The first team has been knocked out from the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Tuesday evening, the third seeded Vancouver Canucks lost 4-3 to the San Jose Sharks when Patrick Marleau scored at 13:18 on the power play in overtime. San Jose won the Western Conference Quarterfinal 4-0.
The Sharks had the man advantage in the extra period because Daniel Sedin was given a two minute minor for boarding Sharks’ winger Tommy Wingels.
Joe Pavelski also came up big for the Sharks as he scored twice.
This is the very first time that the Sharks have swept an opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Marleau meanwhile scored in every game in the series for the Sharks, who now have time to rest for the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
In other action, the Ottawa Senators got a big overtime goal from Kyle Turris to take a 3-1 series lead on the Montreal Canadiens with a 3-2 victory. The Senators were down 2-0 in the third period, before getting goals from Mike Zibanejad and Cory Conacher. Conacher’s goal came with 23 seconds left in the third period, while it appears that Zibanejad’s goal was kicked in.
The Vancouver Canucks are now only one loss away from being eliminated from the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
On Sunday night in the Shark Tank, the Canucks got hammered 5-2 to San Jose, who now have a 3-0 lead on Vancouver in the series.
Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture scored twice for the Sharks against a Canucks team that is completely dysfunctional at the moment. Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider was horrible last night in giving up five goals to the Sharks.
In other action, the Montreal Canadiens/Ottawa Senators series is starting to be extremely physical. Last night there were 236 minutes in penalties, and many of the penalties the Canadiens took should be described as stupid. Ottawa meanwhile won convincingly 6-1 as rookie Jean Gabriel-Pageau recorded a hat trick.
In other games, the Pittsburgh Penguins took a 2-1 series lead over the New York Islanders as Chris Kunitz scored the overtime winner in a 5-4 Pittsburgh win. While in Minnesota, the Wild won their first of the series with a 3-2 win over Chicago on an overtime winner from Jason Zucker. Chicago still leads 2-1.
Things are heating up around the NHL as the trade deadline approaches, but don’t worry folks – I’ve got a No Movement Clause!
This week on the GOTW, we’ve got a beautiful shorthanded goal from one of the Staal brothers, a monumental goal from a long-time Duck, a strangely awesome overtime winner, a last-second GWG and a wicked breakaway goal from one of the league’s rising stars.
Let’s go!
5. Eric Staal
Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal made the Habs look foolish last week with this shorthanded goal around Tomas Kaberle. He drives right around him, cuts to the net and then jams a slow-roller past Carey Price.
It seems like Christmas keeps coming early when we’re talking about beauty goals from around the NHL, and this past week was no different!
In this edition of the GOTW, we’ve got some solid hand-eye coordination, a nifty overtime winner, a couple of pretty passing plays and a pretty awesome individual effort to round things out.
Let’s go!
5. Joe Pavelski
This guy is all kinds of clutch in the playoffs, but he’s not bad during the regular season either! Watch as Joe Pavelski tracks down this Josh Harding rebound with a spinning swing of the stick. Also: listen to the ridiculous comment made by the commentator before the goal about the number of shots the Sharks have in the game.
(AFTER THE JUMP: Check out the rest of the GOTW!) (more…)
Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir (David J. Philip, Associated Press)
The National Hockey League playoffs will dominate my television viewing this weekend, but this morning I will have a little diversion.
The World Figure Skating Championships takes place in Moscow, and Canada is in an excellent position to win a second Gold medal. Olympic Gold medallists Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue of London, Ontario currently lead the ice dance competition after the short program. The long program goes this morning (11am, www.cbc.ca), with Virtue and Moir leading Americans Meryl Davis and Charlie White 0.53 points. Virtue and Moir have 74.29 points and Davis and White have 73.76 points. Keep an eye out for Virtue’s leg however, as she was recently diagnosed with compartment syndrome. The team had to pull out of the Four Continents event leading up to the Worlds.
Here are the other events I’ll be watching:
Saturday–1pm–NHL Eastern Conference Semi-Final, Game 1–Boston Bruins @ Philadelphia Flyers–NBC–Last year, the Bruins and Flyers played an epic Eastern Conference semi-final with the Flyers winning in seven games after they lost the first three in the series. This year, the Flyers have the home ice advantage. I like Boston in this series because they seem to be more stable than Philadelphia at the goaltending position. Tim Thomas is playing better now than when he won the Vezina Trophy two years ago.
After the first round where I was red hot at 7-1, let’s see how things transpire in the Conference Semi-Finals.
WEST
(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (5) Nashville Predators–The Vancouver Canucks are coming off an emotionally draining series where they knocked off their top nemesis, the Chicago Blackhawks. Will they have enough in the tank? I’m saying yes. But only if the Sedins show up. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were basically absent in the final four games in the Western Conference Quarterfinal, and will need a much better showing in round two. The issue with Nashville is they have an outstanding defense corps led by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter, but do they have a forward that can play the shut down defensive role like Dave Bolland did so effectively with the Blackhawks? I don’t think so, therefore Vancouver has the edge. On offense, the Canucks are also at an advantage. Don’t forget Nashville’s top scorer was Sergei Kostitsyn with 50 points. That’s right, the same Sergei Kostitsyn who lost his way, and could not get out of his brother’s shadow in Montreal. The Canucks take this one in five.
One of the more interesting storylines so far in the 2010-11 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been the strategy of the Washington Capitals. The players have bought into head coach Bruce Boudreau’s defensive mindset and limited the quality of scoring opportunities by the New York Rangers considerably. One Capital defenceman that is receiving considerably high praise is defenceman Scott Hannan who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche for Tomas Fleischmann on November 30. Hannan had four blocked shots and two hits in 28:39 in Game One Wednesday and was a +1 with a blocked shot in 21:34 last night. Offensively, two former Oilers have been producing for the Capitals. Jason Arnott and Jason Chimera found the puck past Henrik Lundqvist last night. Game three of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal is set for Sunday at 1pm (NBC) at New York’s Madison Square Garden with the Capitals leading the series 2-0.
I have now watched at least part of every game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far. Here are my comments after the first two games of action.
Thumbs up to the Pittsburgh Penguins for playing a very tight-checking affair in game one against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tampa’s big three of Stamkos/LeCavalier/St. Louis had a combined total of eight shots. I didn’t think Dan Bylsma could continue his coaching magic into the playoffs. I was wrong.
Things are heating up around the NHL as the trade deadline approaches, but don’t worry folks – I’ve got a No Movement Clause!
Loading ...
