Leafs Slip By The Oilers In OT

If you wanted to watch some old run 'n gun type of hockey lately then you should of focused on last night's game between the Leafs and Oilers. Nothing like stepping back in time and seeing two young teams who can skate like the wind and aren't afraid of making some mistakes along the way and play a fun game to watch.

With just 98 seconds into the game the Toronto Maple Leafs were up 2-0, more goals scored by them in the past two games (sorry Coach Wilson, just saying....). These beauties were scored by Jeffery Lupul, a nice snapper off the wing, and the second by Matthew Lombardi, who received a nice feed from Franson to break in on Oilers net minder Khabibulin and blow a shot by him at the 1:38 minute mark.

But only a minute or so later the Oilers Ben Eager snapped a shot past Reimer to narrow the lead to 2-1. Mr. Eager was a busy guy, for just 2 minutes later he was into some fisticuffs with the Leafs Mike Brown and by my view point he pulled that one off to for a winning TKO.

Going into the second wasn't much different than the second as both teams traded chances and came close to blowing the game wide open but with some stiller goal tending at both ends it remained 2-1 until roughly the half way mark when Taylor Hall blew by the Leafs who seemed to be standing watching this young gun take control as he shot his 20th of the year past a sprawling Reimer.

The Third period again wasn't much different as the first two periods, very entertaining to watch for the fans but for the coaches it was a nightmare filled with give aways thus causing any coach to throw in the towel and head for the nearest watering hole to sooth his sorrow. But the coaches remain behind their benches and watched the two teams battle and each score one a piece to keep it tied at 3-3. Jake Gardiner with a hard slapper from the point that blew through everyone including the K-wall. Then Jordon Eberle's snap shot tied it all up at the 15 minute mark to have the teams head into overtime.

The fast play didn't stop in overtime either and I felt it even picked up a bit more as both teams went end to end with their chances when finally at the 1:39 mark of OT after the Leafs Captain broke up a 3 on 1 by the Oilers, the Leafs turned it around and went back down the ice with their own 3 on 1 with Lupul leading the rush. As all the fans were standing and cheering the end to end action, Tim Connolly (remember him?) broke hard to the net and tipped in a perfect pass from Lupul to put the OT win away for your beloved Leafs.

Notes from the Game.

Oilers outshot the Leafs 32 to 26 while the Leafs went 1 for 4 on the power play. Mired in a 4 game losing streak and being outscored 10-1 the Leafs break out with 4 goals from 4 different players. With this victory for the Leafs it puts them in eighth three points ahead of ninth-place Washington.

Tim Connolly's dry spell of not scoring ended at the 17 game mark.

Jake Gardiner has played in 52 games so far this season the most in any of his career. Since John-Michael Liles has been back from injury he hasn't scored in 8 games and really hasn't helped on the power play for the Leafs either.

Final Note.

Past Leaf defenseman Bryan McCabe has decided to hang the blades up for good. Number 24 for the Leafs played 523 games for the Blue and White (most time spent with one club) mentioned the paperwork just needs to be filled out and will be doing some scouting for Florida.

Leafs are off to Vancouver to play the Canucks on Saturday 18th, game time 7pm eastern.

Until next time,

See you after the game

Coach Nye

Blue Jackets Struggle Their Way Through Another Rough Season

The Columbus Blue Jackets had high hopes for this season with the off-season acquisitions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski.  Those hopes were quickly dashed as they got off to the worst start in franchise history (1-9-1).  They have been plagued with inconsistent play at all positions and have had a coaching change.  Scott Arniel was fired after the team sat 11-25-5 under him, since then interim Head Coach Todd Richards has shown some improvement as the team sits 6-9-1 under him. 

Why are they struggling so much?  The answer is simple; the players need to show up and preform every night and they just aren’t doing so.  One of those players is Blue Jackets starting Goaltender Steve Mason.  Mason (23) the former Canadian World Juniors gold medalist/ tournament MVP and 08-09 NHL rookie of the year has been inconsistent at best.   He blew everyone away a few years ago in his rookie season while capturing the Calder Trophy and Leading the Jackets to their first ever playoff appearance, but has yet to consistently recapture the magic.  He has been outplayed by the teams other goalie Curtis Sanford.  Mason is 7-20-2 with a 3.40 GAA and a .887 saves % while Sanford holds a record of 10-13-4 with a 2.52 GAA and a .915 saves %.  Sanford (32) who previous to this year hadn’t played in the NHL since 08-09, spent the past two seasons in the AHL with the Hamilton Bulldogs. 

Off-season acquisition Jeff Carter has also fell short of expectations.  Carter has Just 12 goals and 21 points so far and is a -9.  Carter (27) has been banged up from time to time and only played in 36 games and has yet to consistently look like the game-changer he was in Philadelphia.  He has been a 30+ goal scorer in each of the past three seasons and was a 46 goal scorer in 08-09.  He has shown glimpses of his old self such as his first period hat-trick against Nashville back in December but the same as Mason, has yet to consistently preform at the high level expected of him. 

The Blue Jackets have a lot of uncertainties.  Will team captain Rick Nash be traded or remain with the team after the trade deadline?  Who will be their Head Coach next season? Will Steve Mason ever recapture his rookie year magic?  One thing has become certain though, this will not be the year the Blue Jackets make their second playoff appearance.

--- Andrew Grimm   twitter @andrewgrimm39

So that’s fun: The Skid hits nine in a row.

First of all everyone in Chicago, who is suddenly an expert, needs to calm down and come off the ledge, Right Now! Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith should not be traded. Alexander Salak is not the answer in goal and as far as Ryan Miller goes, the Olympics were two years ago and right now Corey Crawford might have more confidence.  I think there are SEVERAL reasons why the Blackhawks just suffered their ninth loss in a row and in no particular order.

Goaltending

Is Corey Crawford the answer in net for the long term future for a team that will contend for the Stanley Cup for close to the next decade with their core of talent? I think the jury is out, he has developed the propensity of giving up really soft goals. His positioning at times is questionable at best and his confidence appears to be shaky. However we saw what he was capable last season and the defense this year has been nowhere near to what it was last year and in 2010 where they raised Antti Niemi to cult-like status in the Windy City.

Defense

Let’s be honest they are truly dressing 3.5 to 4 defensemen a night. Keith and Seabrook, Leddy and Montador. However a major problem, Nick Leddy is not anywhere close to being ready for the ice time he is getting as the 3^rd man on the D corps. Now with the concussion sustained by Nik Hjallmarsson the blueline is threadbare. This MUST be an issue addressed by Stan Bowman before the February 27^th trade deadline.

Injuries

As it goes in this sport, the brass will never admit it, also as it goes in Chicago, the media will never ask about it after Q or Stan gives the first answer. I have a sneaking suspicion that Jonathon Toews is playing hurt. We know Patrick Sharp has been with a broken bone in his wrist. Niklas Hjalmarsson has been out the past week with a concussion mucking up the already dirty defense picture.  

Stan Bowman

What the hell did your Dad teach you? Yes he was hamstrung with cap hell after the Stanley Cup season. Most of that he created himself as the assistant GM under Dale Tallon, he missed the qualifying offer deadline and forced the Hawks to give overblown contracts to players like Kris Versteeg, and Cam Barker. Bowman has done a decent to bad job of finding roll players to fill holes left by many of the departures after 2010. I will always give him credit for unloading Cam Barker for Nick Leddy, because Leddy’s upside is much bigger than Barkers

Joel Quenneville

He can be awesome and he can be incredibly frustrating, Q will go down as the coach of the team that brought Chicago its first Stanley Cup in almost 50 years. Which in Chicago carries a lot of weight, Mike Dikta is still a god, no matter what meathead vitriol he spews on ESPN. However in last year and a half Quenneville has consistently mixed and matched lines and as well as mixed and matched goaltenders. He has a propensity of playing a certain large 6’8 defensemen less than 5 minutes a game while not giving others even look like Sami Lepisto.  The team itself and Stan Bowman on many occasions defended Q and have said multiple times he is not going anywhere and he hasn’t lost the team. This will remain to be seen.

Conclusion

Is the sky falling? Maybe as because as of February 15th the Blackhawks sit in sixth place in the West, however only 3 points out of the ninth spot. A month ago, I thought how nice it was that the Blackhawks were flip-flopping between 1^st and 2^nd in the conference and no matter what happened they wouldn’t have to worry about making the playoffs like they did last year. It appears we may be in for another bumpy end of the season, if the team doesn’t turn it around, I still don’t expect massive changes because frankly the track record of these players and this coach doesn’t dictate it. However there is no excuse for a team so talented to keep this play up, its unfathomable and unacceptable.

- Joe DeTolve

Leafs Run Into Hot Goalie in Calgary

When you are coming off a bad game and on a 3 game losing strike you are hoping that you have seen the last of all the past troubles right?...unless you run into a very hot goaltender, which the Leafs did tonight in Calgary.

With a slow start into the game which caused a 2 goal deficient before most of the Leafs could get their laces tied up, the Flames were running and gunning there way to a blow out. As Coach Wilson stated after the game," We made to many bad mistakes on the back end, way to many poor decisions against a team who is also fighting for a playoff spot"

When your top line forgets how to play defense and your defense forgets how to play..well you get it, just a bad night for our beloved Leafs.

With 8 minutes into the game and the Flames up 2-0, I had a feeling maybe this isn't going to be a great start to a 3 game road trip but come the 16 minute mark Tyler Bozak pops in a rebound from a shot off Lupul to make the score 2-1.

Going into the second period the teams traded scoring chances until 9:15 when Paul Byron was awarded a penalty shot after he was hooked down by former Flame Dion Phaneuf. The result of the PS was a nifty move by Byron to his forehand and a shot pass a sprawling Gustavsson. That was all she wrote as they say in the movies!

The third period showed a strong effort by the Leafs but the 'Kipper' shut the door for the Flames and handed the Leafs their 4th lose in a row.

It doesn't help that the Leafs went 0-4 on the power play, hit a couple of crossbars and some posts but we can't make excuses, this is a game the Leafs needed to win and they needed to do it with a strong effort from all, as it is looking now maybe the next game tomorrow against the Oilers is a must win now.

Notes from the game.

Leafs out shot the Flames 38-32 and were 0-4 on the PP

The Leafs are 28-23-6 and on a four game losing streak, their first 4 game losing streak of this season.

Flames first and only penalty shot this season so far, not bad 1 for 1!

Trade rumour...Schenn, Lupul and first round pick for Nash!! we will see.

Until Next Time,

See you After the Game,

Coach Nye

The Hunks of Hockey - Letang, Lundqvist and Kesler are legendary

This one is for all us ladies.  God knows we love our boys of winter and we like it when they rack up the goals and victories.  But, if you are like me, we also love the boys of winter hanging out on "vaca"; rolling around on the bed, or getting dressed to kill. I am new to GetRealHockey but I will do my best to bring some of the better and cuter parts of the "beautiful" game to this blog.  Yes, I know some of you love Maxim Lapierre and then again some of you can't live without him.  Patrick Sharp and Brandon Dubinski also have their crazy fan base who worship the ground they walk on. Today however we are going to go out there and look at some of the boys I love.  My blog post so my rules. :)

Here are my three choices for tonight's post.  I now that not everyone will agree but I think this is a good start. 

Kris Letang is a must have for all us ladies.  The man is a genius on the blue line and not so bad hanging out in his trunk.  He makes all the Pens look beautiful on the power play and he brings the beautiful IQ on and off the ice.

Henrik Lundqvist is the most beautiful thing in the Big Apple.  Thanks god that goalies play with a mask.  Relaxing in bed is a nice look for our power Ranger.  Love him. Yum...Yum... 

Ryan Kesler is well Ryan Kesler.  Full of talent, six pack, and well you know what.  This pic gives us all a reason to watch a Canucks game and smile in secret while the men around us cheer like idiots.

I hope everyone enjoyed these pics because I know I did.   See ya next time and don't forget to send in your selections for my next post on the Hunks of Hockey.

- Keeley Ryan

UK Round Up 14th February – Tendler Suspended and No Valentines Love Between the Steelers and the Panthers

It was an important day for the Elite League and British hockey as there were two big news stories in the EIHL today both coming out of Yorkshire.

Firstly in Hull the Stingrays have announced they will be without top scorer Jerome Tendler for some time as the forward has failed a drugs test.

Tendler has been missing from the Stingrays line up for 4 games since being informed of the news that he had tested positive after a game against the Coventry Blaze on January 15^th. The actual substance the Canadian was found to have taken has not been released yet but was described by the organisation as a ‘specified substance,’ which according to the World Anti Doping Authority, WADA, is one that is ‘more susceptible to a credible, non-doping explanation.’

Tendler will remain suspended from playing duties until his case is heard by the UK Anti Doping Agency however if found guilty Tendler could face a punishment of anything from a warning to a 2 year ban. The EIHL has not announced whether or not it plans to take its own disciplinary measures against the player or not.

It is a huge blow for the Stingrays who currently lie 7^th in the table and are looking to secure their playoff spot.

On the other side of Yorkshire there was no Valentines Day love to be shown at the Motorpoint Arena as the Sheffield Steelers faced their biggest rivals the Nottingham Panthers. Eleven years after a mass brawl on the ice in the NIC between the two sides there has been little love ever since.

Tonight’s meeting was important for both sides, as both need a win to keep the pressure up on Belfast at the top of the table. The tone was set early as David Clarke put the Panthers ahead after just over a minute only for Colt King to reply for home side less than a minute later.

The second period followed a similar pattern as Birnstill this time put the Steeler’s in front before Robert Lachowicz replied for the Panthers. The deadlock was finally broken in the third period as the Panthers penalty troubles caught up with them with Steelers player coach Ryan Finnerty notching the gaming-winning goal after fighting with Brock Wilson earlier in the game.

Jonathan Philips netted with just over a minute remain to seal the victory, move the Steelers 3 points clear of the Panthers in second place and 2 points closer to the Giants but also seals a first win in 5 attempts so far this season against their arch rivals.

Results

Elite League

Tuesday 14^th February

Nottingham Panthers 2 Sheffield Steelers 4

Neil Tucker

www.bluelinehockeyblog.wordpress.com