April 25, 2010
Dobber Sports
2010-04-25
There is a problem for SOME people who try to load the DobberHockey shop in that it does not load the complete shop, but actually stops just after the first item. So these people are unable to order the Keeper League Fantasy Pack. Anyway, we should have this problem fixed at some point today. The problem happens for some people who are using a certain combination of browser and OS (I don’t know which one).
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Today at 2pm – Game 7 between Windsor and Kitchener in the OHL. This is amazing because the Taylor Hall-led Windsor Spitfires were down 3-0 and have won the last three games against the Jeremy Morin-led Rangers.
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So many crazy things about that NSH/CHI game. Such as the Preds actually coming back when down 3-1 late in the second, or making it 3-3 on just their 11th shot, but how about blowing a 4-3 lead, on the power play, with 14 seconds left?
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So Marian Hossa practically Ovechkins Dan Hamhuis into the boards, gets five minutes in the box, comes out of the box and scores in overtime. And I think he’ll be suspended for one game. How’s that for irony? Footage of all this below.
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Denis Grebeshkov got into the game, played minimal minutes (11), but tallied two assists. Half his minutes were on the power play, yet his assists were each at even strength. The Preds are 0-for-23 on the power play in this series.
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David Legwand has been the star for the Preds, with seven points in five games. But this team will be out in six if they can’t score a power-play goal.
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The return of Patric Hornqvist would help. Horny is back in practice, but did not play yesterday. I think he’ll be there for Game 6.
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Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver fans – what do you think of this nuttiness? In Nashville they are offering 100 tickets for $10 each. For a playoff game. If you don’t get there in time for the $10 ticket, you’ll have to pay regular price – $29. Leaf fans know that they’d be paying over $100 for cheap seats at a playoff game. Or maybe they’ve forgotten, after all – it’s been so long.
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Bryan Bickell lined up with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews; Hossa had Sharp and Kopecky; Bolland had Versteeg and Ladd.
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Niklas Hjalmarsson leads the Hawks in plus/minus with plus-6. He was plus-3 yesterday. The next best Hawk in the playoffs is Bickell at plus-3.
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I’ve felt throughout the postseason that if Ottawa or Montreal took the lead in the game, that Pittsburgh and Washington would come back hard starting late in the second. Even a three-goal lead hasn’t been safe. We witnessed that again last night.
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Sidney Crosby gets 14 points in five games, but was pointless last night. The key was that the Sens ceased trying to contain him and instead tried to score on him. He spent much of the last two games in his own end trying to stop Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson.
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I can’t wait to see Evgeni Malkin. He should be making his 2010 playoff debut soon.
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Yeah, I know Malkin has eight points, but three of his assists were secondary (and cheesy invisible ones), and a couple of his goals were gimmees. I’m talking about the REAL Malkin that I want to see. The Malkin that slows the game down, makes the opposition his bitch, and scores at will. THAT Malkin is fun to watch.
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Jordan Staal has been handcuffed by terrible linemates. But those terrible linemates scored twice for him last night. With four years under his belt, we should start seeing 55 points out of him next year. But he’ll never hit that 70-point mark unless one of the Big 2 miss 60 games in a season.
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Erik Karlsson led all Sens in ice time with 26 minutes. By far. Next best was Andy Sutton at 23:26. I’ll have more on Karlsson in today’s article.
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If Alex Kovalev was in the lineup for Ottawa, it says here that the Sens would have been done in four. His presence would have taken ice time away from the likes of Peter Regin and Matt Cullen, who were fantastic. Meanwhile, who knows what Kovalev would have shown up? The injury was a blessing for Sens fans and gave the team a shot.
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Douglas Murray – 38 points in 289 regular season games. But five points in six games so far in these playoffs. Who had him in your pool?
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The Avs, in the end, couldn’t buy the one period they needed to get Peter Mueller back into the lineup.
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Would he have been the savior? Yes. The Sharks have been one goal better than them and Mueller would have provided that goal. The Avs had the lead five minutes into the third. Hanging on for 15 more minutes would have given them the win and Mueller back for Game 7. Instead, they golf. Great season for Colorado, the fans should be proud!
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Ryane Clowe in 2008 had eight points in seven games in the first round, then one in six in Round 2. This year he has seven points in five games in Round 1. Gleen from that what you will.
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Nikita Filatov is coming back. This, according to an article entitled “Filatov: I’m Coming Back“
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The Wild have signed undrafted NCAA free agent Jarod Palmer. The 24-year-old had 45 points in 44 games for Miami. It’s a two-way contract, so I wouldn’t expect him to be a factor next year. But you never know. College kids are having an impact with more frequency these days.
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Cam Barker underwent surgery on his ankle and will need 3-4 weeks for recovery. Just a bit of cleanup, according to beatwriter Michael Russo.
Marian Hossa on Dan Hamhuis. I say he’ll get one game (but wouldn’t bet big money on it), and I say he deserves one game (two different statements). What do you say? What will he get, and what does he deserve?
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Hossa’s overtime goal right when he gets out of the box:
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Happy 5th anniversary to my wife!
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