Goal Line Report
Entries with the tag: Stanley+Cup+Playoffs
Destined to Meet Again?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/24/09 at 09:18 PM ET
Comments (13)
Good evening ladies and gents. Sorry I’ve been MIA but I recently moved into my new apartment so things have been quite hectic. Things will be that way for a bit but I will do my best to drop a post in every once in awhile.
It certainly looks like the Detroit Red Wings and the Pittsburgh Penguins are destined to meet again in the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m sure that many of you die hard hockey fans out there were hoping for something different but with the way these two teams are playing right now, it only seems right that one of them take the Cup home when all is said and done.
It is obvious that the Detroit Red Wings are a well-oiled machine. They can score at will, they have tremendous puck possession, they put up a wall defensively and when needed, they get timely saves out of their goaltender Chris Osgood. What’s even more amazing is that when their best defenseman and captain Nicklas Lidstrom is out of the lineup, the team still finds a way to dominate.
The Penguins may not dominate games the way the Wings do but they still find ways to control hockey games and score when they need to. They’re getting scoring from their stars in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, playing solidy defensively and getting the big saves from their goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.
Will they meet again come June? Will it be the same result?
What are your thoughts?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chris+Osgood, Detroit+Red+Wings, Evgeni+Malkin, Marc-Andre+Fleury, Nicklas+Lidstrom, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Sidney+Crosby, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
Questions, Questions, Questions
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/19/09 at 12:51 PM ET
Comments (12)
That was quite a Game 1 between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Carolina Hurricanes last night, wasn’t it? It’s safe to say that this series could go at least six games and for hockey fans, that means nothing but good news as hockey will continue to roll on sometime into June.
As per usual, here are some questions I would like to get your thoughts on regarding the world of hockey:
- Who is better - Penguins’ goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury or Hurricanes’ netminder Cam Ward? Why?
- Will Patrick Roy take the Colorado Avalanche head coaching job? Why or why not?
- Quick, who are your five Conn Smythe trophy nominees?
- Will the Boston Bruins have better luck next year or was this their year to win the Stanley Cup?
- If Chris Osgood and the Detroit Red Wings win the Cup again this season, will Osgood finally get the respect he deserves? Why or why not?
- Would Pierre Maguire really be the right choice for general manager of the Minnesota Wild? Why or why not?
Let’s hear your thoughts!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Hockey+questions, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
Back in the Saddle
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/18/09 at 04:25 PM ET
Comments (1)
Good afternoon folks. I apologize for not having posted this week as I was busy packing up my things and getting ready to move into my new condo next weekend. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about Kukla’s Korner.
As you’re all aware of, the NHL Conference Finals are officially under way. Yesterday’s Game 1 between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks showed that the Blackhawks still have a lot to learn about what it means to be a successful playoff team. Sure, they were able to stay in the majority of the game but there are so many things they can learn just from watching the Wings and how they compete with consistency on a nightly basis.
Tonight, the Eastern Conference finals hits the ice as the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Many pundits and fans see this as going six games in favor of the Penguins but let’s not forget that the Hurricanes have not lost a playoff series since 2002 in the Cup finals to the Red Wings. Sure, they’ve only made the postseason twice since 2002 but nevertheless, they’ve been pretty successful so far - wouldn’t you say?
I want to hear your predictions folks:
- Who’s going to win the East? Why?
- Who’s going to win the West, Why?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Carolina+Hurricanes, Chicago+Blackhawks, Detroit+Red+Wings, Pittsburg+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
Best Performance of This Year’s playoffs?
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/12/09 at 12:07 AM ET
Comments (1)
As all you hockey nuts are well aware of, there were two Game 6’s tonight in the Stanley Cup playoffs - one between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals and the other between the Vancouver Canucks and the Chicago Blackhawks.
The Capitals were able to once again extend a series to a seventh game (third straight series the team has done that) with a 5-4 in overtime on a goal by David Steckel while the Blackhawks put the Canucks in their place with a high-scoring 7-5 win, thanks to three goals and an assist from youngster Patrick Kane.
With that in mind, was Kane’s hat trick the best individual performance in this year’s playoffs? What do you folks think?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: David+Steckel, Patrick+Kane, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Vancouver+Canucks, Washington+Capitals, Washington+Capitals,
Pick Your Netminder
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/11/09 at 06:00 PM ET
Comments (8)
As you all know, there are currently eight teams remaining in the playoffs, which could change as soon as tonight depending on the outcomes of the Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks games tonight.
With that said, this means that there are eight goalies remaining. Out of curiosity, which goalie would you want to have lead your team to the Stanley Cup? Why?
Eastern Conference
- Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins
- Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes
- Simeon Varlamov, Washington Capitals
- Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
- Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings
- Jonas Hiller, Anaheim Ducks
- Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
- Nikolai Khabibulin, Chicago Blackhawks
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Reader+Thoughts, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
Mini-Break
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/07/09 at 11:53 AM ET
Comments (1)
Good morning/afternoon folks. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am taking a min-break from the blog this weekend as I will be in Canada for a relative’s wedding.
In the meantime, feel free to use this thread to post your thoughts on all things hockey:
- Stanley Cup playoffs
- Jim Basille
- Officiating
- World Championships
- Potential Free Agent signings
Use this as your sounding board for the next three days or so! I’ll be back on Monday.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Jim+Basille, Mini-Break, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
Thoughts on Canucks’ Game Three Victory
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/05/09 at 11:20 PM ET
Comments (1)
In another short blog I penned for MaxHockey.com, I mentioned how a Versus analyst called the Vancouver Canucks’ play methodic and how the term suited them for tonight’s 3-1 victory, giving the boys from British Columbia a 2-1 series lead heading into Game Four.
Also, click here to check out Stan Fischler’s thoughts on the same game.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Chicago+Blackhawks, MaxHockey.com, Stan+Fischler, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Vancouver+Canucks,
Thoughts on the Second Round
by Patrick Hoffman on 05/04/09 at 03:57 PM ET
Comments (0)
You can find my thoughts on the second round over at MaxHockey.com. Click below to find out my opinions on each series:
Eastern Conference
- Boston Bruins vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
Western Conference
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Anaheim Ducks
- Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks
Also feel free to check out Zach Weinstock’s excellent NHL Playoff page.
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Boston+Bruins, Carolina+Hurricanes, Chicago+Blackhawks, Pittsburgh+Penguins, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Vancouver+Canucks, Washington+Capitals,
Players Who Need to Continue to Roll
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/30/09 at 12:00 PM ET
Comments (2)
In his Puck Daddy blog this morning, Greg Wyshynski blogs about eight guys who need to step up in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs since they failed to do so in the first round.
With that in mind, which eight players need to continue rolling in order to help their team advance to the conference finals?
Let’s hear your thoughts!
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: Puck+Daddy, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
NHL.com Breaks Down Potential Round 2 Matchups
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 04:16 PM ET
Comments (0)
From Dave Lozo at NHL.com:
There are four possible outcomes to Tuesday night’s games, which means there are four possible sets of second-round matchups in the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look at each scenario and what it means for the next round:
Scenario 1: Capitals and Devils win
Some might say this is the most-likely scenario, since both teams have home-ice for their Game 7s. If Washington and New Jersey hold serve at home, then Boston would host Pittsburgh in the second round and the Capitals and Devils would open a second-round series in Washington.
Click here for more.
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Tags: Stanley+Cup+Playoffs,
A Look at Second Round Matchups
by Patrick Hoffman on 04/28/09 at 03:20 PM ET
Comments (0)
From James Mirtle at From the Rink:
The Ducks and Red Wings will meet in the Conference semifinals (schedule TBA)…the Ducks and Wings are the two most successful teams in the NHL since the lockout (start of 2005-06 season). The clubs have each won one Stanley Cup, while leading the league in playoff rounds won (7) and appeared in (9). The two clubs have met four times in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with each team winning twice. Detroit swept Anaheim in 1997 & 1999, while Anaheim beat Detroit in 2003 (sweep) and 2007 (six games).
The Ducks became the fifth team to upset the NHL’s best regular season team (by standings points) in the first round since the Expansion Era began (1967-68 season). The previous four teams to upset the NHL’s regular season points leader (officially referred to as Presidents’ Trophy winner starting in 1986-87):
2006: Edmonton defeated Detroit (56-18-8, 124 pts.), 4-2
2000: San Jose defeated St. Louis (51-19-11-1, 114 pts.), 4-3
1991: Minnesota North Stars defeated Chicago (49-23-8, 106 pts.), 4-2
1971: Montreal defeated Boston (57-14-7, 121 pts.), 4-3
Click here for more.
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Tags: Eastern+Conference, Stanley+Cup+Playoffs, Western+Conference,
