Helm the Hero; Hockeytown Returns to the Stanley Cup Final

by: Marc Valeri

The Detroit Red Wings, up 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, prevailed in a 2-1 overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. Did I mention that they were without Nicklas Lidstrom, Pavel Dastyuk, Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Draper?

Darren Helm scored 3:58 into overtime - the third overtime game in the last four - and Dan Cleary had a goal in the third period in the defending champions’ victory last night, propelling the Red Wings to a Stanley Cup rematch of last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chris Osgood once again was a brick wall between the pipes, turning aside 30 shots, while Cristobal Huet, filling in for Nikolai Khabibulin, stopped 44 of 46 in the loss.

The Red Wings and Penguins, coming off a four-game sweep over Carolina in the East, will open the championship series Saturday night in Detroit.

The series will start nearly a week ahead of schedule because NBC and the NHL didn’t want a long layoff to stunt the excitement about the matchup.

One of the intriguing stories will be Marian Hossa playing against the team he left behind as a free agent. Hossa turned down a long-term, lucrative deal from the Penguins last summer for a one-year contract because he believed the Red Wings had a better shot to win it all again.

The Red Wings are matching up with Pittsburgh in what is the NHL’s first Stanley Cup rematch since the Oilers beat the Islanders in 1984 after losing to them the previous year.

This year, history will repeat itself - for the Red Wings.

While Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby have taken their game to the next level, Detroit’s game is shutting down individual players - just ask Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp.

Aside from skill, talent, post-season experience, and everything else that the Cup champs have over the Pens, Crosby foolishly touched the Prince of Wales trophy, while Henrik Zetterberg wisely left the Clarence Campbell trophy all alone. This, believe it or not, will be what the Finals will come down to.

In addition, the Red Wings were missing everyone - Ericsson, a huge ice-time eater, was a surprise scratch, needing surgery after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis following the morning skate; Draper, the league’s best defensive-forward, was out again with a groin injury; Datsyuk, arguably the best player in the NHL, remained out with a foot injury; and Lidstrom, the NHL’s best defenceman, was out with a lower-body injury. If Detroit can annihilate the Blackhawks without four of their best players, what chance does Pittsburgh have when Detroit is full strength?

The Red Wings, the first defending champion to get back to the finals since the Devils in 2001, are trying to become the first team to repeat since they accomplished the feat back in 1997 and ’98. This will also be the first decade where there will not be a repeat champion.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com

Running on Empty!

You know what it's like when your gas tank empty light comes on and there is no gas station anywhere to be seen? It’s a terrible feeling, isn’t it. Well, that's where the Hurricanes are right about now after getting trounced 7-4 in the Igloo on Thursday and 6-2 at home on Saturday.

When they hung in there with Pittsburgh in game one of the series, I felt that the chances were good that they would make this a close series and had a better-than-average chance of winning it. I clearly underestimated the Pens, how good their two superstars are, and did not take into account that the Canes were starting to run out of gas. I should have picked it up earlier because the signs were there.

Eric Staal has been pushing hard for the last half-dozen games but didn't have the jump he had earlier. He was an ugly minus 5 in the last two games. Ray Whitney has been a shadow of his former self and has been totally ineffective. Pitkanen, Corvo, (minus 4 in those two games) and Siedenberg, all big minute men on the blue, have started making mental errors, leaving Cam Ward exposed on numerous occasions. Even Ward had started to show the effects of a long tough season, failing to make saves at key points in the games, as he had in the previous two series. In all fairness, if it wasn’t for the valiant effort of Ward in the last two games, the scores would have been much higher!

It's simple. If your top players aren't playing at their best in critical times like these, the outcome will not be a good one. That’s where the Canes are right now. Contrast that to the Penguins.

How do you stop Evgeni Malkin? As Versus broadcaster, Joe Beninati said the other night, "Malkin is a man possessed."  He has been virtually unstoppable. And If I see his mother, Natalia, smiling one more time after a Malkin goal, I'll scream! Sydney Crosby has been equally as effective, but not so dramatic. Funny, watching the games as a Canes fan, I initially felt relief when Crosby's line was on the ice instead of Malkin's. But that was short-lived. In the end, Crosby's line did as much damage, so it didn't matter. Players like Sergie Gonchar, Chris Letang, Chris Kunitz, Bill Guerin, and Ruslan Fedotenko all feasted on the Canes. And whenever the Canes tried to mount any offence, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik, and Hal Gill got in their way.

There's no doubt, the Canes were trying.  Matt Cullen played two of his better play-off games in the last two. Sergei Samsonov and Jussi Jokinen showed spirts of life. Patrick Eaves made a couple of noteworthy offensive moves.  Chad Larose was working as hard as ever, but with limited success. Tim Gleason was generally effective with his hitting. Erik Cole, perhaps the most effective of the Canes, and Tuomo Ruutu, are toughing it out through injury. But that's about it.

Unfortunately, the Canes have never really got it going in this series. They have played Penguins style hockey all three games, wide-open, fire-wagon hockey. Not a good place to be considering the firepower of the Pens. The Canes have seldom dictated the style of play and just have not been able to slow the action down to a manageable tempo. With arguably the two best players in the game given time-and-space to do what they do best, it’s not surprising to see the end result.

As we entered this series, it was clear that in order for the Canes to have any chance of winning, they would have to stop Malkin and Crosby. Well, that hasn't happened and, unfortunately, they are about to be eliminated. This goal by Evgeni Malkin pretty much sums up the series so far, hard to believe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLLHFRoVoKo

I know, I know. It's not over yet. For sure, the Canes will be on a mission in game four to try to steal one at home for the Caniac faithful and I hope they do. I guess all we can do now is take it one game at a time. Let's start by winning Thursday's game four and go from there.

You can only hope that even though the warning light has come on, there is still a bit more gas in the tank. 

No Lidstrom, No Datsyuk, No Draper, No Problem!

by: Marc Valeri

Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg each scored twice as the Detroit Red Wings decimated the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1 on Sunday afternoon, taking a 3-1 stranglehold on Western Conference Finals.

Prior to the game, Detroit lost the best defenceman in the NHL, and 6-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom, to a lower body injury; MVP finalist Pavel Dastyuk remained out with a foot injury; and Kris Draper was a scratch due to a groin stain.

Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula also scored for the Wings, as Chris Osgood turned aside 18 shots through two periods in the blowout. The Red Wings scored three powerplay markers, as well as a short-handed goal.

The Blackhawks were shorthanded in net, as Nikolai Khabibulin was out again with a lower body injury. The team benefitted from Martin Havlat's return to the lineup though. Would his return spark the 'Hawks?

Not a chance.

Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet, making his first start of these playoffs in place of injured Khabibulin, gave up four goals and was pulled in the second. Rookie Corey Crawford took over for the last 15:55 of the period, but Huet returned in the third and gave up Zetterberg’s second power-play goal that made it 6-1.

Jonathan Toews had Chicago’s lone goal on a second-period power play.

Hossa scored a short-handed goal on a 2-on-1 fast break in the first, and Franzen sent the Red Wings ahead 2-0 with only 20.7 seconds left in the period with a hard and high shot from the right side.

Filppula scored on a power play just over a minute into the second period for a 3-0 lead. Detroit went on the power play after Chicago’s undisciplined Matt Walker was assessed a roughing penalty following a scrum at the end of the first.

A 3-0 lead at the start of the second - as was the case during Game 3 - was what the rally point was when Detroit started it's comeback and tied it at 3-3 prior to the third. Could Chicago follow likewise?

After Toews scored to cut it to 3-1, Hossa skated in a mere 12 seconds later, and beat Huet for his second goal, forcing the hand of Joel Quenneville to sub in Crawford.

Huet returned to start the third and Ty Conklin gave Ozzie the rest of the night off.

Hossa’s scoring had been scarce thus far in the postseason. After scoring 40 goals during the regular season, he’d managed just four in the playoffs through Detroit’s 14 postseason games before Sunday.

Zetterberg made it 5-1 when he scored on the power play against Crawford when the Red Wings had a two-man advantage in the second.

Franzen’s 10th of the playoffs, just before the first ended, was a real momentum builder for Detroit. As Brian Campbell was skating in front of him to defend, Franzen unleashed the shot that got through Campbell and eluded Huet.

The goal came less than a minute after Osgood made a spectacular save on a streaking Toews.

Hossa put the Red Wings up early after four Blackhawks, including Campbell, got caught deep in the Detroit zone. Hossa started a 2-on-1, short-handed break to the other end, when he played tic-tac-goal with Filppula, beating Huet.

Huet’s first appearance of the playoffs came Friday night in Game 3 when he replaced an injured Khabibulin (lower body) to start the third period of Chicago’s 4-3 overtime win.

No other team in the world can overcome such odds against them - not unless you're the Detroit Red Wings. This team has such depth that the losses of three key players had absolutely zero effect on them.

Even without their star players, Detroit's game plan remained the same, and their style of play once again dominated this young Blackhawks team, who's inexperience is becoming the laughing stock of Detroit.

The defending Stanley Cup champions can clinch a return trip to the finals with a victory Wednesday at Joe Louis Arena.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

by: Marc Valeri

After blowing a 3-0 lead in Game 3, it was Patrick Sharp and Cristobal Huet who ended up saving the day for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Sharp scored at 1:52 of overtime Friday night, giving Chicago to a 4-3 victory over Detroit and cutting the Red Wings’ lead in the Western Conference finals to 2-1.

After Matt Walker's shot from the point in overtime, Dustin Byfuglien tried to control it in front. With Nicklas Lidstrom's broken stick, it was Sammy Pahlsson who reached in and pushed it over to Sharp, who got it past Chris Osgood for the winner and his second goal of the game.

With the game tied at 3 at two periods, Huet came in to replace starting goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, who had a lower-body injury. Huet, in his first action of the postseason, stopped six shots in the third. His play helped slow the Red Wings’ momentum after they scored three goals in the second.

The Red Wings, playing without arguably their best player in Pavel Datsyuk, scored three goals in a 4:23 span late in the second period. Detroit’s outburst quickly quieted a raucous crowd at the United Center after it looked as if Chicago was in control.

Lidstrom also tallied a powerplay marker, putting Detroit on the board. Goals later followed by Brian Rafalski and Jonathan Ericsson.

Sharp scored on the power play in the opening period and, just over a minute later, Andrew Ladd beat Osgood to give the Blackhawks a quick 2-0 lead. Pahlsson’s goal less than a minute into the second period made it 3-0.

There was some controversy at 13:08 of the first frame, however. 'Hawks' Martin Havlat was absolutely railroaded by Niklas Kronwall. Havlat had turned around the boards, and had the puck between his feet when Kronwall nailed him. The ensuing blow caused Havlat to lose consciousness, to which he was later helped off the ice and did not return.

After the hit, no referee, nor any of the linesman, had raised their arms to indicate a penalty. Why? Because it was a clean play. Havlat had the puck, had his head down, and paid the price. Looking back to Game 1, Jiri Hudler's hit could be categorized as a second too late.

Kronwall received a 5-minute major, as well as a game misconduct for his NHL rule-abiding check. Things like these, however, have become commonplace in the NHL. A player goes down, is hurt on a clean play, and the opposition is penalized for it. Although it remains uncertain whether or not Kronwall had gone head-hunting, the bottom line remains that he got all shoulder into the hit. I remember back in the day when hits like these were praised and touted around the league. Players like Scott Stevens made careers out of hits like these, but this new NHL has gone and removed this element of the game.

While Detroit successfully killed off the major, they were forced to play two-and-a-half periods without one of their top defencemen. Yes,Detroit eventually did tie the game at 3, but would they have won had they still had Kronwall patrolling the blueline?

As for Havlat, Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said Havlat’s condition had improved after the game and he would be re-evaluated Saturday.

Game 4 is Sunday at the United Center.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com

Stay the Course!

Well, after watching game one of the Canes - Penguins series the other night, despite losing 3-2 you had to feel optimistic about the Canes chances of winning this series. 

Frankly, other than the first 10 minutes of the game, the Canes were the better team. They muffled Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin much of the game and did an excellent job of reducing the quality chances the Pens had after their initial surge. The Canes had numerous quality scoring chances and only an outstanding performance by Marc-Andre Fleury prevented the Canes from running away with this one. They outshot the Pens 31-25 on the night. 

After the Pens jumped off to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Satan and Malkin, the Canes fought back on a neat play by Erik Cole to set up Chad Larose, the Canes best player on this night, to make it 2-1 and that's where the second period ended. The Canes continued to pressure but a tough penalty to Matt Cullen, when he inadvertently shot it over the glass, led to the go-ahead marker by Philipe Boucher, mid-way through the third. Cam Ward made a great attempt to save it but it just alluded his grasp. The Canes continued to press and made it close on a late goal by Joe Corvo, on one of his patented blasts from the point. With about 30 seconds remaining and the Canes pouring it on, Eric Staal was left wide open to the left of Fleury, but was unable to get his stick on a Jussi Jokinen feed, barely missing the open net. Nice play by Jokinen, who just keeps making it happen.

I thought the Canes played a solid game at both ends. They worked hard and were effective in doing the little things to keep it close. Both Eric Staal and Jussi Jokinen were effective in the face-off circle winning over 60% of their draws. The defence was solid in their own zone blocking a total of thirteen shots between them. Once again, Pitkanen and Corvo logged big minutes, both around twenty-seven minutes of ice time.

The Penguins play a much-more wide-open style than the Canes previous play-off combatants. When they get room to maneuvre, like they did early in the first period, they are deadly. Their power-play is lethal.  So, the best solution is for the Canes to stay on the offence, reducing Pittsburgh's offensive zone time. Like the old saying, the best defence is a good offence.

But, that may be tougher in game two. Erik Cole, knee, and Tuomo Ruutu, ankle, both went down with injuries in game one and are doubtful for game two. Both were questionable hits in my mind, but no use crying over spilt milk. What's done is done. They are key to the Canes aggressive forechecking style. The big question is what changes will the Canes make if either or both can't go tomorrow night.

Rod Brind'Amour did an outstanding job filling in for Ruutu with Jokinen and Samsonov. Sammy tried to get too fancy a few times but luckily got away with some unnecessary blunders unscathed. I'm sure he heard about those after the game and will course-correct for game two. Patrick Eaves filled in for Cole and added some hustle and aggressive play to Matt Cullen's unit but not much in the way of offense. He continues to be an enigma to me, oozes with potential, but never quite puts it all together. If Cole and Ruutu can't go, you have to think that Dwight Helminen would get the first call, having played in the Jersey series. But Maurice may want to double shift Eric Staal, and that would suggest Tim Conboy, if he wants toughness, or Michael Ryan, if he wants speed. I like Ryan. He can fly and has produced at all minor league levels. How about a wildcard? Zach Boychuk would be an interesting addition, coming off a sensational junior year in Lethbridge. Or, "Mo' could pull a Peter Laviolette, and dress seven defencemen, adding Anton Babchuk to the mix. My guess is that one of Cole or Ruutu will play and they will add Helminen as fourth line center. What do you think?

Game two is a critical game for the Canes. If they can come away with a split, as they did in both the Jersey and Boston series, they will be primed to take control of this series when they head back to the friendly confines of the RBC Center. The Caniac nation will be firing on all cylinders, for sure. For some reason, I am not as intimidated by the Pens as I was with the Devils and Bruins.  But then again, maybe I'm missing something here. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

After their gutsy efforts against New Jersey and Boston, I feel strongly that the Canes can do this. I have a great deal of confidence in Paul Maurice and his staff. All they have to do is keep doing what they are doing and in the immortal words of past President Bush, "stay the course!"

Motown Madness

by: Marc Valeri

With an overtime win last night, the Detroit Red Wings have put the Chicago Blackhawks in a 2-0 hole - and they aren't even playing their best hockey.

Mikael Samuelsson played the role of hero just 5:14 into the first overtime, while Chris Osgood was a brick wall between the pipes, turning aside 38 of 40 shots.

For the most part of last night's game, the Red Wings were unplayed, and fatigue may have played a part in that. The defending Stanley Cup champions played for the fourth time in a week, including Games 6 and 7 versus the Anaheim Ducks.

Detroit's winner came on a 3-on-2 rush after Brian Campbell turned the puck over at the Red Wings blueline, sending Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula, and eventually Mikael Samuelsson off to races. After some nifty tic-tac-toe passing and a nice shot from the slot, the series is headed over to Chicago.

Jonathan Toews tied the game at 2 with 7:40 left in the third. Toews also also opened the scoring in the first, but the lead soon evaporated when Brian Rafalski scored on the man-advantage. With Tomas Holmstrom providing a b-e-a-utiful screen in front of the net (and Johan Franzen in front of him), Rafalski slapped on at the net, and 'Bulin didn't even see it. Detroit captain Nicklas Lidstrom's assist on Rafalski’s goal was his 116th in the playoffs, moving him ahead of NHL legend Steve Yzerman and into first place on the Red Wings’ career list. He tied Larry Robinson for fourth among defenseman on the NHL list.

Dan Cleary, who's been on absolute fire as of late, buried one to give the Wings a 2-1 lead.

Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 35 shots in the loss. Moreso, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp were on line 3 and 4, something the Blackhawks will have to look at for Game 3.

Detroit has given up a power-play goal in a franchise-record 11 straight playoff games. It is the NHL’s longest streak during one postseason in two decades. In fact, the first two goals of the game were scored on the powerplay, and the final two goals were scored at even strength.

Detroit is trying to become the first defending champion to get back to the finals since New Jersey did in 2001. The Red Wings are the last team to repeat, winning the Cup in 1997 and ’98.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks, playing in their first conference final since 1995, now have the daunting task of beating the defending champions in four out of five games to advance. Game 3 is Friday night in Chicago.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Red Wings Take Opener of Original 6 Series

by: Marc Valeri

Daniel Cleary scored twice, against the team that drafted him, en route to a 5-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

Cleary's second marker came midway through the third on a absolutely sexy re-direct from Johan Franzen. With Zetterberg also crashing the net, Detroit's offense once again proved to be too much too fast.

The go-ahead goal, courtesy of Mikael Samuelsson, came just 1:27 before Cleary's.

Chris Osgood, the team's supposed 'question mark' heading into the 2009 playoffs, made 30 saves for the defending Stanley Cup champions, while counterpart Nikolai Khabibulin turned aside 38 shots in the loss.

Adam Burish gave the 'Hawks a 1-0 lead early in the first on a poorly-played puck by Ozzie, but the tables turned when Cleary scored only a few minutes later, followed by Franzen to put Detroit up 2-1. The Mule has now scored 20 goals in his last 22 games, and 22 in his 27 career playoff games. Unbelieveable!

Chicago, playing in its first conference final since 1995 against a team in its third straight, was very competitive with the Red Wings until Detroit broke it open in the final period.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks fell behind in each of its six games the previous round against Vancouver, but found out that it is not as easy to rally against the second-seeded and playoff-tested Red Wings.

Detroit improved to 7-0 when leading after two periods.

Game 2 goes Tuesday night at the Joe.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

This years Playoffs has been the mose exciting in years

Hello, Hockey fans. I hope all of you are enjoying this fantastic playoff year as much as I am. I don't remeber a playoff season with this much fun and excitment in a long time. I mean this playoffs has it all the final 4 being the veteran defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings looking to repeat, The Cinderella Carolina Hurricanes looking to reclaim the championship they won in 2006, The young up and coming Chicago Blackhawks, who have a high school friend of mine playing for them in Dave Bolland and who can forget the defending Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I'm expecting these 2 series both to go 7 games and see Detroit defeat Carolina in a rematch of the 2002 Stanley cup final and the wings winning in 6 games, but lets talk about the rest of the playoffs.

The first round of the playoffs saw some teams dominate and sweep their opponents with the Wings, Bruins and Canucks advancing in 4 games, We saw upsets as the Anaheim ducks defeated the heavily favored San Jose Sharks in 6 games, We a young team defeat the veterans in The Blackhawks defeating the Calgary Flames in 6, Also the battle of pennsylvania was as tuff as it always is as The pens defeated the Flyers in a physical 6 game series and we saw 2 thrilling game 7's with The Carolina Hurricanes only a 1:30 secs away from being eliminated to score 2 goals and defeat the New Jersey Devils and We Saw the Washington Capitals come back after trailing 3 games to 1 come back and defeat the New York Rangers. The first round was great and the second round was even better.

The second Round saw 3 game 7's and one 6 game series. Their were still upsets as the Hurricanes defeat the Bruins in overtime in game 7 with Scott Walker being the hero in what was one of the most exciting game 7's I have ever witnessed. The Chicago BlackHawks speed and skill defeat The Vancouver Canucks in 6 games and it could have been a shorter series if it wasn't for Roberto Luongo. Detroit defeat Anaheim in 7 in what was possibly the hardest hitting series of the playoffs and Who can forget the most anticapated playoff series in Sydney Crosby's Penguins facing Alex Ovechkin's Washington Capitals. This was a series about 2 superstars who didn't disappoint and lived up to all the hype. This series had hits, saves, goals and 3 overtime games and in the end the Pens depth was to much for the Caps, but these 2 teams will meet again and it will be another exciting series.

Now were down to the final 4 I hope all of hockey fans are getting ready to see 4 tuff teams sacrifice everything just to get a chance at the Stanley Cup.

by: Marc Valeri

The defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings are going from facing a big, strong, physical team in the Anaheim Ducks, to facing a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2002 (second in 11 seasons), but relies heavily on youth, speed and skill in the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Ducks pushed Detroit (51-21-10) to a closely contested Game 7 Thursday night in a series its coach, Mike Babcock, said was the best series he’s been in and some players insisted was one of the toughest of their careers. And wisely, the Red Wings will take the Blackhawks (46-24-12) as an equally tough task.

The Original Six franchises will meet Sunday afternoon in Game 1, matching up in the playoffs for the first time since 1995 and the 15th time overall.

Second-seeded Detroit became the first team to simply advance in the playoffs after hoisting the Cup since 2002 when it swept Columbus in the opening round, then was on the brink of elimination against the 2007 champion Ducks.

The fourth-seeded Blackhawks, however, eliminated Calgary and Vancouver in Game 6s, and have been idle since beating the Canucks on Monday.

Chicago is in the conference finals for the first time since 1995, when it lost to the Red Wings.

A series win over the Blackhawks will launch Detroit into the Cup Finals, where they will hope to win the Stanley Cup for the fifth time in 12 seasons.

Both teams, however, have taken vastly different routes getting to the Western Conference Finals. Detroit slowly nurtured the likes of Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk under stars such as Steve Yzerman, giving them a chance to develop on their own terms.Zetterberg and Datsyuk were late-round picks, drafted 210th and 171st overall respectively, and were groomed to be stars of the future. Datsyuk was a third-line center under coach Scotty Bowman, now a consultant for the Blackhawks, as a 23-year-old rookie when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup seven years ago. Zetterberg’s production as a 22-year-old rookie the next season, scoring 22 goals, was simply a bonus.

Chicago, on the other hand, didn't get a chance to do that, as they immediately launched the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews right into the spotlight. Kane and Toews were taken first and third overall in the 2007 and 2006 drafts, respectively, and were leaned on right away.

For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Oh baby!

For those of you who have heard the legendary CBC hockey announcer, Bob Cole, you know that he probably would have said his signature phrase "Oh baby!" when the Canes scored to eliminate the Bruins on Thursday night. 

In case you missed the goal, here it is!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUj5NWhUc4o

To see Scott Walker's emotion in a post-game interview with Tripp Tracy said it all. And wasn't it poetic justice that Walker was the hero in this one, after all of the criticism that was levied on him over the Aaron Ward incident. Paul Maurice had made it clear going into this one that the Canes "would leave it all on the ice". They would play their hearts out and give it all they had. An that's exactly what they did! If you're a Canes fan, you had to be proud of this team, no matter what the outcome. They worked hard from the opening face-off, doing the little things to keep it close.

If not for Milan Lucic's goal off a bad bounce for Cam Ward on a Marc Savard rap-around shot in the third period, this might not have even gone into overtime. The Canes were that good. They killed four penalties effectively, hardly giving the Bruins a decent look. Not surprising though, their penalty killing ranked third in the league from January on. Coincidentally, that is when the penalty killing unit was handed over to Tom Rowe and Tom Barasso. What a job they've done! The Canes reduced the number of quality chances to vitually nothing by repeatedly getting in passing lanes, deflecting passes, and blocking shots. 

Once again, the coaching staff has to be lauded for smart line-up decisions. Moving Walker up with Staal and Whitney gave the line more down-low pressure, creating a number of quality chances for this line. Before the goal from Walker, both Staal on a wild slapper from the slot, and Whitney on a wicked shot that hit Thomas in the mask, created near misses in the Bruin's end. The insertion of Frank Kaberle into the line-up also paid dividends as Franky picked up an assist on the goal from Samsonov, and generally was very effective, particularly in his own zone, making smart outlet passes to clear the blue-line on a number of occasions.

I was pleased to see valuable contributions from Rod Brind'Amour, a nice deflection on the first goal, and Ray Whitney, whose blast from the right side created the juicy rebound for Scott Walker to bury. Eric Staal played an outstanding game and never let up for a minute. Many a shift, I saw Staal head to the bench dog-tired, putting all he had into it. Great to see!  Sammy played an inspired game and his linemates contributed as well, Jokinen making a huge shot-block in the third period and Ruutu wearing down the Bruins with thunderous hits. Chad Larose was, well, Chad Larose, giving 110% every time he was on the ice. Chad has really grown on me in these play-offs. Not only has he chipped in with much-needed offence, he has been phenominal killing penalties, and is the most dependable Cane forward at getting the puck out of his zone, especially when the Canes are under assault.

The defence was rock solid, again. They are hugely under-rated in this league and perhaps now they will start to get some notice. Joni Pitkanen was enormous on the blue, playing thirty-five-and-a-half minutes on this night, was plus two, and making a perfect pass to Sergei Samsonov for the go-ahead goal. At one point, it seemed he was on the ice for about five minutes straight! You have to like Dennis Seidenberg. He played over thirty minutes, also was a plus two, made a super shot for Roddy to deflect for the all-important first goal and then made a game-saving shot block on David Krejci in the third. Overall, he blocked six shots on the night.  And the tandem of Joe Corvo and Tim Gleason did what they have done through-out these play-offs, play effectively in all key situations and lead by example. I've talked about Gleason before. He just keeps getting better. What was it we were told about Corvo when we acquired him from Ottawa last year, that he was a one-dimensional player (offence) and was a major liability defensively? Well, they were right about one thing. Offensively, he is among the best in the NHL. But where they got it wrong was about his defensive abilities. In this "new" NHL, a player with the elite skill level of Joe Corvo is a very valuable comodity. I'm sure the Ottawa Senators must be crying in their beer on this one now.

I don't know what you could say about Cam Ward that hasn't already been said this season. He is simply an elite goaltender, among the best in the league. And have you watched any of his interviews recently? He presents himself extremely well. He is cool, well thought-out, and shows a humility that is refreshing. No wonder the players rally around him.

You know I'm still kind of in-shock from Thursday night's outcome. To think the Canes could first, go into New Jersey's home rink and defeat them in game seven was one thing. But to suggest they would do it again, in game seven against the Bruins, is just outright amazing. Even Canes broadcaster Tripp Tracy was "astounded" at the outcome. It's not that the Canes weren't deserving, because they definitely earned the right to win both of these series. For some reason, I just expected it to go a different way. I guess there are hockey gods after all.

So, what next?  Well, as Cam Ward was saying about the upcoming Pittsburgh series, "this series will be tougher." Sure, they have Crosby and Malkin leading the way and stopping them is a tall order. But the Canes have a decided edge over the Penguins on defence and goaltending and, if Eric Staal continues to play the way he has been playing, you have to like the Canes chances. 

Down the stretch, these were the two hottest teams in the NHL. They have continued that outstanding play into the play-offs. Both Paul Maurice and Dan Bylsma have prepared their teams well. This should be an outstanding series. 

I can't wait for the opening face-off.  "Oh baby!"

Game 6 & 7

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Game 6 and see a Ducks team that played as well as they should have. I won't dwell on that success we had in that game. I think Getzlaf played very well. So did Perry. If were Randy Carlyle I would make sure those two guys got some sort of boost in the discipline level though. I think that their bad timing penalties in this penalty cost us a game or two. Every Red Wings fan tells me "Ducks fans and players just whine." Sorry Detroit fans. You have the Lions. Talk about losing and whining. 

I won't keep talking about how stupid Ebbett's two penalties were in Game 6 and how it is incredibly lame that we had two bench minors. That's all over and we pulled off a win in that incredible awesome game. In fact we scored while I was critiquing the Ducks on what we should improve on and the girl in front of me turned around and said, all smarty like, "excuse me sir, no offense, but you were just talking bad about the team and then they scored so maybe you should keep doing it and then they will prove you wrong."

Um, thanks chick. I actually watch a lot of hockey, coach and consult in the hockey world, but we don't need to get into that. 

Game 7. Ugh. What a bummer. Such a great comeback. We nearly had it. While some players can take the blame for what happened, those players had great nights other nights where the main guys didn't. The Ducks lost as a team. I do think that last goal will have an effect on Hiller. Hiller could have made a better save and he knew it. That's why he was madder than he had ever been after it was called a goal. I don't think we should trade Giguere until November to see how Hiller holds up. Most Ducks fans disagree. I will stand by that. 

This off season should be interesting. I am proud of our 8th seed team that most had written off to not even make the playoffs in February. I think Detroit will go on to repeat. After living in Michigan for five years of my life, I can say I am okay with that. Detroit is skilled. I respect the organization like no other. I think we just witnessed the real finals last night. 

Lucky 7's

by: Marc Valeri

The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Detroit Red Wings, were pushed to the brink of elimination last night at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. Ironically, with a team largely built around speed and finesse, it was a role-playing grinder who turned out to be the hero.

Canada's own Dan Cleary came through, scoring a tiebreaking goal with 3 minutes left that lifted Detroit to a 4-3 win on Thursday night that sent the 11-time champs to the Western Conference finals for the third straight year.

And rather than rolling with the bounces - most of which have gone Anaheim's way throughout the series - the Ducks did what they do best...whine and complain.
Detroit took a 1-0 lead late in the first when Jiri Hudler re-directed a pass from Johan Franzen, shelfing it over Hiller's shoulder. The goal was helped in part by a stupid Ryan Getzlaf penalty, one of two key minors he took.
Early in the second, with the momentum on Detroit's side, the speedy Darren Helm picked off a Teemu Selanne pass and was off to the races, beating Hiller on the low-blocker. Helm, playing in only 7 games this season, was a minus-2, whereas in the playoffs, he's already recorded 4 goals.

After the Ducks broke the donut, Mikael Samuelsson eventually slid one under Hiller after Valtteri Filppula broke away and kept with the puck. Dastyuk eventually followed, also recording an assist on the play.

Anaheim would add two more, tying the game at 3. Cue the heroics.

With 3 minutes left on the clock, Detroit began pressuring once again. With Henrik Zetterberg behind the net, he shoots in front of the net, where Cleary taps it down. As the puck falls, it lands behind Hiller, who at this point, is unaware of the pucks' whereabouts. Cleary's attempt to poke the puck through ended up pushing Hiller's pad backwards, who incidently knocked the puck into his own net, giving Detroit the series-winner. Talk about a thriller.
The fact that throws most fans is that most teams defending the Cup rarely make it to the final four - and in some instances, don't even make the playoffs at all.

Before Detroit did it, Colorado was the most recent NHL team to reach the conference finals after hoisting the Cup. The Avalanche lost to Detroit 7-0 in the deciding game in 2002.

Once again, Detroit outshot Anaheim 40-27. Much credit is due to netminder Jonas Hiller, who turned aside 36 shots in the defeat against the NHL's most potent offense. The Ducks, though, showed a lot of resolve to make Game 7 necessary, and to give Detroit all it could handle.

Detroit, however, deserves all the credit in the world. They killed off two 5-on-3's against a very good offense, something a regular team is simply not capable of. Ultimately, they killed off 4-of-5 powerplays, thanks in large part to offensive stars such as Zetterberg, Franzen and Rafalski blocking a ton of shots.

The Red Wing offense saw a familiar method last night, as well. Two of Detroit's four goals (the other two were scramble plays off of turnovers) were scored using cross-ice passes. Take, for example, Henrik Zetterberg going cross-ice to Franzen, then to Hudler for the first goal of the game.

Aside from Detroit's unmatched skill and preparation, lady luck may also have been on the Red Wings side. It was the 7th game 7 played at Joe Louis Arena, the last one being 7 years ago where they scored 7 goals in a 7-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche. Nonetheless, they have been impressive - returning to the Western Conference Finals in a salary cap era is something to marvel.

From a fan's standpoint, this series could provide nothing more. It was exciting, intense, competitive, and incredibly entertaining. And not just this series - the Hurricanes and Bruins series was spectacular, and the Penguins and Capitals - er, Crosby versus Ovechkin - was a media dream come true.

This series, at the very least, was intensity city - five games were decided by a goal, including Game 2 in triple overtime. This series had everything - big hits, big goals and big saves.

Detroit will host the Blackhawks in Game 1 on Sunday, matching up the Original Six teams in the playoffs for the first time since the conference finals in 1995.

The Red Wings have advanced to at least the conference finals eight times in the last 14 seasons, winning the Cup in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2008.


For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Dissapointment

The disappointment of losing a series is overpowering. We all believed this was THE TEAM and a bunch of young, talented; don’t know any better players stole our thunder. Hats off to Chicago for not backing down. If they can play that way in the conference finals, there is no reason not to believe that they can’t go on to the cup finals. As for the Canucks, where do they go from here? A lot of guys have to be either signed or let go, Does Mats come back? Do the twins come back? Do they go after Boumeester and Gaborik?

These are all things that need to be decided sooner rather than later so we can build off of what was a very positive and promising season. Stay tuned Canuck fans as this is going to be a very scary or exciting off-season.

This is bad!

I woke up this morning with a sore tummy.  Sure, it might have been caused by the waffle and ice cream I had last night for dessert, but I don’t think so. For me, it is usually a sign that something bad is about to happen. 

Hopefully, that doesn't mean the Canes are going down tonight in game seven against the Bruins.  But, no matter how you slice it, based on the last couple of games, it is starting to look more-and-more like that is exactly what is going to happen. 

After all, the last two games, the Bruins have completed dominated the Canes except for a brief flurry in the second period of Tuesday night's game. What changed from the previous three games in which the Canes completely outplayed the Bruins and were well-deserving of each of those victories? 

I guess you would have to say the Bruins are commanding the play now and the Canes are trying to play Bruins' hockey instead of the other way around. There was not much to cheer about in the last two losses if you are a Hurricanes fan.  Except for some excellent saves by Cam Ward, the goals by Cullen and Samsonov, and some heady play by Joe Corvo, nothing much comes to mind.  Key players like Ray Whitney and Rod Brind'Amour have been virtually invisible in this series. The power-play has been abysmal for the most part, not helping matters. 

From the Bruins' side of things, Zdeno Chara is back on track and has been successful in shutting-down Eric Staal. It appears that if Eric doesn't score, the Canes don't win. Just not enough secondary scoring.  Milan Lucic was a beast on Tuesday and more-or-less had his way with the out-manned Canes.  And snipers Kessell and Savard are getting time-and-space to do what they do best. Yeah, and let's not forget Tim Thomas.  He is, without a doubt, the most unorthodox goalie you will ever see, but somehow he gets it done, making a number of circus saves to prevent the Canes from scoring. 

Razor's Edge 

So what do the Canes have to do to pull this out, if in fact they can? 

1. Goaltending. Cam Ward will have to stand on his head in goal, with his best performance of the series. He has done it before and he can do it in Boston tomorrow night.  Remember, he has never lost a play-off series.  No need to start now.

2. Team effort. Players like Brind'Amour and Whitney will have to contribute, to take some of the pressure of Eric Staal.

3. Hitting. The Canes will have to be aggressive from the get-go, with players like Cole, Eaves, Walker, Ruutu, and Gleason leading the way.

4. Power-play. If the Canes get it going, they will draw penalties. Then, they have to cash in.

5. Defense. The Canes D-men have to prevent the screens and close-in shots that have eluded Cam.  Seidenberg and Gleason will need to be huge.

6. Eric Staal. Well, he has to be Eric Staal. Need I say more? 

Paul Maurice has suggested some changes will be made heading into this game. You can bet Frank Kaberle will replace Anton Babchuk for this one. I, for one, like that move. Franky has proven he can play in tough situations and is well-rested. Plus, he has something to prove.  Also, look for a change on Staal's line. Maybe Eaves will slip up there and Cole will move down or maybe it will be Ruutu on the big line. I'm sure whatever "Mo" has up his sleeve will be interesting. He has done a masterful job of tweaking the line-up for maximum results. 

Now is the tough part, hanging around waiting for the opening whistle. I only hope this isn't one of those games that is painful to watch from the outset. You know, the ones where the outcome is decided early on and you live through it, with diminishing hope, right to the final buzzer. I felt for the poor Capitals’ fans last night. They were out of the game virtually from the start.  Hard to explain that one really. 

Oh, I just remembered that we won’t be watching from the opening face-off. The game will be picked up while in progress. Let’s just hope that by the time Versus picks up the broadcast midway through the game, (what gives with that?) that the Canes are still in it. Better still, leading by a goal or two.  Now, that would be sweet!

Red Wings Unable to Close Out Series - Game 7 Goes Thursday Night

by: Marc Valeri

For the first time in 7 years, the Detroit Red Wings will play a seventh game of a series.

After being unable to finish off the Anaheim Ducks in six games last night, the teams will fly back to Michigan where Game 7 will be decided at legendary Joe Louis Arena. The winner will have the Chicago Blackhawks in their sights for the Western Conference Championships.

The Red Wings had clinched their last eight playoff series wins with victories on the road, and seemed poised to do the same after outskating and outshooting Anaheim 78-45 in consecutive wins in Games 4 and 5.

But facing elimination, the Ducks returned to the form that carried the team to a league-best 10-2-1 mark in the final weeks of the season, winning Tuesday's Game 6 by a 2-1 score.
Last night, Detroit didn't play the way they had throughout the rest of the series. Once again outshooting the Ducks - who have been outshot in every single game this postseason - the Red Wings fired 39 shots at netminder Jonas Hiller, who turned all but one away.

Detroit's scoring chances were skewed by Anaheim's seemingly more up-tempo style of play last night, which caused the Wings to take shots they wouldn't normally take. Many shots were fired directly at Hiller, who was successfully able to keep his rebounds under control, limiting Detroit's second-chance scoring opps.

Detroit's league-best powerplay was also weakened last night. Going 1-for-6, the Red Wings had ample opportunity to take advantage of the man-advantage, but simply could not execute. It also didn't help that Detroit lost in the faceoff circle, winning 26 and losing 29.

One thing I noticed was that, unlike the rest of the games in the series, Detroit was beaten to the puck far too many times. What makes their defence so good is the limited amount of time that the team spends in their own end. This aspect of their game, though, wasn't played as well as they had wanted, as they continued to take stupid penalties, including two consecutive delay of game penalties.

The return of blueliner Brian Rafalski benefitted the team to an extent - Rafi's cross-ice passes were still seen, especially on the powerplay when he finally returned to play with Niklas Lidstrom, but Detroit was unable to execute and put the puck in the net.

Not all was bad for Hockeytown, though. Chris Osgood, the starting goalie in a 'questionable' last line of defence, was sharp in the first period when Anaheim outshot Detroit 12-to-8.

In addition, Johan Franzen, who's scored a fairytale 21 goals in 26 career playoff games, knocked one home on the powerplay with just over two minutes remaining in the game. This, along with the scrap following the final whistle, will be momentum that Detroit will need to carry with them back to Motown.

As for Game 7, neither team has had all that much success in the deciding game. Anaheim is 2-1 all-time in Game 7 and won its most recent Game 7, shutting out Calgary 3-0 on May 3, 2006 to advance to the conference semifinals. Detroit, on the other hand, will now face their first Game 7 since clubbing the Colorado Avalanche 7-0 at home on May 31, 2002. Detroit is 11-7 in Game 7s, but just 3-3 at home since 1991.


For more, visit www.VoiceofValeri.com.

Jussi, Jussi, Jussi!

If you are a Canes fan, you would probably pick Eric Staal and Cam Ward as likely heroes for the Canes in the play-offs, and with good reason. Staal has been dominating and Ward has been exceptional. 

But, as we began this play-off run, I am very sure that Jussi Jokinen’s name was not even on the long list. After all, the Canes pulled Jokinen literally off the scrap heap. Not only did the lowly Tampa Bay Lightning give up on him, but Jussi passed through waivers not once, but twice with no takers. Canes boss man, Jim Rutherford, (JR) saw enough in Jussi that he conjured up a deal packaging up spare parts Wade Brookbank and Josef Melichar to the Lightning for Jussi. 

You might recall that Jussi broke into the league with the Dallas Stars in 2005 , enjoying an outstanding rookie season on an all-Finnish line with Jere Lehtinen and Anti Miettinen. He ended that season with a respectable 17 goals and 55 points, not to mention Jussi’s prowess on the shootout, where he led the league with an astounding 77% success rate. (10 for 13) Following a so-so second season in Dallas, he was a key component along with goalie Mike Smith and Jeff Halpern in the Brad Richards blockbuster last year. Unfortunately, the move to Tampa turned out to be a disastrous one for Jussi. Enter JR.

Back to the play-offs. Jussi had a strong series against the Devils, scoring the winning goal in game four with .2 seconds left  and the game-tying goal in the waning minutes of game seven.  Not only that, he was strong on face-offs and played a key roll on the power-play and penalty-killing units. He carried that over into this series, particularly making his presence felt on a newly-created line with Tuomo Ruutu and Sergei Samsonov. (another smart move by “Mo”) That continued into game three in the friendly confines of the RBC Center.

Smarting from an upset 3-0 loss to the Hurricanes in Boston, the Bruins were an angry bunch heading into game three. But no matter what they threw at the Canes, little resulted from it. The Canes soundly outplayed them and only a goal by former Cane, Mark Recchi, mid way through the third period, sent the game into overtime and salvaged an opportunity for the Bruins to steal the victory. Early in the overtime, Cam Ward, make a monstrous save on Milan Lucic and, a few minutes later,  with the RBC crowd electric, the table was set for Jussi to do his magic. Jussi started the play by knocking down a Zdeno Chara attempted clearing-pass at the blue-line. Sergei Samsonov, another Rutherford reclamation project, took a Jokinen pass, undressed the same Chara (He is human, after all!) fired a zinger at Tim Thomas, whose rebound landed on the stick of Jokinen. He promptly deposited the puck in the back of the net, lickity-split. Thanks, and good night!

Then, on to last night, an opportunity for the Canes to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. My feeling was that the Bruins would come out, all guns blazing and very snarly. And that they did, starting fast, but the Canes got some help from the goal post on a couple of Bruins shots early on. And then, it was the Canes who struck first. With an electric hometown crowd behind them,  they took the lead on Eric Staal’s power-play goal at just about the five minute mark. Staal’s goal followed a huge save by Cam Ward on a clear-cut breakaway by P.J. Axelsson, with the Bruins shorthanded.  How many times have we seen that happen - a huge save a one end, leads to an odd man rush and a goal at the other end. The Bruins battled hard and started quickly in the second period culminating in a Mark Savard’s power-play goal at 2:37, one of the few the Canes have given-up in the play-offs. 

With the Caniac crowd in a fever pitch to the start the third period, the Canes came out energized. This led to another Zdeno Chara penalty and an odd man opportunity for the Canes. Early into the powerplay, Ray Whitney was robbed by Tim Thomas, but the Canes continued to press. A huge save by Thomas on a howitzer from Anton Babchuk, left a juicy rebound for Samsonov, whose shot bounced off the left goal post and ended up on guess who’s stick.  The “Finnisher” wasted no time, ripping a blast past Thomas and giving the Canes the lead to stay. Talk about smoking hot, take a look at this! 

The Canes went on to dominate the Bruins for the remainder of the game, outshooting the Bruins 14-7 in the 3rd and racking-up two more goals, by Staal, his second on the night, and Samsonov, whose beauty sealed the deal. Jokinen ended up with three points on the night, including this outstanding effort to set up Samsonov.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU9HcNt-Ov8

It will be interesting to see how this series plays out from here. The Canes have the momentum and are playing with confidence. On the other hand the Bruins seem to be lost at times, playing what Bruins’ coach Claude Julien says is “our worst hockey of the season.”  In addition, the Canes have thrived on adversity, whereas the Bruins are showing their inability to deal with it. Nonetheless, you have to believe there is still more left in the Bruins’ tank and that game five, with home-ice advantage, will be a tough battle. On the other hand, if players like Staal and Ward continue their outstanding play, you have to like the Canes chances of moving on to the next round.  

And you know what?  Who better to deliver the final blow that knocks the Bruins out of this series once-and-for-all, than the Canes red-hot “Finnisher”, Jussi Jokinen.