ORANGE C.R.USHER

Another weekend away from the computer, another Monday spent pooling thoughts and infos from a weekend of hockey I didn't get to see.

I love an upset. In the AHL this round, seven of the eight matchups have been decided, and in all but three of those seven, the higher-placed team has taken the series. Manchester (1) over Worcester (4) in 6; Hershey (1) over Albany (4) in 5; Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (2) over Norfolk (3) in 6; Chicago (2) over Milwaukee (3) in 4. Iowa's win in round 1 over Omaha was, so far, the only 1-4 upset. Grand Rapids still has a chance to be the second if they can beat Manitoba in Game 7 tomorrow. 4th place over 1st place upsets are more dramatic than a 3rd place over 2nd place, in my opinion. Providence beating Hartford -- so what, four points separated them during the regular season. Rochester/Hamilton were split by only three points in the season. (Other 2/3 matchups were split by no more than 5 points -- Chicago/Milwaukee.) But Iowa/Omaha were apart by nearly 20 points. As are the Griffins and the Moose. That's a big difference, and so .....

I had great tiredness Saturday night but am glad I toughed it out to listen to the whole match. Really wish I could have been there, as J. was (I got pictures!) as sharing in a key victory is easier and much more fun to do while present, rather than leaping around and fist-pumping in my apartment 1000 miles away with only the cat to share (and I don't think he cares that much). The Stars really sounded like they have it together, they sound like the team they were that started the season 6-0 and not the team that sank and slid in the middle part of the year. They sound like they are doing the right things (not counting, of course, Ellis's mishandling of the puck while channeling Ty Conklin, and the gimme goal that Omaha stole from him last night) and almost all the right times. They were able to find ways to score, which I know they struggled to do for stretches during the season. Their offense is finding a way, and their defense is keeping their opponents frustrated. Or so it sounds. In Saturday's game, the Knights scored twice to tie the match, and each time, Iowa scored within a minute to regain the lead. Iowa could have folded sadly after that bad play by Ellis. Instead, they commanded poise and control and won that game.

I'm confident they can carry this over to Chicago. They will have to, in order to have a chance. As I mentioned a few days ago, games against Chicago were not close affairs the way they were against Omaha. Big numbers rolled out as scores, big differentials. This can't happen now. Iowa will have to be better than they were in the regular season, of course; probably better than they were against Omaha, since Chicago's got different strengths. Ellis absolutely needs to stay on his game, the defense must stand firm, and Lundqvist needs to continue his point-collecting -- three goals in three games!!; Lessard can have a few more 3+-point games and Chicago will have to find a way to solve that.

Also, Shane Endicott is off my List of Hate. I couldn't cheer for him or clap for him because I just didn't like him, all based on the one season where he played for Wilkes-Barre against the Phantoms. When he came to Iowa I felt that if he did some good for the Stars, I'd think he was OK. Winning Game 6 for the Stars Saturday night pretty much accomplished that. Shane Endicott: good guy.

Disappointed by the schedule for round 2 -- I was hoping for a Saturday game in Chicago next weekend, but it's happening on a Sunday. Can't fly out for that. Not until Game 6 would they play at Chicago on a Saturday. Give the length of the round against Omaha, I think a Game 6 is definitely a possibility. Hmmm. I've never been a fan at an away game before.

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Yesterday I saw about 3 minutes of the Rangers/Buffalo game. It was around 10 minutes to go in the third period, and the Rags were up 1-0. I'm not a Rangers fan by any stretch, which you must know. A team that has Colton Orr, what's-his-face Hollweg, and Sean Avery simply cannot be respected, and despite admitting that Jagr is a good player, I don't like him either. I pretty much only like the Hot Swedish Twinboy in goal. And while I feel that the Sabres are an excellent hockey team, I cannot, cannot, CANNOT stand the idea of Lindy Ruff and Buffalo's obnoxious fans enjoying the success of the Stanley Cup. So you combine my like for Henrik Lundqvist and my dislike for Ruff and Buffalo fans and you get my hope for the Rangers to win this series. They were down two games going into yesterday's match, though, so it was starting to look a leeeeeetle bit desperate. So, with a few minutes to spare yesterday while at a friend's, I saw a few minutes of the game. What happened? Buffalo scored. I swore. It seemed stupidly easy to do. The Sabres were on the powerplay, and Daniel Briere was given the puck near the wall. I saw Chris Drury in front of Lundqvist and thought, Hm, good screen, hope Lundqvist keeps his eye around that. Briere took the shot and it slid right on in, as though Lundqvist didn't even see it. Perhaps he didn't. Past the Ranger defenseman, past Drury, and through Lundqvist. Disgusting. A minute or so later, we left and I was left to wonder what happened. A while later, Hockey K. called and asked if I was watching the game. He told me it was in overtime. It wasn't until much later, when I was talking with my pa on the telephone, that I learned that the Rangers ended up winning the game in second overtime, 2-1, with a goal from the supposedly-injured Rozsival. An article I read today said that he just closed his eyes and hit the puck on net, hoping something would happen. So the guy didn't even see his goal that won the game and gives the Rangers a glimmer of hope.

I was hoping to go to a Devils game this coming Saturday, since they won to tie the series (in a double-overtime game) and forced at least a game 5; but Hockey K. is not available and I cannot convince anyone else that it would be worth it to spend $100 on tickets and make a pretty long drive up to the Meadowlands to see a team we don't even like that much. I just want to see some more hockey. In person. Ok, perhaps if the Debbies make it to round 3. They play again tonight, game 3, at Ottawa. Good luck there, eh? I do think Ottawa's going to edge the Devils in this series, but it would be nice, for my plans to see another hockey game this year, if they did not. Right now I think I'd like Ottawa to end up in the Cup finals and this decision is based on 1) I don't have any strong feelings about them, negative or positive, whereas the other Eastern teams that are left? Strong negatives abound. 2) They have a great all-around team with the ability to do it. So do the Sabres, but we're already aware of how much I do not want them to.

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International hockey! I was browsing the scores of the games that went on since the start of the tournament on Friday, and they're embarrassing. It's immediately obvious that there are certain national teams which have the talent and they are not surprises.

Friday's games:
USA/Austria: 6-2
Finland/Ukraine: 5-0
Czech Republic/Belarus: 8-2
Russia/Denmark: 9-1

Saturday's games:
Switzerland/Latvia 2-1
Sweden/Italy 7-1
Germany/Canada 2-3 (Canada by only one goal? I don't know about you, but I expected Canada to roll.)
Slovakia/Norway 3-0

Sunday's games:
Finland/Denmark: 6-2
Czech Republic/Austria: 6-1
Russia/Ukraine: 8-1
USA/Belarus: 5-1

Today's games so far have Switzerland over Italy 2-1 and Slovakia over Germany 5-1. Later today, I expect we'll see a large Swedish goal-fest over Latvia and Canada and Norway face off as well.

The USA keeps up its performance, but will face a likely much tougher opponent in the Czech Republic for its next game tomorrow. Same goes for Finland, who will face Russia.

The power rankings have Russia at #1 ["currently on pace to win the gold with a 81-9 goal differential (we said 'currently'!)"]; Czech Republic at #2, Sweden at #3, Finland at #4 and the USA at #5. I think that about matches the top 5 teams scoring-wise to date. Poor Denmark's last, with the comment "Kim Staal must get the other Staals to defect to Denmark immediately." Early in the AHL season, while watching the Milwaukee Admirals, we did see this Staal on the ice. We wondered if he were one of the famous Staals, not able to remember the names of the two who are not in the NHL right now, but were pretty sure he wasn't, and were even more sure he wasn't, once we saw his face. He just doesn't really resemble the other Staals and looked too old to be one of the others not already playing in the NHL. Too bad for Denmark, for sure, that this Staal is not like those Staals.

I am far too exhausted to talk any more about the Game 6 I listened to tonight than the following:

Shane Endicott with the game-winner. What, Endicott? My hero!!!!!!

And the phrase "Lessard from Lundqvist" -- music to the ears.

The Iowa Stars advance to the second round, winning tonight 5-2 (two empty netters -- hot damn, what a close and exciting game).

Wolves are up next.

THEY CAN DO THIS.

WOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!

I love how way off my predictions are. At least I guessed a close outcome for the Devils/Sens game, but where I guessed a 2-1 OT loss for New Jersey, it was a 5-4 regulation loss. Ottawa scored 4 goals in the first period. Sheesh! "The only other time Brodeur has given up four goals in a period in the playoffs was on April 28, 2001, in the third period of a 6-5 overtime win over Toronto" says nhl.com.

And SJS over DET, 2-0. Yeah, I didn't guess that. But oh well. Good thing nothing rests on my getting it right. Not even my pride.

And it is without pride that I will close my eyes and make a wild guess at tonight's games:

NYR/BUF: I really think that the Rangers will close it down tonight. (Really?) 3-1 Rangers to even the series.

ANA/VAN: Anaheim 2, Vancouver 0.

I care more about what's going on in the AHL tonight, because the Iowa Stars play. They've gone west to Omaha and can seal the deal this evening. I don't have to get up to go to work tomorrow so I can stay up through the whole game -- if I get tired, I can drink some artificial alertness. I want to hear the whole thing! (Unless I get a better deal offered at some point today -- but I don't anticipate that. Nasty weather out, and if it lasts, I don't really want to drive anywhere but home.)

I think the USA/Austria game should be getting underway at any moment in Moscow (it says 4:15 for start time there, and it's after 8:15 here, which is 4:15 there, so ......... right?) Jenny Wiedeke, a staff writer for ihwc.net, predicts the USA will take the silver in the tournament, calling the Americans a "young, promising team that will shock those who underestimated them." Interesting. Shock away, boys!

For fun, here is a repeat photograph of Joel Lundqvist.



Go Iowa Stars!

World Championships begin tomorrow in Moscow!

In a pre-tournament friendly, the USA beat Sweden.

Wait a moment ...

Sweden won last year, didn't they? And the USA? Nah.

Which was it: a good effort from the USA, or Sweden just weren't trying very hard?

Robert Esche was set on the USA roster for goalie but has apparently withdrawn for personal reasons (rumored to be an ill child). Jason Bacashihua takes his place. For the USA we've got (according to Hfboards):

Jason Bacashihua G
John Grahame G
Cory Schneider G
Andrew Alberts D
Keith Ballard D
Matt Greene D
Andrew Hutchinson D
Erik Johnson D
Jack Johnson D
Brian Pothier D
Ryan Suter D
Tyler Arnason C
David Backes LW
Brandon Bochenski LW
Chris Clark RW
Erik Cole RW
Nathan Davis C
Adam Hall LW
Phil Kessel C
Chad Larose RW
Toby Petersen C
Paul Stastny C
Lee Stempniak RW

Two former Iowa Stars on that roster: Matt Greene (played 26 games last year) and Toby Petersen.

Naturally I will cheer for my homeland, but a close second will be Finland, even without Joni or Niitty. Apparently the Finnish roster for tomorrow's opener against the Ukraine looks as follows:

1#
Petteri Nummelin-Lasse Kukkonen
Ville Peltonen-Mikko Koivu-Tuomo Ruutu

2#
Tuukka Mäntylä-Pekka Saravo
Timo Pärssinen-Niko Kapanen-Jukka Hentunen

3#
Aki Berg-Toni Söderholm
Sean Bergenheim-Petri Kontiola-Tomi Kallio

4#
Mika Pyörälä-Jari Viuhkola-Jarkko Ruutu

with Frederik Norrena in goal, and Kari Lehtonen as backup.

Glad for a little more hockey to pay attention to (other than biding my time with the NHL playoffs and rooting for Iowa).

Anyone peeking into my office just a few seconds ago would have seen me go from serious-looking staff scientist peering at computer screen to (silently) joyous hockey fan that had just seen the Iowa Stars won 3-2 last night.

I listened to two periods of the game. I was nervous because Brent Krahn was in net and I think he's pretty damn good. But it was heavenly to hear "Lundqvist" and "Eriksson" in the present during the broadcast, even though Lundy got a penalty; Eriksson assisted on Iowa's first goal, scored by Matt Niskanen (his first!). At the time I left, the Stars were down 2-1. I thought it was a good game up to that point, except for the Knights' goalie stopping my guys' shots. It wasn't nearly so rough-and-tumble but while I do enjoy a good, hard-hitting hockey game, it can be equally as enjoyable when the game flows nicely, as it sounded as though it did last night. I danced in my desk chair last night when Niskanen scored to bring Iowa within sight of the Knights. And I didn't go to bed with a sinking feeling that I might not wake up to a good score; but all the same, when I saw that 2 goals were scored in the third (for Iowa), it was a great little moment, a great way to start this Thursday. And who scored those two goals???

JOEL LUNDQVIST.

The guy is just amazing. How many times this season has he been the clutch guy, scored the game-winners, been the Hero of the Night? He was the AHL's second star last night. Well-deserved.

He said: "It felt like I needed the first two periods to get going and feel the game. I felt a lot better in the third and hope to start the next game on that level." It says a lot that it only took two periods for him to adjust. I can remember some guys on the Flyers who, when returning to the lineup, seemed to need a week. Joel, Iowa loves you more than Dallas does. Trust me. I know that attendance figures seem low, which may indicate that we don't, but there are many of us who cannot be there that are so thrilled!

Iowa Stars lead the series 3 games to 1! I didn't see this. But it's blindingly brilliant. Friday in Omaha they could finish the series in 5 games. I won't hold my breath, but that would be, to say the least, awesomeness. My plan, piece by piece, knits together. Hershey clinched their second-round berth last night by beating Albany 4-2.

Also, get the dustpan out. Milwaukee Admirals are one-and-done as the Chicago Wolves barreled through round 1, 4 games to 0. If Iowa can beat Omaha, the road is long ahead of them. But if Iowa can beat Omaha, they can certainly beat Chicago. Knights/Wolves: near-equals in the West Division, and Iowa had similar fate against each in that they had a losing record. (4 games won, 6 games lost). It's a positive to think that if Iowa can beat, in the playoffs, a team that they struggled against during the regular season, then they can do it again. But I'm looking at the scores of the games between Iowa and Chicago; they are scarier than they were between Iowa and Omaha, which were generally close and low-scoring affairs. Chicago/Iowa had results like 8-2, 6-3, 7-3, 5-0 -- when Chicago won. When Iowa won, they were close: an OT win 5-4, a shoot-out win 3-2, 3-2, and one 6-3. The Wolves have got the offense that Omaha does not. And the most recent matchup, last game of the regular season, does not bode well (that 5-0 loss) -- BUT we've got Magic Weapons again.

I am optimistic, if Iowa pull this off. And I think -- I really think -- they can.

Wow. And it's like real optimism, none of this "I think the Flyers might be able to win two in a row" junk.

Go Stars, eh?

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While I was listening to the AHL game last night, the score for the Buffalo/New York game was reported occasionally. The Sabres were definitely taking it to the Rangers during the time I was listening; and so it ended, Buffalo winning 5-2. That is a crying shame. Lundqvist, Henrik's play had been so stellar it seemed that he did not know how to let in more than a goal or two. I mean, he only let in 6 goals over 4 games last series. What happened last night?? Did someone cut a hole in his glove? I see that one of their d-men, Rozsival, was hurt and left the game; part of the reason for the 5 goals against?

Come on, Rangers. I don't like you very much, but I really hate the Sabres.

And in the other game that got started late (relative to East Coast time), Anaheim made beating Vancouver look easy-peasy, 5-1.

Tonight's games:

Ottawa/New Jersey: I really can't call this one with any confidence whatsoever. Not that I spent a lot of confidence in my other predictions .... Ok, Ottawa 2-1 in OT.

San Jose/Detroit: Wings in a shocker, 4-1. What the hey.

An email from the Iowa Stars today confirms that the "Swedish Trio" (Lundqvist, Eriksson, and Grossman) have been loaned to the AHL affiliate and will play in the Calder Cup playoffs.

AHL action last night saw Chicago moving to 75% of a sweep of Milwaukee, beating the Ads 3-2. Hartford 1, Providence 5; Rochester 4, Hamilton 3. Lots of games tonight, including Game 5 for Hershey/Albany (the Bears win tonight, they're done for a few days, waiting until Round 2), Chicago/Milwaukee (sweep?), Omaha and Iowa (at Iowa). If Iowa can dig out another win tonight, they'll be up 3 games to 1 when they head back to Omaha Friday; it would be a good position to be in, because if Friday didn't go well, Saturday would be another game at Des Moines (and J. could go see them, take pictures, and tell me about it). GO STARS. Maybe tonight I'll show my support by wearing my jersey around the house; sure, only the cat will see it, but I can't wear hockey jerseys to work anymore.

Alas.

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I only had a little time to be serious and consider the outcomes of the conference semifinals. So I am just going to wing it here this morning (well, about 90% winging it. I did read some previews.):

BUF/NYR:* Buffalo's got scoring, New York's got King Henrik. Plus, New York's got some scoring too. Miller is a good goalie, but I actually think I'm going to give the edge to the NYR, and that's mainly because I don't want Buffalo to win. I think it will hit at least 6 games, though.

NJD/OTT: Hm, tough one. Brodeur was shown to be fallible and Ottawa pretty much steamrolled through Round 1. Still, Gomez is a points hog so far and the Devils can do more than defend. In the end, I think Ottawa advances, in 7 games. I want it to go to at least 5, because there is a possibility I may go to Game 5 on May 5.

DET/SJS: With Kyle Calder on their roster, how can the Wings go wrong? I don't know about this one. Coin toss? Ok, Detroit in 6.

ANA/VAN:* Vancouver's got Luongo and maybe that will be just about enough. Vancouver in 6.

*Series start tonight.

No further scoring in the third period of last night's game meant that the Iowa Stars won Game 3 of the first round, and now lead the series 2 games to 1. As seems usual between these two teams, the game had few shots on goal: Iowa with 20, Omaha with 24. Game 4 will be in Des Moines on Wednesday, Game 5 back in Omaha, and if necessary, and Game 6 in Des Moines on Saturday.

The headline in the Des Moines Register reads "Rallo Rallies Stars to 2-1 Lead" which is almost too cute, but the guy who has only been playing since January did a good thing, so a too-cute headline can be tolerated. I think the best, and most telling quote in the article, was given by Mark Fistric:

"We did a good job not panicking."

This is a good way to get through a game. No panicking = good containment of the other team = creating smart chances = winning hockey games. Ellis kept his cool too (except for the last seconds of the game, when he was assessed a minor for high-sticking after he got slashed); I have seen him crumble after allowing a goal as early in the game as he did last night, and on the first shot! Last night, though, he must have kept his head out of the sand and kept his composure because he stopped everything else.

While the Iowa Stars won, the Dallas Stars did not, losing their Game 7 by allowing three goals in the third period! Joel Lundqvist scored the only goal for Dallas, at the end of the first period (yay Joel! Bring your scoring magic back to Des Moines!!) but Dallas just couldn't muster anything else after that. Now that I got my selfish wish, I feel a little bad for Dallas, but hey. It's not my fault. (Conveniently, I can turn off my superstition for this situation.) I am eager to see if Lundqvist et al. do come back to play in the Calder Cup series.

In the AHL, there are a couple games tonight, CHI/MIL -- off to Milwaukee, maybe the Admirals can get a game in, not let Chicago have it so easy -- Hartford/Providence and Rochester/Hamilton. No NHL tonight, as Round 2 starts off tomorrow with BUF/NYR and ANA/VAN. I will do some considering and reading and pretend to make educated predictions for the conference semifinal series tomorrow.

I miss the Flyers.

I join the Iowa Stars game at about five minutes gone in the first period. They are already down 1-0.

AND JUNIOR LESSARD SCORES ON THE POWER PLAY. Will early scoring turn into a goal-fest? Assists by Niskanen and Wilford.

End of first, still tied at 1. Probably won't be a high-scoring affair (as Omaha/Iowa matchups usually are not); it's a tight-checking, well-defended game so far, or so it sounds.

(Despite eating some ice cream and injecting my blood with some sugar, I don't think I'm going to make it through to the end of this game. If I make it through the second period, I think it will be a miracle. The game is on Praise 940 -- maybe a miracle from above could intervene?)

In the meantime, Hershey is beating Albany 3-1 in the third. A Hershey/Iowa final still possible....!

RALLO SCORES IN THE SECOND. Stars up 2-1 .... that woke me up a little bit! Rallo all alone in front of the net and McElhinny saved once and Rallo hit in the rebound. Nice!!!

Chucko drags down Hagos in order to prevent a goal, and the Stars are on a power play. "Chucko" seems like a fake, unfortunate name.

After some very exciting-sounding play, Lessard takes a penalty to negate their PP. And another Stars penalty -- no, no, no! Clean it up, stop the stupidity!!

Oh my gosh, heart-stopping save by Ellis, grabbing a puck behind him.

Iowa killed the 5-on-3 and ... ok.

This game is very exciting, but I am fading fast. GO STARS. I wanna wake up to good news!!!!

I am not going to go over the entire story that was trying to find a bar playing a hockey game Friday night; suffice it to say that Hockey K. and I had to discover scores late in the evening while watching the end of a Phillies game at a pizza place on the Kirkwood Highway in my 'hood. The score of the Devils-Bolts game elicited cheers from H.K. -- a 3-0 blanking to go up 3 games to 2 in the series. (I had on a red sweatshirt, which was as far as I was willing to go to "support" the Devils. I very nearly wore a Flyers t-shirt underneath it, tempted to offset the feeling that I was betraying someone.) The Debbies completed the first round yesterday with a 3-2 win, and they advance to the conference semifinal in which they will face the Ottawa Senators.

Good luck there.

I was very busy this weekend and did not pay but cursory attention to scores, but in summary: in the NHL, all but one series has been decided. Some of them were known before this weekend, but by now the only one in question is the DAL/VAN pairing. It is:

OTT over PIT (awww, Crosby was playing with a broken foot. Am I supposed to be impressed or something? I think they would have lost anyway, had his foot not been "broken".)
NYR over ATL
ANA over MIN
SJS over NSH (will return to this in a moment)
BUF over NYI (I initially typoed "BUG" which made me laugh.)
NJD over TBL
DET over CGY

Forsberg's rental period is over and he has declined to take part in the Worlds this year re: same old foot dealie, same old uncertainty. He notes he does not know if he will even play in the NHL next season. I have read Flyers fans divided over whether to bring him back. I read he would be welcome (to certain fans) as a 2nd liner (and paid like one, or cheaper) not to be relied upon as a 1st line guy because he can't be relied upon what with his injury record and all. Others don't want to see him back in the orange and black for any price. Me? I'm all for the first option. I may beat this dead horse into the ground until long after he retireds, but the fact is I loved seeing him play for the Flyers and would hate for him to leave NHL hockey having last been a Predator, and would prefer not to see him play for anyone else. Selfish, greedy, willing to have him around for whatever number of games he can play and a good cost: me.


Friday night's Iowa Stars/Omaha Knights playoff opener was won by the Knights in a 4-2 decision. According to Saturday's Des Moines Register, the game-winner was, naturally, scored by a dude who didn't see the back of the net much at all this season, a defenseman who had only two before Friday night. Why do my teams always allow that?? And I can't believe I'm reading this correctly: Ellis had to make only sixteen saves (meaning ... a total of twenty shots all night?)

Marty Sertich played for the first time in weeks. Welcome back.

In Game 2 on Saturday, still in Omaha, Iowa pulled out a 2-1 win in OT to split the first two away and to tie the series at one apiece. A crucial win early in the series; home to Des Moines for Game 3 tonight. I will try to have a listen if I can manage to 1) connect and 2) stay awake for the whole thing (long weekend, not enough sleepy-sleep); additionally, I will only listen if I feel that my listening will not jinx the Stars. I don't want anyone back in the homeland to accuse me of having sabotaged our boys in green and white.

In a sidebar in the Register's article yesterday:

"Grossman, Eriksson and Lundqvist are on Iowa's clear day list, meaning they would be eligible to play for Iowa in the playoffs. Will any of them return to Iowa's roster if Dallas is eliminated from the playoffs?

'We're their biggest fans and we just want them to have success,' said Scott White, Iowa's director of hockey operations, before Saturday's game. 'I don't know at this point what the plan is. It hasn't been discussed.'"

I am horrible and selfish. I don't want them to have success. I care not at all for the Dallas Stars when held up next to the Iowa Stars. I am annoyed by Dallas having tied the series and forcing it to seven games. I guess whether or not Grossman, Lundqvist, and Eriksson will come back can begin to be decided after tonight. Either Dallas scrapes past Luongo and moves on to the conference semifinal, or the possibility of a Calder Cup run becomes available.

Speaking of Calder Cup running, Hershey Bears beat Albany to take the series lead 2 games to 1. Is it wrong for me to cheer for the Bears? I guess I will until 1) the Stars meet them in the Calder Cup finals, or 2) the Stars are ousted. Whichever. Whichever. The Bears and Rats play again tonight.

"The Ottawa Senators brought a decisive end to Sidney Crosby's teenage years in the NHL."

With a 3-0 shutout (woo!) the Senators send "Crosby and Co." home for the year. And it should be the end of having to hear That Name for a few months. According to the NHL article, Ottawa will play either the Devils, Rangers, or Islanders. Pal Hockey K. called last night and we discussed the excellent results of this game, and he (being a Devils fan) is scared of Ottawa. "They're a great team," he said, "and I don't want to have to play them."

I enjoy the "I" in that. (As though I never refer to the Flyers using the word "we".)

So, with that game, I predicted the win-loss correctly but I never foresaw a shutout.

I didn't do very well with my predictions overall. I got two right, the PIT/OTT game and the ANA/MIN game, which ended 4-1 in Anaheim's favor, meaning Minnesota's offseason has begun. In the DET/CGY series, it's a close-fought competition; Calgary tied the series at 2 games by winning 3-2 (I guessed a 3-1 Wings win). Dallas ended up pulling out a 1-0 OT win over Vancouver to keep their playoff selves alive (and away from Iowa) and I had hoped for a 3-2 VAN win. 2-for-4 last night.

So that means Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Minnesota are out; everyone else still battling. Tonight:

NJD/TBL: If the game is on TV somewhere tonight, which I am doubting, I have plans to be watching it at some establishment with Hockey K. ... so it would be nice of me to hope for a Debbies win. Do I think they will win? Sure, why not. This one is closer than I think a lot of people anticipated. Devil 2:Bolts 1.

NYI/BUF: Another one that is closer than I thought it would be, but I think Buffalo will take care of the Islanders tonight. Buffalo advances with a 4-2 win.

NSH/SJS: Poor Nashville. Forsberg will get to start making his decision about the 2007-2008 season, tomorrow. San Jose wins it, 3-2.

AHL action last night: Albany tied the series with Hershey, 3-2. Hamilton over Rochester, 2-0. Manitoba over Grand Rapids, 1-0. Just about Shutout City in the AHL last night! And tonight a handful of games start a handful of series, least of which is Iowa/Omaha. Milwaukee/Chicago also starts tonight, and I'm hoping for an Admirals victory. If Iowa manages to win the first round series, they'll face whichever team wins MIL/CHI. Iowa had much more success against Milwaukee this year than they did Chicago. It might be because for most of the games, Pekka Rinne was not in goal (and the last game I saw, he was, and they lost) but nevertheless, history sounds better against Milwaukee, and that's where my hopes rest. Article about the Iowa Stars in the Des Moines Register today.

Devils v. Lightning.
My prediction: NJD 3, TBL 1. Result: NJD 4, TBL 3 after 1 OT. Well, whatever; NJ tied the series as I thought they would.

Thrashers v. Rangers.
My prediction: ATL 1, NYR 4. Result: ATL 2, NYR 4. Lundqvist let in one more than I thought he would, but that goal didn't matter. Even with the tiebreaker under "lengthy review" the Rangers handled the Thrashers. I saw the score at the end of the second period last night and it was 2-2. I wondered if perhaps the desperation bug had bit and maybe it had; but the sweep bug bit the Rangers harder and they did it. Atlanta's first post-season adventure ends pretty ignominiously, especially considering they led their division and based on numbers probably should have done a lot better. Blueshirts on to round 2, avenging last year's terrible flame-out in round 1 (...but since it was the Devils that swept 'em last year, is it really avenging?) Who do the Rangers play next? Either Ottawa or Buffalo? (depending)?

Sabres v. Islanders.
My prediction: Buffalo 5, New York 2. Result: BUF 4, NYI 2. Only one goal off on this one (like last one), and now the Sabres are one game from sending the Islanders back to their Isle.

Nashville v. San Jose.
My prediction: San Jose 2, Nashville 1. Result: San Jose 3, Nashville 2. Offset this game by one goal apiece and I guessed it. No action on the scoreboard by Forsberg. Nashville better get a grip or the Preds will have to go home dreaming of how they were third in the league overall only to end up booted in the first round.

As far as outcomes, I was 100% last night. Yay Crusher!

Tonight's games are (with my predictions following):

PIT v OTT: PIT 2, OTT 3.
DET v CGY: DET 3, CGY 1.
DAL v VAN: DAL 2, VAN 3. (Bring some of those Stars back to Iowa!)
MIN v ANA: MIN 2, ANA 4.

I also scouted the scores for the AHL games last night. When I looked at the Calder Cup website, Hershey and Albany were tied in the third at 2 goals apiece. I wondered if the River Rats were somehow going to make my prediction go to hell on the first game, but only a few minutes later, I saw the score change to 3-2 Hershey. And this is how it ended up. 38 Bears shots to 23 for the River Rats. That's a little bit lopsided; you'd think the score would have been a little more stretched apart. I don't know anything about Albany's team, though, which means their goalie could be Patrick Roy's reincarnation and it would have been news to me. Hartford made easy work out of Providence (5-1 crush) and Manchester had just about as easy a time, beating Worcester 5-2. Tonight Albany and Hershey face off again, Hamilton/Rochester, and Grand Rapids/Manitoba.

The Fan Poll asks: Which first-round series has the best chance of going seven games? I chose Wilkes-Barre/Scranton -- Norfolk. I was in the majority. 36% of voters feel the same way. Only 5% say OMA/IOW. I say this has serious potential to go seven. The Stars' recrod against the Knights this season was 4 wins, 8 losses (one overtime loss), but with a few exceptions, most games were close -- 1, 2 goal decisions, indicating things might have been different with only a bounce going one way or the other here and there. Interestingly, there were two shutouts in the season series between these two teams -- both posted by Iowa. If the Stars can keep Ellis solid in the net and can convert opportunities better than I saw them do the last two or three games I was at, their chances of a second round are good. Hey. They pushed eventualy Calder Cup runner-ups Milwaukee to seven games in the first round, where every team afterward Milwaukee rolled. The Stars are not a team to be sniffed at.

That action starts tomorrow in Omaha. They had a better road record anyway, so this isn't unfavorable. Go Stars!

I was looking at an Edmonton fan's blog (hot oil) when the following occurred to me:

The Oilers didn't make the playoffs.

Toby Petersen played for the Oilers most of the season.

Will Toby Petersen be available to the Iowa Stars for the AHL playoffs?

I checked the clear day roster and his name is not on the list. Guess that answers that question. Interesting. Joel Lundqvist and Loui Eriksson are on the list, though.

Hmm. !!!

Finally fully realizing that these guys can come back to play for Iowa if Dallas are knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs, suddenly I am cheering for Vancouver. GO 'NUCKS!!

I was also reading the AHL message board at www.hfboards.com, in which there is a thread for the upcoming Chicago/Milwaukee series. A few posts went back and forth about goaltending for Chicago, and one poster wondered who would be better in net: Brathwaite or Garnett. Ends the post with the sentiment: "Wish we had Lehtonen back right about now."

Lehtonen of Calder Cup Playoffs 2005, maybe. Lehtonen of April 17, 2007? Maybe not. I am not sure I would even want him for Iowa right now -- as nervous as Ellis can make me. Then again, perhaps Kari would be more comfortable in the AHL playoffs. And, I was thinking ... remember Ty Conklin's rapid descent after effing last year's finals Game 1? Hope Kari's made of firmer stuff and doesn't let this playoff bomb sink him forever. It would be sad, sad, sad to have all that potential, barely realized, evaporate because of this. He's got a long career ahead of him if he can keep his head straight.

(I don't like the Thrashers. However, I do kinda like Kari Lehtonen. I saw him play. He's a good goalie. And speaking of the Trashers, their desperate moves at the trade deadline, including swapping away Coburn for Zhitnik, really aren't looking all that hot right now. They were supposed to take them far into the playoffs, and unless some hot scoring action gets started TONIGHT and continues for FOUR GAMES STRAIGHT ..... I'll let you imagine what might happen.)

60% outcome prediction for yesterday's games, but more or less I suck at guessing the goal totals.

Rangers-Thrashers: New York Rags have only one game left to make it to Round 2. Kari Lehtonen -- what happened, Suomalainen? You allowed 4 goals in the first game you played, and then you didn't play and Hedberg was OK (though y'all still lost). And now you were given the start again and ... Seven goals against? But even if Lehtonen had been much more on his game last night and only one goal had gotten by, the Thrashers still would have lost because they didn't score at all. And it's tough to score when, in the third period, you get only three shots on goal. Lundqvist is better than that. The Rangers take a huge win, 7-0, with Michael Nylander hat trick, and even with Atlanta surely going with Hedberg next game, I have this sense that Atlanta's first foray into Playoff Land is going to end ... soon. But they won't go without a fight -- and by fight, I mean fight, not, you know, just making it hard for New York. Among the many penalties that were dished out last night, they included (for Atlanta):

5 misconducts (2 for E. Boulton)
1 fighting major
2 elbowing minors
2 roughing minors
3 cross-checking minors
1 each of the following minors: charging, tripping, holding the stick, and boarding.

There was a total of 18 penalties called for 79 PIMs for the game for Atlanta (compared to 51 PIM for NYR). Wonder what kind of bruises they have in mind for Game 4.

I predicted a 4-2 Senators win over the Penguins; I was half-right. Ottawa beat Pittsburgh 2-1. PIT's only goal was scored by Jordan Staal (his third of the playoffs). One more for Ottawa and it's offseason time for Pittsburgh (hahaha!).

I had predicted (it was more hope than clairvoyance) Dallas would battle out a win last night, but in the end it was Vancouver over Dallas, 2-1. A close thing, apparently, with a not-quite-goal being batted away before crossing the line (though, I guess, Dallas fans have a different view of the not-quite-goal -- that is, they think it was in. Well, not surprising.). Jussi Jokinen left with an "undisclosed injury" and that is certainly not a positive for Dallas. Looking grim for the Stars.

Anaheim managed not to sweep the Wild, the Minnesotans coming through in desperation for a big 4-1 win over the Ducks to keep their playoffs alive another day. A big hole to climb out of, though, down 3 games to 1. Some major fighting happening in the third period of that game, too, with Brad May punching former Flyer Kim Johnsson from behind [Johnsson sustained a head injury, which with hope will not be too serious (he's had some head injuries before, so I'm sure they've got all their fingers and toes crossed)] and getting a game misconduct and attempt-to/deliberate injury penalty and probably a suspension. Recap says Derek Boogaard "stalked the ice" looking for a fight but no one in his right mind would take him up (Fedoruk, earlier this season, a case in point). The penalties list is littered with fighting, roughing, high-sticking, etc. The bad blood will probably boil over into Game 5.

And, last but not least, Calgary managed to beat Detroit 3-2, ensuring at least a game 5 out of the series. I was wrong with my guess on that one.

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Playoff games tonight:

Devils/Lightning: I saw a funny picture of Brodeur yesterday where he looked like he had a lemon in his mouth. Obviously, he was not very happy with the way things went last game. I now think this series might go longer than I initially expected. The Devils will win tonight's game and even the series at 2 apiece: 3-1.

Atlanta/Rangers: Poor Atlanta. There will be major desperation, and maybe a major penalty or two, but I don't think they're going to be able to do it. I would like them to win just so that the Rangers don't have it sooo easy, but let's face it. It's more than likely Atlanta's offseason starts late tonight. Rangers over the Thrashers 4-1.

BUF/NYI: Buffalo's up 2 games to 1 in this round, and I think they'll show that the one loss was a fluke. Buffalo wins tonight, 5-2.

Nashville/San Jose: Nashville ended up losing the game the other night, and have only 1 win this round to San Jose's 2. It's a little disappointing for the league leaders to be struggling, but maybe they turn it on tonight (though they are in San Jose) for game 4. Come on, Foppa. Score, score, score. I'm still going to bet (ten cents) that San Jose wins this game tonight 2-1.

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AHL Calder Cup playoffs start tonight with games between Albany/Hershey, Providence/Hartford, and Worcester/Manchester. If I made predictions for these games, they would be even less based on thought and knowledge than my predictions for the NHL playoffs. These are all Eastern Conference teams and these past two seasons I have not followed them very closely at all, given that I was in the land of the Western Conference and those were the teams I saw or were playing against my team. And it's all the same to me who wins between the Baby Bs and the Wolf Pack, the Sharks and the Monarchs; Hershey Bears are going to eventually make it to the finals (if not, then Norfolk). I do actually think this, and not just because I want an improbably Iowa/Hershey finals series. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being Hershey/Chicago or Hershey/Omaha. -- But as I have said before, anything can happen, and upsets are fun (when it's your team doing the upsetting).

This post by Bill Meltzer at hockeybuzz.com is a great, great, great analysis of the Flyers' D-corpse (intentional) this year. I find Mr. Meltzer a respectable hockey writer who keeps his stuff pretty level, without much personal bias that I have been able to tell -- it feels like responsible reporting rather than personal blogging, I suppose. He occasionally writes for NHL.com.

Anyway, he breaks down the Flyers' defense and discusses each player individually, the good and the bad. See for yourself. He does the same for Flyers forwards.

In other news I've read today (both new and less recent, but still news to me):

Robert Esche will play for the USA in the World Championships, which are being played in Moscow this year and start on April 27 with matches between USA/Austria, Ukraine/Finland, and Belarus/Czech Republic. The other goalies for the USA will be John Grahame and Cory Schneider [Carolina and Boston College (!), respectively). Oiler Toby Petersen, Iowa Star AHLer early in the season, was also selected for the USA team, and in all 18 players have been picked, with four more spots to be filled after the NHL's playoffs round one conclude.

Also, Meltzer's blog in early March reported that Joni Pitkanen was invited, and accepted the invitation, to play for Finland at the Worlds. However, since then I have read that he declined after all for "personal reasons." What's up with that? Didn't get to see Joni play for the Leijonat last season as he was still recovering from injury/surgery, would have been great to see it this year. Aw, Joni.

A busy Sunday (and Monday) kept me from posting about the hockey that went on.

Last night, I went to the Phantoms/Bears game at the Wachovia Spectrum. Unfortunately, I did not think about my camera at all once I was in the arena, so I have no photographic evidence of this attendance, but the pictures would not have been very thrilling anyway, because our seats were in the last row of section 218, on the curve. All the action was watchable, but photographs would not have revealed much.

The game was exciting, as matches between the Bears and Phantoms usually are -- fraught with dislike barely contained between every player. The Bears are the best team in the AHL, according to points, 44 points more than the Phantoms -- and if you go by simple numbers like that you'd expect the Bears to walk all over the Phantoms.

And, given what I saw out of the Flyers this year, I expected a certain result, as well.

The Phantoms surprised me, though. Their passing was good, accurate moves up and down the ice with obviously good communication. And this was good to see, after watching the Flyers flounder through poor and mistimed passes to patches of ice where there would be no man (or an opponent, ready to pick the puck off). A couple prospects had joined, their junior seasons having concluded -- Downie, Giroux, as well as Ryan Parent -- and Ruzicka had come back down to play as well. And they played well. Unfortunately, the Phantoms seemed to need the net to be about two feet wider than it is, because several times when they should have scored, the puck went sailing by, the Hershey goalie sliding over needlessly as the goal was never in any danger. Very disappointing and rather like what plagued the Flyers all season.

And the Bears, well, they are a Good Team.

There were fights and misconducts going around. The Phantoms allowed a shorthanded goal to open the scoring in the second period, Bears up 1-0. The Phantoms tied it with a shortie of their own in the third. Later, they took the lead 2-1 with a power play goal. There were fans in excess of 10,000 there Sunday night (it was Fan Appreciation night, they were giving away prizes and so forth, none of which I won) and I love the Spectrum, I love its gritty, dim, pulsating feeling when the crowd is big and the game has tension and is fueled by rivalry. It was feeling in top form and it was tense because the Phantoms had the lead and then lost it, Hershey tying it at 2 with three minutes left to play. The crowd roared its disapproval, but the Phantoms played hard to keep the tie and all seemed ready to go to overtime -- for sure, we were sitting back and preparing ourselves for what seemed inevitable -- but then, the deflating moment, the conclusion to games that the Flyers organization allowed all too many times this season. I don't know, it seems fitting that after a bad season for the Flyers, and not a great one for the Phantoms, they should end it on a massive, typical disappointment: Hershey scored with 6 seconds left.

I take the blame. I was not wearing the white Flyers Pitkanen jersey. I was wearing Joni's game-worn Phantoms jersey.

The loss was unfortunate, but at least it was a good game.


Other AHL news: Peoria lost to Milwaukee with Pekka Rinne posting a 4-0 shutout to keep Peoria from making the playoffs. Grand Rapids took the spot in the North Division with one point on the Rivermen. Omaha beat Chicago to win the West Division, and therefore Iowa will play Omaha in the first round.

Game 1 – Fri., Apr. 20 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00
Game 2 – Sat., Apr. 21 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00
Game 3 – Mon., Apr. 23 – Omaha at Iowa, 8:05
Game 4 – Wed., Apr. 25 – Omaha at Iowa, 8:05
*Game 5 – Fri., Apr. 27 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00
*Game 6 – Sat., Apr. 28 – Omaha at Iowa, 8:05
*Game 7 – Tue., May 1 – Iowa at Omaha, 8:00

All times my time zone. I am sorry that I will miss the playoffs in Iowa, but a consolation is that they would have to go to six games before I would be able to see a game, and that is no guarantee. I think it will go to at least six games, though.

Good luck to the Stars. The road to the Calder Cup Finals against Hershey begins at the end of this week. (Tee hee!)

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After the game, we went to a bar in South Philly to get something to eat. One of the TVs had on the evening's NHL playoff action; it was the end of the Sens/Pens game. At time of joining, the Sens were up 4-1 and it was glorious. Crosby did score a goal toward the end of the period and the Penguins pulled Fleury with more than 2 minutes to go (I think) but they were not able to bring the score any closer than 4-2 and are now down 2 games to 1. Crosby got shoved near the Sens' net near the very end of the game and he went down as though someone had shot him, or stabbed him, or hit him with a locomotive; Evgeni Malkin, standing by the boards, took serious exception to the obvious lack of respect for the NHL's main squeeze and leapt on the Senator who had done the shoving, bearhugging him into oblivion.

Malkin's been pretty invisible otherwise, it seems, and while some people commend him for sticking up for his fragile teammate, maybe one of the best things a prolific scorer like him could have done was to stay out of the penalty box. I don't know. Better in my world that the Pens self-combust.

After a while, the Stars/'Nucks game got going, but I saw only about ten minutes before we left (it was ten p.m. and I had a bit of a long, unpleasant, tense drive through a monsoon in the dark back down I-95 home). Not too much happened. No goals, but I did get to see Joel Lundqvist a couple times. A little bit like old times. Well, not at all like old times, since he wasn't live in front of me with only a sheet of Plexiglas separating us. Dallas ended up losing the game in OT (only one this time) 2-1.

And another game yesterday, Calgary/Detroit: Detroit 3-1.

As it turns out, Hockey Pal K., who attended the game with us last night, is a major Devils fan, and thought it appropriate to needle me all night about "Oh, who is it that is in the playoffs?" and "Oh, who is it that has won a cup most recently?" and so on. You know, someday Brodeur will retire. And even sooner than that, the Flyers will be a contender again. We will see who will laugh then. (Seriously, all in good fun. We were able to see eye-to-eye about the Penguins, though.)

So I didn't have time to make any predictions about playoff games today. I read that the Islanders got DiPietro back and this spurred them on to a win over the Sabres yesterday. I'm a little surprised, but I suppose even a blind squirrel finds a nut now and then, and it is a little amazing what a shot of confidence can do (such as getting your decent, NHL-caliber goalie back). But I see just now that the Sabres are back on the destructive track, and lead the series 2-1. As much as I don't want to see the Sabres hoisting the Stanley Cup, it just seems inevitable that they will make it out, at the very minimum, the first round, and probably the second, too. Nothing is a foregone conclusion in the playoffs, as last year's Western Conference upset-fest will tell, but ..... the Sabres are just a great team. (And, honestly, I hate them, but that's mainly because I dislike their coach and I dislike their fans.)

The other games tonight:

Devils lost to the Lightning and now the Lightning lead the series 2-1. Wonder what Hockey Pal K. thinks of that.

Preds/Sharks is in progress with Nashy up 1-0 in the first. Go Forsberg! (He did not score that goal, but I find it hard to cheer for Nashville as a team, so I will cheer for him.)

For tomorrow's games, I will do my predicting tonight:

NYR v. ATL: I will go out on a limb and say that the Rangers seal the deal. 4-2. The Thrashers just don't have the offense to do the damage to Lundqvist.

OTT v. PIT: Go Sens! Another 4-goal game for the Senators, while the Penguins struggle mightily. 4-2 Senators.

VAN v. DAL: These teams are really battling it close, aren't they? Dallas this time, 3-2. Maybe Lundqvist (Joel) scores.

ANA v. MIN: I don't know what's happening to the Midwest team. Did they or did they not have one of the best defensive records in the league this year (with Backstrom an excellent force for them in net)? Am I mistaken? Or is Anaheim just on a roll? True, the games have been very close, only one goal decisions, but all on the side of the Ducks. I hesitate to predict the sweep ... Minnesota's got the supposed advantage of home ice tomorrow, but so they did last game too and still lost. But there will be major desperation: it can either backfire and be too much, or it can bring what's needed to win. Ok, I'll give the Wild the benefit of the doubt. 2-1 Wild, forcing a game 5.

CGY v. DET: Game 3. Calgary's looking at a 2-game deficit and are back in their own house. Detroit's manhandled the Flames (or so the scores would appear) so I think the home-ice situation might not matter that much. Poor Kiprusoff has faced 97 shots in two games. Maybe he won't have any energy left. Wings 3, Flames 1.

Those are my predictions. They are based somewhat less on randomness than usual, but all the same, not too much analysis involved. It's late. I want to go to bed, but wanted also to write a decent post for the day. You all deserve it.

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I am aware that I have yet to fully cover the Phantoms game from March 30 and two Flyers games that I attended. I have just received photographs from the Iowa office and once I have all photographs uploaded, which should be tomorrow (but no promises) I will get around to that as soon as I can. It's just a little busy in the world of Crusher, what with trying to actually work at work and then trying to get my townhouse into some form of liveable. In the meantime, here is a picture of me and a place I love at a place I love:



Back where I belong, and ready for next fall.

1) Rangers over Thrashers, 2-1

2) Pittsburgh over Ottawa, 4-3.

One for two, there. Stupid Penguins.

Devils and Lightning are playing as we speak (0-0), and the Islanders and Sabres get going in a few minutes. I'm only here to remind myself to listen to the Iowa Stars game tonight, which should begin in half an hour or so.

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Can't listen. Won't connect. Boooooooooo.

Waking up to good news in the hockey world this morning.

1) An email says in its subject line:

"STARS SECURE PLAYOFF SPOT"

With a 6-2 win (!) over Houston last night, the Iowa Stars gobbled up the point they needed to make the playoffs for their second season. Depending on which team ends up division leader (Omaha holds a weensy one-point lead over Chicago), the Stars will play either the Knights or the Wolves, who would have home-ice advantage.

Their playoffs games are scheduled to start Friday, April 20.

Nice work, Stars!

2) Nashville won last night, a game in which Peter Forsberg scored two goals. I feel less and less confident that the Flyers will ask him to come back next season, which saddens me, but I still want to read that he does well (my mutually exclusive desire to see him crash and burn in Nashville is fading).

3) Joel Lundqvist scored in Dallas's shutout of Vancouver last night!!! WOOO!


So, for my "predictions" yesterday, I got at two outcomes correct, if not scores. (I put the shutout for the wrong team!) Anaheim beat the Wild 3-2 to take a strong lead of the series at 2 games. NSH v SJS ended up 5-2 and DAL v VAN was 2-0.

Today's games and my predictive commentary:

NYR v ATL: I have a Blueshirts kind of feeling today. That is, I think they will win. Lundqvist is excellent and doesn't see as many shots as Lehtonen -- who is outstanding too but just can't do it. Rangers 4, Trashers 2. It's on TV today. I may try to watch.

PIT v OTT: Stupid Pens get a bit of a grip and Fleury tries to right some of his past wrongs, but the Sens still hand Sidney Crosby playoff loss #2. Sens 3, Pens 1.

TBL v NJD: Brodeur doesn't even have to stand on his head to stop St. Louis and what's-his-face Lecavalier. Devils are going to make it very hard for Tampa Bay to see past the next game; New Jersey 4, Tampa Bay 2.

NYI v BUF: Hahahahahahahaaa ........... let me pause in my cackling long enough to pick some numbers out of the air. Buffalo embarrasses the Fishsticks again, since it doesn't sound like DiPietro is going to save anything tonight. BUF 6, NYI 2.

-------------------

Ok, so back to the Iowa Stars. On the AHL website, Junior Lessard is one of the three stars for a 2-goal, 2-assist night. Junior, I said a 3-point night would be awesome; a 4-point night just goes above and beyond into magical. And Frankie Wathier with 2 goals? Good stuff. That leaves two goals ... Chris Conner tallied one (had an assist as well), and Scott May with the sixth. It was 2-1 going into the third period, so what a third period that must have been.

Remind me to listen to the games, when the playoffs arrive. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to do that last night. I miss the Stars.

Up the road a bit, Philadelphia lost to Norfolk 6-3. I half-considered going to the game, but I have nightmares about traffic into the city Friday nights. They play tonight, too. Maybe I will brave it.* I am seeing them tomorrow, though. But ... I hate the idea that my hockey options are rapidly disappearing. I will see how I am feeling about stuff around 2 or 3 this afternoon.

Peoria won last night 4-0 over Omaha, which is a bit eye-popping. Peoria's playoff hopes aren't dead, yet: they have only two points to make up behind Grand Rapids. But their hockey options are running out, too. I wouldn't be surprised if the Rivermen's offseason starts very soon.

Too bad.

*Update, 1:57 p.m. Very difficult to go to a game when it is, in fact, away. Unless I felt like driving up to Bridgeport ... in which case, I should have left a long time ago. Should look at these things before making assumptions and ideas about what I might do in the evening. And here I had just decided I'd go.

Two Iowa Stars fans*, in Des Moines waaaaay too early to head to the arena, check out the scenery at the capitol.


Slowly, pictures trickle in from various hockey games. I have uploaded a few from the last Iowa Stars game I went to, on March 24. I have some from the Phantoms game on March 30, and the Flyers/Islanders game on April 7, but have not uploaded those yet, and J. has all the pictures from the Flyers/Rangers game and they have not been delivered to me as of yet.

The Stars lost the game on the 24th, which was a massive disappointment, it being my last Iowa Stars game plus it ruined Iowa's unstoppably awesome record against Milwaukee this season. And they didn't just lose, like, a close game by one goal ... they were very nearly shut out. Pushkarev was hunted the entire night. The kid is fast, but he's not very big, and was knocked around like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream; and it seemed like the Admirals were targeting him. He finally had had enough at one point, when he was taken down by the boards near the net, and he rolled over and was just about to whale away at the idiot who had brought him down, but the linesmen broke it up. This was only one of many incidences of poor Pushy being attacked.



We had seats at ice row, in the corner next to the Stars' tunnel. I could peek back and see a little ways down, but my angle was too sharp to see anything much (not like at the Flyers game the following weekend, when I could look across the ice right into the locker room). The excitement was when the players came out and for the game, Tobias Stephan was sitting right next to me. Of course we had a half-wall and a tall sheet of Plexiglas between us, but these are only technicalities.



And if Stephan sat back or wasn't in his seat, I had a good side-view of the team's bench.



It was loud and thrilling to sit that close to the action. More than once the glass in front of us wobbled and banged with the impact of players slamming into it at full force. And there was the scrum, too, where several players were mashed up against it, right in my face. A couple times, a puck came flying along the Stars' team bench and hit the glass right next to me. Once, the puck rammed the glass on the round face, and left a ring of droplets on the glass surface. J. took a photo of that -- some day, maybe I'll have it in my possession and show it to you. Worth $50? Just about. A Stars' win would have made it so.

Junior: three-point nights are awesomeness. Keep it up.




*One of the fans is, of course, me.

Once again, I was a little bit off on my predictions, but 75% of the outcomes were correct. I was wrong in guessing Atlanta would beat the Rangers. Lundqvist prevailed, and the Rangers, getting a goal by a non-punch-throwing Jagr, won 4-3.

Detroit handily dealth Calgary a loss, 4-1. The technician I work with said it was a beautiful game to see, that Detroit played a picturesque game. Well, then, I look forward to possibly watching them this weekend. NBC comes in at my apartment -- I just need to tweak the antenna a bit for optimum reception.

The Devils took their game 5-3 over Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay tries to see some good in the loss: "We scored three goals on Brodeur." True. But your goalie had five scored on him, so.....

And Buffalo easily defeated the Isles, 4-1. I came pretty close to calling that one. I'll be shocked if the Islanders upset the Sabres to go on to round 2, but would be pleased at the same time. DiPietro apparently has been cleared to practice, so may be back in net before too long. Often the goalie can make all the difference ... but if that goalie is DiPietro? I don't know.

Tonight's NHL games:

1) SJS v. NSH -- Nashy ties the series, winning 3-1. Maybe our man Forsberg will have a goal. (I dreamt about him last night. He was back in Philadelphia and was recognized at a restaurant despite having grown his hair out and it was really curly; word got out he was in the area, and an arena filled with people wanting to get his autograph. I took a bag that had two jerseys in it that I wanted him to sign, if I got lucky enough, but somehow I was stupid enough to lay the bag down, walk away from it for a while, and when I went back, the jerseys were gone.)

2) DAL v. VAN -- I leaned toward Dallas winning this game last time, and I'm going to lean that way again. I don't predict four overtimes; but whatever it takes, the game is won by Dallas 3 goals to 2.

3) MIN v. ANA -- Backstrom holds the fort for the shutout tonight, 2-0 Wild.

Random playoff game predictions are fun.

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Iowa Stars look to grab the playoff spot tonight. Good luck! And bad luck to Peoria -- let's go Omaha!

Sunday will be Fan Appreciation Night at the Phantoms game, where they will give away an autographed kitchen sink, in addition to other prizes, including shirts off their backs plus a game-worn jersey from the 04-05 Calder Cup season. As cool as it would be to win a shirt-off-the-back*, I have more emotional ties to the 04-05 Phantoms and would rather win that jersey. But hey. I'll be excited to win anything, right? I think they are even doing a chuck-a-puck, but I don't know what the prize is for that. And our seats are in something like row 20, so I may not have enough of an arm to get the puck to where it needs to go. On the other hand, we may be better placed to get a t-shirt fired into the crowd.

*Question for J.: what if I won Jared Ross's jersey?

Stanley Cup Playoff Scores!!!

1) OTT 6 PIT 3
2) SJS 5 NSH 4 (2 OT)
3) VAN 5 DAL 4 (4 OT)
4) ANA 2 MIN 1

How close was I? Lessee. I did call the ANA/MIN game. Go Crusher! And I got the outcome of SJS/NSH and OTT/PIT right...I was just pretty far off on the scores. DAL/VAN was my only total biff.

So, Pittsburgh. Three games to go and you're toast. Then I will have an off-season free of having to read columns that start and end with "Sidney Crosby." It's his first NHL playoffs of his short career. He scored a goal, and had one disallowed. This warranted paragraphs in the recap. Also, Ottawa's goal-scoring fest "ruined" his playoff debut. What about the others whose playoff debut it was? Jordan Staal, a rookie in his first NHL playoffs, also scored a goal. This? Mentioned once. Sharing a sentence with Sergei Gonchar's goal. I wish I could foresee the day when the journalists get tired of Sidney Crosby's name, and quit weighting the reporting (and game commentary) so heavily toward him. But I can't, and all I can do is hope for the Penguins' playoff demise to come quick so that the game recaps won't have anything to do with him. (They shouldn't, anyway, but $100 says they'll find a way to mention him regardless.)

Tonight's playoff games!

1) NYR v ATL -- I say the Trashers take this one. 4-2. Lundqvist struggles and Lehtonen thrives. SWEDE VS. FINN. AN EPIC BATTLE. Maybe this post-season Jagr won't try to punch someone and end up throwing his shoulder out so severely he needs surgery. Maybe the Rangers won't get blown out in 4 games. Maybe the Thrashers say, "It's our first playoffs ever!" and begin the stomping and raging to a Stanley Cup. Or, maybe they go the route of their AHL team in the Calder Cup playoffs in 2005. (Swept in four in the finals.) The unraveling of this mystery begins tonight!

2) CGY v. DET -- I dunno. I don't much care who wins this one; I suppose my Iowa-Omaha rivalry would tip the scales in Detroit's favor, but it would be only miniscule. Detroit 3, Calgary 2. What if Kyle Calder scores a goal tonight? Betcha Grease doesn't mind at all being traded away from Philly. Hmph.

3) TBL v. NJD -- ick. Well, I say the Debbies have it. 4-1. Floridians, good luck getting past the Jerseyites. Or whatever they're called.

4) NYI v. BUF -- Hahaha! Isles might have had a chance if they could have had DiPietro ... they might also have a chance if Buffalo decides to play Conklin again. But I don't see Buffalo sitting Miller, not even for a good laugh. We all know what Conklin does in Stanley Cup playoff games. Buffalo up 5-1 thanks to their scorers and the AHL goalie in net for New York.

No cable, so no games for me. I could maybe listen to one of them thanks to the wonders of a magic, unsecured wireless connection nearby. This weekend, now ... if I can get my TV set up and find the antenna, I can check out how well NBC comes in at my apartment. I might be able to watch the Pens/Sens game Saturday. And the Flames/Wings game Sunday .....

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Now, last night in the AHL, a result happened that I had not considered in my brief analysis yesterday. Iowa won last night, 3-1 -- YAY! And Peoria lost -- YAY! BUT. They lost in overtime, so they got a point, meaning, in effect, Iowa picked up only 3 points toward clinching the playoff spot. They have one left. They play the Aeros again on Friday. Iowa's record in Texas this season is outstanding, so if they can just continue on that path, it could happen Friday. Peoria will have the pleasure of playing Omaha. I think they have the tougher of opponents, and may not squeak by.

Junior Lessard had a three-point night, scoring a goal and two assists. Chris Conner with a goal and assist, too. Let's go, Stars! I want to see you in the Calder Cup Finals this year!!!!

Stanley Cup playoffs begin tonight.

I have only a couple desires out of this year's Cup dance.

1) That Pittsburgh not end up with it.
2) That Buffalo not end up with it.

Is it too much to ask?

Tonight's games:

1) OTT v. PIT
2) ANA v. MIN
3) VAN v. DAL
4) NSH v. SJS

With no research or thought whatsoever, I will now predict the outcomes for each game.

1) OTT 3, PIT 2.
2) ANA 2, MIN 1.
3) VAN 2, DAL 3.
4) NSH 2, SJS 3.

I'd like Dallas to win, simply because there are some "Iowa" boys playing for them. I want Nashy to win, because, well, they have my Forsberg. (sob!) Of course, Pittsburgh's early demise would be relished. I have no sentiment whatsoever regarding the ANA/MIN matchup, so ....

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According to the Des Moines Register, the Iowa Stars need four points to clinch a playoff spot. They have three road games left, and this can be achieved either through Iowa wins or Peoria losses. The Rivermen have got one more game to play than Iowa, so may be the deciding factor. However, both teams play tonight -- Iowa v. Houston, Peoria v. Milwaukee. Let me try to work this out (please correct any mistakes):

3 games for Iowa left, 84 points currently, for a maximum total of 90 points.
4 games for Peoria, 80 points presently, for a maximum of 88 total points.

That four-point cushion is pretty advantageous. If each team wins tonight, they're both still in. If each team wins all games, Iowa's in because 90 > 88. If the Stars win two and lose one, and the Rivermen win all four, they each have 88 points and Iowa's in with the tiebreaker, having more overall wins. But if Iowa only wins one, and Peoria wins all, then Peoria will be in. If both teams win tonight, nothing's decided yet. HOWEVER ....

If the Iowa Stars win tonight they'll have 86 points. If the Rivermen lose, Peoria can't make it even if they win their remaining three and Iowa loses their remaining two, because each team will have 86 points in that case and Iowa will win the tiebreaker.

The outcomes of tonight's two games could secure Iowa's playoff berth.

There is always the position of the fourth team in the North Division to consider, though. Even if Iowa edge Peoria for the fourth playoff spot in the West Division, Peoria could still hit the playoffs by having more points than that fourth team in the North. And the other way around; if the Rivermen take the fourth in the West, Iowa can still make it by out-pointing the fourth North team. Right now the Stars are one point up on Grand Rapids, but the Griffins have a game in hand.

I think the Iowa Stars make the playoffs. But I don't want to be accused of having jinxed them, so that statement is strictly off the record. That said, GO STARS (and GO ADMIRALS!).

(The Phantoms are not going to make the Calder Cup playoffs. I just don't see how they can, with ten points separating them from Albany in the fourth spot, and three games left. Unfortunately, I can't argue with that kind of math. Sunday, April 15th will likely be my last hockey game for the season. Unless -- oooh, this would be interesting -- the Stars end up in the Calder Cup Finals against Hershey. I could drive up there for a game, depending on the date. Maybe even Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Possibly even down to Norfolk?!)

I just didn't see how the Hockey Gods could have done a better job of mangling the Flyers season this year, until the results of the draft lottery came in.

Somehow, despite having a 48-point-something percent chance of winning the lottery to pick first, the Flyers still lost and will end up picking second.

The Blackhawks, with only an 8 percent chance, managed to win.

For crying out loud. Didn't the Hockey Gods have enough of torturing the Orange and Black this year? The worst Flyers team in franchise history; the worst team in the NHL by a LOT of points. Doesn't get the first pick.

I suppose the only bright side is that there is no talent equivalent of Criesby this year, and it seems that most of the top 5 or 6 picks or so could go in any order, so the Flyers aren't getting a serrated shafting. It still sucks, if only in principle.

I thought about going to last night's Flyers/Devils game, since it was just up the road a piece, but 1) Joni wasn't playing due to "the flu" and 2) I thought the game was supposed to happen on Friday and so wasn't very prepared anyway. So, I decided that I wouldn't go up to Philly to watch the Flyers lose and without Joni on the ice anyway.

(I hate expecting the Flyers to lose, but let's face it. They were playing the Devils, against a Brodeur who was aiming for the record in single-season wins, and they never win while I am there. Was I supposed to expect them to win if I went?)

So, yeah, Brodeur broke the record that Bernie Parent held for 33 years, and he broke it in Philadelphia's house. It's depressing, but seriously, Martin Brodeur is an outstanding goalie. Does "outstanding" even adequately cover how good he is? I don't think so. I will have to come up with a better word.

I still don't have a phone at home, but perhaps I'll work up a blog post offline and then, tomorrow, just upload it in order to get all the hockey goodness of the past two weeks said and done. I'll have to spend a few minutes before or after work uploading pictures to add to it -- but that's fine. ANYTHING to please my readers, who no doubt have been waiting, barely breathing, for the Big Stories and my return to posting.

Tomorrow -- Saturday the 7th -- I have tickets for the Flyers/Islanders game. Seats: in section 114, third row from the ice, the same seats exactly that J. and I sat in last weekend, where we were able to look directly down the Flyers' tunnel and into the locker room if they opened the door. (R. J. shirtless!) I have drooled over certain seats I have had before, at various hockey games, but honestly? These are the best I've had. Sure, it's way exciting to sit behind the team's bench. Heck yeah, it was exciting to sit at ice-row next to the Iowa Stars' tunnel, and ice-row at the curve at the Phantoms game last weekend. But these ... good view across, good view of action, and this weekend, only $100!

Going to the game with my pal N., an old friend from high school days, who happens to live out this way. It's sad not to be going with J., but I'm looking forward to taking N., as it is her first hockey game. These friends of mine! How lucky are they? Without me, what kind of hockey would they get to see? They might get to see the RoughRiders* ... they might get lower bowl tickets, but how many would have her first hockey game be an NHL game, sitting three rows up from the ice? How many of them would get to go to three NHL games in a season, when the team being seen is halfway across the country, and sit no farther away than, what, 6 or 7 rows? THESE PEOPLE ARE LUCKY THAT I AM CRAZY AND INSIST ON SUCH GREAT TICKETS.

Perhaps I am also lucky that these people are crazy enough to pay the price to go to these games with me.

(Still undecided about Sunday's Sabres game. I found I could get a single ticket through the box office. Depends on what's going on this weekend after the game Saturday. It's the last Flyers game of the season, and probably will be a good one, so I'd like to go. I'll decide by the end of the day.)

*I got an email from the RoughRiders yesterday advertising tomorrow's game in Cedar Rapids. In it, I am invited to join the RoughRiders at a pizza place after the game. "All you can eat pizza and pop for $5!" Pizza sounds excellent, but the Pizza Ranch in Hiawatha is a bit of a long drive for me now. There is also a wings-eating contest between 5 RoughRiders and 5 fans. Cedar Rapids' own Wing Bowl with hockey dudes? Ick.

I made it to Delaware and in the meantime I have made it to two hockey games. A third coming up on Saturday .... but seeing as I don't have internet at home (for some reason, I have no dialtone at home, so can't dial in, and don't have high-speed internet set up yet) I can't tell you about any of it. I shouldn't be posting right now, but I'm at the end of lunch and so ......

When I get my internet, you'll get the stories.