Niemi rebounds as Hawks go up 2-0 on Flyers
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/01/2010 @ 7:12 am)
After allowing five goals on 32 shots in Game 1, Blackhawks’ goalie Antti Niemi stopped 32 of 33 shots on Monday night to help Chicago beat the Flyers 2-1 in Game 2.
Niemi faced only three shots in the first period, but then saw 15 in both the second and third periods. His defense helped out tremendously, but he made several great saves throughout the game and even though he gave up the one goal in the third period, he shut the door on Philly to preserve the win.
Marian Hossa had another excellent outing, scoring the opening goal of the night. He now has three points in the series and appears determined to get the Stanley Cup Finals monkey off his back.
The series will shift to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Wednesday night and the Flyers have a lot of work to do. They were unable to tie the game last night despite seizing momentum off of Simon Gagne’s third period goal and launching 30 shots at Niemi over the final two periods. They’re looking at must wins over the next two games.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
Penguins upset Wings, win 2009 Stanley Cup
Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/13/2009 @ 11:12 am)
Here’s reaction from local columnist and national writers after the Pittsburgh Penguins upset the Detroit Red Wings to win the 2009 Stanley Cup.
– Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that the Penguins earned the right to be called champions after beating the Wings on Detroit’s home ice.
– After lacing it up for the Penguins in the 2007-08 season, Marian Hossa has no regrets about joining the Red Wings this past year writes NHL.com’s Dave Lozo.
– Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press writes that fans and pundits can’t blame goalie Chris Osgood for the Wings’ loss.
– After winning his first Cup, Bucky Gleason notes that “Sid Kid” Sidney Crosby isn’t a kid anymore – he’s a bona fide champ.
– Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Wings leave the 2009 season with a quiet, empty feeling.
– Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that gritty Max Talbot turned things around.
NHL playoffs: Let’s get this party started!
Posted by Thomas Conroy (04/15/2009 @ 6:24 pm)
There’s nothing that sounds quite like an NHL playoff game, except for maybe standing on the tarmac during a plane’s takeoff. The noise is constant from the pre-game skate to the final seconds on the clock. For the players and coaches, springtime means the start of the annual gauntlet run to the Stanley Cup.
This year, the Western Conference could provide more surprises in the early rounds than its Eastern counterpart. I have highlighted three series to keep an eye on for the first round.
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
An original six matchup — old Adams Division rivals will meet for the fourth time in the last seven postseasons. The Habs have won 24 of 31 all-time playoff series between the two teams, including the last three encounters (’02, ’04, ‘08). The key for the Canadiens is having a healthy D Andrei Markov back in the lineup. He led the team in scoring and was a key component at the point position on the power play. But they have sputtered since Markov went down with a lower-body injury on April 4th. The Big Bad Bruins have bullied the Canadiens in all six regular season contests, but they must refrain from taking stupid penalties. F Milan Lucic must control his emotions and play with his head on straight, as the referees will be watching him closely. What a banner season for the Bruins, as they had their best win total (53) since 1971-72 regular season en route to becoming the number one-seed in the Eastern Conference.
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Posted in: NHL
Tags: Adams Division, AHL, Andrei Markov, Bill Guerin, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Kunitz, Dan Bylsma, Eastern Conference, Evgeni Malkin, Jeff Carter, Marian Hossa, Michel Therrien, Milan Lucic, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, NHL, NHL Playoffs, Nortwest Division, Olli Jokinen, Original Six, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Ryan Malone, Sergei Gonchar, Sidney Crosby, Stanley Cup, The Habs, The Pens, Western Conference
