Guys, did not get around to watch any of today's games, so really just a quick update so I have all the days covered when I read this back in a while :)
[Germany-Finland] 4-5. Whoa, the first loss for Germany this tournament. But against the Finns who of course have a repute to protect. But the reports tell me the Finns had no walk in the park and had some goaltending issues. And the game had to go all the way to SO to be decided so there is no shame in losing for the Germans. Plus I learnt something today: a player can appear twice in the SO lol ... did not know that, or is it an IIHF rule only? If - unlike me - you do have a clue, please drop me a comment about this!
[Canada-USA] 4-3. Ahhh the good old rivalry. I remember many a Winter Olympics with these two teams headlining *nods reverently*. But this Team USA hardly sets my heart aflutter, whereas Team Canada sports some of my fave NHL Players and is looking pretty good out there. I was not sure what to expect. But we got pace, hits, goals and it went all the way to SO. Speaking of hits, Dion had a big one heheh. If I find it somewhere I will add it for enjoyment! Anyways, in SO Eberle scored as well as ♥ Rick Nash ♥ ... so from my point of view ... good stuff and I am sorry I had to miss it :(
[Czech Republic-Slovakia] 3-2. The Czechs are on a nice roll as they notch down another win. Our NHL-buddies Elias and Havlat did great for the Czech Republic with various assists and goals. And on the whole this must have been an interesting game by the looks of it, with both teams generating chances. In the end the Czechs clinched it and they are looking good.
[Sweden-France] 4-0. Nothing like a a three-goal lead in the first period to kill the opponent's will. It takes a strong team to get back from such a tough start and the French just were not cut out for it. The Swedes simply dominated and smoothly sailed through this one.
Just checked the sked for tomorrow and how we are going to make it through the day, I do not know! Six games tomorrow you crazy hockey fans!
Friday, 6 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Roster Upgrades | May 6th, 2011
So the teams are allowed to add two more players to the roster. So a quick look tells me ...
♦ Canada adds Vermette of the Blue Jackets. OK.
♦ USA adds Jack Campbell of the Windsor Spitfires. Who?
♦ Russia adds Ovi.
So looking at the list above ... who else had to laugh at the American addition? lol
Click here for the full article on the IIFC site!
♦ Canada adds Vermette of the Blue Jackets. OK.
♦ USA adds Jack Campbell of the Windsor Spitfires. Who?
♦ Russia adds Ovi.
So looking at the list above ... who else had to laugh at the American addition? lol
Click here for the full article on the IIFC site!
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 4 | May 6th, 2011
Just one game last night, giving me some time to recuperate. Finally a series that performs a bit according to my predictions, but I have no emotional ties to either team so it does not really help me fight off my upcoming Playoffs Round 2 depression ;)
[Nucks-Preds] 4-2. Nucks lead series 3-1. A few notable things:
- Kesler makes scoring look so easy ...
- A Sedin Twin finally scores. An empty-netter. But this far into the Playoffs I bet Henrik does not care. Any goal is appreciated by now lol ... interesting enough in my original predictions I did mention the Sedin twins would not perform that great. Maybe I do have some psychic abilities lol
- Suter loses his temper big time. Quite out of character I read all over the place. Kesler does some acting and plays the innocent party. Suter is annoyed and tells the journos that Kesler hit Mike Fisher in the face and that all he wanted to do was to make sure that Kesler knew that was unacceptable. But grabbing someone by the head and shoulders and chuck them on the ice hardly sounds like the proper thing to do. At least Suter owned up to it and said he should not have done it
Tonight's games are already making me feel nervous, both my Flyers and the Red Wings face losing their respective series 4-0. SWEEP! I hope not ... but I am very worried. Very, very worried.
Oh, and here my predictions. Not looking good at all lol
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved
PS ... No, Keith Urban + Nicole Kidman + Annoying Green Men are NOT notable imho ;)
[Nucks-Preds] 4-2. Nucks lead series 3-1. A few notable things:
- Kesler makes scoring look so easy ...
- Suter loses his temper big time. Quite out of character I read all over the place. Kesler does some acting and plays the innocent party. Suter is annoyed and tells the journos that Kesler hit Mike Fisher in the face and that all he wanted to do was to make sure that Kesler knew that was unacceptable. But grabbing someone by the head and shoulders and chuck them on the ice hardly sounds like the proper thing to do. At least Suter owned up to it and said he should not have done it
Tonight's games are already making me feel nervous, both my Flyers and the Red Wings face losing their respective series 4-0. SWEEP! I hope not ... but I am very worried. Very, very worried.
Oh, and here my predictions. Not looking good at all lol
My Whimsical Playoffs Predictions - New & Improved
PS ... No, Keith Urban + Nicole Kidman + Annoying Green Men are NOT notable imho ;)
Thursday, 5 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 7 | May 5th, 2011
Today I could not decide on an evening game to watch, so I ended up watching bits of both Russia vs Denmark and Switzerland vs Norway.
[Slovenia-Latvia] 5-2. Relegation Round. This is the first time Slovenia beat Latvia on a World Championship! And by no meager numbers either, while in previous meetings the Slovenians hardly got to score a goal. They were eager, while Latvia was playing a bit under par. Jeglic thought it may have to do with the fact that the Latvians had not anticipated to play in the Relegation Round in the first place. Whatever the case, the Slovenians took a right step in the direction of staying in the top division today.
[Belarus-Austria] 7-2. Relegation Round. In the Preliminary Round Belarus hardly managed to score at all, so it was a big relief to the guys to finally get going and net some pucks! My Leafie Grabovski also scored and all in all the guys played a relaxed, loose game. That is probably the ticket to wins as it is. The minute a team gets too nervous the flow sort of stagnates. So glad to see Belarus got their groove back.
[Russia-Denmark] 4-3. Although the Russians found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first period, in the end it was a smooth game for them. They recovered in the second period by adding two goals to the scoreboard and in the third period they made it 4-2. The Danes tried to get back into the game and after a bit of effort managed to score to make it 4-3. But honestly, the Russians did not even put in very much effort. They just seemed very much in control. And I am thinking that maybe at times they did not even take this game too seriously ;) ... cause I witnessed some fun and playful moves towards the end. Afinogenov went behind the goal, then chipped the puck over the goal to a teammate in front of the Danish goalie and said Russian tried to bat it in ... did not work out, but it was fun to see!
[Switzerland-Norway] 3-2. Qualification Round. I missed the first period, but tuned in for the second and I was disappointed for two reasons. First of all, I like Norway, but during the Spengler Cup I grew a liking to the Swiss teams attending. They played a fast, action-packed game. So I was hoping to see the Swiss do well, but instead they were trailing. And second of all, it was a boring game! The Swiss did not show the enthusiams I was expecting and the Norwegians seemed happy with how things were going and hardly did anything to make it a more exciting game. So I switched to Russia-Denmark instead. But there you have it, Norway kept the lead and is looking good in terms of points!
Interesting games tomorrow. Especially looking forward to Canada-USA! And I wonder how Germany will fare against the Finns. Exciting times I hope!
[Slovenia-Latvia] 5-2. Relegation Round. This is the first time Slovenia beat Latvia on a World Championship! And by no meager numbers either, while in previous meetings the Slovenians hardly got to score a goal. They were eager, while Latvia was playing a bit under par. Jeglic thought it may have to do with the fact that the Latvians had not anticipated to play in the Relegation Round in the first place. Whatever the case, the Slovenians took a right step in the direction of staying in the top division today.
[Belarus-Austria] 7-2. Relegation Round. In the Preliminary Round Belarus hardly managed to score at all, so it was a big relief to the guys to finally get going and net some pucks! My Leafie Grabovski also scored and all in all the guys played a relaxed, loose game. That is probably the ticket to wins as it is. The minute a team gets too nervous the flow sort of stagnates. So glad to see Belarus got their groove back.
[Russia-Denmark] 4-3. Although the Russians found themselves trailing 2-1 after the first period, in the end it was a smooth game for them. They recovered in the second period by adding two goals to the scoreboard and in the third period they made it 4-2. The Danes tried to get back into the game and after a bit of effort managed to score to make it 4-3. But honestly, the Russians did not even put in very much effort. They just seemed very much in control. And I am thinking that maybe at times they did not even take this game too seriously ;) ... cause I witnessed some fun and playful moves towards the end. Afinogenov went behind the goal, then chipped the puck over the goal to a teammate in front of the Danish goalie and said Russian tried to bat it in ... did not work out, but it was fun to see!
[Switzerland-Norway] 3-2. Qualification Round. I missed the first period, but tuned in for the second and I was disappointed for two reasons. First of all, I like Norway, but during the Spengler Cup I grew a liking to the Swiss teams attending. They played a fast, action-packed game. So I was hoping to see the Swiss do well, but instead they were trailing. And second of all, it was a boring game! The Swiss did not show the enthusiams I was expecting and the Norwegians seemed happy with how things were going and hardly did anything to make it a more exciting game. So I switched to Russia-Denmark instead. But there you have it, Norway kept the lead and is looking good in terms of points!
Interesting games tomorrow. Especially looking forward to Canada-USA! And I wonder how Germany will fare against the Finns. Exciting times I hope!
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 3 & 4 | May 5th, 2011
If I had a less sunny disposition I would be very depressed this morning! I did not sleep well in general and waking up to a bunch of losses - from my point of view anyways - hardly gave me the morning start I was looking for ;) ... where to start? My first thought: What The Hell Is Going On?!?!
[Caps-Bolts] 3-5. Bolts sweep the series with 4-0. Wow, I never expected this. I dig the Bolts and I know they are a tough team to play but a 4-0 sweep is just amazing. Expected them to make things difficult for the Caps, but definitely had the Caps pegged as series winner. Looking at the games the Bolts did not even outplay the Caps, but somehow they managed to keep the edge and just win. Excellent result for them and their seventh win in a row these Playoffs. Can they keep it up in the Conference Finals? Let me close the chapter on the Caps with a long Ovi-quote: "I don't think we miss something. We have unbelievable team, great locker room, great atmosphere … but we just miss one opportunity to win one game and didn't bounce back. Again, it happened and we're going to see what is going to happen. This locker room is unbelievable. Everybody supports everybody. I hope this same team is going to be here next year." Yes, there is always next year! ;)
[Flyers-Bruins] 1-5. Bruins lead series 3-0. Well, I could totally cry over this result. But lets not go that far hahah. I watched the first fifteen minutes of this game, then I really had to get some sleep, but those two early goals were awesome from a Bruins perspective, but I was thinking "Lavi, chatting with Boosh is not going to save this game". Although admittedly Boosh did look a bit better after the chat - for the rest of the period anyways. And even the rest of my guys looked a bit less ruffled. But that lightning fast Bruins start put a dent in my confidence in the outcome of this game for sure. I tell you, waking up during the night, checking the NHL app nervously, seeing your team is behind 4-1, is not a lot of fun. Seeing the end result was 'only' 5-1 actually felt good :p ... I have DVR'ed this game and I will watch any Flyers game, a loss or not, but I might just skip this one. What do you guys think? Can someone please tell me if Sergei looked half-decent in goal? I hope that the powers that be will finally decide on an experienced and accomplished starter for next year. I am a total Sergei fan and I am positive he will continue to grow as a goalie next year and will be awesome for the Flyers ... but until he reaches that potential it would be great to have someone in net who is NOT Boosh and certainly not Leights. But it is unfair to blame the goalies for everything. I was not impressed by the rest either during the first period. Now, we know that last year we got back from that 3-0 series deficit, but can be do the same this year? I fear Game 4. If my guys show the sheer brilliance I know they possess I will be inclined to still believe. And for the love of all that is good, guys, do not allow the Bruins a full sweep! *worried*
[Sharks-Red Wings] 4-3. Sharks lead series 3-0. An OT win for the Sharks. The various reports I read are fuzzy about this one, I will have to see for myself to make any assumptions I suppose. But having Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the Three Star Selection to me reeks of an awesome game by the Wings, but somehow they just failed to win this one. If I manage to watch this game today I might add a bit more insights, but this it for now.
Hahah, writing this up is actually a bit of a downer for me.
*eats an apple and starts musing about the next round*
[Caps-Bolts] 3-5. Bolts sweep the series with 4-0. Wow, I never expected this. I dig the Bolts and I know they are a tough team to play but a 4-0 sweep is just amazing. Expected them to make things difficult for the Caps, but definitely had the Caps pegged as series winner. Looking at the games the Bolts did not even outplay the Caps, but somehow they managed to keep the edge and just win. Excellent result for them and their seventh win in a row these Playoffs. Can they keep it up in the Conference Finals? Let me close the chapter on the Caps with a long Ovi-quote: "I don't think we miss something. We have unbelievable team, great locker room, great atmosphere … but we just miss one opportunity to win one game and didn't bounce back. Again, it happened and we're going to see what is going to happen. This locker room is unbelievable. Everybody supports everybody. I hope this same team is going to be here next year." Yes, there is always next year! ;)
[Flyers-Bruins] 1-5. Bruins lead series 3-0. Well, I could totally cry over this result. But lets not go that far hahah. I watched the first fifteen minutes of this game, then I really had to get some sleep, but those two early goals were awesome from a Bruins perspective, but I was thinking "Lavi, chatting with Boosh is not going to save this game". Although admittedly Boosh did look a bit better after the chat - for the rest of the period anyways. And even the rest of my guys looked a bit less ruffled. But that lightning fast Bruins start put a dent in my confidence in the outcome of this game for sure. I tell you, waking up during the night, checking the NHL app nervously, seeing your team is behind 4-1, is not a lot of fun. Seeing the end result was 'only' 5-1 actually felt good :p ... I have DVR'ed this game and I will watch any Flyers game, a loss or not, but I might just skip this one. What do you guys think? Can someone please tell me if Sergei looked half-decent in goal? I hope that the powers that be will finally decide on an experienced and accomplished starter for next year. I am a total Sergei fan and I am positive he will continue to grow as a goalie next year and will be awesome for the Flyers ... but until he reaches that potential it would be great to have someone in net who is NOT Boosh and certainly not Leights. But it is unfair to blame the goalies for everything. I was not impressed by the rest either during the first period. Now, we know that last year we got back from that 3-0 series deficit, but can be do the same this year? I fear Game 4. If my guys show the sheer brilliance I know they possess I will be inclined to still believe. And for the love of all that is good, guys, do not allow the Bruins a full sweep! *worried*
[Sharks-Red Wings] 4-3. Sharks lead series 3-0. An OT win for the Sharks. The various reports I read are fuzzy about this one, I will have to see for myself to make any assumptions I suppose. But having Zetterberg and Datsyuk in the Three Star Selection to me reeks of an awesome game by the Wings, but somehow they just failed to win this one. If I manage to watch this game today I might add a bit more insights, but this it for now.
Hahah, writing this up is actually a bit of a downer for me.
*eats an apple and starts musing about the next round*
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
IIHF World Championship | Day 6 | May 4th, 2011
Almost bedtime here, but I had another fun hockey night. Here a write up of today's World Cup action.
[Denmark-Latvia] 3-2. That settled it. The Danes are on to the Qualification Round and the Latvians are headed for the Relegation Round. That is the third time since they joined the Top Division in 1997 and each time they survived. Back to the game. It seemed to be an even game and the end result could have gone either way. Nothing like a shoot-out to test your luck. Although the Danes were a bit more confident as they had won a few exhibition games that went to SO, maybe that really did help.
[Austria-Norway] 0-5. WHOP! That was a whopping result for the Norwegians aka Polar Bears. Cute nickname that. Although they may not appreciate the fact I called them cute. Anyways, I did not know about the 'Polar Bears' till today, but it sure explains why a buddy of mine wears a white bear costume to games lolol ... I assumed it had something to do with the cold and ice and snow, so I never asked. But yeah, things make sense now. Said buddy probably was at that game today. Lets just assume he will partying all evening. Anyways, the Norwegian are safe in the Qualification Round and the Austrians will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round.
[Finland-Czech Republic] 1-2. I am learning new things about international hockey everyday. Apparently these two countries have a bit of an international rivalry going on and often the games are close with only little scoring. I have not seen this game so I will trust the report is correct and that this was a very physical and tough game with both sides taking lots of penalties. Fun bit: Pavelec was very close to a shut-out, but the Finns scored with just 20 seconds left on the clock (6 on 5). Hahah, so close!
[Sweden-USA] 6-2. Watched this game tonight and it was awesome. The first period was interesting enough with the Swedes building pressure and firing a lot of shots at Al Montoya, who bless him, was great. And a bit unexpectedly Team USA equalised on a PP with a bit over a minute to go. The Swedes were great to watch, great skating, great skills. Then the second period started and Montoya went on to disprove my comment about him being great. Basically he mucked up. He was skating behind the goal, trying to keep the puck in the game, but instead of getting rid of it properly, some Swedish guy called Kruger stole the puck and scored, pretty much an empty-netter ;) ... and for the rest of the period the Swedes were on a roll as Mattias Sjogren and Patrik Berglund scored to make it 4-1. The third period did not start very sparkly at all. I was expecting the USA to crank up the speed and start pressuring for a goal, but it was all a bit lacklustre and even the PP the USA had halfway through was played without any real energy. After the PP the Swedes actually upped the pressure a bit with a few good shots at the goal. And just as I was least expecting it, Team USA struck and Wheeler netted one for the USA. With the game against Norway still fresh in mind where they came back from a 2-0 deficit I thought we might be in for some last period fireworks. And we were! But it was the Swedes who made it happen. Where USA failed to pick up speed, Sweden did bring it and they scored two more goals to make it a huge 6-2 win. Ouch Team USA, splendid job by Sweden. Oh, it was also the most physical game I have personally seen at this World Cup, lots of skermishes and fistycuffs and at one point even one of the refs joined in and totally ninja'd a Swedish player. Hopefully someone will eventually upload a vid so I can add it. It amused me!
And I must share this. Some reporter on the IIHF.com site wrote: "The bigger Swedes played a physical, aggressive game that bothered the Americans much of the night." Right. In what universe do some hard as steel NHL/AHL players have issues with a physical and aggresive opponent? *shakes head*
[Denmark-Latvia] 3-2. That settled it. The Danes are on to the Qualification Round and the Latvians are headed for the Relegation Round. That is the third time since they joined the Top Division in 1997 and each time they survived. Back to the game. It seemed to be an even game and the end result could have gone either way. Nothing like a shoot-out to test your luck. Although the Danes were a bit more confident as they had won a few exhibition games that went to SO, maybe that really did help.
[Austria-Norway] 0-5. WHOP! That was a whopping result for the Norwegians aka Polar Bears. Cute nickname that. Although they may not appreciate the fact I called them cute. Anyways, I did not know about the 'Polar Bears' till today, but it sure explains why a buddy of mine wears a white bear costume to games lolol ... I assumed it had something to do with the cold and ice and snow, so I never asked. But yeah, things make sense now. Said buddy probably was at that game today. Lets just assume he will partying all evening. Anyways, the Norwegian are safe in the Qualification Round and the Austrians will have to fight for survival in the Relegation Round.
[Finland-Czech Republic] 1-2. I am learning new things about international hockey everyday. Apparently these two countries have a bit of an international rivalry going on and often the games are close with only little scoring. I have not seen this game so I will trust the report is correct and that this was a very physical and tough game with both sides taking lots of penalties. Fun bit: Pavelec was very close to a shut-out, but the Finns scored with just 20 seconds left on the clock (6 on 5). Hahah, so close!
[Sweden-USA] 6-2. Watched this game tonight and it was awesome. The first period was interesting enough with the Swedes building pressure and firing a lot of shots at Al Montoya, who bless him, was great. And a bit unexpectedly Team USA equalised on a PP with a bit over a minute to go. The Swedes were great to watch, great skating, great skills. Then the second period started and Montoya went on to disprove my comment about him being great. Basically he mucked up. He was skating behind the goal, trying to keep the puck in the game, but instead of getting rid of it properly, some Swedish guy called Kruger stole the puck and scored, pretty much an empty-netter ;) ... and for the rest of the period the Swedes were on a roll as Mattias Sjogren and Patrik Berglund scored to make it 4-1. The third period did not start very sparkly at all. I was expecting the USA to crank up the speed and start pressuring for a goal, but it was all a bit lacklustre and even the PP the USA had halfway through was played without any real energy. After the PP the Swedes actually upped the pressure a bit with a few good shots at the goal. And just as I was least expecting it, Team USA struck and Wheeler netted one for the USA. With the game against Norway still fresh in mind where they came back from a 2-0 deficit I thought we might be in for some last period fireworks. And we were! But it was the Swedes who made it happen. Where USA failed to pick up speed, Sweden did bring it and they scored two more goals to make it a huge 6-2 win. Ouch Team USA, splendid job by Sweden. Oh, it was also the most physical game I have personally seen at this World Cup, lots of skermishes and fistycuffs and at one point even one of the refs joined in and totally ninja'd a Swedish player. Hopefully someone will eventually upload a vid so I can add it. It amused me!
And I must share this. Some reporter on the IIHF.com site wrote: "The bigger Swedes played a physical, aggressive game that bothered the Americans much of the night." Right. In what universe do some hard as steel NHL/AHL players have issues with a physical and aggresive opponent? *shakes head*
Playoffs Daily | SF Game 3 | May 4th, 2011
The state of the Caps is worrisome! Playing some great hockey, but just not scoring goals. Bolts are an interesting bunch though!
[Caps-Bolts] 3-4. Bolts lead series 3-0. Could it really happen? I suppose it could. The Caps might headed for a 4-0 series loss. It is a bit crazy. The Caps dominate yet they cannot seem to score enough goals to keep the Bolts at bay. Let me quote Knuble. I think he summarises it nicely: "They are uncanny when they want to get a goal. It's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'We know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is … it just leaves you flabbergasted." Kudos to the Bolts! Would not mind seeing the Caps win some games at least ...
[Nucks-Preds] 3-2. Nucks lead series 2-1. With the Hawks out of the way I do not really care what happens in this series. Nucks, Preds, all the same to me. Sorry Nucks and Preds fans!! Think I might be a bit biased towards the Nucks, so nice win for them. Ryan Kesler scored the OT, looks to me like that guy shows up when the Nucks need it most. Nucks and Preds fans, feel free to drop your opinion on this game in the comments :)
Tonight we have three games to look forward too. I for one hope my Flyers can put some pucks in the Bruins' net and win this game. The Caps head straight into their next game. Will it be over after tonight or will there still be a sparkle of hope for them? And time for the Wings to win a game in this series too!
[Caps-Bolts] 3-4. Bolts lead series 3-0. Could it really happen? I suppose it could. The Caps might headed for a 4-0 series loss. It is a bit crazy. The Caps dominate yet they cannot seem to score enough goals to keep the Bolts at bay. Let me quote Knuble. I think he summarises it nicely: "They are uncanny when they want to get a goal. It's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'We know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is … it just leaves you flabbergasted." Kudos to the Bolts! Would not mind seeing the Caps win some games at least ...
 |
| Awww, poor Ovi! |
Tonight we have three games to look forward too. I for one hope my Flyers can put some pucks in the Bruins' net and win this game. The Caps head straight into their next game. Will it be over after tonight or will there still be a sparkle of hope for them? And time for the Wings to win a game in this series too!
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