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. Seven.

No two words inspire greater joy. I know I'm a bit of a hockey apologist (a bit?), but I think most people would have to agree that there may not be anything in sports more exciting than the seventh game of the Stanley Cup Finals. I try to avoid being one of those people who constantly whines to everyone that they should like his sport better, a la soccer fans, but in this case I have to say that if you don't watch this game tonight, you have no soul.

Or you have rehearsal, like me. Being an actor as well as a sports fan is not a winning combination sometimes.

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.

So many Cups, so little time.

Tonight's Game Six of the Calder Cup finals will be broadcast on Comcast Sportsnet on tape delay at 11:00 PM here in Washington. The Hershey Bears (the Washington Capitals' AHL affiliate) have a chance to clinch the series over the Milwaukee Admirals.

Thanks to Ted Leonsis for the heads up.

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.

Bergeron Suicide Watch: Day 1

It's official. Dwayne Roloson is out for the rest of the series. Suddenly, Marc-Andre Bergeron is the most hated man in Alberta.

This is huge. Imagine a baseball team making it to the World Series and then losing half of it's starting pitching staff and it's closer in a freak dugout incident. That's how huge this is.

Then again, maybe not. I'll be interested to see how well the Oilers defense rallies to protect Ty Conklin. In Game 1, after Roloson left, the Hurricanes only registered a single shot three shots on goal. One of which could hardly be qualified as a "shot" as much as a "tap in for birdie" (baseball, then golf; how many more analogies can I make?). I think they'll be able to pull off a similar feat in Game 2, or at least a reasonable facsimile thereof. Really it has been the Edmonton defense that has been carrying them all along anyway. Roloson, in my opinion, hasn't been particularly spectacular. Ultimately, this will only be as big a loss as the Oilers allow it to be.

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.

Stanley Cup Finals preview. Or lack thereof.

Steven Ovadia pretty much sums up my opinion of the current Stanley Cup Finals, and the reason why I've been too lazy to write a SC preview. If you want one, go here, here or here.

Hey June

I love June. It is easily my favorite month. Few other months can compare. Here's some of the exciting things to look forward to this June.

• The Stanley Cup Finals
• The NBA Finals
• My 21st Birthday
• Baseball
• The Arena Bowl (if you're into that sort of thing)
• Some sort of soccer tournament.
  

What more could you possibly want?