Playoff Goals
Like other NHL franchises, the Red Wings are looking for another playoff berth. While their offensive skills are simply unparalleled, the focus has also been in goaltending this season. According to the fans and media alike, the Red Wings goaltending may be enough to secure another playoff entry. In fact, the team recently commented on the spectacular performances of Jimmy Howard last season. As a seasoned goalie, Howard has successfully defended the net and contributed to several Red Wing victories. While only 27, he is considered a remarkable talent with all the potential to secure greatness. Howard’s stunning performance against the San Jose Sharks, heralded him to greater heights within the franchise. According to General Manager, Ken Holland, Jimmy Howard’s consistency throughout the post-season helped the team a great deal. For the Upstate New York native, this season promises to further showcase his amazing goaltending skills.

In addition to Howard, the Red Wings are also banking on Ty Conklin. As a mainstay with the Red Wings since July, Conklin is considered one of the best backup goalies in the league. With years of extensive experience, Conklin simply offers the Red Wings additional veteran experience and firepower. With Howard and Conklin in net, the Red Wings are certainly slated to make another deep run into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The prospect of securing another league championship is also there as well.

Anthony is in his sixth season in the NHL and Chris fourth but they have never met before in a match. This is actually the first time the two brothers will face each other in a National Hockey League game. Chris Stewart who says that he owes his career to his brother who had persuaded him to join the ice game as opposed to football has better numbers as compared to his brother. He has 69 goals to 20 for Anthony and 138 points to 53 points of the elder brother. However, their meeting in Friday’s game will be a comparison show in the same game against each other.

The Blues are the favorites here but the Carolina Hurricanes are looking forward to spoil the party for the Blues. The game will be the first meeting between the Hurricanes and the Blues this season which makes the Blues want to take some revenge on the Carolina Hurricanes because the last time the two met in December 11, 2010, the Hurricanes won a 2-1 victory at Scottrade Center. The 2011-12 season started off poorly for the Hurricanes which lost its first three games but after their October 10th loss at New Jersey, they have won their next three matches straight against other teams such as the Buffalo team and the Bruins who are the defending Stanley Cup champions. They defeated Bruins both at home and again in Boston. The Hurricanes are so then looking to take two points in St. Louis for a home stretch four-game win.

The Blues have also had a rough start of the season with anticipations of a playoff berth; things are not looking good for them, the needs some allpro performances for their stars. They are going to be playing eight of nine games on the road. The Friday’s game against Hurricanes being the only game they will play at home. They have had a 1-3-0 stretch in their first four games which puts them in a desperate situation to clinch this win against Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are hoping as the wait to wrap up their four-game trip in Winnipeg which will be played on Saturday night, the game at Gateway City will be another win like their previous wins in St. Louis ever since January 5th, 2008.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a loss against Dallas that resulted in a home and home series sweep over the last two games. Columbus lost their last game at home against the Dallas Stars by a score of 3-2 to drop to their 0-5-1 regular season record. For the Blue Jackets they got good performances out of Derrick Brassard and Kris Russell who scored their two goals and their goaltender Steve Mason had 15 saves on 18 shots while filling in for the starting goalie. Columbus has been riddled with injuries this season as their starting and backup goaltenders have been out of action so far this season. As a result Mason is now the goaltender and will start tonight against the Red Wings. The Blue Jackets centerman Jeff Carter has been placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with an injured foot and is expected to miss two weeks.

The Red Wings on the other hand have had a promising season so far this year. They are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over Minnesota this past Saturday night. Therefore the Red Wings have had plenty of time to rest and prepare for this game and should be ready to play. In Saturday’s game Johan Franzen was the hero as he scored the game winning goal in overtime to clinch the victory. Detroit goaltender Jim Howard made 12 saves to help his team preserve the win. With the win, Detroit is off to its best start since the 1997-98 season when they won the second of back to back Stanley Cup championships.

Both teams have performed okay in the respective settings of tonight’s game. Last season the Red Wings went 21-14-6 at home while the Blue Jackets went 17-16-8 on the road. However the Red Wings are undefeated at home this season with a 2-0 record while the Blue Jackets are winless on the road with an 0-2 record. Something has got to give tonight as it should be a good competitive contest.

The midfield, defense, and goalkeeper positions may not be able to hold off teams enough to get wins. The exciting, pressure and attack oriented style that Vermes will employ will leave the team vulnerable to counter attacks, which will force them to be up to the challenge of stopping other teams heading into their zone with a full head of steam. If the defense, led by Brazilian Julio Cesar, can not slow teams down, then the pressure will truly be on the talented group of forwards to score goals and win high-scoring shootouts.

Either way, Sporting Kansas City should be one of the more exciting teams to watch during this MLS season, and after a lot of disappointment a year ago, they may be able to surprise people this year, not only getting into the playoffs, but scoring their way to a shot at the MLS championship.

A wild card for Sporting KC this season that deserves some attention could be NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco (formerly Chad Johnson) who will be trying out for the team, and is serious about playing professional soccer, which he says he preferred to playing professional football growing up. With his incredible athleticism, his attempt to play soccer and contribute to Sporting KC should not be dismissed.

games and in 2008 he was Houston’s golden boot award winner and the team MVP. With 45 caps and 10 goals for the US national team chain nearly missed the 2010 World Cup roster that has been an important part of US soccer for years.

His ability to score goals and can clutch times during the game is a large part of the reason coaches love to have him on the field. Part of chains of success is due to the fact that he played at college soccer backwater in Gonzaga a small program in Washington state. His desire for to succeed and make a name for himself despite the fact that he didn’t play for a prominent college program has propelled integrate MLS success. It has made him a tremendous leader for teammates and younger players to look up to.

At 32 years old Ching is still able to score and keep up with younger players but has the savvy of an experience veteran. Back to full health, Ching should be a major driving force behind the 2011 Houston Dynamo. His explosive and unselfish play should ensure that the team is able to create offensive opportunities even when the opposing defense is keyed in on Ching. Creating space off the ball with his penetrating runs, and quick shooting when a defense is off balance should allow Ching to be effective all year.

How have the Penguin’s done it? How about the best penalty killing in the league and a duo of goalies, #1 Marc-Andre Fleury, and #2 Brent Johnson who both have GAA of around 2.33. So with two injuries that may have killed any other team’s chances, the reason why the Penguins have continued to thrive may have more to do with the way that the team plays then any of the stats you see on the page. Even with Crosby being, arguably, the most popular player in the league, the Penguins have always been more a team then a supporting cast. The team has rallied together not because they have lost their superstar, but instead because they lost a valueable member of the team. The difference is that instead of feeling like a crisis, they have treated it like a challenge which they are ready to take on.

So how will the Penguins perform in the playoffs? In truth, it all comes down to their goaltending. With their two offensive weapons gone, a run in the playoffs will have to be predicated on whether or not the Theury and Johnson can continue to hold their opponent to two or less goals a game. If they can continue to kill penalties and get goals where they can, you may be surprised at how far the Penguins may be able to go. Of course, if they can win another cup without their two superstar players, don’t expect Bylsma’s to get another extension, expect him to get his own freakin’ statue.

Injuries and streaks continue to be a concern for the Penguins. Center Jordan Staal recently returned from foot and hand injuries, but is slowly adapting his game back to a high level. Evgeni Malkin is mired in one of his worst runs of form in his career, but has shown flashes of brilliance over the past few weeks. The Penguins will need Malkin to play at or near the top of his game until team captain Sidney Crosby returns to the lineup.

Crosby has been sidelined with a concussion, but should return to the lineup fairly soon. Saying Sidney is having a fine NHL season is something of an understatement, as his run of twenty five consecutive games with a point catapulted him to the front of the scoring race. Once the streak stopped however, Crosby seemed to struggle to find his goal scoring touch. The Penguins rely on Crosby to produce chances for the rest of the team, especially on the power play, and his absence in the lineup can be felt.

Still, going deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs requires strong play in goal, and goal tender Marc-Andre Fleury has been magnificent for long stretches this season. However, Fleury has also appeared rattled at times giving up early and easy goals. Brent Johnson, on the other hand, has also played well when given the chance, but is likely not the goalie the Pens will rely on in the playoffs and down the stretch.

The Penguins will need some inspired play from their goaltenders to get their hands on the Stanley Cup again, but they are a young team with some of the best players in the league, which means they stand a great chance of making a long run into the post season.

Net minding duties have been split between Tim Thomas and Ras Tuukka. These two goaltenders have provided a solid presence for the team. The goals against average for the team ranks among the best in the NHL for the first half of the season. With solid goaltending the remainder of the team has it a little easier on the ice.

The defense is anchored by Zdeno Chara, the all star defenseman and captain of the Bruins. Other defensemen include Matt Bartkowski and Johnny Boychuk. These three players have proven strong defenders. Their presence on the team for 2010 allows the Bruins to play a more aggressive form of hockey.

The offense of the 2010- 2011 Bruins has many stellar athletes. Patrice Bergeron, back from injuries and Mark Recchi are the leaders of the offense. The Bruins can easily score multiple goals in a game period as was seen in their recent victory over the New Jersey Devils when there were five Bruins goals in the final period.

With a team that is coming together, and most players back from injuries, the Boston Bruins are poised to make a serious run into the playoffs for 2011. The road to the Stanley Cup is long and there are many opportunities to fall. With the current roster of the Boston team and the depth of players available to the coaching staff it is likely the Bruins will make the playoffs as one of the top seeds In the Eastern Conference. Once the second season starts the players will have to remain focused and work together to return the cup to Boston for the first time since the early 1970s.

There are many great hockey teams in the NHL that are ready to claim the Stanley Cup this year. The Boston Bruins have proven a capable competitor for the likes of the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins. As the season enters the second half as long as the Bruins stay focused they may return the cup to the hub of all spots this year.

The major changes made from last year were a new coach, Guy Boucher, and a new general manager, Steve Yzerman. The team signed a new backup goaltender, Dan Ellis, during the off season, and traded with the Philadelphia Flyers for left wing Simon Gagne.

The team’s young superstar, Steven Stamkos, skates on a line with the former Hart Trophy winner, Martin St. Louis, and tough guy Steve Downie. This line is as good as any currently skating in the NHL, and is a scoring threat every time they step on the ice. As last year’s co-winner of the Rocket Richard trophy for most goals scored, Stamkos currently leads the league with 33 goals scored. Additional scoring depth is provided by forwards Vincent Lecavalier, Ryan Malone, and Simon Gagne.

The problem areas for the Tampa Bay Lightning are goaltending and consistent play. They also have some young defensemen who need additional experience before reaching their potential. Goaltending for Tampa has been bad over many stretches of the season. One goalie, Mike Smith, sprained his left knee in December and is out for two or three more weeks. Smith and Ellis combined for the worst save percentage in the league before Smith was injured.

Yzerman quickly moved to trade for an experienced goaltender after Smith’s injury. He traded prospect Ty Wishart to the New York Islanders for Dwayne Roloson, a 41 year old goaltender with NHL playoff experience. Unfortunately, Roloson has been inconsistent and has been pulled in some games in favor of Ellis. Since they have already made one trade to improve their goaltending, it is unlikely that Yzerman will make another move in this area.

Barring major injuries to their key scorers, such as Stamkos and St. Louis, the Lightning will make the playoffs. However, unless the goaltending improves, the Tampa Bay team is a long shot to win the Stanley Cup, and they could lose in the first round of the playoffs.

For the New York Rangers to continue in the playoff hunt, they must rely on their defense and excellent goaltending from Henrik Lundqvist. With a capable backup like Martin Biron, Lundqvist will be well rested for the stretch run. Lundqvist has a career record of 196-124 and a goal against average of 2.32. The New York Rangers have a season average of 2.4 goals against good enough to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The New York Rangers have a penalty kill rate of 83%, ninth in the league. Their defense is what is carrying them.

The New York Rangers have dropped some of their older players and replaced them with younger, hard-working players. Gone are players like Wade Redden and Olli Joikinen. One such younger player is Brandon Dubinsky at age 24 is turning into a team leader. So far this season he has 17 goals and 21 assists. Dubinsky leads the Rangers in goals and assists along with total points at 38. He is on a pace to have more than 60 points at the end of the season and the Rangers will need his scoring in the playoffs.

The New York Rangers have a 2.8 goals per game which ranks them 15th in the National Hockey League, along with a power play percentage of just 15.9, which is 22nd in the league. These must improve if they want to make any noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.