The Fifth Liners

Today has seen the nominations for the James Norris Memorial Trophy been announced and soon the league will vote for the leagues best defenseman. The players nominated are as follows: Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins) Duncan Keith (Chicago Blackhawks)   Shea Weber (Nashville Predators)  Upon first glance it would probably seem most likely that in the fast the Bruins run away success during the regular season and their current form during the play-ofs, that Mount Chara will rack up  another James Norris win after his previous success in 2009- but although he has been a rock at the centre of the Bruins defense. But it seems like a too safer bet and personally I would like to see Shea Weber rewarded for his continually excellent form, here is a list of reasons why: Reasons Why Weber Should Win  Has been one of the few positives for the Nashville Predators over the last few years Leads the league in goals for defenseman with 23 goals and was Preds top scorer with ...

So far the Columbus Blue Jacket s v Pittsburgh Penguins playoff series to proving to be a titantic back and forth affair where to everyone's utter shock, the series stands at 2-2 with over 28 goals scored and all four games have been fighting 4-3 wins for each side. Firstly, it is great to see a struggling side like Columbus make it this far, particularly after my experts dismissed their chances after their strongest link Rick Nash departed for the New York Rangers in 2012. They are not a flashy side and haven't play the most thrilling hockey in the NHL this season, but flair isn't always the key ingredient to a good side- so just what makes this time so effective? The Jackets only just snuck into the playoffs via the Wild Card slot for 7th overall in the East, but after their hard slog, they certainly earned their place. Ryan Johansen has stepped up this season for the Jackets and has bagged an incredible 33 goals in regular season alone which astoundingly has seen h...

This weeks question deals with a long standing hockey playoff tradition that slowly beginning to become a burden on teams- the multiple overtime periods. "Is the overtime system used in the playoffs flawed? Playing repeated 20 minute periods until someone finds twine is tough on the skaters, not to mention the fans and TV schedulers. Should the NHL adopt the same system used during the regular season? Or is it time for something completely different?" Last night during the St Louis Blues 4-3 win over the reigning champions the Chicago Blackhawks - Alexander Steen scored the winner 26 seconds into a third overtime period! Incredible result for this fixture, but there's no denying that fans were kept waiting for too long for a winner this tie, regardless of this being playoff time. I've never fully understood the need for continuing periods, because this can affect a team in the long run because your skaters are overworked and more likely make errors or even ...

What time is it? Midnight. Whatever, no sleep until June! It's the playoffs. The Montreal Canadiens made the trip to sunny Tampa Bay to take on the Lighting in the opening game of the 13/14 playoffs. This is what happened: First Period Some playoff games are careful, guarded affairs. Some are out-and-out battles, this was definitely the latter. The Lightning took home-ice advantage by finishing the regular season one point better than the Habs. Former Red Wing Valtteri Filppula won the opening faceoff for the Bolts against Tomas Plekanec and the first period was played with the energy Lord Stanley's Cup commands. The opening 10 minutes gave plenty of shots and plenty of hits from both teams, pure end to end stuff. Both teams threatened to find net but Tampa were the first team to score. With just less than 10 minutes left on the clock in the first, Nikita Kucherov scored the first goal of the playoffs. J.T. Brown provided the assist. Montreal were not to be ...

Last night, Florida Panthers fans were given rare positive news when it was announce that they won the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft after their name was picked from the Draft Lottery. After another  poor season last year, the Panthers management should already been looking towards the next superstar of the franchise- and this draft year there is a lot of quality on show such as Canadian centre Sam Bennett, defenseman Aaron Ekblad or Sam Reinhart. Plus lets not forget top European prospect Kasperi Kapanen. But does one play change an entire franchises luck? In the case of the Colorado Avalanche the answer to that question is indeed yes as last years number one pick Nathan Mackinnon has proven to be an excellent choice and is one of the favourites for the Calder Trophy this year after an excellent rookie season. However, there is a flipside to that coin, and some teams have failed to raise their game even after more than one first overall picks- yes I am referri...

It's that time of year.  Last week, a loss in overtime meant that you only took one point. This week it's a game lost that could see your team one step closer to elimination from the playoffs. 14 teams didn't even make it this far. Nobody expected in October that the Toronto Maple Leafs wouldn't be making a post-season appearance. Likewise nobody would have expected injury-ravaged Detroit to get as far as they have. Holding into a wildcard place while dressing half their AHL affiliate to replace experienced superstars. Some teams have cruised to the playoffs, as expected while other teams have surprised us all. Who would have thought that the Colorado Avalanche would have made it so easily? The Flyers had a dreadful start, but captain Claude Giroux turned the ship around. Now comes the NHL.com Bracket Challenge. A time for myself and Alex to go head to head. His insane hockey knowledge against my knack for predictions (dumb luck). Last season I predicted ...

Eastern Conference  Detroit Red Wings  v Boston Bruins   This is one of the more difficult series to predict because both teams are of equal quality. The Red Wings hold a 3-1 regular season record against the Bruins, but it has been Boston who tops the Eastern conference and they have been showing this season just why they are contenders. I predict this one to be a tight one, but based on form alone, I have to give this one to the Bruins, sorry Mike! Prediction: Boston Bruins Tampa Bay Lightning v Montreal Canadiens Tampa Bay have been the one of this years real surprise packages, finishing 4th in the Eastern conference despite star Steven Stamkos being injured for a long period and currently holds a 3-1 record against Montreal. But the Canadiens are not a team that should be ruled out (unless Subban goes to the box) and I still think they could spring a surprise here. But overall, I think Tampa has just enough quality to see this one through. Prediction: Tam...