That was a great hockey game. Not just because of the result, but because those two first periods were high energy, fast paced and entertaining even though just one goal was scored. That was some good stuff.
Making it better stuff is that the Stars won and are now up 3-0 in the series. The Stars played a very good game. Tippet said it was their best of the series and I have to agree. I thought San Jose played as well. It came down to a few things and those things went the Stars way. The Stars again got the timely power play goal and I thought they really carried the play from the beginning of the third period on and into overtime. Everything is just falling into place right now. We'll see if they can close it out tomorrow.
Although it's 3-0 in this series, these games have been tight. This is far from being a blowout. That has to be demoralizing for the Sharks. If you are getting your clocks cleaned, that's one thing. But these games could have gone either way, even that 5-2 game. A guy falling down changed the whole complexion of that game.
But San Jose still has some issues. They just aren't executing in some key areas. The power play has been ineffective. They take bad penalties at the wrong time and then give up a power play goal at the wrong time. They get Evgeni Nabokov's best game of the series Tuesday night and all they can get him is one goal on the night. These are tight games and if you just have a few things go wrong it can cost you, and that is where the Sharks are right now.
The Sharks are bemoaning the bounces and breaks, and they haven't gotten a lot in this series. But at the same time they haven't put themselves in a position to get those breaks. They look like a team hoping for a break and the Stars are a team working for breaks. There's a difference.
Steve Ott signed to two-year contract. Press release from Stars is attached:
The Dallas Stars announced tonight that the club has re-signed center Steve Ott to a two-year contract worth $2.85 million ($1.35 million in ’08-09 and $1.5 million in ’09-10) through the 2009-10 season. Ott’s current contract was set to expire on June 30, 2008.
“Steve Ott has done a great job of earning this contract and we are very pleased to have him secure in Dallas for the next two years,” said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “He has developed into a valuable piece in our team chemistry and he brings a solid work ethic to our hockey club day in and day out.”
Ott, 25, set a new career high in goals (11) this season and tied his career-high of 22 points. He led the team in faceoff percentage (183-311, 58.8%) and penalty minutes (147), and ranked third in hits (182). In the first eight games of this playoff run, he has collected two goals, including a game-winner in Game One of the first round at Anaheim.
Dallas’ first round pick (No. 25 overall) in the 2000 Entry Draft, Ott has appeared in 273 career NHL games and has recorded 67 points (21 goals and 46 assists) with 543 penalty minutes. He has also skated in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the club, notching three goals and one assist for four points.
Ott spent the 2004-05 season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League, registering 18 goals and 21 assists for 39 points with 279 PIM. Among team leaders, he ranked first in penalty minutes, fourth in goals and fifth in points.
Ott had a decorated career with the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League from 1999-2002, posting 116 goals and 121 assists for 237 points with 472 PIM in 174 career junior contests. His 50 goals for Windsor in 2000-01 placed him second in the OHL, and he twice skated for Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, winning a silver medal in 2002 and a bronze in 2001.
Went to the morning skate today to do a Brenden Morrow interview, so a I am a bit tardy here. Nothing new out of the skate as far as the Stars. Tippett wasn't saying if he would do the seven defensemen again or not for tonight's game. I missed most of Tippett's talk because I had to go to talk to Morrow. I didn't stick around for the Sharks portion because I needed to get back. Saw Ron Wilson as he was heading out to the ice and he seemed to be in a chipper mood.
Anyway, I don't think there's much you can say about his game other than it's either going to be 3-0 or 2-1 when it's done. That's a world of difference. Although the Stars are up 2-0 and they won Game 2 by a 5-2 score, this series has been pretty tight. A thing here or there and it's a different picture. Still, there are reasons it's a 2-0 series. The Stars have executed better, received better goaltending and done a lot of those little things better in the series. The Sharks have to raise their level in those areas or they are about to pop up out of the toaster as finished. I have no idea what they are going to bring tonight, but I expect the Stars to be determined to shut the door here.
I suspect the Stars will need Marty Turco to hold the fort early again and he's been up to that task. I suspect the Stars will counter at some point and Evgeni Nabokov i sgoing to have to answer at the end other end. That's something he hasn't done in this series and if he doesn't do it tonight it could be the beginning of the end for the Sharks.
Yikes. Was that the Brad Richards show or what in the third period. In order to win you need some breaks and Joe Pavelski falling down was a big break. That got the ball rolling or the puck bouncing and the momentum just went the Stars' way. Great pass by Zubov on the power play and Modano finishes it off. Great play by Richards to set up Hagman's first goal of the playoffs and that's all she wrote. San Jose is in deep trouble. I don't think they played that great tonight. Not how you'd expect them to play desperately needing a win. I think the Stars stuck to their plan, bottled the Sharks up a bit and that frustrated them. The Stars are winning all the little battles and doing all the little things. That's the difference right now. That's the difference.
I thought the Stars played well in the second, but the difference is that Milan Michalek breakaway chance. It's pretty tight out there. Nice play by Stu Barnes to deny what would have been a sure goal by Torrey Mitchell earlier or it could be 3-1 here. You'd have to think the Stars are due a power play here in the third, but even they get one they have to capitalize. I think Razor is right that Nabokov looks a little shaky out there at times.
Considering the Sharks had those three power plays early, the Stars are in pretty good shape at 1-1 after the first period. I thought they played pretty well once they stopped taking the penalties and got a good bounce on the Ribeiro goal from behind the net. Take away the three power plays and San Jose hasn't been all been all that impressive. They haven't been bad, but nothing great here. I like where the Stars are in this game right now. Right now, I think it is trending their way.
Tonight's game will send this series in an interesting direction. Either the Stars will win, take control and put the Sharks in the unenviable position of having to win four of five games to win this this series, or the Sharks even the series and turn it into a best-of-five. That's a big swing and that's why Game 2 is always an important one in all series. Three teams in the first round won Game 2 after losing Game 1 and two of those teams - San Jose and Philadelphia - were able to come back and win the series. The pressure is squarely on the Sharks tonight. They lost Game 1 and are playing a team that just seems to own them in their building.
I expect the Sharks to come out flying in this one. The Stars should be better too, which will make it that much harder on the Sharks. The start and first period in this one will be key. If the Stars can, again, weather what should be a strong push from San Jose they should be in good shape moving forward over the next 40 minutes or beyond.
Found Ron Wilson's comments about Marty Turco's diving typical gamesmanship, and I have no problem with it. He's just planting his own seeds for a call via the media. If he wasn't doing stuff like that, he's not doing his job. We'll see what kind of game Patrick Marleau has after getting called out by Wilson for jumping over that Mike Modano shot that ended up in the net while the Stars were on a power play in Game 1.
A lot of interesting things to watch tonight. And I am glad it's an earlier start.
They found a way to win the game. I didn't think it was pretty overall, but they made a few pretty plays to score goals. Marty Turco was good in goal, especially early in the game when the Sharks seemed to be dictating the action. Brenden Morrow had a monster game for the Stars. Mike Ribeiro came up with a couple of big plays too. He didn't get an assist on that OT goal, but his pass to Stephane Robidas helped set up Morrow's game-winner.
It's nice to see the Stars over this overtime hump. That's another one of those things from the past they are putting behind them.
Overall, the made the most of what they were able to create as far as opportunities. Still, I thought they were a little lackluster, especially early in the game.
As for the Sharks, this was something you see a lot with them. They will play well and seem to carry the action, but they don't score and have a few defensive breakdowns and end up losing. That's sort of what happened with them tonight. Sunday will be a big, big game for them. They responded very well in these situations in the Calgary series, so we'll see how they do Sunday. I expect the Stars to be better, so San Jose will have to be better too and I am betting they will be.
Nice pass by Ribeiro and a great finish by Morrow and the Stars win 3-2 to take a 1-0 lead in the series. A big win that puts the pressure on the Sharks to win Game 2 on Sunday. Marty Turco came up big and they made the most of their opportunities. More later.
Why am I not surprised this is going to OT. Give the Sharks credit. They aren't the Ducks, who would often take themselves out of games when down by a goal. San Jose sticks with the plan and it paid off with that late Cheechoo goal, which was just a real mess in front of the net. That was a bad penalty by Campbell there at the end, and nobody sells being held up like Mike Modano. I really thought they were going to cash in there. Oh well, it's off to OT we go.
The Stars are in good shape after the first 40 minutes. That Modano power play goal after the Michalek score was big. That was a quick shift in the momentum to the Stars and was a key turning point, especially since it came shortly after the Sharks took the lead. Nice work by the top line to get that second goal and a great play by Ribeiro to set up Morrow. Overall, the Stars were better in the second than the first and not just because they outscored the Sharks 2-1.
The Stars didn't generate much in that first period and the Sharks had some good chances, but the bottom line is that it's scoreless going into the second. Good period for Marty Turco and he dodged a bullet when Milan Michalek hit that post early in the game. Overall, I am not surprised by how it went the first 20 minutes. The Stars need to get some pucks to the net.
Penguins beat the Rangers 5-4 on a late power play goal by Evgeni Malkin. Actually it was a Sidney Crobsy one-timer that bounced off Malkin. Bottom line is the Pens rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win the game and take a 1-0 lead in that series. The Penguins had a white out for the game and it was pretty nice looking, at least on my TV. If you didn't see and can find a highlight, check it out.
It's finally game day. Stars vs. Sharks. It's time to renew the rivalry. Great rivalries are built in the playoffs and not in those eight regular season meetings, although that final regular season meeting did spark some animosity. I thought it got a bit too much emphasis going into this series. It's a nice story and all, but that kind of rough stuff can't carry over into the playoffs. That doesn't mean the series won't be intense and physical, it will. And it will be tight as it usually is between these two teams.
The big difference between this series and the last one is that the Sharks, while a big, physical team, are a lot more disciplined team than the Ducks. They were one of the least penalized teams in the league and only two other teams were shorthanded fewer times than the Sharks during the regular season. They only gave Calgary 22 power play chances in seven games, or about three per game. Although they didn't really show it in the first, the Sharks are a good penalty killing team too. That said, I'd expect the Stars to possibly draw a few more because of their skating ability and puck possession game. Cashing in those chances will be key.
I like where the Stars are as they head into this series. Their confidence is high after the first round win over Anaheim. Marty Turco is playing well. He's got two straight solid playoff series performances under his belt, so that postseason underachiever stuff is ancient history. His ability to play the puck makes a huge difference in a lot of these matchups. Dave Tippett has really found some outstanding combinations among the top nine forwards. Those are three solid lines at both ends of the ice. The kids have some valuable experience on defense and Stephane Robidas has emerged as an impact player on the blue line. Plus, Sergei Zubov is getting close to a return. That will be a major plus. Despite the woes down the the final stretch of the season, everything seems to have fallen into place nicely for the Stars.
I watch the Sharks a lot during the season because they are on late and I enjoy their broadcast team of Randy Hahn and Drew Remenda. So I am pretty familiar with them. I recorded all the games against the Flames, so I watched that series basically from start to finish. What I liked out of San Jose in that series is that when things got dicey, they stepped up and delivered. They had to win Game 2, they did. They had to win Game 4, they did. Game 5 was huge and they won. Obviously they saved their best for last by winning Game 7 in dominating fashion. People will look at that series and say it took them seven games. The goal is to win four before the other guys, and they did that. Evgeni Nabokov's stats? Same thing. He got four wins and he made big saves and gave his team a chance to win when they weren't hitting on all cylinders. I looked it as a character building series for the Sharks, who have a lot of top end talent in guys like Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo and Brian Campbell.
The bottom line is this is going to be a fun series to watch. We'll see how the Stars do tonight. They'll probably try to keep it simple, weather the early storm from the Sharks, settle in and go from there.
There wasn't really much out of practice today in Frisco. Same lines and same on Zubov's status, which is day-to-day. So, we'll have to wait and see where he is tomorrow. He was paired with Dan Jancevski again and stayed out late on the ice with the Iowa guys and some of the younger players.
Walked out after practice with Steve Ott and told him to say hi to Joe Thornton for me. He said he would.
Reports out of San Jose indicate the Sharks would probably roll with the lineup they used in Game 7 with against the Flames. That means a fourth line of Setocguchi, Goc and Roenick, which was outstanding in the win over Calgary.
Nothing else much knew. Should be a good one starting tomorrow night.
... Bryan Marchment? Just in case some of you were wondering, he is still with the Sharks. He is a scout and assists with player development. Mike Ricci is still around too. He is an adviser to hockey operations. It's not quite like a matchup with Colorado, but there are memories with the Sharks too. There used to be a great Marchment web site, but it's not around anymore.
Here's the complete TV schedule for the Stars-Sharks series. Games 1 and 5, both road games, are national broadcasts on Versus. If you don't get Versus, make plans now. Games 3, 4 and 6 will be shown in HD locally.
The Stars went through a full practice today out in Frisco. Everybody was out there except Philippe Boucher. The lines were the same as the last game and the defensive pairings were the same as well. They had Dan Jancevski practice to be a partner for Sergei Zubov, who went through another full practice. He looked pretty good out there and was having fun. As for his status, Zubov said he'll play when he thinks he can be can help the team.
"As long as I feel I am effective for the team, I will be out there," Zubov said after practice.
"I am almost there, that is all I can tell you," he said a few moments later.
Dave Tippett said Zubov is still day-to-day.
"Until he feels like he can do the job out there he is going to continue to rehab," Tippett said.
Update: The Stars have assigned Nolan Baumgartner to Manitoba of the AHL.
Friday, April 25, 2008 9 p.m. Dallas at San Jose VERSUS, TSN
Sunday, April 27, 2008 8 p.m. Dallas at San Jose VERSUS, TSN
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 6:30 p.m. San Jose at Dallas TSN
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 8 p.m. San Jose at Dallas VERSUS, TSN
*Friday, May 2, 2008 9 p.m. Dallas at San Jose VERSUS, TSN
*Sunday, May 4, 2008 8 p.m. San Jose at Dallas VERSUS, TSN
*Tuesday May 6, 2008 9 p.m. Dallas at San Jose TSN
The Sharks just eliminated the Flames with a 5-3 win in Game 7, so it will be the Stars and Sharks in round two of the playoffs. The series will start Friday.
Well, it was 1-1 after one period. Then Owen Nolan scored on a breakaway to put the Flames up 2-1 early in the second. The end of the second is approaching and it is now 5-2 San Jose. Roenick scored two goals, Pavelski and Setoguchi have also scored for the Sharks, who are running the Flames out of the building. Lot of hockey to play, but the Flames are starting to flicker here.
You can't beat overtime in Game 7. Joffrey Lupul just scored a power play goal in OT to give the Flyers the win over the Caps in that series, so the East is set. Flyers will take on Montreal is round two and it will be Pittsburgh vs. the New York Rangers in the other series. Guess which series NBC will like out of those two. Sharks and Flames coming up next on Versus.
The Stars had an optional practice today. The key guy out there was Sergei Zubov, who went through the whole session and that included some scrimmage time.
"It's a positive sign. He's certainly making progress," said Stars coach Dave Tippett. "We'll call him day-to-day. He'll practice with us tomorrow and we'll continue to monitor him every day and see where he is at."
Asked if Zubov could be available in this series, Tippett responded: "In this series, yeah. Whether he starts this series or not, time will tell. He's certainly making progress. Getting in a good workout like that, a scrimmage, is a positive sign."
He said Philippe Boucher won't skate any time soon and won't be available to start the series because he is still having problems with his hip.
One seventh game last night and two more tonight. Montreal knocked out the Bruins with a 5-0 win at the Bell Centre last night to win that series. Bruins played well to start, but a tough bounce gave Montreal the lead and some defensive mistakes by the Bruins got helped the Habs rolling in period two. Washington rallied to beat Philly last tonight to force a seventh a game in that series tonight. And then there is the Flames-Sharks tonight that will decide whom the Stars play in round two. Anyway it should be a good night of hockey. Both games are on Versus.
The league is announcing the finalists for the various awards starting today. The Vezina finalists are Marty Brodeur, Henrik Lundqvist and Evgeni Nabokov. General managers vote on this one and these are the top three. If I had a vote, I would have made Nabokov my No. 1 choice.
The Red Wings just knocked out Nashville. Final score was 3-0. Turning point was a Nick Lidstrom shot from center ice that beat Dan Ellis in the second period that gave the Red Wings a 1-0 lead. Detroit extended the lead in the second and scored an empty net goal late to seal the deal. Tough break on the Lidstrom goal, but Ellis played great in the series. Chris Osgood got the last two starts for the Red Wings and played very well. Just two series left to decide now.
Couple of Stars-Ducks notes: No Rob Niedermayer for the Ducks. Joel Lundqvist's status is up in the air because his fiancée was in labor at last report. That could be a game time thing to see if he is there or not. I'm betting he is there, but you never know.
I hate to sound like Randy Carlyle here, but this is the biggest game of the year. Until the next one. The Ducks may not have a next one, so this is it for now. Both teams could have another one on Tuesday if there is a seventh game in Anaheim.
As for tonight, it is round up the usual suspects in this game as far as keys: Turco and Giguere, top players on both sides, special teams, a role player stepping up, that all important break, bounce or call, that just missed chance, that one gets finished off and that all important first goal.
Going into this game the Stars are still in control of this series. They have the lead and are playing at home. If there is a sixth game in a series, somebody has to be leading 3-2. There is no other possible scenario as far as wins and losses as far as games. So I think if the team with three wins is playing at home, they have an bigger advantage than if they had that same lead and were on the road.
Momentum, I believe, is on the Ducks' side. They've won two of the last three and seemed to have turn the special teams battle in their favor for now. They've played better here the past few games, and still may not have played their best yet. Not sure it's in them, but we'll see. That said, the battle for momentum starts all over again Sunday night when the puck drops and continues throughout the game. Lots of things can swing it, so there will be plenty to watch in that regard.
Pressure is on both teams. Obviously, it's win or it's over for the Ducks. They are still the ones facing elimination here. There is pressure on the Stars too. If they don't win, they've lost control of the series, the home ice advantage they wrestled from the Ducks early in the series, and the series momentum swings even more towards the Ducks, who get that home edge for the seventh game.
Game 6 is always big. It either ends a series or sends it to a seventh game. For the Stars they are the ones who need to end it. I think they've played well in just about every game in the series, and have taken the play to Anaheim a majority of the time. If they can continue that and get a break or two I think they can get the job done tonight. If they don't, I am not going to hit the panic button. Game 7 is still a game where anything can happen. It's going to be a long day waiting for the puck do drop on this one.
Colorado is the first team in the West to advance, beating the Wild 2-1 Saturday night to take that series 4-2. It was like a blast from the past watching the Avalanche in that game. Adam Foote was a rock on the blue line. Peter Forsberg was outstanding. Joe Sakic was solid too. New guy in goal though with Jose Theodore. He looks pretty good too. The Avs will be a tough opponent for which ever team gets them in round two.
I wasn't impressed with Minnesota at all in that series, or at least what I saw of it. I think the CBC guys said the Wild held the lead for only 4:31 in the series. That's not going to work considering the way they play. They are better with the lead, and they seldom had it.
Anyway, the rest of the West could be set Sunday or we may no nothing. It depends on the Stars-Ducks and the other two series.
Great game between the Bruins and the Habs tonight. Boston, which trailed 2-1 going into the third outscored the Canadiens 4-2 over the final 20 minutes to win 5-4 and force a seventh game after being down 3-1 in the series. Marco Sturm with a great individual effort to score the game-winner with 2:27 left to score the game-winner. Two big hits, to win puck battles, gets the rebound of his own shot and scores. Phil Kessel had two goals, including a pretty one earlier in the game. One of the better games I've seen in this season's playoffs.
Not much news on the Stars-Ducks front today. It was a travel day. The only interesting tidbit is that Rob Niedermayer did travel with the Ducks to Dallas. Don't know if that means he is ready to go for Game 6, but I would think that he is feeling better and that it's a possibility.
Well, we now get a Game 6. I like the Stars' chances of closing it out Sunday at the AAC, but I am not taking anything for granted. This series is still up for grabs.
Anaheim's won two of the last three games, so it's not like they are falling apart. The Stars continue to play well and create chances, but they didn't finish several good ones Friday. The Ducks did a better job of executing on their chances and that was the difference in the game. J-S Giguere was very good in this one and the Ducks won the special teams battle. Overall, though, the Stars are taking the play to the Ducks a lot of the times and Anaheim is scrambling around.
Now it is on to Dallas. The pressure is still on the Ducks, who are facing elimination. They have no margin for error. But there is some pressure on the Stars too, because what margin for error they have runs out Sunday if they don't win. Then it's Game 7. It's winner take all in an anything can happen game and the margin for error is gone for both teams. So here's hoping they close it out on Sunday and avoid another trip back to Orange County.
That's it. It is 3:30 am and I am beat. More later.
Oh well. It's going six games. Give the Ducks credit. Giguere was great. Selanne was very good. Anaheim won the special teams battle. That all added up to a win. More later at 2 or 3 in the morning or so.
Another exciting period. Not as good as the first, but close. The Stars had some good chances, but nothing in the net. Perfectly placed shot by Ryan Getzlaf on that power play goal. Kent Huskins is a disaster waiting to happen out there for Anaheim at times in my opinion. Big kill coming up for the Stars here to start the second period.
Wow. What a great first period. That was playoff hockey. Lots of great chances, great saves by both goalies. Big goal by Mattias Norstrom there at the end of the period just after the power play expired. Ducks paid for not getting the puck out of the zone on that one. I think the Ducks threw their best shot at the Stars in the first period and its 1-1 right now. Good sign for the Stars.
Now that was a playoff hockey game. Very close game all the way through there until the Stu Barnes goal made it 2-0 midway through the third period. Other than that it was a 1-0 game because of one bad pass up the middle by Sean O'Donnell, a nice play by Loui Eriksson and Joel Lundqvist finishing it off.
Great game by Marty Turco. He was very, very good in this one. It sucked to see him lose the shutout with eight seconds to go. But the win is more important. Giguere had his moments too. He came up with some big stops when it was a 1-0 game to keep it close until the end there. He needed to stop Barnes though and couldn't.
Lots of drama before all that though. The no goal on the Daley score because of goalie interference by Hagman. He did skate by and clip Giguere in the head. The ref was pretty emphatic on waving off that goal. Ducks have a goal waved because Brian Sutherby kicked it into the net. That was a good call based on what the video replays showed. Selanne running Turco there at the end. The usual scrums.
The difference in the experience between the Stars defense and the Ducks defense was a great contrast. With Philippe Boucher out due to a lower body injury (he'll be evaluated next week) the Stars had three of the kids out there again. Mark Fistric made his debut and played very well. The Stars blue line had 90 games of playoff experience and the Ducks had 570 games of experience and it was a Duck veteran making the big boo-boo in the game.
So, now it moves on to Anaheim for Game 5 on Friday. All the pressure is on the Ducks to make the adjustments. It's not like they need a major overhaul. This game was a draw save that one mistake early and once it gets later in the game and you start pressing for the equalizer you tend to be susceptible for giving up those breakaways and odd-man rushes. They do need to find way to generate some offense, which is something they've struggled with all season long.
You'd like to see the Stars close it out Friday, because a win for the Ducks keeps them alive. A break or bounce in a Game 6 and all of a sudden you've got a Game 7, where anything can happen. When you've got them on the ropes you need to take them out.
After tonight is either 3-1 or 2-2 in this series. That's a big difference in a series and that's why this game is huge. The Stars either put the Ducks on the ropes or we are looking at a best-of-three that starts Friday night in Anaheim. The pressure is on both teams tonight, but there is more on the Ducks. The Ducks need a win or they are one loss from elimination, and whatever momentum they got out of Game 3 is gone. If the Stars lose all that brilliance in the first two games has been countered by the Ducks and everything is even heading back Anaheim.
Tonight's game is interesting because it is followed by Game 5 on the next night. A back-to-back in the playoffs with travel over a couple time zones. The great thing about the playoffs is that both teams have to deal with the same thing. You can look at it as a two-game set and think about it where it sits if the two teams split the games, but I prefer to look at it one at a time. The Stars need to win tonight and push the Ducks to brink of elimination. if they don't, it's back to even with three games to play.
The Ducks are expected to get Correy Perry back tonight. Will he have a big impact? I don't know. I expect him to be no different than a lot of other players in this situation. He's going to be rusty. I've heard a few people suggest he is going be like Bill Guerin coming back from that thigh injury in the 2003 series against the Ducks. I think he'll be way more effective than that. Perry's been skating here for a while and is returning on target. Guerin was rushed back in 2003. Still, Perry won't be hitting on all cylinders, but I am sure he'll be a boost to the Ducks.
As always, a good start will be important. That first goal will be key as well. I am wondering when we are going to get that tight 2-1 game in this series. Maybe tonight will be it. It should be be tense. That's what makes the playoffs great.
Not much to report out of Wednesday's practice. It looked like Antti Miettinen was practicing on the fourth line with Toby Petersen and Niklas Hagman. That appeared to leave B.J. Crombeen as the odd man out, but we'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if that sticks. Some of the defensemen - Norstrom, Boucher and Daley - didn't skate today. I got the impression they would all skate tomorrow morning. Dave Tippett said Sergei Zubov still isn't on the radar.
I am not watching every minute of every series here, but I do record each Sharks-Flames game and that has to be the best series going so far. The Sharks rallied for the win last night, scoring with just under five seconds to tie and then winning with just under ten seconds to go on a Joe Thornton goal. The shifts in momentum in the games and the series have been great. Tied 2-2 and heading back to San Jose for Game 5 on Thursday.
After three OT games, there was finally a blowout in the Avs-Wild series. Colorado wins 5-1 and that series is tied 2-2 heading back to Minnesota.
The Red Wings and Predators play Game 4 tonight. Nashville looking to tie the series. The Predators rallied to win Game e and avoid going down 3-0 in the series. I thought Detroit coach Mike Babcock's take on the importance of that game was interesting in light of what went on at the AAC last night.
"The difference between a win and a loss, well, it's huge," Babcock said. "At 3-0 it's not over, but it's tough. At 2-1 you have a series. It's on."
The Ducks aren't going quietly after all. Actually, they were a little quiet in some ways. None of that running around and throwing a lot of hits for the sake of hits tonight. They were a lot smarter and it paid off. They kept the puck away from Turco and were in better position. They created some quality chances early in the game off their forechecking pressure, got the early lead and then extended that lead to 4-0 with a couple of power play goals.
The Stars made it interesting and brought some life - actually a lot of life - to the building with those two power play goals by Brenden Morrow and then it really got revved up when they got that 4:00 power play, but the Ducks' penalty kill came up big. Real big. We'll see how that kill fits into the grand scheme of things as the series plays out. Maybe it's a turning point for them. Maybe not. Time will tell.
It's a game of mistakes and almosts, and that's the way it was early for the Stars. You had the Marchant goal thanks to Moen knocking Norstrom off the puck on the forecheck. You had the Getzlaf goal off the turnover. Then, you have one of those almosts that could have given the Stars some momentum and perhaps changed the game. Hagman just misses on a breakaway that would have made it a 2-1 game, but then he takes a penalty a few moments later and the Ducks score on the power play. Now, it's 3-0 and the building is dead stays that way until the third. That's the way goes.
Chris Pronger had a big game for the Ducks. So did J-S Giguere. Marty Turco? Four goals on 15 shots. Well, that's what happens when those shots are quality shots. Shot totals don't mean much because they don't tell you about quality. Neither does save percentage. Marchant's chance was a quality chance. Getzlaf is a top player and is a threat when he is one-on-one with your goalie. Pronger wide open at the side of the net and then on a five-on-three. Would you like to see Turco make a save and clean up the mistake that led to the chance? Sure. But you can't put it all on him.
Let's face it. A lot of people thought the Ducks were dead in the water, and they showed they weren't. At least not yet. Dave Tippett used the term "reality check" after the game. I suspect Game 4 will be a tough one as well. It's a big game. The Stars will either put the Ducks on the ropes or this series heading back to Anaheim all knotted up at 2-2 and it's a best-of-three.
Rob Niedermayer is out for the Ducks tonight. He has "concussion-type" symptoms. He ended up not traveling to Dallas.
Corey Perry hasn't been cleared yet by the team's doctors, who arrive in Dallas later today. If he's cleared then coach Randy Carlyle said they'll have a decision to make.
All games of a playoff series are big, but tonight's Stars-Ducks game is a little bigger because it will define what kind of series this is moving forward. A Stars win and it's virtually lights out for the Ducks, who would have to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win, and only the 1942 Maple Leafs and 1975 Islanders have done that in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. And of course there was the great comeback by the 2004 Red Sox against the Yankees in the ALCS.
A Ducks win, however, turns this is into a series and gives Anaheim some life and some momentum. It also puts a little heat on the Stars heading into Game 4.
But everything starts with tonight. The Stars need to just keep playing the way they did the first two games. There have been virtually no flaws in their game starting with the goaltending and moving on out through the lineup. Their game plan and their style of game have given the Ducks fits. They've basically picked apart the Ducks, who have been plagued by penalties, poor penalty killing and a lack of composure when falling behind in the games.
The Ducks, if they get back to what makes them a good team, can make it a good game over the course of 60 minutes and not just 10 minutes or 50 minutes. They've imploded on several occasions in this series. Game 1 it was the rash of dumb penalties. Game 2 it was probably hitting the panic button too early in the third period. For example, see the Brad Richards goal right after Mike Modano scored on the power play the other night. You would have thought there was a minute left in the game the way the Ducks were pressing for the tying goal after going down 3-2 with a lot of time left on the clock.
The thought is the Ducks will come out strong and they did the other night, but so did the Stars. Anaheim made the first mistake and the Stars got the all important first goal. The first goal will be important again tonight. Anaheim has not been good when chasing the game in this series.
Tonight will say a lot about this series. It will get interesting or it will become inevitable that the the defending champion Ducks are dead ducks and the Stars are moving on to round two for the first time since 2003.
No Rob Niedermayer at practice in Farmers Branch today. He did not come with the team to Dallas. He is supposed to fly in tonight and is questionable for tomorrow with an upper body injury. Todd Marchant took his place on the checking line with Travis Moen and Samuel Pahlsson. Corey Perry did travel with the team and practiced, but no update on his status. That's the word from the Ducks.
The Stars have recalled from player the Iowa Stars. Their season ended yesterday. Here's the release from the Stars:
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has recalled left wing Chris Conner, defenseman Dan Jancevski, left wing James Neal, right wing Konstantin Pushkarev and left wing Francis Wathier from the Iowa Stars, Dallas’ primary development affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Conner, 24, appeared in 55 games with Iowa this season, notching 13 goals and 26 assists for 39 points. He also skated in 22 games with Dallas this season, registering three goals and two assists for five points with six penalty minutes. In total, he has played in 33 career NHL games, posting four goals and four assists for eight points over the past two seasons.
Jancevski, 26, played in 70 total AHL games this season between Iowa and Norfolk, posting seven goals and 23 assists for 30 points with 88 penalty minutes. He also skated in four total NHL games this season between Dallas and Tampa Bay, going scoreless with two penalty minutes. Jancevski served as the Iowa Stars’ captain during their inaugural season in ’05-06, leading team defensemen in scoring with 38 points (9-29-38).
Neal, 20, appeared in his first professional season this year with Iowa, collecting 37 points (18-19-37) in 62 games with a +1 rating. He finished second on the team in power play goals (7) and third in goals. Dallas’ second round selection (33rd overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, he posted 65 points (27-38-65) in 45 games during his final season of juniors in 2006-07. During the 2007 playoffs with Plymouth, he tallied 25 points (13-12-25) in 20 outings.
Pushkarev, 23, was acquired by Dallas via trade from Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2007, along with Mattias Norstrom and two Kings draft picks, in exchange for defenseman Jaroslav Modry, the rights to prospect Johan Fransson and three draft picks. In 49 games with Iowa this season, he notched 13 goal and 27 assists for 40 points with 52 penalty minutes and a +4 rating. Among Iowa team leaders, he finished second in assists and four in points.
Wathier, 23, missed the majority of this past season with Iowa due to injury. In 19 games with Iowa, he collected two goals and three assists for five points with 17 penalty minutes. Dallas’ sixth round selection (185th overall) in the 2003 Entry Draft, he was a member of the 2007 Idaho Steelheads Kelly Cup championship squad. In seven post-season outings with Idaho, he recorded one goal and one assist for two points.
The NHL has ruled on Sean Avery's play in front of Martin Brodeur last night. It's going to be an unsportsmanlike conduct in the future. Here's what the NHL's Colin Campbell sent out as far as the change in the rules interpretation:
"An unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty (Rule 75) will be interpreted and applied, effective immediately, to a situation when an offensive player positions himself facing the opposition goaltender and engages in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender's face, for the purpose of improperly interfering with and/or distracting the goaltender as opposed to positioning himself to try to make a play."
Here are a few tidbits out of Monday's Stars' practice:
Nothing really changed as far as the lineup. Everything looked the same. No surprise there. No need to change anything thing as far as personnel.
Mattias Norstrom did not skate. Dave Tippett said it was a day of rest for Norstrom.
Sergei Zubov went for a "casual skate" before practice. Tippett said Zubov isn't even on the radar yet and when he does get on the radar they'll start talking about his status.
Marty Turco was asked about the Sean Avery-Martin Brodeur incident from last night. He called Avery's actions "bush league" and thought some rules interpretations could address situations like that.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league will address Sean Avery's outside the box screen on Marty Brodeur in yesterday's Devils-Rangers game. Here is what Bettman told Sun Media about it:
"It's something we're going to address in the realm of probably goaltender interference or unsportsmanlike conduct," he said.
"We'll put the clubs on notice before we make that interpretation.
"The ingenuity and creativity of things we've never seen before never ceases to amaze us but we'll deal with it."
Owen Nolan's goal caps a great rally by the Flames, who trailed 3-0 early in the game and scored four unanswered goals to beat the Sharks 4-3 to take a 2-1 series lead. Curtis Joseph took over in net after the 3rd San Jose goal and shut San Jose out the rest of the way. Key moment was a Cory Sarich hit on Patrick Marleau. Sharks retaliated, Flames got a PP and scored to get back in the game at 3-1. Good stuff.
The Flames have just tied the game with San Jose at 3-3 early in the third period. This has been a pretty good night of hockey. Two overtime games and now this. About 18:00 minutes or so to go.
Well, here we are two games into the series and the Stars have taken both games and outscored the Ducks 9-2 and outshot them 67-45 in the process. Special teams scoring is 6-1 in favor of the Stars. I think the Ducks have a big advantage in hits, but that is about it. Turnovers too, I bet.
Despite the Stars dictating play through most of the game, the game was still up for grabs heading into the third period. Special teams play decided this one. Those penalty kills early in the third (and that one late in the second) were huge. Those were a big turning point in the game. The Ducks take a penalty immediately after that and the Stars score on the big blast by Mike Modano. Huge momentum shift Dallas' way. Brad Richards scores less than a minute later off on an odd-man rush and all of a sudden the Ducks are in big, big trouble in this series.
Mike Ribeiro had a big game. He scored a goal, chipped in two assists and drew a penalty that led to the Lehtinen power play goal. The Richards, Loui Eriksson and Joel Lundqvist line was very good. Modano is playing well on that line with Stu Barnes and Steve Ott. The three center matchup is a tough one for the Ducks, who are kind of thin at the center position. Marty Turco had another very good game in net. The defense is playing well.
The Stars have all elements clicking right now. They are playing smart and disciplined, and are basically picking apart the over aggressive Ducks, who seem to be running around looking for big hits and then chasing the Stars as they move the puck up the ice. You couldn't ask for a better scenario as they head home for Game 3.
Can the Ducks turn it around? Don't know. They have been outplayed two straight games, their goaltending has been subpar, their special teams have let them down miserably in this series and they are struggling to generate offense. I guess it's the old " one game at time" cliché for them. Try to find a way to win Game 3 and go from there.
Overcoming a 2-0 deficit isn't easy, but it isn't impossible. That said, they aren't going to do it the way they are playing right now and not with the way the Stars are taking it to them. The Stars need to play with the same mindset in Game 3 and just keep the pressure on the Ducks, who don't appear to have any answers right now. We'll see what Tuesday brings.
Wow. Special teams play was key again for the Stars. Two big kills early in the third and then Modano strikes on the the Stars power play to follow. That changed the momentum, the Ducks started pressing, the Stars get the odd-man rush and Brad Richards cashed in with the big insurance goal. Big win for the Stars and big problems for the Ducks. Overall, good win for the Stars. They dictated play for the most part. Marty Turco is winning the goaltending battle. Should be fun at the AAC on Tuesday.
Well, we have a pretty good game going into the third period. That Stars power play goal to make it 2-0 was huge and they seemed to be in pretty good shape, but Anaheim getting one back on their power play a couple minutes later was key from their perspective. So was that Ducks kill after Todd Bertuzzi took that dumb interference penalty on Steve Ott. Bertuzzi then comes out of the box and sets up the Moen goal to tie the game. Stars face a big kill to start the third after Morrow took a charging penalty.
Another strong period for the Stars. One mistake by Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin at his own blue line, Mike Ribeiro gets the breakaway and the Stars lead 1-0 at the intermission. It's a game of mistakes and the ability of teams to capitalize on them. I thought the Stars had the Ducks scrambling early on that power play chance, but couldn't cash in to extend the lead. Nice save by Turco in the final minute on Teemu Selanne. Otherwise the Stars aren't giving the Ducks much as far as offensive opportunities.
Minnesota knocked of Colorado in OT to even up that series at 1-1. That's two overtimes already in that series. Rangers won again to go up 2-0 on the Devils and the Penguins are now up 2-0 on the Senators. Alex Ovechkin scored late to give Washington a 5-4 win over Philly and a 1-0 lead in that series. Not a bad night of hockey. I watched some of last night's San Jose-Calgary game on the DVR. The Sharks really elevated their level in that one to draw even in that series as it shifts to Calgary.
Big game tonight for the Stars and Ducks. Both sides are saying what you'd expect.
Somebody is always up 1-0 after game one, but after second game it is either a best-of-five series or somebody is in an 0-2 hole. In the case of the Ducks they are the ones facing the not so pretty possibility of being down 0-2 and then having to go on the road, which make its even a little tougher.
I expect a better effort from Anaheim Saturday, but that doesn't guarantee them a win. As I have said, this is a pretty tight matchup and it's hockey. Playing well will just give them a chance to win, but won't provide any assurances. The pressure is squarely on the Ducks here.
As for the Stars, they just need to keep doing what they did in Game 1. They played very well. They know there is a long way to go here. Everyone else can get all giddy, but they can't. The battle for momentum starts again when that puck drops Saturday night. They've got to continue pushing ahead with what they built Thursday night. They have a chance to go up 2-0 and hopefully they can advantage of the opportunity.
Judging from some of my emails this morning and reading some of the message boards, the giddiness factor is high around these parts. In Anaheim, a much different feeling. LA Times columnist Helene Elliot has a good column this morning on why the Ducks' dismal performance in Game 1 is a cause for concern. I chuckled at the first line.
Wait 'til last year.
In their first playoff game as the defending Stanley Cup champions, facing a team that was imploding during the final month of the season, the Ducks tripped over their own lofty expectations and dissolved into an ugly pile of mush before a stunned crowd that didn't fill the Honda Center in body or spirit.
The inspirational message on the chalkboard in the Ducks' locker room before their 2008 Stanley Cup playoff opener Thursday was this quote from author Robert Louis Stevenson: "To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end in life."
After watching the Ducks' lopsided 4-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, a weak first attempt to defend their 2007 Stanley Cup championship, I suggest unveiling a more appropriate quotation before Game 2 on Saturday night at Honda Center.
This one, from noted puckhead Willie Shakespeare, would fit: "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown."
I don't how much you need to say about Game 1. The Stars were very good and the Ducks were not very good. In fact, I would go so far as to say the Ducks were awful. I can't think of any Duck who played well. Not sure how Brad May got the second star of the game. Talk about a homer call.
If you had to envision the ideal Stars performance in a game against the Ducks, this way it. The Stars played smart and disciplined, and they defended well. They got great goaltending and their special teams were outstanding.
For all the talk about discipline heading into this one, the Ducks melted down in that regard. That Travis Moen penalty and the Ott goal that resulted changed the whole momentum of the game. The Stars took over from there and the Ducks never got back on track and never really got their heads in the game. Those Turco saves early in the period, before the goal, were huge. The Stars PP shredded the Ducks PK.
Still, it's just one game. That said, it's a lot nicer to say it's just one game after a game like this than an after another loss in the first game of the series. It will be interesting to see how both teams come out on Saturday. It will be especially interesting to see how the Ducks respond. They've thrown out some clunkers this season and then bounced back. Of course that was the regular season and this is the playoffs. The pressure is really on Anaheim Saturday.
It was on the Sharks Thursday night and they came out and shutout the Flames to tie that series. Detroit beat Nashville to take a 1-0 lead in that series. I thought Nashville played well. I recorded the Sharks-Flames, so I'll watch that one in the next day or two. Montreal takes Game 1 against Boston. Habs scored two early and Bell Centre was rocking.
Well, another period and another two power play goals for the Stars. I didn't think the Stars could make the Ducks look any worse, but they did on that last power play goal by Morrow. Anaheim is doing a lot of standing around and when they aren't standing around they are scrambling. They look totally dazed and confused here. The Stars continue to push and attack. Turco continues to come up with big saves when called upon. This is a great start to the series.
So much for the Ducks staying disciplined. Two undisciplined penalties and the Stars put two pucks in the net on the power play. The momentum really shifted after that first power play goal and the Stars dictated play after that. The Ducks looked to be in disarray and frustrated there at the end of the period. Good first period for Marty Turco. Some nice saves early. Overall, a very good first 20 minutes. Long ways to go. Stars need to keep pushing.
A pretty good opening night of the playoffs. I heard the word "upset" used a couple of times on CBC, and I don't get it. Colorado beating Minnesota in Game 1 is not an upset. Sorry, I don't care what the seeding is and who has home ice. There isn't much different between those teams.
Great game between the Sharks and Flames, who won 3-2. A perfect example of why a lot of people wait and see who gets stuck with Calgary in the first round and then say, "Good luck." They are a tough team to play against. Kipper was sharp in net, and Jarome Iginla was outstanding. It's only one game, but a good win for Calgary. We'll see how the Sharks bounce back in Game 2. I don't think there is a team that has more pressure on them to go deep than the Sharks. They've been building and building, and now it's time to produce some results. Time will tell.
Out East, excellent start for Marc-Andre Fleury and the Penguins in shutting out the Senators 4-0. Rangers beat the Devils. I picked the Rangers to come out of the East at the beginning of the season, but I'll be honest: I have no idea who is going to win the East. I don't think it is going to be Boston, and it hurts to say that as a life-long Bruins fan.
If you missed Steve Ott on The Ticket late this afternoon, he had a little tidbit about something the Stars would like to get going for home playoff games. It's a blackout. In other words, people wearing their Stars black jerseys or something black. Here's what Ott said.
"We're going to try to have everyone wear a black shirt for a blackout during the playoffs," Ott said. "It's something we are trying to accomplish. So, if everybody wears their black jersey or something black to the games, then by a few games into the playoffs we should have a pretty neat looking blackout."
I am sure the Stars will continue to spread the word, but Ott got the ball rolling today.
Here's a brief recap of today's Stars practice out in Frisco.
Mike Ribeiro, Brad Richards and Jere Lehtinen all practiced. Dave Tippett said having them on the ice was a good sign and that they'll take it day by day. In other words, there isn't going to be a lot of detail about injuries.
Sergei Zubov watched some of the practice from near the bench. No new update on him.
The Stars recalled defenseman Nolan Baumgartner from the AHL. He had been with the Manitoba Moose.
Nothing earth-shattering as far as the lines used in practice. There was some juggling during practice, but for the most part it looked this way:
The Stars have signed Nicklas Grossman to a two-year deal worth $1.95 million. The release is below. Also, Tobias Stephan up from Iowa and Konstantin Pushkarev back down.
The Dallas Stars announced today that the club has signed defenseman Nicklas Grossman to a two-year deal worth $1.95 million ($900,000 next season and $1,050,000 in 2009-10). Grossman’s current entry-level contract was set to expire at the end of the 2007-08 season.
“Nicklas has played very well on our blueline this season and we are very excited about his development,” said Co-General Manager Les Jackson. “We look forward to his continued progress over the next two seasons.”
Grossman, 23, registered seven assists and 22 penalty minutes, while averaging 15:33 minutes of ice time, in 62 games with Dallas this season, and his +10 rating ranked fourth on the club. He notched his first career NHL point with an assist on Dec. 3 at Columbus and has seen the Stars go 43-22-5 over the past two seasons when he has been in the lineup. He has also skated in 10 games for the AHL Iowa Stars this season, collecting 10 penalty minutes.
Originally selected by Dallas in the second round (No. 56 overall) of the 2004 Entry Draft, Grossman made his NHL debut on Dec. 2, 2006 vs. Minnesota and skated in eight games for Dallas last season, recording four penalty minutes. He also appeared in 67 games with Iowa in 2006-07, posting 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) and 40 PIM with a team-leading +7 rating. In eight AHL Calder Cup Playoff games with Iowa last year, Grossman was scoreless with 10 PIM.
The native of Stockholm, Sweden, appeared in his first North American professional season with Iowa in 2005-06, notching five points (2 goals, 3 assists) and 49 penalty minutes in 61 games. He added an assist in seven Calder Cup Playoff games that spring. The 6-3, 206-pound defenseman skated for Team Sweden at the 2005 World Junior Championships in Grand Forks, N.D., and Thief River Falls, Minn.
That was an entertaining afternoon of hockey yesterday. You see the quotes from the two teams and it turned into a "he said, she said" kind of thing. I will not label one team "he" and the other "she" here. It was pretty rough and tumble out there. Steve Ott at his best though.
No practice for the Stars today. They'll get back at it tomorrow. They and the Ducks, Red Wings, Sharks and everybody else is 0-0. Everything else is out the window. Everybody's schedule will even out, at least for the first round. The injuries are what they are. And you just play. I think all of the series in the West should be highly competitive and I don't think there is a guaranteed winner in any of them. I think the Sharks are going to be in for a fight against Calgary, I like Colorado's chances against Minnesota and I think Nashville will play Detroit tough. The Predators usually do. I think the Stars and Ducks could go seven. Maybe a lot like last season's series with the Canucks. A very tight, low scoring series for the most part. It should be fun.
I am checking out the Iowa Stars and no Konstantin Pushkarev in the lineup. The AHL transaction wire says he's been called up to Dallas on emergency conditions. No word on that from Dallas, but it was just mentioned on the Iowa broadcast as well.
Not much out of practice on Saturday. It was an optional skate. There were a lot of guys out there including Brenden Morrow. Mike Modano, Jere Lehtinen, Stephane Robidas and Marty Turco were among those who didn't skate.
Nothing new on Ribeiro, Richards, Ott and Zubov. "Status quo" on all of them, according to Dave Tippett. "We'll see," Tippett said when asked about the status of Richard, Ribeiro and Ott for tomorrow. He said the priority is just to get the team healthy for next week.
Zubov gets back this weekend, but there is nothing new to report as far as any kind of timetable.
Been busy today, so catching up on a few things. The eight teams are set for the West, but the final seeding is still to be resolved. Got a give a lot of credit to Nashville for making it into the playoffs. A lot of people - including me- wrote them off after all the upheaval they went through during the offseason. Nice job by coach Barry Trotz and congratulations to Dan Ellis for playing a big role in getting them to the playoffs. The Predators are in at the expense of the Canucks, who didn't get the job done by going 1-6-0 in a stretch of seven key games against Northwest Division foes. In a division that competitive and that tight, two of out of 14 points won't do.
I am not going to spend a lot of time analyzing the Coyotes game. I thought it was a good effort and got a little dicey at the end there. Nice to see Johan Holmqvist play well and the team play well in front of him. I guess it's time to start thinking about the Ducks. The only question is where the series will start. It will likely be in Anaheim next Thursday, but we'll just have to wait and see how things play out over the weekend.
If you were watching the top of the broadcast tonight, Razor just confirmed that Zubov was in Germany. Razor also said about a month for a possible return, which fits with what I have been reading about the recovery for the procedure pioneered by the doctor over there. Most of the stuff I had read said about four weeks, which equals about a month.
If I had to guess, I'd say Sergei Zubov went to Germany for the "procedure" on his sports hernia. According to a press release from a few years ago: "Nobody in Europe has operated on more hernias than hernia's leading Lady Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck." She did her procedure on former Star Brad Lukowich recently. I don't know what procedure she did, but what she does cuts is said to cut down the recovery time considerably. I don't think he'll be playing next week though.
There's more stuff from Phoenix on Zubov and Richards from Mike Heika over at the Morning News blog. Zubov had a procedure overseas on the sports hernia that he had surgery on during the off season, but still no word on when he'll be back. It ain't mono, as some have speculated, with Richards, but he isn't feeling well. No mention of Ribeiro not playing though.
Brenden Morrow was just on BaD Radio and he indicated both Brad Richards and Mike Ribeiro aren't playing tonight. Richards, of course, hasn't skated the last two practices and was listed as questionable going into the game with soreness. Ribeiro left the ice early yesterday and Dave Tippett said it was nothing. He said Ribeiro was out on the ice early working on some power play stuff and was getting some rest. Morrow said the same thing about Ribeiro getting some rest from the long grind of the season. Morrow said he was playing with Modano and Lehtinen tonight.
Here are a few items from Wednesday's practice. No Brad Richards again. Dave Tippett said it was another day of rest for Richards, who will make the trip to Phoenix but is questionable for Thursday's game.
Nothing new on Sergei Zubov. Tippett again said more would be known on Friday. He wouldn't specify what kind of specialist Zubov was seeing. He joked that the doctor was a jack of all trades, but wasn't a gynecologist.
It's a playoff mode with the injury information these days. Tippett was in top form in that regard today.
Great night of hockey Tuesday. Colorado rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat
Vancouver 4-2 and clinch a playoff spot. The Canucks are now in ninth place
because the Predators rallied from a 3-0 deficit to beat St. Louis 4-3 in
overtime. The Oilers are out of the playoff hunt after losing to Calgary.
As for the Stars, Colorado is now tied with them for points but has played two
more games. The Flames are one point behind but have played one more game.
Western Conference standings below.
In the East, Montreal clinched the Northeast Division with a win over Ottawa,
which is now in sixth place and just two points out of ninth place. The Sens
could still miss the playoffs. What a collapse that would be considering the
start and the talent level on that team. New Jersey wrapped up a playoff spot,
and the game of the night had to be Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals beating Carolina 4-1 to pull
even in the Southeast Division. Carolina still holds the tie breaker, so
Washington will have to find a way to come up with the extra point over the
final two games to win the division. Buffalo beat Toronto and is still alive,
barely.
Sergei Zubov was not on the ice for Tuesday's practice in Frisco and he won't be on the ice for at least a few more days. He is seeing a specialist. It appears to be more than just the foot issue.
"It's a combination of a lot of things," coach Dave Tippett said after practice. "It's a concern. That's where I going to leave it right now. We'll revisit it on Friday."
Asked if the groin injury was still an issue too, Tippett responded:
"It is all of the above."
Brad Richards also missed Tuesday's practice. He has some soreness and Tippett said Richards could skate on Wednesday.
We are getting close to the playoffs, so the injury stuff will get cryptic here.
Nothing much else out of practice. Lots of talk about getting the game in order for the playoffs.
