Have you ever heard the saying when it rains it pours? Well, if you’re a Nashville Predators fan you better grab your umbrella!
After coming off what is probably their poorest defensive showing all season in Sunday night’s 5-3 loss to Phoenix, the Preds were handed some more bleak news. Forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn were suspended for Game 3 for what has been said to be a curfew violation. Very few details have been given out by the Predators organization but it seems that the two were spotted in Scottsdale (45 minutes away from Glendale, where the team and arena were located) Saturday night after midnight.
The St. Louis Blues hosted the San Jose Sharks last Saturday in game five of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. Leading the series 3-1, the Blues wanted to do everything they could to move in to the second round in front of home fans. Despite the slow start and giving up a goal to Joe Thorton late in the second period, the Blues rallied in the third with Jamie Langenbrunner and David Perron scoring within 45 seconds of each other to gain the lead. Andy McDonald sealed the deal with an empty net goal in the final minute, and the Blues went on to win 3-1.
After two periods of play in Game 6, it seemed almost inevitable that the Chicago Blackhawks would finally find a chink in the armor of Phoenix Coyotes netminder Mike Smith.
But then again, nothing in the NHL playoffs is inevitable.
Despite the Hawks peppering Smith with 28 shots on Monday night through the first 40 minutes at United Center, the ‘Yotes puck-stopper built a fort around his cage. And even though Chicago would end up outshooting Phoenix by nearly a two-to-one margin (39-20), they were unable to put anything up on the scoreboard where it matters most. Thanks to Smith’s brilliant play, the Coyotes were able to prevent another late third-period push from the Blackhawks and skated off the ice with a convincing 4-0 series-clinching victory.
On Sunday night, the Vancouver Canucks went into the NHL record books, but it’s not an accomplishment they’re proud of.
After falling to the Los Angeles Kings in five games, the Canucks became just the sixth team to win the Presidents’ Trophy (awarded to the team with the best regular-season record every year since 1985) and lose in the first round of the playoffs. The last team to suffer such a defeat was in 2009-10 when the Washington Capitals lost in seven games to Montreal.
Apparently, NHL disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan had heard enough criticism hurled his way from fans and media pundits for the alleged violence that has run ramped the the first round of the 2012 NHL playoffs.
Shanahan came down hard on Raffi Torres, suspending the Phoenix Coyotes forward for 25 games for his hit to the head of Marian Hossa during Game 3 of the Blackhawks-Coyotes Western Conference quarterfinal playoff series in Chicago.
It is the longest NHL suspension since New York Islanders forward Chris Simon was suspended 30 games for stomping on the leg of Jarko Ruutu in December, 2007.
If you tuned into the final minutes of Thursday night’s Game 5 between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks, there’s a good chance you knew what was going to happen if you had been paying attention to this series.
For the fourth game in a row, the Hawks and Coyotes were forced to play overtime to decide the outcome. However, before they got to that point, it was once again the Coyotes who blew a lead late in the third period.
The list of casualties in the 2012 NHL playoffs continues to grow.
Chicago Blackhawks forward Marian Hossa has been ruled out for Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinal series against Phoenix after Coyotes forward Raffi Torres delivered a vicious hit on Hossa in Game 3.
Torres has been suspended indefinitely by the League and faces an in-person hearing Friday with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety.
The Blackhawks released the following statement after the game from head team physician Dr. Michael Terry:
After losing their 2012 NHL Playoff debut Wednesday night, the Vancouver Canucks are already down one in this much anticipated series.
The Vancouver Canucks lost 4-2 to the Los Angeles Kings, playing what seemed to be an undisciplined and bizarre first two periods for this President Trophy winning team.
Sure, the Canucks were playing without assistant captain Daniel Sedin, but there was no excuse for key players such as David Booth, Henrik Sedin and Dan Hamhuis to be so insignificant throughout the game.
I’ve seen a lot of stuff in all my years of watching hockey, but San Jose Sharks forward Ryane Clowe showed me something I’ve never seen before during the Sharks game last night against the Los Angeles Kings.
Clowe was on the bench with about two minutes remaining in a tied game Thursday night when he stuck out his stick and knocked the puck away from Kings forward Jarret Stoll, disrupting a potential 3-on-2. Incredibly, none of the four on-ice officials noticed the play and Clowe was not given a penalty for his actions. And not only did Clowe’s bush-league move break up a potential odd-man rush for the Kings, but had a penalty actually been called, that would have given L.A., who was already on the power play at the time, a two-man advantage, greatly changing the complexion of the game.
Not many people are talking about it, but with his 54-save, 2-0 win Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets Tuesday night, Phoenix Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith set an NHL record for saves in a regular-season shutout.
Even less people are talking about the guy who helped mold Smith into the goaltender he is today.
His name may not come up in headlines or round-table discussions, but Coyotes goaltending coach Sean Burke deserves a ton of praise for the work he has done with Smith. Burke, an 18-year NHL veteran between the pipes, took over for Grant Fuhr at the end of the 2008-09 season. It’s no coincidence that the first season he took over as goaltending coach marked the first season that Phoenix made the playoffs since 2001-02.
Have you ever heard the saying when it rains it pours? Well, if you’re a Nashville Predators fan you better grab your umbrella!
After losing their 2012 NHL Playoff debut Wednesday night, the 
