Kukla's Korner

Rangers’ Best Players Come Through in Win Over the Flyers

Blog: Goal Line Report By Patrick Hoffman

02/11/12 at 03:41 PM ET | Comments (0)

When it comes to any professional sport, you always want the best players on your team to play like the best and come up big when they need to.

This happened for the New York Rangers this afternoon in their 5-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wells Fargo Center. For the Rangers, it was their fifth straight victory over the Flyers this season.

The reason why the Rangers came away with the victory this afternoon is because their big-time players came through. For starters, the team captain, Ryan Callahan, scored a hat trick. Callahan now has 21 goals on the season.

Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards also had big games for the Blueshirts. Marian Gaborik picked-up a goal and three assists for four points while Richards also had three assists in the game.

Other forwards that came up big for the Rangers were Derek Stepan (2 assists) and Artem Anisimov (1 goal). Anisimov has really picked-up his game since being reunited with Stepan and Gaborik and now has 5 points (1 goal and 4 assists) in his last four games.

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Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
  Tags: Artem+Anisimov, Brad+Richards, Derek+Stepan, Detroit+Red+Wings, Henrik+Lundqvist, Marian+Gaborik, New+York+Rangers, Philadelphia+Flyers, Ryan+Callahan, Washington+Capitals,

Columbus Activates Wisniewski

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 03:32 PM ET | Comments (0)

COLUMBUS, OHIO – The Columbus Blue Jackets have activated defenseman James Wisniewski off injured reserve, club Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Scott Howson announced today. Wisniewski missed the last 17 games due to an ankle injury suffered at Dallas on December 29.

Wisniewski has collected two goals and 15 assists for 17 points with 25 penalty minutes in 29 games this season, ranking third among club defensemen in scoring. He has also logged a team-leading 24:48 average time on ice, which ranks 15th among all NHL players.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Columbus Blue Jackets | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: James+Wisniewski,

DESPERATE For A POINT!!

Blog: Talk'n Hawks By Vince Maranto

02/11/12 at 03:00 PM ET | Comments (0)

These games are really frustrating to watch, and even more difficult to write about. The Hawks lose again, on the road, 5 - 3 to San Jose, Friday night. The fact that it was more of the same thing that I have been talking about for the last 4 weeks (or more) makes me dread writing this. Defense, goaltending, lack of Penalty Kill, missed opportunities. I have run out of ways to say the same thing.

As if there weren’t enough problems defensively, both Montador & Hjalmarsson were sent home due to injuries. Sammy Lepisto (remember him) and Rockford call up Dylan Olsen were the replacements. They were the 3rd pairing.
Line wise, it was 1) Hossa, Toews, Frolik 2) Kane, Sharp, Kruger 3) Shaw, Bolland, Bickell 4) Mayers, Brunette, Stalberg.  Crawford (18-13-5) was in net against former Hawk Cup hoister, Niemi (22-12-5).

The sad part was not even registering a point, with what was a determined team effort all game. But no matter how hard you try, you are not going to get any where by shooting yourself in the foot and giving away goals.

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Filed in: | Talk'n Hawks | Permalink
 

Happy Hockey Day in Canada

Blog: The Upper Canadien By The Upper Canadien

02/11/12 at 01:35 PM ET | Comments (0)

Let’s hope it’s a good one. As for the Habs, can they make it four in a row? That would tie their season high, and if it comes to pass it will likely be due to the play of two Habs: Max Pacioretty and Carey Price. Pacioretty is now 5th in even strength scoring in the NHL - pretty impressive for a guy coming off a broken neck. Price, meanwhile, has been lights out the last week, making many a highlight reel save as the Canadiens have their backs against the playoff wall.

The Leafs, meanwhile, have looked good lately as well, led by the red hot play of former Hab Mikhail Grabovski, and the terrible two: Phil Kesel and Joffrey Lupul. Kessel and Lupul have been lights out all year, and if the Canadiens have any chance of winning, they’ll need to keep both lines in check.

7 pm. James Reimer is in - or so we’re told by Ron Wilson. PK Subban returns home. Lots of plot lines. Points at stake. Should be great.

Filed in: | The Upper Canadien | Permalink
  Tags: Carey+Price, Max+Pacioretty,

If Only They Had Goaltending

Blog: The Puck Stops Here By PuckStopsHere

02/11/12 at 12:49 PM ET | Comments (0)

Every season I pick a team that could be a much better Stanley Cup contender if they added a top goalie.  My choice last year was the Tampa Bay Lightning.  It proved to be a pretty good selection as they added Dwayne Roloson in a trade and then went to the semi-finals in the Stanley Cup playoffs.  Tampa has not maintained that level of play as Roloson has struggled this season.  Given his age (42) it is likely a final age related decline that will end his career.  While Tampa Bay again needs a goalie, I think there is a better candidate for a team that would significantly improve their Stanley Cup chances by adding a goalie.  They are the Chicago Blackhawks.

Chicago is the probable playoff team with the worst goaltending this season.  Corey Crawford has been their starting goalie and he is posting a .898 saves percentage and a 2.99 GAA.  Ray Emery, their backup, has a .901 saves percentage and a 2.80 GAA.  Neither has been very good.

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Filed in: | The Puck Stops Here | Permalink
  Tags: Antti+Niemi, Chicago+Blackhawks, Corey+Crawford, Cristobal+Huet, Ray+Emery,

Making Peace At The Winter Classic

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 12:06 PM ET | Comments (1)

from Jeff Marek of Sportsnet,

And it got me thinking: wouldn’t it be great if every year each team involved in the game made some peace with their past? After all, the Classic is supposed to be about the roots of hockey where the game is pure; back to a simpler time when it was just about the joy of playing and nothing else.

In that spirit I submit two names, one from the Leafs and Wings I’d like to see get the Lindros treatment from their former franchises.

Dave Keon: This story is well told already. The animosity goes back to the Harold Ballard era and the hatred between the infamous Maple Leafs owner and Keon predates the Leaf player bolting the franchise for the WHA, to the moment Ballard nixed a trade Keon and his agent had worked out that would have sent him to the New York Islanders for a Stanley Cup run….

Larry Aurie: Detroit’s first true superstar player, Aurie flirted with scoring crowns, led the Wings to two Stanley Cups (1936, 1937) after never having qualified for the playoffs before he arrived. Aurie was nicknamed “Little Dempsey” because of his likeness to former boxing champ Jack Dempsey (to say nothing of his own fighting prowess) and “Rags,” due to his uncanny ability to rag the puck while killing penalties.

Aurie was a favourite of former Wings owner James Norris, who immediately retired Aurie’s No. 6 after he hung up the blades. However, after Mike Ilitch bought the Wings he un-retired the number, although it still remains out of circulation.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Dave+Keon, Larry+Aurie,

All Kathryn Tappen

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 11:01 AM ET | Comments (1)

from Melissa Hoppert of Slap Shoat at the NY Times,

Since joining NHL Network in July after five years at NESN, Kathryn Tappen has become one of the league’s most recognizable faces. Tappen, 30, hosts the nightly highlight show “NHL Tonight” and is a co-host for special events, holding her own among former coaches and players like Barry Melrose and Kevin Weekes.

Q. Who will be in the Stanley Cup finals, and who might win?

A. Well I guess from a travel standpoint, I’d love for the Bruins to make the Stanley Cup finals, so I can stay at home for the home games. The way the Detroit Red Wings are playing right now, it’s hard to think that they wouldn’t be in the Stanley Cup final out West. But if you had asked me two weeks ago, I would have probably said Chicago. That’s what I love about this sport is that the competitiveness in the league allows for any team at any given point to be in that top spot and to advance to that Stanley Cup final. So I don’t know. I say there are good four or five teams in each conference that I would predict would be there.

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Filed in: NHL Media, Hockey Broadcasting, NHL Network | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Kathryn+Tappen,

You Have A 2 1/2 Hour Window To Do What You Do

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 10:15 AM ET | Comments (0)

Go shopping, maybe shovel some snow, or hit the beach, whatever you do on Saturday, you have a small window to get it done.

12 games on the schedule, four start at 1:00pm ET, two at 2:00pm then the six other games have different starting times beginning with two 7:00pm games.

See the full schedule below. and don’t forget, today is also Hockey Day In Canada which starts at noon ET on both CBC and the NHL Network US.

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Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Toronto Honors Sundin Tonight

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 09:42 AM ET | Comments (0)

from Doug Gilmour at the Toronto Sun,

Over the years, I’ve heard about how Mats didn’t really get the full respect he deserved from Leaf fans during his time in Toronto because he might not crush defenders all over the ice like Wendel did, or perform with the same style as yours truly.

In my mind, that has never been a fair comparison.

Everyone is different. Everyone plays with their own style.

Inside our dressing room with the Maple Leafs, we knew what we had with Mats. He was a warrior, a trait he never fully got credit for outside of our room.

But, like I said, we knew.

With Mats deservedly having his No. 13 honoured on Saturday at the Air Canada Centre prior to the game against the Montreal Canadiens, there has been a lot of suggestions that he finally is getting the appreciation he deserved now that he has been out of sight, out of mind for a few years.

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Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: Mats+Sundin,

Wings Want The Puck

Blog: KK Hockey By Paul

02/11/12 at 09:33 AM ET | Comments (8)

from Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press,

The most intimidating guy inside the toughest NHL rink to win in is surrounded by security at a table in the Joe Louis Arena concourse, where he’s selling books, autographs and memories for 35 bucks.

Ted Lindsay is 86 years old, still pumps iron every day and, with something that sounds like a cross between a snarl and a chuckle, puts his finger on the crux of how the Detroit Red Wings remain hockey’s most remarkable team.

“You play together and control the puck the way they do, you control the game,” Terrible Ted barked. “When they don’t have it, they fight like hell to recover. It goes down the line—ownership, management, coaching and the talent. You need the players. Detroit was the first team scouting in Europe, back when everyone thought a hockey player had to be from Canada.

“They keep finding the players they need to win.”

That’s why everyone hates playing them.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

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