Detroit Red Wings & the NHL

[*JD*]

I'm hoping the Wings can somehow get to the 7th seed.

[Optimus Prime]

There a good chance Minnesota will continue to self-destruct. 4-8 this month with 2 games left on their schedule, if they split or lose a shootout, Wings will catch them.

Of course Detroit needs to win their 2 remaining games in order to do so.

ION....Crosby expects to get cleared to play either today or tomorrow by his doctors. If so, he likely will return to the Pens lineup to start the playoffs next Wednesday either against the NYR's or Ottawa for round 1 of the SCP.

[Optimus Prime]

Crazy Frenchmen, QMJHL playoff hockey does not disappoint. Watch the 4 goalies scrap!

[youtube]3rboO-QJMfY[/youtube]

It’s been a long time since fight fans have been treated to a good, old-fashioned bench-clearing brawl, but we got one on Wednesday night after the buzzer sounded to end Game 4 of the heavily hyphenated Baie-Comeau Drakkar-Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL semifinal playoff series.

[Optimus Prime]

According to THN:

"When you’re picking the four teams you think will advance the furthest, resist the temptation to look at the “L10” column in the NHL standings. That’s because, historically, there’s almost no correlation between how a team does down the stretch and whether or not it wins the Stanley Cup.

That is, with two exceptions. Over the past 25 seasons, only twice has the team with the best record in the last 10 games of the season won the Stanley Cup – the New York Rangers in 1994 and the Calgary Flames in 1989. In fact, the team with the best record in the league in the last 10 games is more likely to lose in the first round of the playoffs than it is to win the Cup.

Over the past 20 years, the team with the best record in the final 10 games of the season has lost in the first round of the playoffs 11 times, including four times in the past five years. It has lost in the second round 10 times, in the conference final three times and in the Stanley Cup final twice. (Yes, that adds up to 26 teams, but there were several years where multiple teams were tied for the best record over the last 10 games.)

And while it’s not advisable to completely suck wind down the stretch, it certainly isn’t a requirement. Over the past 20 playoffs, the Stanley Cup winner has gained an average of only 12.2 of a possible 20 points in its final 10 games. In 2002, the Detroit Red Wings were a putrid 1-3-6 down the stretch, which was a worse record than that posted by all other playoff teams that season. When the Montreal Canadiens won it all in 1992-93, they posted just a 4-6-0 record in their last 10.

In fact, no Stanley Cup winner over the past 20 years has produced a record better than 7-2-1. Last season, the Los Angeles Kings were furious in the second half of the season, but were actually just 5-2-3 in their final 10. Seven teams that made the playoffs had better records than that, including the 8-1-1 Vancouver Canucks, who fell to the Kings in the first round."

[Optimus Prime]

Penguins practicing a power-play unit of Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Letang and Iginla.

If it clicks this will be one formidable power-play unit, the rest of the NHL will have their hands full.

Oh, is that the best you can do, Pittsburgh? It's only four guys who have scored 40 goals or more in one season and arguably the best power-play quarterback in the NHL in Kris Letang.

We knew after the Penguins acquired Jarome Iginla that this was possible, but it's still eye-popping to see on paper. The idea is that it will be just as eye-popping on the ice. Before this group has even played together, the Pens already own the league's second-best power play at a 24-percent conversion rate.

[Hannibal]

Playoffs, bitches!

And we get to play Anaheim instead of Chicago. Winning a playoff series seems doable.

[WingsFan]

:-D:-D:-D

Red Wings are playing great hockey to end the regular season (if that matters). Only 14 goals given up in last 11 games.

:-D:-D:-D

[madootra]

They are ceratinly playing their best hockey of the season right now. Couldn't imagine better timing.

[WingsFan]

Here you go OP, don't say I never gave you anything :-)

[Optimus Prime]

Thanks Packy, nice push by the Wings, I think the acquisition of Danny Deykser solidified their backend, he's got a bright Future.

Howard appears to be on a roll and I think Chicago is relieved not to have to open the first round against Detroit.

Tough break for Columbus, they were dead last in the West last year but tied Minnesota for the 8th final playoff seed. The Wild get in as they had the better head-to-head record but Minnesota ownership must be thinking they got burned when acquiring Ryan Suter and Zack Parise for all that cash and the team essentially crashes and burns. LOL

[iam416]

Columbus won 8 of it's last 9 and finished on an 19-5-3 run. Tough to close much better than that.

Meh. Let's go Pens!

[Optimus Prime]

AKA "The Beast in the East"!. 18-6 on the road, 18-6 at home, balance and 8-2 over last 10 games.

In their Finale, thump Carolina 8-3, Neal returns from concussion with the hat-trick, nice little playoff tuneup.

IR: Sid Crosby (day-today) & Brooks Orpik (day-to-day) expected to play next Wednesday as the Pens open at home against either the Ottawa Senators or NY Islanders.

Crosby update: consensus is that he will be ready-to-go:

Kunitz said after practice that Crosby "was the guy wearing all that plastic," while Dupuis invoked the name of a junior-hockey phenom while describing Crosby's appearance.
"I didn't recognize him," Dupuis said. "He looked like that Connor McDavid, with the full cage on."
What likely matters most, though, is that Crosby looked a lot like, well, Crosby during the workout.
"He has another level that nobody else can ever get to," Kunitz said. "He makes it a lot of fun, even in practice, watching him score some goals. It's fun just having him back out there."
Crosby didn't look like someone who hadn't practiced or played in nearly a month, but it's worth noting that he wasn't subjected to any physical punishment.
That certainly will not be the case when he resumes playing. If anything, opposing players are likely to target his jaw for contact at every opportunity.
"I realize that," Crosby said. "I'll do my best to not put myself in that position [to be hit], but it is going to happen. That's the playoffs, that's how it goes. I fully expect that. I'm OK with that.


Remember the name Connor McDavid , he's had back-to-back hat-tricks at the World Under 18 Championship in Sochi Russia, shattering Ovechkin's old tournament record.

Pimped Czech Republic & Sweden in the semi's and now play the USA for Gold today. He's only 16 years old, but many consider him to be the "Next One"! (Of course there will only ever be one, The Great One, Gretzky!)

[Optimus Prime]

USA beat Russia 4-3 in a shootout to win a crack at the unbeaten Canadian squad in the Final.

Update:

CANADA BEATS US TO WIN WORLD UNDER-18 HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

SOCHI, Russia -- Frederik Gauthier's second-period goal stood as the winner as Canada won the world under-18 men's hockey championship on Sunday with a 3-2 victory over the United States.

Tournament MVP, you guessed it, Connor McDavid.

[Tony G]

Wicked AHL save

[ame]http://youtu.be/UdiHOogSZWU[/ame]

[Optimus Prime]

NHL Playoffs, get your picks in before Tuesday. I will post shortly (this evening), catching a 7am flight this morning to Dallas.

Eastern Conference
(1) PIT v (8 ) NYI ---------- (2) MTL v (7) OTT
(3) WAS v (6) NYR ---------- (4) BOS v (5) TOR

Western Conference
(1) CHI v (8 ) MIN --------- (2) ANA v (7) DET
(3) VAN v (6) SJ -------- (4) STL v (5) LA