Happy New Year

Hockey is back! The NHL opened the season last night with a slate of three games and I was... asleep, actually. Leave it to me to get sick on what should otherwise be one of the most exciting days of the year. I managed to catch some of the Buffalo-Carolina matchup and not much else. Not to worry, though, after my long night's slumber, I'm more than ready for day two.

Some notes from a day of hockey:
Sabres 3 - Hurricanes 2
The night started with the raising of Carolina's Stanley Cup Banner, a cermony that was ably botched by the OLN Versus television crew. It was a pretty good game until it got bogged down by penalties and I fell asleep. The game ended in a shootout with Daniel Briere scoring the only goal for Buffalo and Ryan Miller stopping all three Carolina attempts. The most important development in this game, however, was the revelation that the Sabres are going to be damn near unwatchable because of the rather heinous gold patches under the arms on their new sweaters.

Senators 4 - Maple Leafs 1
This was the lone game that wasn't broadcast in the US, so you probably missed it, but Mats Sundin would like you to know that "I don't think it's as bad as the scoresheet says". For his sake, I hope he's right, because the scoresheet says the Leafs, who are likely to have trouble scoring goals all year, were thoroughly dominated by Ottawa and were only able to score on a penalty shot.

Stars 3 - Avalanche 2
In the late game, Colorado lost by falling for the oldest trick in the book. You know, the take-a-penalty-at-the-end-of-regulation-so-you-can-take-
a-pass-right-out-of-the-penalty-box-and-score-the-game-winner-in-overtime trick. How did they not see that one coming?

Tonight, the NHL kicks it into high gear. The remaining twenty-four teams all start their seasons tonight and you can expect a full, in-depth report on every single game right here. Except, of course, that games that don't involve the Washington Capitals. I don't get to see those games, and for those, you'll be lucky to get something like the cursory glance I gave last night's games above.

NHL Preview: Carolina Hurricanes

Welcome to the twelfth part of our thirty part series ushering in the coming NHL season. Today, the focus is on the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes.


Ah, the Carolina Hurricanes. As near as I can tell, they are more or less immune to my jokes. They fail to lose with any sort of consistency. None of their players are insufferable douchebags. Heck, I can't even use a funny picture to accompany their preview (I'm still surprised they're even allowed to continue using the name "Hurricanes"). Truth is, if it were not for the fact that they play in the same division as my beloved Washington Capitals, I would probably have a soft spot for the 'Canes. It isn't often a team gets to make a Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals twice in the span of four years (see: 1996 Florida Panthers, 1998 Capitals), let alone actually win one. But that is exactly what they did last year, edging out their former WHA brethren Edmonton Oilers in a seven game final for the ages.

But they do play in the same division as the Caps. And objectivity is not one of my strong suits. As if it weren't bad enough to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning win the Southeast Division's first Stanley Cup back in 2004, the Hurricanes had to rub it in by bringing the Cup back down South for the second straight season. But don't feel bad for me. Feel bad for all the people in Hartford, CT (best logo ever, by the way) who had to watch as the team that was taken from them celebrated a championship hundreds of miles away, cheered on by idiot fans who had no appreciation for their own good fortune. At least the Colts have had the decency to choke badly in the playoffs every year. Luckily for the folks in Connecticut, and for the general populace, it won't happen again this year.

As often happens with a succesful team, several of the key cogs from Carolina's run to the Cup have since cashed in and gone on to greener pastures. Doug Weight, Mark Recchi, Matt Cullen, Martin Gerber and Aaron Ward all signed free agent deals elsewhere, and the team couldn't have hoped to replace them in just one offseason. Add to that the fact that Cory Stillman and Frantisek Kaberle will miss four and six months respectively after both undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. (Note from Sabres fans: Karma's a bitch, ain't it?) Probably the biggest loss is Gerber, who spent alot of time as Carolina's number one guy in net last season. If Cam Ward struggles, instead of a safety net, he now has John Grahame (kind of like tightrope walking over Niagra Falls). When all is said and done, look for the Hurricanes to end their quest for a repeat in the second round of the playoffs.

For all your Hurricane blogging needs, you're welcome to try the beautifully named Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Champions Blog or the (slightly) more creatively named Hurricane Watch, though neither seem to be updated too often. Probably off having sex with their girlfriends, who like them because their favorite team has actually ever won anything. Losers.

Game 7 Recap

Congratulations to the Hartford Whal... errr, Carolina Hurricanes for keeping the Cup at home in the Southeast Division. Congratulations also to the Edmonton Oilers, who played one of the best series I have ever had the chance to witness.

The choice of Cam Ward for the Conn Smythe leaves me scratching my head a bit. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to actually watch game seven, so I'll assume he put on one of the most spectacular goaltending displays in NHL history last night to secure the trophy. Otherwise, his selection makes absolutely no sense to me.

Game 6 Recap

This one is a little tardy, as the sixth game of this year's Finals decided to fall on the evening of my 21st Birthday, and I am just now finally recovered enough to form a coherent sentence.

I missed the first half of the game, so there wer 11 minutes left in the second and the Oilers were up 2-0 by the time I tuned in. Needless to say, I was pretty shocked. I honestly expected the Canes to wrap it all up last night, but Edmonton dominated every aspect of the game. Probably the most telling stat was the shot totals: Edmonton got 34 pucks through to Cam Ward, while Jussi Markkanen barely earned his paycheck, logging just 16 saves (Granted, a lot of this can be attributed to the Oilers' giving the Canes a taste of their own medicine to the tune of 20 blocked shots, something I'll be discussing in further detail later). The Oil were skating faster, hitting harder and just out and out controlling the entire game. How much of that was because of the fact that they were playing their last game in front of arguably the best fan base in the NHL is hard to say, but I don't think I'm going out on a limb by saying that I doubt they'll be able to duplicate their performance tomorrow night.

Game 5 Recap

If, before the game, you had taken a survey that asked "How will the game end?" how many people would have guessed that it would be a shorthanded goal by the Oilers? Not many, I think.

Edmonton really brought it tonight, and the result was one of the best played hockey games I've ever seen. They were pretty dominant in ever phase of the game, but decided to keep the game close by taking plenty of penalties. Halfway through the first, it was shaping up to look like more of the same from the Oil on special teams, but then something crazy happened. Something completely unprecedented. Ales Hemsky took a shot on goal. Hemsky has taken alot of criticism for his reluctance to shoot the puck, and it isn't entirely warranted, as the problem seems to be more rampant among the Oilers players than influenza, and his power play goal to tie the game was huge. Edmonton absolutely needed to get their power play going, and scoring on their first chance of the game ultimately sealed the win for them right then and there. Once Michael Peca gave them the lead a few minutes later, the Hurricanes were never really in it, especially once the injuries started mounting.

The 'Canes still win the special teams battle, with three special teams goals to the Oilers' two, but this game could turn out to be a major turning point in the series. The Oilers proved that they A) can still win when Carolina's power play is firing on all cylinders B) can win even when Eric Staal finally shows up to the arena C) can still, occasionaly at least, score on their own power play D) can actually have an effective penalty kill, assuming that the Hurricanes are exhausted after having played sixty minutes of intense playoff hockey while missing two guys from their bench for significant portions of the game.

If the Oilers accomplish on Saturday some of the things they accomplished tonight, namely crowding Cam Ward's crease and physically beating the snot out of Carolina's forwards, and also stay out of the penalty box, they stand an excellent chance of making one more trip back to Raleigh.

Game 4 Recap

Marc-Andre Bergeron can sleep a little more soundly now that he is not the biggest goat of this series. Raffi Torres earns that distinction with his exceptionally educational display in the first period. Kids, if you ever wanted to know what not to ever do under any circumstances no matter what, go back and watch a replay of Torres' trip immediately after the faceoff that resulted from the Oilers' first (and only) goal. With little to no margin for error against a team that has been feasting on the power play, that penalty, and the ensuing goal, was absolutely backbreaking, preventing the Oil from putting together any kind of momentum from scoring first at home.

Obviously, this wasn't the only reason they lost. Their anemic power play was just as responsible, but it is difficult to pin the blame for that on any one person. It may not even be their fault at all. Maybe the Carolina penalty kill is just that good. Either way, Edmonton may just want to consider declining any penalties against them in Game 5. The failed five on three in the first period was just as much of a momentum swing in the Hurricanes' favor as the Torres penalty.

Game 3 Recap

After a two day layoff, the Finals resumed tonight in Edmonton, and, as a result, I too, have returned. In spite of the fact that I didn't see the game. Such is the life of a busy actor.

Looking at the box score and news reports of the game, the one thing that strikes me most is the power play numbers. More specifically, I was struck by the Hurricanes 0-5 mark on the night. This is a huge improvement for an Oilers' PK that had allowed Carolina to go 4-15 (26.7%) over the first two games. They also managed to draw the 'Canes into seven penalties. Its going to be very important moving forward for Edmonton to stay on the positive side of the penalties. While their power play has been rather dreadful, every minute they spend in Carolina's end is a minute they don't have to spend worrying about their inexperienced goaltender.

In other news, it really sucks to be Marc-Andre Bergeron right about now. First, you do the right thing and clear the opposing forward out of the crease, inadvertently knocking your team's starting goaltender out of the series. Then, in Game 2, you do the right thing by going to the ice to try to block a shot in a 2-on-1 situation, and your skate deflects the puck into the net. Then you get scratched for game 3. Methinks that this is not a week he will look back on fondly.

Game 2 Recap

Well, that was disappointing.

I actually thought that Edmonton looked like the better team for most of the first two periods. They seemed to be getting better offensive zone pressure and they were doing a great job of protecting Jussi Markannen. None of the breaks went their way though, and it certainly doesn't help that they now seem to be actively trying to sabotage their goaltenders. Between deflecting pucks into the net of their skates, plowing defenders into their knees and flailing helplessly at botched passes behind the net, the Oilers have been just as much of a problem for Roloson, Conklin and Markannen as the 'Canes. That, and penalties. Penalties are bad, folks, and when you have a rookie goalie making his first ever playoff start in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, you should try to avoid taking too many of them, because eventually, it is going to cost you.

Here's hoping the Oil can fix the issues they've got and come back to Carolina for Game 5 with the series tied.

Stanley Goes South

Much has been made of the fact that the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals are being played in North Carolina, and it got me thinking. Is it really that bad for the league to have the Stanley Cup travel south of the Mason-Dixon line two seasons in a row? Obviously, it isn't helping television ratings at a time when the NHL is desperately seeking legitimacy. In the long term, however, it could prove to be somewhat beneficial to have teams like the Lightning and the Hurricanes winning Stanley Cups now, at least as long as the NHL plans on keeping those teams in place.

Ten years ago, if you'd have asked the average North Carolinian anything about ice hockey, you'd likely have been met with a blank stare. Now that their team has gone to two Stanley Cup Finals in four years, I'd be willing to bet that the game is at least a little more popular down there than it used to be. The same being true of Tampa, FL. How many kids that might have taken up football or baseball instead decided to try out ice hockey after being enthralled by watching their home team lift the most famous trophy in sports over their heads? Will it have enough of an effect to justify the cost of having teams in seemingly un-hockey-friendly places such as Nashville and Miami while places like Winnepeg and Quebec toil in NHL-less limbo?

I'm sure I don't actually know, but here's hoping that the success of the Southeast division proves a harbinger of good things to come for the NHL.

Game 1 Recap

Wow...

I'm not entirely sure of what I just saw. Was it an exciting hockey game? Or just a series of bizarre events that fascinated, but did not truly inspire? I really don't know how to feel right now.

Actually, that's not entirely true. I feel bad for Patrice Marc-Andre Bergeron, who may turn out to be the goat of the year after his hit on a Carolina player knocked Dwayne Roloson out of the game. I also feel bad for Ty Conklin, who, as near as I could tell, only touched the puck once in the entire game.

I also know that I'm definitely excited to see how Edmonton will respond in Game 2. I can't think of a more demoralizing way to lose a game than what they accomplished tonight, and it may be made more difficult if the injury to Roloson turns out to be serious. If Roloson is out, I don't think anyone in Edmonton can possibly feel confident about their chances with Conklin in goal, even though he didn't really get a chance one way or the other to show how he'll respond to the pressure of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Sabres-Hurricanes Recap

This was a fittingly exciting conclusion to what has been an exceptionally well played, evenly matched series. I was all ready to spend several paragraphs complaining about the delay-of-game rule that led to Brind'amour's game-winning goal, but then he added a gorgeous assist on Jason Williams' insurance goal to erase any chance for whining from Sabres fans. It's a shame that the Sabres had to lose this game, because they played exceptionally well. It's got to be hard for the people in Buffalo to look at this series and all the injuries and wonder what might have been. From my stance as a dispassionate observer, I don't think having McKee in the lineup would have made much of a difference, and I don't think there was much more Buffalo could have done, injuries or not. Ryan Miller was absolutely spectacular, but the 'Canes defense, especially down the stretch, was just too good. Hats off to both teams for providing one of the most compelling, exciting playoff series in a long time.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 3rd Period

20:00 3rd Period - The Oilers can book their plane tickets to Raleigh. Congratulations (grudgingly) to the Carolina Hurricanes.

19:09 3rd Period - Jason Williams scores on a beautiful passing play. In basketball, I believe they would refer to that as "the dagger".

18:58 3rd Period - One minute left. This is gonna be good.

17:25 3rd Period - Perhaps the Sabres were doing it on purpose, because having a full two minutes only resulted in their being made to look silly by the Carolina penalty kill.

15:xx 3rd Period - Jason Williams gets called for hooking and Buffalo their third chance to not take a dumb penalty twenty seconds into their power play. This could be the game right here.

11:22 3rd Period - Rod Brind'amour buries the loose puck in front for the power play goal, giving the 'Canes a 3-2 lead. And Buffalo fans everywhere suddenly agree with me.

10:18 3rd Period - As Campbell takes a seat in the box for a delay of game penalty, I'd like to take this chance to voice my dislike of the rule regarding shooting the puck over the glass from the defensive zone. It seems to me like a way for the NHL to artificially increase the number of power plays (and by extension, increase scoring).

7:12 3rd Period - Kevyn Adams breakaway defended beautifully by the Sabres

6:24 3rd Period - The more exciting this gets, the less I'm likely to update.

1:34 3rd Period - Doug Weight scores on a great feed from Ray Whitney below the net.

0:00 3rd Period - Please let this game go to overtime.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 2nd Period

2nd Intermission - The dearth of highlight-reel goals in this game certainly can't be good as far as selling the sport to non-hockey fans. Two goals on seemingly harmless shots from the point and one of the back of Cam Wards leg after he failed to squeeze the post.

2nd Intermission - That? Was exciting as hell. Halfway through I found myself getting bored, and then as soon as I write that it's getting boring everything started kicking into gear. Up until the last five minutes, I though Carolina was pretty dominant.

19:96 2nd Period - Jochen Hecht scores from behind the net to give Buffalo their first lead of the game. Ryan Miller's big save earlier in the period is looming large now.

15:50 2nd Period - Doug Janik scores on the ensuing 4-on-4 to tie the game on a blast from the point that passed by four players, making it nearly impossible for Cam Ward to see it coming. This just got really interesting.

15:24 2nd Period That is, until Daniel Briere gets called for hooking to end the power play.

14:41 2nd Period - Another great chance for Buffalo and another great save by Cam Ward. The guy is on fire. Bret Hedican picks up the interference penalty to give Buffalo their first full power play.

12:06 2nd Period - No sooner have I said it than Buffalo gets their best scoring chance of the game, and then Carolina quickly goes the other way and scored their second goal of the... wait... Ryan Miller stopped it?! Are you kidding me?! What a save.

10:22 2nd Period - The second period has not been nearly as entertaining as the first. Hence the fewer updates.

4:00-4:04 2nd Period - What a great move by Rod Brind'amour, and what an even better save by Ryan Miller, and then a wild scramble in front of Buffalo's net. Carolina has the advantage so far in the period.

Sabres-Whalers, Game 7, Live!Blog!: 1st Period

Yeah, I'm live-blogging it. I'm kind of a loser that way.

1st Intermission - Ugh. Listening to Bill Clement wax poetic about the meaning of "Versus" makes me want to hurl something at my television. Which is bad, because I don't have enough money to replace a TV with a shoe lodged in it.

1st Intermission - Great 1st period. In spite of the score, I thought Buffalo actually had the edge. However, one has to wonder how well their defensive corps will hold up given the pace of the game.

20:00 1st Period - Just 12 stoppages in the first period. If I had access to those sort of statistics, I'd be interested to compare the average number of stoppages this year against the last few years before the lockout.

16:28 1st Period - This whole live-blogging thing is made significantly harder by the fast pace of the game. Not that I'm complaining.

13:34 1st Period - Buffalo still with alot of momentum in spite of Carolina's fluky goal. Cam Ward is going to have to be brilliant to keep the 'Canes in this, I think.

12:05 1st Period - Or not. Commodore shoots and it pinballs around in front of Ryan Miller before ending up behind him. 'Canes up 1-0.

11:04 1st Period - Buffalo finally starts getting some quality chances. All of a sudden, they've got some momentum.

10:03 1st Period - I get that it's called the Outdoor Life Network (for now), but an ad for Progressive Boat Insurance? During a hockey game? That seems a little silly.

7:46 1st Period - Much has been made of McKee's ability to block shots. Buffalo's lack of it doesn't seem to be hurting them, as they kill off Carolina's first full power play with relative ease.

5:46 1st Period - What a great start. Great pace to this game, I think the only stoppages have been for penalties. Speaking of which, Jason Pominville just got whistled for bowling over Cam Ward. 'Canes power play.

1:46 1st Period - That would be the best way to kill a penalty. The amazing thing is that Williams kept going through the hook and got an excellent scoring chance.

1:13 1st Period - Hurricanes take the first penalty of the game (Aaron Ward, roughing)

0:00 1st Period - And away they go.

7:29 PM EDT - Doc Emerick makes me think that maybe I don't use the mute button often enough.

7:24 PM EDT - OLN is currently showing a retrospective of the career of Bobby Orr. Say what you will about OLN and its coverage of hockey, there is simply no way anything like this happens if the NHL is still on the Worldwide Leader.

7:19 PM EDT - I just started my first of several loads of laundry for the evening. Juggling laundry and live-blogging should be interesting.

7:14 PM EDT - Jay McKee is out for Buffalo, leaving them with just two of their regular starting defensemen. Seeing as how I'm pulling for the Sabres a little bit, this is distressing news.

Buffalo 2, Carolina 1 Final (OT)

This is as it should be.

If you aren't watching this game on Thursday, then you either A) have no soul B) are an irretrievable moron with no concept of what constitutes an entertaining sporting event C) don't get OLN (in which case, you're welcome to come over to my place*) or D) you are, perhaps, not a sports fan.


*Not really, though. If you show up at my apartment, I will probably call the police.

End of 3rd Period

Onward we go to Sudden Death Overtime. To have this game end any other way would have simply been wrong. Also, anything other than a Buffalo win to force a Game 7 is unacceptable.

Carolina-Buffalo, 16:09 3rd Period

Few things in the world annoy me more than fans in the front row at hockey games who feel compelled to bang on the glass. The preponderance of this phenomenon at HSBC Arena tonight is causing me to almost root for the Whalers, in spite of the fact that they are a division rival.

Carolina just tied it, by the way.

End of 2nd Period

Score still stands at 1-0 Buffalo. Still an exciting, physical, fast-paced game. I don't care if these are two small market teams, this is some of the most exciting hockey I've seen in a while.

Also, for those who wanted to know, I ultimately went with egg salad for dinner.

Carolina-Buffalo, End of 1st Period

Wow... great pace to this game. Buffalo is on fire.

It is exceedingly difficult to watch hockey with the melodious aroma of my roomate cooking his "top secret" barbecue sauce. I don't think I've ever smelled a more gorgeous smell in my life. I was going to fix myself a sandwich for dinner, but suddenly anything I could make pales in comparison to the big vat of amazing barbecue sauce sitting on the kitchen counter.

A beautiful day for a hockey game

It was something like 80 degrees outside here in Washington. Perfect hockey weather, no?

Great game between the Whalers and Sabres that simply couldn't have done anything other than go to overtime. This series needs to go seven games.

Props to whoever was producing for OLN. Immediately after the game-winning goal, they cut first to a shot of 'Canes coach Peter Laviolette celebrating on the bench, and then to the penalty box just as the official was opening the door for J. P. Dumont. It was incredibly poignant (I thought). Very "thrill of victory, agony of defeat"-esque.