Author: Buffalo Winter

Empty nets, Goals Galore, and Fourth Line production

Rangers 4 – Capitals 1 (Series NYR 1-0) The Broadway Blueshirts have brought the show as their number one fan favorite Mr. Rempe scored and the Breadman scored 33 seconds later as New York took a strangle hold on the game in the second period.

The Rangers beat the Capitals statistically across the board and Mr. Ovechkin did not register a single shot on goal as New York’s impressive start could produce a sweep.

Panthers 3 – Lightning 2 en (Series Florida 1-0) Florida’s 50 goal scorer Mr. Reinhart opened the games scoring in a physical game with a combined 100 hits registered, both teams scored on the power play, but the Panthers won more faceoffs, and took more SOG leading to more goals scored.

Ironically Tampa Bay pulled their goaltender with over three minutes remaining had a goal scored into their empty net with just under three minutes then eventually put a power play tally into the Panther’s net for their second goal with only 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Canucks 4 – Predators 2 en (Series Vancouver 1-0) Only 10 SOG taken in the first period as Nashville scored with four minutes left in the opening frame for the 1-0 lead and when they took the 2-1 lead halfway through the second period Vancouver fans began to worry.

Concern fell by the wayside nine minutes into the third period as 24 years old Captain Hughes earns the primary assist when Vancouver ties the game at two apiece, 12 seconds later Captain Hughes again assists as the score is now 3-2 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.

Jets 7 – Avalanche 6 en (Series Winnipeg 1-0) A Baker’s dozen worth of goals on the board with six of them scored in the first period as the Jets and Avalanche participated in every goaltender’s nightmare, a wide open scoring affair.

Colorado launched 21 SOG and scored three times (including an empty net) in the third period but consequently Winnipeg took only six shots and also scored three times in the third period highlighting the Avalanche’s weakness and probable downfall this playoff season.

Monday Night Matchups

Toronto versus Boston                Dallas versus Nevada

New York versus Carolina          Los Angeles versus Edmonton

Carolina and Boston

Hurricanes 3 – Islanders 1 (Series 1-0 Carolina) This opening game was not won until the very last 92 seconds of the game when Carolina scored into an empty net.

New York gave Carolina everything they could handle in a tight 1-1 game where the Hurricanes scored first and the Islanders tied it up less than seven minutes later in the first period.

The game’s announcers and Carolina’s head coach proffered the notion that the Hurricanes had not played a “meaningful” game in a while giving excuse as to why the Islanders were playing so well in Raleigh.

I am not sure who should be more insulted, the Islanders or the Carolina fans who paid top dollar to watch their head coach and team go through the motions during the end of the season contests because the ‘Canes do not deem them meaningful games.

Bruins 5 – Maple Leafs 1 (Series 1-0 Boston) Boston wins their first game at home in convincing fashion as Toronto had difficulty hitting the back of the net, the Maple Leafs played well by taking enough SOG and dished out as many hits as they took.

But it was Boston’s netminder Mr. Swayman who was the difference maker last night and if the Bruins do not want to fold in the first round again their goaltender will have to stand tall every game.

Toronto is not revealing why their second leading point scorer on the team is out with an “undisclosed” possible injury, one person does not make a team but the Maple Leafs require all four of their core players to produce offensively to advance.

Four Games Tonight

Florida hosts Tampa Bay Just after high noon today the Panthers begin their march back to the Cup Finals at home versus a Lightning team that plays about even on the road. (Panthers win in 6)

New York hosts Washington This Metro series might be a sweep as the Capitals have the worst goal differential of any playoff team and 11 OT losses, comparably the Rangers won 15 more games with only 4 OT losses as they looked poised and ready. (Rangers win in 4)

Winnipeg hosts Colorado The Jets are looking to fly high over the Avalanche this series as Colorado rarely loses at home but just over .500% on the road whereas Winnipeg is just as impressive home or away. (Jets win in 5)

Vancouver hosts Nashville This might be the one opening round series that goes seven games with the Canucks holding a slight edge across the board but the Predators have come on strong to finish the season to be the number one wild card. (Vancouver wins in 7)

Hope Runs High in the Opening Round

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Boston Bruins  The Bruins regular season accomplishments are par excellence, the playoffs…not so much recently and after the Leafs removed the first round exit gorilla off their backs last season this fourth opening round meeting between these two clubs (past 12 seasons) will be interesting.

Boston hosts Toronto at eight o’clock tonight and these two division rivals are evenly matched statistically with the Bruins winning just one more game than the Leafs during the regular season, so where to look first?

Goaltending is going to be the key or more precisely lack of goaltending, with Boston’s Mr. Ullmark and Swayman appearing phenomenal at times and each earning over .900 SV% for their efforts.

Toronto net minding is a bit different with their number one goalie not playing up to a high percentage number but losing only seven times out of 40 game starts and the two backups are barely able to keep their goals against average under three but can steal games.

Boston plays a strong style with good defense and great goaltending while Toronto relies on a productive high-flying offense with some good goaltending and although it is written defense wins championships, but not always and in this series offense wins the day with Toronto in six.

Carolina Hurricanes vs New York Islanders This series has the Islanders visiting the Hurricanes meeting them in the opening round for the second consecutive season and splitting their four game 2023-24 regular season series with each team dropping one at home.

The Hurricanes have one of the league’s best goal differentials and their number one goaltender, rookie Pyotr Kochetkov has played above average displacing Mr. Raanta to the AHL and finally waivers now that Mr. Andersen returned to net minding duties from injury.

Carolina showcases three 30 goal scorers, and probably one of the best head coaches a team could have in HC Brind’Amour, and to top it off the Hurricanes had the NHL regular season’s number one penalty kill and the league’s second overall power play.

HC Roy’s Islanders are the third seeded team in the Metro Division with a bruising style of play dishing out over 2,000 hits, number one goaltender Semyon Varlamov is smoking hot bringing in a recent 8-1-1 stretch earning a 2.09 GAA with very strong .930 SV% with one shutout.

If New York has any hope at all of taking this series it will be the continuation of Mr. Varlamov’s outstanding play with the boys in front constantly hitting the Hurricanes off their game, otherwise Carolina wins in a sweep.

Mr. Bettman insists on sand

Confusingly Mr. Bettman is endeavoring to explain the sale and relocation of the Winnipeg Jets/ Phoenix Coyotes/Arizona Coyotes/Utah…as a “new team” and not a relocation or expansion team.

A few seasons ago an insightful color analyst commented on how an NHL team could sell out every home game and the money generated would not even pay for the player’s salaries, so where does the money come from to run an NHL team?

Having to watch the Coyotes play in a college ice hockey arena was fun but it makes Mr. Bettman cringe as he shakily counts that as one of the reasons why Utah can have the team, even though physical attendance (covid) neither makes nor breaks an NHL team.

I cannot comprehend why the Board of Governors would think that another desert location would be a good idea instead of for example Quebec, a city that is one of the original NHL teams, or any other colder, snowier, climate for winter’s greatest sport, ICE hockey.

Watching Mr. Bettman push inappropriate geographical locations over more sensible ones highlights the “money grab” mentality a 1.2 BILLION dollar sale can induce, aided by the cliché, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

The NHL is run by their team owners in a ruling body named the “Board of Governors”, until they collectively decided to hand over executive decisions to one man who for better or worse is the “conductor” leading the business of running the NHL.

NHL teams for over 100 seasons have seen many men succeed and retire, from the League President, to team owners, players, coaches, general managers, and not one single person is more important than the NHL or even ice hockey itself, so perhaps the conductor will have an epiphany.

For the third time this season

Buffalo 4 – Tampa Bay 2  The Sabres finished up their season in spectacular fashion as they earned another road victory over the Lightning to come out on top 3 games to 1 in their four game season series.

Buffalo looked good as they improved their overall road record versus Tampa Bay to a 56% all-time winning percentage.

Mr. Comrie earned the right to start and played his best game of the season as the Lightning launched 16 shots on net during the first period and Mr. Cozens scored his 17^th of the season for the 1-0 lead after the first twenty minutes.

We learned that Mr. Thompson was not returning after the first period due to a lower-body injury, and the team stepped up big time to play the next two periods strong even after Mr. Stamkos scored his 40^th goal of the season.

During Buffalo’s second penalty Mr. Cozens notched his 18^th of the season short-handed (team’s 7^th short-handed) with some strong play from Mr. Greenway as well.

Mr. Skinner’s pipe music was clocked at 90.3 mph as it rang off the iron on the Sabres first power play, and in the midst of outshooting the Lightning 18-7 Mr. Greenway scores his 10^th and Buffalo is up by two goals at the end of the second period.

Lightning goon lilleberg boarded Mr. Benson while he was down on his knees and facing the dasher board, and Tampa Bay was within one goal of Buffalo for all of 15 seconds before Mr. Benson extracted revenge with his 11^th and restored the Sabres two goal lead.

 A nice win all around to finish this season on a high note, next year is going to be a blast as Buffalo marches into the playoffs after a baker’s dozen worth of missed post-seasons.