2009-10 NHL Season Part 2

[goalieboy82]

does anyone know if there will be an nhl outdoor game in canada in 2011.

[charger77]

does anyone know if there will be an nhl outdoor game in canada in 2011.

Canada? Is that thing still going on?

-The NHL

[NEW.ERA]

No news on it but I'm still hopeful it will be here in Calgary involving the Canucks.

[Corvus]

I'm glad people agree with me. I also agree that it doesn't augur well for the future of the Coyotes that they were supposed to get the 2011 game in exchange for getting hosed on the '06 game and now they lost that too. If you're going to have this stupid All-Star Game, just have it in Phoenix every year so all the transients can see their favorite players.

Luongo or Raycroft needs to have a hell of a night tonight. A Canucks win clinches first place for the Blackhawks, which seemed impossible a few weeks ago when they couldn't stop a shot to save their lives. I thought for all the world that the Red Wings would catch them again.

Raycroft is starting against the Sharks tonight. This probably gives the Canucks a better chance to win, oddly enough.

[NEW.ERA]

For viewers in the US that have the NHL Network they will be showing the special sendoff to Mellon Arena before the Pens final home game against the Islanders tonight.

[Maz]

Last regular season game at the igloo tonight. Gonna be there. Should be awesome.

[AndrewG70]

For viewers in the US that have the NHL Network they will be showing the special sendoff to Mellon Arena before the Pens final home game against the Islanders tonight.

If they decide to hold the state swimming and diving championships there, could you call it Water-Mellon Arena?

(ducking)

[AndrewG70]

I really think the NHL should do what the NBA does and give the team in a conference with the best record among the non-division winners the opportunity to move into the top four teams.

No, I do not say this as a Coyotes fan "upset" (for the lack of a better word) that they cannot get higher than a four seed, despite probably achieving a better record than the Canucks. Rather, it's to prevent teams from losing games on purpose at the end of the season to potentially play a weaker opponent in the first round of the playoffs.

The Coyotes are locked into the fourth seed. Nothing they do in their last two games will have any impact on that. Detroit, Nashville and Los Angeles are battling for the fifth spot (Colorado cannot get there). The reward for fifth place? Playing the Coyotes, when instead a team that finishes sixth could play Vancouver instead, complete with their fewer wins and points. So will that cause those teams to lose a game on purpose to draw what on paper might be an easier opponent?

The same holds true the other way. Take tonight's action, for instance. The fourth-seed-locked Coyotes are in LA to take on the Kings. If the Coyotes win, that increases their chances of facing Detroit in the first round (not a task anyone would want, given Detroit's history and their late-season surge). If the Kings win, they leap-frog over Detroit to take a one-point lead, putting Detroit in a position to play Vancouver instead. So if you're the Coyotes, do you lose tonight's game on purpose to avoid a first-round matchup with Detroit (and a possible early exit from the playoffs)?

Food for thought...

[wildwing64]

Trust me, as a Kings fan, I know what bad defense and no stability in the crease is like. It sucks! I feel for the pain that you are about to go through, it won't be pretty.

Stop rubbing it in D:

On a side note, we now continue with the odd trend of neither of our teams making the playoffs in the same year (it's always been either the Ducks or Kings, never both teams. Unless I'm wrong.)

300th post. Go Me.

[HedleyLamarr]

Let's give Versus some credit here.

In addition to their normal game broadcasts on Mondays and Tuesdays, Versus has been airing games the last couple nights (using a team's broadcast feed, of course), and will be airing a doubleheader tomorrow night.

[Sodboy13]

Given the limits of their resources, Versus' coverage in the months of April and May has been pretty good.

Also, Christ almighty, Raycroft.

[dfwabel]

The Dallas Stars may have had the last home game bot both Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen. In addition, the Stars were the only team this season not to have a winning streak of 3 or more games.

As for Verses airing additional games, I think it was to get DirecTV holders back in the mix who are fringe NHL fans.

[The_Admiral]

3-0 Sharks, which basically means the Blackhawks would have to win their last two games to finish in first. Hrmph. Vanscrewyouver.

[dfwabel]

3-0 Sharks, which basically means the Blackhawks would have to win their last two games to finish in first. Hrmph. Vanscrewyouver.

Like the SJS will really get to a conference final. When your big trade is for a untested playoff player (Heatley), you still have issues.

[BrianVlietDesign]

Thats not what the '06 Oilers, '03 Ducks, '01 Kings, '94 Sharks, '93 Maple Leafs, '92 Blues thought.

And what a brilliant first round that was.

Speaking of first rounds, if the Ducks even get that 8th playoff spot, they'll be up against San Jose, just like last year. They'll either end the Sharks' season quickly again (knowing how the Sharks have a bad habit of crashing early on), or the Ducks will simply be swatted aside, much like we were during 5 of 6 of our regular season meetings.

Maybe that playoff spot won't be worth the trouble after all.

Well, with the Avs defeating the 'Nucks tonight we can pretty much stick a fork in them for this season. I'm sort of bummed we won't have a shot at repeating last season's success. But, what do expect with this this season. We've continued to be inconsistent all year long. It's a shame it took us all the way until the brink of elimination to finally get with it. Oh well, I'm hoping for some changes next season.

Sorry, I hate to break the news to y'all, but you were eliminated way back in December. All this winning was just a smoke screen. You were never in contention after the halfway point. There's a stat out there somewhere that says that 80% of the teams that were in the playoffs at halfway stayed in the playoffs. That was when y'all were like two points out of the worst record in the league. From what I see, you have a defense of two, Niedermayer and Visnovsky and the rest are bad. The offense is great, and then you have big-time question marks in goal. Your goal issues are repeating themselves again. McElhinney is your new Jonas Hiller of a few years ago and Hiller has become what Gigure was before they shipped him off. You have an untested goalie challenging a "veteran". Hiller has played well, but has he been shoved aside for a cheaper goalie? If you're not stable in the net and have a bad defense, then get ready for year after year of missing the playoffs. Trust me, as a Kings fan, I know what bad defense and no stability in the crease is like. It sucks! I feel for the pain that you are about to go through, it won't be pretty.

I don't want to waste time on you with a rant, so points:

- Yeah, because being 2 points out at the Olympic break is not in contention.

- The Ducks problems have been starting off slow in October and November. The Ducks had the 6th best record after the midway point. If they fire Carlyle, they may be able to get an early head start so these late blasts aren't needed each year. The only fast start under Carlyle was the 2006-07 Cup season.

- Hiller hasn't been "shoved aside" recently. He's had back spasms. Carlyle also said that he was going to rest him after riding him all season and the playoffs a distant hope. McBackup was going to get a few starts, but had Hiller's back not seized up he'd have been playing. (I guess you can compare it to Giguere's chronic groin muscle problems, but this is the first time Hiller has been injured.)

- The only thing I actually agree with you with is the defensive issues. The defense underperformed early on. Niedermayer has taken a step back, but still good. Whitney was terrible all season. Wizniewski is about even to his play last year. Visnovsky has been a God send. I can't wait for a full season with him. And Eminger, Brookbank, Festerling, Boyton, revolving door of #5/6/7 defensemen, et al is well, enough said. I am excited for Luca Sbisa to stay up with the team full time next year. He played well initially, was sent down, had a great season in juniors, and was very very good in the Olympics. There are the oncomings of Mark Mitera and maybe Jake Gardiner out of the NCAA for next year.

Ducks offseason:

1. Fire Carlyle

2. Convince Selanne and Niedermayer not to retire. Teemu has had a great season, even at 35. He still has it in him. Niedermayer may not be at his same level, and I'd love to see him back, if only for a sure thing.

3. Bulk up defense through free agency/draft

4. Resign Bobby Ryan

5. Groom young offensive talents.

Exactly. To say we were out out contention since December is invalid. The Ducks had a legitimate shot at earning the 8th seed in the West. The problem was that our offense, defense, and goaltending could not get it together. I think much of this had to do with the Olympic Break and also due to the fact several key Ducks participated up until the very end. However, their poor play well after the Olympics were over was inexcusable.

Now as far as Hiller, I'm going to have to disagree. He has been fairly solid in net, even after Jiggy's exit. He got injured towards the end of the season and McElhinney filled the void. Offense started to show some signs of life towards the end, but you can't ignore their absensce from the Olympic Break on. Unless we can get Teemu to come back for just one more year, I feel offense is going to be mediocre. We're going to need a spark to this lineup come free agency.

Defense is another problem, too. We need some people who can step up a take the reigns in front of the net. You can have the best goaltender in the league, but if your defense can't protect you then how far do you expect to get? Now, Hiller is most definitely not the best, but with a boost to the defensive core he can be provided with some pretty good support. Hiller is still going to need to work in the offseason to fix his inconsistencies. But, I have faith in the guy so don't give up on him yet.

And last but not least, as much as I like Carlyle, he needs to go. We're also going to need a new GM to stop making these dismal roster moves. Let's hope Anaheim can get things on track.

[Gordie]

Christian Role Model^TM Mike Fisher punches 19 year old boy in the face, then tells him "You brought that on yourself."

[Brendan]

Christian Role Model^TM Mike Fisher punches 19 year old boy in the face, then tells him "You brought that on yourself."

Whats the problem?

[Gordie]

Christian Role Model^TM Mike Fisher punches 19 year old boy in the face, then tells him "You brought that on yourself."

Whats the problem?

Who said there was a problem? I found it amusing that Fisher, who's devoted to sharing his faith, helped Hedman experience God's glory by punching him in the mouth.

I suppose that when your God-given abilities include a mean left hook, you honour the Lord by using it whenever you can?

[The_Admiral]

Don't start fights when you're a 19-year-old Swede. Not only do you get punched in the mouth, but those five minutes in the box are five minutes that you can't spend diving and bitching. How else are you going to make St. Nicklas proud?

[ElwoodCuse]

Don't start fights when you're a 19-year-old Swede. Not only do you get punched in the mouth, but those five minutes in the box are five minutes that you can't spend diving and bitching. How else are you going to make St. Nicklas proud?

St. Floppa too