The Fifth Liners

The Conference Finals start tomorrow so in this blog's grand tradition, it's time to make some predictions. I'm happy to say that I'm doing pretty well with my predictions have got all but two correct in this season's playoffs. More after the jump:

Today the New York Rangers have announced that Head Coach John Tortorella has been sacked by the franchise after four seasons in charge! After a season that included 26 regular season wins, it  has viewed by many as a disappointment and saw them weakly eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semi Final by Boston and seen some dramatic player shake ups such as demoting Brad Richards to the fourth line for the playoffs before eventually benching him and the decline in form by former star Marion Gaborik which eventually saw him traded to Columbus. Tortorella has been popular with the fans since arriving in 2009 and three times has been listed for a Jack Adams Trophy and guided them to a Conference appearence last year- but it appears that patience has finally run out and his style of defensive play has failed to turn New York into a goal machine despite the acquisition of Rick Nash and this year the Rangers barely squeaked a playoff place! Torts appeared to see the writing on ...

There's a reason I follow most NHL teams on Facebook; the news and photos are always useful but the fan comments are pure gold. Anyway, the St. Louis Blues have re-signed defenseman Ian Cole to another 2 year contract. The 2007 draft first rounder spent some time with the Peoria Rivermen this season and clocked up a fair few points. Here's what the internet thinks, these are from the Blues' official page: "he's god awful" "took a  lot of penalties" "he is absolute s**t, a horrible move" "worthless defenceman that was overhyped" "Terrible move, worst defenseman ever" "un f**king believable!! He's horrible" "Trade him for what" - "a new washing machine at best" And the most optimistic of all: "trade Cole for Sidney Crosby" There's a lot more, none of which are positive. Looking at the performance of the Blues this season, the D Men...

Finally some good new for Phoenix Coyotes fans.  The future of the team  might be unsure  but at least there'll consistency at the head of the organisation. General Manager Don Maloney has signed a long term extension to his contract.  Maloney has been with the franchise since 2007 and in that time was named NHL GM Of The Season and led the team to the playoffs on three occasions.  This news come two weeks after the Coyotes agreed a new two year contract with forward Rob Klinkhammer . 

It's possible Sergei Bobrovsky may be gracing the cover of NHL 14 soon but chances are he won't be playing in the NHL if the rumours are to be believed. The in-form Columbus Blue Jackets keeper becomes a free agent in July. The Blue Jackets have been in talks with Bobrovsky for the last two months but so far nothing has been agreed. Soon there'll be nothing stopping other teams submitting offer sheets. SKA St.Petersburg have made it clear that they're interested and the money is good.

The Ottawa Senators might be starting the new season with a new captain. Daniel Alfredsson officially becomes a free agent on July fifth this year.  According to the Ottawa Sun, Alfredsson needs more time to decide if he's he's going to hang his skates up for the last time. The 40 year old right winger has been with the Sens since he was picked 133rd overall in the 1994 draft. 

A mesmerising offensive display by Nathan Mackinnon and Jonathan Drouin has guided the Halifax Mooseheads to their very first Memorial Cup win after a 6-4 win over the Portland Winterhawks at Credit Union Center in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last night! Mackinnon bagged an impressive hat trick to finish as tournament MVP with to add more fuel to the speculation he will be selected first overall come June 30th! Drouin is also looking an impressive prospect and he added 5 assits to their win and seems set to follow his team mate in the first round! This year's draft will be a very exciting one and I for cannot wait to see Mackinnon hit the big league next season!

With the 2013 NHL Draft in New Jersey just over a month away, the media will be betting among themselves as to whether Nathan Mackinnon , Seth Jones or Finn Aleksander Barkov will be the first name called out by the Colorado Avalanche ! The draft system can be a tricky one and sometimes the first picks go onto the great things. But sometimes things don't quite go to plan and other times, future stars may go un-noticed in the later rounds. Here is a look at some of the great draft successes and failures from years gone by. Top 5 Draft Steals  1. Dominic Hasek (199th Overall, 1983, Chicago Blackhawks): The Dominator was only selected in the 10th round by Chicago back in 1983 (Hasek didn't even know this until months later) and took 7 years to come play in the NHL from the Czech Republic. But when he arrived, he changed goaltending forever collecting 6 Veniza Trophy's and two Hart Trophy's over a 17 year career taking in Buffalo, Ottawa and the Red Wings where he won...

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has approved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes in a move that could see the team move away from Glendale. The Coyotes were created in 1996 when the former Winnipeg Jets franchise was sold and the team was moved. The Franchise has been owned by the NHL since 2009 when the original owner declared the team was bankrupt. Ever since then it's been leaking money. At the time there was talk of the team moving to Ontario but the sale fell through when the City of Glendale and the NHL fought the sale in court. Although the sale was eventually approved, the NHL bought the franchise itself to ensure that hockey would remain in the desert. It looks like that's no longer going to happen. Although the NHL wants the team to stay put; the above mentioned court case ruled that the NHL cannot force a team to stay in a certain location. Despite the City pumping money into the team and recent good form, the dwindling attendances and escalating costs mean that we...

It's been a busy week, what with the Champion's League final, the Go Karts in Monaco and Daft Punk releasing their new album. Anyway back to hockey. Things are sewn up in the east now, the Penguins will beat  play Boston in the Eastern Conference Final. In the west however, it's a different story with Detroit and LA still fighting it out, touch wood Detroit will make the most of the home ice advantage and win the series. San Jose on the other hand are the little train that never gave up. Despite the Kings dominating game five and shutting out the Sharks, Coach Todd McLellan must have slipped some kangaroo juice into his players' Gatorade cos last night they bounced right back*. I've heard of rushing the goal, but the Kings' initial strategy seemed to be 'rush the penalty box'. Kyle Clifford, Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar all made visits to the box in the first five minutes of play. Presumably Darryl Sutter will rethink this strategy as it al...

The voting for the new cover man for NHL 14 continues and it seems someone must have been listening to Mike's wise words about a goalie gracing the cover as we have not one- but two potential men in net who could grace it! Hockey Fans, I give you the final contenders! Martin Brodeur Sergei Bobrovsky  Pavel Datsyuk  John Tavares Voting is still open for this better get voting on Twitter, my personal vote shall go to Brodeur, purely because he deserves a cover after all he's achieved in net! Go to NHL.com to find out how! Shame that Handzus didn't make the list though, oh well we both still love you here Michal! Mike says 'vote Datsyuk!'

The Boston Bruins sealed a Eastern Conference Final appearence with an impressive 3-1 win over the New York Rangers in Game 5 at TD Garden last night! After the Rangers win in the previous game and their near meltdown in the previous series against Toronto, there were no doubt a nerves jangling in the Boston camp as a potential comeback was feared! When Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi scored on a power play mid way through the 1st period, Bruins fans must have feared the worst was coming! But luckily Boston responded early in the 2nd period through Torey Krug scored a great slap shot on their own power play and Gregory Campbell helped ease worries six minutes from the end as he beat Lundqvist to but the Bruins in front 2-1! The 3rd period was an action packed affair with Tuukka Rask making several vital stops, including a breakaway effort by Rangers Captain Ryan Callahan ! But in the final minute Campbell calmly slid the puck into an empty net to seal a great victory and send ...

The Pittsburgh Penguins have successfully seen off the Ottawa Senators to advance to the Eastern Conference final. Game three saw the only dip in the Pen's performance when Ottawa thoroughly outplayed Pittsburgh to take their first win of the series but Dan Bylsma was able to inspire his team to take two convincing wins. The first was on Wednesday when the Penguins came out of the game with the win after James Neal , Chris Kunitz, Jarome Iginla, Pascal Dupuis and Sidney Crosby all found the net. Milan Michalek , Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson netted for the Senators but it was wasn't enough. The Pens finished the game winning 7-3. Last night the action shifted back to the Consul Energy Center for game five. Pittsburgh controlled the game with Brendan Morrow 's controversial goal opening the game. James Neal and Kris Letang then put the game at 3-0. Milan Michalek was on hand to grab a goal for the Sens but Evgeni Malkin and James Neal responded with ...

Last night the rumour mill was churning that Vancouver Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault was to be dismissed by the franchise. Well it appears the rumours were correct as GM Mike Gillis has confirmed that Vigneault along with associate coach Rick Bowness and assistant coach Newell Brown have been relived of their duties. In a statement from Vigneault he said "The past seven years have been an honour for me to coach and work for a great franchise in a wonderful Canadian city. To work in a city with such passionate and loyal fans is a privilege – I enjoyed every moment of it." I have to say that as a Canucks fan, this change was definitely needed- Vigneault has done some great things in his time as coach included getting us to a Stanley Cup final in 2011, but the last two seasons have been clouded due to his poor handling of the Roberto Luongo situation as well as two premature exits from the playoffs. I wish him every success in the future and have no doubts that th...

Colorado Avalanche has officially appointed legendary goaltender Patick Roy to lead them into better time as today it was officially announced that he has been appointed as Avalanche Head Coach and Vice President of Hockey Operations- due to Memorial Day over this weekend, Roy will be officially introduced next week. This man will certainly need no introduction as he was in net for both the Avalanche's Stanley Cup wins in 1996 and 2001 as well as two Cups wins previously with the Montreal Canadiens and today still remains the most winning goaltending in Stanley Cup Playoff history with 151 wins and was a Hall of Fame Inductee in 2006 as well as winning the Conn Smythe trophy three times. Roy will become Colorado's sixth head coach in their history and has spent the last eight seasons coaching the Quebec Ramparts in the Quebec Major Junior League. He is certainly a good fit for the job and due to his past events you cannot deny he has the passion (everyone who watched his...

Whilst enjoying my holiday time from work this week, Mike brought to my attention an interesting fact, it has now been nine years since a team from sunny Florida won a Stanley Cup and he posed an interesting question- can either Tampa Bay Lightning or the Florida Panthers could bring back glory to this state again next season- let's take a look at that theory! Tampa Bay has been the last team from this state to taste glory when in 2004 and engineered by the insane mastermind John Tortorella they beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 to clinch their first ever triumph. But since then it has been a rather dry desert since then, despite the scoring talents of Steven Stamkos the Lightning has seldom made the playoffs since then! This season has been no exception as they limped home in 4th place in the Southeast Division and a disappointing 14th overall in the Eastern Conference! Florida Panthers have also made an appearence in a Stanley Cup final when in 1996 they took on the might of Jo...

Alex made a bold statement today, he said " How about a Sharks v Bruins final? Doesn't seem impossible! " At first I thought no! The final will be won by Detroit in a 4-0 series whitewash over the Penguins. But then I thought 'I've got some time to kill so let's work this out and see if we'll see a B's v Sharks final. Let's look at the Western Conference first. The San Jose Sharks are currently embroiled in a bitter battle with the LA Kings, the current Stanley Cup holders and the series is currently 2-2. Can they go on to win the series? Yes. Both teams are evenly matched enough. The games have been close in the regular season and in the playoffs. Now if the Sharks win the series, they go up against the Detroit Red Wings or the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks pasted the the Sharks in the regular season however the Red Wings are currently leading Chicago in their series. Can the Sharks beat the Red Wings? Yes. Only once did the Sharks ...

The San Jose Sharks are currently proving to be very dangerous to the LA Kings' hopes of retaining the Stanley Cup. Last night the Kings were given a royal welcome to the HP Pavilion but the monarchs were made to look like mere pretenders to the throne. Two games ago, the Kings were 2-0 up in the series and it looked like nobody was going to take their crown. San Jose however has firmly nailed its colours to the mast. The sharks dictated the pace immediately and in the sixth minute Brent Burns and captain Joe Thornton were on hand for a little rally culminating in the Sharks' first goal. The shot was blocked initially but Burns was able to tap the rebound past Jonathan Quick and score.  In the second period Colin Fraser was penalised for roughing and the resulting powerplay allowed Logan Couture to tip in Dan Boyle's pass.  The weight of the crown may be weighing heavy on the Kings' shoulders because discipline is starting to slip, that's not to say t...

The Boston Bruins claimed a 2-1 win over the New York Rangers last night at Madison Square Garden to push their advantage to a 3-0 lead in this series, but this win was decided by a moment in the third period where the puck bounced off Henrik Lundqvist to give Boston the game winning goal! After a scoreless first period, Ryan McDonagh's long shot in the early in the second period deflected off Taylor Pyatt to give the Rangers the early advantage. The Bruins however found a break through three minutes into the third period when Johnny Boychuk scored to level the scores. With time running out in the period, Hamilton's shot clipped the mask of Lundqvist and fell perfectly for Daniel Paille who drove the puck home to give Boston a deserved win! New York's offense in that game was clearly lacking as Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask was only required to make 23 saves where as Rangers goalie Lundqvist had a far busier night with 32 saves and single handedly kept them in the game. ...

Nobody predicted this. Not even me, and I'm biased. Last night Detroit welcomed the Chicago Blackhawks to the Joe Louis hoping to build on Saturday's series tying victory. A tense first period saw plenty of penalties but no goals. It wasn't until seven minutes into the second period that Gustav Nyquist demonstrated perfect control to skate round Corey Crawford 's goal and slot home past diving defensemen and a helpless goalie to get his second goal of the playoffs. Less than a minute later, Drew Miller , who also had solid game was on hand to tip the puck into the net after a goalmouth scramble. 2-0 Detroit. Patrick Kane made a good breakaway to reduce the deficit to one goal five minutes into the third period but two minutes later Pavel Datsyuk was on hand to fire a screamer of a shot into the top shelf. No chance of Crawford saving that shot. Goal of the playoffs contender? Maybe.

Good news for the Chicago Blackhawks , winger Viktor Stalberg will return for tonight's game. The Swede netted nine times in regular season and clocked up 14 assists. Michal Handzus is also back for game three of the series to shore up the Blackhawks' fourth line.

It took a double overtime period to give the Ottawa Senators a vital 2 - 1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins! This result has put them truly back in the hunt. At first it appeared this would be another straight forward game for the Pens as Tyler Kennedy put them in front during the first period. But thanks to the heroics of Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson and Pittsburgh stopper Tomas Vokoun any further scoring was prevented. But with only seconds remaining of the third period, Senators Captain Daniel Alfredsson slotted the puck past Vokoun to push the game to overtime! In overtime, the first period remained scoreless due to some more excellent goal-tending and it was until mid way through the second overtime period that Colin Greening scored to earn Ottawa victory in game 3 and break Pittsburgh's hearts! It appears will not be as straight forward a series as we expect and Pens should prepare for things to get tense! Mike's edit. Just watched the game and my first questio...

The Boston Bruins welcomed the New York Rangers back to the TD Gardens arena for game two of the series tonight. First Period The Bruins were looking to capitalise on their first game victory but were pinned back for the first five minutes. Adam McQuaid made a desperate diving poke check to deny the Rangers. Boston immediately jumped on this and sent the puck up to Torey Krug who displayed some silky skills to pass the puck between his skates and slot past Henrik Lundqvist .  A few minutes later Ryan Callahan intercepted a stray pass and then won the foot race to go one on one with Tukka Rask . The Rangers' captain made no mistake in finding the net. Rich Peverley gave the Rangers a powerplay when his high stick caught Rick Nash in the face but Boston was not able to take advantage.  Shortly after, captain Zdeno Chara was given a minor for slashing. Bizarrely even though the offence was behind Rask's net, it was the official in the neutral zo...

With the time difference between the US and the UK, it's pretty rare I get to watch a live game so today's game is extra awesome. The Detroit Red Wings headed to Chicago hoping to get a win on the board and equalise the series. The Blackhawks had different ideas and hit the Red Wings like a steam time right from the faceoff. Detroit held off well and soon were bringing the game to Chicago. Even killing off a powerplay after Brendan Smith was caught hooking Marian Hossa. The deadlock was broken after 14 minutes when a superb passing play allowed Patrick Kane to score past Jimmy Howard . Detroit will be disappointed with the goal as it looked like something straight from the training rink. No keeper in the league would have saved it though so Howard can't be too unhappy. Detroit came close while shorthanded after a loose puck escaped in center ice but Corey Crawford made himself big to deny Detroit. The visitors finished the period with the shot advantage b...

The news about Raffi Torres' suspension has almost eclipsed the fact that there was a thriller of a game last night. The Sharks made their second trip to LA in the series and although a game down, gave a damn good account of themselves. Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty put the Kings 2-0 up, only for Patrick Marleau and Brad Stuart to cancel out the Kings' lead.  Marc-Edouard Vlasic gave the Sharks the edge halfway through the third period but struggled with penalties. Dustin Brown scored with less than two minutes left to draw equal and 22 seconds later, Trevor Lewis netted the winner for LA.

The Boston Bruins claimed victory in Game One of their series against the New York Rangers with a 3-2 Overtime win at the TD Garden. The game burst into life in the second period when a mistake by the usually consistent Henrik Lundqvist allowed Bruins Captain Zdeno Chara to score and give the home side the advantage. But with two seconds left on the clock, Ryan McDonagh swooped in to level scores! New York went ahead 16 seconds into the third period when Derek Stepan scored, but Bruins fans didnt have to wait long for a response as a long ranger from Torey Krug sealed his first NHL goal on a powerplay and leveled the scores! Goalies Rask and Lundqvist were both kept busy for the remainder of the period but no could find a way past so the game was pushed to overtime. After four minutes of play Brad Marchand scored to give the bruins the victory! Although Boston has secured victory, things will not be straight forward in this series and people should prepare for some interest...

Raffi Torres is back in the NHL's bad books again after bringing down Jarret Stoll . After the incident which Alex  reported yesterday , Torres has been handed a series ban. This means he won't play against the Sharks again this series. This is a divisive issue, the interweb is full of people who reckon it was a clean hit, including Mike Commodore who said on twitter that the hit was shoulder to shoulder. What do you think? Alex's Edit: On reflection, Torres' hit on Stoll may not have as severe as some of his greatest hits, but the intent to hurt was clear for all to see, particularly as Stoll got caught on the head! It also doesn't help matter that he has been a repeat offender down the years and it seems the league is sending a clear message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated! Torres can be a fine player, but its moments like these that let him down and the Sharks will miss him as a result! 

San Jose 's Raffi Torres has once again landed himself in hot water over his seemingly illegal hit on Jarret Stoll in Game One of their semi final series against the Los Angeles Kings . No stranger to controversy, Torres has previously served a 25 game ban during his stint at Phoenix for his horrendous hit on Chicago's Marion Hossa! No penalty was called for his hit on Stoll but the Kings player did not return to the ice, Torres will be suspended as the investigation continues which could be a blow to the Sharks as they look to overturn a 1-0 deficit! For the full story, go to  NHL.Com

Advantage Chicago Blackhawks . The Detroit Red Wings made their first trip to the United Center last night for the first game of the second round. Damien Brunner 's first period goal cancelled out Marian Hossa 's opener and that's how it stayed until eight minutes into the third period when Johnny Oduya and Marcus Kruger scored in quick succession to give the Blackhawks the lead. Patrick Sharp added a fourth with less than a minute to go. Final score 4-1. Nicklas Kronwall was unimpressed with his team's performance: " We know we're a much better team than this. [The] second and third periods [were] not nearly good enough. We know we're better than this and we have to find a way to get better for Game 2." - Geico's quote of the day. It wasn't all plain sailing for Chicago and a few desperate goal line scrambles and clearances were required to keep Detroit out. The boys from Michigan will rue the missed chances and opportunities. C...

Sorry this is late. Didn't check the schedule. After my reasonable success with the first round (7/8 correct) here's my predictions for the second round. If you place any bets and lose. I'm not responsible :) Chicago Vs Detroit The Red Wings were sometimes brilliant and sometimes poor in the first round against the Ducks. For this reason I reckon they'll take a game or two. However the Blackhawks are currently one of the best teams in the league and don't rely on individual performances. My heart says Red Wings a; cos I'm biased and b; The Red Wings have reasonable form against Chicago. My head says Chicago though so as much as it pains me to say it... Prediction: Chicago LA Vs San Jose At the time of writing, the Kings have already taken the lead with a 2-0 win over the Sharks. This is a tricky one. The Sharks swam circles around the Canucks in the first round but this seems to be more down to how poor the Canucks played and their general ...

There's a tradition that comes with the playoffs: beards. The playoff beard, like me has been around since the 80s and now traditional in many sports. It's even become a charity event. As a proud owner of facial foliage I appreciate a good playoff beard. Here's some of the best: Mike Commodore No beard list is complete with the Commodore. Scott Hartnell Love him or hate him, he brought a mighty fine beard to the playoffs. Scott Niedermeyer Some men fear gray hairs. Scott embraced it. Shea Weber Shea's beard looks like it's trying to escape. Zdeno Chara The Bruins captain looks like he's had a beard all his life. Maxime Talbot This beard/hair combo works beautifully. Henrik Zetterberg Just because.

The New York Rangers set up a semi final appearence with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Washington Capital in game 7 at the Verizon center! This series had been neck and neck all the way through and going into the game it was anyone's guess which way the tide would turn? Aron Asham got the party started for the Rangers in the 1st period and the second period followed suit as Taylor Pyatt and Michael Del Zotto scored early on to put New York ahead by three clear goals! The third period was a similar affair as the Rangers impressive offensive put the Caps defense to the sword with further goals by Ryan Callahan and Mats Zuccarello. Henrik Lundqvist was once again the hero with 35 saves to firmly shut out Ovechkin and co as the Rangers spoiled the homecoming party for Washington! This series has been one of the most unpredictable of the lot and has continued the spirit of exciting play we have been priviledged to watch. It is a shame that the Capitals will not be going forward ...

A late goal flurry by the Boston Bruins saw them win an entertaining game 7 clash against the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime at the TD Garden last night. This result now sets up an Eastern Conference semi final clash with the New York Rangers ! The game itself was a titanic back and forth affair, the Bruins started well with Matt Bartowski putting them ahead in the first period. Cody Franson levelled for the Leafs midway through the period and then succeeded in doubling his goal tally early in the second period to give Toronto a 2-1 advantage. The third period is when the action really kicked into life as the Bruins seemed to fall to pieces as early period goals from Phil Kessel and Nazim Kadri pushed the Leafs even further ahead and appeared to be giving Boston their marching orders. But incredibly this was not the end of the story as Nathan Horton gave them hope midway through and then Milan Lucic reduced the margin to one goal with two minutes to play! But then 1st star P...

For some awesome playoff beards. Presented here on the San Jose Sharks Facebook page.

I don't know if ducks can technically sink but writing catchy headlines is tough. Anyway. After twice being behind in the series, those plucky Detroit Red Wings have managed to bring it back twice to equalize and forced the Anaheim Ducks into a final game decider. Detroit Captain (and beard idol) Henrik Zetterberg opened the scoring early in the first period, and goals from Justin Abdelkader and Valtteri Filppula sealed the victory. It wasn't all plain sailing though as Emerson Etem and Francois Beauchemin scored for the Ducks but it wasn't enough to top the Red Wings who now make the 300 mile journey to Illinois for the semi finals where they will meet conference champs the Chicago Blackhawks . Detroit made things difficult, giving Anaheim more powerplays than necessary. Zetterberg took the final powerplay of the game after launching the puck over the glass and receiving an Delay of Play penalty for his troubles. This allowed the Ducks the opportunity to ...

The swings and roundabouts of the playoff lottery were on display for all to see last night as we march onto to more game 7 action! Derek Brassard's second period goal for the New York Rangers earned them a 1-0 win against Washington Capitals and sets up an interesting final tie at the Verizon Center! So far this series has been a back and forth affair and I think any betting man would have a hard time putting a wager on this one! The Toronto Maple Leafs have also leveled their series against Boston and have impressively fought from 3-1 down to bringing things to a 3-3 tie! Their 2-1 win against the Bruins at the Air Canada Center was inspired by a first star performance from James Reimer- with Optimus Reim making an impressive 29 saves to keep the Bruins offense at bay! Leafs fans had to wait until the third period for the goals to come with Captain Dion Phaneuf scoring after just two minutes and after nine minutes of play, once again former Bruin Phil Kessell put the Leafs...

There are certain things you expect to see in the playoffs. Alex has already written about how the  Canucks fell to the Sharks  but did anyone actually predict a four-nil series whitewash? I didn't. I thought it was going to be much closer. After all, the Canucks had a decent season and the Sharks lost a few key players through trades. Who would have expected the Canadiens - Senators games to be so controversial? Competitive yes, but when the allegations of diving came out, things got nasty. Unfortunately for the Habs, too many big name injuries became the team's undoing. The biggest cupset that almost happened was in the Penguins - Islanders series. Although the series was sealed last night with a 4-3 overtime win for the Pens, the Iles were able to win two of the games in the series and quite often had the Pens on the back foot. The Pens, who firmly broadcast their intentions to win the Stanley Cup at all costs by making some big trades should have won this ...

The Hart Trophy names are in, here are your three candidates Sidney Crosby Alexander Ovechkin John Tavares Not a great deal of surprise here and Crosby as it stands will still be the hot favourite as he has made a remarkable comeback, though Ovechkin in a two time winner of the crown and he will be keen to make it hat trick this year! Nice to John Tavares get a mention as he has been brilliantly consistent for the Islanders this year and has been a key factor in their resurgence in form this year. The 2012-13 NHL awards will be one of the most contested of years gone by!

Tense times continue for Detroit Red Wings fans as Henrik Zetterberg's overtime goal means that the series will go to a seventh game decider. Zetterberg has performed well in the series so far but hadn't scored in the previous five games. The Wing's captain obviously wasn't happy with that and netted twice in last night's game at the Joe. The Anaheim Ducks the other hand put in a mediocre performance according to coach Bruce Boudreau who said that his team didn't have the hunger to win the game and started nervously. Allowing Detroit to capitalise. Game seven of the series is tomorrow.

Last night saw the Chicago Blackhawks win the series 4-1. The Minnesota Wild made the journey to the United Center for game 5 in the series and lost 5-1. This means that the Blackhawks progress to the next stage. Full story  here. The Ottawa Senators completed its series victory over the injury ridden Montreal Canadiens . Full story  here.

Montreal has been dealt another cruel blow in their quest to advance from Eastern Conference quarter final against Ottawa as today regular Goalie Carey Price has been ruled out with a lower body injury which will mean that backup Peter Budaj will take his place in next for the remainder of the series. After losing Captain Brian Gionta already this week, the odds against them are steadily increasing as The Habs are already 3-1 down in this series and losing two stars players has trimed even more their slim chances. But Budaj is a solid backup goalie and has proven himself able to be called upon when needed so Habs fans can take some comfort in this fact.  Get well soon Carey from both of us here

New York Rangers have levelled their series against Washington Capitals after a 4- 3 win at Madison Square Garden last night! This series is one that is growning increasingly interesting and is set for a grand finale! Brad Richards scored his first of the series late in the first period and Carl Hagelin increased the Rangers advantage to 2-0 midway through the second. But then the Capitals rallied through Mathieu Perrault who cut the lead to one- then 17 seconds before the buzzer, Troy Brouwer scored to bring us a tie game! Any nerves the Rangers fans may have had of their team folding under pressure were put to bed 59 seconds into the third period as Dan Girardi scored on a powerplay to put New York in front and seven minutes later Derek Stepan restored their original two goal advantage! But soon after a long range effort from Karl Alzner beat Lundqvist to ensure a tight finish was in store. But the Rangers held on to tie the series at 2-2! Which way will this series go? The an...

Montreal Canadiens ' Brian Gionta is out for the rest of the season, which depending on what happens tomorrow, could be one game.  Gionta suffered an injury to his arm a week ago and found out today that he needs surgery, scheduled for this Friday. This means his season is at an end. This is the sort of news nobody wants to hear and Gionta was visibly upset when he heard the news. Any injury is bad news to miss a potential (although slim) shot at the cup must be pretty galling.  We wish Gionta a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the ice as soon as possible. 

Pittsburgh Penguins have announced that backup goalie Tomas Vokoun will be start in net for thursday's game 5 against the New York Islanders. After some uneven displays by regular goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, including letting in 6 goals in 24 shots in a 6-4 game 4 defeat in New York, the Penguins management have decided to sit the struggling Fleury on the bench at let Vokoun have his shot. Will this gamble pay off? We'll let the results of this series tell that story!

Well my eyes have finally dried after the Canucks 4-3 overtime defeat against San Jose last night which ensured the Sharks took a deserved clean sweep of the series. Sadly it seems that Mike's decision to back them was the correct one! Brent Burns put San Jose on their way early in the first period but the Canucks quickly leveled through Dan Hamhuis. But Logan Couture's powerplay goal restored the Sharks' one goal lead towards the end of the period. After a scoreless second period, Vancouver made a brighter start to the third period of action with Alex Burrows' powerplay goal  and Alex Edler scoring midway through and their fans were hopeful of us putting a win on the board- but as is tradition, Joe Pavelski scored on a powerplay four minutes before the end to once again send this tie to overtime! After 13 minutes OT Patrick Marleau knocked a rebound past Cory Schneider to send the Sharks through and leave the Canucks to the chants of "Sweep Sweep Sweep...

The New York Islanders haven't won a Stanley Cup since 1983 and when they finished 8th in the conference, I doubt any Isles fan was happy about being drawn against the Pittsburgh Penguins . Expecting a quick end to their playoff campaign. I know I did. But those plucky Islanders are determined to cost me money (I bet on the Pens winning the series) and staged a mighty comeback to draw the series again. The Islanders netted 6 times with Brian Strait , Mark Streit , Kyle Okposo , John Tavares and Casey Cizikas all lighting the lamp. 3 of the goals came in the last 16 minutes of the game. James Neal , Evgeni Malkin , Brandon Sutter and Pascal Dupuis all scored for the Penguins. Playmaker Sidney Crosby managed a single assist for his team. Is this a resurgence from the 4 time cup winning Islanders? Can the Pens' new high profile trades make the difference and fight back? Watch this space.

Boston regained the series lead in Game 3 of their series against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night as they sliced through them with a 5-2 victory at the Air Canada Center which spoiled the Toronto's first home playoff game in over nine years. Adam McQuaid put the Bruins in front midway through the first period off an assist from Lucic and Ryan Peverley extended their advantage further early in the second. Jake Gardiner gave the Leafs a glimmer of hope midway through the same period before goals from Nathan Horton and Daniel Paille increased the Bruins lead to 4-1. Once again Phil Kessel scored against his former team and gave the leafs a goal 47 seconds in the third peiod to cut back the margain to 4-2 and perhaps give them some much needed momentum. But with less than two minutes left the leafs chose to pull goalie James Reimer and David Krejci slotted into the empty net! After losing game two at home in the TD Garden, Boston has once again regain a crucial advantage which...

Writing witty headlines is tough. The San Jose Sharks are on a roll. If they win tonight at the Shark Tank then they'll be the first team to advance through to the conference semi finals.  It's been a comfortable ride for the Sharks, winning all but one of the series games in regulation. That's not to say there hasn't been controversy though. Vancouver Canucks D-Man Kevin Bieksa has accused Sharks forwards Logan Couture and Joe Thornton of simulation (or flopping) to earn penalties. In the 5-2 win, 3 of the Sharks' goals came on the powerplay.  Is the Canucks' disciplinary record going to cost the team their chance at winning the cup? Probably. The team has clocked up 42 penalty minutes over 3 games, compared to 20 minutes by San Jose. The least of any team so far. If you're interested, Montreal has the most at 147. It's a sobering thought that Vancouver are the only team to have not won a game in this playoff series.  

The Detroit Red Wings are the team that refuse to lie down. Twice they've gone behind in the series and twice they've gone on to equalise. The Anaheim Ducks made their second playoff journey to the Joe Louis with the advantage after their previous 4-0 win.  Anaheim took the initial advantage with a first period goal from Matt Beleskey . Brendan Smith drew equal for the Wings before David Steckel gave the Ducks the lead again. It took a snapper from Pavel Datsyuk to draw the Wings equal again and force overtime where Damien Brunner was able to guarantee the win for Detroit Next game is tomorrow at Anaheim. 

Los Angeles is an amazing city, lots of great sports teams, stunning weather, Hollywood, beaches and lots more. Soon there'll be a new addition to the list of attractions. On January 25th next year, the Freeway Faceoff will move to the Dodger Stadium in LA. 56,000 lucky fans will be able to watch the LA Kings fight the Anaheim Ducks as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. There might even be some hockey played. This is the first time that hockey has been played outdoors in California. Further games are expected to be announced soon.

It looks like the Minnesota Wild may be thrown a lifeline soon. Winger Jason Pominville is back skating with the team although he is still 'day to day'. Pominville has been out since he caught the wrong end of  Dustin Brown 's Elbow  in the regular season.  The Canadian his contributed 14 goals and 20 assists this year and the Wild could certainly use him back. 

Detroit Red Wings will be without key player Justin Abdelkader after he was handed a 2 game ban after charging down Anaheim Ducks ' defenseman Toni Lydman . In a situation which nobody is calling 'Abdelkadergate', there is a lot of controversy about this decision. Coach Mike Babcock reckons it was a perfectly clean hit but VP of Hockey Operations and Player Safety  Brendan Shanahan thinks the hit was illegal and that the offence of charging was committed.  Either way, Akdelkader will sit out the next two games which, depending on how the results go, this could well be the end of his season. 

Toronto Maple Leafs gave back strong against the Boston Bruins last night to tie their series at one game all with an entertaining 4-2 win at TD Garden. Nathan Horton gave the Bruins the lead early in the second period which was eventually given after a video replay confirmation. But they found themselves shocked soon after by a Joffrey Lupul double that put the Leafs in control! 53 seconds into the third period, former Boston man Phil Kessel raced away to beat Tuukka Rask and to leave his former fans in a state of silence and give Toronto a 3-1 lead. The Bruins briefly rallied with a goal from defensemen Johnny Boychuk which deflected off Bozak, but with three minutes remaining- James Van Riemsdyk scored a bizzare goal where as he fell to the ice he knocked the puck into the Bruins net to seal a 4-2 win! The Maple Leafs were aided by an impressive goaltending performance by James Reimer- Optimus Reim may have had his fair share of critics this year but this performance is the ki...