|
| Lupul almost the hero again | Thursday 4/24, 9:21 PM CT |
|
A game after scoring the OT winner to allow the Flyers to enter the second round, Joffrey Lupul almost was the hero again scoring the go ahead goal in the third period of Game 1 against the Canadiens. Unfortunately for the Flyers, the Habs tied it up in the 3rd and then won it in OT.
Our View: Lupul started the playoffs slowly, but he has a point in each of the last three contests for the Flyers. |
|
|
| Kovalev scores twice | Thursday 4/24, 9:18 PM CT |
|
Alexei Kovalev scored two goals on Thursday night in the Habs OT victory over the Flyers.
Our View: Kovalev has been in the middle of a lot of scoring in the playoffs with four goals and four assists in eight games. Look for that level of production to continue as long as the Habs are playing. |
|
|
| Kostopoulos socres OT winner | Thursday 4/24, 9:16 PM CT |
|
Tom Kostopoulos scored his third goal of the playoffs on Thursday, an OT game-winner for the Habs in their 4-3 victory over the Flyers in Game 1 of the second round.
Our View: That's three goals in eight playoff games for a guy who scored just seven times in 67 games this season. In fact, over the last four seasons he has never scored more than nine goals, so this unforeseen offensive production is a huge bonus for the Habs. |
|
|
| Osgood wins Game 1 | Thursday 4/24, 9:13 PM CT |
|
The numbers may not have been great with 18 saves on 21 shots, but Chris Osgood made the big saves when his team needed him most to pick up the victory in Game 1 against the Avalanche.
Our View: Osgood should continue to start over Dominik Hasek unless he has a brutal outing or is injured after this outing. |
|
|
| Stastny has two points | Thursday 4/24, 9:11 PM CT |
|
Paul Stastny doubled his point total in the playoffs in Game 1 of the second round as he scored a goal and had an assist against the Wings.
Our View: Finally a game to be proud of. Scorers like Stastny just can't be kept down forever, and though the Av's lost on this night, they have to be pleased that Paul finally showed up. |
|
|
| Hejduk once again offensive force | Thursday 4/24, 9:08 PM CT |
|
Milan Hejduk scored a goal and added an assist in the Av's 4-3 loss in Game 1 to the Wings.
Our View: Hejduk had a bit of a down season with just 52 points this year, but his scoring touch is slowly returning as he has three goals and three assists in the playoffs so far. |
|
|
| Franzen scores two goals | Thursday 4/24, 9:06 PM CT |
|
Johan Franzen was a +2 thanks to two goals and an assist in the Wings Game 1 victory over the Avalanche.
Our View: Franzen has been a heck of a player in the playoffs with four goals and three assists through seven games. This is the type of secondary scoring that is needed for a team to win the Cup. |
|
|
| Theodore removed from game with flu | Thursday 4/24, 9:03 PM CT |
|
Jose Theodore gave it his all in Game 1, but he was eventually pulled and sent to the team's hotel as he is apparently suffering from a terrible case of the flu, according to NHL.com.
Our View: Theodore gave up four goals on 16 shots, though to be fair two of the goals were a bit fluky. Peter Budaj entered the game and stopped all 20 shots he faced in the 4-3 loss to the Wings. |
|
|
| Forsberg scratched from Game 1 | Thursday 4/24, 6:59 PM CT |
|
Peter Forsberg was a surprise scratch for Game 1 of the Av;s second round series with the Red Wings due to his injured groin, according to the AP.
Our View: Wow. All reports were that Forsberg was feeling fine after scoring five points in six games in the first round, but this will continue to be an issue with Forsberg until he hangs them up for the last time since his body continues to fail him at inopportune times. |
|
|
| Stastny needs big turnaround | Thursday 4/24, 4:40 PM CT |
|
Paul Stastny had only one point, a goal, in the first round, but his play was improved the final two games of the first round, according to the Denver Post.
Our View: Stastny was a point-per-game performer in the regular season, so it's really a pretty big surprise that Colorado was able to move on to the second round since he was so brutal in the first. |
|
|
| St. Louis named finalist for Lady Byng | Thursday 4/24, 4:33 PM CT |
|
Martin St. Louis was named a finalist for the Lady Byng award given each year to the player who "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” according to NHL.com.
Our View: St. Louis is a finalist for the third time after leading NHL forward in ice-time for the second straight year. He also scored 83 points and had only 26 PIM, a pretty low total considering the fact that his team was awful and he was a (-23). He should get the award for not snapping and going postal on someone just for that. |
|
|
| Pominville named finalist for Lady Byng | Thursday 4/24, 4:32 PM CT |
|
Jason Pominville was named a finalist for the Lady Byng award given each year to the player who "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” according to NHL.com.
Our View: Pominville scored 80 points with a +18 and 20 PIM and was a great force for the Sabres especially down the stretch when he blistered goalies for 42 points in 34 games after the all-star break. |
|
|
| Datsyuk named finalist for Lady Byng | Thursday 4/24, 4:28 PM CT |
|
Pavel Datsyuk was named a finalist for the Lady Byng award given each year to the player who "exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability,” according to NHL.com.
Our View: Datsyuk has won the award in each of the past two seasons, and his combination of points (97) and PIM (20) have him nominated yet again. No player has won the award in three straight seasons since Frank Boucher of the Rangers did it in 1933-35, and if you remember that, well, your pretty old. |
|
|
| Markov rounding into form | Thursday 4/24, 4:24 PM CT |
|
Andrei Markov has had a rough playoffs thus far due to several nagging injuries, but the hope is that he will improve now that he has had a little rest, this according to TSN. "If we're going to win every game and I don't score a goal or get an assist, it's better for the team."
Our View: Markov was a big time producer with 16 goals and 58 points in the regular season, which makes his mere single assist in seven games so shocking. Look for his offense to improve, especially his work on the power-play, or he could be labeled a playoff bust. |
|
|
| Kovalev, Koivu miss practice | Thursday 4/24, 4:18 PM CT |
|
Alexei Kovalev and Saku Koivu both missed practice on Thursday, but the team is fully confident that they will both be ready for Game 1 of the second round, according to NHL.com.
Our View: Players often take time off at this time of year, and these two veterans certainly know how to prepare themselves without needing to take part in every skate around. |
|
|
| Modry to miss start of second round | Thursday 4/24, 4:16 PM CT |
|
Jaroslav Modry will miss at least the first couple of games of the second round of the playoffs as he will fly back to the Czech Republic to attend his father's funeral on Saturday, according to NHL.com.
Our View: Modry will likely be replaced in the lineup by Lasse Kukkonen as the Flyers take on the Canadiens. |
|
|
| Gaborik has injured hip | Thursday 4/24, 4:12 PM CT |
|
We may now have at least a partial explanation of why Marian Gaborik was so poor in the first round of the playoffs, he was hurt, according to NHL.com. According to the report Gaborik has a "hip deficiency attributable to overuse."
Our View: Well, this partially explains the lack of point production, but it doesn't let him off the hook either. Gaborik will have a long summer to get himself in shape. |
|
|
| Jagr makes remarks about Crosby | Thursday 4/24, 11:55 AM CT |
|
Jaromir Jagr mildly insulted Penguins' star Sidney Crosby, according to the NY Post. Jagr remarked, "With all due respect for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, I don't think they are Mario Lemieux. I say that with all due respect because the game has changed. The gap between the best and worst players on a team today is very small. The gap between Mario and the rest of the guys when I was in Pittsburgh was so huge he was able to score 20 points in one series. I don't think those kids are able to do it. If I am wrong I am going to apologize and say, 'Great job.' There were games we won 6-5 that Mario scored six points. The next night, 5-3, he scored five. Crosby can do it once in a while but not every game like Lemieux. Some nights you can't tell who is first line and fourth line in this new NHL. Wayne Gretzky in the '80s was far better than anyone else. So was Mario in the '90s. You came to watch the individual because they were so much better. I love to watch highlights of when great players dominated.
I wish I could do it. It's not working anymore."
Our View: While that may be true, Jagr should not have compared Crosby to his legendary former Penguins' team-mate. Crosby is among the most dangerous scorers in the NHL today, and the Rangers do not need him playing with a chip on his shoulder in the upcoming series. |
|
|
| Knuble out for early part of series | Thursday 4/24, 11:48 AM CT |
|
Mike Knuble will not be available until later in the second round of the playoffs due to his hamstring ailment, according to the CourierPostOnline.
Our View: Knuble managed to stay intact for 81 games of the regular season, while scoring 53 points, with three game-winning goals. The Flyers will be forced to shuffle their lines with less experienced players while he is out. |
|
|
| Briere playoff leader | Thursday 4/24, 11:01 AM CT |
|
Daniel Briere is the playoff leader in scoring as he generated 11 points over seven games, according to The Philadelphia Daily News. He scored six goals and five assists.
Our View: He is worth every penny the Flyers are paying him, and he should remain a solid point producer until they play their final game in the playoffs. |
|
|
| Roberts questionable | Thursday 4/24, 10:54 AM CT |
|
Gary Roberts is questionable to play in Game 1 of the second round against the Rangers, according to The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Roberts stated, "At this point, we'll see how it goes today before making any decisions about whether I'll be playing or not. It starts feeling good, and you have to make sure it's good enough that you're not going to be a liability out there. That's what I need to realize. We have a lot of guys here who can do the job. If it's not close to 100 percent, I won't play."
Our View: Roberts is a gritty and tough leader for the Penguins, and he will be needed against the Rangers. |
|
Crushing hits. Explosive separation. Hail Mary bombs to streaking receivers. For that and fantasy analysis for all things football turn to Owners Edge NFL every week on your way to the championship.
A 95 mph heater. A perfectly executed hit and run. A blast into the sky. At Owners Edge MLB, we break down every conceivable fantasy angle from the simple to the complex to quench your fantasy thirst.
Outlet passes. Jumpers from downtown. Alley-oops leading to thunderous jams that bring the crowd to their feet are all part of the NBA experience leading to our analysis of the hardwood at Owners Edge NBA.
The hush at the tee box is followed by the sweat sound of metal on ball as someone in the gallery yells out 'you da man!' At Owners Edge PGA we bring refinement, analysis and passion to the sport of golf.
The smell of burning rubber. The thrill of unmitigated speed coming out of the turn. The visceral exhilaration of a pile up. At Owners Edge NASCAR we make the pit stop so you don't have to on race day.