The 60th NHL Draft will be held in Montreal for the 29th time which includes the last two years of virtual drafts and for this draft the ticketed public is welcome to attend at the Bell Centre this July 7th and 8th.
There are extenuating circumstances as to why Montreal has hosted so many NHL Drafts, such as the Drafts were always closed to the public and held in Montreal hotels or the NHL Montreal Office, and eventually the Montreal Forum from 1963 until 1979.
Also worth noting is that Montreal hosted the draft just once in 2009 during a 26-year stretch beginning in 1993 through the 2019 seasons.
The NHL has been drafting over 200 players each season now since the 1970s with the amount almost tipping the scale at 300 at the turn of the Century, but now the drafting has been 210/217 range with this season upping the eligible players to two dozen over 200.
Buffalo Sabres GM Imlach would be turning over in his skates if he could see today’s Draft compared with the early drafts that he had to endure with prolonged procedures and unnecessary tediousness for each and every selection that took weeks to sort out.
It was during the 1962-63 NHL Season that Mr. Campbell pushed forward the idea of a system of amateur drafting to afford all six teams an opportunity to draft a “star player” and the notorious “sponsorship system” eventually faded from existence by the end of the decade.
The promise of a brighter future holds great interest to NHL teams and fans alike as each year a new crop of talented young players are selected and at times even offers a “generational player” that can shape a team into a winner.
The NHL Pre-Season Schedule for the Buffalo Sabres 2022-2023 Season consists of six games with the first three contests being played over four days during the last week of September with the first faceoff an early Sunday afternoon start and the 27th the lone home game versus Philadelphia.
The three October pre-season games are played over seven days with the month’s first game also an early afternoon start, beginning and ending with a Home and Home series against Pittsburgh which is split as Buffalo hosts Carolina in between those games on the fourth.
September 25th visiting the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena (2 p.m.)
September 27th hosting Philadelphia at KeyBank Center (7 p.m.)
September 28th visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena (7 p.m.)
October 1st hosting Pittsburgh Penguins at KeyBank Center (1 p.m.)
October 4th hosting Carolina Hurricanes at KeyBank Center (7 p.m.)
October 7th visiting the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena (7 p.m.)
Even in a game four of a Finals sweep there is something different about a game when the Stanley Cup is on-site and last night was no exception as both teams combined to play one of the more exciting Stanley Cup Finals in recent seasons.
The first period begins with a Tampa Bay icing the puck then earning a power play in only 23 seconds but the Avalanche kill off their first penalty as Tampa Bay finishes the power play with no shots on goal.
It takes less than four minutes for the Lightning to strike first capitalizing on a fortunate bounce in the slot for a 5-hole shot that gives Tampa Bay the 1-0 lead on another goal with no secondary assist.
The first period was a fast-paced, up-and-down skating, with no whistles for seven and a half consecutive minutes, but few shots, with Colorado banging one off the post, and some physical nonsense at the end of the period for one of the more entertaining first periods of playoff Hockey.
The second period starts quickly also as “The Mac Attack is Back” for the Burgundy and Blue with Mr. MacKinnon’s second of the Finals on his fourth shot which went off of Mr. Vasilevskiy’s blocker to tie the game and Mr. Kane for the playoffs goals (13) lead.
Once again HC Cooper displays his disappointment as Mr. Stamkos and the coach believes the delayed penalty should have been whistled dead before the goal was scored.
As replay highlights Mr. Paul did not touch the puck after the official’s arm went up, he did not have possession or make a pass but as Mr. Paul last touched the puck before the arm went up was so close as to be simultaneous to the naked eye.
At approximately 13 minutes to play in the second period an ESPN “reporter” asked HC Cooper on air if he thought the goal should have counted…the coach laughed at her.
At the 11:52 mark, the ESPN announcers declare Mr. Stamkos and Mr. Byram as “a mess behind the net” as more penalties are not called.
Then an odd-man 3-on-2 rush develops less than eight minutes in the period and another fortunate bounce/pass turns into a deflection affording Mr. Lehkonen an opportunity which he buries for the 2-1 lead.
Immediately after the score and during the celebration Tampa Bay’s Mr. Magoon breaks his stick on Colorado’s Mr. Manson’s leg with a full “Paul Bunyan” two-handed chop, fortunately, Mr. Manson saw it coming and lifted his leg for some protection.
Before Paul Bunyan Chop
This we are informed by ESPN announcer Mr. Ferraro is a penalty in November but not now, after this we see Tampa Bay begin to take physical liberties highlighted by their boarding penalty during the remaining five minutes of the second period.
The third period begins to unravel for Tampa Bay as they cannot get their first shot on net until past the halfway point of the period and their second shot comes with only six and half minutes left to play.
GM Sakic Replied, “Yes” when asked if the Cup felt heavier
The Colorado Avalanche seemed faster and fresher as the Lightning pull Mr. Vasilevskiy with 2:03 remaining, 1:15 icing was called on Colorado, then :26 seconds left and no icing was called…time runs out and the Avalanche have their third Stanley Cup Championship.
With a brilliant light show at Ball Arena and beautiful rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner plus the pre-game analysis from announcers Mr. Levy and Mr. Chelios explaining “game four was in the rear-view mirror”, and “kick ‘em when their down mentality, give ‘em no life”.
The Avalanche take the game’s first penalty and showed why they have earned an 80% kill ratio in the regular season and playoffs and when their second penalty a few minutes later was issued after a decent backchecking effort is also successfully killed with garnishing one short-handed SOG.
Colorado had the edge in offensive zone time but it was Tampa Bay that scored first as 31-year-old defenseman Mr. Rutta scored his first goal of the playoffs with a heavy 95 mph shot that was taken from the far side top of the faceoff circle.
Five minutes into the second period Mr. Nichushkin scores his ninth to tie the game at one with rookie Mr. Makar getting the primary assist his (21) of the playoffs.
Not even 90 seconds later there is a delayed penalty whistled then oddly off-setting penalties but Colorado takes another penalty affording the Lightning a 4-on-3 man advantage which they cash in on with a deflection off the post and in for the 2 – 1 lead.
With just under seven minutes remaining in the second period, Mr. Magoon puts Mr. MacKinnon in a headlock and tackles him to the ice at the blueline, but like a “too many men on the ice” missed call, clearly, this was as well.
The clock has less than four minutes to play with the Avalanche going on the power play but Mr. Vasilevskiy kills it and the period ends with a Colorado 7 SOG advantage but the Lighting took the 2-1 lead into the third period.
The third period begins well for Colorado as Mr. Cernak’s skate blade causes the puck to become a “dribbler” and Mr. Vasilevskiy legs it in for the Avalanche score credited to Mr. Makar and the 2-2 tie.
Period three ends at 6:22 effectively as Mr. Palat scored his (11) for Tampa Bay and a 3-2 lead and with 2:38 of time remaining the Avalanche take a “too many men on the ice” penalty, an exciting, close, empty-net, pressure-filled game ends with a Lightning victory.
The Stanley Cup Finals Game Six is tonight in Florida scheduled with an eight o’clock start time, this series has been enjoyable and unpredictable with both teams winning on the road, and if, IF Tampa Bay wins we will compare the Finals from 80 years ago.
The Avalanche came from behind for a victory and the Bolts are on the brink with game five in Denver and Tampa Bay facing elimination.
The best pre-game analysis came from Mr. Chelios when informed of Mr. Kadri playing with a broken thumb protected by a cast, then commented, “I would whack it every chance I got”.
To begin the game Mr. Kuemper had unsuccessfully channeled Mr. Gump Worsley as Tampa Bay defenseman Mr. Cernak took a powerful shot that went off the goalies mask popping the straps.
And as the stick blade of Mr. Cirelli assisted the mask’s trajectory downwards the puck fell in front of Mr. Cirelli for the easy goal and a Lightning 1-0 lead only 36 seconds into the first period.
After that Tampa Bay played a defensive, protect the one-goal lead to the end of the game style that is camouflaged by the 11 SOG 2 statistical disparity reflecting mostly harmless shots by the four and a half minute mark of the first period.
Tampa Bay gets their first power play with three minutes remaining and allowed Colorado two short-handed SOG as the period finishes up with 17 SOG 4 Tampa Bay advantage.
Four minutes into the second period the Avalanche go on their first power play and just over a minute later the puck deflects off of Mr. MacKinnon’s skate blade for his first goal of the Stanley Cup Finals and the game is tied at one.
With less than nine minutes to play in the second period, Mr. Hedman takes a weak no-look backhand from near the faceoff dot that should have been stopped but eluded Mr. Kuemper’s blocker side over the pad for the Tampa Bay 2-1 lead.
Nearly three minutes into the third period Colorado quiets the Amalie Arena crowd with their second goal generated by the fourth line as Mr. Cogliano notches his third of the playoffs with a rare even-strength goal against the Lightning to tie the game at two.
The rest of the third period is filled with Tampa Bay Captain Mr. Stamkos blocking shots, Colorado’s Mr. Johnson handing out dasher board rattling checks, Tampa Bay scrumming it up, announcers starting their “next goal wins” rhetoric along with mentioning the lack of penalty calls.
For the second time in four games, the teams went into overtime and the Avalanche are hustling and get the first SOG, Colorado’s Mr. O’Connor gets a breakaway shot with the stick of Mr. Hedman on his glove, and there is a shot off the post then a crossbar and the Avalanche are relentlessly pressuring.
At the 12:02 mark of overtime, Mr. Kadri accepts a pass while entering the blue line and skates through Mr. McDonagh and around Mr. Sergachev to lift a shot up over Mr. Vasilevskiy into the net and it wedged into the top side of the netting.
This caused everyone for a moment to ask, “…did it go in”, and indeed it did for the Colorado 3-2 overtime victory and a 3-2 Stanley Cup Finals lead heading back to Denver for an elimination game five.
The drama does not end until HC Cooper vaguely infers in his post-game interview that the overtime-winning goal should not count, and Avalanche players were surprised when informed about HC Cooper’s comments at their press conferences.
Mr. Kadri was quoted as saying, “I’m not quite sure what he (HC Cooper) was thinking, why it shouldn’t have counted, the puck hit the back of the net, end of story.”
Also surprisingly HC Cooper does not agree with the on-ice official’s judgment/interpretations of Rule 74.1 (too many men on the ice), as well as almost coming to tears at the podium as he did not want to specifically say why.
The rule states: “When a player is retiring from the ice surface and is within the five-foot (5’) limit of his players’ bench, and his substitute is on the ice, then the retiring player shall be considered off the ice.”
Mr. MacKinnon was well within that distance when Kadri received the pass to enter the offensive zone, and the final call is with the on-ice officials, no replay or review can be utilized for a non-call.
Get ready for Friday Night in Denver as the streamers and balloons are up, the marching band is tuning up, and the parade is ready to start, with the Stanley Cup on-site for presentation, all that remains is an Avalanche home victory.
Tampa Bay can win this elimination road game and they have what is required to get the job done, with these two similar/evenly matched teams, anything is possible.
Buffalo Winter 