Dallas Stars Playoff Bound

The Dallas Stars clinched a playoff berth for the first time in eight years, while it has been a while since the Stars tasted post season hockey, this will be an exciting time for the young Stars team. Once you make the post season, anything can happen and the Stars have about as good a chance as anyone else in the playoffs. Because it is about getting hot when it matters most. 

To read the rest, continue to Kody’s Sports Korner

Top 10 First Round Series In NHL History

jsportsblogger

The first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs is often the most thrilling time in the sport. Upsets are plentiful and the action is intense. The NHL playoffs might just be the best playoffs in all of sport and the first round is a big reason why. Here are the 10 best first round matchups in NHL history.

1982: Los Angeles vs. Edmonton

The 1981-82 season was dominated by The Great One. Wayne Gretzky had a storybook season for the Edmonton Oilers, shattering the NHL records for goals, (92) assists, (120) and points (212) in a season. Gretzky’s incredible performance propelled the Oilers to first place in the Smythe Division, and were considered heavy favourites in their first round series against the Los Angeles Kings. This should have been a mismatch. The Kings finished a whopping 48 points behind the Oilers in the standings. Instead, it turned out to be…

View original post 2,592 more words

Dallas Stars Playoff Hopes

Dallas Stars currently on the outside looking in, for playoff spot

The Dallas stars are so very close to being in the playoff sport, as of the 27th, they are three points out of the last playoff spot in the west. While they have been playing good hockey and could be in position to  make the playoffs, they are going to need some help at this point, because they only have one game left against the team in front of them.

to read the rest, please continue to Kody’s Sports Korner

Chicago Blackhawks vs. Boston Bruins preview

The appearance of the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals surprises absolutely no one; they opened the season with 24 straight games recoding a point, obliterating the previous record of 17. Since 24 games represented a full one half of the entire lockout shortened season, they had essentially won their division before the first month was even over. By the time they lost their first game on March 8^th they had a stranglehold on the entire Western Conference.

Boston, on the other hand, has flown under the radar all year. They faced questions about their defensive core midseason and a minor goalie controversy. At the deadline, they got left at the altar by Jarome Iginla and were minutes away from elimination against the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs. It isn’t unfair or inappropriate to state that Boston’s appearance in the Finals is surprising.

Even more shocking is how they did it. Continue reading →

The Green Mile

Let’s not kid ourselves about how this turns out. The Penguins season ended Wednesday night when Patrice Bergeron deftly took a feed from Brad Marchand and tucked it inside the far post behind Tomas Vokoun.

No iron this time, nothing but net.

League rules require the Penguins and Bruins to play until Boston wins its fourth game, but that’s really a formality at this point. The eternal optimists in Pittsburgh will point out the Bruins blew a 3-0 lead in a series as recently as 2010, but that actually makes them less likely to do it again, not more-so. If anything the historic collapse against the Flyers taught them exactly how to avoid it. Continue reading →

And then there were 4.

Well I missed Ottawa in the first round, and I missed LA in the second round. But I’m not the first person to underestimate the Kings the last few years. But what a semifinal round it was.

This is just a sampling. Mike Rice getting fired from Rutgers didn’t stir up this kind of emotion from ex-players…and he threw stuff at people.

The dissection of Ottawa at the hands of Pittsburgh was cold and surgical. After pouring in 23 goals in 5 games behind the best defense in the Eastern conference they emphatically put everyone else on notice.

The Bruins pounding the hapless Rangers cost John Tortorella his job, and no one was surprised. No one seemed to miss him either. In fact I’ve never seen so many players and ex-players publicly applaud a coach being fired before.

LA and San Jose played the greatest series of roller derby ever played on ice. Take that statement however you like. Continue reading →

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Boston Bruins preview

I came to terms with the Penguins place in the NHL a few years ago.

They are the Yankees, LA Lakers and the Patriots.

They are the team that die-hard fans outside of Pittsburgh loathe with a visceral hatred usually reserved for Nazi’s,  root canals and tofu. Continue reading →

8

In the end it was simply to much for the Senators.

To much Neal. To much Crosby. To much Malkin. Iginla. Letang. Hell, even to much Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke.

The Senators didn’t just crack, they shattered. In an elimination game and down by 3 Sergei Gonchar, their most seasoned and accomplished defensemen, had a terrible giveaway to James Neal.And just like that they were down by 4. It was that kind of game for the only remaining Canadian team in these playoffs. Continue reading →

9

Admit it Penguins fans: You were worried.

For a moment.

For 20 or so minutes you were wringing your hands and washing down Thursday’s Xanax with a Coors light. After Kyle Turris jumped on a ugly Vokoun rebound and buried his fifth of the playoffs with nary a Penguin in sight, you were worried.

For 20 minutes you mentally cursed the names of Martin….Fluery….Letang…Malkin….all of the usual suspects we hang the collar on after a disappointing loss.

But barely 2 minutes into the 2nd period Kunitz and Iginla reminded us why Las Vegas pegged the Penguins as the odds on favorite to win the Stanley Cup. And it isn’t because Mr. Burkle has a diamond studded player’s club card from the Bellagio and a 7 figure bar tab. Continue reading →

Lack of focus

About a month ago I got a speeding ticket. Anyone who knows me that I am no stranger to the occasional traffic citation.

Not because I wasn’t aware that here were laws governing the allowable speed on Pennsylvania highways. This was not the first time I have ever received a speeding ticket.

Not because I wasn’t aware of what the speed limit was. It was clearly posted.

I just wasn’t paying attention. Or perhaps more importantly, I was hoping nobody else was paying attention as I blew down the turnpike at 78 mph. As it turns out there was someone paying attention and he very politely and professionally charged me $176 for my lack of focus. Continue reading →