by Ryan Dixon - April 17, 2010 10:51 PM EDT
Despite escaping with a Game 2 win, Washington would really be rolling if two of their stars weren't struggling... and is it time for Carey Price?
If the Washington Capitals’ secondary support ever fully engages, it might be easier to score their games in touchdowns.
Nicklas Backstrom, defined as a “secondary” player only because he plays on a team with Alex Ovechkin, was huge for the Caps in their 6-5 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens, completing the hat trick in extra time for the Game 2 victory that gives us a 1-1 series heading back to Montreal.
by Ryan Dixon - April 17, 2010 4:45 PM EDT
'Big Z' was being outplayed by his counterpart Tyler Myers until the hulking Bruins defenseman got going in the second half of Game 2.
The Buffalo Sabres were winning the battle of big through four periods of their first round series with the Boston Bruins.
But that’s all changed now.
by Ryan Dixon - April 15, 2010 11:33 PM EDT
With a hot finish to the regular season and a goal in Game 1, the Sabres' top sniper is getting hot at the right time... and the Buffalo experience.
BUFFALO – Thomas Vanek has found his touch.
Vanek starts each season as a guy with an outside chance to win the Rocket Richard Trophy, but it wasn’t until the end of this campaign that he started to look – and feel – like his old self.
by Ryan Dixon - April 1, 2010 1:20 PM EDT
If this is indeed the end of Modano's career, does he belong in the Hall of Fame or will he fall a little short?
Even those who follow the Dallas Stars closely don’t yet know if Mike Modano will return for a 21st NHL season next fall.
The end of Modano’s career would mean the beginning of a good old-fashioned hockey debate, centering on whether or not the career-long (North) Star deserves entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
by Ryan Dixon - March 25, 2010 2:20 PM EDT
The Pens have yet to beat two of their toughest Eastern foes this season; Avs have much to be proud of; and Travis Moen's scary night.
A few here and there’s from around the hockey world…
• ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun shed light on an interesting fact after Pittsburgh’s shootout loss to the Washington Capitals Wednesday night; the defending champs are now 0-1-2 versus the Caps and 0-6-0 versus Atlantic rivals New Jersey this season.
by Ryan Dixon - March 18, 2010 11:45 AM EDT
Montreal's been on a tear of late and it's been second-tier guys as much as the headliners who deserve the credit.
Being bottom-heavy certainly isn’t weighing down the Montreal Canadiens.
The fact Scott Gomez has finally come to life has certainly helped the Habs, winners of six straight.
by Ryan Dixon - March 11, 2010 12:15 PM EST
Each of the top teams have legitimate concerns heading into the playoffs, which makes this year's bracket primed for upsets.
The NHL playoffs are never hard to get excited about, but when you inject the fallibility factor into this year’s pending series of best-of-seven showdowns, the layers of intrigue multiply like San Jose springtime failures.
by Ryan Dixon - March 5, 2010 3:30 PM EST
Is Carolina sacrificing a future star for a late-season push? Was Dan Ellis close to being traded? When will Buffalo wake up? And a handshake for the ages.
A few wondering hockey thoughts to tee up the weekend.
• The first live NHL game I saw after watching the Olympics was the Carolina Hurricanes at the Toronto Maple Leafs.
by Ryan Dixon - March 4, 2010 1:15 PM EST
The man who almost put Canada into OT in the Olympic semifinal will now be looked upon by Vancouver aid to help a Stanley Cup run.
With the 2010 deadline providing more trade blahs than buzz, we decided to go outside the scope of swaps to discuss an addition that could pay dividends between now and the warm day when the Stanley Cup gets handed out.
by Ryan Dixon - February 23, 2010 9:40 AM EST
It's time for the home team to stop looking for others to step up and to start taking it upon themselves to make something happen.
If Team Canada is to stir up a rallying cry at the Olympics, they’ll need every voice on site to contribute.
The path to gold got a bit longer than Canada had hoped for after they lost to the Americans Sunday, but that doesn’t mean all is lost for a team that has more than enough talent to overcome a setback or two.
by Ryan Dixon - February 18, 2010 12:28 PM EST
The main justification for a potential Canada flop at the Games is the crushing pressure of playing in front of a home crowd. But the expectations are there for a reason.
Listen to any Canadian Olympic coverage and you’ll notice a Saskatchewan-sized chasm with regard to how hockey fortunes are couched versus the rest of the events.
by Ryan Dixon - February 11, 2010 2:00 PM EST
In the midst of a slide down the standings, getting their super sniper back on track would go a long ways towards reversing the trend.
With the world’s best countries ready to gather for an elite display of hockey skill that could color the experience of an entire generation of die-hard fans, this seems like the perfect time to… look right past the Olympics and figure out if Buffalo Sabres supporters are set to have their hearts broken again.
Advertisement
This Week - Subscribe NowHow many more overtime periods will be played in the Stanley Cup final?
Advertisement
"If we do pick first, we're leaning more toward one of those three forwards."
- Colorado's executive vice president of hockey operations, Joe Sakic, on what the Avalanche plan to do with the first overall pick at the June 30 entry draft. Many were expecting Colorado to take defenseman Seth Jones.
A TC Media site, Consumer Solutions
