Category: Hockey Tickets

Cinderella story swept off it’s feet as Blues exit playoffs

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It was on the minds of just about every St.Louis Blues fan and sports analyst leading into the series: the Blues could be this year’s Cinderella story. Having come out of the Christmas break in January in last place in the West, and after losing lead goaltender Manny Legace, back-up goaltender Chris Mason rallied the Blues in the second half of the season, going 25-9-7 in their last 41 games of the season and finishing sixth place in the West. Blues fans had high hopes for their reinvigorated team after jumping nine places in the standings to make the playoffs, but the team lost its luster in the post season, dropping four straight games to the superior Vancouver Canucks.

Last night saw the end of the Blues’ playoff run, as well as the Canucks’ first four game series sweep in franchise history — it was also the first time since the 1994 playoffs that St.Louis suffered a four game sweep. Despite the result, St.Louis played their best game of the series facing elimination, driving the puck to the net and following it through, something failed to do in the first three games. Their aggressive play led to their tying of the game at two in the second period with back-to-back goals less than four minutes apart. It also led to an astounding 49 shots on Luongo — compared to the Canucks’ 36 on Mason– throughout three periods of regulation and one frame of overtime.

However, Luongo’s disciplined composure kept his head in the game after the Blues kept crashing the net, single-handedly keeping the Canucks from facing a loss on numerous occasions, especially during the 4 minute penalty caused by Ryan Kessler’s high-stick in overtime. The man-advantage was definitely where the Blues went wrong this series, squandering their chances through all four games (they went 1 for 24). At the end of the night, it was the Canucks who truly impressed, with Burrows scoring the winning goal with 19 seconds to go in overtime, giving the Canucks the win and the 4-0 clean series sweep.

Vancouver Canucks tickets for the second round will go on sale soon once their opponent is decided.

Cinderella story swept off it's feet as Blues exit playoffs

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It was on the minds of just about every St.Louis Blues fan and sports analyst leading into the series: the Blues could be this year’s Cinderella story. Having come out of the Christmas break in January in last place in the West, and after losing lead goaltender Manny Legace, back-up goaltender Chris Mason rallied the Blues in the second half of the season, going 25-9-7 in their last 41 games of the season and finishing sixth place in the West. Blues fans had high hopes for their reinvigorated team after jumping nine places in the standings to make the playoffs, but the team lost its luster in the post season, dropping four straight games to the superior Vancouver Canucks.
Last night saw the end of the Blues’ playoff run, as well as the Canucks’ first four game series sweep in franchise history — it was also the first time since the 1994 playoffs that St.Louis suffered a four game sweep. Despite the result, St.Louis played their best game of the series facing elimination, driving the puck to the net and following it through, something failed to do in the first three games. Their aggressive play led to their tying of the game at two in the second period with back-to-back goals less than four minutes apart. It also led to an astounding 49 shots on Luongo — compared to the Canucks’ 36 on Mason– throughout three periods of regulation and one frame of overtime.
However, Luongo’s disciplined composure kept his head in the game after the Blues kept crashing the net, single-handedly keeping the Canucks from facing a loss on numerous occasions, especially during the 4 minute penalty caused by Ryan Kessler’s high-stick in overtime. The man-advantage was definitely where the Blues went wrong this series, squandering their chances through all four games (they went 1 for 24). At the end of the night, it was the Canucks who truly impressed, with Burrows scoring the winning goal with 19 seconds to go in overtime, giving the Canucks the win and the 4-0 clean series sweep.
Vancouver Canucks tickets for the second round will go on sale soon once their opponent is decided.

Fans with class need only apply in games on Monday

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It’s true that teams strive to attain hometown advantage in order to gain the upperhand in a tough series, and last night’s two games involving the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary Flames were perfect examples of a team who needed to hear from their fans to turn the momentum of the 2-0 series deficit they both faced. Despite the obvious presence of supporters in both the Bell Centre in Montreal and the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, only the latter benefitted from the noise, perhaps partly due to their demeanor.
The Calgary Flames were able to fight off the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time in the series, cutting the lead to 2-1, when Rene Borque scored an ugly goal to put them ahead by one late in the second — a lead the Flames would not let go of. And of course, the “C” of Red was in full force that night, cheering on their boys in Cowtown to propel the team to the win. Unfortunately, for the other Canadian team on the ice that night, things didn’t turn out so well, especially without thanks to the fans.
In the Bell Centre, the night opened with a roar of “boos” in an unlikely and disrespectful place: the American National Anthem. Believing they were supporting their team — and that the anthem represented the opposing Boston Bruins — the fans in Montreal made their voices heard much to the chagrin of home team GM Bob Gainey.
“I feel like there’s a confusion there with our fans,” says Gainey. “They feel like booing the anthem is supporting our team, in that the anthem represents the Boston team. And I think if they could separate those two things, then we could respect the anthem of the United States of America and they could still participate loudly in whatever way they want to disrupt the Bruins.”
The show of “support” from the fans seemed to have been counter-intuitive to the Habs’ efforts; the Boston Bruins delivered a 4-2 loss to the Canadiens’, possibly inspired by the anthem-antics that began the night. Although Montreal has one more chance to begin making up lost ground in their current 3-0 series deficit, they will definitely need their fans to rally behind a cheer that will actually motivate their struggling team. As for the Flames, their fans seem to have already found that secret to success.
Both teams hit the ice once again in game 4 on Wednesday.

Infamous crowds to play large role in a pair of Game 3's

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seaofredTwo Canadian teams. Two different series. Two well-known, hockey-crazed crowds. With their teams on the verge of falling into that uncomfortable spot between a rock and a hard place, the fans in Montreal and Calgary know exactly what their role will be in each team’s Game 3 tonight: the all-important “sixth man.”
There is no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames each have a diehard following — the Canadiens, being of the original six, have a long history in the sport and have generations of fans to support them. The Flames, while being a younger team than the Habs, have become known for their fan support and the infamous “C” of Red, the name given to the awe-inspiring sight of the entire Pengrowth Saddledome filled with fans clad in red. Both teams are currently stuck in a 2-0 deficit in their respective series, with little to be happy about in their struggling performances. However, coming back home may carry the momentum of the series in their favor thanks to the noise and support of their fans.
“This building is loud, and it can definitely shift the momentum,” says Calgary forward, David Moss. “This city is waiting for a win. Hopefully, by doing that tonight, we can kind of spark this thing, get everyone behind us, and start rolling.”
While not known for it’s visually stunning fan support, the Canadiens are home to a large stadium that never ceases to sell-out, the stands brimming with Habs fans dressed in their red, white and blue. The noise generated from the crowd following each big hit, poor call, or highlight-reel goal can be intimidating for the opposition, and tonight in both the Bell Center and the Penngrowth Saddledome, it will be the “sixth man” watching the game that will make or break these two Canadian teams’ chances of righting their wrongs from the first two games.

Infamous crowds to play large role in a pair of Game 3’s

admin

seaofredTwo Canadian teams. Two different series. Two well-known, hockey-crazed crowds. With their teams on the verge of falling into that uncomfortable spot between a rock and a hard place, the fans in Montreal and Calgary know exactly what their role will be in each team’s Game 3 tonight: the all-important “sixth man.”

There is no doubt that the Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames each have a diehard following — the Canadiens, being of the original six, have a long history in the sport and have generations of fans to support them. The Flames, while being a younger team than the Habs, have become known for their fan support and the infamous “C” of Red, the name given to the awe-inspiring sight of the entire Pengrowth Saddledome filled with fans clad in red. Both teams are currently stuck in a 2-0 deficit in their respective series, with little to be happy about in their struggling performances. However, coming back home may carry the momentum of the series in their favor thanks to the noise and support of their fans.

“This building is loud, and it can definitely shift the momentum,” says Calgary forward, David Moss. “This city is waiting for a win. Hopefully, by doing that tonight, we can kind of spark this thing, get everyone behind us, and start rolling.”

While not known for it’s visually stunning fan support, the Canadiens are home to a large stadium that never ceases to sell-out, the stands brimming with Habs fans dressed in their red, white and blue. The noise generated from the crowd following each big hit, poor call, or highlight-reel goal can be intimidating for the opposition, and tonight in both the Bell Center and the Penngrowth Saddledome, it will be the “sixth man” watching the game that will make or break these two Canadian teams’ chances of righting their wrongs from the first two games.

Pins drop in Scottrade Center as Canucks silence the Blues

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canucks_game_3
The crowd was electric as the puck dropped in St.Louis last night as the Blues hosted the Canucks for game three of their playoff series. This was the first game of the series to be played in St.Louis, and as such, the fans would play a pivotal role as the “sixth man” throughout the game. They made their presence known early in the game when the Blues scored just over three minutes into the game with a goal from David Backes, and continued the noise as the Canucks entered the revolving door to the penalty box, offering up a 5 on 3 opportunity to St.Louis halfway through the first.
Despite the opportunities, the Blues failed to capitalize on the two-man advantage as well as a handful of powerplays, an odd occurrence seeing as their regular season powerplay success against the Canucks was at a strong 26%. This led to a swing of momentum in favor of the Canucks in the second period when they scored back to back goals within four minutes of each other, beginning at the 8 minute mark. The cheers turned to whimpers for a brief 5 minute run before Andy McDonald tied it up at 2, reinvigorating the struggling Blues and their nail-biting fans. But with the struggling St.Louis power play, it is hard to hold the fans accountable for the lack of noise in the Scottrade Center, as the supposed 8th best power play team in the league went 1 for 17 in the series at the end of game 3.
This isn’t to say that special teams weren’t a factor in the game in St.Louis; the Canucks, after taking the lead 3-2 at 1:41 in the 3rd period, proved their success with the man advantage, having scored all three of their goals on the power play last night. With the Blues’ failure of conversion on the PP and their Swiss Cheese defence on the Penalty Kill, the stadium fell silent as the Canucks extended their lead in the series 3-0, just one win away from sweeping the series. If the Canucks can maintain the level of play they have shown St.Louis thus far, the only sound you will hear coming out of the Scottrade Center on Tuesday night will be the fans singing the Blues.
For more on last night’s game check out the Canuck’s Game Summary and Highlights.