Monthly Archives: March 2012

Blackhawks Get Big Win Over Blues

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After looking terrible the last time that these two teams met, the Blackhawks turned in one of their best performances of the year tonight against the Blues. They managed to battle back from an early 3-1 deficit to get the 4-3 victory in the shootout.

The Hawks started off the game with a bang. Just under 3 minutes in, Andrew Brunette scored on a 2 on 1 after a great pass from Marian Hossa found him open in the slot. It looked like it was going to be a good night for the Hawks after scoring this rare, early goal on Jaroslav Halak. However, that was far from the case.

About a minute after Brunette found the back of the net, Jamie Langenbrunner beat Ray Emery on a slapshot from just above the left circle. Talk about a momentum killer… Then, a few minutes later, Andy McDonald scored with a wicked wristshot from about 15 feet in front of Emery. This goal was all set up by beautiful passes from Patrik Berglund and David Perron. With about 4 minutes left in the first period, Patrik Berglund added the Blues third goal after redirecting a shot from Barret Jackman. The two teams headed into the intermission with the Blues leading 3-1.

After watching the Hawks completely fall apart after scoring their first goal, it looked like St. Louis was going to get another blowout victory over the Blackhawks. Fortunately, that did not happen.

Ray Emery was pulled at intermission, and Corey Crawford came into the game for his first action since February 29. In the second period, the Hawks really seemed to step up their game. They began getting more physical, which was a major factor in the outcome of the game, and they were getting some good shots on goal. With just over 6 minutes left in the period, Johnny Oduya made a great play to keep the puck in the Hawks’ offensive zone after an attempted clear by St. Louis. Kruger grabbed the puck along the right boards after the keep-in, wristed a soft shot at Halak, and the rebound hit off of Viktor Stalberg’s skate and went in the net. This was a HUGE goal for the Hawks. Heading into the third period being down by just 1 goal rather than 2 is a big difference.

After going 0-4 on the powerplay through the first 2 periods, the Hawks were given another powerplay opportunity a little over 6 minutes into the third period. On this powerplay, Brent Seabrook let go an absolute bomb of a slapshot off a one-timer from Hossa that beat Halak to tie the game at 3. This was the first powerplay goal scored against in the Blues in their last 51 powerplays against. They were just 2 more penalty kills away from tying the all-time record at 53 in a row. As the third period progressed, the Hawks had a few more chances to take the lead, but Halak answered the bell on all of them.

Then, the game moved into overtime where Duncan Keith had the best scoring chance from either team with only about 3 seconds left on the clock. Patrick Kane found a wide-open Keith in the slot for a one-timer, but the shot seemed to hit Halak in the mask and deflect over the net.

In the shootout, Patrick Kane scored the only goal for either team, and the Hawks prevailed with the 4-3 victory.

There were a lot of positive signs in tonight’s win by the Hawks. First, they out-shot St. Louis 46-24. That is pure domination. Second, they tied the Blues with 29 hits in the game. If you have watched the Hawks on a frequent basis this year, then you know that they have not been a physical team up to this point in the season. Also, Jamal Mayers and Brandon Bollig got into a couple big fights that helped give the Blackhawks energy boosts. I specifically liked Brandon Bollig going right after Ryan Reaves after Reaves put a major hit on Jamal Mayers. Bollig was given a 2 minute instigator penalty (I don’t like this rule), but the Hawks were able to kill that off.

Maybe the biggest positive that came out of tonight’s win (aside from the 2 points) was Corey Crawford. He came in to start the second period and played a great game from then on. He needed to be perfect in net to give the Hawks a chance at winning, and he was. He didn’t allow a goal on 18 shots against, including overtime, and he was perfect in the shootout. Hopefully he will get a big boost in confidence after getting the win tonight.

All in all, this was an absolutely huge win for the Blackhawks, who again were without their captain.

Thanks for reading.

NHL Predictions

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I had previously stated that I would give my predictions on how the NHL playoffs would end up playing out. After thinking about it, I am going to wait until the playoffs are set, and then make my predictions as to how far each team will go. So for now, I am going to stick with what I have already written, which were my predictions as to which teams will make the playoffs and what seeds they will get.

Please check back here once the NHL playoff match-ups are set! I will have my playoff-outcome predictions posted then.

My Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions: Eastern Conference

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1. New York Rangers

This has been arguably the best team in the East all season, and I see no reason for that to change. They have the best goalie in all of hockey in Henrik Lundqvist, and one of the best defenses in the game. With as many big names that this team has, especially on offense, you would think that their powerplay would be ranked a lot higher than 29th. Luckily for them, however, they still lead the Eastern Conference in points despite their lack of production with a man advantage. Barring any major injuries to key players, I expect this team to play pretty deep into the playoffs.

2. Boston Bruins

The Bruins have hit a major rut recently, and are only 2 points ahead of Ottawa for their division lead. Over their last 10 games, Boston is a meager 4-5-1. That’s just not going to be good enough heading into the last 14 games of the regular season. I know that they have suffered some injuries lately, but the Bruins are going to have to find a way to get 2 points on a nightly basis more often than not from here on out. If they don’t, Ottawa could end up surprising everyone by winning the division.

3. Washington Capitals

They play in by far the weakest division in hockey. They have just 74 points on the season right now and trail Florida by one point for the division lead. There are a lot of issues concerning the Capitals this year, but their offense has the potential to put themselves in front of Florida and win the division. Expect to see them turn up their game here in the last month of the regular season.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins

With the way they are playing right now, it is possible that they could find themselves overtaking the Rangers for first in their division and first in the conference before it is all said and done with. Sidney Crosby said the other day that he hopes to be back in the lineup this Thursday. If he can come back and play anywhere close to the way he is capable of playing, Pittsburgh might just become the best team in hockey. However, that is all a big unknown. Until Crosby proves that he can play effectively, I don’t see them passing up New York.

5. Philadelphia Flyers

These guys lead the entire NHL in goals per game, averaging 3.22. That is the reason why they have been able to keep themselves in the top 5 of the Eastern Conference all year long. Their goaltending has been sub-par most of the year, which should be concerning to the Flyers, but it has been better in the past few game. The Flyers need to hope that Bryzgalov can continue his strong play heading into the final month of the season and the playoffs.

6. New Jersey Devils

This was arguably the most disappointing team last season. This year, however, they have been playing much more like we expected them to. They are second in penalty killing in the NHL, which is an area of the game that they are going to have to stay strong at come playoff time. Martin Brodeur is not his old self, but he is still an above average goalie. He knows what it takes to win a Stanley Cup, and I expect him to step up his game once the playoffs begin.

7. Ottawa Senators

They might just be the biggest surprise in the NHL this year. Last year, they finished third to last in the Eastern Conference. Like I said earlier, they trail Boston by just 2 points in the division. If Boston continues to struggle and Ottawa stays hot, they could take over the number 2 spot in the conference. Jason Spezza is having a great “bounce-back” year this year after struggling a bit last season. They also have Erik Karlsson, who leads all NHL defenseman with 69 points (25 more than the next closest), leading their defense. Their biggest problem is goaltending. Look for this to really hurt them in the playoffs.

8. Winnipeg Jets

This is pretty much a toss-up between 3 teams: Florida, Winnipeg, and Buffalo. I’m saying that Winnipeg finishes in the number 8 spot because of the fact that they will have a throng of playoff-hungry fans supporting them during each home game down the stretch. Winnipeg fans had their hockey team taken away from them in the mid-90’s, and they want nothing more than for this team to make the postseason. Don’t be surprised to see the Jets’ players absorb that same hunger for the playoffs. This team will do everything it can to make sure they are playing in the postseason.

My Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions: Western Conference

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I’ll start tonight by giving my predictions on who will make the NHL playoffs from the Western Conference. Then, over the next few days I will do the same for the Eastern Conference, as well as tell you just how far I think each team will go in this year’s playoffs. Tonight, I am going to rank the teams in the order that I think they will finish in the Western Conference. Keep in mind that the winners of the 3 three divisions in each conference automatically get a top 3 seed. Therefore, it is possible for a bottom 5 seed to finish with more points than the number 2 or 3 seed.

1. Vancouver Canucks

They finished with the number 1 seed in the West a year ago, and are also the defending Western Conference champions. This team is better than they were last year, believe it or not. Their offensive depth is greater than just about any team in the entire NHL, and their defense is as strong as any other in the Western Conference. Add in the experience that they gained by making it to the Cup Finals last year, and this team just about has it all. My only concern with the Canucks heading into the playoffs is their goaltending. It wasn’t good enough to win the Cup last year, and they will be heading into this year’s playoffs with the same goalies.

2. Detroit Red Wings

They are currently 4 points behind the Blues in the Central Division, but I think the Wings will make a late push and get to the top spot in the Central before the season is over. If there is one team that can match the Canucks’ offensive and defensive depth in the Western Conference, it’s Detroit. This team has a handful of players that have been to and won the Stanley Cup before, including their 7-time Norris Trophy-winning defenseman, Nicklas Lidstrom. The Wings know what it takes to be the best team in the NHL, and they will prove that heading into the home-stretch of the regular season.

3. Dallas Stars

If this team wasn’t leading their division, they would be tied with Chicago for the number 6 seed in the conference. However, considering that the Pacific Division is by no means a very strong division this year, Dallas will end up walking away as division champions. They currently have a 3-point lead over Phoenix, and with the way Kari Lehtonen has been playing in net lately, I don’t see them losing the top spot in their division.

4. St. Louis Blues

It was tough for me to put Detroit ahead of these guys, but the Blues just aren’t as good as the Wings when it comes to overall team-depth. Because of that reason, and the fact that St. Louis has hardly any playoff/late-season pressure experience, I have them finishing 4th in the West. This is going to be a dangerous team come playoff time, largely in part because of their team defense and goaltending. The question of, “Which goalie should the Blues start in the playoffs?” has been a reoccurring one lately. When you look at the stats, Brian Elliot makes the most sense. However, since Halak started the season 0-6, he has arguably been the better goalie of the 2. He ranks second in the NHL (behind Elliot) in Goals Against Average, and has more playoff experience. He was the starting goalie for the Canadiens in the 2010 playoffs when they lost to the Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Because of the fact that both Elliot and Halak have such similar stats, and because Halak has more playoff experience, he should be in net to start the playoffs.

5. Nashville Predators

If there is one spot in the West that looks to be pretty well locked up, it is the number 5 seed. The Predators are 4 points out of the number 4 spot, and 6 points ahead of the number 6 spot. Nashville greatly increased their chances of making a deep playoff run at the trade deadline this year by acquiring Hal Gill, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Paul Gaustad. Also, they have Pekka Rinne,who should be a Vezina Trophy finalist, as their starting goaltender, and possible Norris Trophy finalists, Shea Weber and Ryan Suter on defense. This is a very strong defensive team that can shut down the best offensive teams in the league. It is their offense that has me questioning just how far they can make it in the playoffs.

6. Chicago Blackhawks

They desperately need Jonathan Toews back if they are going to do any damage come playoff time. Lately, even without Toews in the lineup, the Hawks have been playing fairly decent while getting wins over St. Louis, Detroit (twice), and the New York Rangers. If they can keep winning most of their games until Toews comes back, they should be a lock to finish as the number 6 seed once Toews does come back. Ray Emery has started 4 straight games for the Hawks, going 3-1 over that stretch. If he can continue to turn in solid performances and essentially lock himself up as the Blackhawks’ starting goalie for the playoffs, this could be an extremely dangerous team heading into the postseason.

7. Phoenix Coyotes

Somehow, I don’t know how, this team keeps making the playoffs. Lately, their wins have been coming via great goaltending by Mike Smith. I hate to put all the focus on one guy, but whether or not the Coyotes do end up making the playoffs lies in the hands of Smith. He needs to continue to be great in net. Being just good isn’t going to be enough for this team.

8. San Jose Sharks

Currently, the Sharks are 9th in the West. They trail the Avalanche for 8th place by just 1 point, and the Sharks have played 3 fewer games than the Avs. San Jose has shown in recent years that they are a good team. Now that they are currently sitting in a non-playoff spot in the conference, expect these guys to wake up, and really step up their game. They could definitely end the season as even the number 7 seed in the West. It just comes down to how bad they want it.

Bulls Suffer Rare Defeat At Home

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The Bulls came into tonight’s game against the Magic riding an 8-game winning streak, and fresh off a thrilling win at the buzzer in Milwaukee on Wednesday night. My worry coming into tonight’s game was that the Bulls wouldn’t have enough gas left in their tank to play a full 48 minutes.

Well, my worry became reality. The Bulls suffered a tough 99-94 loss on their home court tonight; only their third loss at home this season.

The Magic came out scoring at will in the first quarter, shooting 75 percent from the field. The Bulls, on the other hand, did not shoot that well at all. Orlando jumped out to an 18 point lead at one point, and it looked as though this game was going to be a blow out.

Late in the second quarter, the Bulls finally found their touch. Kyle Korver scored 7 straight points for the Bulls to ignite the team and the fans. With about 25 seconds left in the first half, Luol Deng drained a big 3 pointer to cut the Bulls deficit to 8 points. Moments later, the Bulls forced a turnover, and Derrick Rose ran up the floor and nailed another 3 at the buzzer.

The second half, for the most part, was a back-and-forth trading of baskets between the Bulls and Magic. The Bulls, however, could never take more than a one point lead in the game.

Late in the fourth quarter, Kyle Korver found himself with at least three, if not four, wide open 3-pointers. He missed them all.

Then, with about 20 seconds left in the game, Derrick Rose had a chance to make it a 3-point game with 2 free throws. He made the first and missed the second, leaving the Bulls down by 4 with just under 20 seconds left. The Magic wound up making their free throws to seal the win after being intentionally fouled by the Bulls.

Fatigue definitely played a roll in the Bulls losing this game, but you still have to make the wide-open shots that you are given. That, along with the number of offensive rebounds by the Magic, were the two biggest areas that the Bulls needed to better at tonight in order to get the win.

Next week, the Bulls will play back-to-back games against the Knicks and Heat on Tuesday and Wednesday. Let’s hope that they will be less fatigued heading into those two marquee matchups.

Rose Showing Signs of Jordan

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I was unable to watch the second half of tonight’s Bulls game against the Bucks, but I have been watching the highlights now for the past half hour. Derrick Rose is a beast. It’s that simple. He continued making his case for winning a second straight MVP award after turning in an unforgettable performance tonight in which he finished with 30 points, 11 assists, and 8 rebounds.

In what was a back-and-forth game between the Bucks and Bulls, Derrick Rose stepped up yet again when the Bulls needed him most. After seemingly trading baskets with the Bucks in the last minute and a half of the game, Derrick Rose found himself with the ball in his hands for the last shot of the game with the score tied at 104.

The shot-clock had been turned off when Derrick Rose dribbled up the floor to try and finish off the Bucks, once and for all. For an unknown reason to me, the Bucks decided not to double-team Rose as he dribbled along the perimeter waiting for the right moment to make his move. Instead, Brandon Jennings was left to guard Rose one-on-one. This had been a big mismatch all night in favor of Derrick Rose. (Of course, there aren’t a whole lot of guys who can guard Rose without it being a complete mismatch. The only ones who can effectively guard him are Lebron James and maybe a healthy Kobe Bryant.)

Rose faked a drive to the basket, stepped back, and nailed a long two-pointer from about two feet inside the 3-point line as the buzzer went off. The entire Bulls team proceeded mob him at half court as the predominantly pro-Bulls crowd went nuts in the stands.

Derrick Rose continues to hit big shots in the clutch without hesitation. We’ve seen him hit two games winners at the buzzer now this year. The first one coming in the opening game of the season at the Lakers (technically this wasn’t at the buzzer, but only tenths of a second were left of the clock), and the second one tonight.

Obviously Derrick Rose has a long way to go to ever be compared to Michael Jordan, but he is well on his way in terms of the way he performs in the clutch. Both Jordan and Rose had/have that “killer instinct” inside of them that opponents fear with their life. Rose is not afraid to take big shots, and he is continuing to prove that to the world.

All the MVP talk this year has made it sound like Lebron is the clear-cut front-runner to win the award, but if Rose continues to play like he has been of late, he may just win his second straight MVP. Only time will tell.

You can watch Rose’s shot here: Rose Buzzer Beater

Thanks for reading.

Soriano At Lead-off?

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Dale Sveum was asked a few days ago about the possibility of putting Alfonso Soriano back into the lead-off spot in the Cubs’ batting order to start the season. His response has me a little worried. Sveum, in so many words, said that “Soriano is not a bad lead-off hitter and that his statistics prove it.”

Over the last 2 seasons, Soriano’s on-base percentage has been bad. In 2010, his OBP was .267, and in 2011 it was .231. In my opinion, on-base percentage should be the most important factor when determining who should bat first in the order. Based on Soriano’s on-base percentage over the last couple of years, he shouldn’t even be considered to bat lead-off. And given his age, don’t expect his numbers to get any better.

It has been obvious that ever since joining the Cubs, Soriano’s legs have completely given out on him. He was once considered to be one of the fastest guys in all of baseball, but now is far from it. The past few years that he has spent with the Cubs have consisted of multiple leg injuries that have only helped to weaken his leg strength. Given his bad on-base percentage and the fact that he no longer has good legs under him, he should not be batting lead-off.

I understand that Dale Sveum is going to evaluate all of his options in deciding the batting order to start this season, but experimenting with Soriano in that spot of the order should not even be one of his considerations. Personally, and based on the way it worked out last season, I like either Darwin Barney or Starlin Castro batting first in the order.

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Blackhawks Get Destroyed in St. Louis

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Tonight’s game between the Blackhawks and Blues in St. Louis was a showcase of most, if not all of, the Blackhawks’ weaknesses as proven by the 5-1 final score. They were outplayed by the Blues in every area of the game, and showed virtually no desperation whatsoever.

One of the biggest areas of weakness on the Blackhawks’ roster is their toughness. Night in and night out they are being out-hit by their opponents. St. Louis, on the other hand, is by no means afraid to hit guys at will. Throughout tonight’s game, the Blues were running the ‘Hawks into the boards and flat on their backs left and right. This created a couple of good scoring chances for the Blues after putting some big hits on the ‘Hawks in the Chicago defensive zone. The Blackhawks’ on the other hand, had just a small handful of hits, and they were not effective.

Another area of weakness for the ‘Hawks that was blatantly obvious tonight was their board-play. It seemed as though the Blues won just about every board-battle from start to finish. This is one of the most crucial aspects of a hockey game. By winning board-battles, you gain possession of the puck. You can’t win hockey games without having possession of the hockey puck. One way to really judge a team’s effort and toughness in a hockey game is to look at the number of battles that they win along the boards. Tonight, the ‘Hawks did not get the job done in this aspect of the game, to say the least.

Shots-on-goals, what was once one of the Blackhawks strong-suits, has recently become another area of weakness for this team. In order to win, you need to score goals. In order to score goals, you need to get multiple shots-on-goal. It’s really not that hard of a concept. Yet over the past month or so, the Blackhawks are consistently getting out-shot by their opposition. In tonight’s game, the Blackhawks got out-shot, again, 31-20. They passed up a number of opportunities to get good shots on the net by trying to make an extra pass. I specifically noticed a couple of instances tonight where Patrick Sharp tried making tough passes through a lot of traffic rather than taking the open shot that he was given. When you are a team that has struggled to score goals as of late, you cannot afford to pass up shooting opportunities to try and make unnecessary passes.

The last area of weakness for the ‘Hawks that I want to mention is their powerplay. They were 0-5 on it tonight. If a team is going to give you 5 different opportunities to try and score on them with a one-man advantage, you have to convert on at least a couple of them. This has been a problem all year long for the Blackhawks, and they are showing no signs of improving.

All in all, tonight was an embarrassment for the Blackhawks. If they want any hope at making it past the first round of the playoffs, or even into the playoffs, they are going to have to get better in at least a couple areas of their game that I mentioned above. Also, getting Jonathan Toews back cannot be overvalued. They need him healthy as soon as possible, and right now, there is no timetable for his return.

Thanks for reading.

Pirates Make Surprising Move

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As I was watching SportsCenter last night, it was announced that the Pittsburgh Pirates had resigned their all-star center fielder, Andrew McCutchen, to a 6-year deal worth $51.5 million. I couldn’t believe it.

Last year, McCutchen hit .259, with 23 home runs and 89 RBI’s. While those may not seem like great statistics, McCutchen’s potential is extremely high. He is only going to get better moving forward.

For the first time in a long time (I really couldn’t tell you how long), the Pirates have resigned one of their best players. Not only did they just resign him, they were able to sign him to a long-term deal worth over $50 million dollars. This has become somewhat of an unheard of move when talking about the Pirates over the last 15 years. The Pirates have acted as a type of “farm system” in recent years in which they would develop highly talented players, bring them to the big leagues (where they would succeed), and then be unable to resign them. This would result in the Pirates either trading these guys, or losing them during free agency. Some good examples of this in the past few years have been Jason Bay (traded to Boston), Nate McLouth (traded to Atlanta), and Nyjer Morgan (traded to Washington). They just haven’t been able to hang on to their best players for more than a couple of years at a time.

Signing Andrew McCutchen to a multi-year deal is a good sign for the Pirates. This is a team that has not had a winning record in 19 straight seasons, and they, plus their fans, are desperate for success. I’d say that keeping Andrew McCutchen on the roster is a decent start.