Did Brooks Orpik deserve three-game suspension for Maatta hit? So did the NHL just hurt or help the Washington Capitals? Defenseman Brooks Orpik has been suspended three playoff games for his head-shot on Olli Maatta of the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series. The incident occurred at 4:13 of the first period. Orpik was assessed a minor penalty for … [Read more...]

Masterton Trophy Finalists: Dupuis vs. Jagr vs. Zuccarello Pascal Dupuis of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Jaromir Jagr of the Florida Panthers and Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers are the three finalists for the 2015-16 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.” Who wins the … [Read more...]

Blues' Hitchcock: Stars better than Blackhawks The Dallas Stars finished first in the Central Division this year, but despite their record, they are considered by most to be an underdog against the St. Louis Blues. The two were close in the standings, but once the Blues got past the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks in the first round, they earned a lot of believers. The … [Read more...]

Maple Leafs draft lottery win doesn't validate tank, says Shanahan The Toronto Maple Leafs finished with the worst record in the NHL and the League’s lowest point total. This was, of course, by design, as team decided to rid itself of veteran players in attempt to tank the season for a high draft pick.  “We explained to our fans beforehand that we were going to move some players, move some … [Read more...]

NHL Three Stars: Letang plays forever; Lightning wakeup and win No. 1 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins Letang was a beast for the Penguins in their 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Due to the injury to Olli Maatta in the first period, the defenseman had to take on extra minutes on the ice. Like an insane amount of minutes - 35:22 in total. In that time he was a plus-2 with 6 shots … [Read more...]

Penguins stifle Capitals offense to draw even in series Braden Holtby can only do so much for the Washington Capitals. He can't be expected to go out and score goals, too. It looked like it was going to be a tough night for the Pittsburgh Penguins after Olli Maatta was knocked out of the game by Brooks Orpik on a high, violent hit to the head. It was the young defenseman's second shift in … [Read more...]

Maple Leafs, Jets and Blue Jackets earn top spots in new NHL Draft Lottery Worst season of THE BACHELORETTE ever #NHLDraftLottery pic.twitter.com/tFY6KUcval— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) May 1, 2016 None of the Canadian teams made it into the playoffs, but in the end, Canada still won. The Toronto Maple Leafs had the highest odds of winning the first overall spot, and this time the Edmonton … [Read more...]

Pens' Maata injured on Orpik's late hit to head The wheel of discipline in the NHL's department of player safety is going to get another underwhelming spin Sunday when they take a look at a hit delivered by Washington Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik in the first period on Saturday night. The hit ended up knocking Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta out of the game and earned Orpik a … [Read more...]

Dallas Stars speed away from St. Louis Blues to take Game 1 The Dallas Stars imposed their speed game on the St. Louis Blues in Game 1, outskating their opponent and peppering goaltender Brian Elliott en-route to a 2-1 victory.  The Stars (a group that finished the regular season with the best offense in the NHL) started the game hot and continued to pour it on, outshooting the Blues 14-6 in … [Read more...]

Flames' Burke not a fan of draft lottery system The NHL draft lottery is on Saturday night where the 14 teams that failed to make the playoffs all have a chance to win the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The NHL has made some changes to the lottery process over the past two years, starting with the inclusion of all non-playoff teams in 2015, to the change this year that introduces three … [Read more...]