was asked if this is even tougher to deal with at this particular time. “Yea,” he said, “it’s all tough.” *** If what happened at the morning skate is interpreted, it seems like the replacement for Richards will be Kris Newbury or Micheal Haley, with a good chance both of them play if Asham is scratched. Asham was said it was “up in the air” if he was going to play, but he stayed on the ice well after Newbury and Haley were off. One thing that is for sure is that rookie Chris Kreider will remain in the lineup. After being hit in the face with Tyler Seguin’s stick early in the third period of Game 3 and returning, Kreider missed Wednesday’s practice for what the team called “precautionary reasons.” He didn’t need stitches, and took part in Thursday’s morning skate without any problem. *** Defenseman Anton Stralman will not play Thursday, being replaced by 40-year-old veteran Roman Hamrlik. Stralman was hurt late in the second period of Game 3, getting crunched into the backboards by burly Boston forward Milan Lucic. He played one more shift, and didn't come out to the bench for the third. “I haven’t played for a long time, so keep my shifts really short,” said Hamrlik, whose last game action was April 1. “You see the guys battle every night and you want to help the team. But we are just focusing on one game, and we have to leave everything on the ice tonight.” bcyrgalis@nypost.com

May 21, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Bruins forward Gregory Campbell (11) celebrates after scoring on New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist (30) during the third period in game three of the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports When the Boston Bruins edged out the Toronto Maple Leafs in game seven of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, Bruins Nation breathed a sigh of relief. That relief quickly became concern when we realized who are opponent was in the semifinals were. The New York Rangers (on paper) were every bit our equal in a physical game. Their goalie, Henrik Lundqvist was slated to be a Vezina trophy finalist and was better than our own Tuukka Rask. Could the Bruins survive the second round? Well, the last time the numbers had the Bruins out of playoffs was 2011. I think we all remember how that turned out. The Bruins have ignored the math, and played to their skills. Even with half of their starting defensemen playing in their rookie NHL playoffs, the Bruins have leapt out to a commanding 3-0 lead going into game four tonight at Madison Square Garden. The Rangers will be starting game four with key holes in their roster. Anton Stralman was hurt late in the second period of game three when Milan Lucic put him in the end boards in the defensive zone. Stralman sat out the entire third period and did not participate in the Rangers’ optional skate yesterday. As Stralman was averaging over twenty one minutes in the playoffs, the Rangers will have to have someone step up and play to the level of the Bruins’ captain, Zdeno Chara. (Not bloody likely!) Brad Richards will be a healthy scratch tonight. This morning, Richards told reporters that New York head coach John Tortorella called him this morning with the news he wasn’t playing. Richards who is two years deep into a nine year, sixty million dollar contract has been a big disappointment so far for the Rangers.  In his ten playoff appearances, he’s only tallied a single goal while skating on the fourth line. (He only had 8:10 of ice time in game three.) The Rangers will be playing for their playoff lives (and quite possibly John Tortorella’s job) tonight. The puck drops at 7:00 pm at Madison Square Garden.

March 3, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) scores the game winning goal on Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard (35) during a shoot out at the Joe Louis Arena. Chicago won 2-1 in a shoot out. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports As much as the Chicago Blackhawks have been frustrated by the Detroit Red Wings in the last two games of the Round 2 playoff series, their fans are probably more so. Throughout the regular season, fans were used to seeing production from all four lines with the biggest stars coming up big in the clutch. The last two games have hurt because the teamwork aspect is missing and a few Blackhawks stars have yet to put one in the net, but the only one to score in the Game 2 & 3 losses is one of their best stars who has a little bit of a reputation against the Red Wings goaltender. Patrick Kane didn’t get a goal in the 5-game series against the Minnesota Wild but has been the only one to solve Jimmy Howard and keep the Blackhawks from being shut out in their 2 losses. Marian Hossa, Johnny Oduya, and Marcus Kruger all scored in Game 1 and Patrick Sharp had the empty netter, but Kane is building his resume of big goals against Howard. His first goal of the playoffs opened the scoring in Game 2 and gave the game a great start that the Blackhawks failed to capitalize on, and his goal in Game 3 began what was a stifled comeback attempt. And then there was that game earlier in the year on March 3rd when the Blackhawks trailed the Red Wings 1-0 until Kane tied it up on the powerplay then had the one and only spectacular goal in the ensuing shootout to win the game. Let’s take a moment to reflect. Kane’s PPG to tie it Kane’s shootout winner Ah, good times! Shootouts don’t mean anything in the playoffs, but they give someone like Kane a chance to show off some moves that make him so tricky to goaltenders. So, just for old time’s sake, relive a moment in the final game of the 2011-2012 season. Kane doesn’t “own” Howard by any means, but he does have a special ability when it comes to solving him and has picked up his personal game in the series lately. Get Kane the puck often and have him shoot as many times as possible, because Howard seems to have trouble with him! Something tells me Kane’s going to come up even bigger later in the series. What do you think about Kane’s highlight goals against Howard? For more updates and conversation, follow us on Twitter @Blackhawk_Up and friend us on Facebook at Blackhawk Up.

Shane Doan, we hardly knew ye. Hunter of Taylor Hall, broken by Flames, fire hath destroyed your stoic career too early. Yannick the Great, killer of dreams. Erie, PA will forever hold your spirit. Thus the world turns and the tides change. Soon a new Villain shall appear from the ashes. The Minnesota HoneyBadgers mourn your passing. Never again will they not give a fuck. For they give a fuck for you... BSH Xbox league part 9. Shane Doan, we hardly knew ye. Hunter of Taylor Hall, broken by Flames, fire hath destroyed your stoic career too early. Yannick the Great, killer of dreams. Erie, PA will forever hold your spirit. Thus the world turns and the tides change. Soon a new Villain shall appear from the ashes. The Minnesota HoneyBadgers mourn your passing. Never again will they not give a fuck. For they give a fuck for you... BSH Xbox league part 9.

Brad Richards, who less than two years ago signed a nine-year, $60 million free agent contract to become a Ranger, will now be an ex-Ranger. Richards was informed by his long-time ally and coach John Tortorella this morning that he will be a healthy scratch for Game 4 against Boston tonight, after being demoted to the fourth line, and then having his minutes limited to fewer than nine in Game 3. The next step is then obvious. The Rangers will use their one remaining compliance buyout within the new CBA to end Richards’ relationship with the team this summer. Richards, who rceived $12 million in 2011-12 and most of his $12 million for the lockout 2013 season, will get a $24 million going-away present this summer, removing his contract from the books and his salary from the decreasing salary cap. Richards will then be an unrestricted free agent, able to strike a deal with any of the other 29 teams, but not with the Rangers. And he surely will resurface after a summer of conditioning, and sign somewhere at a much smaller salary. With Richards’ exit, that means that two-thirds of the Rangers’ first line from the start of this season will be gone, including Marian Gaborik (and his $7.5 million salary). The remaining first-line player, Rick Nash ($7.8 million) has one goal in 10 playoff games. ************************************************ Carp, July 1, 2011: “This has “Drury 2.0” written all over it.” The post The end of a bad, Brad contract: Richards scratched, on way to buyout appeared first on Rangers Report Blog.