Hockey

Since the â??Maple Leaf Meltdownâ? (as Game 7 of the Leafs/Bruins series has been dubbed by EA Sports), there has been a lot of talk about Dion Phaneufâ??s value, or lack thereof, to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Mostly, the media has given him flak for his performance in the playoffs and his play in general. This is typical of the media in Toronto. Phaneuf has had some big shoes to fill since he took...

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com. Nice look at Norv’s past success: “The greatest organizational acquisition of the Cleveland Browns over the past twelve months has been that of their new offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Yes, Turner only reached the postseason 4 times in 15 years as an NFL head coach, with the Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers. Of all the head coaches in NFL history with a losing record in their respective careers, Turner has coached the most games. As a head coach, he has been criticized for lacking motivational and emotional leadership skills, exhibiting poor clock management, and being responsible for a series of poor drafts, most notably over his last several years in San Diego. However, his credentials as an offensive coordinator are impeccable.” [Kyle Flippin/Sporting Charts] – Great research here from Ben about lottery-turned-playoff teams in NBA history: “Four of the 16 teams to qualify for the 2013 playoffs — Warriors, Rockets, Nets and Bucks — did not qualify in 2012. Turns out, that’s right about average. Examining the playoff teams since Michael Jordan’s sixth and final title in 1998 reveals that, on average, there are 3.7 new playoff teams every season compared to the previous year, yielding a turnover rate of 23.1 percent year-to-year. There’s slightly more movement in the Eastern Conference, where an average of two new teams appear in the playoffs every season compared to 1.7 new teams out West.” [Ben Golliver/SI.com Point Forward] – My friends at Wages of Wins posted an early look at the top 25 NBA Draft prospects, as sorted by their Wins Produced per 48 minutes statistics. – I’m still not sure where I’m leaning in this debate: “Of course, for every yin there is a yang, and Brantley’s success seems to bring about a new dilemma for the Indians — contract negotiations. With Brantley under team control through the 2016 season, it would appear as if now is the time for the Indians to entertain the possibility of a contract extension with Brantley. However, this is obviously a task that’s easier said than done. As a center fielder playing a corner outfield position, it’s almost impossible to get a read as to what kind of contract Brantley could be due. Brantley is far from a power hitter, but he does still stroke plenty of doubles, and his value to the team cannot be denied. [Steve Orbanek/Indians Prospect Insider] – FASCINATING data on reliever and starter year-to-year correlations: “In terms of basic batted ball data, the correlations for both sets of pitchers compare quite well. But after the first three, things really begin to separate. For example, relievers have a year-to-year correlation of .67 in terms of their strike out rate. That’s a pretty solid correlation, but it’s .15 less than for starters. The same goes for swinging strike rate (-.15) and walk rate (-.13). Even outcomes such as HR/FB rate that has a low correlation for starters (.29) is significantly less reliable for relievers (.07).” [Bill Petti/FanGraphs] – Review of the Indians year so far, beginning with the big Texan: “Biggest surprise: Tie-Starting pitching and team power. I was very concerned, as most Tribe fans, about how solid was the SP going to be. Too many question marks to be confident, but at this stage, very excited at the results. Masterson has been just “Nasty”! I know everyone will still say we need an ace to make ANY headway in this division, but I will RIGHT NOW STATE Masterson IS OUR ACE. He is doing just what an ace is supposed to do; take on the other team’s ace; go deep in the game; keep the lead; turn it to the bullie and sit back and watch. Well he is doing just that and more, like complete games and shut out i

The New York Rangers already did the hardest part. They fought their way through Game 4 to avoid a sweep and now head into Boston down 3-1 in the series. A loss ends their season. A win sends the series back to New York for Game 6. A win makes things really, really interesting. Easier said than done, of course. The Rangers had their share of problems against the Bruins Thursday, but fought and clawed their way into an overtime victory. Sometimes those wins are enough to prove to a locker room that they're good enough to come back in a series. Sometimes wins like that boost confidence and trust in one another. But the reality is the Bruins need one more win to advance, the Rangers need three. Which is what makes Game 5 so important. A loss and the Bruins move on. A win and the Rangers bring this series back to Madison Square Garden where they would be able to force a Game 7 in front of their home fans. We're getting ahead of the game, obviously, but you can see why Game 5 seems like a must win for both sides. The Rangers made some huge adjustments in Game 4, including a revamped fourth line that helped neutralize the physicality of the Bruins fourth line. The assumption is John Tortorella will stick with his lineup from Thursday -- why change what's working? -- but that will be confirmed at warmups. Yes, that means Brad Richards being scratched for a second straight game. The power play -- which got its first goal of the series off a Brian Boyle shot -- needs o be better. No more failed opportunities. Maybe the goal Thursday will help spark the man advantage, the Rangers certainly can't afford to have it fil them now. The margin of error is so small for the Rangers it's nearly zero. They lose and the season ends. A lot of things came together in their Game 4 win. Keeping it going in Game 5 is critical to success and a win would really sock the Bruins in the jaw. Easier said than dime of course.

8:00p ET, United Center Chicago, IL TV: NBC, CBC, RDS Radio: 97.1 The Ticket Blackhawks Blog: Second City Hockey Detroit Red Wings Tickets They always say the last one is the hardest one to win. I believe every damn word of that last sentence too. The Red Wings are going to have their work cut out for them tonight. Winning three-in-a-row was fun. The shutout was fun. But it means absolutely nothing tonight. Go back to what Mike Babcock said the other day, the Wings haven't won anything yet. This series is still far from over. The Blackhawks won like 53 straight games during the regular season or so the legends tell us. They're surely capable of winning 3 straight. It's just a matter of Detroit not feeling like they've already won. This team needs to hit the ice like the underdog that they still are. They have to play like they are the team that's down 3-1 and everything is on the line. The last thing you want to do is give Chicago and ounce of life. A wise author once wrote, "If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll ask for a glass of milk." Don't give the Blackhawks a cookie. Don't even allow them to ask. Take the delicious cookie, eat it in their faces, and smash them upside the head with the glass of milk. The moral of the story is mice are awful and Andrew Shaw is a rat #ShawFacts. Skate to the throat. End this now. Continue the Western Conference Farewell Tour one more round. The Expected Lineup Johan Franzen - Pavel Datsyuk - Justin Abdelkader Valtteri Filppula - Henrik Zetterberg - Daniel Cleary Gustav Nyquist - Joakim Andersson - Damien Brunner Patrick Eaves - Cory Emmerton - Drew Miller * Niklas Kronwall - Jonathan Ericsson Brendan Smith - Kyle Quincey Carlo Colaiacovo - Jakub Kindl * Jimmy Howard (starting) Jonas Gustavsson Scratches: Ian White, Brian Lashoff, Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson and Todd Bertuzzi Injuries: Danny DeKeyser (thumb) and Darren Helm (back) RED WINGS PLAYOFF MATCH-UP BLACKHAWKS 7-4 Record 5-4 2.54 (8th in NHL) Goals Per Game 2.56 (7th in NHL) 2.46 (8th) Goals Against Per Game 1.89 (2nd) 17.5% (10th) Power Play % 12.0% (12th) 78.4% (10th) Penalty Kill % 96.9% (1st) 2 tied with 4 goals Goal Leader Patrick Sharp (6 goals) Henrik Zetterberg (10 points) Points Leader Patrick Sharp (10 points) The Red Wings are 38-40 (W-L) all-time against the Chicago Blackhawks in the postseason. Chicago has won 8 of the 15 series between these clubs. Last time these two teams met in a Game 5 in the postseason was May 27, 2009. It was the final game of the Western Conference Finals. The Red Wings won 2-1 in overtime at the Joe. Cleary scored in regulation. Helm had the game winner. Howard is 2-3 with a 2.21 GAA and .933 SV% all-time in Game 5's during his career. You would think the numbers would be worse based off his record. Wings apparently have trouble scoring in Game 5's. Howard has also never played a Game 5 at home. The only time the Red Wings have had home ice advantage while he's been the starting netminder was against Phoenix in 2011. Detroit swept that series. He's 0-1 in overtime Game 5's. Prediction: Detroit wins 2-1 (OT). Let's Go Red Wings.

The Los Angeles Kings are the defending Stanley Cup champions. They had a strong playoff run with a 16-4 record en route to the Stanley Cup. This year they are trying to repeat but it is a tough road. They are currently up three games to two against the San Jose Sharks. They have a 7-4 record overall in the playoffs this year. In order to match last season, they have to go undefeated through the rest of the playoffs. That is an unlikely result. To be fair their Stanley Cup run was also an unlikely result and one they are very unlikely to repeat. The biggest change between the 2012 Los Angeles Kings in the playoffs and the 2013 Kings is offence. The 2012 Kings had one and the 2013 Kings don't. The 2012 Kings had the third best goals per game in the playoffs at 2.85. They were behind Pittsburgh and Philadelphia who played a defenceless with 56 total goals in their six game first round series. The 2013 Kings have lost almost a goal per game. Their 2.09 goals per game is the lowest of all the teams that remain in the playoffs. The Kings goals against remains about the same. Jonathan Quick is having another very good playoff. In 2012 he posted a .946 saves percentage and a 1.41 GAA. This season he has a .948 saves percentage and a 1.50 GAA. This is largely unchanged.Continue reading "Kings Offence Down From 2012"

from Michael Arace of the Columbus Dispatch, (John) Forslund is one of NBC’s play-by-play announcers during the NHL playoffs. He was dispatched to southern California on April 29, and he is still there. His is an interesting perch. After an entire (half) season of calling Eastern Conference games as the voice of the Carolina Hurricanes, he is getting an in-your-face view of the West. “There is a level of playoff hockey being played in the West that is different from the East,” Forslund said. “I’ve been saying that for years, but this year it is more pronounced. That first-round series, St. Louis against LA — it started as soon as the puck dropped. Seeing it live is something else — but it comes across on TV, too, and if you can see it on TV you know it’s unbelievable.” Forslund has done four Ducks-Red Wings games, two Sharks-Canucks games, three Blues-Kings games and five Sharks-Kings games — 14 in 20 days, live and in color. He has seen the West at its best. “It’s ferocious hockey,” Forslund said. “There is more structure, more balance and there is depth throughout the lineups. The West has morphed into a bigger, stronger and, at many times, faster conference. These teams have all evolved as they’ve tried to keep up with one another.” read on

After the 1st period of last night's Pens/Sens game, Don Cherry and Ron MacLean discussed the Morrow goal, how to defend 2-on-1 breaks, Daniel Alfredsson, what the Blackhawks need to start doing and a few other topics. Also, if you missed the end of the game last night, watch below the last minute of play, the handshakes and a Crosby interview.Continue reading "Coach’s Corner Last Night Plus Senators/Penguins"

from Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN, A trip to the rural corners of Lancaster County is like being locked inside a Cracker Barrel. The houses smell like freshly baked bread. There are rocking chairs everywhere, sort of a reminder to slow down and take everything in. Cruise down Route 72, through the rolling hills, and occasionally a horse and buggy will snarl traffic. But that's OK; there's no hurry. Unless, of course, you're chasing something big. For weeks, the locals had no idea that a Russian hockey team was living among them, running stadium steps, riding a mechanical bull and yelling, "Yeah baby!" after intense workouts. In their Under Armour shirts and Hollister shorts, the players look like average American teenagers. They're not. This story started two years ago, nearly 5,000 miles away, when a Russian plane crashed and the entire Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional hockey team perished. The world is a great big place, but the hockey world is small. Everyone in the sport was affected that September day in 2011. Players from all over Russia signed up to be part of a new Lokomotiv team in honor of their former teammates, friends and opponents. An American, Tom Rowe, moved to Russia to coach them, even though he didn't speak a lick of the language. continued

I believe that this is an auto-play video, but Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean put things particularly eloquently after his team's series-ending 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, ending the teams' second-round series in 5 games. MacLean's bottom line on the series, as he told Sportsnet? "I hope they don't charge us for the clinic," he said, referring to the example the Penguins set for Ottawa's younger players as to how a team must continually improve its play to persist in the second, third and fourth rounds:Continue reading "Paul MacLean wisely suggests that his Senators can learn from Penguins’ ‘clinic’"

With a 6-2 win over the Ottawa Senators, the Pittsburgh Penguins move on to the Eastern Conference Finals. The Senators had a tough time finding any momentum and now many will ask if Daniel Alfredsson has played his last NHL game.