Tag: Anaheim Ducks

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NHL General

Wed Morning NHL roundup


Rangers 2, Sabres 1
Is it just me, or is this whole “Upstate vs. Downstate New York” battle starting to look a little like Scott Norwood might come hopping onto the ice? The Sabres are falling apart a little, and doing so in creative ways they haven’t collapsed since the late 1990s. On Tuesday, Daniel Briere appeared to score a game-tying goal with 17 seconds left, but it was disallowed when it was ruled Lundqvist stopped it before it crossed the line. Somewhere, Brett Hull snickered and said “Buffalo… HA” under his breath before continuing to make out with a supermodel. The series is 2-2. You know Mike Bloomberg wants to make that bet now with the Buffalo Mayor.

Ducks 3, Canucks 2 (1 OT)
These guys don’t like to play just an entire regulation game, apparently. The Ducks took a 3-1 lead – they might wrap it up Thursday at home – when Travis Moen netted one 2:07 into overtime. Roberto Luongo has to be thinking that first round was a glorious dream at this point. Honestly, though, you should be pretty hyped about a potential San Jose vs. Anaheim Western Finals; that might take you back to the Avs vs. Red Wings days, i.e. “When hockey was once relevant.”

[Ted Bauer will be covering the NHL playoffs for us this year. You can find more of Ted’s work at A Price Above Bip Roberts.]

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NHL General

Monday Morning NHL Roundup


Rangers 2, Sabres 1
The Blueshirts hadn’t beaten the – uh, Blueshirts from the other part of the state, I guess – in 7 tries this season, and for a while, it seemed like it would be eight. See, this puppy went into one overtime, and then, as is the proper style for these NHL playoffs, it went into a second overtime, and that went close to 17 minutes – we were approaching the dastardly THIRD OVERTIME – before someone (specifically, Michal Rozsival) scored on a screened off Ryan Miller. It’s 2-1 Sabres series-wise, which is the mathematical inverse of the score of this game. That’s absolutely trippy.

Ducks 3, Canucks 2
Corey Perry, who was eligible for selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft yet was not selected at all (feel better, Brady Quinn? You should), scored the game-winner on Roberto Luongo, who once went No. 1 in the same Draft. Here’s the lesson Quinn should take away from this: someday in the future, the Browns will play the Raiders. Now, CBS will send their G-Level team to this game, because even though both fan bases are rabid, no one gives a crap. So, with Dan Bonner somehow on play by play (“But guys, I do college basketball color…”), Quinn will oppose Russell, and with :03 left, Quinn will absolutely bomb it out – showing Russell arm strength in the process – and hit Braylon Edwards in stride for a 77 yard TD. Edwards will then break his leg celebrating. Anyway, the point is, don’t pass on Corey Perry. He can do some damage. So can the Ducks.

[Ted Bauer will be covering the NHL playoffs for us this year. You can find more of Ted’s work at A Price Above Bip Roberts.]

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NHL General

Satuday Morning NHL Roundup


Canucks 2, Ducks 1
Here’s an interesting piece of irony: one of the guest bloggers for the NHL playoffs over at their website is the band Emerson Drive. Ironic, you say? But why? Their most notable single is “I Should be Sleeping,” which pretty much summarizes every game the Canucks play this postseason. No, no – they’re not boring. Rather, they start late (I mean, it is the Pacific Northwest) and they end even later. They went 4 OT with the Stars already these playoffs, and last night, they went 2 OT with the Ducks before winning to even the series. We assume Luongo is hitting the bottle pretty hard these days, nerves shaking and all. That water bottle atop the goal might just have a smidge of Irish Coffee in there.

Sabres 3, Rangers 2
In Buffalo’s City Hall, there’s a poster showing some magazine survey that ranked Buffalo “one of the 20 best American cities” (I have no idea what magazine would justifiably print that). Next to it, there’s a poster the Mayor put in there himself. It shows two pictures: Lord Stanley and the Vince Lombardi Trophy. Under it, it reads, “Need these.” Indeed they do. They’re another step closer – to a rematch with their arch nemesis Senators, nonetheless. Lindy Ruff has the boxing gloves ready.

[Ted Bauer will be covering the NHL playoffs for us this year. You can find more of Ted’s work at A Price Above Bip Roberts.]

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Anaheim Ducks

Snoop likes hockey? Oh, fo shizzle!

Everyone knows that Snoop Dog is a Lakers and Trojans fan, and now it looks like he’s starting to jump on the Anaheim Ducks bandwagon. Here’s a clip from Snoopy’s appearance on FSN during intermission of Thursday’s game. Sounds like the Dogfather got dragged down to the game by his son but it seems like Snoop is still enjoying himself. Heck, he’s even rockin’ the foam finger! We’re wondering if that might be one of those jewelry carrying foam fingers, kinda like Michael Vick’s water bottle safe. After all, Snoop does seem like he’s awfully “high” on the Ducks all of a sudden.

Everyone else has tried, maybe the rappers can save hockey.

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NHL General

Crashing the Zamboni: Weekend Recap


1. Bondra To Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks received a much-needed offensive boost on Sunday, signing veteran sniper Peter Bondra to a one-year contract. Bondra currently sits with 489 career goals, which, for the mathematically challenged, is only two short of 500. According to AP reports, the five-time All-Star selection could be in the lineup for the Blackhawks on Tuesday, pending a physical. Chicago could benefit from the goal-scoring abilities of Bondra–the Hawks are an unimpressive 27th in the league with only 67 goals scored on the season. While he could help Chi-Town in that area of things, it’s doubtful anything will be able to pull this team into playoff contention… the Blackhawks are currently 12th in the Western Conference.

2. Comfortable At Home…
When they’re playing at the Pangrowth Saddledome, the Calgary Flames are doing an awesome job of living up to their name. Calgary has been red-hot at home of late, winning nine straight on the warm comforts of home ice. Their most recent victory came on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks, with the Flames prevailing in a 5-3 effort. Aside from being their ninth straight win at the Saddledome, it was the fifth win in the last six games for Calgary. Jerome Iginla netted a goal with two helpers, and Mikka Kiprusoff had a solid game with 26 saves, securing his 14th win of the season. The Flames, who started the year at the bottom of the Northwest Division, have surged up to third place–only three points behind Minnesota and Edmonton for the lead.

3. …And On The Road
The Anaheim Ducks cushioned their dominance of the NHL this season, with a 4-3 win over a struggling Tampa Bay club on Saturday night. It was the fifth consecutive road triumph for the Ducks, and added to their NHL-leading 52 points. Dustin Penner recorded two goals for the Ducks in the victory. Anaheim picked the right year to thrash the league: in the Duck-dominated Pacific Division, second-place Dallas would be leading four other divisions with an impressive 42 points. For the Tampa Bay Lightning, it was their fifth loss in the last six games.

Check It Out
Jim Matheson of The Edmonton Journal explains why he thinks online voting for the All-Star Game is a joke. The evidence he provides is quite relevant, focusing around Rory Fitzpatrick of the Vancouver Canucks. Rory has been in only 16 games this year, with no points recorded on the season. Hey, all of his campaign efforts have been fun to check out, so here’s hoping he makes it anyway.

Game of the Night: Pittsburgh at Washington
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin meet Alex Ovechkin in a showcase of NHL youth

The Last Shot
In an incredibly unfortunate turn of events on Friday night, 25-year-old Laura Gainey was thrown off of a vessel by a huge wave that hit the ship. Extensive ocean searches have yielded nothing thus far in regards to finding her at sea. Gainey is the daughter of Montreal Canadeins GM Bob Gainey, who is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame (Gainey won five Stanley Cups in his playing career). Our condolences go out to the Gainey family.

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NHL General

Crashing the Zamboni: Edmonton Gets One Back


1. Exacting Revenge
It sure wasn’t the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Edmonton Oilers were able to take out some revenge on the team that ended their miracle run in last year’s playoffs. Edmonton downed the Carolina Hurricanes by a score of 3-1, moving the Oilers into first place in a busy and tight Northwest Division. None of the teams in the Northwest can be counted out at this point, so it will be interesting to see who’ll come out of the jumble on top. Jussi Markkanen had a nice night between the pipes, stopping 28 shots in a rare start. Carolina still sits several points behind the Thrashers, who are having a solid year and aren’t showing many signs of letting up. Some bad news for Canes fans: Rod Brind’Amour left the game with what’s being dubbed a “lower body injury”. Hopefully it’s nothing serious–but knowing Brind’Amour, he’d be on the ice even if it was.

2. Best of the West
Two of the NHL’s titans squared off last night in a battle of Western Conference supremacy, with Anaheim shutting out Nashville 4-0. This was a bit of a statement game for the Ducks, who now hold the league lead in points (surpassing the mighty Buffalo Sabres). Temmu Selanne came up big, as he tends to do while in the spotlight. His two goals and assist boosted Anaheim to a win, leaving no doubt about who’s the best in the Western Conference. Chris Kunitz also contributed offensively, netting one goal and tallying three assists. Jean-Sebastien Giguere was “Giggy”, turning away all 21 shots he faced to send the Preds to their third straight loss.

3. Nieuwendyk Retires
Joe Nieuwendyk, who knows about winning better than anyone, announced his retirement on Wednesday night. Back problems have made the NHL to big of a mountain for Joe, who is 40 years old. In his 20 year career, he played for Calgary, New Jersey, and Toronto, before spending last season and the first quarter of this season with the Panthers. He won three Stanley Cups in those 20 years, and was named the playoff MVP in 1999. Here’s hoping he sticks around to call games in the booth, because it would be a shame if this kept him out of hockey for good.

Check It Out
The West Central Tribune discusses the declining rate of concussions in the NHL, and how to continue playing the game injury free. Perhaps the noticeable increase in penalties has something to do with the lack of these serious head-related injuries

Game of the Night: Montreal at New York Islanders
Canadeins: Lost three of last four games

The Last Shot
On Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers announced plans to retire Mark Messier’s #11 on February 27th. Messier won five Stanley Cups with Edmonton, and is the NHL’s second-leading scorer of all-time. The New York Rangers raised his number to the ceiling of Madison Square Garden last year.

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NHL General

Crashing the Zamboni: Ducks Quacking Along



Ducks lead the Pacific

1. Call Them The Mighty Ducks
Even with the new look, the Anaheim Ducks are still mighty good. The boys from the Pond captured their fourth straight win on Thursday night in British Columbia, outlasting the Vancouver Canucks by a 2-1 score. Ryan Getzlaf, who has been on an absolute roll ever since the season started, tallied the game-winning goal in the 3rd period to give the Ducks the win (he also scored the game-winner on Tuesday against the Oilers). At an astounding 19-2-6, Anaheim has the best record in the NHL.

On Vancouver’s side of things, Alex Edler scored his first career NHL goal- he was the only player to get the puck by Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who earned his league-leading 15th win of the year. For the Canucks, it is essential to get back on the right track: having lost three of their last four, they’re second to last in the Northwest Division.

2. Atlanta’s Had Enough…
…of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dominance. The Thrashers’ 5-0 victory on Thursday snapped an eight game losing streak to Toronto, dating all the way back to October of 2003. Give the credit to Marian Hossa for the offensive firepower–he added an assist to his Hat Trick, and let goaltender Kari Lehtonen do the rest on the defensive side. Lehtonen stopped 36 shots from Toronto for his fourth shutout of the season (he also had one on Saturday). Slava Kozlov produced for Atlanta with four assists on the night, capping off an impressive all-around performance for the Thrashers. It was Atlanta’s third straight win, sending the Maple Leafs to their third straight loss.

3. Brewing Up A Storm
The Carolina Hurricanes showed glimpses of last season’s squad on Thursday night as they defeated the Montreal Canadeiens in Raleigh, 4-2. Eric Cole had a nice game for Carolina, scoring two goals to help his team keep up with Atlanta, who is ahead of Carolina in the Southeast Division. The `Canes went into the 3rd and final period down by a goal, and were able to get a pair before the final buzzer sounded at the RBC Center in North Carolina.
Even with the loss, Montreal goalie Cristobal Huet had a nice night, saving 44 of the 48 shots he was peppered with.

Check It Out
We’re counting down the days until January, when the NHL is set to unveil their new jerseys. The new uni style will feature “increased flexibility” and is said to be “less bulky” than the ones currently in use.

Game of the Night: Detroit at Minnesota
Marian Gaborik of the Wild to play for first time in more than a month

The Last Shot
More developments in the NHL gambling ring investigation. According to the AP, a key cog in the scandal is to plead guilty on Friday, and could face up to a year in jail. Not much to say here, except the entire situation is just plain silly, and it is a shame that the NHL has to deal with something like this while they’re still on the road to recovery from the lockout.

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NHL General

Crashing the Zamboni: Weekend Recap



Check out my ugly uni!

1. Awesome in OT
The Buffalo Sabres continue to take care of business, and look to be a Stanley Cup contender come playoff time. They racked up another win on Saturday night, drowning the already dead Philadelphia Flyers. The 5-4 overtime victory was the third straight win for Buffalo in the extra period. Daniel Briere had an outstanding game, scoring two goals–one to tie it, and another to win it. While the Sabres continue to roll along, the Flyers continue to fall to the pit of the NHL. The giant wing on their jerseys has been clipped this year; at 3-11-2, Philly is dead last in the Eastern Conference. Even Flyers fans are having a hard time remembering the times when team was actually good. That’s an unfortunate thing, since it really wasn’t that long ago. It doesn’t help that they’ve been without captain Peter Forsberg, who has been battling a nagging ankle injury and is listed as day-to-day.

2. Jinxed
Friday’s post on Crashing the Zamboni featured the Anaheim Ducks and their emergence to begin the season. With their 12-0-4 mark, they set a record for most games without a regulation loss to start a season. On the same night of the post, the Ducks suffered a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Calgary Flames–and it didn’t come in overtime or a shootout. Our apologies go out to the Ducks and their fans, who we’re sure were hoping to see their team go without a regulation loss this year. But don’t just blame us: Mikka Kiprusoff had a stellar performance, stopping all 37 shots that came his direction on the way to a shutout victory.
Anaheim would avenge the loss with another victory on Sunday night over the Wild, 3-2. Currently, their record stands at 13-1-2, by far the best in the Western Conference.

3. Preds Victorious
The Nashville Predator skated to a 1-0 victory on Saturday night, attempting to keep up with the Red Wings in the Central. Chris Mason was a brick wall between the pipes, saving his way to a shutout win with a career-high 42 saves. As a backup to Tomas Vokoun, it was his first shutout in the four games he’s started on the year. Scott Upshall scored the only goal of the game in the first period, but it was enough to fend off the Avalanche, who have slipped into last in the Northwest Division. This was the third 1-0 game in the NHL in the past week, which is exactly what the league is trying to stay away from with the rule changes put in effect last year (the other two games were a Dallas victory over Phoenix on Thursday and a Chicago win over Columbus last night).

Check It Out
SI.com’s Allan Muir looks into the struggles of the Columbus Blue Jackets, perhaps the most irrelevant team in the league. He suggests sniper Rick Nash is the problem, and if the Columbus Blue Jackets want to get rolling, then that is the guy that needs to put up numbers. Playing in the same division as Detroit and Nashville, it may be quite a while before the Blue Jackets actually have an impact on this league.

Game of the Night: Buffalo at Carolina
Rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference finals (Hurricanes won in seven games)

The Last Shot
The Chicago Blackhawks actually won a game on Sunday night. Oh, wait… they faced Columbus. Does that really count?

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NHL General

Crashing the Zamboni: Good Times in Anaheim

1. Feeling Ducky
The Ducks just keep quacking along this year, and if not for the solid play of the Stars and Sharks, they would already be a lock to win the Pacific. They continued their trend of winning on Thursday night, turning in the usual all-around performance that we’ve become accustomed to seeing. With a 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, Anaheim set an NHL record for most games without a regulation loss to start a season. At 12-0-4, they have played an astounding 16 games without being behind after three periods. The Ducks’ Ryan Getzlaf scored two goals, helping netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere breathe a little easier. ‘Giggy’ was no sieve on Thursday, stopping all 20 shots that came his way en route to a shutout victory. With the loss, Vancouver has lost four of their last five, scoring only eight goals in that span.

2. Blackhawk Bummer
The Devils earned a shootout victory over the reeling Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, winning by a score of 2-1. For Chicago, it’s their eighth straight losswith only nine points on the season, they have plummeted to the bottom of the Central Division. Goalie Brian Boucher has started seven games this year for Chi-town, and is currently sitting at 0-7-0. That’s pretty sad. New Jersey, on the other hand, won their third straight for the first time this year, and are now leading the Atlantic Division. They held Chicago to 0-4 on the Power Play, meaning the Blackhawks have not scored a Power Play goal in six games. For all you fans in Chicago sitting around and waiting for the Blackhawks to be good, we feel your pain. You know (and we know) deep inside that it just isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

3. Stars Squeak By
Dallas downed the Phoenix Coyotes in Arizona on Thursday, winning in a low scoring effort, 1-0. Marty Turco earned his first shutout of the year, but only had to face 13 shots. Brenden Morrow’s Power Play goal was enough for the Stars to break away with the win; their defense did the rest. On the other side, Phoenix goalie Curtis Joseph played excellent, stopping 34 of 35 shots in a losing cause. Cujo gave the Coyotes a chance to win, but an abysmal offense could get nothing going against Dallas. 13 shots? Please. This is the NHL. We knew the Coyotes were bad, but many didn’t think they’d come out this flat to start the season. Their offense just cannot jell — they’ve been shut out three times this year. This team just doesn’t make much sense to us. The puzzle pieces are there, but they have absolutely no logic as to how they go together. Here’s hoping they figure it out soon it would be a true shame to see Wayne Gretzky depart the bench this early.

Check It Out
NBC Sports created a timeline of jerseys for the Vancouver Canucks, chronicled in a series of pictures. The common thought here is that the ‘Original Blues’ are the all-time Canuck favorite (better than the butt-ugly butter yellow uniforms of the mid-80’s, at least). Vancouver wore the throwbacks on Thursday night against Anaheim.

Game of the Night: Nashville at Detroit
Predators have won three of last four games in Detroit

The Last Shot
The Red Wings placed Jason Williams on injured reserve a day after suffering a vicious hit at the hands of Edmonton’s Raffi Torres. Williams was carted off the ice, suffering a concussion and laceration to the face.