Kukla's Korner Hockey

Sather Has Confidence In His Rangers

by Paul on 05/16/13 at 09:39 AM ET
Comments (0)

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

“I know it’s going to be tough, but I’m confident in this group,” Sather said. “We were good enough to beat Washington, and we’ll have to be better than that in order to beat Boston.

“So much of a series like this comes down to the goaltending, you know all the clichés, but when you’ve got a guy there like Henrik [Lundqvist], you have to feel pretty good about your team.”

Other things Sather, who does not discuss his March prostate cancer surgery, feels pretty good about: a) Rick Nash, who failed to score a goal in the seven-game series against the Caps; b) the club’s depth in the wake of the deals at the deadline that brought Derick Brassard, John Moore and Derek Dorsett from Columbus (and the sidelined Ryane Clowe from San Jose); c) Mats Zuccarello; and, d) his coach, John Tortorella.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: glen+sather

Wings/Blackhawks The Only Game In Town Tonight

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 07:20 PM ET
Comments (0)

The game should start around 8:10pm ET or so and can be viewed on NBCSN, CBC and RDS.

Use the comment section if you'd like to talk about the game or anything related to the playoffs.

Enjoy!

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

All Bob Murray

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 03:53 PM ET
Comments (6)

On the Detroit series
I didn’t expect to have meetings with players at this moment. But we got beat. We got schooled. We got schooled by a very good playoff team and they schooled us from top to bottom, and it’s something we have to deal with here going forward. We got beat.

On losing Toni Lydman to injury
Losing Toni Lydman in this series really hurt more than you guys will ever know. He could play against two great players. He knew how to play against Datsyuk and Zetterberg. That was a big blow to us. They beat us. We have to get better.

On what changes need to be made
As I’m standing here today, I’m telling you it won’t be the same team next year. We made a lot of good steps, we’ve got a lot of good kids, but it will not be the same next year. I promise you that. It’s not good enough. It’s not good enough.

continued at the Ducks website...

Filed in: NHL Teams, Anaheim Ducks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Raffi Torres Looking At Possible 5+ Games Suspension

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 02:16 PM ET
Comments (36)

via TSN,

San Jose Sharks forward Raffi Torres is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing for his hit on Jarret Stoll of the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 on Tuesday.

The league has offered an in-person hearing, meaning Torres could be suspended for five or more games.

Stoll did not return to the game for the third period after being hit by Torres in the second period and Kings head coach Darryl Sutter said they "weren't resting" him.

watch the hit here if you missed it...

added 3:37pm,

 

Filed in: NHL Teams, San Jose Sharks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: raffi+torres

TiqIQ Ticket Preview: Red Wings vs. Blackhawks

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 02:15 PM ET
Comments (3)

By Eli Epstein, TiqIQ

It took seven games, but a Detroit Red Wings team that almost didn’t make the playoffs showed up in a big way in the first round, ousting the second-seeded Anaheim Ducks in a series not many pundits expected the Wings to win. Not only did Detroit move on, they did so behind the stellar net play of star goalie Jimmy Howard, who posted a 2.74 Goals Against Average in the series.

Up front, the Wings had a balanced offensive attack, carrying six players who scored two or more goals in round one. Superstars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk will always be the Wings’ bread and butter, but solid scoring outputs from grinders like Dan Cleary and Justin Abdelkader, which the Wings thankfully received, will propel Detroit to the next level.

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, | KK Hockey | Permalink
  Tags: tiqiq

Let’s Play Two At Yankee Stadium

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 01:58 PM ET
Comments (2)

NEW YORK (May 15, 2013) – Two outdoor regular-season NHL^® games will be played at Yankee Stadium during the 2013-14 season as part of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series^™ the National Hockey League announced today.

The two games scheduled for Yankee Stadium are:

New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014 12:30 p.m. ET

New York Rangers at New York Islanders
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014 7:30 p.m. ET
 

Continue Reading »

Filed in: NHL Teams, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

How Bad Could It Hurt?

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 01:34 PM ET
Comments (2)

I admit I am a day late on this one.  I read it yesterday and decided you the reader may have had enough of Leafs talk so I did not post but did re-tweet it.

After a few emails asking me about it, I decided to post it today.

from Sean McIndoe of Grantland,

There’s a secret that Toronto fans aren’t supposed to talk about, but after what happened Monday night, I don’t care about anything anymore, so here it is: Heading into Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, Leafs fans were OK with losing.

Not "OK" as in we wouldn't care. Leafs fans wanted a win, were hoping for a win, and — in some cases — may even have talked ourselves into expecting a win. And we were ready for the three hours of agony we knew were coming. A Game 7 in the NHL playoffs is pure torture, and Leaf supporters were feeling that every bit as much as fans of the Bruins.

But there was an insurance policy, because the 2013 Leafs season was already a success. A team that hadn’t made the playoffs in seven seasons and was expected to miss them yet again had ended the drought. Young players who’d been written off as busts suddenly emerged. A franchise that floundered for a decade had finally found an identity. And though they were written off after falling behind three games to one in a series against a team that had spent the last few years kicking sand in their faces, the Leafs clawed back with a pair of gutsy wins to force a deciding game.

A loss would sting for a while, sure. But it couldn’t really hurt, not the way big losses are supposed to. It couldn’t leave a scar, whether it came in a blowout or sudden death or somewhere in between.

continued

Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Morning Line

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 10:59 AM ET
Comments (18)

When you have an owner who acts like a teddy bear, who wants to be loved by his players and who talks tough only when somebody criticizes his beloved employees, what do you expect? His years of country-club attitude create the atmosphere where Ovechkin can embarrass the NHL and the Caps by telling a Russian reporter, “The refereeing . . . how can there be no penalties at all [on one team] during the playoffs? I am not saying there was a phone call from [the league], but someone just wanted Game 7. For the ratings. The lockout . . . the league needs to make profit.” (What, no KGB?)

When you have a general manager who has been in his job 16 years but hasn’t been to the Stanley Cup finals since his first year and that GM builds teams designed to win in the regular season and fill up the rink for his boss but not to weather the demands of the playoffs, why would you think he’s going to win it all?

When you have a star who was made captain not because he deserved it but in the hopes that it would prod him to get in better shape, cut down his carousing and show some leadership, why be shocked when he scores fewer goals (one) in a first-round exit than Rangers fourth-liner Arron Asham?

-Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post where you can read more on the Capitals.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Washington Capitals, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Senators Have Some Work To Do

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 05:30 AM ET
Comments (0)

via Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

While the Senators owned the Montreal Canadiens in Round 1, they found out the Penguins are going to offer a whole different challenge and if they don't get their act together quickly the stay in the post-season won't be as long as they like.

"We all know we've got to have a better effort throughout than we did (Tuesday)," said captain Daniel Alfredsson. "There will be analysing going on from everybody and adjust for Game 2.

"I thought we did a pretty good job 5-on-5 but overall I don't think we can be happy with the game. We have a lot to be faster in our decision making for us to be a faster team and we weren't that (in this game)."

The Senators also believe they have to do a better job trying to get in front of goalie Tomas Vokoun.

"We have to be stronger in front of both nets: Keep them out of ours and get some better chances ourselves," said Alfredsson.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

Kings Continue To Impress

by Paul on 05/15/13 at 05:26 AM ET
Comments (1)

from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

That swagger comes from rediscovering the ways in which the Kings found success last season.

Jonathan Quick stingy in net? Check.

A blue-line corps led by Drew Doughty, Robyn Regehr, Rob Scuderi and Slava Voynov balancing swift puck-moving abilities with strong physical play? Check.

A suffocating penalty kill? Check.

Rolling four forward lines without hesitation? Check.

And while Quick no doubt will continue to receive most of the attention for yet another gem on this night -- a 35-save shutout, boosting his playoff save percentage to .953 -- to me another important catalyst on this team once again is Mike Richards.

For a second spring in a row, the second-line center is bringing it at playoff time.

more

Filed in: NHL Teams, Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks, | KK Hockey | Permalink
 

« Previous       ‹ First  < 4 5 6 7 8 >  Last ›      Next »