Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo were teammates for mere hours, but I don't think either will forget the experience. Thomas was traded to the Dallas Stars just before the NHL Trade Deadline on Wednesday. Thomas will backup Kari Lehtonen as the Stars push to make the playoffs. Dallas currently has the 8th best record in the West.
Thomas and Luongo were teammates for less than a day, although Luongo probably flew to southern Florida for the Panthers next game at home against Buffalo. Thomas was up in Boston playing in net for the Panthers, who lost 4-1 to the Bruins. I doubt the two were ever in the same room. However both goalies were able to make light of the situation, and poke fun at the other. Luongo's unverified Twitter account posted this on Tuesday:
And on another note me and Tiny Tim are gonna rip it up the rest of the year!!!!!!! #dreamteam
— Strombone (@strombone1) March 5, 2014
Tim Thomas, after Tuesday night's Bruins-Panthers game, was asked about being teammates with Luongo...
"It looked like [Florida GM Dale Tallon] went kicking some tires and found one that needed to be pumped."
Thomas also seemed to think that his time with the Panthers might be nearing an end, as he continued to say "I don’t know how things are going to work out assuming I stay in Florida, it will be interesting."
Once Thomas was traded, Luongo's Twitter reacted with this:
So no reality TV show in Sunrise. There will not be a second dream team in South Beach. No Twitter vs. Facebook debates. All of this makes perfect hockey sense, but it is disappointing that there will be no Bobby and Timmy Show.
Roberto Luongo and Tim Thomas are now reportedly teammates. In the summer of 2013 I wrote a post imagining the hilarious, reality-TV style drama that would ensue if the Vancouver Canucks signed Thomas, making he and Luongo teammates. Now Luongo will be taking his whining and choking to South Beach.
Florida is where Luongo wanted to go. He used to play there, still has a house there, and who wouldn't want to spend the winter in Florida?
It also seems like the perfect place for him to avoid pressure. He's going from a hockey obsessed market to southern Florida, where they don't even know they have a team. He's going from a franchise that expects to be in contention for Stanley Cups, to a club that's happy just to qualify for the playoffs. The less pressure there is, the better Luongo plays.
Here was how his unofficial/unconfirmed/but-everyone-knows-it's-him Twitter account announced the news Tuesday afternoon:
The move makes sense for Vancouver. They're reportedly getting goalie prospect Jacob Markstrom in return. They'll shed themselves of most of Luongo's salary cap hit, and all of his drama.
Florida gets an experienced quality goalie. I love Tim Thomas but I think his career as a starter is coming to a close. Luongo is 5 years younger. In the games I've seen this year, Thomas has been sluggish, and easily rattled. Maybe in a backup role Thomas can maintain his quickness, and get less frustrated.
For Bruins fans this is great. Bobby Lu is now in the same division as the B's.
For the record, Luongo did apologize for his criticisms of Thomas after the 2011 Cup Finals. As long as Luongo sticks to Twitter and Thomas to Facebook, things should remain professional in the Florida Panthers locker room. And if two goalies clash, and there's no fans around to care about it, does it make a sound?
I get it. NBA and NCAA basketball is significantly more popular nationwide than the NHL. And ESPN broadcasts pro and college hoops. So I'm not expecting hockey to get top billing, or second billing or third billing on SportsCenter. It would be nice to see hockey get some billing. It is, after all, a sport. And ESPN calls their flagship show SportsCenter. Sadly I don't expect SportsCenter to cover the NHL. Nevertheless I'm still disappointed that they essentially don't. And angry.
Before I rant on, no I didn't get any sleep last night, so I'm extra irritable and paranoid. And no I don't have anything better to do today than wait for snow to fall so I can clear it out of my driveway. So I watched SportsCenter and took notes.
On Tuesday night there were 9 NHL games. SportsCenter Wednesday morning showed highlights from 2 of them. There were 4 NBA games, SportsCenter showed highlights from all 4. There were 7 NCAA basketball games involving Top 25 teams, SportsCenter showed clips from 6. That's 10 basketball highlights compared to 2 hockey. And 9 of those basketball highlights came before any NHL coverage.
And what pisses me off is how repetitive and uninteresting basketball highlights are. Why are they in such relatively high demand? It baffles me. It's 80% dunks. And most of those dunks are uncontested. Dunks on the break. SportsCenter even flashed back to a high school dunking contest before showing highlights of a college game. Just to show that a certain player could dunk in high school, and his dunking continued as a Florida Gator, and with only marginally more defensive obstacles in his way.
That's what you hoop heads want to see? Tall men with long arms dropping a ball into an unguarded hole? That not only passes for entertainment, you'd rather see 10 sets of dunk heavy basketball highlights with only 2 hockey highlights? I feel kind of bad for you if you're mesmerized so easily.
There were 18 minutes of basketball highlights compared to 3 minutes of hockey highlights.
There were highlights of Duke beating Wake Forest by 20. What a nail-biter.
There was a story about the ranking of college players for the NBA Draft. That's right around the corner, isn't it? Only a few days away on June 26th.
Hockey wasn't even mentioned until Jeremy Schaap's piece on potential terrorism at the Winter Olympics, 30 minutes into the broadcast. Because who else would turn to for analysis of geopolitical friction and global terrorism?
Then there were 2 NHL games highlighted. The Rangers playing the Avalanche, and the Senators playing the Blues.
No mention of Roberto Luongo playing his first game in Boston since the 2011 Cup Finals. That wasn't nearly as important as UConn's women's basketball team crushing SMU. That brief highlight also came before hockey.
Then we get to the Top Plays, a reel of dunk highlights featuring the best dunks you've already seen in the show. Because dunks are so amazing, unique, unexpected, difficult, fun, funny, exciting, exhilarating, and most of all special. Slam dunks are special.
Eight of the Top Plays were from basketball games. One was from hockey, one from soccer. Five of the basketball plays were dunks. Most of those were uncontested, players driving through an open lane or on a break.
So of all the plays in 9 NHL games Tuesday night, only one (a save by Capitals goalie Michael Neuvirth) was on the same level as uncontested dunkage. Really? All the goals, the saves, the hits, only one of them was on par with tall men who cannot be touched on their way to the net, jumping in the air with a ball, and putting it in a hole.
That's evidently what you want, America. You can have it. Just like you can have crappy musicians that sing off key, politicians who lie to your face as you vote for them, you can watch all the amazing dunks you want.
Could you imagine if there were video phones and social media back in the day? Babe Ruth's exploits would make Johnny Manziel look like Tim Tebow. Here's a clip of Milan Lucic outside of a Vancouver bar (the Bruins were in Vancouver and Lucic is from there), in an "altercation," with another patron.
When Lucic says to the guy "Do you know who you're fucking with?" Half of that smacks of celebrity arrogance. 'Do you know who I am?' The other half sounds like a genuine warning. Do you know what you're getting yourself into?
You really don't want to get into a fistfight with Milan Lucic. This is a 6' 4" 230 pound guy that boxed as a kid and now makes a living playing and fighting in the toughest sport in North America. His job is to be tough in a sport of tough people. There are many hockey players who do not want to fight him. And some dude in a bar decides he's going to mess with that? And responds to Lucic with "Do you know who you're fucking with?" Good luck, pal.
Lucic comes close to crossing the line but doesn't. Thankfully it seems like the bar's security (or perhaps just other patrons) intervened until police arrived. It would have been hilarious if someone dressed as a linesman showed up and separated everyone.
If this "altercation" occurred on the ice, Lucic wouldn't even get 2 minutes for roughing.
Tim Thomas is eyeing a return to the NHL next season. Yesterday his agent tweeted: "Tim Thomas has asked me to explore possible options for next season. We'll have no further comment at this time. Thanks."
The speculation has already begun. Where will Thomas end up? He'll turn 40 in April. In goalie-years he isn't collecting Social Security yet, but he is getting 10% off at IHOP and going to dinner at 5:30pm. So who would want a 1-2 year goalie (whose salary would count against the cap even if he retires) who hasn't played a competitive game since April of 2012. What kind of shape will he be in? Will he be fresher having spent so much time off, or rusty?
One funny theory I had was that Vancouver would sign him. They just traded Cory Schneider, their best goalie, to the Devils. While they're stuck with Roberto Luongo they're in a hazy grey area. Do they need a starter or a backup? Luongo only started 18 games last year. But his cap number is $5.33 million and he's signed until 2022. Vancouver has repeatedly tried and failed to trade him.
The smart thing for the Canucks to do would be to sign/develop young goalies that don't take up much cap space. Then hope Luongo is fine during the regular season, then in an annual tradition in British Columbia, pull him when he shits himself in the playoffs.
Signing Tim Thomas would not be that smart for the Canucks, unless they get him for a bargain basement price. Even then it would introduce more uncertainty and unpredictability. You'd open yourself up for an epic goaltender controversy, which is rare in the NHL. Even when two goalies compete for a spot, the goalies themselves typically get along. That would not be the case with Luongo and Thomas. Luongo publically criticized Thomas's style in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, a cardinal sin in the fraternity of net minders. And Thomas fired back. Luongo has also used his unverified Twitter account to poke fun at the former Bruins goalie's political beliefs.
Some people say 4 more years of Obama. I look at it more like 4 more years of disgruntled goalie politically charged Facebook rants! #I❤TT
— Strombone (@strombone1) November 8, 2012
These two come from completely different hockey backgrounds. Thomas had to bust his ass to get to the NHL, bouncing around the ECHL, the IHL, the AHL, along with leagues in Sweden and Finland. He didn't make his NHL debut until he was 28 years old. Luongo was a star in the Quebec Juniors, and drafted 4th overall by the Islanders, making his NHL debut for them when he was 20. A post I wrote during the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals documents the different paths Thomas and Luongo have traveled.
Watching these two guys compete for ice-time would be a great sideshow. The similarities to Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow are inescapable. Then consider Thomas's proclivity for Facebook rants, and the Twitter account Luongo maintains that isn't officially his so he can retain plausible deniability about it. This rivalry would be fought out on social media, in full view of the public. It would be such a glorious show.
There wouldn't be much sense to Vancouver signing Thomas. But the Canucks often don't allow good sense to be an obstacle when they make moves. So it could happen.
In all seriousness, though, I think the Maple Leafs are a good destination for Thomas. They have talented young goalies, but need more steadiness in that position. They could use a veteran backup who can also take over the starting job when things go wrong. That's what Toronto needs. And that's what Thomas might be able to provide. Reimer is making $1.8 million next year and Bernier is a restricted free agent.
Could you imagine Phil Kessel and Tim Thomas coming to Boston as teammates and divisional rivals? Actually, that kind of scares me a bit.
After the Penguins series it was impossible to not compare Rask in '13 to Thomas in '11. Rask's numbers were better. He was improving as the playoffs went on. He had just shut down the best offense in the NHL, allowing only 2 goals in 4+ games of hockey. He carried the Bruins to the Finals.
It wasn't meant to be, though. The Bruins weren't able to push around the Blackhawks like they had the Canucks in '11. They didn't get into Chicago's head. Crawford had a heavy glove but he didn't have Luongonian meltdowns.
And Rask wasn't as good in the Finals as Thomas was in 2011. Yes, that was a difference between the two years. This isn't a criticism of Rask. It's a reminder of how absurdly inhuman Thomas played in 2011.
The two finished with eerily similar postseason numbers. Rask had a 14-8 record, Thomas was 16-9. Rask had a 1.88 GAA, Thomas had a 1.98. Both had save percentages of .940. Rask's was .93955, Thomas's was .93993. So every 2,500 shots, Rask would allow an extra goal. What's the difference?
The big difference was how they performed in the Finals. Rask allowed 16 goals, Thomas allowed 8. Rask's GAA in this series was 2.21, which is very good. Thomas's GAA against Vancouver was 1.15, which is unfuckingreal. Even if you take out Rask's worst game, that 6-5 shootout in Game 4, Rask's GAA was 1.65, higher than Thomas's in 2011 (and if you take out Thomas's worst game in those Finals, he had a 0.84 GAA).
Rask came down to earth in this series after his Game 3 shutout. In the last 3 games he allowed 11 goals. And while only a few were ones he should have stopped, and he made plenty of brilliant saves that kept the Bruins in those games, he was no longer carrying the team. The Finals were his second worst series of the playoffs, behind the Toronto series.
Thomas saved 96.7% of the 246 shots he faced in the 2011 Finals, a record. He made 238 saves, another record. He allowed the fewest goals ever in a 7-game Finals series.
I think we forget how well Thomas played in that Vancouver series. Two of his losses were 1-0. In Game 3 when the Bruins won 8-1, it was a great 1st period by Thomas that kept the game 0-0, and led to the Bruins' embarrassing Luongo. We remember the Bruins eventually owning the Canucks, but it was a tough series. The Bruins were down 2-0, then 3-2. We look back at the final scores of games and see 4-0, 5-2 and forget how hard those games were for the team to win, and how much easier it was to win because of Thomas.
In the Finals Thomas was named the #1 star in all 4 Bruins wins. And in the losses he was named #2 star twice and #3 star once.
And let's not forget the 1-0 shutout in Game 7 against Tampa Bay. That was clutchness.
One thing that's remained the same with the Bruins from 2011 to 2013 is that they sometimes have these really crappy, almost lazy periods. They commit dumb penalties or struggle in the neutral zone, or worst of all they give the puck away in dangerous areas. That's when guys like Rask and Thomas are asked to be the best goalie in the world to keep the B's from falling behind or blowing a lead. Thomas did that in 2011. Rask did that most of the time in 2013, just not all the time. And not in the Finals.
I'd forgotten how many saves Thomas had to make after giveaways in '11.
Maybe the 2013 Bruins needed Rask to be great more than the 2011 Bruins needed Thomas to be great. That's arguable. Even if true, in the Finals Rask wasn't as great as he needed to be, or as he could be. Thomas was in 2011. Rask's best series was when the opponents had goalie issues and had whiny forwards who didn't play defense, in other words when the Bruins didn't need him to be great. Thomas's best series was the 2011 Finals.
I'm not ripping Rask, I'm pointing out that what Thomas did in 2011 is difficult to match. I'm not saying Rask was a main reason the Bruins lost, although that 5-hole goal in Game 6 is burnt in my memory. Rask, however, stopped being a reason that they were winning.
So sign Rask, because he has proven he's a good playoff goalie. Give Rask a new contract, but give Thomas his due credit.
As always, there are some seriously good series being played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. All Original Six teams made the playoffs, the top two markets in the country (New York, LA) each have two teams in the mix, Canada was well-represented, and there are no teams from truly poor hockey markets like Phoenix or Nashville. And we're already rid of the Vancouver Canucks.
Sharks 4, Canucks 3 (OT) - Sharks win series 4-0
Vancouver went with Cory Schneider and it didn't really work out. This was a matchup between teams that perennially choke in the playoffs, so one of them had to advance and one had to be embarrassed. I had to post a pic of a hot girl in Vancouver colors, since I won't have a chance to post anymore in the upcoming weeks.
Blackhawks 3, Wild 0 - Blackhawks lead series 3-1
Chicago only lost 7 games in regulation this season, and Minnesota doesn't appear to be much of a match for them. The Wild aren't healthy and the Blackhawks have Patrick Sharp, who had 2 goals in the game and has 4 in the series.
Senators 3, Canadiens 2 (OT) - Senators lead series 3-1
Only 8 penalty minutes in this game. There were about 30 times as many penalty minutes in the previous game. Montreal got conservative in the 3rd period and it screwed them. Ottawa grinded out a pair of goals. Carey Price appeared to hurt his groin at the end of the 3rd and backup Peter Budaj allowed the Kyle Turris game-winner. Ottawa scares me more than any other team in the East. They're getting 110% from their talent and they've been working their asses off all season. Every game they played against the Bruins was close and they got better and better against the B's as the season progressed.
Islanders 6, Penguins 4 - Series tied 2-2
The Penguins have the best skaters in the NHL. No doubt about it. They're stacked. Unfortunately, their goalie is Marc-Andre Fleury. He allowed 6 goals on 24 shots. One fourth of the shots on goal went by him. And some of them were hideous. He's allowed 14 goals in the last 3 games, and Vokoun might get the start in Game 5.
Tonight's games...
7:00pm - Bruins @ Maple Leafs - Bruins lead series 2-1 - NESN/NHL Network
The Bruins need to remain consistent. Tonight they have an opportunity to start burying Toronto's grave. They also have an opportunity to give Toronto a second life.
7:30pm - Capitals @ Rangers - Capitals lead series 2-1 - NBC Sports
The Rangers were up against it and Game 3 and came through. Washington looks good, they have Ovechkin, they have depth, and the Rangers don't seem to know how to win playoff series. However, the Caps will have to find another gear to knock them out.
9:00pm - Kings @ Blues - Series tied 2-2 - CNBC
The defending Champions don't look as sharp as they did last year. I haven't seen much of this series but St. Louis has looked good from what I have seen. And Jonathan Quick has looked human.
10:00pm - Red Wings @ Ducks - Series tied 2-2 - NBC Sports
This series is a big reason why Detroit will be moving to the Eastern Conference. A fanbase in the Eastern Time zone is forced to watch playoff games at 10:00pm. On weeknights. Not good for business. One good thing is if Detroit wins they could face Midwest rival Chicago in the next round. And if Anaheim wins they could face California rival LA.
It's Deadline Day in the NHL. And I want the Canucks to trade Roberto Luongo to the Toronto Maple Leafs. I hate Luongo. He's an overrated, whiny, douche. He's perfect for the Maple Leafs, who already have two of my least favorite players in the game.
Toronto already has Phil Kessel, who is more popular in Boston as a Maple Leaf than he ever was as a Bruin for three reasons: 1. He's the reason we have Tyler Seguin here, 2. ditto Dougie Hamilton, and 3. he's the reason HE is no longer here. He played his own way, wasn't tough, was an incomplete player, and he was greedy.
And playing for the Leafs' AHL affiliate is Mike Komisarek, former nemesis of Milan Lucic. This guy, when playing in Montreal, epitomized all that is wrong with Canadiens hockey. He would typically only get tough when guys like Lucic were safely restrained on the bench. And when Komisarek did actually grow a pair and throwdown, he'd get thrown down.
So if the Leafs acquire Luongo, it will make it easy and convenient for Bruins fans to find their most hated players all in one place. Then the Leafs can sign Matt Cooke and PK Subban to make the team's douchebaggery complete.
So as we all know, Barack Obama won the Presidential election two days ago. All well and good, until some French-Canadian douchebag decided to chime in and attempt to goad an adversary from spring 2011.
Some people say 4 more years of Obama. I look at it more like 4 more years of disgruntled goalie politically charged Facebook rants! #I❤TT
—Strombone (@strombone1) November 8, 2012
For full disclosure, nobody is 100% certain who runs the Twitter account @stromebone1. It is widely believed to be Roberto Luongo, but it's not verified.
In any case, Tim Thomas was a good goalie, Roberto Luongo is an overrated, washed up, choker. Tim Thomas did his best when it mattered most. For Luongo, the more the game mattered, the worse he played.
Even if @strombone1 is just a Luongo fan, he's seriously misguided.
Thomas has a few things in his impenetrable subterranean bunker that Luongo doesn't have. A Conn Smythe, for instance. As well as a Stanley Cup ring. Although Timmy has probably melted his ring in order to make bullets.
Some series came to an end, others were extended. The violence has subsided a bit, so now we can enjoy actual hockey.
PANTHERS 3, DEVILS 0 - (Panthers lead series 3-2)
Jose Theodore is back in net for Florida, and it worked out pretty well for the Panthers. He stopped all 30 shots he faced. The Panthers are on the verge of making everyone who was clamoring for changes in the playoff system look like fools.
Game 6 Tuesday night in Jersey.
SENATORS 2, RANGERS 0 - (Senators lead series 3-2)
Jason Spezza is the latest Senator to pick up the slack left by the absence of Daniel Alfredsson. He scored his first and second goals of the series in this game. Oh, and Craig Anderson stopped 41 shots. The Rangers were a favorite to win The Cup, and now they're facing elimination.
Game 6 tonight in Ottawa.
BLUES 3, SHARKS 1 - (Blues win series 4-1)
The Sharks were a sexy upset pick by the experts. The experts forgot that they have Joe Thornton along with goaltending issues. The Blues scored three goals in the 3rd and fully demonstrated how and why they finished the regular season with 109 points.
BLACKHAWKS 2, COYOTES 1 (OT) - (Coyotes lead series 3-2)
All five games in this series have gone into Overtime. That's ridiculous.
Game 6 tonight in Chicago.
FLYERS 5, PENGUINS 1 - (Flyers win series 4-2)
Thank God Pittsburgh is eliminated. The craniums of the remaining playoff teams are much safer thanks to their elimination. And thank God I can stop rooting for the Flyers. Danny Briere and Claude Giroux ran this series. Briere scored 5 times, Giroux scored 6 times. Sidney "Canada's Golden Boy" Crosby had 8 points in this series. And was -3 in this game. Fuck off, Penguins.
KINGS 2, CANUCKS 1 (OT) - (Kings win series 4-2)
Give Vancouver another excuse to tear apart their own city. The Canucks once again choked in the playoffs. This is a common theme with them. They can't just blame their goalie anymore, as Schneider did pretty well for himself. Maybe having a first line consisting of soft Swedes that fold faster than Ikea furniture is the problem. Maybe having guys like Burrows and Lapierre is the problem. Maybe defensemen should play defense. I don't know. I don't care. Goodbye, Vancouver.
A #8 seed beats a #1 seed in 5 games.
Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Rangers @ Senators - NBC Sports - Senators lead 3-2
9:00pm - Coyotes @ Blackhawks - CNBC - Coyotes lead series 3-2
I'm not a gambling man, but if I were, I would bet on every team that's down 3-0 in the Stanley Cup playoffs to win Game 4. Sweeps are rare in the NHL. And that 4th win is truly the hardest to get.
PENGUINS 10, FLYERS 3 - (Flyers lead series 3-1)
That's the correct score. Jordan Staal had a hat-trick, Malkin had 2 goals and an assist, 13 Penguins registered a point. The 1st period of this game was a game on its own. It was 4-3 at the end of the 1st, and 8 penalties had been handed out. By the end of the 2nd, it was 9-3 Penguins, and 52 penalty minutes had been issued. 100 total minutes were given.
In related news, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has decided to split itself into two states, named Sylvania and the Penn Republic (I stole those names from Futurama).
Game 5 Friday night in Pittsburgh, Sylvania.
SENATORS 3, RANGERS 2 (OT) - (Series tied 2-2)
With Daniel Alfredsson still out, the Senators needed offensive contributions from guys like Milan Michalek. And some production from their defensemen wouldn't hurt either. Michalek scored his first goal of the series. And Sergei Gonchar scored about 10 minutes later. Kyle Turris scored the game-winner. So this 1 vs. 8 series is now a best of three.
Game 5 Saturday night at MSG.
CANUCKS 3, KINGS 1 - (Kings lead series 3-1)
Cory Schneider is the best goalie on the Vancouver Canucks. End of story. He stopped 43 shots last night. He's only allowed 2 goals in his 2 starts this series. Luongo's career has been marked by results that never matched reputation. Schneider has no reputation, but he's producing results. Both Sedins are back in the lineup (Henrik scored last night) and this series is far from over.
Game 5 Sunday in Vancouver.
Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Panthers @ Devils - NHL Network - Panthers lead 2-1
7:30pm - Bruins @ Capitals - NESN/NBC Sports - Bruins lead 2-1
8:00pm - Coyotes @ Blackhawks - CNBC - Coyotes lead 2-1
10:30pm - Blues @ Sharks - NBC Sports - Blues lead 2-1
Thank you NBC/Universal for broadcasting all the games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, and NHL Network. This is the greatest sports tournament in the world, and it's nice to be able to watch as much of it as possible.
Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (OT) - Flyers lead series 1-0
This game was decided in the few square feet in front of the net. The Penguins dominated the crease in the 1st period (Chris Pronger's absence was very notable) and went up 3-0. Then the Flyers fought for that real-estate, eventually tying it off a tip in a few feet in front of the net. Then winning it when Jordan Staal let Jacub Voracek sneak in the backdoor. This series was the most hyped, and Game 1 lived up to expectations. And it was just a post and/or an offsides call from going Pittsburgh's way.
Game 2 Friday night.
Predators 3, Red Wings 2 - Predators lead series 1-0
Rinne won this game for Nashville. It wasn't that Howard had a bad game though. Some really freaky bounces allowed Nashville to play with a lead for most of the night. I was actually impressed with how well Detroit played. Howard looked sharp, and they killed all 6 Nashville penalties (including an extended 5-on-3). This series will be pretty good.
Nashville might lose Shea Weber for a game or more. At the end of Game 1, he grabbed Zetterberg's head and bashed it into the glass. This was as the final whistle blew. Every year, the NHL likes to declare that they're clamping down on "message sending" in the playoffs. We'll see if they actually do anything about this message.
Game 2 Friday night.
Kings 4, Canucks 2 - Kings lead series 1-0
Vancouver lives by the Power Play, and last night they died by the Power Play. The Kings scored 2 goals with a man advantage. And despite incessant praise from the announcers, Robert Luongo just wasn't very good. He wasn't bad, but nowhere near as good as his defenders claim he is. The other Canucks were up to their old tricks. Kesler got a penalty for embellishment. Byron Bitz has caught the Canucks' disease and got a 5 minute boarding penalty, and a 10 minute misconduct. The rest of the team generally whined and moaned about only getting 5 Power Plays.
Game 2 Friday night.
Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Senators @ Rangers - Game 1 - NHL Network
7:30pm - Capitals @ Bruins - Game 1 - NESN/NBC Sports
7:30pm - Sharks @ Blues - Game 1 - CNBC
10:00pm - Blackhawks @ Coyotes - Game 1 - NBC Sports
Congratulations to the Vancouver Canucks on yet another President's Trophy. We're all very impressed here in Boston.
Anyway, the Canucks bring their same old show to the 2012 Playoffs. Outstanding Power Play, high-flying offense, and goaltending that is good but always a meltdown away from massive controversy.
The Kings will try to keep these games low scoring. Their offense is one of the least potent in the NHL. They do have Vezina candidate and Milford, CT native Jonathan Quick. If Quick can steal a game or two, then the Kings could make this 1vs. 8 matchup very interesting.
In net for Vancouver is Roberto Luongo. For now. Cory Schneider is waiting in the wings. Schneider played in 33 games for the Canucks, including 5 relief appearances. His GAA was 1.97.
This goaltending controversy is actually bad news for the Kings. Because if Luongo melts down, Schneider will be there to pick up the pieces.
The Canucks might be without Daniel Sedin, which is a major blow to their chances. But the Kings might be without Jeff Carter. And the Kings are the team that's in desperate need of offensive production.
LA will make it a tough series, but they won't be able to score that pivotal 3rd goal in tight games, at least not enough to win the series.
Canucks in 6.
Series schedule:
1: Wednesday 4/11 - 10:30pm - LAK @ VAN - NHL Network
2: Friday 4/13 - 10:00pm - LAK @ VAN - NBC Sports
3: Sunday 4/15 - 10:30pm - VAN @ LAK - NBC Sports
4: Wednesday 4/18 - 10:00pm - VAN @ LAK - NBC Sports
5: Sunday 4/22 - tba - LAK @ VAN - tba
6: Tuesday 4/24 - tba - VAN @ LAK - tba
7: Thursday 4/26 - tba - LAK @ VAN - tba
The Bruins have announced that Nathan Horton will miss the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs. This isn't much of a shock, but it's still a disappointment. Horton was a major part of the Bruins' 2011 Cup run, with 3 game winning goals (two of them in Game 7s). When he was injured by the Canucks, the Bruins seemed to focus their efforts and rally around him. And we all know how well that turned out.
Horton is the latest in a long line of talented players that have to watch NHL games from the stands because of concussions. And I don't think issuing 2 or 5 or even 10 game suspensions will solve the problem.
The players need to police themselves, not launch at opponents who have their heads down. It seems like concussions are occurring as often on clean hits as they are on dirty ones.
The rules need to be altered to allow for some clutching, grabbing, and interference. I don't want to see the game slow down, but give a defending player more options than just a hard shoulder check into the boards.
Anyway, I think we'll all miss Horton during this postseason.
There's really only two interesting parts of the NHL's All-Star weekend: the draft, and seeing whether or not Chara can break his own fastest shot record. Last night was the draft, with Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and former Senator Zdeno Chara picking teams.
Not surprisingly, all the Slovaks and Bruins wound up on Chara's team. All the Swedes and Senators found their way to Alfredsson's team. Carey Price will also be on Team Chara. So will Dennis Wideman. No Canucks wound up with Chara.
But Phil Kessel did. I'm so glad Kessel is not on the Bruins. He puts up impressive numbers (except against the B's), but he's such an awkward creep. Chara's assistant captain for the draft was Toronto's Joffrey Lupul, so the Maple Leaf connection saved PK81 from more shame.
So Tim Thomas, Tyler Seguin, and Zdeno Chara will be on the same team. I'm going to predict that Thomas will allow 4 or 5 goals (no defense in the All-Star Game), Chara will win Fastest Shot, and Seguin will get a hat-trick.
Even if the Canucks had won Cup last year, I'd much rather be a Bruins fan than a Canucks fan. I feel kind of bad for the fans of Vancouver, having to root for the likes of Roberto Luongo, Maxim Lapierre, Dale Weise, Alex Burrows, et cetera. A goalie who doesn't want to play in goal. A coward. A guy who skates away from a fight. A fiend. It must kind of suck to have to support the likes of these characters.
There were two games on Saturday afternoon. There was the game when Vancouver was on the Power Play, which the Canucks won 4-0. And there was the game when they weren't. Which the Bruins won 3-0. There were 107 penalty minutes issued and 18 Power Plays for both teams. 13:34 of this game was played with the Canucks having at least one man advantage.
To be fair to the refs, this was a hard game to officiate. These teams do not like each other. And the refs called the game tight for both teams. And the refs did a good job not allowing Dale Weise to get away with goading Shawn Thornton into dropping the gloves then not fighting.
Unfortunately, the refs were a bit inconsistent. Some hits and stickwork was called for 2 minutes. Some wasn't. Some calls confused me. Seguin's tripping call, Krejci's goaltender interference, the 3rd period holding penalty on Alexander Edler. And why was it that Alex Burrows waves the blade of his stick at Thornton's eyes, the lines brawl, and somehow the Bruins emerge down 2 men?
The officials' inconsistency favored both teams at timse. And credit must be given to Vancouver for their special teams' play. Their Power Play won them the game. And the Bruins' lack of a Power Play cost the B's the game. The Bruins had 7 chances with a man advantage. And failed each time.
I actually think the PP slowed down the Bruins' momentum at times. They were attacking in the middle of the 2nd, for instance, then drew a penalty, then played a static, undramatic, uninspired two minutes of 5 on 4, then drifted through the rest of the 2nd.
This game was weird. It was emotional. It was rarely 5 on 5. Vancouver won, fair and square. But if this were Game 1 of a 7 game series, I'd like the Bruins chances to win.
There may be future ramifications for the Bruins. The NHL rescinded Lucic's game misconduct, which was a correct call. Lucic didn't climb over the boards, he was still on the ice in the middle of a line change, as were several Canucks.
Marchand has a hearing with the NHL today. And I don't think he'll just be fined. His clipping penalty was a good call. He's claiming that he was trying to protect himself but it didn't seem that way. The hit was dirty. And unnecessary/stupid. The refs had been calling EVERY infraction up to that point so it was stupid for Marchand to risk giving Vancouver another power play.
Marchand has already been fined this year. He was suspended last season. He has a reputation that's growing more and more infamous. I think he should be suspended, and will be. For 2 games, I'd say.
Vancouver won a game. Good for them. And good luck in the playoffs when half the penalties called on Saturday won't be called. And good luck in the playoffs with a star goalie who doesn't demand to play in big games like this one.
The Bruins stand up for their teammates. They have goalies who crave big games. They have fighters, not talkers. They didn't get a win on Saturday, but they can and should be happy that they are much better than the Canucks, and not just at hockey.
There's just nothing to respect about the Vancouver Canucks. The latest news is that their starlet goalie Roberto Luongo will not start in Boston tomorrow. Which is odd because he last played on Wednesday and would apparently have ample rest. Instead, backup goalie and BC alum and Marblehead, MA native Cory Schneider will start. Schneider is 8-5-1 with a very respectable 2.16 GAA.
But shouldn't Luongo want to start? He struggled in the 3 games in Boston during the Stanley Cup Finals, so shouldn't that be his motivation for wanting to play? Nope. He doesn't want a chance to acquire a morsel of peace of mind. He doesn't want a chance to exorcise some demons and, for his own sake, to get past the past.
And that's why he's such a loser. He's always been soft when it matters most. He doesn't do well in challenging situations. He often finds ways to avoid them. He plays the wrong position for that kind of mentality.
Then there's the remarks from Daniel Sedin. When asked about what would happen if Brad Marchand once again used his face as a speedbag, Sedin said:
"I think the referees, I hope, are going to call a penalty and we'll be on the power play,"
Really? That's the best you can do? Hope the refs call a penalty? Not stand up for yourself and try to stop it. Not hope your teammates, your linemates, your own brother doesn't come over and stand up for you?
There's just nothing to respect about the Canucks. There's other teams I hate in the NHL. Montreal, Philly, Pittsburgh, New York. But I have some respect for things they do. Montreal can skate. Pittsburgh's gritty. Et cetera. But the Canucks flop, whine, and turtle.
The Bruins begin their defense of the Stanley Cup (God that felt good to write) on October 6th at home. They'll get to raise the banner (another orgasmic phrase to type out) as they host the Philadelphia Flyers. On October 8th, they'll play a rematch of the Eastern Conference Championship against the Lightning, also at home.
The big date that stands out is January 7th, when the Canucks come to town. The Bruins will not travel to Vancouver.
Canadien games:
Thursday 10/27 in Boston
Saturday 10/29 in Montreal
Monday 11/21 in Montreal
Monday 12/19 in Boston
Thursday 1/12 in Boston
Wednesday 2/15 in Montreal
The Detroit Red Wings come to town on November 25th in the Black Friday matinee.
The Bruins will host the Flyers on St. Patrick's Day (Saturday March 17) in what will probably be the drunkest game of the year, despite the 1:00pm start time.
The Bruins make their first trip to Winnipeg on Tuesday December 6th.
Phil Kessel and the Maple Leafs will come to town on October 20th, December 3rd, and March 19th.
The regular season will end Saturday April 7th when the B's host the Sabres.
Not surprisingly, Timmy Thomas won his second Vezina Trophy, becoming only the 5th goalie to claim the honor more than once since they started awarding it in 1982. Patrick Roy, Ed Belfour, Dominek Hasek, and Martin Brodeur are the other multiple winners. Not bad company to be among. What's kind of a sad surprise is that Thomas was the top selection on only 17 of 30 ballots, meaning 13 people felt like someone had a better season than him. I'm guessing many of those votes went to Luongo. And that's really too bad.
Zdeno Chara didn't win the Norris for best defenseman. That went to perennial winner Nicklas Lidstrom for the 7th time. It's hard to argue against Lidstrom, especially since he's nearing the end of an illustrious career. I personally think Chara's ability to shutdown the top line of an opponent while simultaneously leading the NHL in +/- warrants the award, but maybe next year. And ultimately, Lidstrom has defined that position for this generation of players. It's tough to argue against him being awarded anything.
Chara did take home the Mark Messier Award for Leadership. And that's appropriate. I think Chara proved in the playoffs that he's become a leader. Last year, he struggled to perform in the postseason. This year, he rallied his team, most notable after Horton went down, and led with his words and his deeds.
What pleased me most was that Daniel Sedin didn't win the Hart Trophy for MVP. Corey Perry of the Ducks won that. While I would've given it to Thomas, I'd rather see Perry win it than any other skater. Perry was THE guy on the Ducks, and led them to the playoffs. Sedin was one of many pieces to Vancouver's regular season dominance. It's tough to give an MVP to a guy who literally has a duplicate on his team.
Other awards:
Art Ross (regular season scoring leader): Daniel Sedin - Vancouver
Selke (Outstanding defensive forward): Ryan Kesler - Vancouver
Jack Adams (Coach of the year): Dan Bylsma - Pittsburgh
Jennings (Fewest goals allowed): Roberto Luongo and Corey Schneider - Vancouver
Ted Lindsay (MVP voted by players): Daniel Sedin - Vancouver
King Clancy (Leadership and humanitarian contributions): Doug Weight - NY Islanders
Lady Byng (Skillful and gentlemanly play): Martin St. Louis - Tampa Bay
So it's nice to see that Vancouver gets some trophies anyway. Although I wonder if they'll destroy half their downtown area because Sedin didn't take home the Hart.
I wonder if Roberto Luongo will have any more critiques for Tim Thomas. I have my doubts. The cocksure goaltender didn't even last a period, and I have to say that each goal he allowed was pretty unforgivable for a goalie. You won't hear Thomas say that, because he respects the camaraderie that goalies share. But I don't have such scruples. Luongo sucked, the Bruins took advantage, and now the series is tied 3-3.
Tim Thomas deserves the Conn Smythe right now. Who else could win it?
But that being said, Roberto Luongo has had the biggest impact on this series. When he performs adequately, the Canucks win. When he doesn't, they lose. He's controlled this duel from Game 1, much more than Thomas has, even though Thomas has by far been the better goalie.
I guess what I'm saying is that even if Luongo does well, the Bruins need to find a way to win. They need to get production from the Power Play, they need to take care of the puck. They're going to need to win a close game on the road to bring the Cup where it belongs to Boston. The hockey gods are not pleased with the diving of the Sedins, or the shenanigans of Burrows, or how pillow soft Lapierre is, or the dastardly hit by Rome. The hockey gods want the Cup in Boston. The Bruins need to appease the hockey gods, and win it.
