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Sunday, May 13th, 2012
Henrik Lundqvist (Robert Kowal, Wikimedia Commons)
The New York Rangers have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
Saturday night in Manhattan, Michael Del Zotto scored the game winning goal with 9:55 left in the third period as the Rangers defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 behind a solid performance by Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
The Rangers now play the New Jersey Devils on Monday.
With the Capitals loss, Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin have announced they will play for Russia at the World Hockey Championships this week in Helsinki, Finland. The Russians are already undefeated and the two are expected to play when Russia plays in quarterfinal game Thursday. From a Canadian standpoint, it might have been better if the Rangers won last night, although Henrik Lundqvist might have joined Sweden if the Capitals won.
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Tags: alexander ovechkin, alexander semin, devan dubnyk, dion phaneuf, henrik lundqvist, michael del zotto, new jersey devils, new york rangers, stanley cup playoffs, washington capitals, world hockey championships
Posted in NHL | No Comments »
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
LeBron James (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
LeBron James of the Miami Heat has been named the Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association.
On Saturday, the announcement was made official.
James was third in scoring with 27.1 points per game, and second in overall points with 1683. My pick was Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant meanwhile had 1850 points, almost 200 more points than James.
My other arguments for Durant is that Oklahoma City (47-19) had a better record than Miami (46-20), play in a stronger conference and if you take Durant out of the lineup the Thunder are nothing. If you take James out of Miami’s lineup, they still have Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
In other NBA news, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Denver Nuggets 96-87 last night. Pau Gasol led the way with 23 points after playing poorly in game six. The Lakers now play the Thunder in the second round. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers play the Memphis Grizzlies this morning.
The only upset on paper in the first round was Philadelphia’s series win over Chicago. But I saw that coming as soon as Jalen Rose tore his ACL in game one.
Tags: chicago bulls, Chris Bosh, denver nuggets, Dwyane Wade, jalen rose, kevin durant, LeBron James, Los ANgeles Clippers, los angeles lakers, memphis grizzlies, Miami Heat, oklahoma city thunder, pau gasol, philadelphia 76ers
Posted in NBA | No Comments »
Sunday, May 13th, 2012
The Edmonton Rush have advanced to their very first championship game in franchise history.
In one of the grittiest defensive playoff performances in the history of the National Lacrosse League, the Edmonton Rush only allowed three goals the entire game Saturday en route to a 15-3 win over the Minnesota Swarm in the Western Final.
I know Calgary Roughnecks goaltender Mike Poulin was named the National Lacrosse League’s top goaltender on Thursday, but the play of Edmonton goaltender Aaron Bold cannot be ignored. Bold made 39 saves on 42 shots in a magnificent performance and one for the ages. According to the Canadian Press, there was a span of 37:50 when the Swarm could not score.
Edmonton is trying to win the championship despite going 6-10 in the regular season. They will play the Rochester Knighthawks in the Champion’s Cup next Saturday in upstate New York. The Knighthawks defeated the Toronto Rock 17-13. The Rock were the defending NLL Champions.
Tags: aaron bold, edmonton rush, rochester knighthawks
Posted in More, National Lacrosse League | No Comments »
Saturday, May 12th, 2012
Alexander Ovechkin (Wikimedia Commons)
Three game sevens (and possibly a fourth) will dominate my sports viewing this weekend.
In the NHL, there is a game seven in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final between the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. This will be a battle of Alexander Ovechkin versus Henrik Lundqvist. Despite limited ice time, Ovechkin leads the Capitals in scoring with nine points, but will have to get by Hart Trophy nominee Lundqvist to move on to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in his career. The game can be seen on CBC tonight at 5:30pm.
In the NBA, there are two game sevens, both involving the Los Angeles teams. Tonight the Los Angeles Lakers host the Denver Nuggets in game seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinal tonight (TSN2, 8:30pm). Questions are surrounding the health of Lakers star Kobe Bryant who played with the stomach flu in game six on Thursday. Afterwards, he was not happy with Pau Gasol for his lack of effort and had no problem telling him so.
Then tomorrow the Memphis Grizzlies host the Los Angeles Clippers (ABC, 11am) in game seven of another Western Conference Semi-Final. Like the Nuggets, the Grizzlies were once down 3-1 in the series but have clawed their way back to force a game seven. Last night in Los Angeles, the Grizzlies won game six 90-88 on Marc Gasol’s 23 points.
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Tags: alexander ovechkin, Curtis Lazar, denver nuggets, Edmonton Oil Kings, henrik lundqvidst, jonathan quick, josh hamilton, juan martin del potro, k.j. choi, kevin na, Kobe Bryant, los angeles angels of anaheim, Los ANgeles Clippers, los angeles kings, los angeles lakers, marc gasol, matt kuchar, memphis grizzlies, miami marlins, mike smith, milos raonic, new york mets, new york rangers, phoenix coyotes, portland winterhawks, r.a. dickey, ricky nolasco, ROGER FEDERER, sven bartschi, texas rangers, tomas berdych, washington capitals, world hockey championships, zach johnson
Posted in ATP World Tour, MLB, More, NBA, NHL, PGA, Western Hockey League | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Cam Ward (Wikimedia Commons)
After rather a slow start in the World Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Team Canada got back on track today with a huge 5-3 win over the host Finns.
This game was a tale of two separate games. Finland dominated the first half of the contest and Canada dominated the second half. The big difference? It was clearly Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Cam Ward who had 35 saves, and made some of the remarkable variety.
Offensively, Team Canada was led by Jeff Skinner, John Tavares and Duncan Keith who each had two points. Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Evander Kane scored the game winning goal in the third period.
One area where Team Canada must improve is their special teams. Despite the 4-0-1 record (only loss came in overtime to the Americans last weekend), their penalty killing so far has been weak and their power play is disorganized. But what did a Brent Sutter coached team do on the power play all year this past season? Nothing! Sorry Flames fans.
Even though Team Canada will probably be in first place once the round robin finishes, don’t forget they finished in first place last year with an undefeated record and then lost to Russia in the quarterfinals.
Tags: duncan keith, evander kane, Jeff Skinner, john tavares, world hockey championships
Posted in Home | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2012
The Canadian media may final pay attention a little bit more to the American Hockey League’s Western Conference Final.
Gosh, golly, gee? Could a network care enough to actually broadcast one or more of the games? Could The Score possibly step up and bring some quality programming for once?
I’m not sure, but you can stay in tune to www.anysportanytime.ca for complete recaps and analysis of the Oklahoma City Barons (AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers) and the Toronto Marlies (AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs) which will start Thursday.
Friday night in San Antonio, the Barons defeated the Rampage (AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers) 4-3 to win the best-out-of-seven series 4-1 in the Western Conference Semi-Final.
The Barons and Rampage each scored a goal in the second period and two goals in the third period. So what was the difference? Well it was Mark Acrobello’s lone first period goal. Ryan Keller also had a huge impact in this one, scoring the game winning goal for the Barons on the power play with 2:06 left.
Tags: Edmonton Oilers, florida panthers, mark acrobello, oklahoma city barons, ryan keller, san antonio rampage, toronto maple leafs, toronto marlies
Posted in Home | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Well the Edmonton Oilers completely stunk this season, but the same cannot be said for two teams very close to them.
On Thursday night, the Edmonton Oil Kings, who are owned by the Edmonton Oilers, defeated the Portland Winterhawks 4-3 to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Hockey League Championship Final, and the Oklahoma City Barons, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, defeated the San Antonio Rampage 2-1 in overtime to take a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Semi-Final of the AHL Calder Cup Playoffs.
I watched the Oil Kings victory and have thoroughly enjoyed the WHL Final to date. The Oil Kings got a huge game winning goal by Mark Pysyk with only 56 seconds left in the game. Pysyk, a draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres is more known for his defense than offense, but performed admirably, recording a goal and an assist. Jordan Peddle led the Oil Kings in scoring with two goals and an assist.
Meanwhile in San Antonio, Chris Vandevelde scored his second overtime goal of the playoffs to give the Barons a key win over the Rampage, the AHL affiliate of Florida.
Tags: american hockey league, chris vandevelde, Edmonton Oil Kings, jordan peddle, Mark Pysyk, oklahoma city barons, portland winterhawks, san antonio rampage, Western Hockey League
Posted in More, Western Hockey League | No Comments »
Friday, May 11th, 2012
Vladimir Guerrero (Keith Allison, Wikimedia Commons)
The Toronto Blue Jays surprised many yesterday by opening their wallets and signing a player very familiar to Canadian baseball fans.
Former Montreal Expo Vladimir Guerrero is coming back to Canada and to play in Toronto.
Guerrero, a native of the Dominican Republic, played with the Expos from 1996-2003 and was a four time all-star over that time, before moving on to play with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles.
Guerrero could be a key component the Blue Jays need. A key bat in the middle of the lineup. Guerrero obviously doesn’t have as much speed as he used to but continues to hit the ball with consistency, something Toronto needs with the early struggles of Jose Bautista. Last year, Guerrero hit .290.
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Tags: baltimore orioles, josh hamilton, texas rangers, toronto blue jays, vladimir guerrero
Posted in MLB | No Comments »
Thursday, May 10th, 2012
Braden Holtby (Dan Nicholas, Wikimedia Commons)
There will be a one game elimination contest in the second round of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And yes Gary Bettman, even though the game will not be on NBC because of the weekend’s Player’s Championship, you’re getting the next best thing– a primetime game on a Saturday night in New York City, a game that will be seen from coast to coast on Hockey Night in Canada.
Last night in Washington, the Rangers just seemed to lack the energy that was necessary to be victorious and I’m not surprised that they were a little bit drained mentally. Both franchises are playing their second consecutive game seven. The Capitals beat the Boston Bruins in the opening round, while the Rangers got by the Ottawa Senators.
Alexander Ovechkin opened the scoring with a first period goal and Edmonton native Jason Chimera added to the Capitals lead in the second period in Washington’s 2-1 win in game six last night. The Rangers did outshoot the Capitals 31-23 but didn’t find a way to beat goaltender Braden Holtby until the final minute when Marian Gaborik scored his fourth of the playoffs.
Tags: alexander ovechkin, Braden Holtby, gary bettman, jason chimera, marian gaborik, new york rangers, washington capitals
Posted in NHL | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012
Martin Brodeur (James Teterenko, Wikimedia Commons)
The New Jersey Devils have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final. On Tuesday night in Philadelphia, the Devils defeated the Flyers 3-1 to win the Eastern Conference Semi-Final 4-1.
Ilya Kovalchuk led the Devils with a goal and an assist while Calder Trophy candidate Adam Henrique also had a multi-point game with a pair of assists. Meanwhile, Martin Brodeur made 27 saves. Brodeur is now a perfect 2-0 in his career since turning 40 and has made 47 saves on 50 save attempts.
Bryce Salvador and David Clarkson also scored for the Devils.
The Flyers just seemed to run into a hot goaltender in Brodeur, something they didn’t face in round one when they easily scored on Marc-Andre Fleury.
My major question now is how much does Martin Brodeur have left in the tank the rest of the way? Does he have enough remarkable skill to win one more Stanley Cup and fourth of his career? Please let us know at www.anysportanytime.ca.
Tags: adam henrique, ilya kovalchuk, martin brodeur, new jersey devils, Philadelphia Flyers
Posted in NHL | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Chris Vandevelde (Wikimedia Commons)
The Oklahoma City Barons, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers, took a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs on Monday night.
For the second straight game, the Barons won in overtime. Chris VandeVelde scored at 15:50 of overtime as the Barons defeated the San Antonio Rampage, the AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. Josh Green scored the overtime winner for Oklahoma City on Saturday night to even the series.
Anton Lander opened the scoring for the Barons 1:18 into the first period of play before the Rampage tied the game at one with 8:54 left in the third period. The Barons dominated the play in the first period, outshooting the Rampage 10-3.
Yann Danis, who is one of the best goalies in the AHL, made 25 saves for Oklahoma City. The series continues on Thursday with game four.
Meanwhile, the Abbotsford Heat/Toronto Marlies series continues tonight with game four. Toronto leads 2-1.
Tags: abbotsford heat, anton lander, chris vandevelde, josh green, oklahoma city barons, san antonio rampage, toronto marlies, yann danis
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Tuesday, May 8th, 2012
Derek Morris (Michael Wifall, Wikimedia Commons)
The Phoenix Coyotes are going to their very first Western Conference Final in franchise history.
On Monday night, the Coyotes defeated the Nashville Predators 2-1 in game five of the Western Conference Semi-Final.
Defenceman Derek Morris, a former Calgary Flame who was born in Edmonton, got the Coyotes on the board early in the second period and then over ten minutes later Martin Hanzal put the Coyotes up 2-0.
Another area where Phoenix dominated was in the faceoff circle. Antoine Vermette and Boyd Gordon went a combined 24-8.
The Coyotes continued to get good news off the ice as well. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced plans are in place to sell the team to former San Jose Sharks Chief Executive Officer Greg Jamison.
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Tags: antoine vermette, boyd gordon, brad richards, derek morris, gary bettman, greg jamison, marc staal, martian hanzal, mike smith, nashville predators, new york rangers, phoenix coyotes, ray whitney, shane doan, washington capitals, winnipeg jets
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Monday, May 7th, 2012
If the Edmonton Oil Kings played like they did in the third period of game three of the Western Hockey League Final, they will be just fine.
The problem is that they waited over forty minutes to get their game into high gear.
Over the first two periods, the Oil Kings were out shot 26-14 by the Portland Winterhawks and out scored 3-0. Then in the third period, the Oil Kings delivered an amazing 23 shots on the Winterhawks net, and outscored Portland 3-1.
In the end, the Winterhawks won 4-3 to take a 2-1 series lead with game four tomorrow night in Portland.
In watching the third period last night, I was impressed by the level of excitement the local fans showcased. Don’t forget, the Western Hockey League is the highest level of hockey available in the entire state of Oregon.
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Tags: Edmonton Oil Kings, portland winterhawks, sven bartschi, ty rattie
Posted in More, Western Hockey League | No Comments »
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