Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals Review

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Conference Finals Review

We entered the second round with many predicting a repeat final four of Pittsburgh, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. Two out of the four are heading home, for a holiday retreat or golf course. Chicago and Los Angeles are heading for the Conference finals again and if Chicago repeat as Western Conference champions they'll defend their Stanley Cup against a team whose last appearance in the cup final ending with them lifting the legendary trophy, Montreal in 1993, when they beat LA, and the New York Rangers in 1994, when they beat Vancouver.

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Second Round Review

Stanley Cup Playoffs - Second Round Review

Round one was so good it's hard to imagine how the second round could ramp up the intensity. Before we get started on the second round matchups we must say goodbye to eight teams. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets, St Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, and, like the inevitability of a Tim Peel intent to blow call we say goodbye to the true nearly men of the league, the San Jose Sharks.

Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round Review

Stanley Cup Playoffs - First Round Review

The opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is the most exciting, most unpredictable round of the playoffs. For me it all starts with the opening montage Tim Thompson of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada puts together that airs before the first game of the playoffs. This year he went with Metallica's For Whom The Bell Tolls for the backing track to accompany the clip montage which I think doesn't hold a candle last years that featured The Who's Baba O'Riley. 

PODCAST - December 17th Edition

Between The Pipes - December 17th Edition

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First of all we'd like to apologise if any of our technical difficulties effect the quality of this weeks podcast.

In this edition Nick, Ross and Junaid go over the weeks headlines, including Shawn Thornton appealing his suspension, Stamkos skating a month after breaking his leg. We also give our picks for goals and saves of the week, and make our prediction league picks for this week. In "Four Teams" we talk about Boston, LA & Tampa Bay.

Saves of the week

Nick's pick - Josh Harding - Minnesota Wild vs Anaheim Ducks



Ross' pick - Kevin Poulin - New York Islanders vs Phoenix Coyotes



Junaid's pick - Martin Jones - Los Angeles Kings vs Montreal Canadiens



Goals of the week

Nick's pick - Matt Duchene - Colorado Avalanche vs Winnipeg Jets



Ross' pick - Benoit Pouliot (shootout goal) - New York Rangers vs Calgary Flames



Junaid's pick - Alex Ovechkin - Washington Capitals vs Philadelphia Flyers



Prediction League

TABLE

Nick - 14/18
Ross - 12/18
Junaid - 7/18

This weeks games/picks:
Nashville @ Tampa Bay
San Jose @ Los Angeles
NY Islanders @ NY Rangers
Detroit @ Toronto
Washington @ Carolina
Winnipeg @ Edmonton


Nick: NSH, LA, NYR, TOR, WSH, EDM
Ross: TB, LA, NYR, TOR, WSH, EDM
Junaid: TB, SJ, NYR, TOR, WSH, WPG



NEXT WEEK....... We are ACTUALLY doing our NHL themed 12 Days of Christmas. After neglecting it last week and our technical difficulties this week.



Email us any questions you'd like us to answer at betweenthepipespodcast@hotmail.com and we will answer them during recording. Also you can direct anything our way on twitter, @NickVarney90, @j_hussain & @MasonCooper4.

How to solve a problem like overtime.......

It's no secret that overtime, and the things that come with it, is a big talking point in the NHL. Perhaps the most debated point is the shootout. The "non-shootout" years pre-date my time as a hockey fan. So I don't have a nostalgic feeling of the old days when teams could tie games. Although, I am a football fan, and the idea of a Premier League game ending level, then going to any sort of overtime or shootout is ludicrous.

One problem with the shootout is that, once in overtime, some teams may decide to play to the shootout rather than go all out for a win, like a team in the NFL might decide to "tank" once they know they're destined for a top 10 draft pick. The post 2004-05 lockout rules would (and still do) reward teams with two points for a regulation, overtime or shootout win, one point for an overtime or shootout loss, and no points for a regulation loss. But the problem started from there being no difference to your league position, whether you won in regulation or overtime with "team" play, or via the "skills" competition, you had your two points. In an attempt to try and put teams in a more attacking mind, the NHL introduced a new statistic to the standings in 2010. The ROW column, or Regulation/Overtime wins. This means that teams are given priority in standings and playoff seeding tiebreakers if they have more ROW than a team they tied with on points. Emphasising the importance of winning in "team" play. But, the problem of teams settling for a shootout still happens.

Many believe, in particular Detroit GM Ken Holland, that the way to help reduce the chance of going to a shootout is once the five minute 4-on-4 period ends tied, that they should go to another five minute period, and reduce teams to 3-on-3. This is one option of moving forward. One we got a short preview of in a recent LA Kings-New Jersey Devils game, when the teams skated 3-on-3 for a full two minutes after Dustin Brown (diving) and Jaromir Jagr (holding) took penalties.

Another solution, posed by Jeff Klein of the New York Times, is to increase the amount of points awarded, further increasing the importance of the regulation 60-minutes. This would mean 3 points for a regulation win; 2 points for an OT or shootout win; 1 point for an OT or shootout loss; and zero points for a regulation loss. It's used in international hockey games and makes sense, because after all, shouldn't regulation be worth more than the five extra overtime minutes?

I'm quite in favour of going to a 3-on-3 and the adoption of the 3-2-1-0 point system, eliminating the current 2-2-1-0 system. As fun as the shootout is to watch, it isn't "team" hockey, it should be saved for the all-star game.

These would be the "new" 2013/14 standings (Reg W - OT/SO W - OT/SO L - Reg L), with the adapted points total, actual current record, and current points/position;

EAST

Atlantic	"New" Record	(3-2-1-0) Points - Change	Actual Record (with ROW)	Actual Points
Boston Bruins	47-7-9-19	164	54-19-9 (51)	117
Tampa Bay Lightning	32-14-9-27	133 - down one	46-27-9 (38)	101
Montreal Canadiens	33-13-8-28	133 - up one	46-28-8 (40)	100
Detroit Red Wings	30-9-15-28	123	39-28-15 (34)	93
Ottawa Senators	27-10-14-31	115	37-31-14 (30)	88
Toronto Maple Leafs	24-14-8-36	108	38-36-8 (29)	84
Florida Panthers	21-8-8-45	87	29-45-8 (21)	66
Buffalo Sabres	11-10-10-51	63	21-51-10 (14)	52

Metropolitan	"New" Record	(3-2-1-0) Points - Change	Actual Record (with ROW)	Actual Points
Pittsburgh Penguins	40-11-7-24	149	51-24-7 (44)	109
New York Rangers	39-6-6-31	135	45-31-6 (41)	96
Philadelphia Flyers	35-7-10-30	129	42-30-10 (39)	94
Columbus Blue Jackets	35-8-7-32	128	43-32-7 (38)	93
Washington Capitals	24-14-14-30	114 - down one	38-30-14 (28)	90
New Jersey Devils	26-9-18-29	114 - up one	35-29-18 (35)	88
Carolina Hurricanes	30-6-11-35	113	36-35-11 (34)	83
New York Islanders	21-13-11-37	100	34-37-11 (25)	79

WEST

Central	"New" Record	(3-2-1-0) Points	Actual Record (with ROW)	Actual Points
Colorado Avalanche	37-15-8-22	149 - down one	52-22-8 (47)	112
St Louis Blues	40-12-7-23	151 - up one	52-23-7 (43)	111
Chicago Blackhawks	39-7-15-21	146	46-21-15 (40)	107
Minnesota Wild	32-11-12-27	130	43-27-12 (35)	98
Dallas Stars	34-6-11-31	125	40-31-11 (36)	91
Nashville Predators	33-5-12-32	121	38-32-12 (36)	88
Winnipeg Jets	24-13-10-35	108	37-35-10 (29)	84

Pacific	"New" Record	(3-2-1-0) Points	Actual Record (with ROW)	Actual Points
Anaheim Ducks	44-9-7-20	157	54-20-8 (51)	116
San Jose Sharks	37-14-9-22	148	51-22-9 (41)	111
Los Angeles Kings	34-12-8-28	134	46-28-8 (38)	100
Phoenix Coyotes	27-9-15-30	114	37-30-15 (31)	89
Vancouver Canucks	24-11-11-35	105	36-35-11 (31)	83
Calgary Flames	21-14-7-39	98	35-40-7 (28)	77
Edmonton Oilers	20-9-9-44	87	29-44-9 (25)	67

Under the new idea the Metropolitan Division gets the largest change, whilst the Central Division doesn't change at all. The Atlantic and Pacific Divisions would just see Montreal leap over Tampa, and Anaheim jump ahead of San Jose.

Personally, having seen several short 3-on-3's and the two minutes between the Kings and Devils, makes me want both, obviously there's no way of telling how teams would play if there was an extra point for regulation wins. But, why not? Both ideas are great, in my opinion. I would be campaigning for both if I was a GM or on the NHL board of Governors.

Maybe the way forward was revealed in July when the AHL announced a few rule changes. From the 2014/15 season the AHL will feature a seven minute overtime period. Teams will skate 4-on-4 for the first three minutes, after the first stop in play after three minutes the teams will reduce to 3-on-3 for the remainder of the period. Before the period there will be a dry scrape of the ice and overtime will also be played using the long change, like currently done in the 2nd period.

The AHL is a test market for the NHL. Many of the rules implemented into the league find themselves in the NHL if successful, and many an NHL rule has been put on trial in the AHL before being used in the NHL.

This change is similar to the proposal by Red Wings GM Ken Holland of a ten minute overtime, half 4-on-4 and half 3-on-3 but shorter. The NHL likes to keep things as quick as possible. This change should be a success in what it's ultimately designed to do, creating space on the ice and prevent the shootout. I like the idea and would welcome the NHL adapting it in 2015/16. But limiting the amount of shootouts games go to is only half of the solution. There's still the problem of the points system. They still need to do something to make the regulation sixty minutes worth more than anything that comes after it. The current system is what makes the comparison to teams 3-2-1-0 records so lop sided. There isn't a stat more telling of the fact teams happily get to a point where they play for overtime, or settle for the shootout, than comparing the current points record to what it could look like with the IIHF scoring used.

The Night Ahead: December 2nd 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at the upcoming slate of games in the National Hockey League tonight. The NHL had a few games played last night, with the standout fixture of note being Daniel Alfredsson returning to Ottawa to face the Senators.

Eastern Conference

									Home			Away			Last 10			Eastern			Western
	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	Streak
1	Boston Bruins	27	18	7	2	38	75	55	12	3	2	6	4	0	7	2	1	16	6	0	2	1	2	Won 2
2	Pittsburgh Penguins	28	18	9	1	37	86	64	11	3	0	7	6	1	7	2	1	14	7	1	4	2	0	Won 3
3	Detroit Red Wings	28	14	7	7	35	78	73	5	4	6	9	3	1	5	2	3	10	3	4	4	4	3	Won 4
4	Tampa Bay Lightning	26	16	9	1	33	76	66	10	3	0	6	6	1	4	5	1	9	6	0	7	3	1	Lost 1
5	Washington Capitals	27	14	11	2	30	82	78	9	6	0	5	5	2	5	4	1	8	5	1	6	6	1	Won 2
6	New York Rangers	27	14	13	0	28	60	66	5	5	0	9	8	0	5	5	0	10	7	0	4	6	0	Won 1
7	Montreal Canadiens	27	15	9	3	33	73	57	8	5	2	7	4	1	7	1	2	9	3	2	6	6	1	Won 1
8	Toronto Maple Leafs	27	14	10	3	31	75	73	9	4	0	5	6	3	3	4	3	8	6	2	6	4	1	Lost 4
9	New Jersey Devils	27	11	11	5	27	59	64	5	4	2	6	7	3	6	4	0	8	5	2	3	6	3	Won 2
10	Philadelphia Flyers	26	12	12	2	26	57	63	7	7	0	5	5	2	7	2	1	9	9	1	3	3	1	Won 2
11	Carolina Hurricanes	27	10	12	5	25	57	78	6	6	4	4	6	1	4	5	1	8	7	2	2	5	3	Lost 2
12	Ottawa Senators	27	10	13	4	24	78	90	4	8	2	6	5	2	3	7	0	9	5	2	1	8	2	Lost 2
13	Columbus Blue Jackets	27	10	14	3	23	67	80	5	7	1	5	7	2	4	4	2	7	9	3	3	5	0	Lost 1
14	New York Islanders	27	8	15	4	20	72	93	5	6	4	3	9	0	2	7	1	5	11	3	3	4	1	Lost 6
15	Florida Panthers	27	7	15	5	19	59	91	4	6	3	3	9	2	4	5	1	2	9	2	5	6	3	Lost 2
16	Buffalo Sabres	28	6	20	2	14	48	85	3	11	1	3	9	1	3	6	1	4	11	2	2	9	0	Lost 1

Western Conference

									Home			Away			Last 10			Eastern			Western
	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	Pts	GF	GA	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	W	L	OTL	Streak
1	Chicago Blackhawks	28	20	4	4	44	102	76	9	1	3	11	3	1	8	2	0	7	0	2	13	4	2	Won 6
2	San Jose Sharks	26	18	3	5	41	92	60	10	1	2	8	2	3	8	1	1	7	1	1	11	2	4	Won 5
3	Anaheim Ducks	29	18	7	4	40	91	77	10	0	1	8	7	3	3	4	3	9	5	3	9	2	1	Lost 1
4	St. Louis Blues	25	18	4	3	39	89	57	11	1	2	7	3	1	7	2	1	8	2	0	10	2	3	Lost 1
5	Colorado Avalanche	25	19	6	0	38	76	52	10	4	0	9	2	0	6	4	0	8	3	0	11	3	0	Won 2
6	Los Angeles Kings	27	16	7	4	36	70	58	8	4	2	8	3	2	5	1	4	8	2	2	8	5	2	Lost 2
7	Minnesota Wild	28	15	8	5	35	68	67	10	3	2	5	5	3	5	4	1	8	3	2	7	5	3	Lost 4
8	Phoenix Coyotes	26	15	7	4	34	85	84	9	2	2	6	5	2	4	4	2	7	1	1	8	6	3	Lost 1
9	Vancouver Canucks	29	14	10	5	33	77	77	5	5	3	9	5	2	3	4	3	10	4	2	4	6	3	Won 1
10	Nashville Predators	27	13	11	3	29	62	75	6	4	2	7	7	1	5	4	1	6	5	1	7	6	2	Lost 2
11	Dallas Stars	25	12	9	4	28	70	73	4	3	4	8	6	0	5	3	2	5	3	0	7	6	4	Lost 2
12	Winnipeg Jets	28	12	12	4	28	73	80	7	6	3	5	6	1	5	3	2	6	2	1	6	10	3	Lost 1
13	Calgary Flames	26	9	13	4	22	70	93	4	5	3	5	8	1	3	5	2	5	2	2	4	11	2	Won 1
14	Edmonton Oilers	28	9	17	2	20	73	95	3	8	0	6	9	2	5	5	0	6	10	1	3	7	1	Won 1

There are four games tonight in the NHL, so lets get into them starting with......

Winnipeg Jets @ New York Rangers

The Rangers have been playing better as of late, being in nearly every game they played, winning more than their fair share against the eastern conference, and on Saturday night played the first game of eleven games in the next twelve at Madison Square Gardens, they come into the game off the back of a 5 to 2 victory over the Canucks, On the back of Chris Kreider's first NHL hattrick.  The Rangers are also injury free, and are set to start Henrik Lundqvist against an injured Winnipeg Jets, missing  Zach Bogosian who is on IR at the moment, alongside Paul Postma and Jim Slater there. Young Star Evander Kane is day to day with a lower body injury.

My pick for  tonight is the Rangers.

New Jersey Devils @ Montreal Canadiens

New Jersey come into this game having to have put Adam Larsson onto Injured Reserve with a lower body injury, joining Brian Gionta, Bryce Salvador, and Ryane Clowe, compared to just Davis Drewiske for the Habs. That right there is a little edge to the Habs, the Devils are missing some serious quality compared to the Habs.

For the Canadiens, Max Pacioretty is an inform man and may be the difference tonight. His battle with Martin Brodeur will be critical to the outcome of the game tonight. Carey Price will still need to have a big night as the Devils, and brodeur are still in some good form, going 6 and 4 over their last ten.

For once, (for those who listen to the podcast) I am picking the Canadiens at home, purely based on the injuries to the devils.

Philidelphia Flyers @ Minnesota Wild

The Flyers are hot going seven, two and one over their last ten. Problem is, Josh Harding has been outstanding this season. Since ditching their coach, (nick's pick for coach of the year) The flyers have been on a tear and upward curve, and now they sit just two points out of the playoffs, and if results go their way, potentially depending on tiebreakers, they could take the Rangers for the 6th seed.

Chris Pronger and Marc Andre Bourdon for the Flyers are both on ir with post concussion Syndrome. Mikael Granlund is the only Wild out with an upper body injury.

The Wild ideally need a win to keep up in the playoff race. Currently they are a wildcard, and would like to move ahead in the standings. Besides that I reckon The metro division will be going 2 and 1 tonight, somehow i see the flyers winning, He might not be liked/loved, but Claude Giroux is one skilled Son of a gun, and his skill set will be one of the many Keys to victory.

St Louis Blues @ Los Angeles Kings

 Go ahead, get comfortable, get ya popcorn and relax. This should be a cracker. The two teams that have faced off in the playoffs the last two years face again tonight and if previous games are any indication, its going to be all out war between these two.

L.A are missing Johnathan Quick but Ben Scrivens has performed admirably in relief so far. Jordan Leopold is the stand out injury for the blues.

This will go to overtime, if not penalties. This is really a close well matched teams, after tossing a coin, I am picking the St Louis Blues, why, because it isn't the playoffs, (lemme check the calendar, nope I can say it isn't the playoffs yet)

     

Stars - best of Saturday 30th November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.


FIRST STAR

 

Chris Kreider - NEW YORK RANGERS vs Vancouver Canucks

Kreider scored his first career NHL hat trick against the team now coached by his favourite man the man who dropped him to the AHL for much of last season, John Tortorella. As John was run out of town by the Rangers for the 2nd time in 2013.




SECOND STAR

 

Max Pacioretty - MONTREAL CANADIENS vs Toronto Maple Leafs

Max continued his recent goal scoring form picking up two more goals and an assist. His first was from an fantastic breakout pass from P.K. Subban. His 2nd was this awesome short handed effort.




THIRD STAR

 

Evgeni Malkin - PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs Florida Panthers

"Geno" had a goal, the game winner, and three assists in the Penguins 5-1 rout of the Panthers.




Honourable Mentions

Penguins backup goalie, Jeff Zatkoff, had 40 saves in the Pens win over Florida..... Semyon Varlamov had 37 saves in Colorado's 3-2 win against Minnesota.....

Subban had a nice goal.....



Tomas Plekanec also scored on a nice move.....



Alex Ovechkin scored, again.......




Look Away Moment of the Night

After all his brilliance recently, against Calgary, Ben Scrivens reminds us that he's just a man god damnit!!!

The Night Ahead - Wednesday 27th November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.

Twice this week we have had a night of very little games to a night of many many games.

BOSTON BRUINS @ DETROIT RED WINGS

Detroit have won two of the last three, after losing seven in a row, giving them eight losses in ten. Boston have won eight of their last ten. But, Detroit only find themselves as the Atlantic's 4th seed, only 5 points behind the division leading Bruins.

Carl Soderberg, Reilly Smith and Torey Krug continued their great form, I mentioned here, on Monday night in the B's 4-3 OT win over the Penguins.

The usual guys are doing it for Detroit right now, Nyquist, Zetterberg, Franzen, and the magic man, Pavel Datsyuk have all been picking up goals and assists. But there seems to be something missing.

The Bruins are my pick.


TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS @ PITTSBURGH PENGUINS

Toronto have navigated a difficult November admirably despite being with Bozak, Bolland and Kadri out for periods. Although with all two of the three in the team they got thumped 6-0 at home to Columbus on Monday.

After dismantling Anaheim and Washington before narrowly dispatching the Islanders, the Penguins have lost two in a row against Montreal and Boston.

Both teams have issues at the moment and I'm picking Pittsburgh.


ST LOUIS BLUES @ COLORADO AVALANCHE

Two of the best go head to head. Alex Steen, David Backes, T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo go against Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny, Gabriel Landeskog and Nate MacKinnon.

The Blues are on a four game winning run, 8-1-1 in the last ten. Colorado are 6-4-0, on a three game win streak.

I've got the Blues.


PHOENIX COYOTES @ MINNESOTA WILD

Phoenix are enjoying life under new ownership, and steady management leads to steady performances on the ice. Currently 14-6-4 on the year and 5-3-2 in the last ten. It's not surprising that the foundation for this form starts with Mike Smith in net and impressive defenseman, Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The scoring leaders for the team are Vrbata, Doan, Hanzal and Ribeiro. 

The Wild are very quietly going about their business recently. Whilst other teams in the West get all the headlines, Minnesota have found themselves in a lower seeding position but have pulled away from the teams behind them. Josh Harding has a .939 SV%, and Parise, Koivu and Pominville lead the way offensively. The Wild young players have emerged as great talents too. The quartet of Brodin, Coyle, Granlund and Niederreiter accounting for 40 points.

I'm taking Minnesota.


LOS ANGELES KINGS @ SAN JOSE SHARKS

LA come into this game having won five of the last seven. The only defeats coming in OT to Colorado and New Jersey. The injury to Jonathan Quick hasn't been the hinderance many thought it would be. Ben Scrivens has stepped in and has a .947 SV% in 12 games.

San Jose aren't doing too shabby either. They've won six of the last seven. The defeat coming at the hands of Chicago with a score of 5-1. Along with the big names, players like Vlasic, Wingels and Demers have really impressed me. Combining for 10 goals and 27 assists.

I like San Jose in this game.


Tonight's picks: Boston, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Minnesota, San Jose.

Stars - best of Monday 25th November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.

FIRST STAR

 

Martin St Louis - TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs New York Rangers

It was a big night for Marty. It was his 1000th game in the NHL and he celebrated the best way he knows. By scoring twice and assisting on another.

SECOND STAR

 

Ben Bishop - TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING vs New York Rangers

Bishop had a 37 save shutout on a night when the skaters in front of him put goals passed two Rangers goaltenders.


THIRD STAR

 

James Neal - PITTSBURGH PENGUINS vs Boston Bruins

Neal had a huge night in the Pens 4-3 OT defeat. He picked up two goals and as assist. His goals bought the Penguins back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game. His assist came with a couple of seconds left as he threw the puck to the front of the net and watched on as Kunitz moved it on to Crosby, who scored with 0.3 seconds left to send it to OT.

 

Honourable Mentions

Ryan Johansen had two goals (5th and 6th) in the Blue Jackets 6-0 win in Toronto...... Tim Thomas went 38/39 for a .974 SV%...... Loui Eriksson had a goal and two assists in the Bruins win, including a secondary assist on the game winner..... Andrew Shaw had two goals and an assist as the Blackhawks overcame Edmonton....... Corey Crawford had a .960 SV% in the game, stopping 24 shots from 25...... Ben Scrivens gave up two goals off of 39 shots faced for a .949 SV% and had this four save effort to help the team to victory.

Daniel Sedin received a high stick to the face in Vancouver's loss at home to LA. He responded by pulling out his tooth

 

 

 

MY PICKS

2-3 on the night with St Louis and LA winning.

The Night Ahead - Monday 25th November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.
Back to a nice full plate of games tonight after a lazy Sunday. So without further ado.....

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS @ BOSTON BRUINS

The cream of the Eastern conference do battle at the Gaaaahden! This is a rematch of last seasons Conference final in which the B's swept the Pens away in four games, only giving up TWO goals in the process. This is the second meeting between the two since, the other a 3-2 home win for Pittsburgh.

The Penguins come into this game 5-5-0 in their last 10, including a 3 win streak that was halted on Saturday night in Montreal. The large majority of points being scored by Crosby, Malkin, Kunitz and Neal. The run also saw the emergence of Brian Gibbons who had a goal and an assist in the recent 3-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.

Boston went 7-1-2 in their last 10, the regulation loss coming to the Jekyll and Hyde style Ottawa Senators. They needed a David Krejci OT winner to fend off Carolina on Saturday, and have relied on the great form of Reilly Smith, Carl Soderberg, Torey Krug, and Gregory Campbell in their last five outings.

This is going to be a heavy hitting, great watch for neutrals. I'm going with Pittsburgh on this one.

MINNESOTA WILD @ ST LOUIS BLUES

Despite the showdown above this is the big game NBCSN have plumped for tonight. Oh, and it's going to be just as epic!

A home win make St Louis the belle of the ball, the star on the tree, 1st overall in the NHL. Minnesota aim to tie Chicago as 2nd best in the league.

8-1-1 in their last 10, Minnesota's only regulation loss was a 6-2 humbling away to the Montreal Canadiens. Parise, Koivu and Pominville have been the offensive stars for the Wild with a steady helping of blue line attack from Ryan Suter. This team, bar that one ugly game, is on a roll right now and should be feared by all.

8-1-1 in their last 10, Minnesota, St Louis have found themselves with one of the leagues shiniest diamonds, polished from the rough. Alex Steen. Second in goals, third in points. Steen is slowly becoming a player that the opposition have to plan around, and with that new found attention he'll be jumping at the bit to ride this momentum so long as he has air in his lungs. But if the flame does start to flicker there's a great supporting cast in David Backes, T.J. Oshie, Alex Pietrangelo, plus 2nd year winger Vladimir Tarasenko to pick up the slack. Despite being routed by the Caps 4-1 recently, the Blues have beaten Colorado, Boston and crushed Dallas in their last game.

This game is the Western conference equivalent of the Pens @ Bruins.

I can't decide so will plump for home advantage.

NEW YORK RANGERS @ TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

The Rangers are on a two game win streak and are 6-4-0 in their last 10. The losses coming in no shame to Anaheim, Boston, LA and rivals New Jersey. Richards, Stepan, Kreider and Zuccarello have been on top form for the Blueshirts, and have been buoyed on by the return of Rick Nash who already has a goal in his three games back.

Tampa Bay have been without captain, and leading scorer Steven Stamkos for six games since he broke his leg on a backcheck in Boston. They sit level on points with Detroit and Toronto, 3rd in the division and 4th in the conference, despite going 0-3-1 in their last 4. only winning the first two games after Stamkos' injury. They beat Anaheim 5-1 with three points for Valtteri Filppula, who many said had to up his game to fill the void left. Their last 4 games were at Phoenix (6-3), at LA (5-2), at San Jose (5-1), and at Anaheim (1-0 OT).

I haven't mentioned the Rangers goaltending but that's the reason I'll take them. Whether it's Lundqvist or Talbot in nets.

WINNIPEG JETS @ NEW JERSEY DEVILS

This is a perfect game for the Devils to continue their attempt to crash the East conference playoff battle. Having gone 6-3-1 in the last 10. The losses coming to hot teams in, Minnesota, LA, San Jose and Toronto in a shootout. The six wins include a 4-1 rout over the Penguins, plus two OT wins in LA and Anaheim. Jaromir Jagr has been rolling back the years and finds himself as the teams top scorer. Followed by Elias, Zidlicky, Zubrus, Henrique and Ryder.

Winnipeg have gone 5-3-2 recently, but after their last three wins came in a bunch and were in shootouts they have lost four in a row. Two regulation, two shootouts.

New Jersey sit 4th in the Metropolitan and are outside the playoffs by a point. Winnipeg would be in that position but only behind the Rangers on the fact they've played more games. But being in the West they find themselves 3rd bottom of the conference. Little, Ladd, Wheeler, Kane and Byfuglien lead the Jets in scoring, Little and Wheeler putting down some doubters after the big contracts they signed in the offseason.

I've gotta go Devils on this. Whose fans, despite management changing the goal song, found a new way to chant "You suck!"

LOS ANGELES KIGNS @ VANCOUVER CANUCKS

LA come into tonight 6-1-3 over the previous ten outings, having lost their last two at home in OT to New Jersey and Colorado. Vancouver on the over hand are a little less steady in their form, going 3-4-3 in the last 10, six losses in their last seven games at the hands of LA, Anaheim, San Jose, Dallas, Florida and Chicago.

I've written a fair amount about these teams in the last few days. So won't bore you with re-written information. But, will send you in the direction of these posts - The Night Ahead - Friday 22nd, Stars of Friday 22nd & The Night Ahead - Saturday 23rd.

LA are my pick.


Tonight's picks: Pittsburgh, St Louis, New York Rangers, New Jersey, LA.

Stars - best of Saturday 23rd November

Stars is our daily look at the previous night's action in the NHL and who stood out amongst the rest.
It seems Saturday was all about the goalies showing us what they're all about. So, in a night that no skater recorded more than two points, all of Saturday's stars are goaltenders.

FIRST STAR

James Reimer - TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS vs Washington Capitals

Reimer had 49 saves from 50 shots against the Capitals, as the Leafs went on to win 2-1 in the shootout and condemn the Caps to a third straight loss. The goals were scored by David Clarkson and Alex Ovechkin.

This is the one, outstanding shot that beat Reimer.

SECOND STAR

 

Jonas Hiller - ANAHEIM DUCKS vs Phoenix Coyotes

The Ducks became the first team to inflict a regulation defeat on the Coyotes in Arizona this season, and Jonas Hiller played a big part in that. With 42 saves on 44 shots for a .955 SV% he helped the Ducks secure a 4-2 win.

THIRD STAR

 

Ben Scrivens - LOS ANGELES KINGS vs Colorado Avalanche

Scrivens was on the losing side last night but as he saved 32 shots before surrendering enough net for Jamie McGinn to win it for the Avs in overtime. Any other night and his .970 SV% would lift any team to a victory but the Kings came up against a Semyon Varlamov in brick wall form.

 

Honourable Mentions

Three more goalies will get a mention here. Cam Talbot, Niklas Backstrom and Martin Brodeur. Talbot shutout the Predators in a 2-0 win for the Rangers, but only faced 17 shots. Backstrom posted a .949 SV%, saving 37 shots from 39 and stopped 3 of 4 shooters in a 3-2 shootout win for the Wild over the Jets. Marty had 28 saves in a 2-1 defeat for the Devils in San Jose. Brodeur also pulled off a save of the week contender on Logan Couture.

Max Pacioretty, Dustin Penner, David Backes and James Neal were the night's top scorers each netting two goals.

Eric Boulton of the Islanders scored his first goal in 72 games in Philadelphia last night.

A few minutes into the 3rd period in Vancouver, Patrick Sharp had a shot from the blue line that hit all three posts. The Blackhawks went on to win 2-1 with goals from Shaw and Kruger.

 

 

 

MY PICKS

2-3 last night. Again the Canadiens win after I pick them to lose. I only got Anaheim and Chicago right.

The Night Ahead - Saturday 23rd November 2013

In "The Night Ahead" we take a look at a selection (well, five) of the upcoming games for the evening (early hours here in the UK) and add a preview and opinion on the match ups.

PITTSBURGH PENGUINS @ MONTREAL CANADIENS

Both teams picked up wins last night. Sidney Crosby picked up his 250th NHL goal on the game winner against the Islanders whilst the Habs won in Washington. A win that included a first goal in 26 regular season and playoff games for David Desharnais.

It's the first meeting between the two this season. Back in March they fought out an epic 7-6 OT game at the Bell Centre with Pittsburgh coming out on top thanks to a Chris Kunitz goal.

The in form Penguins look amazingly strong right now. The Habs win last night was only their 4th in November.

I'll go Pens win.

OTTAWA SENATORS @ DETROIT RED WINGS

Daniel Alfredsson welcomes his former team to his new home in first meeting since free agent departure.

Alfie signing with Detroit and then saying he has a better chance at glory now probably takes silver for "departure that really hurt the fan base" in the 2013 offseason. Ilya Kovalchuk, I'm looking at you buddy. Alfie is doing fine in "HOCKEYTOWN" with three goals and two assists in 19 games this season. The Red Wings, like the aforementioned Canadiens, are having a November to forget. They narrowly beat the Carolina Hurricanes to snap a SEVEN game losing streak. Luckily for them five of those were either in overtime or a shootout which means despite the dip they still find themselves in a playoff spot, five points (see) ahead of the New York Rangers, currently the best team looking up in the East.

Ottawa are also on the outside looking in, which is strange when you consider what they did with so many injuries last year. Now Karlsson, Michalek and Spezza are all having solid minutes and playing every night they seem like they can't click. Is that the effect of the Alfredsson loss? They also lost veteran defenseman Sergie Gonchar to the Dallas Stars. Can two veterans leaving usurp the progress of the "pesky" Sens?

I'm taking Detroit in this one but should be wary that back in October the Sens routed them 6-1 at The Joe.

ANAHEIM DUCKS @ PHOENIX COYOTES

With the Ducks OT win against Tampa Bay last night they moved into 1st place in the West and the entire league. Phoenix have quietly gone about their business as the one of lesser covered teams in the league. Led by Martin Hanzal, Shane Doan, Radim Vrbata and Keith Yandle, on 19, 17, 17 & 17 points respectively, they have gone 8-1-2 in their last 11, the one regulation defeat? 5-2 to Anaheim......

This is the sort of game that screams overtime and I'm taking the Ducks.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS @ VANCOUVER CANUCKS

The reigning Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks go into enemy territory tonight. A rivalry born from recently intense playoff match ups. They head to the Pacific Northwest on shaky form. Sweeping away most teams that come their way, led by Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa, they have also suffered thrashings at the hands of division rivals Nashville and Colorado.

Vancouver had an impressive win when they welcomed the Blue Jackets last night but before that it's not been a great time for them losing five in a row.

The Canucks might be back on form and depending on how the Blackhawks play this could be a tight fought classic or a rout. I'm going with the champs here.

COLORADO AVALANCHE @ LOS ANGELES KINGS

LA go into tonight having gone 7-1-2 in their last 10. The losses coming in regulation to Nashville, in a shootout to Buffalo, and in overtime in their last game at home to the New Jersey Devils.

It's the first meeting between the two this season. Colorado have been one of surprises this year and under new coach Patrick Roy, have enjoyed great defensive play and fantastic performances from their goalies.

They both have over 30 points this season and find themselves amongst the lower seeds in the playoff picture. A testament to the sheer strength of that conference this year.

Colorado's attack is led by Matt Duchene, Paul Stastny and captain Gabriel Landeskog. Number one draft pick Nathan McKinnon has also contributed well with three goals and ten assists. You wouldn't be surprised to here Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Mike Richards and Drew Doughty lead the way in goals and assists for LA.

Gotta take a home win in this one. Unless they get a stellar goalie performance Colorado seem to come unstuck against some of the leagues better teams.


Tonight's picks: Pittsburgh, Detroit, Anaheim, Chicago, LA.