It's on to Game 4 tonight and a chance to close out the series. I thought San Jose look like a team on the ropes after Sergei Zubov scored that power play goal early in the third last night. It looked like a team that was saying here we go again and it went right there for them. Their confidence has to be at a real low here, and that's why the Stars need to take them out. This series, as I pointed out earlier, hasn't been about one team dominating another. It's been close. The Stars have been on the the right side of that fine line between winning and losing and the Sharks have been doing some things that put you on the wrong side of it. A win and the Sharks still have life, maybe get some confidence and an inkling of momentum.
I've seen the 3-0 deficit overcome twice in my lifetime. Once a few years ago when the Red Sox did it to the Yankees, and back in 1975 when the Islanders did it to the Penguins. That Islanders team fell behind 3-0 in the next series against the Flyers and rallied to force a seventh game again, but lost that one. So, it's not like it is impossible. Just highly unlikely. I just don't see anything in the Sharks right now that leads me to believe they are capable of it. There just hasn't been that spark. I can't think of one player that has really stood out for them. There isn't even that one guy they can hang their hat on. They just look like a beaten team. But you never now. I am one who believes it ain't over until it's over.
Anyway, if I am San Jose it's all about winning tonight. You can't win four games in one night. You can win just one. Then you tackle the next one. It's a cliche, but it's the approach they have to take right now. If I am the Stars I just want to pull the plug on these guys right now and send them packing.
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.
Tonight’s Dallas Stars at San Jose Sharks playoff game is the second contest of a doubleheader on VERSUS, which has exclusive coverage of tonight’s game nation-wide (game time is 9 pm, CDT).
The National Hockey League has informed us that the game will be seen in its entirety in both the Dallas and San Jose markets, regardless of when the NY Rangers at Pittsburgh game ends.
Per VERSUS, if the NYR-PIT game goes past 9 pm (CDT), the San Jose and Dallas local markets will be switched to the alternate Versus standard and HD feeds so these markets can see their game in its entirety. Once the NYR-PIT game concludes, the rest of the country will get the remainder of the SJ-DAL game.
The NHL has also requested Dish Network and DirecTV to open up a separate channel to carry both games in their entirety. Dish Network will air the Dallas-San Jose on channel 453 and DirecTV will air it on channel 659, for out-of-market viewers who wish to watch the entire game (should NYR-PIT run late).
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.
It's been a long time since there's been this much excitement over a Dallas Stars win, eh? You'd think they just won the Stanley Cup the way some people are reacting to this. I guess that's what happens when it's been five years since they've won a playoff series. It doesn't hurt that they were the underdogs and they beat the defending champs. It's nice to see though. It's nice to see people having fun and letting some celebratory steam off after the early playoff exits over the recent years.
As for the game, I thought that penalty Ryan Carter took early in the third period changed the whole game. The Stars scored on the power play, the crowd got into the game, momentum shifted, the Stars scored again less than a minute later and the Stars and Marty Turco locked it down defensively after that. It was the same old song dance later on when the Ducks pressed, the Stars took advantage with Richards setting up Loui Eriksson and they got the insurance goal to seal the deal.
What a game by Stephane Robidas. Going into the game Dave Tippett was talking about people making plays and there was a guy who made some plays. He scores the power play goal and then fights off a check to set up the game-winner by Stu Barnes. He's really stepped up with all the injuries this season. You could run through a long list of guys who played well in this series.
In the end the Stars won this series because they outplayed Anaheim. The Ducks had some spurts where they played very well and then some stretches where they weren't very good. Too many mistakes, didn't create enough chances. The Stars' play had a lot to do with that. When the Stars are at their best they can frustrate teams. They frustrated the Ducks. I thought J-S Giguere was fine for the most part, but he faced too many quality chances.
We'll have to wait for the Sharks and Flames to finish out their series (that's going to be a great Game 7) before we know if it is Colorado or San Jose in round two. It doesn't really matter to me. I think either would be a great series and each team would present a tough challenge. Colorado would be fun because it would be like a blast from the past with Sakic, Foote, Forsberg and some of those guys. The Sharks would be Ott vs. Thornton II: Mayhem in the Bay or something like that.
Anyway, the Stars get a well deserved day off tomorrow and I think they have an optional on Tuesday. By late Tuesday or early Wednesday we'll know who it is in Conference Semifinals.
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.
The Stars just sent out this press release on last night's TV Ratings:
Game 3 of the Dallas Stars-Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday (April 15) was the highest-rated Stars game of the season on FSN Southwest and the most-watched primetime program of the night on cable television in Dallas-Fort Worth with a 1.4 Nielsen household rating.
It was the best rating for a Stars game on FSN Southwest since Game 6 of last year’s opening-round playoff series against Vancouver scored a 1.8 on April 21, and topped this season’s previous high of 0.8 on Oct. 12 against Calgary.
An average of 33,370 homes in Dallas-Fort Worth watched the Stars drop a 4-2 decision to the Ducks. The STARS LIVE postgame show also scored its best rating of the year, averaging a 1.3 and 31,000 homes.
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.
Sharks with three goals in the first 3:30 of the game to go up on the Flames tonight. Long way to go in that game though. (Updated: Flames have cut it to 3-2 here as I watch in the second period.)
Devils over the Rangers 4-3 in OT. If you didn't see it, find a clip of Sean Avery's "screen" on Martin Brodeur just before scoring a goal the Devils goalie in the second period. Devils get the last laugh and cut the series lead to 2-1. (Updated: Faithful reader Onom has provided a link to the Avery screen. It is below)
Bruins are back in their series with Montreal with a 2-1 OT win tonight.
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
