OH CANADA LOVES THE OH CANUCKS !!!

Looks like the entire country of Canada is getting ready for the Crazy Canucks of Vancouver to face off against the Bruins for the Stanley Cup.  Canada is hockey crazy but it has been two decades since they have had a Canadian based team to rout for in the final. These have got Canadians routing for them from coast to coast so NO PRESSURE !!! LOL !!!

The green men are now legends across the NHL.  The boys from Beantown will step into the pressure cooker when they head to the West Coast.  These comedians in the green tights will drive the uppity Bruins a little crazy.  I can't Chara and the boys standing for the theatrics without some snap back.   

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5hCK5cGVMq6GDvo4pgswV5321Mdxg?docId=6868358

The Bruins are well known for being a little weak in the knees when it comes to playing on the road. Andrew Ference couldn't tolerate playing in front of the Habs hometown crowd and had to resort to the one figure salute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGF0PXpKbws

The green men are a little nuts and Ference will have to expect some kick back for what he does then and maybe what he has done in the past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXUUiK5IMNo

Luongo is key to a Canucks victory and championship.  We think he is up to the task.  The question is which Tim Thomas will show up for the Bruins.  Will it be the guy who defended the net against the Habs and the Flyers or will it be the one who sneaked the Bruins past the Lightning. We like Vancouver for now as champs.  It might change but heck the Canucks have the green men.  How can the Bruins' compete with that ??

A CANUCKS VERSUS BRUINS FINAL SEEMS TO BE IN THE CARDS

Monday night's clash between Tampa Bay and Boston was a perfect example of a good team getting lucky.  The Bruins triumphed 3-1 over the Lightning despite being outshot and out hustled.  The final score was deceptive, Boston was under fire all night but Thomas came up big as expected.

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2011/05/looking-for-bruins-to-bounce-back-tim.html

The Black and Gold have got tons of character and we think the next game will be the last for this series. These guys will not let the Bolts off the hook and Tampa could come unglued in the next game if Boston manages to get an early lead.  The young stars playing for the Lightning don't seem to want it bad enough right now.   Bergenheim is done and Stamkos and the other Bolt hotshots have yet to produce to the level expected. In order to beat Boston they are going to have to score a ton of goals against Thomas and that will be almost impossible.  Tim Thomas is a clutch player and he is going to want to play for a ring.   He can taste it !!!

Now a Bruins versus Canucks final seems a definite possibility. Vancouver has got the Sharks number and we don't see them letting up. Joe Thornton fell to Raffi Thomas late in the last Sharks encounter but he has stated that he will play in the matchup on Tuesday.  This will not be enough for the Sharks.  The Sedins and Salo have come alive and the hustle of Torres and Kesler will close the book on San Jose.

 

We know have a Luongo versus Thomas matchup staring us in the face, if things go as expected. The final is going to be a barn burner.  This is going to be sweet boys and girls, so stay tuned !!!

LOOKING FOR THE BRUINS TO BOUNCE BACK !! TIM THOMAS IS KEY !!

The Lightning have been firing on all cylinders during the current playoff round versus the Bruins.  Tampa Bay has a high flying group of sharpshooters which have proven to be somewhat of a problem for  Tim Thomas and the Bruins' blue liners.  Young forwards like Purcell and Bergenheim are consistently good and  Stamkos and Lecavelier are always a problem for opponents.   The Bruins have to come out tonight and keep the Bolts back peddling.  The B's are stronger and they have an in your face game that should put Tampa on their heels.  Once the Bruins lose control of the middle of the middle of the ice, it's game over.  

The obvious question here is how far can Tampa go on the back of a 41 year old goaltender.  Roloson  looks a little tired and more heroics could be hard to come by.  Tim Thomas is ten times the goalie that Roloson is on any night.  Thomas led the Bruins past the Habs and he was a big reason that the Flyers were sent packing with ease.  Bergeron, Chara, and Seguin will also have to play a decisive role if Boston is to take a lead tonight. This team is better rounded than Tampa and they will have to take it up a notch.  Our writers have been on top of Boston all year so we have high expectations.   

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2010/10/cup-aspiring-bruins-ink-bergeron-to.html

http://getrealhockey.blogspot.com/2010/12/old-man-recchi-still-very-much-wrecking.html

Boston is a beast when they are locked and loaded.  The question is, which Boston team will show up tonight ???

Vigneault, Higgins, Lapierre - Winning is becoming a HAB-it for Canucks !!!

The Canucks are aiming straight for the Cup and with their recent play, they are making believers out of the entire league.  The team which boasts superstars like Salo, Luongo and the Sedins; has a distinct Montreal taste to it.   Vancouver is a well balanced group which has the European flash with North American grit.  Kesler and Torres have been key components to the recent run but we tip our hat to Higgins and Lapierre as well.  These two recent acquisitions by the Canucks have the common thread of having played for the Montreal Canadiens.  

Playing for the Habs gave both players the tough skin to endure high pressure situations.  The playoffs are the ultimate pressure cooker for NHLers and Higgins and Lapierre have responded in a standout way for Vancouver.  When the Blackhawks were spooking the Canucks in the first round both these guys became leaders off and on the ice and gave them the edge to carry on.  Alain Vigneault ,who was the bench boss for the Habs at one time , obviously recognized the plus for playing for Montreal.  His acquisition of Lapierre and Higgins could prove to be the understated catalyst for a Canucks victory in the final for the Cup.  Nothing is guaranteed but we like the odds. 

Go Canucks !!!  Eat your heart out Montreal !!!    The Canucks have the winning Hab - it !!!

HOPKINS, CANUCKS AND THE END OF THE WORLD !!!

Last night was bound to be different.  Just like the "rest" of the world, anything was expected as the clock approached 6 PM.  For weeks the internet was buzzing with doomsday  predictions from the founder of FamilyRadio.com.  Luckily for everyone from New Zealand to Hawaii, the 6 PM deadline came and went and the biggest winner of the night turned out to be the entire planet.  When the clock struck 6 PM last night and the earth didn't open up and swallow up my couch, I got ready for a week of sports spectaculars. 

With "disaster" firmly us, Bernard Hopkins showed everyone that anything is possible.  He managed to battle to a new championship  by beating Jean Pascal in Montreal.  The victory was convincing and the crowd in Montreal seemed stunned when Hopkins was declared World Champion at the age of 46.  By becoming World Champion , Hopkins became a boxing legend "again" and he will be revered like of George Foreman who became World Champion at the age of 45.

The NHL playoffs are still at the top of the watch list for us, this week.  The Bruins and the Lightning are locked in a death match swinging back and forth.  We still like Boston to come out on top to eventually face the Canucks for the Cup.  Tim Thomas is the key for Boston and he is going to have to buckle under and shut down the run and gun Lightning offence.       

The Vancouver Canucks are back at it and managed to smash the Sharks back into their place on Sunday with an afternoon victory.  Niemi has been doing his best to imitate Brian Boucher all series long.  The goaltending for the Sharks has been sad and it is starting to affect the team as a whole. The firepower from the Sharks is in short supply and the Canucks seemed poised to make an appearance in the final.  Sami Salo and the Sedin twins are producing as expected and the Canucks freight train is firmly on track.  These guys are going to be tough to stop.  These guys are starting to look like a team of destiny.

TIME TO REMOVE THE TRAPEZOID !!!!

With all of the talk about player safety, head-shots and goal scoring going down, it is not time to get rid of the trapezoid? Since the lockout the NHL has not allowed goalies to play the puck behind the goal line unless they were in the trapezoid. Getting rid of the trapezoid would allow goalies to help their defensemen more. They could leave the net to freely play the puck to save their defensemen from the rush of fore checkers, and keep them from the brutal zone behind the net where many blindside hits occur. On top of that many goalies are not very good at playing the puck. 

If you watched Game One of the Western Conference Final on Sunday, you get what I am talking about. Roberto Luongo turned a simple dump in, into an unassisted goal for Joe Thornton (view it here : http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010030321). Anyone that has put skates on could have scored that one. Anti Niemi’s giveaway cost the Sharks the tying goal when he left the net to move it up the boards, right to a waiting Raffi Torres (view it here : http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010030321).  Many goalies egos are too big to just leave the puck alone. They drive their coaches crazy and too often leave themselves out of position because of their need to be involved. 

Goalies like Martin Brodeur, Marty Turco and Carey Price are great at helping their teammates. They start breakouts with a lead pass, or move the puck up the boards in a timely manner to save a defenseman from a crushing oncoming hit. Most goalies are not so good at it, especially the European ones. Giving goalies free reign will help correct a slew of problems for the NHL. It’s time to let the skilled goalies excel and the ones that are miserable at handling the puck fail.

-Mark Chyz

Send questions or comment to me on twitter @chyz1.

BOLTS AND Bs - GOING TO BE A ROCKING SERIES !!!!

Even though I am a dejected Flyers fan, I figured it was time to make some picks for next round. Losing in the second round of the playoffs is like losing to 3^rd graders in four square when you’re a month away from graduating the 4^th grade, it sucks, big time. Playoff hockey has this indescribable fixation on TRUE hockey fans, that’s hard to describe. I get so wrapped up in it that I forgot to do simple things like laundry, dishes and sleep. All my brain thinks is beer, hockey, beer, hockey, over and over again.

With that being said, I just don’t see the Bruins advancing past Tampa. I’m not sure what happened to the Flyers in round 2, it might have been fatigue, or just a continuation of goalie issues, but Tampa will not falter. Let me explain. The bolts dismantled Washington in four straight games. Their power play is operating at just under 27%, an unthinkable number. But if you actually think about it, with a PP unit like Stamkos, St. Louis, Lecavalier, Gagne and Marc-Andre Bergeron what can you expect? Comparing the Bolts and Bruins power play is like comparing cats and dogs.

After a dominating Game 1 victory, Tampa looks to take a commanding 2-0 series lead Tuesday night in Boston. To me the most surprising part of Tampa’s victory in Game 1 was the productivity of the second and third lines. At least one of the Bolts big three; Stamkos, Lecavalier, and St. Louis generally find the score sheet when the team puts up 5 or so goals. This was not the case Saturday night as Tampa’s goals came from Bergenheim , Clark, Purcell, Bergeron and Gagne. If the Big 3 finding the twine and the second and third lines see success like they did in Game 1, the Bruins will soon be golfing right next to the Flyers.

I predict Boston to come out hard in Game 2 in front of a home crowd who will be anxious, to the say the least. If the Bruins can grab a win before heading to Tampa for two games, I think they can extend the series to 6 or 7 games, but if Tampa steals the show again on Tuesday night I’m taking the Bolts in 5 games. Either way, expect to see a tighter game Tuesday night, with lots of defense and physical play in all three zones as these teams look for the chance to play for Lord Stanley’s Cup. Bolts in 5.