Down the Frozen River

Tag: NHL

  • Hornqvist’s Hat Trick Helps Penguins Win 5-2, Take 1-0 Series Lead on Rangers

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Pittsburgh Penguins LogoPatric Hornqvist tallied a hat trick in the midst of a 4-point night and 5-2 victory for the Pittsburgh Penguins over the New York Rangers in Game 1 of their 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup. Antti Raanta suffered the loss for the Rangers, having made 16 saves on 19 shots for a .842 SV% in 39:54 time on ice.

    Wednesday night’s action was Jeff Zatkoff’s first career NHL playoff appearance and first career Stanley Cup Playoff win. He made 35 saves on 37 shots on goal for a .946 SV%. Zatkoff had a .896 SV% in his last five appearances during the regular season, dating back to January 18th. He took to the ice for warmups with Tristan Jarry as his backup as Marc-Andre Fleury was unavailable due to his ongoing recovery from a concussion.

    New York Rangers goaltender, Henrik Lundqvist, was injured late in the 1st period, after receiving a stick in the eye from his teammate and defenseman, Marc Staal. Lundqvist stayed in the game until the end of the period and made 10 saves on 11 shots against for a .909 SV% through 20 minutes.

    During this final minute of play in the first, Patric Hornqvist (1) went hard to the net and received a pass from Conor Sheary (1) and sent the puck past Lundqvist to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead with 17.6 seconds to go in the period. Kris Letang (1) picked up the secondary assist on the goal.

    The second period was similar in nature to the first period in that both teams swapped a couple of power play opportunities. Pittsburgh’s special teams weren’t able to capitalize on consecutive penalties to Rangers forwards, Chris Kreider and Dominic Moore, at nine seconds into the period and at 10:02, respectively. Meanwhile, New York’s power play was powerless on Trevor Daley’s tripping penalty with 8:14 to go in the 2nd.

    At 18:56 of the second period, Sidney Crosby snapped a quick wrist shot past Raanta on a breakaway to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Crosby’s first goal of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs was assisted by Hornqvist (1).

    After forty, the Penguins were leading 2-0 on the scoreboard, but trailing 21-18 in shots on goal to the Raners.

    Pittsburgh began the third period playing a little catch-up hockey after amassing six penalty minutes just 2:08 into the period. Karl Hagelin was given a four minute double minor penalty for high sticking Rangers forward, Kevin Hayes, while Pittsburgh defenseman, Ian Cole, was sent to the box with a two minute minor for interfering with Eric Staal in front of Zatkoff.

    New York Rangers LogoNew York was quick to capitalize on their 5-on-3 advantage, with Derek Stepan scooping up a power play goal on the rebound and cut the Penguins lead in half. Stepan’s first of the playoffs was assisted by Rick Nash (1) and Derick Brassard (1). But the Penguins were quick to answer back in a hurry, notching a short-handed goal scored by Tom Kuhnhackl (1) on a two-on-one from Nick Bonino (1) and Kris Letang (2). The goal was Kuhnhackl’s first career Stanley Cup playoff goal and gave Pittsburgh a 3-1 lead.

    Patric Hornqvist followed up with a power play goal at 8:02 of the third period with his second of the night, assisted by Phil Kessel (1) and Sidney Crosby (1). Hornqvist poked the puck into the net before Raanta could figure out that it had slid behind him and gave the Penguins a 4-1 lead. Rangers head coach, Alain Vigneault, used his coach’s challenge to review the goal for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice was upheld after Hornqvist had clearly allowed Raanta a chance to play the puck.

    With lots of time left in regulation, Stepan netted his second of the night at 10:11 of the third, pulling the Rangers to within two once again. Dan Boyle picked up an assist on the goal. New York had been outshooting Pittsburgh 34-27 at the time of Stepan’s goal to trail 4-2.

    Finaly, Patric Hornqvist completed his first career playoff hat trick with under three minutes to go in regulation on an empty net goal. The goal was assisted by Crosby and Trevor Daley. Hornqvist became the first Penguins player to score a hat trick in the team’s playoff opener and the first player to do so for any team since Alexander Mogilny did so with the Toronto Maple Leafs on April 9, 2003, per the NHL’s public relations department.

    After 60 minutes of play, the Pittsburgh Penguins rejoiced in a 5-2 win and a 1-0 series lead over the New York Rangers.

    This is the seventh time- third straight season in a row- that the Rangers and the Penguins have met in the postseason. New York was 1-2-1 in four games against Pittsburgh during the regular season. Having earned their only win in a 3-0 shutout by Henrik Lundqvist on February 10 at CONSOL Energy Center.

    Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at 3:00 PM EST in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and can be seen on NBC, before the series heads up to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday for Game 3.

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #32- Playoff Predictions

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #32- Playoff Predictions

    The Down the Frozen River crew (Connor and Nick) present their 2016 Stanley Cup Playoff predictions by each round and pick their 2016 Stanley Cup winners. As always, hear about the latest news and notes around the NHL every week on the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!

  • How the Flyers Got Here (and Where They’ll Go)

    Frank Fanelli officially joins Down the Frozen River with his first post and explains what it felt like for Philadelphia Flyers fans heading into this weekend’s action and how far he thinks the Flyers will be able to go in the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Philadelphia Flyers Logo

    By: Frank Fanelli

    As the Flyers geared up for their playoff push, for us Flyers fans, it felt like the 2009-2010 season all over again. That season, the Flyers were very shaky- going up and down in the standings battling for a playoff spot with the New York Rangers. In their last 12 games, the 2009-2010 Flyers went 2-10, which was terrible down the stretch, but somehow it all came down to the very last game of the regular season against the Rangers. Philadelphia eventually won 2-1 in a nerve-wracking shootout.

    This year is very much just like that year in all aspects of the season. In their first 20 games the Flyers went a disappointing 6-14 to start the season. When I first saw this start to the season I thought to myself “Oh boy, here’s to another disappointing season with no postseason play” I was livid with their start because this year I thought it was going to be so much different.

    Well, their mid-season form took to full affect just like always, going back and forth with win after win then a string of loss after loss. It really wasn’t a promising sight. I mean the Flyers were still in contention but I thought nothing of it because they never showed any potential to creep into a playoff spot. Now that has completely changed!

    On March 3rd the Flyers sat at 29-34, just out of a playoff spot and got a huge wakeup call by getting thrashed 4-0 to the mediocre Edmonton Oilers— AT home nonetheless! This, without a doubt in my mind, was a call to action for the Philly squad, coming back the next game and demolishing the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-0 and kick started this team’s push to the playoffs.

    The Flyers then went on a resurgent 10-7 run in their next 17, leading up to their record at 39-27-13 with 91 points entering Friday— barely hanging on to that last Wild Card spot. From then, I believed the Flyers would make the playoffs because of the way they had been playing lately. They had 3 games remaining on their schedule, against the below average Toronto Maple Leafs, the Pittsburgh Penguins (who are on fire), and a strong New York Islanders team to end their season.

    *Editor’s note: The Flyers lost, 4-3, in overtime to the Maple Leafs, and then beat the Penguins and Islanders to cap off their season, if you’ve been under a rock. Although by now, hopefully you know they’re in and the matchups have been determined.*

    Prior to clinching, I believed that if the Flyers wanted to make the playoffs, they were going to have to realize they needed to pick up their play! The Flyers would make the playoffs because they have played very solid as a whole team and they would realize this and push to the end.

    Philadelphia will play the Washington Capitals, who locked up the President’s Trophy with the best record in the NHL, in the first round of the playoffs. These two teams split the 4-game season series 2-2, with both teams trading wins back and forth. These 4 games were always a constant battle with the Capitals outscoring the Flyers 12 goals to 10. Also 3 of the 4 games were separated by only 1 goal with 2 of the games going past regulation. Philadelphia won both of those games. The Flyers are 110-78-19 overall against the Capitals. Going 2-2 against them in 4 playoff series matchups dating back to 1984, with 3 of the 4 series matchups going to 6 or 7 games!

    So clearly the facts are all there for it to be a very close and intense playoff matchup, which any hockey fan will love to watch. I think the Flyers will battle the Capitals in an intense 6 game series favoring the Flyers in the end, but this is where I think their “Cinderella” type season will come to an end.

    I just do not see the Flyers making a long run in this year’s playoffs, especially with how hot the Penguins, Lightning, Panthers and even the Rangers have been playing lately. Even with Michal Neuvirth projected to be back in the lineup, ready and healthy for the playoffs. The Flyers simply do not have enough fire power in their offense.

    For example, their star captain Claude Giroux through 79 games only had 66 points when he was projected to reach 81. Their second in “command” Jakub Voracek only had 53 points through 70 games when he was originally projected to have 73. These two players are clear examples on why Philadelphia will go out in the second round because they do not have enough offensive prowl.

    Let alone their very shaky defense, which has a very hard time scoring as well. Their top scorer, rookie sensation Shayne Gostisbehere, who had an astonishing 43 points in 61 games up to Friday, which ranked 7th in scoring among rookies. Other than “Ghost” they have no offensive production from their defense, who also can be exploited for a good amount of goals which is very risky.

    michal-neuvirth-steve-mason
    Michal Neuvirth (Left) with Steve Mason (right) (USA Today Images)

    Last but not least their goalies are sub-par to say the least. Their “rock” Steve Mason, as of late, in his last 15 games leading up to Friday, went 9-4-2 with a .950% SV and a 2.10 GAA. He has had to fill in for Neuvirth, because before Neuvirth got hurt, he was basically the starter. So Mason has been a HUGE part of the Flyers success in their recent games, but I do not see Mason being a productive starter in the postseason.

    The reason why is because of his measly playoff record, going 2-6 with a .907% and a 3.11 GAA in 8 starts with Columbus and Philly. Even if Michal Neuvirth is able to come back in time (which he is, as of Sunday) for the playoffs— his playoff record is 4-5 with a .914% and a 2.30 GAA in 9 starts with Washington.

    Clearly, as you can tell, both of these goalies have proven that neither of them are a reliable playoff starter. With the Flyers low offensive production, shaky defense, and unreliable goaltending, these are just a couple of prime examples as to why the Flyers will bow out in the second round of the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

  • Talking About Playoffs!?!?! (Clinching Scenarios)

    By: Nick Lanciani

    After the Boston Bruins defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 5-2, on Thursday night at TD Garden, the Philadelphia Flyers lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs, 4-3, in overtime— further complicating playoff clinching scenario matters (well, not really). Two key things to remember are 1) each team is ultimately in control of a portion of their own destiny and 2) the formula is simple, just win.

    UnknownSo with that in mind, if you are a Red Wings fan, you either want your team to:

    – Win in regulation or overtime versus the New York Rangers on Saturday.

    – Win in a shootout against the Rangers and hope that Boston does not win in regulation or overtime on Saturday, OR for Philadelphia to go 1-0-1 or worse in their last two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders (respectively).

    – Lose in overtime or a shootout to the Rangers and hope that Boston gets 1 point of less against Ottawa on Saturday, OR for the Flyers to go 1-0-1 or worse in their last two games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Islanders (respectively).

    Of note, Boston holds the second tiebreaker over Detroit, by virtue of having won the season series against the Red Wings.

    UnknownIf you are a Bruins fan, you either want your team to:

    • Win in regulation or overtime against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and
      • Hope that Philadelphia goes 1-0-1 in their last two games to clinch a wild card spot.
      • Hope that Detroit loses to the Rangers in regulation or wins in a shootout against New York (and the Bruins will finish 3rd in the Atlantic Division).
      • Hope that the Red Wings win in regulation or in overtime against New York (and Boston will finish in the final wild card spot).
    • Win in a shootout against the Senators on Saturday and
      • Clinch the wild card spot if Philadelphia goes 1-0-1 in their final two games as the Bruins hold the tiebreaker.
      • Hope that Detroit suffers any type of loss to the Rangers (in regulation, overtime or a shootout) and Boston would finish 3rd in the Atlantic Division.
    • Lose to Ottawa in overtime or a shootout and:
      • Hope Philadelphia would go 1-1-0 (and the Bruins would claim the wild card, based on the tiebreaker of ROW- regulation-plus-overtime-wins).
      • Hope that Detroit would lose in regulation against the Rangers for the Bruins to finish 3rd in the Atlantic.
    • Lose to Ottawa in regulation and:
      • Hope that Philadelphia would lose at least one of their two remaining games in regulation. Detroit would finish 3rd in the Atlantic win or lose against the New York Rangers, because of their ROW tiebreaker with Boston.

    Philadelphia Flyers LogoAnd if you’re a Flyers fan and the following plays out…

    A Red Wings loss to the Rangers in regulation or a Detroit win in a shootout over New York, while the Bruins win in regulation, would ensure that the Red Wings would fall to the wild card spot.

    At 94 points and 39 ROW Detroit would have to hope that the current 92 point, 36 ROW Flyers go 1-1-0, thereby finishing with 94 points and losing the tiebreaker on ROW.

    OR Flyers fans would hope that…

    PHI goes 1-0-1, finishing with 95 points and ahead of DET for the wild card, or PHI goes 2-0-0 and finishes with 96 points, thereby ahead of DET for the wild card regardless of the Red Wings result on Saturday.

    Finally, as a friendly reminder, Detroit has a 41-29-11 record, totaling 93 points and 39 ROW’s with 1 game remaining this season. Boston is 42-30-9 this season with 93 points and 38 ROW’s with 1 game remaing and Philadelphia is 39-27-14 on the year with 92 points and 36 ROW’s with 2 games remaining.

    This weekend is sure to be fun, so you should probably contact those people that invited you to things and tell them you have other plans now.

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #30- College Night (Feat. Frank Fanelli)

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #30- College Night (Feat. Frank Fanelli)

    The Down the Frozen River crew continues to grow as they welcome Frank to the team and talk about recent college signings and Jimmy Vesey, as well as the NHL email dump and the wild card battle leading up to the final week of the NHL’s 2015-2016 regular season. Stay tuned next week for more guests on the show and NCAA Frozen Four coverage. As always, hear what the DTFR Crew has to say about the latest news and notes from the NHL, right here on the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #29- Colby’s Day Out

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #29- Colby’s Day Out

    The Down the Frozen River crew talks about a few things including, Colby’s journey to PNC Arena for the Carolina Hurricanes vs. Buffalo Sabres game on Tuesday, college predictions (both in signings and in NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four Tournament inexpert predictions) and Colby and Nick provide their power rankings of the top 10 teams so far this season based on the illusion of logic. As always, stay tuned for next week’s #DTFRPodcast because hopefully it’ll be better than this one. Hear what the DTFR Crew has to say about the latest news and notes from the NHL as always right here on the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!

  • Down the Frozen River Podcast #28- NWHL Wrap Up, NHL GM’s Meetings and More!

    Down the Frozen River Podcast #28- NWHL Wrap Up, NHL GM’s Meetings and More!

    The Down the Frozen River crew discusses the success of the National Women’s Hockey League’s (NWHL) inaugural season and Isobel Cup Playoffs, as well as some of the topics at the 2016 NHL GM meetings in Boca Raton, Florida. The DTFR team also talks about the race for the wild card spots with less than a month left in the 2015-2016 regular season. Stay tuned for next week’s all new #DTFRPodcast where the guys will talk some college hockey and more! Hear what the DTFR Crew has to say about the latest news and notes from the NHL as always right here on the Down the Frozen River Podcast.

    Join the conversation, make a suggestion, or ask a question for our next podcast using #AskDownTheFrozenRiver or #DTFRPodcast on Twitter and/or drop us a line on Facebook– your thoughts might make it on our show!

  • 2016 NHL Trade Deadline Recap

    By: Nick Lanciani

    The Down the Frozen River team quickly recapped all the details of every trade made on the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline as they could in-between classes and things. Our “Deadline Deals” page will be updated with all of this information later in the day for your archiving needs. This post will be updated throughout the day. What is known is shown.

    Players and teams are bolded for your convenience/easy recognition and all trades that are pending and/or have not been officially confirmed are italicized.

    Last year, 24 trades were made at the deadline. This year, 19 trades were made at the deadline.

    The Arizona Coyotes kicked things off at the trade deadline this year by sending F Matthias Plachta and a conditional 7th round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for F Sergei Plotnikov.

    In the second trade of the day, the Carolina Hurricanes traded G Drew MacIntyre to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for D Dennis Robertson.

    F Mikkel Boedker was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. The Arizona Coyotes acquired F Alex Tanguay, F Conner Bleakley, and D Kyle Wood in return.

    New Jersey Devils defenseman Eric Gelinas was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

    The Calgary Flames sent D Kris Russell to the Dallas Stars for D Jyrki Jokipakka, D Brett Pollock and a conditional 2nd round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    The Boston Bruins acquired D John-Michael Liles from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 3rd round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, 5th round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and F Anthony Camara.

    Boston also sent a 2nd round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft and a 4th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the New Jersey Devils F Lee Stempniak.

    The Buffalo Sabres traded F Jamie McGinn to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional 3rd round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    F Brett Sutter was traded from the Minnesota Wild to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for F Scott Sabourin.

    The Arizona Coyotes traded F Dustin Jeffrey, F Dan O’Donoghue and D James Melindy to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for F Matia Marcantuoni.

    The Montreal Canadiens acquired F Stefan Matteau from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for F Devante Smith-Pelly.

    F Marc-André Cliche was traded from the Colorado Avalanche to the New York Islanders for F Taylor Beck.  

    The Ottawa Senators traded F Michael Keränen to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for D Conor Allen.

    In another move, the Ottawa Senators sent F Shane Prince and a 7th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the New York Islanders for a 3rd round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry.

    The Florida Panthers traded F Brandon Pirri to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a 6th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    The Anaheim Ducks acquired F Corey Tropp from the Chicago Blackhawks and sent F Tim Jackman and a 7th round pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in return.

    In another trade, the Edmonton Oilers acquired F Patrick Maroon from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for D Martin Gernat and a 4th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.

    G Niklas Backstrom was traded from the Minnesota Wild along with a 6th round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Calgary Flames in exchange for F David Jones.

    The last trade of the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline witnessed the Arizona Coyotes trade D Corey Potter to the Nashville Predators for future considerations.

     

     

  • TRADE: Capitals send Brooks Laich to Toronto

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Shortly before midnight on Sunday night/ what would have been early Monday morning, the Washington Capitals traded forward Brooks Laich, defenseman Connor Carrick and a second round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Daniel Winnik and Anaheim’s fifth round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft (previously acquired by the Maple Leafs).

    Washington Capitals LogoWinnik is a 30-year-old forward who has 62-136-198 totals in 625 career NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes, Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

    He currently has four goals and 10 assists in 56 games this season. The 6’2″, 207-pound Toronto native scored the game winning goal in his NHL debut on October 4, 2007 vs. St. Louis. Winnik was drafted by the Coyotes in the ninth round (265th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft and has three assists in 33 career Stanley Cup Playoffs games.

    Unknown-3Laich is a 32-year-old forward who has 133-191-324 totals in 743 career NHL games with the Ottawa Senators and Washington. He ranks eighth all-time in Capitals franchise history for games played (742).

    The 6’2″, 195-pound veteran of the game has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 60 games played with Washington this season. Laich was drafted by the Senators in the sixth round (193rd overall) of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.

    Carrick is a 5’11”, 194-pound, 21-year-old defenseman who has six points (one goal, five assists) in 37 career NHL games with the Capitals. In 47 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL) this season, Carrick has 10-16-26 totals. He was drafted by Washington in the fifth round (137th overall) in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has 72 points (18 goals, 54 assists) in 133 career AHL games with the Bears.

    No salary was retained in the deal.

    The Washington Capitals are set to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at home from the Verizon Center on Tuesday night, while the Maple Leafs play host to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Air Canada Centre on Monday.

  • TRADE: Ryan Bourque dealt to Capitals, joins brother in Hershey

    By: Nick Lanciani

    Ray Bourque’s son, Ryan, was traded by the New York Rangers to the Washington Capitals on Sunday night.

    The Capitals sent forward Chris Brown to the Rangers in return.

    Washington Capitals LogoBourque, 25, is the son of legendary Hall-Of-Fame (and Alumni Game scoring machine) Boston Bruins defenseman, Ray Bourque, and is a native of Boxford, Massachusetts.

    He made his NHL debut with the Rangers on April 9, 2015 against the Ottawa Senators and tallied 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 55 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL) this season.

    He established a career high in assists (20) in the 2014-2015 season and a career high in games played (74), goals (21), points (37) and plus/minus (+16) in the 2013-2014 season with the Wolf Pack. The 5’9″, 185-pound forward has 57-65-122 totals in 325 career AHL games with Hartford.

    The gold medal member of Team USA at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship (and bronze medalist with the United States at the 2011 IIHF WJC) will join his brother, Chris, and the Hershey Bears when they are next in action. Bourque was a third round pick (80th overall) of the New York Rangers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

    New York Rangers LogoBrown is a 25-year-old forward who has two goals and one assist in 23 career NHL games with the Arizona Coyotes and Washington Capitals.

    He had nine points (three goals, six assists) in 20 games with Hershey (AHL) this season and has 65-59-124 totals in 215 career AHL games with the Bears and the Portland Pirates.