Stanley Cup Playoff Preview: Western Conference Final For the third straight year, the Chicago Blackhawks will play a team in the Southern California area for the Western Conference championship and the chance to look really weird not touching the Clarence Campbell Bowl. Only the Hawks will not play the Los Angeles Kings, their opponent the last two postseasons. The Anaheim Ducks led by … [Read more...]
Callahan back at practice after appendectomy
Callahan back at practice after appendectomy Ryan Callahan was back at practice for the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. (USATSI) Ryan Callahan had to miss the Tampa Bay Lightning's series clinching win against the Montreal Canadiens this week after undergoing an emergency appendectomy on Monday night. Just three days later, Callahan is back on the ice at practice for the Lightning on Thursday … [Read more...]
Henrik Lundqvist really, really loves playing in Game 7s on May 13th
Henrik Lundqvist really, really loves playing in Game 7s on May 13th Henrik Lundqvist helped the New York Rangers win a playoff series in a Game 7 on May 13th after making 35 saves. This is not a recording. Before Wednesday night’s win over the Washington Capitals, Lundqvist had done it twice before. As Andrew Shapiro of SidelineBuzz.com noted on Twitter, this is the third consecutive May … [Read more...]
NHL Three Stars: Stepan leads Rangers win in Game 7
NHL Three Stars: Stepan leads Rangers win in Game 7 No. 1 Star: Derek Stepan, New York Rangers The center won a faceoff and then won Game 7 of the Rangers’ series against the Washington Capitals, putting a rebounded Dan Girardi shot past Braden Holtby for the 2-1 win. No. 2 Star: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers Lundqvist won his sixth straight Game 7 with a 35-save effort, including … [Read more...]
NHL Stanley Cup 2015 conference final schedule, TV listings
NHL Stanley Cup 2015 conference final schedule, TV listings We’re halfway home. Now that the New York Rangers have won Game 7, we now know when the Conference Finals will officially begin. The Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will get going on Saturday afternoon at MSG, while the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks will begin with a matinee on Sunday at Honda Center. There will no … [Read more...]
Lightning astronaut mascot isn’t some superfan, just marketing
Lightning astronaut mascot isn't some superfan, just marketing There’s a certain fan inside Amalie Arena who's been catching the attention of the masses during Tampa Bay Lightning home games of late. This person dons an astronaut outfit for games and sits right near the glass. You've probably caught a glimpse at some point over the last month. Earlier in their second-round series with the … [Read more...]
Fire Michel Therrien! Or, you know, trade for some offense
Fire Michel Therrien! Or, you know, trade for some offense A cursory search for “FIRE MICHEL THERRIEN” finds two subsets of results: Articles from 2009, when he was actually fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins after he coached them to the Stanley Cup Final, and then a slew of articles written at the midpoint of last season after a brutal 20-game stretch. Some attacked the Canadiens’ passive … [Read more...]
Puck Daddy Power Rankings: Alex Ovechkin’s guarantee, Mike Babcock and blind faith
Puck Daddy Power Rankings: Alex Ovechkin’s guarantee, Mike Babcock and blind faith [Author's note: Power rankings are usually three things: Bad, wrong, and boring. You typically know just as well as the authors which teams won what games against who and what it all means, so our moving the Red Wings up four spots or whatever really doesn't tell you anything you didn't know. Who's hot, who's … [Read more...]
Lightning close out Canadiens in Game 6, advance to Eastern Conference Final
Lightning close out Canadiens in Game 6, advance to Eastern Conference Final It took a couple of games more than they wanted, but the Tampa Bay Lightning finally eliminated the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 to move on to the Eastern Conference Final. A pair of goals from Nikita Kucherov and 18 saves from Ben Bishop helped guide them to a 4-1 victory. Kucherov didn’t have a goal coming into … [Read more...]
Lightning defeat Habs, move on to East finals
Lightning defeat Habs, move on to East finals The Tampa Bay Lightning are moving on thanks to a big win in Game 6. (USATSI) Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Game 6 Lightning 4, Canadiens 1 | Lightning win series 4-2 Game 6 in a nutshell: With the pressure mounting, the Tampa Bay Lightning came out firing on the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6. After Nikita Kucherov opened the scoring with … [Read more...]