The Fifth Liners

In the opening days of Ice Hockey in Sochi 2014 , we have seen a vast array of goals being scored (50 the count so far in case you were wondering) and we have seen some impressive team performances. It may be early doors so far, but we are beginning to get an idea of who might be in contention for medals soon! Here is a review of the action so far: Group A   The USA started strongly with a 7-1 win over an uninspired Slovakia team who lacked any real threat. Phil Kessel was the star man with a goal and two assists, Ryan Kesler and James Van Riemsdyk also impressed. Goalie wise, the Slovaks had a torrid time with St Louis' Jaroslav Halak being yanked on from net with the score at 5-1, only for backup Peter Budaj to be beaten on his very first shot faced! But with Jonathan Quick looking impressive in net and an offense that could do some damage, it appears my initial thoughts about the US could be proven wrong! Hosts Russia began strongly with a 5-2 win over Slovenia in a game...

The Pittsburgh Penguins won a titantic back and forth battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night for a 6-5 shootout win at the Consol Energy Center! From the very outset, things were far from straight foward and despite Chris Connor putting the Penguins ahead after 1.57 of the first period, James Van Riemsdyk soon made thing a tie game after he scored on the powerplay after 5 minutes. From there things got very tricky for the home team as Nazem Kadri gave Toronto the lead after 11 minutes. Less than 43 seconds into the next period- the Leafs hit Pittsburgh with a double blow as a crucial mistake by Marc-Andre Fleury as he attempted to pass the puck behind his net to Jayson Megna let in Van Riemsdyk for his second goal after only 13 seconds! Thirty seconds later Phil Kessel would score to put Toronto 4-1 in front and add to the home fans frustrations! Powerplay goals by Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang midway through help raise spirits- but when Tyler Bozak popped up to score...

48 saves from James Reimer gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a much needed 2-1 shootout win over the Washington Capitals at the Air Canada Center last night. David Clarkson got the ball rolling when he deflected in Jake Gardiner's long shot after 10:08 of the second period. But Alexander Ovechkin then tied the game with 5 minutes remaining of the third to send matters to overtime! After an uneventful overtime, the game was pushed to a shootout where Grant Fehr gave the Caps an initial advantage when he deeked past Reimer but James Van Reimsdyk scored to level the shoot out. Niklas Backstrom then had his penalty shoot saved by the glove of Reimer which allow Joffrey Lupul to seal the win for the Leafs!

NHL 2013/14 is under way and last night the Toronto Maple Leafs kicked off their season with an exciting 4-3 win over fierce rivals the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center. In an action packed first period, James Van Reimsdyck put the Leafs in front after 8 minutes with a skillful wrist shot, but Eller soon scored for the Canadiens to bring us a tie game. Brendan Gallagher then scored to put the Quebec side 2-1 ahead before the end of the first period! In the second period, despite some great offensive awareness by Montreal, a first star performance by Leafs goalie James Reimer kept them at bay as Toronto levelled the scores at 2-2 with a goal from captain Dion Phaneuf and three minutes before the end, Tyler Bozak scored a wrist shot to put the Maple Leafs 3-2 ahead and leave the home supporters fuming! Things got worse for Montreal in the third period as a debut goal from Mason Raymond gave them a two goal cushion and despite Eller scoring again late in the period- it ...

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...

The regular season is over, all the games are played and the fixtures have now been completed. Here's my quick guide to the games in the Eastern: New York Islanders Vs Pittsburgh Penguins The Pens are 4-1-0 against the Isles and are easily favourite to walk this round. Golden boy Sidney Crosby is back in training after his broken jaw but no word on if he'll make the playoff games. The is doing well enough without him though, having made some good trades this season. Prediction - Penguins Ottawa Senators Vs Montreal Canadiens This fixture is a going to be close, the Sens are 2-1-1 against the Habs this season and have recently found a run of form. The Habs on the other hand have a better defensive record and I reckon this will give the Canadiens the edge. Prediction - Canadiens New York Rangers Vs Washington Capitals 6th seed Rangers actually have the edge over the 3rd seed Washington this season. Going into the playoffs 2-0-1 against Ovechkin and Co. The te...