Out of Town Notebook: Eastern Conference Quarterfinals Playoff Preview
Tom Wakefield breaks down each of the first round series in the NHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
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Out of Town Notebook: Filling out an NHL Awards Ballot
Tom Wakefield gives his take on who should win some of the key NHL awards and takes a look at other issues around the league.
Click here to read more.Quickies: Some Perspective in Goal and Poking the Bear
After a week in Toronto, J.J. Guerrero gains some perspective on the Canucks’ goaltending tandem.
Click here to read more.Out of Town Notebook: Could Calgary’s Red Mile Be Returning?
Yes, this is the week of returns in the NHL, with Sidney Crosby playing against the Rangers on Thursday and all signs pointing to Alex Radulov returning to the Predators in the near future. And yet if you take a step back, what you’ve really got in the NHL right now is an epic race for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference. As of Wednesday morning, there were five teams separated by a single point in the standings for the final two playoff spots in the West. Which of these teams will make the playoffs? Which of these...
Click here to read more.Out of Town Notebook: Picking Contenders out of Deadline Mix
Let’s get this out of the way first. I’m still not convinced Columbus’ interest in dealing Rick Nash wasn’t a creation of TSN and Sportsnet. The two networks needed a big name to speculate about to drive up ratings for their annual Trade Deadline TV marathons. Sadly for those networks, Nash remains a Blue Jacket at least until the draft, where the hype will be built up all over again. I am giddy with anticipation (and by giddy I mean hitting my head with a shoe to make the idea of 24 hour coverage of “The Rick Nash Trade –...
Click here to read more.Things That Make You Go Hmmm: Forward Depth, Shootout Prowess and More Tim Thomas
[Inspired by Arsenio Hall’s “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…”, Clayton Imoo talks about Canucks-related things that make him go hmmm… You can follow Clay on Twitter at (@canuckclay) or on his website, Clay’s Canucks Commentary.] Heading into tonight’s game against the Minnesota Wild, the Vancouver Canucks have gone to extra-time in their last 5 games (winning 4 of them) and in 8 of their last 10 (7-1-2 record). Through it all, they’ve amassed 16 out of a possible 20 points, making them the hottest team in the Western Conference despite winning just one game in regulation over that span. ...
Click here to read more.Quickies: A Jon Stewart Video, the Canucks’ Search for a Top-4 Defenseman and a Surging CoHo
If a picture is worth a thousand words, the above video must be worth, well, a lot more than that. With no less than 8 defensemen already on the roster, was Chris Tanev’s call-up yesterday a signal that the Canucks are ready to trade a defenseman? Or does it simply mean that Sami Salo will be out for a longer period of time? Regardless of the reason, I’m sure coaches AV and Bones are happy to have another right-side defenseman in their lineup, rather than having to play every other defenseman other than Dan Hamhuis and Kevin Bieksa on their...
Click here to read more.Out of Town Notebook: The Real NHL Eastern Conference Standings Revisited
Yesterday we took at look at the “real” Western Conference standings after 40 games. Here now is a look at the East. Remember, to learn a bit more about an individual team’s strengths and weaknesses, each squad was ranked in six categories*: Goals for (GF) and shots-for (SHF) were chosen to evaluate a team’s offense; Shots-against (SHA) and goals against (GA) were chosen to evaluate a team’s defensive play; Five-on-five (5-on-5) was chosen to evaluate a team’s even-strength/system play; Save percentage (SVPCT) was chosen to evaluate the team’s goaltending performance. Teams were ranked and then put into groups of five,...
Click here to read more.Ranted: Marchand’s Denial, Boston’s Hypocrisy
Hey Boston? What’s the name of the longest river in the world? (If you’re not that smart, the joke is usually “da Nile”). Seriously, has your city lost its mind? Because it sure as hell has lost a lot of its credibility across the NHL after the Marchand-Salo affair. For Boston players, coaches, GMs, media and fans to almost unanimously agree that there was nothing wrong with Marchand’s hit on Salo makes the city look completely ridiculous, immature and unprofessional. I understand this maybe from the fans and even the players at times, because they’re passionate about the game, but...
Click here to read more.Brad Marchand Suspended 5 Games, Criticizes Canucks Coach, Says NHL Doesn’t Know Rules of Hockey
After a phone hearing yesterday afternoon, Brendan Shanahan gave Brad Marchand a 5-game suspension for attempting to take out Sami Salo’s knees in Saturday night’s game. Here is his explanation: Credit to Shanahan: he sent a strong message that these kinds of hits, ones that are predatory in nature and seriously injures another player, have no place in the NHL. Of course, not everyone sees it that way. While almost everyone associated with the game of hockey applauded the suspension, people in Boston are still insistent that it was legal and that Marchand was protecting himself from big, bad Sami....
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