14 replies to this topic

[Dark Knight]

Please post your thoughts, pictures and comments on tonight's games in this thread.

Pittsburgh at NYR
Detroit at Colorado

[oatesfan]

Go Colorado!.... NYR/Pitts... don't really care who wins.. Don't like either team.

[DropThePuck]

TSN's Ice Chips:

Peter Forsberg will not play for the Avalanche in Game 4 on Thursday. Ryan Smyth will also miss the game. The Avalanche will dress seven defencemen. - TSN

It appears Paul Stastny and Ryan Smyth will not play Thursday in Game 4 of the Avs' Western Conference semifinal series with the Detroit Red Wings. Colorado trails 3-0 in the best-of-seven series. Stastny, who has an injured knee, "is unlikely to play tomorrow," said Quenneville, who listed Smith (foot) as being doubtful. - Rocky Mountain News

David Jones is still a rookie, so there will come a day when his playoff statistics - nine games, one point - will come in for harsher scrutiny than they are now. But for the time being, Jones is being viewed as one of the few positive stories in the Avalanche's playoff series with Detroit. Last year around this time, Jones was finishing up his spring semester at Dartmouth, just hoping he might latch on with the Avalanche's minor-league affiliate later that fall. Tuesday night, he was one of the Avalanche's top players in a playoff game with the Red Wings. - Denver Post

The Sharks scored a short-handed goal for the second consecutive night - again off a bad pass from Sergei Zubov - less than four minutes after the Stars grabbed the lead. Patrick Marleau stole the puck near the Stars' blue line and beat goalie Marty Turco on a breakaway at the 9:19 mark of the second period. "Those are uncharacteristic mistakes by Zubie," Stars coach Dave Tippett said. "Those are mistakes that you'd like to see cleaned up. He's not trying to make them, but they happened. - Dallas Morning News

Tuesday was Nicklas Lidstrom's 201st career playoff game, moving him past Finn Jari Kurri for the most playoff games played by a European-born player in NHL history. Lidstrom also picked up his 100th career playoff assist.
Darren Helm feels much calmer now than 12 days ago, when the Red Wings looked at him and decided he'd be a key to turning around their first-round series. Since joining the Wings' playoff run in Game 5 against Nashville, Helm steadily has shown why he's such a highly regarded draft pick. Entering Tuesday's Game 3 of the Colorado series, Helm had one assist and an even plus-minus rating in his first four playoff games. - Detroit Free Press

Jaraoslav Halak started for the team in their Game 4 loss. Game 5 goes Saturday in Montreal. - TSN

Blair Betts be sidelined for Game 4. The centre was diagnosed with a broken orbital bone around his left eye and is expected to have surgery this weekend. Betts was injured while blocking a shot in the second period Tuesday night.
Fellow centre Chris Drury skated Thursday and will be a game-time decision. He played through a torso injury that made it difficult for him to even raise his arms during the second half of Game 3. "He feels quite good," Renney said. "He'll dress in the warmup. It's looking good." - AP
With Sean Avery (spleen laceration), Drury and Betts unable to practice, three recent callups from AHL Hartford-Greg Moore, Lauri Korpikosky and Pierre Parenteau - practiced with the team. - Star Ledger

Flyers forward Mike Knuble, out the last five games with a partially torn hamstring, has been cleared by doctors to return to action Wednesday. "I feel great," Knuble said. "I think I can get out there and skate with very little apprehension if any at all. My one concern is catching up to the pace of the game."
Just because the Flyers are immersed in the chase for the Stanley Cup doesn't mean that team officials aren't thinking about the future. When general manager Paul Holmgren was asked about unrestricted free agent Fabian Brunnstrom he replied with an emphatic, "Yes, we are very interested." - Delaware County Times

Coach Michel Therrien said Maxim Talbot (foot) has "a good chance" to play in Game 4, and that "the same thing" applies to defenseman Rob Scuderi (foot). Indications are that Scuderi's foot is bruised, not fractured. He, like Talbot, showed up at the Garden for practice Wednesday wearing a walking boot and did not go on the ice. Decisions on whether to use either tonight probably won't be made until the game-day skate. Left winger Gary Roberts could step into Talbot's spot, perhaps bumping Adam Hall from the wing into the middle, and Darryl Sydor could fill in for Scuderi.
Team officials declined to discuss the precise nature of Talbot's injury, or his prognosis. Talbot also declined to talk about it, but when asked if he expects to be able to play again - albeit not at a specific time - he responded simply, "I hope so." - Post Gazette

Sharks Coach Ron Wilson tweaked his lineup once again Wednesday. He used forward Curtis Brown for the first time against the Dallas Stars and brought back defenseman Matt Carle after making him a healthy scratch the previous night. It was the second consecutive night of lineup changes after Wilson stood pat the previous three postseason games. "Some people haven't played well," Wilson said before Game 4 in explaining the previous night's changes that saw Tomas Plihal and Alexei Semenov added in place of Patrick Rissmiller and Carle. "You're throwing other guys in who are a little fresher, maybe add a spark. You're just trying to find ways to win."
Sharks defenseman Craig Rivet said he wasn't feeling any effects from the helmet-to-helmet collision that forced him to miss part of the third period in Game 3. "I got my bell rung, then I just shook off the cobwebs and went back at it," Rivet said. - Mercury News

[Still MIGHTY]

Go
Go

[duckfan78]

stays alive.

[Dark Knight]

FINAL SCORE:

Pittsburgh at NYR 0-3 (series 3-1)... and it wasn't that close.

Late in the second 7-1 Detroit... and it's not that close for Colorado. They're getting blown away.

[Dark Knight]

Let's hope this settles Forsberg's retirement. He didn't play tonight and missed a number of games for Colorado. The team deserves better.

[Cassie8236]

wow.....

So...what goalie do you go with in the 3rd? Can they just have them both cover the net and hope for the best?

[Duck304]

I hope the score goes into double digits.

[Still MIGHTY]

Ow ow ow ouch
My heart goes out to Colorado.

Their two winter sports teams swept in the same week by traditional powers (Nuggets by the Lakers and Avs by the Wings).
Two local sweeps in one week. On home-ice/court. In the same building.
Ouch

[lvsprt]

The Ice Chips say that the Avs dressed 7 defensemen. Maybe they should have dressed 12. I left to go out on a walk and it was 1-1, came back and it was 6-1.

[hillbillywingsfan]

sorry for the upset. i wish the avs could have done better for you.

[DropThePuck]

0
3 - Jagr, J. (12:45 in 2nd), Dubinsky, B. (PPG, 00:44 in 3rd), Jagr, J. (PPG, 19:46 in 3rd)

"Last game was a tough one," Lundqvist said. "It's not a new series, but hopefully we have them thinking. We think we can do it. We're going to go for it in Pittsburgh. There's no other way for us."

<NHL.com recap>



Jordan Staal #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins gets pushed by Ryan Callahan #24 © of the New York Rangers behind goaltender Henrik Lundqvist #30 during the second period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 1, 2008 in New York City.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins slides into goaltender Henrik Lundqvist #30 of the New York Rangers after a break away attempt on goal that resulted in a penalty shot during the second period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 1, 2008 in New York City.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


The New York Rangers and the Pittsburgh Penguins fight during the third period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 1, 2008 in New York City. Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Penguin and Paul Mara #27 of the Rangers were penalyzed ten minutes for misconduct.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)


Ryan Malone #12 of the Pittsburgh Penguins slams into the boards behind Petr Prucha #25 of the New York Rangers during the third period of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on May 1, 2008 in New York City. The Rangers won the 3-0 but the Penguins lead the series 3-1.
(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

[DropThePuck]

8 - Samuelsson, M. (04:33 in 1st), Holmstrom, T. (18:34 in 1st), Franzen, J. (19:21 in 1st), Zetterberg, H. (PPG, 02:15 in 2nd), Zetterberg, H. (05:45 in 2nd), Franzen, J. (SHG, 11:37 in 2nd), Franzen, J. (PPG, 17:15 in 2nd), Samuelsson, M. (08:02 in 3rd)
2 - Arnason, T. (PPG, 06:51 in 1st), Liles, J. (PPG, 10:26 in 3rd)

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios was a scratch Thursday because of a lower body injury, but it hardly mattered against a depleted Colorado team that was missing five key players: center Peter Forsberg (groin, ankle), leading scorer Paul Stastny (knee) and forwards Ryan Smyth (foot), Wojtek Wolski (ribs) and Marek Savtos (knee).

"I mean come on, that's not fair," Babcock said. "I've seen injuries in the playoffs, but I've never seen that many injuries."
...
Forsberg, 34, said after the game that an MRI on Wednesday revealed tears in both groins. He ended up playing 16 games, including seven in the playoffs, after rejoining the Avs at the trade deadline with the understanding he'd play when his chronically bad ankle allowed.

Forsberg said he wants to return to Colorado next season - health permitting. Otherwise, retirement beckons.

Fans of the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche support their teams during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)


T.J. Hensick #37 of the Colorado Avalanche checks Niklas Kronwall #55 of the Detroit Red Wings during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)


Joe Sakic #19 of the Colorado Avalanche takes a shot as Johan Franzen #93 of the Detroit Red Wings defends during Game Four of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Red Wings defeated the Avalanche 8-2 and swept the series 4-0.
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)


The Detroit Red Wings are congratulated by the Colorado Avalanche after the Red Wings won Game Four and clinched the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 1, 2008 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The Red Wings defeated the Avalanche 8-2 and swept the series 4-0.
(Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

[lvsprt]

Wow Forsberg just won't give up the ship.