Hockey

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COREY SIPKIN/NEW YORK DAILY NEWS The Rangers are facing a steep climb to get back into this series, but it all starts with one game. As Kevin said yesterday, one shift at a time. If you win each shift, you’ll win the game, and that should be the priority for the Rangers. The biggest news is that Brad Richards is a healthy scratch and Anton Stralman is out tonight with an undisclosed injury. Chris Kreider is also out. Replacing them are Kris Newbury, Micheal Haley, and Roman Hamrlik. If you thought the fourth line wasn’t playing before, just wait til it has Haley and Newbury in the playoffs. Series Previews: Game 3 goal breakdown Game 2 goal breakdown Positives/negatives of Game 1 5 keys for success for the Rangers Rangers/Bruins second round preview Five keys for success against the Bruins Scouting Tuukka Rask and his goaltending style Previewing the Bruins and their systems/styles of play Series: Bruins lead 3-0 NYR Playoff Leading Scorer: Derick Brassard (2-8-10) BOS Playoff Leading Scorer: David Krejci (5-11-16) NYR Playoff Goaltender: Henrik Lundqvist (10 GP, 2.10 GAA, .935 SV%) BOS Playoff Goaltender: Tuukka Rask (10 GP, 2.19 GAA, .930 SV%) New York Rangers Tickets RSVP to potentially win tickets to a game Rangers Lines (unconfirmed until Torts releases the lineup): Carl Hagelin-Derek Stepan-Ryan Callahan Mats Zuccarello-Derick Brassard-Rick Nash Derek Dorsett-Brian Boyle-Taylor Pyatt Micheal Haley-Kris Newbury-Ryane Clowe Ryan McDonagh-Dan Girardi Michael Del Zotto-John Moore Roman Hamrlik-Steve Eminger Henrik Lundqvist Scratches/Injuries:  Darroll Powe (concussion), Anton Stralman (undisclosed), Chris Kreider (eye), Brad Richards (healthy), Matt Gilroy (healthy), Arron Asham (healthy) Broadcast Info: NBCSN 7:30pm Tweet

Voracek's Close Call Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek is a lucky man. He walked away from a potentially serious car wreck in the Czech Republic yesterday with nary a scratch on his body nor did he cause injury to anyone in the other vehicle that he was unable to brake in time to avoid. The accident came about because Voracek was driving too fast in his Ferrari. The player admitted fault in Originally posted here: Bill Meltzer

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports Things that are unique to Chicago: The Sears Tower (no I will not call it the Willis Tower). Deep Dish Pizza (Same thing: choke yourself if you even try and claim this for your city). Al Capone. Michael Jordan. Sports teams that fail to live up to the hype. Do you realize that if you wiped the Chicago Bulls and our beloved Mr. Jordan off the map you’d have three  championships in the city since The Beatles played Ed Sullivan? That’s three in 49 years folks. The Chicago White Sox gave the city a Major League thrill in 2004 after almost 100 years of ineptitude, and the Chicago Cubs have, and will, continue to fail us as a city for all of eternity. The Chicago Bears made 1985 a year to remember for those of us alive to see it, and just three years ago the Chicago Blackhawks reminded this city of nearly ten million people what it feels like to be the best. Can you imagine how brutal sports talk radio in this city would be if Jordan ended up somewhere else? We’d have to be the sorriest sports city per capita in America, right? I bring this up because the last two days in Chicago have consisted of Hawks fans and the media preparing themselves for tonight’s game four loss to the Detroit Red Wings. This is what we do here; we’re conditioned. The game hasn’t even been played yet, and I’ve heard more stats on how many teams have come back from a 3-1 deficit—the answer is seven NHL teams in the last ten years BTW—than I have on the team the Blackhawks are facing. Can anyone name a single player on Detroit’s third line? Of course not! That’s not what we do here in Chicago! We don’t discuss match-ups or give any credit to the opponent. We Panic. Are we going to see another melt down of a team that promised us so much, so early? Of course we are! Well people, here’s the reality; every single part of the Blackhawks team is better than Detroit. Every. Part. If Hawks coach Joel Quenneville decides to play Michal Handzus as the second line center, that means Chicago’s first and second line forwards are made up of five Olympians and a rookie-of-the-year candidate. Do you think Detroit can make that claim? Check the defenses. Chicago has veteran guys who have won the Stanley Cup, and the Wings have guys who started the year in the minors. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford finished ahead of his Detroit counterpart Jimmy Howard in every stat you can create except wins, and that stat is a tad misleading as Crawford played in twelve less games (despite the discrepancy he still managed come within two of tying Howard’s 21). Coach Q has over 200 more wins in his career than Detroit coach Mike Babcock—and has him in playoff wins as well. And do I need to even mention depth? No team in hockey has gotten more from deeper on their bench than the Hawks. But alas, they’re finished! I turned off the radio at lunch today after listening to the local idiots claim that if the Hawks lose tonight the series is over. What must these clowns have been saying when the Hawks came back two years ago from 3-0 versus the Vancouver Canucks to tie the series? The bottom line is the Hawks are the better team and have two of the final three games of this series at home. If the Hawks’ top guys can play like top guys and the defense can play like it did all season long, I gotta believe this series is far from over. So can everybody just please relax and actually watch tonight’s game before we plan the mass suicide? P.S. Meet me in Millennium Park tomorrow around noon in the event they lose. I’ll be the guy with cinder blocks tied to his feet. Parker Dodson is a Chicago Blackhawks writer for rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter, “like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+.

May 8, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues goalie Brian Elliott (1) warms up before overtime against the Los Angeles Kings in game five of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Scottrade Center. The Kings defeated the Blues 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports After a horrifying four-loss streak to end the season against the Los Angeles Kings, fans of the blue note have to suffer long through another brutal summer with the knowledge that a team so full of promise and hope fell short in the playoffs once again. The Blues have always played the role of a good team, sometimes they’ve even shown signs of greatness. Aside from that stretch of rough seasons after the ’04-’05 lockout, they’ve contended on a consistent basis in a tough division against skilled rival teams. While the city of Los Angeles celebrated their victory over the Blues, I sadly realized, once again, that as much as I loved the team, their trophy rack lacked the most important title: a Stanley Cup. In the 46 years that the Blues have existed, not once have they won it all. A cold thought from a desolate place in my mind crept up and shocked me, as I imagine it would shock most proud St. Louisans. Who else hasn’t won a championship in God knows how long? Are the Blues the Chicago Cubs of the NHL? Am I, as a Blues fan, cheering with as much futility as someone with season tickets at Wrigley Field? Barring a miraculous summer campaign, the Cubs will have gone 105 years come October without a World Series victory after winning one in 1908 (they also won in 1907) well before World War I and only four years after St. Louis’ World’s Fair. The Blues however lack a title even from a bygone era when cars were the hot new thing. However, the Blues have a history of sustained success that the Cubs lack. St.Louis made the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons between 1979 and 2004, third most in league history, while the Cubs have only ever made the playoffs 16 times since 1906 (the Blues have 36 playoff appearances total). The Cubbies’ longest streak was three from 1906-1908. Since 1876, the Cubs have gone 10390-9907, eeking just over .500 in the process (.512). The Blues, meanwhile have a much lower winning percentage at .442, having won 1,685 out of 3,809 games. But if you add OT losses (101) and ties (432), games in which St. Louis won points, it ramps up to a .582 points-earned percentage. The Blues have also enjoyed a considerable amount of talent in the past, inducting 17 players into the Hall of Fame. The Cubs have only inducted 13, 15 or 17 (sources vary) in a much longer stretch of time. St. Louis certainly seems to enjoy a better performance over the years than the Lovable Losers. For more than a century, the Cubs have flashed brilliance on occasion, but they’ve wallowed in mediocrity and demise more often than not. The Blues, on the other hand, consistently show promise from season to season. I have faith the Blues will eventually win a Cup, but maybe it’s only because I don’t want to start blaming a long dead goat for our woes.

This video is pretty cool, and thought it was worth sharing. It’s the sounds of Round One, which includes some nice little taunts from the players. Tweet

According to multiple sources the Phoenix Coyotes are finalizing a deal to secure the services of General Manager Don Maloney. Dec 15, 2011; Glendale, AZ, USA; Phoenix Coyotes left wing Ray Whitney (13) receives a commemorative poster from general manager Don Maloney for 600 career assists prior to the game against the Edmonton Oilers at Jobing.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports This is GREAT news and marks the first positive shoe to drop in the Coyotes most important off season ever. The NHL and multiple owners are under negotiations to purchase the embattled franchise in the desert. This is the order of events to come: Signing Maloney, CHECK. Sign Dave Tippett to the longest term possible. Negotiate with Mike Smith for an average contract and no more. Get a new owner and secure the lease for decades to come. The NHL have talked to several owners and the commitment to spending money to improve the team inside and out is the consensus. The problem has always been a lack of offense and I have been begging for someone to get to the front of the net. Also we need a true enforcer that will produce every night and protect the needs of the home town team. I am a Biznasty fan, but it seems more on twitter than on the ice, that just won’t work. Chupacabra aka Kyle Chipchura is the best option we have right now. He scores, hits, and drops the gloves. He may be the option going forward unless we find someone on the free agent market. I think money spent should be on offense. Do NOT mortgage our future all in net. One thing’s for sure signing Maloney is a huge step and he is arguably top 5 if not the best GM in the NHL today. He has made magic with what little he had to spend in the past. True money puck situation. Together with Tippett they are the best duo in the business. Let’s hope this is completed ASAP and Tippett soon after since he has returned from Worlds. Then we can all HOWL!

Jan 31, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; The Toronto Maple Leafs logo at center ice during the game against the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Capitals 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports Dallas Eakins has surely been on many NHL team’s radar for the last couple of years, but with multiple coaching vacancies opening up recently, his opportunity to take his skills to the next level could be at an all-time high. Glen Gulutzan was fired by the Dallas Stars last week and Alain Vigneault was relieved of his duties yesterday by the Vancouver Canucks. These openings, combined with the recent trend of hiring American Hockey League coaches gives Eakins a strong shot. The Toronto Marlies bench boss has a lot of things going for him on his resume at the moment. The obvious one would be the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season and how many key contributors that Eakins worked with. James Reimer, Nazem Kadri, and Jake Gardiner are just a few that come to mind. His work with Kadri seems most impressive as the youngster really turned a corner this year. Eakins not only deserves credit for the development of several of the Leafs’ young stars, but he should also be praised for having another strong season with the Marlies this year. After making it to the Calder Cup final in 2011-12, the Leafs took many players the Marlies relied on heavily last season. Despite the loss of talent, Eakins still led the team to the second round of the AHL playoffs. The one thing that may catch an NHL team’s eye more than anything else, however, is Eakins’ track record on the penalty kill. The Marlies have had the league’s best for two straight seasons. If he can transfer those kinds of results to the NHL level, then that will make a big difference for a young team. Eakins surely deserves an NHL coaching job for next season. The only question is, where is the best fit? A few people have been linking him to Vancouver, but the Stars may be the best option. With the team in somewhat of a rebuild, Eakins’ past experience helping young players may be just the thing Dallas needs to return to the playoffs. Wherever he ends up, the Marlies will sorely miss him.

The Colorado Avalanche have proven Patrick Roy's bro correct by announcing the former goalie and 8-year veteran coach of the QMJHL as the new head coach. The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the organization has reached an agreement in principle with Patrick Roy to become the franchise’s Head Coach/Vice President of Hockey Operations. Due to the Memorial Day weekend, the Avalanche will hold a press conference next week in Denver to formally introduce Roy. Roy, 47, becomes the sixth head coach in Avalanche history and the 14th in franchise history. In addition to his head coaching duties, Roy will also work with Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic in all player personnel decisions. (Additional info forthcoming...on a conference call.)

Chicago captain ranked second in the NHL in faceoff percentage during the regular season but has been dominated in the circle by Zetterberg.