Last night in Philadelphia the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Flyers 4-3 in overtime to win the Stanley Cup. While this will be a celebration that was 49 years in the making we must not forget the team that fell short.
So today we take a look at the season for the Philadelphia Flyers. How they got here, what went wrong, & where they go from here.
How they got here:
The Flyers finished the season with a record of 41-35-6, good enough for seventh place in the Eastern Conference.The Flyers came into the season as one of the favorites to not only reach the finals but win the Stanley Cup. The fact they made it to the finals isn't as surprising as what they had to go through to get there.
Philadelphia started to struggle in mid November, losing six out of seven games. At that point General Manager Paul Holmgren decided to make a coaching change, firing John Stevens & hiring Peter Laviolette. The Flyers then lost goaltender Ray Emery to an injury and had to turn to the waiver wire to pick up Michael Leighton.
Leighton won eight of his first nine starts in place of Emery before he returned from injury. Emery would get hurt again allowing Leighton to hold the job in net until he suffered a high ankle sprain. At that point Brian Boucher became the goaltender for the Flyers having less than stellar results.
However Boucher did save his best for when the team needed it. He won a shootout on the last day of the regular season against the New York Rangers, allowing the Flyers to clinch the seventh spot in the East. The Flyers ended up facing a New Jersey team that they won five out of six games against in the regular season. The Flyers continued their dominance over New Jersey winning the series in five games.
Philadelphia then faced the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semi-finals. After dropping the first three games of the series the end of the season looked near. But Philly did something only two other hockey teams have been able to do, rally from a three games to none deficit to win the series.
They won game four in overtime 5-4. In game five they lost Boucher to a sprained MCL. Leighton came in relief and shut out Boston 4-0. In game six Leighton held Boston scoreless for 59 minutes before giving up a late goal. The Flyers held on for a 2-1 win to even the series at three games.
In game seven Leighton gave up three goals early on to fall behind 3-0. Laviolette called a timeout to rally the team. James Van Riemsdyk scored on a soft goal to get Philly on the board before the end of the period. at that point the Flyers controlled the pace of the game eventually tying it in the 2nd period. Simon Gagne would scored on a power play in the 3rd to give they Flyers a 4-3 lead they would not relinquish. The Flyers won the game & the series 4-3.
Awaiting them in the Eastern Conference Finals was a Montreal Canadiens team that knocked the President's Trophy winning Washington Capitals & the defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. That made no difference to Philadelphia as Montreal's small forwards were no match for the Flyers core of defensemen. Leighton had three shutouts in the series and the Flyers won the series in five games to reach their first Stanley Cup Finals in thirteen seasons.
What went wrong:
It pretty simple, the Flyers were matched up with a Chicago Blackhawks team that was more talented that them. A lot of hockey fans will appreciate what they accomplished and rightfully so. But the fact is for two months just about everything went the Flyers way.
They beat a New York Rangers team in a shootout when Olli Jokinen was stopped by Brian Boucher. (Why Jokinen was picked to take the final shot for the Rangers instead of Marian Gaborik I will never understand)
The Flyers then drew a Devils team they have played well against during the season. New Jersey may have been the number two seed in the East but they are a long ways from the Devils team that were perennial cup contenders from 1994-2004.
Even though Boston won the first three games of their semifinals series against Philly injuries took a toll on the Bruins forwards. Losing David Krecji on a Mike Richards hit changed the momentum of the series allowing Philly to rally & win the series.
As I wrote earlier Montreal's small forwards were unable to get to the front of the net to create traffic in front of Leighton.
But the Flyers luck ran out against Chicago. They tried to play a fast pace up & down game in game one. That resulted in a 6-5 victory for the Hawks. They tried to play a tight defensive game in game two. That resulted in a 2-1 win for Chicago.
In Philly they faired better in games three & four but the Flyers needed overtime to win game three. In game four they outplayed Chicago for 55 minutes until Joel Quennville split up his top line of Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, & Jonathan Toews. After that Chicago was in complete control and never in danger of losing the series.
Michael Leighton was exposed in this series for what he is, a mediocre goaltender that was on a good run. He was outplayed in net by Antti Niemi and in the Stanley Cup Finals the team with the better goalie usually wins the Stanley Cup. That theory holds true once again this season.
Where they go from here:
The Flyers have some interesting decisions to make this coming off-season.
Once again they will have to decide what to do with their goaltending situation. Emery's hip injury will probably end his career. If they would have won the cup Leighton would have probably been resigned. After being pulled in two of the four losses and giving up two soft game winning goals in the other two losses I can't see Leighton returning in any other role but as a backup.
There are a couple decent free agent options on the market this off-season (Evgeni Nabokov, Marty Turco)
While neither of these two have done anything to make me think they can win a Stanley Cup both are upgrades over Michael Leighton. Tomas Vokoun in Florida or Carey Price in Montreal could also be available via a trade.
A trade may be necessay because of the salary cap as well. With Chris Pronger making nearly five million dollars for the next seven seasons, Danny Briere making 6.5 million with a no trade clause & Scott Hartnell making 4.2 million with a no movement clause Paul Holmgren will have some interesting decisions to make.
After next season both Jeff Carter & Claude Giroux are restricted free agents. Chances are Holmgren will only beable to re-sign one of them. My gut feeling is they will try to sign Giroux & shop Carter int he off-season for a goalie. (Personal note: If Carter is available via trade I'd love to see the Wild try to acquire him. But that is for another colum.)
So which Philadelphia team is for real? Is it the one that struggled through the regular season and only qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the season or is it the team that fell two games short of the Stanley Cup. I think the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
It will be interesting to see what they do for a full season under Peter Laviolette. If they get a goalie I can see them challenging for a top four seed in the Eastern Conference but I still think they are a few players away from being in the same group as the Penguins & Capitals.
That will do it for blogs during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This was my first time writing a blog and I had a lot of fun doing it. Hopefully you enjoyed what you read and even learned something in the process. I'm not sure how much I'll be writing during the off-season but if something catches my eye during the draft or free agency I'll make a note of it. Otherwise I'll see you in September when I start breaking down all thirty teams.
Until thanks for reading & enjoy your off-season.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The Cup Belongs to Chicago
Chicago Blackhawks fans have waited 49 years for their team to win the Stanley Cup. So why not make them have to sit through an extra period of hockey with them one win away from the cup.
Fortunately for them the wait would not be long as Patrick Kane scored at 4:06 of overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia to clinch their 1st Stanley Cup since 1961.
Since Joel Quennville broke up his top line of Kane, Toews & Dustin Byfuglien in the last five minutes of game four Chicago has been in control of the series. They dominated the Flyers in game five and started out strong in game six, out-shooting Philadelphia 17-7 in the 1st period.
Chicago got on the board first on the power play. Chris Pronger took a penalty for high sticking and with him in the penalty box there was no one to contain Byfuglien in front of the net. He tipped in shot from Toews to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
Philly would answer late in the period on a power play goal of their own. Brent Sopel went to the penalty box for interference and Scott Hartnell was able to backhand a shot past Antti Niemi to tie the game at 1-1.
Philadelphia took their first lead of the game at the eight minute mark of the 2nd period. Duncan Keith lost his balance and fell down at the blue line allowing a two on one for the Flyers. Danny Briere took a pass from Villie Leino and put it top shelf past Niemi for his twelfth goal of the playoffs to give Philly a 2-1 lead.
At that point momentum was with the Flyers and when Marian Hossa was called for a questionable goalie interference call (I don't understand how you call Hossa for goalie interference when the defenseman is pushing him into the goalie.) the Flyers looked ready to take full control of this game.
However it was Chicago who got the goal to tie the game. Patrick Sharp took a pass from the slot and fired it past Michael Leighton tying the game at 2-2.
Chicago retook the lead at 17:43 of the 2nd. Niklas Hjalmarsson fired a shot from the point and Andrew Ladd was able to get a piece of it, tipping it past Leighton, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead after two periods.
Chicago controlled play for most of the 3rd period and where looking ready to win their first Stanley Cup. However the story this post-season for Philly has been their resiliency. That would come through once again with four minutes to play in the game when Scott Hartnell tipped another shot past Niemi to tie the game.
In overtime Philly would control play at the start, challenging Niemi on a couple shots. Chicago then was able to move the puck up the ice with Brian Campbell getting the puck to Kane. Kane was able to use his speed to get past the defenseman and fire the puck on net where it went underneath Leighton's pad and into the net.
The Puck got stuck in the back of the net and the goal light did not come on right away. Kane & the Blackhawks started celebrating before anyone knew what happened. The goal was reviewed and when it was confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks stood alone as Stanley Cup Champions.
Jonathan Toews was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the 2010 post-season. He was the favorite to win the award going into the series and while he didn't score a goal he did have a couple assists and was one of the best two way players on the ice.
After accepting the award, Toews returned to the podium to accept the Stanley Cup from Gary Bettman. After skating around with the cup he then presented it to Marian Hossa who finally won it in his third try. After that all the players took their turn skating with the cup and the celebration was on.
So the 2010 post-season comes to an end with Chicago winning the cup. As Chicago was being awarded the cup my thoughts were with two people. Dave Anton, who I work with at WCCO. He is the biggest Blackhawks fan I know and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. This win means more to him than anyone else I know. He deserves it.
The other person I thought of was Kris Shaban, one of my good friends, who is a big fan of all the Chicago teams. (except the White Sox, he's a Cubs fan) He's not a huge hockey fan but he did follow the Blackhawks through their cup run and we were able to watch game five together. He found himself enjoying the game more than he thought he would. This title won't mean as much to him as the 85 Super Bowl win by the Bears or the six titles from the Bulls but this one he will be able to celebrate.
As I wrap up here, everyone who knows me knew where I stood in this series. Normally a Red Wings fan would not cheer for Chicago but the Blackhawks have never bothered me. Probably because they have rarely been good when the Wings have been good. Because of that a natural hatred never formed with me.
Instead that hatred has been with the Philadelphia Flyers, most of it building up during the Eric Lindros era. I'm so happy Chicago was able to eliminate them that right as the celebration was going on I was on NHL.com ordering a Jonathan Toews jersey & a Blackhawks t-shirt. After all, I figured it was the best way I could say thank you to Chicago.
That will do it for now. I have one more column that I need to write and I hope to have that done later tonight. We do need to thank the losing team for playing. Until then, thank you for reading.
Fortunately for them the wait would not be long as Patrick Kane scored at 4:06 of overtime to give Chicago a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia to clinch their 1st Stanley Cup since 1961.
Since Joel Quennville broke up his top line of Kane, Toews & Dustin Byfuglien in the last five minutes of game four Chicago has been in control of the series. They dominated the Flyers in game five and started out strong in game six, out-shooting Philadelphia 17-7 in the 1st period.
Chicago got on the board first on the power play. Chris Pronger took a penalty for high sticking and with him in the penalty box there was no one to contain Byfuglien in front of the net. He tipped in shot from Toews to give Chicago a 1-0 lead.
Philly would answer late in the period on a power play goal of their own. Brent Sopel went to the penalty box for interference and Scott Hartnell was able to backhand a shot past Antti Niemi to tie the game at 1-1.
Philadelphia took their first lead of the game at the eight minute mark of the 2nd period. Duncan Keith lost his balance and fell down at the blue line allowing a two on one for the Flyers. Danny Briere took a pass from Villie Leino and put it top shelf past Niemi for his twelfth goal of the playoffs to give Philly a 2-1 lead.
At that point momentum was with the Flyers and when Marian Hossa was called for a questionable goalie interference call (I don't understand how you call Hossa for goalie interference when the defenseman is pushing him into the goalie.) the Flyers looked ready to take full control of this game.
However it was Chicago who got the goal to tie the game. Patrick Sharp took a pass from the slot and fired it past Michael Leighton tying the game at 2-2.
Chicago retook the lead at 17:43 of the 2nd. Niklas Hjalmarsson fired a shot from the point and Andrew Ladd was able to get a piece of it, tipping it past Leighton, giving Chicago a 3-2 lead after two periods.
Chicago controlled play for most of the 3rd period and where looking ready to win their first Stanley Cup. However the story this post-season for Philly has been their resiliency. That would come through once again with four minutes to play in the game when Scott Hartnell tipped another shot past Niemi to tie the game.
In overtime Philly would control play at the start, challenging Niemi on a couple shots. Chicago then was able to move the puck up the ice with Brian Campbell getting the puck to Kane. Kane was able to use his speed to get past the defenseman and fire the puck on net where it went underneath Leighton's pad and into the net.
The Puck got stuck in the back of the net and the goal light did not come on right away. Kane & the Blackhawks started celebrating before anyone knew what happened. The goal was reviewed and when it was confirmed the Chicago Blackhawks stood alone as Stanley Cup Champions.
Jonathan Toews was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the 2010 post-season. He was the favorite to win the award going into the series and while he didn't score a goal he did have a couple assists and was one of the best two way players on the ice.
After accepting the award, Toews returned to the podium to accept the Stanley Cup from Gary Bettman. After skating around with the cup he then presented it to Marian Hossa who finally won it in his third try. After that all the players took their turn skating with the cup and the celebration was on.
So the 2010 post-season comes to an end with Chicago winning the cup. As Chicago was being awarded the cup my thoughts were with two people. Dave Anton, who I work with at WCCO. He is the biggest Blackhawks fan I know and one of the nicest people you could ever meet. This win means more to him than anyone else I know. He deserves it.
The other person I thought of was Kris Shaban, one of my good friends, who is a big fan of all the Chicago teams. (except the White Sox, he's a Cubs fan) He's not a huge hockey fan but he did follow the Blackhawks through their cup run and we were able to watch game five together. He found himself enjoying the game more than he thought he would. This title won't mean as much to him as the 85 Super Bowl win by the Bears or the six titles from the Bulls but this one he will be able to celebrate.
As I wrap up here, everyone who knows me knew where I stood in this series. Normally a Red Wings fan would not cheer for Chicago but the Blackhawks have never bothered me. Probably because they have rarely been good when the Wings have been good. Because of that a natural hatred never formed with me.
Instead that hatred has been with the Philadelphia Flyers, most of it building up during the Eric Lindros era. I'm so happy Chicago was able to eliminate them that right as the celebration was going on I was on NHL.com ordering a Jonathan Toews jersey & a Blackhawks t-shirt. After all, I figured it was the best way I could say thank you to Chicago.
That will do it for now. I have one more column that I need to write and I hope to have that done later tonight. We do need to thank the losing team for playing. Until then, thank you for reading.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
3rd time a charm for Hossa?
This situation is nothing new to Marian Hossa. In a place where great players may only get one opportunity he is playing in his third straight Stanley Cup final. For the second season in a row he is one win away from reaching his goal and winning the Stanley Cup. While most hockey fans are familiar with his recent quest for the cup he has been knocking on the door for most of his career.
Hossa debuted with the Ottawa Senator during the 97-98 season right as the Senators were becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa qualified for the playoffs in each of the six seasons Hossa played there. However he was unable to lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals as Ottawa found a way to underachieve in the post-season, usually at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The farthest he lead Ottawa was to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003. Ottawa won the President's Trophy that season and had home ice throughout the post-season. They ended up losing in the Eastern Conference finals to New Jersey in seven games.
Hossa remained with the Senators until after the lockout ended in 2005. He was traded to Atlanta for Dany Heatley. During his time in Atalanta Hossa only qualified for the playoffs once in 2007, a four game sweep at the hands of New York Rangers.
With Hossa approaching free agency at the end of the 2008 season Atlanta traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline. He scored twelve goals and had twenty-six points in the post-season helping the Penguins reach their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1992.
The memory most fans may remember of Hossa that post-season was almost scoring the game tying goal in game six of the Finals with the puck rolling just parallel along the goal line as time ran out.
That off-season Pittsburgh made an attempt to re-sign Hossa to a long term deal. However Hossa turned them down signing a one year deal to play for the Detroit Red Wings. His reason was that he thought Detroit gave him the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.
Detroit did reach the Finals for a second year in a row, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Whether it was karma or the hockey gods evening things up Pittsburgh defeated Detroit in seven games leaving Hossa short of the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. After the loss Hossa was criticized for not scoring a goal and being ineffective during the finals.
This past off-season Hossa left Detroit and signed a long-term deal to play for Chicago. Once again he finds himself in the Stanley Cup Finals. He has been better this year scoring one goal and having three assists so far in the finals. a couple Blackhawks players have said that he has been the best forward for Chicago in this series even though his numbers don't reflect that.
Now Hossa finds himself again one win away from the cup. His team is talented enough to win it this year but if he wants to get his name on the cup he needs to play well tonight. I know that even if Chicago loses tonight they still will have one more chance to win it on Friday night back home. But after last season I'm sure that Hossa would rather get it done tonight.
Like last season he has a say in what happens tonight. The puck is on his stick, let's see what he does with it.
Hossa debuted with the Ottawa Senator during the 97-98 season right as the Senators were becoming one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa qualified for the playoffs in each of the six seasons Hossa played there. However he was unable to lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals as Ottawa found a way to underachieve in the post-season, usually at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The farthest he lead Ottawa was to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003. Ottawa won the President's Trophy that season and had home ice throughout the post-season. They ended up losing in the Eastern Conference finals to New Jersey in seven games.
Hossa remained with the Senators until after the lockout ended in 2005. He was traded to Atlanta for Dany Heatley. During his time in Atalanta Hossa only qualified for the playoffs once in 2007, a four game sweep at the hands of New York Rangers.
With Hossa approaching free agency at the end of the 2008 season Atlanta traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the trade deadline. He scored twelve goals and had twenty-six points in the post-season helping the Penguins reach their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1992.
The memory most fans may remember of Hossa that post-season was almost scoring the game tying goal in game six of the Finals with the puck rolling just parallel along the goal line as time ran out.
That off-season Pittsburgh made an attempt to re-sign Hossa to a long term deal. However Hossa turned them down signing a one year deal to play for the Detroit Red Wings. His reason was that he thought Detroit gave him the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup.
Detroit did reach the Finals for a second year in a row, facing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Whether it was karma or the hockey gods evening things up Pittsburgh defeated Detroit in seven games leaving Hossa short of the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row. After the loss Hossa was criticized for not scoring a goal and being ineffective during the finals.
This past off-season Hossa left Detroit and signed a long-term deal to play for Chicago. Once again he finds himself in the Stanley Cup Finals. He has been better this year scoring one goal and having three assists so far in the finals. a couple Blackhawks players have said that he has been the best forward for Chicago in this series even though his numbers don't reflect that.
Now Hossa finds himself again one win away from the cup. His team is talented enough to win it this year but if he wants to get his name on the cup he needs to play well tonight. I know that even if Chicago loses tonight they still will have one more chance to win it on Friday night back home. But after last season I'm sure that Hossa would rather get it done tonight.
Like last season he has a say in what happens tonight. The puck is on his stick, let's see what he does with it.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Blackhawks one win from the Cup
"To kill the beast you must cut off the head."
I don't remember where I first heard the saying. For all I know I could have made it up one night while drinking. But if you apply this saying to the Stanley Cup Finals then last night the Chicago Blackhawks went ahead and picked up the knife.
Chicago not only played their best game of this series but their best game of the post-season defeating Philadelphia last night 7-4 at United Center to take a three games to two lead in the best of seven series. Here were a few things that stood out to me last night during the game.
1. Chicago's special teams were finally better than Philadelphia's special teams: In the first four games Philadelphia scored four power play goals while Chicago only had one and that came on a 5 on 3 late in game four. Last night Chicago's first goal came on the power play.
The Blackhawks added another power play goal later in the 2nd period when Dustin Byfuglien scored on a tip-in off a Jonathan Toews pass. Going two for four on the power play is a lot better than what Chicago has done in the first four games.
2. Chris Pronger had his worst game of the post-season: He has been a dominant presence on the blue line for Philadelphia for the first four games of the series, causing Joel Quennville to break up the top line of Byfuglien, Toews & Patrick Kane. Last night he was on the ice for six of the seven Chicago goals. The only one he wasn't on the ice for was because he was in the penalty box for a hooking call.
That penalty led to the Byfuglien power play goal. Byfuglien also got a little bit of payback early in the 2nd period when he leveled Pronger in the corner. Pronger finished the night with a minus five rating, his worst of the post-season. He may be winning the war in this series but last night Byfuglien won the battle.
3. Joel Quennville's line changes: For the first four games Chicago's top line has been anywhere from quiet to ineffective. After splitting up Toews, Kane & Byfuglien all three players produced last night.
Kane had one goal and one assist. Toews had one assist and played his best game of the series on both ends of the ice. Byfuglien had the biggest impact of all three players finishing with two goals, two assists and a plus three rating on the ice. If you spread all three players among three lines than Pronger can't play against all of them.
4. Chicago's defense played better than Philadelphia's last night: In Philadelphia the Blackhawks had trouble getting to the front of the net and creating traffic in front of Leighton. In game five Chicago's defense did a good job keeping the Flyers forwards away from Antti Niemi while the Blackhawk forward had no problem going to the front of the net.
Granted Chicago's defense wasn't perfect but getting the first goal from Brent Seabrook on the power play was a good start for the Blackhawks. Niklas Hjalmarsoon bounced back from a bad game four to play a steady game five. His partner on defense Brian Campbell was still a little more passive than I would like but he finished with a plus two rating on the ice so I'll cut him some slack.
The bottom lime is Chicago's top four defenseman were better than Philadelphia's top four defenseman. In a series where no goalie is dominant that match-up will probably decide who wins the cup.
5. Michael Leighton gets pulled again: For the second time this series Chicago chased Michael Leighton form the net. He was pulled after giving up three goals in the 1st period and replaced by Brian Boucher.
The first goal I can't fault Leighton for as Seabrook's shot deflected off of Pronger and went past him. The next two goal you could say he has to make those saves. He didn't and the Flyers were down 3-0 after the 1st period. Brian Boucher didn't fare much better, giving up three goals on fourteen shots.
Fans can debate who has played better in net Niemi or Leighton. All I know is Leighton has been pulled in two of the five games and gave up a bad goal for the game winner in game two. Niemi hasn't been dominant in net but he has played better than Leighton so far.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette has to decide what to do about his goaltender for game six. Does he stick with Leighton or does he go with Boucher? My guess is he sticks with Leighton in net as I still think he gives Philly the best chance to win the series.
6. Chicago's ability to counter punch: Chicago's 3-0 lead wasn't the first time the Flyers faced a three goal deficit in the playoffs. They trailed Boston 3-0 in game seven before James Van Riemsdyk scored a soft goal to get Philly on the board. as we know Philly rallied to win the game & series 4-3.
Last night Scott Hartnell scored thirty-two seconds into the 2nd period. Unlike Boston however every time the Flyers scored a goal the Blackhawks were able to get the next goal of the game. Chicago never lost control of the game last night and is now one win away from the cup.
So what does last night's game mean for the series? Right now nothing. Chicago has won all their home games and Philadelphia has won their home games. Game six is in Philadelphia and if the series holds true to form Philly should be favored to win game six.
I will say that last night Chicago played the best game either team has played in this series. If they can play one more game like that on Wednesday night they will be Stanley Cup champions.
That will do it for today. I have one more column I am working on right now and I hope to have it done before game six. Until then thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
I don't remember where I first heard the saying. For all I know I could have made it up one night while drinking. But if you apply this saying to the Stanley Cup Finals then last night the Chicago Blackhawks went ahead and picked up the knife.
Chicago not only played their best game of this series but their best game of the post-season defeating Philadelphia last night 7-4 at United Center to take a three games to two lead in the best of seven series. Here were a few things that stood out to me last night during the game.
1. Chicago's special teams were finally better than Philadelphia's special teams: In the first four games Philadelphia scored four power play goals while Chicago only had one and that came on a 5 on 3 late in game four. Last night Chicago's first goal came on the power play.
The Blackhawks added another power play goal later in the 2nd period when Dustin Byfuglien scored on a tip-in off a Jonathan Toews pass. Going two for four on the power play is a lot better than what Chicago has done in the first four games.
2. Chris Pronger had his worst game of the post-season: He has been a dominant presence on the blue line for Philadelphia for the first four games of the series, causing Joel Quennville to break up the top line of Byfuglien, Toews & Patrick Kane. Last night he was on the ice for six of the seven Chicago goals. The only one he wasn't on the ice for was because he was in the penalty box for a hooking call.
That penalty led to the Byfuglien power play goal. Byfuglien also got a little bit of payback early in the 2nd period when he leveled Pronger in the corner. Pronger finished the night with a minus five rating, his worst of the post-season. He may be winning the war in this series but last night Byfuglien won the battle.
3. Joel Quennville's line changes: For the first four games Chicago's top line has been anywhere from quiet to ineffective. After splitting up Toews, Kane & Byfuglien all three players produced last night.
Kane had one goal and one assist. Toews had one assist and played his best game of the series on both ends of the ice. Byfuglien had the biggest impact of all three players finishing with two goals, two assists and a plus three rating on the ice. If you spread all three players among three lines than Pronger can't play against all of them.
4. Chicago's defense played better than Philadelphia's last night: In Philadelphia the Blackhawks had trouble getting to the front of the net and creating traffic in front of Leighton. In game five Chicago's defense did a good job keeping the Flyers forwards away from Antti Niemi while the Blackhawk forward had no problem going to the front of the net.
Granted Chicago's defense wasn't perfect but getting the first goal from Brent Seabrook on the power play was a good start for the Blackhawks. Niklas Hjalmarsoon bounced back from a bad game four to play a steady game five. His partner on defense Brian Campbell was still a little more passive than I would like but he finished with a plus two rating on the ice so I'll cut him some slack.
The bottom lime is Chicago's top four defenseman were better than Philadelphia's top four defenseman. In a series where no goalie is dominant that match-up will probably decide who wins the cup.
5. Michael Leighton gets pulled again: For the second time this series Chicago chased Michael Leighton form the net. He was pulled after giving up three goals in the 1st period and replaced by Brian Boucher.
The first goal I can't fault Leighton for as Seabrook's shot deflected off of Pronger and went past him. The next two goal you could say he has to make those saves. He didn't and the Flyers were down 3-0 after the 1st period. Brian Boucher didn't fare much better, giving up three goals on fourteen shots.
Fans can debate who has played better in net Niemi or Leighton. All I know is Leighton has been pulled in two of the five games and gave up a bad goal for the game winner in game two. Niemi hasn't been dominant in net but he has played better than Leighton so far.
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette has to decide what to do about his goaltender for game six. Does he stick with Leighton or does he go with Boucher? My guess is he sticks with Leighton in net as I still think he gives Philly the best chance to win the series.
6. Chicago's ability to counter punch: Chicago's 3-0 lead wasn't the first time the Flyers faced a three goal deficit in the playoffs. They trailed Boston 3-0 in game seven before James Van Riemsdyk scored a soft goal to get Philly on the board. as we know Philly rallied to win the game & series 4-3.
Last night Scott Hartnell scored thirty-two seconds into the 2nd period. Unlike Boston however every time the Flyers scored a goal the Blackhawks were able to get the next goal of the game. Chicago never lost control of the game last night and is now one win away from the cup.
So what does last night's game mean for the series? Right now nothing. Chicago has won all their home games and Philadelphia has won their home games. Game six is in Philadelphia and if the series holds true to form Philly should be favored to win game six.
I will say that last night Chicago played the best game either team has played in this series. If they can play one more game like that on Wednesday night they will be Stanley Cup champions.
That will do it for today. I have one more column I am working on right now and I hope to have it done before game six. Until then thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Defense is the reason this series is now even.
And just like that what was a best of seven series is now a best of three.
Much like Chicago in games one & two, Philadelphia held serve on their home ice winning game four last night 5-3 to even up the Stanley Cup Finals at two games a piece.
The reason the Flyers have been able to make this a series after being down two games to none is because right now their blue line is playing better than Chicago's blue line.
Everyone's favorite villain Chris Pronger is having a monster series right now for Philadelphia. He may not have had a point since game one of the series but he was a plus four on the ice last night and has been responsible for shutting down Chicago's top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, & Dustin Byfuglien.
Pronger's presence is also allowing the Hawks to take dumb penalties. Byfuglien was called for a slash on Pronger in game three which led to a power play goal. Last night Patrick Sharp was also penalized for slashing Pronger. While Philly may not have scored it doesn't help Chicago to have one of their top forwards in the penalty box when they are trailing by two goals.
While Pronger is getting all the attention his partner on defense Matt Carle has been just has good. He helped set up the tip in by Claude Giroux to win game three and his goal at 14:48 of the 1st period gave Philly it's first two goal lead of the series.
Kimmo Timonen also got on the score sheet for the first time this series when he assisted on Giroux's goal to give the Flyers a two goal lead once again after Chicago had scored fifty-one seconds earlier.
As good as Philly's defense has been you can also say the Chicago's has played poorly. Philly's first goal of the night came on the power play when Mike Richards skated behind Niklas Hjalmarsson and lifted his stick, stealing the puck in the process and scored on Antti Niemi.
Philly's second goal came as the result of a bad clearing attempt in front of the Chicago net by Hjalmarsson. His clearing pass went right on the stick of Carle who fired it into an empty net to give the Flyers a two goal lead.
The third goal for Philadelphia happened when Chciago lost Claude Giroux behind the net. (Seriously, how the hell do you lose Claude Giroux?) The puck came to Kimmo Timonen who found Giroux wide open standing beside the net. All Giroux had to do was tip it in and it was 3-1 Philadelphia.
Not all of Chicago's defenseman were bad in game four. Duncan Keith had assists on all three Blackhawk goals and Brian Campbell got his first goal of the post-season late in the 3rd period.
But Chicago needs more form their defense. In a series where neither team has a dominant goaltender it is important for the defense to step up and help out. Philadelphia is doing that by not allowing the Blackhawks to create traffic in front of Michal Leighton. Chicago's defense has to stop being careless with the puck. Game five would be a good time to start.
I'll be back tomorrow with a preview column for game five which is on NBC tomorrow night at 7 PM. Until then thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Much like Chicago in games one & two, Philadelphia held serve on their home ice winning game four last night 5-3 to even up the Stanley Cup Finals at two games a piece.
The reason the Flyers have been able to make this a series after being down two games to none is because right now their blue line is playing better than Chicago's blue line.
Everyone's favorite villain Chris Pronger is having a monster series right now for Philadelphia. He may not have had a point since game one of the series but he was a plus four on the ice last night and has been responsible for shutting down Chicago's top line of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, & Dustin Byfuglien.
Pronger's presence is also allowing the Hawks to take dumb penalties. Byfuglien was called for a slash on Pronger in game three which led to a power play goal. Last night Patrick Sharp was also penalized for slashing Pronger. While Philly may not have scored it doesn't help Chicago to have one of their top forwards in the penalty box when they are trailing by two goals.
While Pronger is getting all the attention his partner on defense Matt Carle has been just has good. He helped set up the tip in by Claude Giroux to win game three and his goal at 14:48 of the 1st period gave Philly it's first two goal lead of the series.
Kimmo Timonen also got on the score sheet for the first time this series when he assisted on Giroux's goal to give the Flyers a two goal lead once again after Chicago had scored fifty-one seconds earlier.
As good as Philly's defense has been you can also say the Chicago's has played poorly. Philly's first goal of the night came on the power play when Mike Richards skated behind Niklas Hjalmarsson and lifted his stick, stealing the puck in the process and scored on Antti Niemi.
Philly's second goal came as the result of a bad clearing attempt in front of the Chicago net by Hjalmarsson. His clearing pass went right on the stick of Carle who fired it into an empty net to give the Flyers a two goal lead.
The third goal for Philadelphia happened when Chciago lost Claude Giroux behind the net. (Seriously, how the hell do you lose Claude Giroux?) The puck came to Kimmo Timonen who found Giroux wide open standing beside the net. All Giroux had to do was tip it in and it was 3-1 Philadelphia.
Not all of Chicago's defenseman were bad in game four. Duncan Keith had assists on all three Blackhawk goals and Brian Campbell got his first goal of the post-season late in the 3rd period.
But Chicago needs more form their defense. In a series where neither team has a dominant goaltender it is important for the defense to step up and help out. Philadelphia is doing that by not allowing the Blackhawks to create traffic in front of Michal Leighton. Chicago's defense has to stop being careless with the puck. Game five would be a good time to start.
I'll be back tomorrow with a preview column for game five which is on NBC tomorrow night at 7 PM. Until then thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Giroux's OT Winner Puts Flyers Back In Series
Last night in Philadelphia with their season on the line the Flyers showed their resolve once again. Claude Giroux tipped in a Matt Carle shot at 5:59 of overtime to give Philadelphia a 4-3 over Chicago. Chicago still leads the series two games to one.
Philadelphia got on the board in the 1st period when Danny Briere scored his 11th goal of the post-season on the power play to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Chicago evened the scored nearly three minutes into the 2nd period when Duncan Keith's shot went off the stick of Flyers forward Jeff Carter and past goalie Michael Leighton into the back of the net.
Philadelphia retook the lead seven minutes later when Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal for the Flyers. The goal was not awarded right away as it rolled along the edge of the goal line before Chicago's Niklas Hjalmarsson cleared the puck away from the net. Once play was stopped it was reviewed and considered a good goal for Philadelphia.
Chicago would tie the game with a little over two minutes to play in the 2nd period. John Madden won a draw in the offensive zone leading to a Brent Sopel slap shot that beat Leighton stick side. Chicago finally took their 1st lead of the game in the 3rd period when Patrick Kane scored on a breakaway to give Chicago a 3-2 lead.
The lead only lasted for twenty seconds however as Ville Leino scored on a rebound off of Antti Niemi to tie the game at 3-3. In overtime Flyers forward Simon thought he scored a game winner early in the overtime only to have it overruled when replay showed that the puck never crossed the goal line. It didn't matter as Giroux scored the overtime winner minutes later to end the game.
Notes from last night:
One thing keeping the Flyers alive is their special teams. With Briere & Hartnell scoring on the power play last night that brings the total of power play goals in this series to four for Philadelphia. Chicago has yet to score on a power play in this series. The longer this goes on the more it favors Philly.
Despite the loss Jonathan Toews & Patrick Kane were both able to get on the score sheet for the first time this series. Kane had a goal & an assist while Toews had the assist on Kane's goal. The Blackhawks are hoping that is just the start for those two in the series.
I though both goalies were about equal last night. I can't fault Leighton for any of the goals he gave up last night. The first one deflected in off a teammate's stick. He was screened by his own defenseman on the second one and the third goal was on a breakaway by Patrick Kane.
As for Niemi, one thing the Flyers did well last night was go hard to the net and get traffic in front of him. They were able to get to rebounds and deflect pucks. Chicago's defense has to do a better job against the Flyers forwards.
On the other hand, Chicago is having trouble getting to the front of the net against Michael Leighton especially when Chris Pronger is on the ice for Philly. He is winning the battle in front with Dustin Byfuglien right now and getting under Byfuglien's skin. In fact Byfuglien's slash on Pronger is what lead to Hartnell power play goal last night.
Byfuglien has to keep a level head up front when battling with Pronger. Pronger isn't going to get a penalty called on him unless it is blatant. There were at least two plays I thought you could have called a penalty on Pronger last night in the 3rd period. If this was a game in February it may have been called. However this is the Stanley Cup Finals and whether you like him or not superstars like Pronger will get the benefit of the doubt from time to time.
So what does this loss mean for Chicago? Right now I don't think it means anything. Chicago knew that regardless of what happened in game three they were going to have the lead in the series. Instead of three games to none it is two games to one. I'm sure no one in that locker room has a problem being up two games to one. The goal when you go on the road in the playoffs is to get a split. Chicago will have a chance to do that Friday night.
In the last four Stanley Cup Finals each series has started with the higher seed winning the first two games of the series and the lower seed winning game three. This Cup finals is following that script so far. Chicago still has control of this series. If they win tomorrow night then they have a chance to win the cup on Sunday night in front of their home fans. That should be enough motivation for game four.
That will do it for today. If anything interesting catches my eye I'll try to have something posted before game four. I'll for sure have a recap for you on Saturday. Game four is Friday night at 7 PM on Versus. Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Philadelphia got on the board in the 1st period when Danny Briere scored his 11th goal of the post-season on the power play to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Chicago evened the scored nearly three minutes into the 2nd period when Duncan Keith's shot went off the stick of Flyers forward Jeff Carter and past goalie Michael Leighton into the back of the net.
Philadelphia retook the lead seven minutes later when Scott Hartnell scored a power play goal for the Flyers. The goal was not awarded right away as it rolled along the edge of the goal line before Chicago's Niklas Hjalmarsson cleared the puck away from the net. Once play was stopped it was reviewed and considered a good goal for Philadelphia.
Chicago would tie the game with a little over two minutes to play in the 2nd period. John Madden won a draw in the offensive zone leading to a Brent Sopel slap shot that beat Leighton stick side. Chicago finally took their 1st lead of the game in the 3rd period when Patrick Kane scored on a breakaway to give Chicago a 3-2 lead.
The lead only lasted for twenty seconds however as Ville Leino scored on a rebound off of Antti Niemi to tie the game at 3-3. In overtime Flyers forward Simon thought he scored a game winner early in the overtime only to have it overruled when replay showed that the puck never crossed the goal line. It didn't matter as Giroux scored the overtime winner minutes later to end the game.
Notes from last night:
One thing keeping the Flyers alive is their special teams. With Briere & Hartnell scoring on the power play last night that brings the total of power play goals in this series to four for Philadelphia. Chicago has yet to score on a power play in this series. The longer this goes on the more it favors Philly.
Despite the loss Jonathan Toews & Patrick Kane were both able to get on the score sheet for the first time this series. Kane had a goal & an assist while Toews had the assist on Kane's goal. The Blackhawks are hoping that is just the start for those two in the series.
I though both goalies were about equal last night. I can't fault Leighton for any of the goals he gave up last night. The first one deflected in off a teammate's stick. He was screened by his own defenseman on the second one and the third goal was on a breakaway by Patrick Kane.
As for Niemi, one thing the Flyers did well last night was go hard to the net and get traffic in front of him. They were able to get to rebounds and deflect pucks. Chicago's defense has to do a better job against the Flyers forwards.
On the other hand, Chicago is having trouble getting to the front of the net against Michael Leighton especially when Chris Pronger is on the ice for Philly. He is winning the battle in front with Dustin Byfuglien right now and getting under Byfuglien's skin. In fact Byfuglien's slash on Pronger is what lead to Hartnell power play goal last night.
Byfuglien has to keep a level head up front when battling with Pronger. Pronger isn't going to get a penalty called on him unless it is blatant. There were at least two plays I thought you could have called a penalty on Pronger last night in the 3rd period. If this was a game in February it may have been called. However this is the Stanley Cup Finals and whether you like him or not superstars like Pronger will get the benefit of the doubt from time to time.
So what does this loss mean for Chicago? Right now I don't think it means anything. Chicago knew that regardless of what happened in game three they were going to have the lead in the series. Instead of three games to none it is two games to one. I'm sure no one in that locker room has a problem being up two games to one. The goal when you go on the road in the playoffs is to get a split. Chicago will have a chance to do that Friday night.
In the last four Stanley Cup Finals each series has started with the higher seed winning the first two games of the series and the lower seed winning game three. This Cup finals is following that script so far. Chicago still has control of this series. If they win tomorrow night then they have a chance to win the cup on Sunday night in front of their home fans. That should be enough motivation for game four.
That will do it for today. If anything interesting catches my eye I'll try to have something posted before game four. I'll for sure have a recap for you on Saturday. Game four is Friday night at 7 PM on Versus. Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Observations from Game two, other notes
Last night in Chicago the Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 to take a two games to none lead in their best of seven series. There are a lot of things that have happened during the first two games that I want to get into so let's not waste anymore time.
Style of Play: In game one Philly tried to play up-tempo hockey with the Blackhawks. That didn't work the way they hoped as Chicago won a 6-5 shootout. In game two the Flyers tried to play a more physical brand of hockey. That didn't work either as Chicago was able to win 2-1.
Early on it seemed like Philadelphia was so concerned with being the more physical team and setting the tempo of the game rather than scoring goals. Yet the Hawks were able to match them hit for hit and I thought they were the most physical team on the ice. It wasn't until the 3rd period where Philly stop trying to out-muscle Chicago and tried out scoring them.
I can't say I disagree with the Flyers plan of attack after game one but once Chicago took the lead the time for being the more physical team was over.
Goaltending: Both goalies were less than spectacular in game one. Both were able to bounce back strong in game two. Antti Niemi was strong in net for Chicago stopping 32 of 33 shots. The only goal that Philly scored was on a bouncing puck where Niemi was screened in front of the net. He faced a total of 15 shots in the 3rd stopping 14 of them, earning the first star of the game.
Michael Leighton bounced back from being pulled in game one with a stronger performance in game two turning away 24 of the 26 shots that he faced. Chicago's first goal came off a scramble in front of the net which I can't blame Leighton for.
The second goal which came twenty-eight seconds later on a wrist shot from Ben Eager is a shot that Leighton needs to make a save on. It's one thing if Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews or Marian Hossa scores on that shot. They are expected to do that. Ben Eager however is not. It's the only bad goal Leighton gave up and right now it is one of the reasons that Chicago is up two games to none.
Marian Hossa: After being MIA during last year's Stanley Cup Finals, Hossa has a goal and two assists after two games. I have heard at least two Chicago players say he was the best player on the ice in game one. With Kane & Toews being held off the score sheet after two games it is critical that Hossa continues to contribute.
Dan Carcillo: A big deal was made last night about Carcillo returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the last three deals. I would have to say his return was over-hyped. The only big hit he delivered was when he ran into his own teammate, Jeff Carter, and knocked him on the ice.
Other than Carcillo wasn't a factor in the game. One reason for this is that Chicago has the last change at home. Because of that Joel Quennville was able to keep Duncan Keith & Brent Seabrook off the ice when Carcillo was on the ice. Philly will have the last change when the series resumes at Wachovia Center on Wednesday night so I expect to see Carcillo going head to head with Keith & Seabrook.
So after two games Philly has a huge hole to dig themselves out of. They will tell you they have overcome adversity all season so this shouldn't be any different. It's one thing to win a shootout to make the post-season & rally against a Bruins team that couldn't throw a beach ball into the ocean. It's another to comeback from two games down against a Chicago team that can play any style of hockey. I expect Philly to play their best game of the series on Wednesday night. I'm just not sure it will be enough.
Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
Style of Play: In game one Philly tried to play up-tempo hockey with the Blackhawks. That didn't work the way they hoped as Chicago won a 6-5 shootout. In game two the Flyers tried to play a more physical brand of hockey. That didn't work either as Chicago was able to win 2-1.
Early on it seemed like Philadelphia was so concerned with being the more physical team and setting the tempo of the game rather than scoring goals. Yet the Hawks were able to match them hit for hit and I thought they were the most physical team on the ice. It wasn't until the 3rd period where Philly stop trying to out-muscle Chicago and tried out scoring them.
I can't say I disagree with the Flyers plan of attack after game one but once Chicago took the lead the time for being the more physical team was over.
Goaltending: Both goalies were less than spectacular in game one. Both were able to bounce back strong in game two. Antti Niemi was strong in net for Chicago stopping 32 of 33 shots. The only goal that Philly scored was on a bouncing puck where Niemi was screened in front of the net. He faced a total of 15 shots in the 3rd stopping 14 of them, earning the first star of the game.
Michael Leighton bounced back from being pulled in game one with a stronger performance in game two turning away 24 of the 26 shots that he faced. Chicago's first goal came off a scramble in front of the net which I can't blame Leighton for.
The second goal which came twenty-eight seconds later on a wrist shot from Ben Eager is a shot that Leighton needs to make a save on. It's one thing if Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews or Marian Hossa scores on that shot. They are expected to do that. Ben Eager however is not. It's the only bad goal Leighton gave up and right now it is one of the reasons that Chicago is up two games to none.
Marian Hossa: After being MIA during last year's Stanley Cup Finals, Hossa has a goal and two assists after two games. I have heard at least two Chicago players say he was the best player on the ice in game one. With Kane & Toews being held off the score sheet after two games it is critical that Hossa continues to contribute.
Dan Carcillo: A big deal was made last night about Carcillo returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch the last three deals. I would have to say his return was over-hyped. The only big hit he delivered was when he ran into his own teammate, Jeff Carter, and knocked him on the ice.
Other than Carcillo wasn't a factor in the game. One reason for this is that Chicago has the last change at home. Because of that Joel Quennville was able to keep Duncan Keith & Brent Seabrook off the ice when Carcillo was on the ice. Philly will have the last change when the series resumes at Wachovia Center on Wednesday night so I expect to see Carcillo going head to head with Keith & Seabrook.
So after two games Philly has a huge hole to dig themselves out of. They will tell you they have overcome adversity all season so this shouldn't be any different. It's one thing to win a shootout to make the post-season & rally against a Bruins team that couldn't throw a beach ball into the ocean. It's another to comeback from two games down against a Chicago team that can play any style of hockey. I expect Philly to play their best game of the series on Wednesday night. I'm just not sure it will be enough.
Thanks for reading & enjoy the hockey.
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