Down the Frozen River

Tag: Brian Boyle

  • 2015 Eastern Conference Finals Preview

    2015 Eastern Conference Finals Preview

    By: Nick Lanciani

    2015 Eastern Conference Finals 

    New York Rangers Logo1) New York Rangers vs. Unknown-12) Tampa Bay Lightning

    Game 1 Saturday, May 16 1 PM EST on NBC

    NYR- Round 1- defeated PIT in 5 games. Round 2- defeated WSH in 7 games. 3rd ECF finals appearance in 4 years (2012, 2014, and 2015).

    TB- Round 1- defeated DET in 7 games. Round 2- defeated MTL in 6 games. 3rd ECF finals appearance in franchise history (2004, 2011, and 2015)- first time since 2011.

    New York Rangers have home ice advantage.

    Henrik Lundqvist is still searching for his first Stanley Cup. Yes, that’s hard to believe for a goalie of his caliber, but it’s true. He’s run into other teams on great runs, most notably the team the New York Rangers just beat on Wednesday night, the Washington Capitals. Some hockey writers argue that Braden Holtby has shown that he can be considered an elite goaltender.

    Wrong.

    He needs another year of performing just like he did this year to cement his status as a potential elite goaltender (fear not, Washington fans- before you bust out the fisticuffs- I think he is capable of doing it, he just needs one more year of stellar play to be considered elite).

    But anyway, back to Lundqvist. He’s backstopped the New York Rangers and kept them in many games throughout the first couple of rounds of the playoffs and it seems as though they are beginning to understand now that you need to score in order to win. And scoring more than one goal is a good thing. Lundqvist has a .944 SV% and a 1.60 GAA in 12 games played so far, whereas Tampa Bay Lightning goalie, Ben Bishop, has a .931 SV% and a 1.81 GAA in 13 GP.

    Both goaltenders have been superb. Bishop’s current run reminds me of Tim Thomas’s 2011 Stanley Cup run with the Boston Bruins in that he has been a large factor in Tampa’s game. The Lightning have had sparks of brilliance when all four lines and all three defensive pairs are rolling right along and things are absolutely fantastic to watch. The Triplet Line aside, the Lightning still have an incredible roster of youth, sprinkled in with some veteran talent and experience.

    Also of note in this year’s Eastern Conference Finals, there are numerous former Lightning players, now Rangers, and former Rangers, now Lightning, going head to head in this series. If that’s not enough alone to hype up, not only who won the trade (remember the Martin St. Louis fiasco?), but the sheer fact that those players were smart enough and lucky enough to leave one good team for another.

    Despite the hype of the pure talent in the West, there is pure grit and heart in the East with amazing storylines of how careers came to be, were shaped, and how they currently are. St. Louis, Dan Boyle, and Dominic Moore all once spent time in Tampa. Brian Boyle, Ryan Callahan, and Anton Stralman have all spent time with the Rangers (please tell me you recall the St. Louis for Callahan trade now).

    The Rangers are the current President’s Trophy champions are should show why they are, however have struggled to get the offensive power on full blast from a night to night basis. Their defense is solid and obviously their goaltending is the cream of the crop. Tampa, on the other hand, has leading goal scorer in the playoffs, Tyler Johnson, alongside the gifted goal scorer Steven Stamkos, and the rest of their powerful roster that can also score on any given night.

    Tampa’s defense is similar to the Rangers, however Bishop certainly is no Lundqvist when it comes to the strength of their net. Should Bishop need to be pulled, Andrei Vasilevsky- A 20 YEAR OLD BACKUP GOALIE- certainly can play well, but is no match for New York’s backup, Cam Talbot (should Lundqvist have a rare off night when things count the most).

    Forget Corsi in this series. Only three players (two from Tampa, one from New York) rank in the top 20 in the playoffs with at least 8 games played. But do remember goaltending, as New York ranks first in fewest goals against per game with 1.67 (Tampa ranks 5th with 2.15). Again, both goalies have left everyone in awe of their athleticism, but how will they respond facing even quicker teams than the ones they faced in the last round?

    The Lightning have scored 2.62 goals for per game so far, meanwhile the Rangers only score about 2.00 goals for per game (15th out of the 16 teams in the playoffs, although technically they are tied for 13th, if that makes you feel better). Both penalty kills are evenly matched (NYR ranks 4th, TB ranks 6th) and as a matter of fact, so are their power play units (TB ranks 9th, NYR rank 11th).

    No matter what, if the Rangers are going to win, they’re going to need their best players to start stepping up and holding their weight- Rick Nash. If the Lightning are going to win, they’re going to need to keep their momentum going and not get discouraged if Lundqvist robs them of a great scoring chance every now and then.

  • 2014 NHL Free Agency Recap

    Recapping all of the signings from the entire day. Updated as necessary when newer deals are signed. Everything that is known is shown.

    Christian Ehrhoff signed a 1 year deal worth $4 million with PIT.

    Manny Malhotra signed a 1 year deal worth $850,000 with MTL.

    Jori Lehtera signed a 2 year deal with STL.

    Mark Fayne signed a 4 year deal worth $3.625 million a year with EDM.

    Benoit Pouliot signed a 5 year deal worth $4 million a year with EDM.

    Chad Johnson signed a 2 year deal worth $1.3 million a year with the NYI.

    Milan Michalek signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with OTT. (Resigned)

    Petr Mrazek signed a 1 year deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Paul Stastny signed a 4 year deal worth $7 million a year with STL.

    Mike Camalleri signed a 5 year a deal worth $5 million a year with NJ.

    Justin Peters signed a 2 year deal with WSH.

    Tom Gilbert signed a 2 year deal worth $2.8 million a year with MTL.

    Brad Malone signed a 2 year deal with CAR.

    Jussi Jokinen signed a 4 year deal worth $4 million a year with FLA.

    Mason Raymond signed a 3 year deal worth $3.167 million a year with CGY.

    Dan Boyle signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 a year with NYR.

    Jiri Sekac signed a 2 year deal worth with MTL.

    Dave Bolland signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with FLA.

    Clayton Stoner signed a 4 year deal worth $3.25 million a year with ANA.

    Mike Weaver signed a 1 year deal worth $1.75 million with MTL. (Resigned)

    Joe Vitale signed a 3 year deal worth $1.117 million a year with ARI.

    Ryan Miller signed a 3 year deal worth $6 million a year with VAN.

    Al Montoya signed a 2 year deal worth $1.050 million a year with FLA.

    Anders Lindback signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Ales Hemsky signed a 3 year deal worth $4 million a year with DAL.

    Blake Comeau signed a 1 year deal worth $700K with PIT.

    Thomas Greiss signed a 1 year deal worth $1 million with PIT.

    Jeremy Gregoire signed a 3 year deal with MTL.

    Brian Gionta signed a 3 year deal worth $4.25 million a year with BUF.

    Brooks Orpik signed a 5 year deal worth $5.5 million a year with WSH.

    Keith Aulie signed a 1 year deal worth $800,000 with EDM.

    Mathieu Perreault signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with WPG.

    Shawn Thornton signed a 2 year deal worth $1.2 million a year with FLA.

    Jonas Hiller signed a 2 year deal worth $4.5 million a year with CGY.

    Adam Larsson signed a 1 year deal with NJ (Resigned).

    Thomas Vanek signed a 3 year deal worth $6.5 million a year with MIN.

    Stephane Robidas signed a 3 year deal worth $3 million a year with TOR.

    Dominic Moore signed a 2 year deal worth $1.5 million a year with NYR. (Resigned)

    Tanner Glass signed a 3 year deal worth $1.45 million a year with NYR.

    Mike Kostka signed a deal with NYR.

    Bruno Gervais signed a 1 year deal with COL.

    Nick Holden signed a 3 year deal worth $1.65 million a year with COL. (Resigned)

    Derek Mackenzie signed a deal with FLA.

    Brett Sutter signed a two way deal with MIN.

    Matt Moulson signed a 5 year deal worth $5 million a year with BUF.

    Martin Havlat signed a 1 year deal worth $1.5 million with NJ.

    Phil McRae signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Brett Regner signed a 1 year, two way, deal with STL.

    Cody McCormick signed a 3 year deal worth $4.5 million with BUF. (Resigned)

    Nick Drazenovic signed a 2 year deal worth $550K with PIT. (Resigned)

    Marcus Foligno signed a 2 year deal with BUF. (Resigned)

    Jarome Iginla signed a 3 year deal worth $5.333 million a year with COL.

    Leo Komarov signed a 4 year, $2.95 million contract with TOR.

    Jiri Tlusty signed a 1 year, $2.95 million deal with CAR. (Resigned)

    Peter Regin signed a 1 year $650K deal with CHI.

    Anton Stralman signed a 5 year deal worth $4.5 million per year with TB.

    Steve Bernier signed a 1 year, $600K deal with NJ. (Resigned)

    Mike Angelids signed a 1 year, two way, contract with TB. (Resigned)

    Chris Mueller signed a deal with the NYR.

    Deryk Engelland signed a 3 year deal, worth $2.9 million a year with CGY.

    Cody Bass signed a 1 year contract with CHI.

    Pierre-Cedric Labrie signed a 1 year deal with CHI.

    Scott Darling signed a 1 year with CHI.

    Steven Kampfer signed a two-way contract with the NYR.

    Kevin Porter signed a two-way contract with DET.

    Jesse Winchester signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Scott Clemmensen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal with NJ.

    Mike Blunden signed a two-way deal, worth $600K, with TB.

    Andrej Meszaros signed a 1 year, $4.125 million, contract with BUF.

    Ray Emery signed a 1 year, $1 million, contract with PHI. (Resigned)

    Ron Zepp signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with PHI.

    Matt Hunwick signed a 1 year deal, worth $600K, with the NYR.

    Devan Dubnyk signed a 1 year deal, worth $800K, with ARI.

    Luke Gazdic signed a 2 year deal with EDM. (Resigned)

    Adam Cracknell signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    David Van Der Gulik signed a 1 year contract with LA.

    Brad Richards signed a 1 year, $2 million, deal with CHI.

    Cedrick Desjardins signed a contract with the NYR.

    Matt Niskanen signed a 7 year contract worth $40.25 million ($5.75 million a year) with WSH.

    Willie Mitchell signed a 2 year deal, worth $4.25 million a year, with FLA.

    Patrick Eaves signed a 1 year deal with DAL.

    Joey MacDonald signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with MTL.

    Brian Boyle signed a 3 year contract, worth $2 million a year, with TB.

    Jon Landry signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Mike Moore signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    Chris Breen signed a 1 year, two-way, deal (worth $600K NHL/$175K AHL) with BOS.

    Stu Bickel has signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with MIN.

    Marcel Goc signed a 1 year, $1.2 million, deal with PIT. (Resigned)

    Matt Frattin signed a 2 year deal with TOR. (Resigned)

    Evgeny Nabokov signed a 1 year deal with TB.

    Taylor Chorney signed a 1 year, two- way, contract with PIT.

    Drew MacIntyre signed a 1 year, two-way, (worth $600K if in the NHL) contract with CAR.

    Harry Zolnierczyk signed a 1 year, two-way, $600K deal with the NYI.

    Guillaume Gelinas signed an entry level contract with MIN.

    Cory Conacher signed a 1 year contract with the NYI.

    Jason LaBarbera signed a 1 year contract with ANA.

    Zach Redmond signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Ben Street signed a 2 year deal with COL.

    Kyle Quincey signed a 2 year, $4.25 per year, deal with DET. (Resigned)

    Jack Skille signed a two-way deal with the NYI.

    Chris Conner signed a 1 year, two-way, contract with WSH.

    For a complete and official list of Free Agent signings, check out this.