Tag: NHL Western Conference

Canucks Stanley Cup Playoffs 2012 Preview: Possible Matchups

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By Bryce Lokken

vancouver canucks 

The 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs are roughly scheduled to begin April 12th. Right now, it’s likely that the Vancouver Canucks will face either Dallas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose or perhaps Colorado or Calgary. In the ultra-tight Western Conference, the standings will be a crazy game of musical chairs right up until the regular season concludes on April 7th. For Vancouver Canucks fans, the memory of last year’s run to Game 7 of the Finals is still fresh. As they await their eventual opponent – perhaps feeling reasonably assured of a lengthy playoff run – the first round may feel like a mere formality.

However, anything can happen in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Here are –  by possible opponent – reasons why you should get your tickets for the first round: Read More

Vancouver Canucks Coming Home for Game 5

Andrea 1 Comment

Game 3 and 4 of the Western Conference Finals in San Jose this past weekend were such a stark contrast between on another.
canucksGame 3 of the Western Conference Final game me a heart attack. I get home by the end of the first period to see that Vancouver is trailing 3-0. Second period seemed to stall for both teams, as they traded power plays. The third period was kicked up a notch as the Canucks managed to come back with three goals. Despite their surge in momentum, the Canucks lost 4-3.
Game 4 on the other hand can be be summed up in one word: penalties. When it comes to power plays, the Sharks don’t appear to know what they’re doing. In the first period they failed at scoring despite having 5 consecutive power plays. When they had penalties, they couldn’t kill them like the Canucks. In their last 13 man-advantage situations, the Sharks have only scored once.
Vancouver used that weakness to their advantage, despite being grossly out shot by the Sharks. They scored three goals in two minutes during one of their many 5 on 3 power plays (an NHL record) during the second period.
Sami Salo played a huge role in the Canucks win, finally back from rupturing his Achilles tendon over the summer (an injury that could have seen the end of his career). He did his part in killing off the five straight penalties the Canucks took in the first period, not to mention setting up Ryan Kesler’s goal, and then scoring two of his own.
The Canucks also fought back against Sharks player Jamie McGinn (who knocked out Christian Ehrhoff and Aaron Rome), when a hip check from Keith Ballard sent McGinn into a head over heels flip. Neither Ehrhoff nor Rome are expected to be back yet for Game 5.
In front of a packed HP Pavilion in San Jose, the Canucks won Game 4 with a score of 4-2.
Game 5 is set to take place tomorrow Tuesday, May 24th at 6 pm PST at Rogers Arena. Get your ticket and cheer on the home team!

San Jose Sharks Fans Running Scared

Andrea

With the Vancouver Canucks taking the lead in the Western Conference Final – and in the last game blowing their opponents away with a 7-2 win – the San Jose Sharks fans are wondering what happened to the team that kicked the Detroit Red Wings in a gutsy Game 7 win.
sanjosesharksThe team simply imploded last game, after the fight between Kevin Bieksa and Patrick Marleau halted their energy. Trailing 3-2 in the last period, the Sharks gave away four goals in the last nine minutes of the game. They just gave up.
Now heading to home ice, the Sharks will need to come out fighting if they want to prevent the Canucks from taking a 3-0 lead. The Sharks have lost five of their six last games since taking a 3-0 against Detroit.
With both teams down key players, Canucks losing Mikael Samuelsson to injuries and Sharks down Jason Demers, both teams are going to need an extra push tonight.
So what are your predictions for tonight’s game? Puck drops at 6 pm in San Jose.

Bieksa: Vancouver’s Golden Boy

Andrea 1 Comment

bieksaAfter a game like last night’s there’s only one name on the lips of Vancouverites: Kevin Bieksa. He cleaned up against the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.

In the middle of the second period with the score tied 2-2, Bieksa put the Canucks back in the lead. A few minutes later he thumped Patrick Marleau in a gloves-off brawl. Marleau dropped gloves first, a fact that the bitter Sharks players are currently overlooking.

This was the momentum the team needed to go on and score three more goals.

It was a Gordie Howe hat trick extraordinaire for Bieksa– goal, assist, fight – when he scored on an assist with Chris Higgins in the third period.

The final score was 7-2.

Game 3 happens Friday, May 20th at 6 pm in San Jose.

Bieksa: Vancouver's Golden Boy

Andrea 1 Comment

bieksaAfter a game like last night’s there’s only one name on the lips of Vancouverites: Kevin Bieksa. He cleaned up against the San Jose Sharks in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
In the middle of the second period with the score tied 2-2, Bieksa put the Canucks back in the lead. A few minutes later he thumped Patrick Marleau in a gloves-off brawl. Marleau dropped gloves first, a fact that the bitter Sharks players are currently overlooking.
This was the momentum the team needed to go on and score three more goals.
It was a Gordie Howe hat trick extraordinaire for Bieksa– goal, assist, fight – when he scored on an assist with Chris Higgins in the third period.
The final score was 7-2.
Game 3 happens Friday, May 20th at 6 pm in San Jose.

Kovalchuck Contract Going to Arbitration

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Ilya Kovalchuk
Ilya Kovalchuk

The NHL Players’ Association (NHLPA) has filed a grievance today on behalf of Ilya Kovalchuk in response to the NHL’s controversial decision to reject what would have been the longest contract in NHL history, consisting of a 17-year, $102 million dollar deal with the New Jersey Devils.

The NHL rejected the contract on the grounds that it “deliberately circumvented” the league’s salary cap by being too front loaded. In the agreement, Kovalchuk would receive just under 80 percent ($80 million) in the first 7 years, and 93 percent in the first 10 years.

The 27 year old Russian would be 44 years old when the deal expires in 2027. The controversial portion of the agreement comes in his final 5 years of the deal that would have him being paid the league minimum of $550,000 in an attempt to free up more room for the Devil’s under the salary cap.

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