Canucks feeling Minnesota?
Waiting For Stanley — ... . A 2-0 score. Luongo had his 3rd straight shutout. However the Wild have won 3 straight since then over Phoenix, Columbus and Pittsburgh. They outscored their opponents 9-3 in the process. Yes the Wild are rolling. But over the past 10 games the Canucks hold an advantage. Vancouver is 7-1-2 and Minny is 6-4. That is a reason why we are leading the Northwest Division right now. Yet not by much. The Wild are only 1 point behind. So just how much do the Canucks want to hang onto that spot? ...

Friday Roundup Gamenight: Habs @ Caps
Japers' Rink — ... The Montreal Canadiens were a popular preseason pick to win the Eastern Conference, and almost a unanimous pick to win the Northeast Division. And while they've been good so far, they currently sit fourth in the Conference and ...

Canucks stink up the Shark Tank
Waiting For Stanley — ... The Canucks outshot the Sharks 13-5 in the 3rd period. Maybe AV saw something in Schneider recently that prompted him to start red head. Maybe he thought Sanford couldn't handle back-to-back starts on consecutive nights. Who cares? Not saying names, but the Canucks handed out some apple turnovers in front of Schneider. One team had chicken or turkey plus stuffing and eggnog on their minds prematurely while the other team didn't. Call it a stinker. Nothing to worry about, except for this. Don't even start with the jet lag excuses. How long does it take to fly from Vancouver ...

Canucks 3 Senators 0: Canucks improve and Sens get worse
Waiting For Stanley — ... help out greatly...depth up front. Vigneault just mentioned that he plays players more if they deserve it. I guess he doesn't always feel Demitra earns a top line spot? It also depends on how physical the opposing team's defence is. Demitra was absolutely terrific. 1 goal 1 assist, 4 shots. He was a force out there, even in the 'small' areas, liking keeping the puck in the opposing team's zone while on a power play. He was the go-to guy tonight no doubt. How important was this win? Check out the standings. I'm loving the effort by Sanford tonight. Let's ride this guy until ...

Luongo ready for full-on practices and could return this week
Waiting For Stanley — ... I guess it's fair to say that we could see Luongo back by Thursday against the Coyotes or Sunday against the Blue Jackets. The team could use a kick in the ass, as they are now only 4 points ahead of 8th spot Colorado, who has 2 games in hand. ...

The Devils made them do it
Waiting For Stanley — ... These backup goalies are not getting it done. However, when they play well the team in front of them doesn't bail them out. Fucking frustrating. Luongo's return had better stabilize the situation. If it doesn't, very soon Alain Vigneault's job will be at stake, if it isn't already. Oh yeah, it's true. Admit it. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Look at the standings. The Canucks have played more games than the teams below them and are now only 3 points away from losing a playoff spot. ...

Watch Out for the Flyers
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —

Groundhogs Day (Let Spring Begin)
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —

Game Day - Habs @ Caps
Japers' Rink — ... back in the Fall, the Habs have won just three of their last thirteen games and have dropped to fifth in the Conference, seemingly challenging the Rangers to see who can drop out of the top eight quicker. Their star goalie is 2-7-0/4.00/.863 in his last nine starts (and 0-2-0/6.00/.824 in his last two), they have more than $10 million of salary ...

Game Day - Avs @ Caps
Japers' Rink — ... If you're searching for the Colorado Avalanche in the League standings tables, you may want to save yourself some time and start looking from the bottom up. ...

Sundin's return to the ACC leaves this Canucks fan somewhat torn
Pension Plan Puppets — ... part-detest all things Toronto. I'm sure the feeling is mutual. Mats can expect a mixed reaction, and I think he does. It's the media that turns this occasion into a shit show. It seems as though most Leaf fans just want to get this game over with. Others want to see the Leafs make Mats and co. pay by defeating them. Some will cheer and respect Sundin, as they understand what he went through in the last stages of his career in Toronto. Canucks fans want the win because of the tight Western Conference race...and of course to gloat at the hated Leafs and ...

The BJ’s are Good—Is This Really Happening?
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —

Sunday Morning Dump
St. Louis Game Time — ... Drunken, degenereate Yucko the Clown does Nashville. Google Earth almost found Atlantis. Almost. For better or worse, it seems Bettman will have a say in this Kostitsyn debacle, according to the Montreal Gazette Our boss's boss, James Mirtle, has his say concerning the scandal in Montreal. This can't all be doom and gloom, maybe Johan Hedberg's cousin or Carlin can bring us some laughter. NHL standings I have no idea if there are any hardcore movie buffs on here, but the ...

Can the Canucks make life worse for the Canadiens? Pregame and Game Thread
Nucks Misconduct — ... So many distractions for a Canadiens team that doesn't need distractions. They are sliding down the Eastern Conference standings, once at/near the top, now in 5th spot, only 2 points up on 9th place Carolina. ...

Canucks vs Lightning Pre-game / Game Thread
Nucks Misconduct — ... The hockey gods have shown the Canucks some favor. Even after last night's games, Vancouver is still in 5th place and still 3 points up on the 9th and 10th place Oilers and Ducks. Time to take advantage of a weaker Lightning team and increase that gap. ...

Canucks edge the Lightning 2-1
Nucks Misconduct — ... Luongo play a stellar game without letting in a questionable goal? Tonight he was terrific. -There were 2 key defensive plays: Salo's heroics to keep the puck out of our net at the end of the 3rd period and Wellwood's beauty sweep check as (I believe Stamkos) was charging at the net alone. -I thought Kari Ramo would shit the bed. But he challenged himself after last game and really played well in goal for the Lightning tonight. -Pretty boring game otherwise, huh? I like the Western Conference standings after tonight's win though. ...

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y...morning
St. Louis Game Time — ... ESPN hasn't abandoned hockey entirely. And it seems that they're now uncertain that KT will be on the move at the deadline. Opportunity to beat Erik Johnson TODAY on the Xbox360. No word if you go head to head with him in Tiger Woods Golf. Might have to sit through a sales pitch but if you have nothing better to do... (special thanks to Sean Gallagher, right handed pitcher for the Oakland A's) Hockey News: Still 3 points out, sports fans. And last night's results. ...

Sunday Morning Links
St. Louis Game Time — ... to Boston and out of the western conference and be done with it. Next Blues game is Tuesday against the (Fuck) Detroit Red Wings.   NHL News: Haha, Boogaard. You got suspended. All the NHL scores from February 28. Here's the NHL action for tonight. Root for the Pittsburgh Crosbys to put away Dallas in regulation and keep the Stars only one point ahead of us. Your up to the second NHL standings! Man, did the Wings ever get their asses handed to ...

Canucks look confident shutting down Columbus 3-1
Nucks Misconduct — ... The Canucks are now 4 points up on Columbus to secure 5th spot in the West, and 6 points up on 9th spot. That's some breathing room that they have not had in quite a while. Still 8 points behind the Flames, who lost in an 8-6 goal-fest against the Lightning tonight. ...

Canucks toss one away in L.A.
Nucks Misconduct — ... given up 6 minor penalties to the Kings' 3. The Kings scored 2 power play goals in that span and the flat Canucks scored none. A lot of the Canucks' penalties were taken because they weren't keeping up with the Kings' speed. -I know people bash Alain Vigneault for juggling lines, but what the hell else was he supposed to do? The team was not responding. He eventually put the "normal lines" back together in the 3rd when the guys started showing some hustle. -Los AngelesHAD to win that game to stay in the playoff hunt. The Canucks played like ...

Sabres Are Down But Not Out
Die By The Blade — ... This coming weekend is an important weekend for the Sabres and the standings could look dramatically different on Monday morning.  The Sabres play the Florida Panthers on Thursday and the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday, both are winnable hockey games and both are at home.  Some of the other teams that are in the playoff race do not have such favorable schedules. ...

Canucks-Kings preview / Game Thread: Unleash Hell
Nucks Misconduct — ... There's no use in the team being complacent because they sit 6 points up on 9th spot. Catching Calgary is now a complete long shot and finishing 7th or 8th in the end would be insane. And ignore ...

Canucks-Avalanche Pregame + Game Thread
Nucks Misconduct — ... The Canucks are in good shape to win this one, as they have won 8 straight games at home and the Avalanche are playing their second game in as many nights. They defeated the Oilers 3-2 on Saturday night to tease their fans that they can still make the playoffs, which is next to impossible.  ...

That Bernier goal
Nucks Misconduct — ... And with that, the Canucks have set a new record for consecutive home wins (10) and have made the world a more stressful place for both the Hawks and Flames. ...

Is this Canucks team peaking too early?
Nucks Misconduct — ... The Canucks are now 11 points up on 9th spot, 1 point up on Chicago and 3 points behind Calgary. Times are good. Really good. Which brings me to my next point. ...

Predators Update, March 20 2009
On the Forecheck — ... play again next week in Nashville. And what was Terry Crisp saying about not knowing if there's anything in the rules against Staubitz using his elbows like that? There's a rule called Elbowing, and it doesn't go off the books just because two guys are fighting. If that were the case, guys would just grab sticks and whack each other over the head... And lastly, a snapshot of the Western Conference standings at the moment. It'll be a busy weekend of scoreboard watching:

Motley Canucks hit the road to face Dead Dogs
Nucks Misconduct — ... So now begins the 6-game road trip and we'll see if the Canucks can keep rolling. Tonight they will face the Phoenix Coyotes, who are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games and in 14th spot in the Western Conference. Stick a fork in them they are done. ...

Who gets your boos?
On the Forecheck — ... Here's snapshot of the standings headed into tonight's action... Lastly, I thought I'd open the following question for discussion; which of the playoff contenders do you NOT want to make the postseason? We've still got seven teams fighting over three spots... is it traditional division rivals like Columbus or St. Louis? Craig Leipold's new team, the Wild? The Goons-R-Us squad in Anaheim? Let's hear what you think... Poll Which of the playoff contenders are ...

And down the stretch they come...
On the Forecheck — The wide-open race to the Western Conference playoffs is as tight as ever as we enter the final three weeks of the NHL regular season. Spots 6-12 are truly up for grabs, although Columbus is quite close to locking up their first-ever postseason appearance: Clearly, six months of regular season action hasn't been enough to separate these teams much so far, so perhaps an indication as to how things will end up might come from examining the remaining games for each contender. The tool I'm using today is something I put together each ...

Canucks vs Stars Pre Game / Game Thread
Nucks Misconduct — ... -The Stars lost all 3 road games last week against Calgary, Vancouver and San Jose and now sit in 12th spot in the West. ...

Canucks nearly end Stars' playoff hopes / post game
Nucks Misconduct — ... - The Canucks move into 4th with the win (or do they? They've played 1 less game than the Hawks I believe, 9 points up on 9th place Nashville, and 4 points up on 6th place Columbus. ...

Predators Update, March 25 2009
On the Forecheck — ... As the Western Conference playoff race tightens even further, here's a recap of what's being said about our Preds this morning: ...

Wins or Draft Pick More Important for Kings?
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —

Predators Update, March 27 2009
On the Forecheck — ... With the Preds back in 8th place after last night's huge win over the Sharks, let's see what's going on in Nashville's hockey world this morning: ...

Saturday Morning Links
St. Louis Game Time — ... NHL News: Joey MacDonald, former Wings netminder, earns his first career shutout at the expense of his former team. And as a New York Islander, too. Fuck Detroit. Ray Emery makes the news in a bad way: Getting his car impounded RFJCC, is this your work? Kudos, if it is. Bail check's on the way, if needed. Scores from around the league. Thank God the Ducks/Oilers game didn't go to OT. Standings. We Are One. Point. Out. Tonight's games. Blues will take help ...

Sunday Morning Links: Cardiac Arrest Edition
St. Louis Game Time — ... The all-important NHL Standings. Tied with Edmonton at 81. They have us in 8th. As I understand it we should be in 9th since we haven't beaten the Oil. Eh, it'll all be different after today, right? ...

Central domination
On the Forecheck — Is it possible? Could all 5 Central Division teams make the playoffs in the West? Poll How many Central Division teams will make the playoffs? ...

Remember That Other Punching Bag Division?
Bangin Panger — ... But as of right now, the perennial punching bag that is the Central Division, has all 5 teams in the playoffs. The Blues have ridden a 5 game win streak all the way up to 8th and are most definitely playing the best hockey of their season, same can be said about the Preds. ...

Canucks @ Wild: A chance to take top spot in the Northwest
Nucks Misconduct — ... The talk of the town is about how the Flames lost against the Sharks last night and the Canucks now have a chance to take over the Northwest Division lead....finally. But to do so they will have to beat yet another team in Minnesota that is fighting for it's life to earn a playoff spot. The Wild are 3 points behind the 8th place Blues. St. Louis has won 5 straight. The Predators, who occupy 7th spot, are 4 points ahead of the Wild and have won 3 straight. ...

Just for tonight, Preds fans... Let's Go Hawks!
On the Forecheck — ... For one night, anyway, Nashville Predators fans need to cheer on the Chicago Blackhawks, as they host the St. Louis Blues in the only game this evening which affects the Preds' playoff chances. St. Louis is just one point back of Nashville, and after tonight both of them will have just 5 games remaining. For the Blackhawks perspective, head over to Second City Hockey, and if you need a case of the Blues, check out St. Louis Game Time. In Preds-related news, John Glennon reports that Jason ...

Recap - Capitals 5, Islanders 3
Japers' Rink — ... was a minus-one, with one shot on goal, no hits, no blocked shots, and three giveaways.  Ouch. No Capital had more takeaways than giveaways. The Islanders had quite a disparity in shots - 23 of their 27 shots came from six players, while nine players failed to register a shot. In the end, the Capitals walked away from last night with another two points to add to their season total which, given that the Devils lost to the Penguins and the impact in the standings, should be enough to tide fans over... for now.

Sharks Gameday: The Oil Rig's On Fire!
Fear The Fin — ... Edmonton has been doing their best to avoid the playoffs for the third straight year, and tonight may be their last hurrah. With a home and home against Calgary to end the season, who will most likely be battling with Vancouver for that three seed up until the 82 game mark, their future schedule does not bode well considering the current playoff picture. ...

A good night for scoreboard watching, Preds fans
On the Forecheck — ... Anaheim @ Vancouver: The Canucks have caught fire lately, taking the Northwest Division lead by going 20-5-1 after an eight-game losing streak in January. The Ducks are ahead of the Preds by a mere tiebreaker, so here's to hoping Vancouver keeps things rolling on home ice. It's a lot to ask for all three games tonight to fall our way, but the odds in each contest are heavily in Nashville's favor, as the top 3 teams in the West go to work on the Preds' behalf.

Ducks 6 Canucks 5: Halloween all over again
Nucks Misconduct — ... What is it about these 2 teams and their crazy shootout games? This one was a flashback toOctober 31 when the Canucks won 7-6 in a shootout over the Ducks. This time the Ducks prevailed and got their crucial 2 points. ...

Game Day - Sabres @ Capitals
Japers' Rink — ... But things have changed.  The Capitals recent success (7-2-1 in their last ten) and a stretch of, shall we say, unimpressive play on New Jersey's part (3-6-1 in their last ten) has put the Caps in second place in the East and in a position to earn a potentially much weaker first round opponent, as well as home ice advantage for the first two rounds.  Oh, and if the Caps win tonight, they clinch the Southeast Division. ...

Predators Update, April 3 2009
On the Forecheck — Here's all the news that's fit to... copy & paste about your Nashville Predators this morning: In the out of town games, only 1 out of 3 worked out in the Preds' favor. St. Louis topped Detroit 5-4 and Anaheim won in a shootout over Vancouver, but San Jose beat Edmonton in regulation. That leaves the standings as follows: Basically, the Preds need a win tonight in Chicago to set things back the way they were yesterday. Remember, tonight is the  ...

One Second In November
Japers' Rink — ... The momentum carried over in to the extra frame somewhat - New Jersey was held shot-less while the Capitals tested Clemmensen twice - but wasn't enough, and eventually the Capitals fell in a shootout.  At the time the extra point seemed like a consolation prize; a way to salvage an otherwise frustrating evening.  Now, with the calender on April and the playoffs around the corner, that point could wind up meaning a lot more.  At the moment Capitals stand three points ahead of the Devils in the race for second place in the East which, coupled with ...

Canucks can stick a fork in the Oilers' playoff chances
Nucks Misconduct — ... The Oilers currently sit in 11th spot in the Western Conference, 4 points out of 8th spot. Already their chances of getting in are slim to none, especially when you consider that the 8th place Blues are 7-2-1 in their last 10 and the 7th place Ducks are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games. ...

Saturday Morning Links
St. Louis Game Time — ... Standings. Thanks to the Hawks for knocking off the (Sexual) Predators. Still in 8th. Nashville took out their post-game frustrations from the loss on a nearby ...

Canucks toss one away against Avalanche
Nucks Misconduct — ... This was another blown chance to really but the heat on Calgary for the division crown, but now they are not only going to most likely have to win out the season, they also are going to have to rely on teams like the Kings and Oilers to pound on the Flames in their final games. If they don't win the division they most likely will not have home ice advantage in the playoffs, as the Blackhawks are 3 points up on them in 4th spot and are not slowing down. ...

This could be it. If the Canucks lose to the Flames (in regulation) the Northwest Division title is lost
Nucks Misconduct — ... The Calgary Flames disposed of the Kings rather handily last night to put themselves in a tremendous spot to win the Division. Now, if they defeat the Canucks tonight in regulation the crown is theirs. The Canucks could not tie Calgary after that. Not even if they win their last 2 games and Calgary loses theirs. The Flames would still hold the edge in wins and the party would be over. ...

Game Day - Capitals @ Thrashers
Japers' Rink — ... The Caps enter their season-ending road trip with a slim two-point lead for the Conference's second seed over Jersey, with the latter holding the first tie-breaker (wins). In other words, if the Caps get five points, second is theirs. If not, things could get interesting. ...

Eastern Conference playoff update - 4-7-09
Empty Netters — A brief update on how the Eastern Conference looks after tonight's games. -The Penguins clinched a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. They are in seventh place with 95 points. They still have a shot at the No. 4 seed, but need some help in the form of losses by the Flyers and Hurricans obviously. -The Flyers clinched a playoff berth by beating the Panthers, 2-1. They are in fourth place with 97 points. -The Devils failed to secure the Atlantic Division title after losing 4-1 to Toronto. They are in third place in the Eastern Conference with 102 ...

Playoff Bandwagoning: Western Conference
Pension Plan Puppets — ... With 2 points last night the Columbus Blue Jackets locked up the sixth playoff spot in the West, and we're coming down to the wire. Here are the current Western Conference standings: ...

Hijack The PPP Poll
St. Louis Game Time — ... With 2 points last night the Columbus Blue Jackets locked up the sixth playoff spot in the West, and we're coming down to the wire. Here are the current Western Conference standings: ...

NHL Playoffs: First Weekend Observations
Hockey From the Cheap Seats —

The Phoenix Coyotes: What Happened and What’s Next?
Fanster.com — In my opinion, the end of the season for the Coyotes is probably one of the more melancholy days of the year. And it seems like any year the team doesn’t get to participate in what’s probably the greatest sports tournament around it even adds a little bit more sadness to the final whistle. Again, this past week the team went their separate ways for the summer and while it’s always disappointing for any team in any sport to not get to play the extra games, there’s still plenty of optimism around the organization that this team will soon break out and be able to compete with some of the best teams in the conference. ...

Eastern Conference Standings: Why the Sabres Missed the Playoffs
Die By The Blade — ... This week I decided to analyze the Eastern Conference standings for the Saturday morning stats analysis.  Before I get into the chart I want to apologize for the lack of any in depth analysis.  I pulled almost all this information directly from the standings page at NHL.com. ...