| Pittsburgh | at | NY Islanders | 7:00 PM EST | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal | at | Ottawa | 7:00 PM | ||
| Chicago | at | Minnesota | 9:30 PM | ||
| Vancouver | at | San Jose | 10:00 PM | ||
INKTIME on RINKTIME Observations and Random thoughts by Chris Madsen:
Now, tell me you can’t wait for the drop of the puck for Game 4 tonight in Ottawa? While the Senators were putting a 6-1 beating on the Canadiens, the players were beating the tar out of one another! The teams amassed a combined 236 penalty minutes, as nine players were given game misconducts.
Sens Forward, Kyle Turris seemed to be the target of the Habs ire. Turris fought P.K. Subban, and as time ran out, Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges whistled a puck at Turris. Yet Turris believes it is all part and parcel of two teams being hungry to move on: ”This is fun. It’s a great atmosphere, real fun and I don’t know if you would call it a hatred on the ice, but it’s lots of fun.” And it’s also fun when your team leads the series (2-1).
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Apparently, it’s good to be President! As in President Trophy winners. Because the NHL is bringing back the slick production, “NHL 36” featuring the Blackhawks immediately after tonight’s tilt between the Hawks and the Wild. And what makes this edition of “36” so unique is that it will be dedicated solely to an entire team (the Blackhawks). This episode is also slated to air once again on Sunday, May 12 on the NHL Network.
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Just how brutal have the Canucks been in the Playoffs? Well, they have lost 9 of their 10 playoff games dating back to the 2011 Finals versus Boston…and here’s an even more startling stat when you consider the “Nucks offense–they have produced a mere 15 goals during that span. And for a team that couldn’t wait to get Corey Schneider back in goal, consider this…Schneider allowed 5 goals on 28 shots and got the hook less than 5-minutes into the 3rd Period. Then Roberto Luongo came on and turned aside all 10 shots he faced. If Coach Alain Vigneault goes with any one other guy than Luongo to start this game….THEN YOU KNOW THE CANUCKS ARE SECOND-GUESSING THEMSELVES FROM THE GET-GO…and that spells d-i-s-a-s-t-e-r!
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If you watched the opening 5-minutes of the Penguins-Islanders game on Sunday you could clearly see why the future looks bright on Long Island (soon to be Brooklyn). It was easily one of the most dominant, high speed starts to this Post-Season, only to collapse into a 5-4 O.T. loss to the Pens. Isles Coach Jack Capuano believes his young club must buy into the marathon v. sprint mentality of the Playoffs: ”We’ve got to be more disciplined. No question. The penalty kill is something we’ve got to clean up. But discipline with and without the puck is a big part of the game, and with their quickness we’ve got to make sure we defend a little bit harder and a little bit smarter.” And just how efficient have the Pens been on the Power Play: they have scored 6 PPG’s over 13 chances (mind-boggling) and an additional 8 goals at even strength.
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And my thoughts on the Kings hosting the Ducks next January in an outdoor game at Dodger Stadium: “The way the ball club is playing right now, that’s one way to see a multi-hit game at Dodger Stadium!” BTW, as of this writing, the Dodgers–who have the second HIGHEST payroll in baseball at $220-Million–are (13-18), in last place in the National League West, and are a half-game back of the Padres–who are the 6th LOWEST paid team in MLB!
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UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE LACE ‘EM UP AND HIT THE ICE!–Chris Madsen
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