The game was played in front of a full-capacity T-Mobile Center, adding even more electricity to the series. Knights forward Ryan Reaves and Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri were both ruled out with suspensions. Alternately, Colorado Head Coach Jared Bednar made a couple of lineup changes before the game by taking out rookies Alex Newhook and Sampo Ranta and replacing them with Kiefer Sherwood and Carl Soderberg.

First period

Right off the bat, it felt like Vegas was on a mission.  The Knights were forechecking and putting constant pressure on the Avs. In the first couple of minutes, the goaltenders at each end took shots at opposing forwards with their sticks—showing how tense and physical the series had become. The Avalanche somehow got out of the period tied at 0-0, despite minor penalties to Gabriel Landeskog and Patrik Nemeth and being outshot 15-3.

Second Period

The scoring opened in the second period when Vegas’ Alex Pietrangelo fired a shot from the point and William Karlsson buried a Philipp Grubauer rebound.  But just a minute later, Colorado got the equalizer from the 4^th line—with Carl Soderberg scoring off of a juicy rebound from a Pierre-Edoaurd Bellemare snapshot.  The period ended after the Knights killed off a delay of game penalty called on Shea Theodore.

The @Avalanche answer right back! #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/0fQb2PPR5Q

— NHL GIFs (@NHLGIFs) June 5, 2021

Third Period

With the game tied heading into the final period of regulation, it was a shock that the Avs were still in the game. They were either going to steal a game in Vegas—or Phillipp Grubauer’s near-perfect night was going to be spoiled. And Colorado caught a break when Nicolas Roy was called for hooking, putting the Avs on the power play. With Colorado’s first PP unit out, players fought for control along the boards in the Knights zone—until the puck trickled out to an open Mikko Rantanen, who blasted the puck past Marc-Andre Fleury, giving the Avs a 2-1 lead.

WHAT. A. BLAST. Mikko Rantanen, sheesh! #StanleyCup

NHL x @massmutual

: https://t.co/TgHqInayQo @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/f90GskjalD @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/1RBsCEOiZx

— NHL (@NHL) June 5, 2021

But the game was far from over. The Avs tried to keep the puck deep in Vegas’ end, but the Knights were mounting desperate pressure. With six minutes left in the game, Jonathan Marchessault tied the game by banking the puck of Grubauer from behind the net. Then less than a minute later, Max Pacioretty redirected in the go-ahead goal, giving Vegas a much-needed win on home ice.

What’s next?

The Avs and Knights play game four this Sunday in what should be another great battle between a couple of the best teams in the NHL. It’s just a shame that the series is happening so soon in the playoffs. With Vegas handing Colorado their first loss of the playoffs, that means that the series will go at leastf five games. So, at minimum, action will return to Ball Arena Tuesday for game five.

The post Avalanche crumble in third period, drop Game 3 to Vegas 3-2 appeared first on The Rink.

But, as usual, there are those ready to say “Da Hawks are back, baby,” “Anything can happen,” etc.

(Insert heavy sigh and eye roll here)

Let’s be clear: As a Hawks fan, and definitely as a member of the Blackhawks organization, your ultimate goal for the team should be regular contention for the Cup, i.e. being in the top 6–8 teams in the league every year.

One thing that probably needs to be agreed upon, at minimum, is that the current team is at least a couple of years away from that level, and could be more like 3–5 years away from it. So what needs to happen? What are the necessary next steps the team needs to take to reach that level?

There is a very simple, yet not widely understood issue that General Manager Stan Bowman and his staff desperately need to address going forward, and that is improving 5-on-5 play. More specifically, this means acquiring more of a certain type of prospects and players—that the organization currently does not have—who can make this happen.

Chicago is “succeeding” right now entirely due to goaltending, power play and 3-on-3 overtime

Again, it is fun to watch.

The problem is, aside from the improved power play, the Hawks have iced bad overall teams—with mostly very good goaltending and 3-on-3 overtime play—since 2018.

Since 2017–18, the Hawks are -29 at 5-on-5, and much of that was with very good 5-on-5 players like Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad.

This year, so far, the Hawks are -9 at 5-on-5—by far the worst out of the eight teams comprising their current division. So, one might ask, why are they in “first place” then?

Well, first off, they are really not in “first.” At 18 games, the Hawks have played four more games than Florida (also with 22 points), Tampa Bay (21 points) and tonight’s opponent, Carolina (21), and six more than Dallas (14 points).

And it should be noted, all those teams, who are better at 5-on-5 play than the Hawks, were playoff teams last year, as was Columbus, who, also at 18 games played, is just two points behind Chicago.

Why does 5-on-5 matter so much? The Hawks are winning, right?

Most hockey is played at 5-on-5—which is especially true in the playoffs, where less penalties are called and overtime is played at 5-on-5 for as long as necessary to determine a winner. Hence, why a great 3-on-3, but bad 5-on-5 team can make the playoffs, like the Hawks did last year (sort of), and then get crushed (ditto).

And as pointed out above, good 5-on-5 play is a typical hallmark, if not a necessity, of a playoff team, let alone a successful one.

The best 5-on-5 teams are able to score and defend when there are 10 skaters on the ice—makes sense, right—as opposed to when there are nine (5-on-4), eight (4-on-4), seven (4-on-3) or six (3-on-3) skaters total.

The more players there are on the ice—at even strength—the harder it is to get the puck into scoring position and get shots off. There are more bodies, and thus more traffic and more contact. Also, more loose pucks, stacked blue lines and blocked shots. Alternately, there is less wide-open ice and pretty plays. There are also far more loose or “50-50” pucks. In this setting, more physical players tend to become more valuable.

And, I am not talking about “fighting.”

I am not talking really even talking about hitting (although that factors in some here).

I am talking about winning loose pucks, occupying your opponent’s crease and defending your own, winning battles around the nets and winning the blue lines at both ends of the ice.

And why are the Hawks not a good 5-on-5 team?

Before you say: “Here you go again, JJ. The game has changed, move on,” let me say this: The rules of the NHL, in fact, have not really changed. And facts are facts.

Four of the Hawks’ 22 points at present have come in 3-on-3 overtime (most in the league). They are third in the league in power play percentage at 32.7%. And yes, they are getting crazy good goaltending from rookie Kevin Lankinen. At present, Lankinen’s 2.29 goals against average and .931 save percentage rank fifth and third respectively among goalies with 10 games or more played.

These are the reasons why they are 9–5–4 (which is, by the way, essentially 9–9) at 18 games. That, and maybe more than a little luck. Let’s break that down.

And we will even assume that Chicago’s league lead in 3-on-3 goals will carry through the rest of the season. After all, they have been a good to very good 3-on-3 team for the last few seasons.

The Hawks’ power play improvement is legitimate, without question. There is more player movement, resulting in more and better opportunities versus years’ past. But, the question is how much difference it will make going forward this year, and, more importantly, in future seasons.

For example, even if Chicago ends up leading the league in power play percentage this year, they would still fall likely to around 25–27% (a typical league-leading power play percentage) by season’s end.

So, even in a best-case scenario going forward, the amount of power play goals per game they will be able to rely on is going to go down, and by somewhere between 20 and 25% from their current level—best case. So, they have had some meaningful improvement—and measurable luck so far on the power play.

Can Lankinen continue on his torrid pace for the rest of his season and throughout his career in Chicago? Eh, maybe?

But, that would also make him arguably one of the greatest rookie netminders of all time, and a surefire Hall of Famer (even with some rebound control issues, at minimum).

No, Lankinen may emerge from this season as a top 10–15 netminder for Chicago for the next decade—which would be great—but he is also very likely going to regress and settle in somewhere among mortal goalies at some point this year and going forward.

Point being, the Hawks have been lucky in net so far this year, too, probably very lucky. And like their 3-on-3 performance, good goaltending has been something the team has been able to rely on year after year, regardless.

The big point here is, these three factors are, for now, masking a big problem the Blackhawks have had for going on four seasons: Bad 5-on-5 play. And, if they are going to return to being a playoff team, much less a consistent Cup contender, that will have to change.

But what about Dach, Boqvist, Suter, Kurashev, Kubalik, Mitchell, Beaudin and The Cat?

Let me answer that this way: What about Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner, for example?

(What?!)

Right, the Hawks have a lot to be encouraged by as far as their future—but let me caveat that. They seem to have, with the exception of Dach, a raft of talented young players who weigh in well below 200 pounds, and are best described—and more importantly projected—as skilled, more perimeter-style players.

This is not an “either/or” issue. It is not whether smaller skilled players are better or worse than bigger players, so please do not go there.

But, here is another important statistic: Presently, the average weight of players on the Hawks’ roster is 6–10 pounds less than every team in their division.

Most or all of those young players—that everyone (myself included) is enjoying the bloody hell out of watching this year—may end up being “plus” players for the Blackhawks for years. But, that would probably still leave a problem when it comes to “big boy” hockey, or more specifically, 5-on-5 play.

Because, for all the reasons already discussed, there is a logical, demonstrable correlation between physicality, willingness to go into and win in the dirty areas and style of play—if not sheer size—and 5-on-5 play.

Here is some recent evidence: Late in the broadcast of a third period of a recent 3–2 overtime win against Columbus, Eddie Olczyk touched on something I was noticing as well (because I also watch Columbus play a lot).

Leading 2–1 with the clock ticking down in the third, Columbus—mostly Foligno and Jenner—were winning every 50-50 puck, and thereby keeping the biscuit away from the less-physical Hawks. The game was slipping away.

But, with under two minutes left, Carl Soderberg, not coincidentally one of the Hawks’ biggest and more physical players, found himself with the puck on his blade in the slot, and used a Columbus defenseman as a screen, putting a puck past Joonas Korpisalo (who had been excellent most of the night)—forcing the game to overtime, where Chicago promptly picked up one of their four overtime wins.

Five-on-five play matters, and this is just one case where the Hawks suffered and then later benefited—or maybe just got a bit lucky. By forcing the game to overtime, when it easily could have ended in a 2–1 loss, what might have been a weekend that gave Columbus four points and the Hawks none, ended up 3–2 for Columbus instead.

Hockey is still a contact sport. And the “unsexy” things that do not make the scoresheet but contribute hugely to winning hockey games, like 50-50 pucks, blocking shots, winning special teams face offs and just being a pain to play against, matter as much as ever, over the course of a season and especially in the playoffs.

The difference between 2009–15 and now—and maybe the future

A lot of fans mistakenly assume the Hawks won three Cups from 2010–15 due simply to an obscenely high talent, speed and skill level. But, those teams also delivered the lumber and excelled at 5-on-5 play, especially at the top 6–9 forward positions.

2010: Brouwer, Byfuglien, Hossa, Ladd, Toews

2013: Bickell, Frolik, Handzus, Hossa, Saad, Toews

2015: Bickell, Hossa, Saad, Toews

And, those 5-on-5 numbers were supported by smaller players who nonetheless over-indexed on willingness, like Dave Bolland and Marcus Kruger.

What about Dach and Toews?

Without giving any credence to rumors, the fact is, Toews’ lingering, mysterious health issue, at minimum, raises a question on when—or if—he will be back on the ice, in what condition and for how long.

And what about the “heir apparent?” Again, a lot of people seem to be getting way out over their skis with the “Dach is the next Toews” stuff.

We really do not know yet—even though some have made a massive leap to this conclusion—if Dach is going end up as a “power player” or even a full-time center in his NHL career.

Just because he was drafted by the same team Toews was—even though the Hawks will need a No. 1 center as well as more all-terrain forwards at minimum—does not mean that is the player Dach will be.

A couple of the knocks on Dach in his draft scouting (just 18 months ago) were that he was pretty unphysical for his size, and might be better at wing than center in the NHL.

The point is, he may end up being a different style of player than Toews was—more along the lines a “better” Jason Spezza (for example)—than “the next Toews.” But, maybe he will become another Toews. Hard to say right now.

But, either outcome is at least “good,” and Dach should become more a part of the 5-on-5 solution than the problem, regardless.

More broadly, the problem is this: The Hawks’ NHL roster, and even their pipeline, is overall fairly bereft of those all-terrain forwards who come up bigger (no pun intended) in 5-on-5 play. And again, let me be clear, the kinds of players we are talking about here can also score some goals and make plays, like Toews, Hossa, Saad, Mark Scheifele, Alex Tuch, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Anderson, Anze Kopitar, Jamie Benn, Nathan MacKinnon and there are many more.

Dach, if he continues to work and mature, is a start. But after him?

(Crickets)

Yet, with the lone recent exception of Tampa Bay, typically, Stanley Cup winners and most contenders have at least 3–4 of these players in top-nine roles. And let’s not forget how, before winning the Cup—in a shortened season—last year, Tampa Bay failed spectacularly more than once in the playoffs, despite annual lofty expectations, including getting swept in round one two years ago by exceedingly unsexy, but nasty as you-know-what Columbus.

“So is this it? Are you just trying to poop everyone’s party again, JJ?”

The intent of this article is to place the Hawks’ “unlikely” success so far this year in a real-world context, and also help readers maintain the right perspective and expectations going forward.

The last couple of off-seasons, Bowman seemed to finally get the memo. He had drafted “small, yet skilled” for almost a decade, and needed an upgrade on size in the pipeline (hence the picks of Dach and Alex Vlasic in 2019). But, a couple of draft picks is not nearly enough when you have almost literally ignored the need for a certain profile or style of player for so long.

Big, physical and skilled players do not grow on trees. You can always get a Ryan Carpenter or Zack Smith in free agency, or trade for a banged-up retread in Andrew Shaw—but the need is not fourth-line, 12-minute-a-night bangers.

What’s going on with the Hawks over this season’s first 18 games is traceable to a certain extent to luck and 3-on-3 overtime points—hiding (for now) some bad tendencies that are continuing from the last few seasons: Poor team defense and, more broadly, really weak 5-on-5 play.

Bowman still has a lot of work cut out for him. Although this year has been fun so far, fans are going to need to be patient in waiting for the next parade or more long runs of playoff hockey in Chicago.

The post ANALYSIS: The big missing piece in the Hawks’ rebuild appeared first on The Rink.

You can watch Gate’s segment here:

You can watch the entire program right here (highly encouraged):

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1745736142249077

The post Rink On The Air: Gate talks Blackhawks with Shawn Sierra and Jason Palmer in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-host Jeff Osborn , Rink prospect writer Ray Napientek and The Rink Colorado‘s Aaron Goldschmidt wrap up the Blackhawks first day of the NHL draft.

• • The Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks took a “safe” pick selected Lukas Reichel
  • What we might expect from tomorrow’s rounds 2-7
  • A couple of surprise moves from other teams.

Watch the entire replay of the Facebook live right here:

Watch the entire replay of the Youtube live right here:

Please do us a favor. Subscribe, rate this episode, share with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 24 – Day One Draft Wrap appeared first on The Rink.

What that being said, let’s take a look at how the bottom six performed.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Matt Calvert (12G, 13A, +13)

Grade:  B

It’s difficult to say what could have been if the Colorado Avalanche were 100% healthy when they played the Dallas Stars in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season.  Sure, the Avs took the Stars to seven games after being doing 3-1 in the series, but they were missing several key contributors in their lineup including forward Matt Calvert.  Known for his gritty playing style and ability to get to hard areas, Calvert brings a kind of tenacity to the Avalanche that they were lacking against Dallas.  Calvert was declared unfit to play following the Avs’ series against the Arizona Coyotes and his injury hasn’t officially been disclosed.

Injuries were surprisingly a theme this year for Calvert who had played all 82 games last season.  He missed several games this season due to a concussion he received after blocking a shot to the head against the Vancouver Canucks back in November.  The play was very controversial and received national attention as many criticized officials for not blowing the play dead as a player lay seriously injured.

Despite his injury problems, Calvert had another productive season adding some much needed depth scoring for the Avalanche and finished with a career high plus/minus of 13.  His goals reflect his ability to not just be a presence in front of the net, but also on the rush.  As Calvert enters his third and final year of his contract with Colorado it’s difficult to say if there is an extension in the works, but it’s evident the Avs need more players like Calvert in the lineup if they want to go deeper in the playoffs next season.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Valeri Nichushkin (13G, 14A, +13)

Grade:  A-

Joe Sakic has been able to find value-add pieces for the Avalanche in more ways than just the draft.  His acquisitions of Ryan Graves, Andre Burakovsky, and Nazem Kadri via trade have been significant as well as his free agent signings of Joonas Donskoi and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.  But Val Nichushkin seems like Sakic’s diamond in the rough.  The former 10th overall pick in the 2013 NHL draft never found his way in the Dallas system, but something clicked this season when Nichushkin shined scoring 27 points for the Avalanche and finishing 2nd on the team in plus/minus with 26.

Nichushkin is the perfect combination of size and skill that the Avs need on their roster, especially since he proved he was able to play anywhere in the lineup.  And for being one of the biggest guys on the team, he showed some breakaway speed and the ability to capitalize.  Nichushkin played a lot on the third line and accepted his role as a checking forward.  But when he is in the offensive zone, it’s difficult to take him off the puck and stop him through the neutral zone.

With a few players like Martin Kaut, Shane Bowers, and Logan O’Connor knocking at the door for roster spots, there are some difficult decisions to be made in the bottom six for next season.  But hopefully, the Avs can come to an agreement for a least a one-year deal so Nichushkin can have an encore to prove he’s worth the long term investment.

Photo courtesy of NHL.com

Matt Nieto (8G, 13A, +7)

Grade: B-

There were only two players that played in all 70 games in the 2019-20 modified regular season and they were Sam Girard and Matt Nieto.  Nieto has been a solid add for Colorado the past few seasons providing valuable minutes on the penalty kill and recently some great depth scoring in the playoffs.  Last season he had two shorthanded playoff goals and seemed to be always buzzing around the puck, but this year that wasn’t the same situation.

Playing a bottom six role means you’re accepting limited ice time and have you to find different ways to contribute to your team winning games.  For some, it’s blocking shots, being reliable, or great defense, but a lot of the time it’s hard to distinguish yourself from the pack.  Has Matt Nieto done enough to earn him a spot on the roster next season?  Maybe.  I know a lot of people respect him and his work promoting hockey in the Hispanic community around Denver so that will be missed if he moves on.

Photo courtesy of reviewjournal.com

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (9G, 13A, +2)

Grade:  B

You can look at Pierre-Edouard Bellemare on paper and say that he’s overpaid for a 4th line player and he needs to be the first guy out to clear cap space, blah blah.  But in reality, you’re getting a lot of intangibles from Bellemare that are invisible to the naked eye.  He exemplifies a veteran who is a great locker room guy.  He has a great sense of humor and knows how to keep it light, especially during the grind of a long regular season.  Plus he can skate pretty well for being 35 and can still produce in the NHL, not to mention he’s also 50%+ in the faceoff circle.

Off the ice, Bellemare represented the Avalanche and minorities of color in the NHL when the players came together during the Black Lives Matter movement and spoke about the importance of equality not just in all levels of hockey, but everywhere.  Bellemare’s combination of value on and off the ice makes him a vital piece for the roster next season, but who is to say what happens beyond then.

Photo courtesy of sportsnet.ca

JT Compher (11G, 20A, +9)

Grade:  B+

It’s hard to believe that the trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Sabres five years ago is still bearing fruit on the Avalanche today with Nikita Zadorov and JT Compher continuing to be key contributors.  Compher inked his four-year deal last summer with Colorado and has done a good job giving them over 30 points the last couple years, not including his eight points in 13 playoff games this season.

Compher is fine.  He isn’t a shutdown, checking center that you can lean on for some top defensive assignments.  He can play the middle, or the wing and gives you some versatility, but dare we ask for more?  The conversation following the playoff loss to the Stars was “do we need bigger guys?”  And you have to ask yourself, is JT Compher the right fit for that role?  The Avalanche top six is loaded with offensive talent, but they somehow keep falling behind in games.  I understand that Colorado has committed to Compher, but they could look at him as a chip that a lot of teams would come to the table for.  He’s a young centerman who can play in the NHL with some offensive upside, and what the Avs really need is a grizzly vet who wants to dig pucks out from corners and mix it up every once in a while.  But for now, Compher gets the job done.

Photo courtesy of tsn.ca

Tyson Jost (8G, 15A, +11)

Grade:  C+

The best way you can describe Tyson Jost’s time with the Avalanche thus far is a mixed bag.  Drafted 10th overall in 2016, the former North Dakota Fighting Hawk hasn’t developed into the point-per-game machine that he was in college.  His ability to lose defenders behind the net with his shiftiness made him lethal with the puck, especially on a powerplay with Brock Boeser.  But today as Jost’s entry-level contract is behind him, the Avalanche will have to make a decision on Jost’s future.

There is no question that Jost has shown glimpses of high potential as he did when he scored a hat-trick back in October.  But to score just one point in 12 playoff games this year showed that it’s possible his game disappears when there’s less room to skate.  Jost could be a fantastic commodity for another team who could potentially trade for his rights this offseason, but the truth of the matter is that the Avs simply may need a different kind of player.

The post Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 Season Review: The Bottom Six appeared first on The Rink.

So, without further ado, let’s dive straight into this thing.

Nathan MacKinnon

Grade: A+++

Taking a little page out of Kyle Keefe’s page, it is only natural for MacKinnon to earn something above a regular A+. Thought the past few seasons, MacKinnon has made himself a bonafide superstar in the league, but he took things to the next level this season, helping the Avalanche reach the second round for the second consecutive time. Not only did Mackinnon lead the Avs in points (93 – 35 goals, 58 assists) this season during the regular season, but he was also a man on a mission during the playoffs, tallying 25 points (9 goals, 16 assists).

MacKinnon recently won the Lady Byng trophy and is still up for the Hart Memorial and Ted Lindsay awards.

Gabriel Landeskog

Grade: B

Despite being injured for most of the regular season and only tallying 44 points in 54 games played this season, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog did have himself a solid season. Prior to his freak injury against the Dallas Stars in the second round, Landeskog was on a roll in the playoffs, tallying 13 points ( 2 goals, 11 assists). I think we can all hope for a healthy season for Landeskog next year.

Mikko Rantanen

Grade:B+

One thing that became kind of obvious to me throughout this entire season, is that it appears the league has begun to become used to Mikko Rantanen. He can still do a lot of amazing pass and plays, but it appears that he can only pull this type of stuff off against weaker opponents, the rest of the league has adapted to him. So how will Rantanen adapt to this? Only time will tell.

Similar to Landeskog, despite being injured for half of the regular season, Rantanen had himself a regular season with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists). Once he was fully healthy for the playoffs, he looked like regular Mikko again, tallying 21 points (7 goals, 14 assists) in 15 playoffs games played.

Andre Burakovsky

Grade: B+

Out of all the main offseason signings Avalanche GM Joe Sakic made during the offseason, Avs forward Andre Burakovsky was one of the main players who showed he can succeed with the Avs system. Finishing the regular season with 45 points (20 goals, 25 assists) and 17 points in the playoffs, statistically speaking Burakovsky was the best offseason signing Sakic made. As an RFA, it will be interesting to see how much the Avalanche will pay to keep him.

Nazem Kadri

Grade: B-

Including his buzzer-beating GWG against the St. Louis Blues in the round-robin games against the St. Louis Blues, Nazem Kadri impressed a lot of people, myself included, in his first full season as a member of the Colorado Avalanche, especially in the faceoffs. Finishing with 36 points (12 goals, 16 assists) in the regular season and 18 points (9 goals, 9 assists) in the playoffs, Kadri reminded everyone that he can still find the back of the net.

Despite his defensive hiccup in Game 7 of the second round against the Dallas Stars, I thought that Kadri was awesome this season for the Avalanche. One area that I thought he helped the Avalanche with a lot was faceoffs, as Kadri finished the season as second best with a 56.8 faceoff percentage. One area I thought Kadri was a welcome addition to was the Avs first unit powerplay. Not only adding another scoring force but by helping the Avs win the faceoff and remain in control of the opponent’s zone during the powerplay right away.

Joonas Donskoi

Grade: C+

Out of everyone in the top six, Donskoi was the one who probably disappointed me the most. He wasn’t terrible, but he also wasn’t amazing either. Donskoi finished the regular season with 33 points (16 goals,17 assists) and only tallied six points (3 goals, 3 assists) in 9 playoff games played with the Avalanche. I am not really sure if Donskoi needs more time to get adjusted to the Avs playstyle, or if he is just way to injury-prone, but this past season was definitely a disappointment for Donskoi, and hopefully, he can redeem himself next season.

The post Colorado Avalanche 2019-20 Season Review: The Top Six appeared first on The Rink.

Well, that is not what any of us were expecting — and it is still a little bit of a shock.

I even hate having to write this recap, but we just have to rip off the bandaid, no matter how much it hurts.

The Colorado Avalanche have officially been eliminated from the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs after falling to the Dallas Stars 5–4 in overtime. In what could only be described as a back and forth affair all game lone, the Stars had the last laugh as they tallied the game-winner, punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the Vegas Golden Knights.

Kicking off the opening frame, the Avs would fall behind after Stars forward Alexander Radulov tallied his first goal of the game on the powerplay to give the Stars the 1-0 lead. Not long after, the Avalanche came up with the equalizer as Avs forward Vladislav Namestnikov tallied the equalizer.

One of the main players who piqued my interest early into the game was Avs forward Logan O’Connor. Just like the past couple of games, O’Connor seemed to be relentless on the puck, and he was getting rewarded with some opportune chances, including a near goal in the early minutes of the opening frame.

As time continued to dwindle in the first period, the Stars attempted a breakout of their own zone — but Avs forward Andre Burakovsky anticipated the pass, intercepted it, and promptly sniped it past Anton Khudobin to give the Avs the 2–1 lead into the second period.

The second period continued to be another back and forth affair like the first period, as the Stars came up with the equalizer with Stars forward Antii Kiviranta tallying his first goal of the game. With the score now tied, the Avalanche would head onto the powerplay, something they have struggled within this series, where Avs forward Nazem Kadri tallied a goal of his own, giving the Avs the 3–2 advantage to head into the third period.

PING!
Kadri almost had his 2nd today on the PP #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/UVnIDtDTyF

— Fuck Dave Portnoy (@TheReplayGuy) September 4, 2020

Similar to the first couple of periods, the final frame continued to be a back and forth affair as the Stars tallied the equalizer off the stick of Radulov early into the period. There would be no quit from the Avalanche, however, as Namestnikov tallied his second goal of the game to help the Avs regain the one-goal lead — but that would be short-lived as only 10 seconds later Kiviranta would tally his second goal of the game to force overtime.

In the sudden-death period, Kiviranta would complete the hat trick to help the Stars advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they will play the Vegas Golden Knights or the Vancouver Canucks.

So whats next? Nothing on the Avalanche front, as they have officially been eliminated from the 2020 Stanley cup Playoffs. However, you can expect plenty of offseason content from our team as the Avs set their sights on Lord Stanley next season.

The post RECAP: Stars eliminate the Avalanche in 5-4 overtime thriller appeared first on The Rink.

After being down 1-3 in their series against the Stars, the Avalanche did the miraculous — they came back and forced a game seven. And they did it with their third string goalie and without lineup staples Matt Calvert, Erik Johnson, or Joonas Donskoi. But do they have what it takes to finish off the series?

Games four and five both saw one team dominate the first period then go on to win the game. Game six, on the other hand, was tied 1-1 at the end of the first period. The real story of the game — and indeed, of the series so far — is the Avalanche’s utterly impotent power play. Their last goal with the man advantage was in game four. They are 1/16 on the power play over the past three games. The Stars allowed them five power plays in game six, including a four-minute double minor, but the Avs failed to capitalize. The Stars, on the other hand, are 5/13 on the power play through those same three games.

Nathan MacKinnon continued his ongoing point streak in game six with one goal and one assist. Mikko Rantanen did the same. The two forwards now lead the league in playoff points. Defensemen Cale Makar and Nikita Zadorov each tallied a goal as well, helping secure the victory.

It's Cale Makar!

The ROOKIE puts the #GoAvsGo on TOP.

Presented by @NewAmsterdam pic.twitter.com/9sDGNeLaXJ

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 3, 2020

If the Avs hope to advance to the conference championship, they need to capitalize on their power play chances and stay out of the box. It sounds like a cliche, but special teams may end up making the difference in this series. And the Avs need to stay grumpy. Being downright pissed off has definitely worked for them these last two games.

Bednar says the #Avs still remain grumpy and are not happy with where they remain in the series. #Avs

— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) September 2, 2020

Player(s) to watch:

On the Avalanche side, there are rumors that Matt Calvert may return to the lineup tonight. Although Logan O’Connor has played well in Calvert’s stead, Calvert’s grit has been sorely missed. And of course, all eyes will be on third-string goalie Michael Hutchinson, who’s surpassed all expectations so far.

On the Dallas side, rookie forward Denis Gurianov and defenseman Miro Heiskanen have 13 goals and 20 assists between them and lead the Stars in points. Minimizing their chances tonight will be critical.

There are few things more exciting in sports than a game seven! If things go Colorado’s way tonight, the Western Conference Championship is scheduled to begin on Sunday. 

The post Game Preview: Can Avs advance to Conference Championship? appeared first on The Rink.

Similar to Game Five, the Avalanche chose to play goaltender Michael Hutchinson who was backed up again by Hunter Miska.  Conor Timmins drew into the lineup once again but unfortunately Matt Calvert was still held out.  In goal for the Stars was Anton Khudobin, backed up by young Jake Oettinger as Ben Bishop was deemed unfit to play again.

Here’s how the game shook out.

First period

While it took awhile for both teams to loosen up, the story in the first period was faceoff wins and blocked shots.  The Stars won 67% of the draws and had 11 blocked shots in the first 20 minutes of the game.  The first big opportunity for the Avs came when Pierre Edouard-Bellemare took a high stick from Blake Comeau and drew blood so Colorado had four minutes of powerplay time.  Unfortunately, the Stars killed off all four minutes and limited Colorado to just a couple shots on goal.  The Avalanche had another minor penalty after Mikko Rantanen was taken down going to the net, but Dallas killed that penalty off, too.

On the defensive side, goaltender Michael Hutchinson made a huge save on Stars forward Radek Faksa as he was forced to slide from left to right to make sure a rebound didn’t go in.  But it was only a few minutes later when Miro Heiskanen scored on what should’ve been a routine save for Hutchinson.

Michael Hutchinson gets across to deny Radek Faksa. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/SqfaJANQwQ

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 3, 2020

But the Avs weren’t ready to end the period on that note.  With under a minute to go, Colorado defenseman Nikita Zadorov took a shot from the point through traffic and it found its way into the net past Anton Khudobin.  With the score tied at one, both teams headed into the locker room with shots also tied at 13 each.

During the intermission, Anson Carter talked about there being fewer scrums after the whistle.  Both teams were trying to be conservative and not commit any dumb penalties that would put their teams shorthanded.

Zadorov ties it up at 1 after 1 #GoStars v #GoAvsGo

LIVE on @SiriusXMNHL
- https://t.co/F3l2nu3fHT pic.twitter.com/wmIPJb3JZY

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) September 3, 2020

Second Period

It was more of the same in the second period as the Stars still couldn’t stay out of the box, and the Avs still couldn’t score on the powerplay.  Jamie Benn and Corey Perry were called for minor penalties in the period, but Colorado struggled going 0-for-5 for the game.  Eight minutes in, Cale Makar found a rebound in the slot and put it high past Anton Khudobin, giving the Avs a 2-1 lead.  But more bad news would follow.  Conor Timmins would leave the game, leaving Colorado with just five defenseman to finish the game and captain Gabriel Landeskog left at the end of the period with an apparent leg injury.

It's Cale Makar!

The ROOKIE puts the #GoAvsGo on TOP.

Presented by @NewAmsterdam pic.twitter.com/9sDGNeLaXJ

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) September 3, 2020

Third Period

The Avs got to work early in the third period and provided goaltender Michael Hutchinson with some insurance with a goal by Mikko Rantanen.  The assist came from Nathan MacKinnon who extended his playoff point streak to 14 games.  After that goal, Dallas started turning up the heat finishing every check and putting tons of pressure on the puck.  But the Avalanche held on to their lead and got back the captain Gabe Landeskog who returned from the locker room.

With under ten minutes to play, the Avs went to the penalty kill after Stars forward Jason Dickinson received a high stick.  They did a great job blocking shots and making sure the Stars didn’t have any open lanes.  As time dwindled down to three minutes left, Dallas pulled their goalie but that didn’t end well.  Nathan MacKinnon recovered a loose puck and sent it down for the empty net goal, sealing the game for the Avs at 4-1.

MacKinnon and Rantanen are just so disgusting together pic.twitter.com/5mGyC4ktsW

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) September 3, 2020

What’s next?

Holy cow, that’s all I can say.  It’s been quite the series and will be remembered as an instant classic, but this is far from over.  Friday night, the Avalanche and Stars play each other one last time in a win or go home game to advance to the Western Conference Finals.  The stage is getting bigger each game and although Colorado keeps getting setbacks with injuries, they keep moving forward.  Hold onto your hats folks, we’ve got a game seven coming our way!

The post Avalanche force game seven after pivotal 4-1 win over Dallas appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff Osborn , John Jaeckel and surprise guest Aaron Goldschmidt of The Rink Colorado wrap up the Blackhawks season and start to contemplate the draft and free agency.

• • After making the Oilers look silly, the Vegas Golden Knights return the favor to the Blackhawks
  • Kirby Dach and Dominik Kubalik continued to play well
  • Alex DeBrincat, Dylan Strome and Alex Nylander did not
  • The irrational hate for Olli Maatta
  • Corey Crawford and goalie talk
  • Discussion about the lack of player development

Watch the entire replay of the YouTube live right here:

Please do us a favor. Subscribe, rate this episode, share with your friends, and even write us a review. The best reviews will be read on the air.

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 23 – And that’s a wrap appeared first on The Rink.

Defenseman Erik Johnson and left winger Matt Calvert remained unfit to play and were replaced in Colorado’s lineup by Colorado Eagles players Conor Timmins and Logan O’Connor. Both goaltenders Philip Grubauer and Pavel Francouz were also missing tonight for the Avalanche, the former having sustained a groin injury and the latter currently unfit to play per Coach Jared Bednar. In place of Francouz, Michael Hutchinson started in net for the Avalanche, with fellow Eagle Hunter Miska available as backup netminder.

Dallas also made an unexpected goaltending decision prior to the game, starting Ben Bishop in net over Anton Khudobin.

Period One

At just 4:37 into the period, Pierre Bellemare opened the scoring for Colorado on a breakaway pass across the slot from Logon O’Connor, who collected his first NHL playoff point on the assist. Shortly after, the Avalanche went on their first power play of the game when Stars’ winger Alexander Radulov was called for hooking. As they had in previous games, Dallas blocked multiple shots and left Colorado scoreless when playing with the man advantage. The Avalanche, however, quickly demonstrated that scoring goals does not require an extra man on the ice when halfway through the period, Andre Burakovsky picked up a rebound off of a shot from Cale Makar that gave the Avalanche a 2–0 lead.

Thank you, Bellemare!

(And a first playoff point for O'Connor, too!)#GoAvsGo https://t.co/IYEOGjANVm

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 1, 2020

In the three minutes that followed, Colorado scored three more even-strength goals. The first was from Nathan MacKinnon, who received a pass from JT Compher and clapped the puck into the back of the net from high in the slot. The goal extends MacKinnon’s playoff point streak to thirteen games and places him fourth in line for the longest point streak to begin the NHL playoffs, behind only Bryan Trottier, Mark Messier, and Bobby Orr.

The next goal came from Nazem Kadri, who continued in Game 5 to fight for goals and pick up loose rebounds. He grabbed a bouncing puck on what should have been a save by Stars goaltender Ben Bishop, and after putting Colorado up 4–0, the Stars replaced Bishop with Khudobin. A net change did not appear to be what Dallas needed, however, because less than a minute later, Mikko Rantanen deflected the puck into the net after a drive and backhand shot by defenseman Samuel Girard. The Avalanche ended the period up 5–0, and two late penalties meant they would begin the second period playing with a 5–3 man advantage. The period also ended with Colorado up 23–5 in shots on goal.

So, that was fun!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/haOW9NpfRg

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 1, 2020

Period Two

The ability to carry their momentum from one period into the next was something the Avalanche had struggled with in previous games against the Dallas Stars, and while period two did not result in five unanswered Colorado goals, the Avalanche nonetheless maintained their lead. Dallas killed Colorado’s power play for a second time and proceeded to score on a goal from Joe Pavelski at 7:50 into the period. The team appeared to gain some momentum, taking the fight to Colorado’s defense, drawing penalties, and attacking the net. The second period saw eight total penalties from both teams, the Avalanche taking two for unsportsmanlike conduct from both Kadri and Girard.

After a second Stars goal by Miro Heiskanen on the power play, it seemed like Dallas was building the kind of momentum that had enabled previous multi-goal comebacks against Colorado. Bednar’s decision to place Burakovsky on the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen, however, proved beneficial for a second time tonight when MacKinnon dished the puck to Burakovsky on the right faceoff circle, whose one-timer kept the Avalanche ahead of the Stars and ended the period with a 6–2 Colorado lead.

We're kinda digging Burky and MacKinnon on a line together!#GoAvsGo https://t.co/S0mbuqsEiw

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) September 1, 2020

Despite six power play opportunities, all of Colorado’s goals in the first and second periods were scored at even strength.

Period Three

The final period continued to see numerous penalties from both sides. Both Blake Comeau and Pavelski left the ice early with ten-minute misconduct penalties, and on a five-on-four Dallas power play with 5:48 left in the third, Jamie Benn scored a goal to cut Colorado’s lead in half. Dallas then pulled their goaltender to no avail, and the Avalanche beat the Stars 6–3, sidestepping elimination and continuing their race for the Stanley Cup. Colorado’s defense blocked 24 shots, and goaltender Michael Hutchinson saved 31 of the 34 shots he faced.

What’s Next

The Avalanche look to tie the seven-game series against Dallas in Game 6 on Wednesday, September 2^nd. The Avalanche will need to limit their penalties in Game 6 and focus on taking advantage of their own power-play opportunities. A loss in Game 6 would mean elimination for Colorado, so fans should expect the players to take to the ice Wednesday with the same urgency as they did today.

The post RECAP: Avalanche score five goals in first period, extend series against Stars appeared first on The Rink.

First period

Just when you thought the Avalanche would come with the energy they had in game three, they sleepwalk through the whole first period of game four.  The game started with the Avs on the powerplay but it was lethargic and they could not even get through the neutral zone.  The Avs did not register a shot on that powerplay and they would not get one until the 18 minute mark of the period.  Yes, you read that right.  Pavel Francouz did not have his best period either, allowing three goals on 10 shots.  Two of them were on the Dallas powerplay, one scored by Radek Faksa on a rebound in front of Francouz and the other on a Jamie Benn redirect.  The period concluded with Dallas up 3–0 and leading in shots 10–5.

Patrick Sharp of NBC Sports said it best after the period ended.  “The Dallas Stars came out angry and there was no response from the Avalanche.”  Anson Carter elaborated saying that “the Stars wanted to drag Colorado into a street fight,” and they did.

Power. Play. Precision. #GoStars strike AGAIN on the man advantage. #StanleyCup | @DallasStars pic.twitter.com/sCriMXk5lc

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 30, 2020

Second Period

The Avalanche woke up in the second and quickly came back to get even with the Stars in shots on goal with 14 early in the period.  Both teams were checking hard and seemed to trade minor penalties throughout the period.  At times, Avs coach Jared Bednar was double-shifting Nathan MacKinnon to ignite some sort of spark while they still trailed the Stars 3–0.  Thirteen minutes into the second, it was Val Nichushkin who got the Avs on the board first, cleaning up a shot from the point by Cale Makar.

Nichushkin getting this train rolling #GoAvsGo https://t.co/MnwxMoh8cU

— x – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) August 30, 2020

And after a pivotal penalty kill that sent Nathan MacKinnon to the box on an interference call on the Stars’ Corey Perry, the Avs found themselves on a 5-on-3 with under a minute left in the 2nd period.  Colorado called a timeout which followed a powerplay goal by Cale Makar, drawing the Avs within one goal of tying the game.

BACK IN IT!

Cale Makar makes it a ONE-GOAL game. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/KrBDC4HfMl

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) August 30, 2020

Third Period

There was energy from both teams to start the third, but it was the Avalanche who would have a couple of miscues that would cost the.  The first was a tripping penalty that led to a Roope Hintz goal, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Moments after, Cale Makar collected the puck behind the net, but somehow he lost it in front of Francouz who was scored on easily by Denis Gurianov making it again a three goal lead.

With under ten minutes in the period, Val Nichushkin scored his second goal of the game on a deflected wrist shot, but it was not enough for the Avs to complete the comeback.  Even with a late goal by Vlad Namestnikov, the Avalanche fell to the Stars 5–4 and now trail Dallas 3–1 in the series.

The @Avalanche get one back on a bit of a weird one. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/gw14ygZ5YM

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 31, 2020

What’s next?

It will be a quick turnaround for this series as game five is on Monday at 7:45 pm MT.  The Avalanche, who were one of the favorites all year to compete for the Stanley Cup, now face elimination in the second round.  You can look at the key injuries to Philipp Grubauer, Erik Johnson, and Matt Calvert, but this should not be an excuse.  The Avs had to play a gritter playoff-style game to match Dallas, but they failed.  They have one more chance to fight for pucks, or else they will have to wait until next season.

The post Avalanche fall to the Stars 5-4, face elimination Monday appeared first on The Rink.

Following a couple of days off, the Colorado Avalanche return to action looking to even the series against the Dallas Stars on Sunday. After coming away with a thrilling 6–4 victory over the Stars in Game Three, the Avalanche will seek to ride their momentum to level the series at two games apiece.

After leaving Game Three in the second period, Colorado defensemen Nikita Zadorov will be in the lineup Sunday against the Stars. Zadorov recording the first multi-point game of his playoff career in Game Three after recording a goal and an assist.

Nathan MacKinnon is also on an 11-game point streak, the longest in franchise history during the postseason. MacKinnon tallied two assists in the Avs’ 6–4 comeback victory in Game Three. The previous record of 10 games was set by Avs legend and now general manager Joe Sakic in 1996 and in 1982 by Quebec Nordiques icon Marian Stastny.

Jamie Benn

I am putting Benn down as the main Dallas player to watch for not only his scoring ability but due to how Game Three ended and his overall antics in the last game. From taking a run at MacKinnon to cross-checking Gabriel Landeskog at the end of Game Three, you can just feel that Benn will be trying to leave some type of impact this afternoon.

The post Preview: Avs look to carry momentum to tie series against Stars appeared first on The Rink.

The 5–3 loss to the Stars on Saturday was a result of many things, not least the fact that half of the team seemed to be asleep on the ice. The defense was unable to communicate and the defense was unable to get firing, with the notable exception of the top line, who scored all three of the Avalanche goals.

Bednar says “half the team” were passengers

— Adrian Dater (@adater) August 23, 2020

On top of those problems, Saturday saw two Colorado players injured. Defenseman Erik Johnson left the ice twice during the game in pain and will be doubtful for Game Two. In addition, goalie Philipp Grubauer suffered a lower-body injury during period two, leaving Pavel Francouz to take over in net. Given Grubauer’s history with lower-body injuries, the remainder of the playoffs may be Francouz’s time to shine. Matt Calvert was also a sudden scratch for Game One.

The Avalanche should be going into Game Two with something to prove, which has historically served them well. The flaws from the last game can be addressed, as they mostly came down to the fact that the team was not fully engaged with playing the game. With a more cohesive defense and more presence from the bottom three lines, there should be quite an improvement.

The question of the full lineup is still a mystery, as someone will need to fill Johnson’s spot if he is indeed unable to play. A few names have popped up here, as the Avs brought a number of additional defensemen with them to the bubble, including young prospective players Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins. They also have more familiar names in Mark Barberio and Kevin Connauton, both of whom logged minutes with the team this year.

Players to watch

With Grubauer out indefinitely, Francouz will need to step up big going forward. He only has one official full playoff game under his belt, though he also played in one of the round robin games. That round robin game, coincidentally, was a shutout against the Stars. Francouz also played in Colorado’s sole loss against the Coyotes, allowing two goals. While it would be nice to see the same Francouz we saw during the first game against Dallas, there will still need to be a considerable defensive effort to back him up.

Miro Heiskanen has had quite a run so far in the playoffs for the Stars, posting 13 points in 10 games. He had an assist on one of the goals against Colorado in Game One and will likely be a large contributing force in Game Two. His contributions mainly come in the form of assists, so the Avalanche will need to shut down his opportunities to set up plays.

Miro Heiskanen already has 10 assists this postseason

The franchise record is 12

This kid's good pic.twitter.com/AshruYkhCR

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) August 23, 2020

Despite it still being early in the series, Colorado needs to come out firing and tie the series here. Allowing Dallas to take a two-game lead will only serve to bolster their spirits, while an Avalanche win can rekindle the fire that saw them close out the series against Arizona.

Game Two will be at 7:45 p.m. MDT on Monday.

Calvert day-to-day, Grubauer is out indefinitely, EJ not expected to play tomorrow

— Adrian Dater (@adater) August 23, 2020

The post Preview: Avs look to battle back in Game Two appeared first on The Rink.

Before the game started, lineups showed that Vladislav Namestnikov was back in the lineup after sitting a few games under concussion protocol, but Matt Calvert was a scratch.  Calvert is a big part of the Avs’ bottom six forward group and provides a certain “sandpaper” that gives the team a lot of energy.  He was even in a scrap with Stars captain Jamie Benn earlier this year.

Make sure you check out our series preview of the Avalanche vs Stars in the second round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs!

First period

The Avs didn’t get off to the start that they wanted to with the Stars, as Dallas took control in the first few minutes.  They had a plan to take Colorado’s strength out of the game, which is their great skating ability.  The Stars dumped the puck in behind Philipp Grubauer and began to cycle, wearing out the Avalanche defenseman.  After just four minutes, the Stars scored their first goal on a pass from behind the net from Benn to Tyler Seguin.  Within a minute of the Stars’ first goal, Nathan MacKinnon answered back, striking on a wrist shot through some traffic that Dallas goaltender Anton Khudobin never saw.

We just don't have anymore words for Nathan MacKinnon (@Mackinnon9). #StanleyCup

: https://t.co/GDNbGpS3tW @NHLonNBCSports
: https://t.co/Uu61IdqCuU @Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/v9s05SXM9h

— NHL (@NHL) August 23, 2020

Some bad new came in the middle of the period when Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson blocked a shot and fell awkwardly in front of the net.  He made it back to his feet but opted to skate to the bench gingerly, knowing it wasn’t just a bruise.  The Stars continued putting on pressure and the puck eventually found it way to the back of the Avs net on a redirected shot from Blake Comeau at the point.

But the Avs weren’t going away.  MacKinnon made a nice pass to Gabriel Landeskog on what should’ve been the Avs’ 2nd goal of the game, but Khudobin made a great post-to-post save.

We call that Dobbery #GoStars pic.twitter.com/ve6NEc01bu

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) August 23, 2020

The Avs didn’t look great the rest of the period as they continued to turn over the puck in the neutral zone and simply didn’t have an answer for Dallas’ offensive game.  Within the final minutes of the first period, Samuel Girard dumped the puck in and chased it into the Dallas zone, which resulted in a Dallas odd-man rush.  Benn found Alexander Radulov right in front of Grubauer, who then put the Stars up 3-1.  The period ended with Colorado leading Dallas in shots 13-7, but Dallas seemed to have the advantage so far in all phases.

Second Period

To start the second period, it was nice to see Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson back on the bench, who had left the game in the first due to an apparent leg injury.  Unfortunately for the Avs, another player would leave the game in the second period.  Going for a pad save, Grubauer looked to over-extend and went down in agonizing pain.  Play stopped as he had to be helped off the ice, with Pavel Francouz coming on the ice in relief.

Scary moment as @Avalanche' Philipp Grubauer goes down in pain and is helped to the locker room. Pavel Francouz is now in net. pic.twitter.com/GfV0jc51z0

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 23, 2020

The Avalanche looked like they got some extra motivation after Grubauer went down as they were skating hard and putting a lot of pressure on the defense.  After a long shift in the Dallas zone, MacKinnon shot the puck from the point and the puck found Landeskog, who scored his first goal of the postseason.

Landeskog makes it a one goal game! It's 3-2 !!#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/WzbJ1RSLBj

— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) August 23, 2020

The goals continued to pour in, as it was Dallas’ turn.  Seguin carried the puck through the Avs’ zone on a two-on-one and fired the puck low on Francouz.  The rebound came to Radulov, who put home his second of the game, giving the Stars another two goal lead.  Later in the period, Johnson took another spill and left to the tunnel again.  And just before the end of the second period, both teams took minors and it was four-on-four for two minutes.  The Avalanche got possession in the Dallas zone and MacKinnon redirected his second goal of the game off of a Girard shot.

What would @BrianBoitano do? @Mackinnon9 with a triple toe loop double redirection. pic.twitter.com/fryksQ9VAc

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) August 23, 2020

Third Period

It was back and forth action for the first ten minutes of the third period as the Avs tried to even the game at four.  But it was Roope Hintz that broke the ice, giving the Stars a 5-3 lead.  Dallas continued to cycle in the Avalanche zone, grinding away at the game clock.  They finished all their checks and were always in on the forecheck.

In the final five minutes, the Avalanche pulled their goalie but the Stars held them until the final buzzer.  The game ended with the Avalanche leading in shots 31-30.

What’s next?

Game two will be on Monday at 7:45 PM MT and, if the Avalanche want to even up the series, they will need to find another level.  The Dallas Stars aren’t the Arizona Coyotes.  They’ve shown that they can score seven goals in a game too, plus they play a heavy style game.  If you’re Colorado, you have to watch the tape and see how you can come out and adjust.  It’s clear the Stars are taking away the neutral zone from the Avs so they can’t penetrate on the rush.  They Avs may also have to find a replacement for Erik Johnson if he’s unable to go for game two.

The post Philipp Grubauer injured in Avalanche 5-3 loss to Dallas appeared first on The Rink.

Players to watch

Our predictions

The post Series Preview: Avs to face Dallas Stars in Western Conference Semifinals appeared first on The Rink.

The opportunity has finally come for the Colorado Avalanche to eliminate the Arizona Coyotes and advance to the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now facing elimination, it will be interesting to see what Arizona Coyotes squad the Avalanche will be facing. If they are facing a motivated team, this game could be close. However, if the Avalanche continues to ride the momentum from Game 4, the Avs can very well see themselves strolling into the second round.

Following their 4–2 loss in Game 3, the Avalanche came back for vengeance in Game 4, dismantling the Coyotes 7–1 to take the first 3–1 series lead. The victory would be memorable, as they would chase Coyotes superstar goaltender Darcy Kuemper out of the net for the first time in the series. Now will it continue to be a factor in Game 5? Only time will tell.

One of the most notable players for the Avs during their Game 4 victory was Nazem Kadri, who tallied 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist), who now has 9 points throughout the playoffs, leading the Avs in goals (4) — the best part of this? Kadri has 0 penalty minutes so far. Keep in mind, Kadri missed the past two playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs due to suspension.

Kadri had 10 points (3 goals and 7 assists) in his 19 previous playoff games in his career with the Maple Leafs from 2013-2019.

“I just try to come to play and compete every single night,” Kadri said. “That’s what good pros do, and I just felt like I didn’t have my best game last game so I just wanted to give it everything I had. Got a couple of nice breaks early, and obviously that makes the rest of the game a little bit easier.”

Player(s) to watch:

Gabriel Landeskog

While it may come as a shock, the Avs captain is scoreless so far in the first round against the Coyotes. Landeskog has the reputation of finding the back of the net at important times, so keep an eye on him to make a difference in Game 5 as the Avs look to advance to the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Coyotes Top Line

With their leading scorer in Conor Garland possibly out (not yet confirmed, but did not participate in the Coyotes practice yesterday), the Coyotes will be looking towards their top line of Taylor Hall, Derek Stepan, and Clayton Keller to make a difference and try to force a Game 6.

While most of the league is predicting the Avalanche to advance to the second round today, the Avalanche will be approaching the game just like any other game in the series. They are aware the Coyotes will be coming out out of the game, and only time will tell how they will counter it. We expect to see the same intensity that we saw from the Avs in Game 4 to close out the series.

The post Preview: Avalanche look to advance past Coyotes in game 5 appeared first on The Rink.

The Kuemper fortress has been broken.

After falling to the Arizona Coyotes in Game 3 by a final score of 4-2, the Colorado Avalanche came out swinging in the first period, tallying 3 goals in the first period and limiting the Coyotes to three shots in the opening frame.

In what could only be described as a complete team performance, the Avalanche blitzed the Coyotes en route to a 7-1 victory. While multiple Avs players put up multi-point performances, one of the main players who stood out from the rest was Avs forward Nazem Kadri, who tallied 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the victory.

Cale Makar, Matt Calvert, and Mikko Rantanen each had a goal and an assist, and Philipp Grubauer made 14 saves.

First period

It didn’t take long for the Avalanche to gain control of the game, as they took a 1-0 lead at 14:07 of the opening frame as Avs forward Matt Nieto deflected a pass from Calvert on a 2-on-1 to give the Avalanche the lead.

A couple of minutes later, Kadri tallied his first goal of the game at 16:07 on the power play when he jumped on a loose puck in front of Darcy Kuemper. He wouldn’t be done there, however, as Kadri increased the lead to 3-0 at 19:39 of the first period with another powerplay goal, converting on a rebound in front of the net that came from a Nathan MacKinnon shot.

Second Period

A famous phrase in hockey is that a three goal lead is the worst lead in hockey. However, this would not apply to the Avalanche as they continue to put pressure on the Coyotes, as Joonas Donskoi would convert on a 2-on-1 rush with Andre Burakovsky to extend the Avs lead.

The Coyotes would ruin Grubauer’s shutout bid at the 13:31 mark of the second period as Coyotes defenseman Jacob Chychrun found the back of the net. That goal would close out the period and the Avalanche held the 4-1 lead heading into the final frame.

Third Period

Scoring the last goal of the second period, the Coyotes were probably thinking they would carry the momentum to attempt a comeback. The Coyotes would replace Kuemper in net for backup goaltender Antti Raanta to begin the third period.

However a comeback would not be in the cards for the Coyotes, as Makar had other plans. Only 19 seconds into the final frame, Makar would pick up a pass from the side board and go coast-to-coast for a highlight reel goal to give the Avs the 5-1 lead and squash any momentum the Coyotes may have built from their powerplay goal in the second period.

Calvert converted on MacKinnon’s pass at 2:57 for the 6-1 lead and Rantanen tipped Erik Johnson’s slapshot from the point at 16:24 to give the Avalanche the 7-1 lead, putting this game to bed.

Things would get chippy towards the end of the game, as Coyotes forward Lawson Crouse checked Makar into the boards from behind, drawing attention from everyone on the ice. Out from the pile, MacKinnon ended up ragdolling Coyotes forward Christian Fischer shortly after Fischer cross-checked MacKinnon to the face — a mistake he should never forget.

While we do not know the extent of the injury, Arizona lost Conor Garland in the middle of the second period. Both sides have had some “unfit to play” players heading into this game, as Colorado forward Vladislav Namestnikov and Arizona forward Nick Schmaltz were ruled unfit to play before the game.

Player of the Game

Nazem Kadri

With two goals and an assist in the Avs 7-1 victory over the Coyotes, Kadri continues to be one of the best players for the Avalanche. After being suspended in his last two postseason appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Kadri has had 0 penalty minutes through his first six games — all while tallying six points (2 goals, 4 assists).

I asked Kadri about this postgame:

"We exchanged some words and I felt like he gave me a couple extra shots that were unnecessary and I had to let him know about it.

"I get under people's skin—I've figured that out the last few years. The important part is staying composed"#Avs https://t.co/zPToYtGSAQ

— Scott MacDonald (@0ffScottFree) August 18, 2020

What’s next?

The Avalanche will be looking to advance to the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs when they face the Coyotes on Wednesday, August 19 at 3:30 p.m. MDT.

The post Recap: Avs take commanding 3-1 series lead with 7-1 victory appeared first on The Rink.

Ready for some more playoff hockey?

Good.

Only 24 hours after the Colorado Avalanche came away with an exciting 3-2 victory in a tightly contested Game Two, the Avalanche have an opportunity to increase their series lead over the Coyotes on Saturday. A win on Saturday would help the Avs claim a 3-0 series lead, and create a situation where the Coyotes could be facing elimination in Game Four on Monday, August 17 at 3:30 p.m. MDT.

However, if Game Two taught us anything, the Coyotes will more than likely be ready to give it their all to possibly avoid this situation. So far in this series, we have seen two completely different Coyote teams — one who allowed the Avalanche to completely establish their style of play and dominate all aspects fo the game, and one gritty and in your face style. We suspect that the Avs will see more of the same from the Coyotes, so don’t be surprised if this game ends up being a close one again.

Joonas Donskoi and Vladislav Namestnikov are considered day-to-day by Avs head coach Jared Bednar, so it will be interesting to see what the lineup will look like for Game Three. If one of these players are not able to return to the lineup tomorrow, one of the main players who could make an appearance would be former DU Pioneer and Colorado Eagles standpoint Logan O’Connor — however, time will tell.

Starting in goal the past two games, it will be interesting to see if the Avs continue with the hot hand and keep Philipp Grubauer in net, or if we may see Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz make his official postseason debut (minus round-robin) in Game Three against the Coyotes. Francouz last played in the Avs round-robin series when the Avs shutout the Dallas Stars 4-0.

Players to watch

Nazem Kadri

With one game-winning goal and assist, Avs forward Nazem Kadri continues to be a difference-maker for the Avalanche in the playoffs. Kadri tallied four points (One goal, three assists) in the round-robin series and has continued to prove that he can be a difference-maker in the playoffs for the Avalanche. After being suspended the past two playoffs with the Toronto Maple Leafs, questions were circling about how he would perform with the Avs in the playoffs. So far, he continues to be one of the best Avalanche forwards. It truly seems like he is playing with a chip on his shoulder and is on a mission to prove critics wrong — which is good for the Avalanche.

Michael Grabner

While I felt like I could pick a few Coyotes who could be a difference-maker in Game Three, I eventually kept circling back to speed Coyotes forward and penalty-killing specialist Michael Grabner. While there was some controversy in regards to his goal in Game Two, Grabner was able to help the Coyotes tally their first real goal against the Avalanche — since the first goal was an unfortunate own goal. If Keller and Phil Kessel are unable to get things going right away for the Coyotes, keep an eye on Grabner.

The post Preview: Avs Seek to Extend Series Lead Over Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the Blackhawks’ latest woes, what went wrong in the last two games, what really needs to change, and what direction this organization needs to head going forward.  You can watch Gate’s segment here:

You can watch the entire program right here (highly encouraged):

The post Rink On The Air: Gate talks Blackhawks with Shawn Sierra and Ivan in the Morning appeared first on The Rink.

Following a fairly successful round-robin series to obtain the second seed, the Colorado Avalanche will begin their quest for the franchise’s third Stanley Cup when they take on the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

This will be the first time that the two teams will face off against each other since the 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs, where the Avs defeated the Coyotes in 5 games in the first round to advance to the next round. That season the Avalanche made it to the Western Conference Finals where they eventually fell in seven games to the Dallas Stars.

While the Avalanche are among some of the favorites to lift the Stanley Cup this season, they will have to focus on the task at hand against a tenacious Coyotes squad, who is fresh off an impressive performance by eliminating the Nashville Predators in four games. Coming into the playoffs as a favorite, the Avalanche are in a similar role that the Calgary Flames were in last year — when the Avalance eventually shocked the Flames in five games. Expect the Avs to not overlook the Coyotes.

X-Factors

Nathan MacKinnon (COL)

Finishing the regular season with a team-leading 93 points, MacKinnon will continue to be an important part for the Avalanche if they hope to claim the Stanley Cup. While MacKinnon has not found the back of the net yet following the round-robin games, we can expect him to take his game to the next level for the first round of the playoffs against the Coyotes. The clear goal for the Coyotes will be looking to shut down MacKinnon, but this year the Avalanche reap the benefits of four lines who can score — something that they did not have in last year’s playoffs.

Clayton Keller (ARI)

One of the Arizona Coyotes superstars that the Avalanche will want to keep in check is Clayton Keller. Although not having the same attributes as MacKinnon, Keller is more than capable of taking over a game. Leading the coyotes with 4 points through the play in series against the Nashville Predators, Keller is likely feeling optimistic about his play heading into the first round against the Avalanche.

Game Schedule

Game 1: Wednesday, August 12th 3:30pm MDT

Game 2: Friday, August 14th 12pm MDT

Game 3: Saturday, August 15th, 1pm MDT

Game 4: Monday, August 17th, 3:30pm MDT

Game 5*: Wednesday, August 19th, TBD

Game 6*: Friday, August 21st, TBD

Game 7*: Sunday, August 23rd, TBD

The post Series Preview: Colorado Avalanche vs Arizona Coyotes appeared first on The Rink.

“Awkward alert” –@RobinLehner pic.twitter.com/f0llBU2mDg

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

Chicago made the simple decision of starting two-time Stanley Cup champion Corey Crawford, creating a great storyline amongst former goalkeepers.

First period

Midway through the first period, both teams threw four shots on net, none that would be considered a high scoring chance. Vegas played a quick game early, only to be matched by Chicago’s well-structured start. This was a best-case scenario for the Blackhawks, as Vegas could play a heavy game at times that the Blackhawks would not match.

As Mike Emrick and Pierre McGuire mentioned a few different times during the broadcast, this period was a “feeling out” process for both teams. At the end of the first period, Vegas led in shots 9–5, holding Chicago without a shot for over a nine-minute stretch toward the end of the frame.

It's pretty clear that the #Blackhawks are trying to maintain control of the middle of the ice in the defensive zone, if the heat map on shots is any indication. pic.twitter.com/uBcB1F3Fdk

— James Neveau (@JamesNeveau) August 12, 2020

Second period

Chicago started the period with a few early chances by Jonathan Toews and Dylan Strome, both whom brushed the pipe behind Lehner. Strome’s attempt came as Lehner lost a skate blade, forcing the former Vezina Trophy finalist to make an awkward attempt on the shot.

no blade

no prob

¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/e6AiM2qYw6

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

The uneventful period turned a little physical between teams, as Ryan Reaves played his physical style and Toews and Jonathan Marchessault tussled along the benches as Toews was not happy about being pinned along the open door along the bench.

Things picked up quickly after the 7:22 mark of the period, as Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore scored the first goal of the game after firing a wrist shot past the glove of Crawford for a 1–0 Golden Knights lead. Theodore’s third goal of the playoffs was assisted by forward Reilly Smith and defenseman Alec Martinez.

Just over two minutes later, Vegas forward William Carrier bulled himself to the net, shoving Chicago forward Matthew Highmore to the ice, and pounced home a rebound shot from Reaves from the corner. The goal, Carrier’s second of the postseason, was assisted by Reaves and center Nicolas Roy, doubling the gap to 2–0. Chicago’s bench boss Jeremy Colliton challenged the play for offside only to be awarded a two-minute penalty when the goal was upheld.

While shorthanded, Chicago forward Brandon Saad made an excellent play stripping the puck from Theodore and finding forward David Kampf, who beat Lehner glove side, cutting the Vegas lead to 2–1. The goal gave Kampf his first goal of the postseason.

David Kampf scores shorthanded for his first career playoff goal, but this play started with Brandon Saad. What an effort. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/eN9N5sahlp

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 12, 2020

At the end of the period, Vegas led 2–1 on the scoreboard and 21–14 in shots. Chicago was lucky to find the back of the net while shorthanded since Vegas clamped down on the Blackhawks in their own zone for much of the first two periods of play.

Third period

Vegas extended their lead to 3–1 when Smith beat Crawford for his first goal of the postseason. Crawford made a half-hearted attempt at a blocker save only to find the puck bounce over his shoulder and into the net. The “soft” goal was an early backbreaker for the Blackhawks.

You can never shoot the puck too hard #VegasBorn | @Raising_Canes pic.twitter.com/JYitH6a4ES

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) August 12, 2020

After some end-to-end action, Smith scored his second goal of the period at the 8:14 mark of the period. The Etobicoke, Ontario, native beat Crawford with a slick backhand over the glove hand of Crawford on a break to the net. The goal extended the Vegas lead to 4–1 and showed the top seed in the Western Conference could turn up the heat on the Blackhawks in a blink of an eye.

Classic NHL20 goal…#CHIvsVGK #StanleyCupPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/dIW5gi6MmZ

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) August 12, 2020

At the end of the day, the only thing that was “awkward” about the matchup between Lehner and his former mates occurred when he lost his skate blade on two separate occasions. Vegas played a simple game and forced Chicago to generate their own offensive chances, which the eighth-seeded team could not accomplish. Vegas did not make many mistakes and outclassed the Blackhawks over the course of 60 minutes.

Chicago will look to even the series on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. CDT at the Rogers Place in Edmonton.

The post Along the Boards: Vegas outclasses Chicago 4–1 in series opener appeared first on The Rink.

Records

Vegas 39–24–8
Chicago 32–30–8

Season head-to-head

Vegas 2–1–0
Chicago 1–2–0

Special teams (Power play, penalty kill)

Vegas 22.0% (Ninth), Chicago 82.1% (Ninth)
Chicago 15.2% (28th), Vegas 76.6% (27th)

Shots for, Shots against

Vegas 32.3 (Seventh), 26.3 (Third)
Chicago 30.5 (13th), 34.3 (21st)

Goals for, Goals against

Vegas 224 (10th), 209 (14th)
Chicago 208 (19th), 214 (16th)

Faceoffs

Vegas 50.0% (16th)
Chicago 49.9% (17th)

Average height, weight, age

Vegas 6-foot-2, 203.5 pounds, 27.5
Chicago 6-foot-1, 191.5 pounds, 25.4

Projected lineups

Vegas Golden Knights
Max Pacioretty — William Karlsson — Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault — Paul Stastny — Reilly Smith
Nick Cousins — Alex Tuch — Nicolas Roy
William Carrier — Tomas Nosek — Ryan Reaves

Brayden McNabb — Nate Schmidt
Alec Martinez — Shea Theodore
Nick Holden — Zach Whitecloud

Robin Lehner
Marc-Andre Fleury

Chicago Blackhawks 
Brandon Saad — Jonathan Toews — Dominik Kubalik
Alex DeBrincat — Kirby Dach — Patrick Kane
Alexander Nylander — Dylan Strome — Drake Caggiula
Matthew Highmore — Ryan Carpenter — David Kampf

Duncan Keith — Adam Boqvist
Calvin de Haan — Connor Murphy
Olli Maatta — Slater Koekkoek

Corey Crawford
Malcolm Subban

Analysis

As it goes with a No. 8 seed, the Blackhawks would appear to have their work cut out for them in their first round playoff matchup against the No. 1 seed Golden Knights.

Fresh off a “play-in” upset of Edmonton—where the only people who picked the Hawks would pick them against the ‘83 Oilers (or really “anyone”)—the Blackhawks can certainly make the ol’ “anything can happen” argument.

And, they could be right.

However, the Knights are not the Oilers. Not just in the composition of their team, but also in that they just performed strongly in the round robins against the best competition in the West. But, let’s look at why some hope might be justified for the Hawks.

Above all, their first line is as hot and as potent as any in hockey. Jonathan Toews is playing again like THE Jonathan Toews, same for Brandon Saad, and Dominik Kubalik is a quick-strike lethal weapon. I doubt the Knights will stop this line, and as the saying goes, their best hope is to contain them.

The Hawk defense is also playing pretty well. Not perfectly, but well enough to get past Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Fortunately for the Hawks, no one else on Edmonton posed much of a threat.

Compounding that relative positive is…another relative positive. For the first three games of the Edmonton series, Corey Crawford appeared to be, at best, finding his game. In the decisive Game 4, he was once again “Corey Crawford.” A lot of Hawk fans are counting on, or assuming, they will see “Game 4 Crawford” throughout the Vegas series, and not “first three games Crawford.” We shall see.

Because, again, the Knights are not the Oilers.

As we all know, Vegas went to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season two years ago. They do not really have what you would call a lot of (or any) household names. But, they are built to win in the playoffs, and, in that regard, more so than the Hawks.

Vegas has a lot of players who can both put the puck in the net and defend. They are big, but they can play however you want. Add to that, their goaltending is, if not better than the Hawks’, certainly deeper with Robin Lehner and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Hawks likely will not get a “bye” in Game 1 due to a Mike Smith meltdown—and the likes of Mikko Koskinen to decode the rest of the way.

Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer has a true luxury in picking between the hotter hand of two top NHL goaltenders. Another luxury is adding top scorer Max Pacioretty into a lineup that did not have much difficulty scoring in the round robin.

The Hawks’ play-in round featured two teams with plenty of flaws. You can argue the Hawks won because they outworked the Oilers and thereby overcame their flaws, where Edmonton seemed to never quite show up, exaggerating their own.

Chicago probably will not be so lucky with Vegas, who both showed up and prevailed in the round robins—and have shown in the recent past they know how to win in the playoffs.

In this matchup, the special teams look stunningly even, but the numbers suggest the Knights are a better five-on-five team than Chicago, which they are, and that matters significantly in the playoffs, where penalties generally get called less and overtime is five-on-five, with no three-on-three or shootout.

Sure, there is a compelling Crawford vs. Lehner subtext. I am going to assume (if Lehner and not Fleury starts for Vegas) both players will give it all they have. And with that in mind, the series will be won or lost between the goal lines. But, here is another very compelling stat: Vegas is 8–1 since 2017 against Chicago.

Keys to victory

Vegas

Keep rolling. Vegas looked very strong in the round robins. They have the scoring, depth, goaltending and physicality to go deep in the playoffs.

Chicago

Stop Vegas from continuing its roll. Winning Game 1 would not only be a minor upset for the Hawks, but it might also start to get inside the Golden Knights’ heads. Vegas has to have a fairly high confidence level coming in against a Chicago team they have dominated recently. The Hawks’ best hope may be to damage that confidence early in the series.

Prediction

When you look at all the variables, both teams’ depth (or lack thereof), size and recent playoff success, it is really hard to objectively pick the Hawks in this series. So, we are not going to.

Vegas in six games.

Comment below.

The post Series Preview: Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

With the round-robin series coming to an end, the battle for the top spot in the Western Conference comes down to the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights. The winner will nab the top seed in the Western Conference, while the loser will secure the second seed for the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In their last game before the break, the Avalanche beat the Knights 7–3 at the T-Mobile Arena with former Golden Knights forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare tallying two goals in the victory. During the regular season, the Avs held a perfect 2–0–0 record against the Knights, tallying 6–1 and 7–3 victories respectively. The interesting thing about these lopsided victories was that the Avs beat Vegas on the road both times.

Since the Golden Knights arrived into the NHL in 2018, the Avalanche hold an all-time record of 5–3–0, but currently, ride a four-game winning streak against the highly entertaining Knights.

Following an exciting day of eliminations during the qualifying round, the Avs now have a better idea of who they will face in the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With a victory over the Knights, the Avalanche will face off against the Chicago Blackhawks, who are coming off of a surprising series win against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

If the Avs happen to lose this showdown against Vegas, they will capture the No. 2 seed and will meet the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the playoffs, who are coming off on an exciting series against former Avs forward Matt Duchene and the Nashville Predators.

So…who should you keep an eye on during the Avs showdown against the Knights?

With two assists, I think we can expect a big performance from Avs superstar Nathan MacKinnon. Knowing everything that is at stake, expect MacKinnon to take control of the game, and put the Avs on his back with an exceptional performance.

On the other side of the die, the player to watch for the Knights will be forward Mark Stone. With 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in the two round-robin games played, Stone has been on a roll as of late and has found his offensive touch.

The post Avalanche Aim For Top Seed Against Golden Knights appeared first on The Rink.

Aside from a highly unanticipated Hawk blowout in Game 1, Games 2 and 3 were essentially even.

If Edmonton chalked Game 1 up to no legs and a particularly poor start to the game by goaltender Mike Smith, then Game 4—with the Oilers’ backs to the wall on essentially home ice—would be the true test.

Did most of us underestimate what is left in the tanks of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith? Or is Edmonton just not ready for prime time? Or would the Oilers regain their footing in Game 4, sending the series to a fifth and deciding game?

While Mikko Koskinen split Games 2 and 3 in net for Edmonton, he certainly still appeared to be a better alternative to Smith—and Koskinen would be the starter for Edmonton in Game 4. Corey Crawford, who had not needed to be very good thus far in the series—and to this point was not—remained in net for Chicago.

First period

Edmonton got on the board in the game’s opening minute, when Connor McDavid set up Josh Archibald on a beautiful cross ice pass, catching a disoriented and out-of-position Chicago defense completely off guard. Think a classic Hawk defensive zone Chinese fire drill of the last two seasons—only this time minus Erik Gustafsson. The tally put Edmonton ahead 1–0 just 45 seconds into the contest.

Edmonton dominated the first five minutes, but at 14:44 on one of the Hawks’ first shots, Brandon Saad scooped up a rebound, circled the back of the net and tucked one past a flailing Koskinen to tie the game at 1–1 5:16 into the frame.

After Edmonton defender Darnell Nurse made a weak attempt to advance a puck behind the Oilers’ net, the Blackhawks took possession and kicked it out to Keith at the point. Keith launched a shot that was nicely tipped by Matthew Highmore for his second tally in two games, giving Chicago a 2–1 lead just under eight minutes into the period.

Edmonton began to mount some serious pressure with their defensemen activating and taking some risks in the last 10 minutes of the period. The pace and intensity of the game was noticeably picking up. Nurse then had another miscue, allowing Toews to get behind him at the Edmonton net, forcing Nurse to take him down and earn two minutes at 15:54. The Hawks mounted some nice pressure on the ensuing power play, but Edmonton scrapped and scuffled to kill it off.

Koskinen really seemed to be fighting the puck and flopping around, but somehow managed to hold the Hawks at bay on several quality chances. The period ended, oddly enough, on a Highmore high-sticking penalty, giving the potent Edmonton power play a chance to open the second.

Second period

Before Edmonton could get much going on its power play, David Kampf picked off a pass near the top of the Chicago zone and went in on a breakaway that Koskinen stopped. With the penalty expiring, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slammed a rebound past a fallen Crawford to level the score at 2–2 just over two minutes into the second stanza.

At 2:32, Alex DeBrincat, Stan Bowman’s “disappearing $6 million man,” took an awful five-minute major penalty boarding Edmonton defenseman Ethan Bear from behind. But, before the Oilers could capitalize, Nurse made yet another boneheaded play, drawing an interference call at 4:48. Edmonton killed their portion of the four-on-four, leaving 41 seconds left on DeBrincat’s major. Chicago nonetheless got the kill, but Edmonton kept the pressure on.

Crawford was then tested on a few high-quality chances at even strength and came up big. Koskinen was also tested at times throughout the remainder of the second. Both goalies flopped and flailed quite a bit, but managed to keep the score tied.

The period ended in the midst of another Edmonton power play after Dominik Kubalik took a slashing penalty at 19:49. This period may have featured the most intense hockey of the series.

Third period

Crawford stopped several Edmonton chances to open the period and helped the Blackhawks kill off the penalty. He also had a lucky horseshoe in his pads when beaten by Andreas Athanasiou, only to be bailed out by the crossbar.

About a minute later, Drake Caggiula took an ill-advised cross-checking penalty on Athanasiou, putting the Oilers back on the man advantage. Perhaps Crawford’s best save of the game came on a James Neal chance off a sweet passing play about midway through the power play. The Hawks then killed off the remainder.

Edmonton continued to pressure the Hawks at even strength, when for the first time in the series the Hawks appeared to have tired legs. But the Saad-Toews-Kubalik line struck again with breathtaking quickness, with Toews winning a puck on the end board and feeding Kubalik for that lightning one-timer at 8:30, lifting Chicago to a 3–2 lead.

Yet Edmonton kept coming, and Crawford kept responding. The action was fast and furious back and forth until Edmonton tried to pull Koskinen around the two-minute mark—and got hit with an unforgivable too many men call.

Edmonton then dialed up one last onslaught at five-on-five with Koskinen pulled, but it was a day late and a dollar short. Playoff Corey Crawford showed up, and as it was throughout the series, the Hawks’ first line of Kubalik, Toews and Saad was the best on the ice. Game, series, Chicago.

The Blackhawks defied the experts. Here at The Rink, we had the series going four games—to the Oilers. Edmonton’s goaltending and defense, especially without Adam Larsson the last two games, were exposed.

Now the Blackhawks wait until Saturday to see who they face in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Well earned. Comment below.

The post Along the Boards: Blackhawks top Oilers 3–2, take series in four games appeared first on The Rink.

Prior to the pause in the regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Avalanche struggled the most with the Dallas Stars, as the Stars swept the Avalanche in the season series. While the postseason is always a different beast, it seems as if the Stars have had the Avs’ number in recent matchups with their stout defense and strong goaltending behind Denver native Ben Bishop.

However, it will be very interesting to see how the Stars’ defense will be able to handle a fully healthy Avs roster.

In this round robin showdown against the Stars, it will likely be another closely contested battle. It was also noted that Colorado head coach Jared Bednar was not happy with the performance of a few players in their performance against the Blues. It can be expected the Avalanche will be coming out flying to start the game to see if they can beat Bishop early.

Special teams will be an interesting storyline to follow for Colorado, as the Avs’ penalty-killing unit held the Blues to one power play goal on Sunday. While the Avalanche have been able to establish a strong penalty-killing unit, their power play continues to leave something to be desired, only scoring once in their five opportunities with the man advantage against the Blues.

Players to watch

Cale Makar — Colorado Avalanche

A little quiet in the game against the Blues, the player to watch against the Stars should be Calder Trophy candidate Cale Makar. If Makar is able to get his game going, it will make the Avs’ dynamic offense deadly, and can also be enough to immediately improve the Colorado power play. Expect Makar to have a big game against the Stars.

Roope Hintz — Dallas Stars

If there has been one Stars player who has impressed in each showdown against the Avs before the pause, it has been Finnish forward Roope Hintz. The speedy Dallas forward has caused fits for the Avalanche in the past, and I can see him doing so once again in this round robin showdown. Look for Colorado to lock him down.

The post Round robin preview: Avalanche vs. Stars appeared first on The Rink.

The Blackhawks needed a great game in Game 1 to have any chance against the Edmonton Oilers. Fans sat in anticipation as Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews looked to take down two of the league’s best in Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. 

Despite the Blackhawks understanding the importance of this game, they proceeded to take a terrible penalty in the game’s first minute and a half. A too many men penalty sent the Oilers top powerplay unit into action. As many probably expected, Connor McDavid tallied from the left wing side of the ice to give the home team the early 1–0 lead. 

Playoff Connor: Activated. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/dOoGodqcps

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) August 1, 2020

After about six minutes of play, the Hawks’ second line had a golden opportunity. After Kane was denied on a point blank chance following an Oscar Klefbom turnover, Mike Smith mishandled the puck behind the net and right to Dylan Strome. Strome banked the puck off of Smith as he returned to his crease and tied the game for the visitors. 

The Strome's a-brewin'#Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/gfGE5GClbb

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 1, 2020

Not too long after Strome tallied the tying mark, he preceded to draw a penalty and send the Hawks to the power play. Edmonton pushed Patrick Kane into the right wing corner, knowing he was the focal point of the power play. However, the puck squeaked out of the corner and onto the stick of Dominik Kubalik, who found Jonathan Toews wide open on a backhand pass. Toews finished top shelf against Smith and gave the Hawks the lead. 

The best leader in hockey just put the @NHLBlackhawks ahead! pic.twitter.com/rUHe86KKqK

— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) August 1, 2020

In what seemed to be a momentum shift, the Blackhawks struck again. This time, a point shot from Olli Maatta was tipped in front of Smith by Brandon Saad. The puck changed direction so much that it would have been difficult to stop. The tally gave the Blackhawks an early two goal lead against the favored Oilers. 

https://twitter.com/NBCSBlackhawks/status/1289649435429879808

Hockey players always say momentum is a real thing. Well, the momentum was in favor of the Blackhawks because they were not stopping. The top line forechecked hard against the McDavid line and Brandon Saad pressured McDavid into a turnover. Kubalik found the puck and dished it to the captain who buried his second (yes, second) goal of the game and gave the Hawks a 4–1 lead early in this game.

Jonathan Toews scores his second goal of the first period and Dominik Kubalik picks up his THIRD assist. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/8k1lBqXAQK

— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) August 1, 2020

The Blackhawks carried the momentum through the whole entire opening frame. The Oilers looked asleep, and Chicago was trying to put their foot on Edmonton’s hypothetical throats in this game. They had to keep it up in order to hold on though, as the Oilers still have so much fire power. 

The teams opened the second period and Edmonton found some sense of urgency. About four minutes into the period, the Oilers were able to get a goal back on the power play. Leon Draisaitl tapped home a McDavid pass after some chaos around the blue paint. Corey Crawford was a little slow to get back to his crease, leaving an open net. 

However, the Blackhawks found a way to get one back. After a Darnell Nurse penalty, Duncan Keith tee’d up Domink Kubalik for a beautiful one-timer on the right wing boards. Kubalik finished off the feed for his first goal of the day and his fourth point of the game to regain the Blackhawks’ three-goal lead. Mike Smith subsequently was pulled in favor of Mikko Koskinen after Kubalik’s one-timer.

#KubyKannon #Blackhawks #CHivsEDM #AllForOne 5-2 https://t.co/VnYqgIWUPq

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) August 1, 2020

After plenty of back and forth action, the Blackhawks added to their already impressive lead. On the power play, yet again, Dominik Kubalik tipped a Keith shot from the point past Koskinen with about two minutes and change left in the period. The goal was Kubalik’s second goal and fifth point of the day.

ANOTHER ONE!

Dominik Kubalik redirects Duncan Keith's blast in and it's 6-2! #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/DB9Xy4uJqF

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 1, 2020

As action entered the third, both teams were quiet on the score sheet. With three and a half minutes remaining, the Oilers pulled Koskinen in favor of the extra attacker. The strategy worked twice for Edmonton in the span of about 35 seconds, as James Neal hammered home a puck in a scrum in front of Crawford, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied on a tip of a point shot. 

Despite Patrick Kane’s empty-net goal being overturned, the Blackhawks held on to win 6–4 over the favored Oilers. It was quite a game from the #12 seed Blackhawks, and the game certainly gave fans hope of what is to come.

Around the boards

Is this revenge for 2012? It’s really nice to see Mike Smith get his ass handed to him. #Blackhawks #CHivsEDM #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/xboI5J0qWZ

— Puckin Hostile (@PuckinHostile.bsky.social) (@PuckinHostile) August 1, 2020

It was nice seeing the Blackhawks enact some revenge on Mike Smith, who is almost 100% responsible for eliminating Chicago from the playoffs back in 2012. Today, the Blackhawks got Smith for five goals, and fans loved seeing him leave the game after the Kubalik one-timer on the power play. 

#Oilers not keeping their feet moving, making the #Blackhawks look quicker than them. #CHIvsEDM

— Ray Napientek (@NapsakRay) August 1, 2020

The Oilers did not look fast today; multiple Blackhawks players, including Toews, Saad, and Kubalik, made Edmonton look slow. Much of that was due to the Oilers not looking ready to play. However, instead of the Blackhawks playing down to Edmonton’s level today, they took their energy through the roof and were able to keep the Oilers in a bad situation for almost the entire game. 

4-1 #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/n39KcmU2na

— Sean Fitzgerald (@Diesal3426) August 1, 2020

Yeah, I felt that way too. I think most Blackhawks fans felt that way today after they brutally outplayed the Oilers. The key moving forward is for Chicago to keep that up. If they can sustain that level of offense, they could steal this series against Edmonton. If I’m one of the leaders on the team, I’m feeling good and letting guys feel confident, but reminding guys this is only game one, they need to win two more before they can truly experience real playoff hockey. 

The Blackhawks and Oilers will be back on NBCSN on Monday, August 3. The game is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. CDT.

The post Along the boards: Blackhawks take care of Oilers in Game 1 appeared first on The Rink.

“This is the future of the NHL—all the teams with small forwards and slick forwards are gone, the big bullies are now playing, the guys that are 6’3, 6’4 . . . those are the guys scoring the goals, those are the guys that are checking.”

—Barry Melrose (on the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals)

This quote, pulled from a recent episode of ESPN’s Pardon The Interruption, started a bit of a twitter spat the last couple of days, reigniting the philosophical war over building an NHL roster based on size versus finesse/speed.

It’s a valid argument—and one that really needs to be broken down and discussed objectively—especially during the Stanley Cup Finals and with the draft and free agency right around the corner.

First of all, it’s kind of dumb to say it’s simply about size. There are good and bad big players and the same applies to small players.

Another quote to consider here (author unknown): “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.” Hold that thought. We’ll come back to it.

The responses to the Melrose quote, in the twitter thread I read, were quick to point out how Alex DeBrincat and Cam Atkinson, both small players, scored 40 goals a piece last year. But then someone else chimed in that they amassed those totals in the regular season—a different brand of hockey versus the playoffs.

This is an important distinction, especially for Hawks fans who, in 2016 and 2017, had all kinds of confidence about their team’s playoff chances based on regular season performance, and then watched them get beaten in the first round by the Blues in 2016, and absolutely flattened by the Predators in 2017.

There’s the rub: is it about how many points you amass, or how many goals you score in the regular season, or about how far you go in the playoffs and winning a Cup?

Let’s work with the assumption that the “goal” is to win in the playoffs. If you disagree, you should probably stop reading.

In the NHL, regular season hockey and playoff hockey are different styles of hockey, without question. Setting aside the more subjective things like how the game is officiated before and after April 10, there are some hard facts that can’t be denied:

First, regular season games don’t start to become really meaningful until after, say, Christmas. The St. Louis Blues, for example, were one of the league’s worst teams before Christmas this past season—and its best after that point. And it’s turned out well for them. Point is, in the playoffs, there’s simply a lot more at stake game to game. And game after game. You can’t stink for the first half of the playoffs, then win the Cup. Doesn’t work that way.

Add to that the fairly widely accepted “fact” that the refs tend to swallow the whistles in the playoffs.

So then you have a lot at stake in each game, along with much more permissive officiating—and what you end up with are much more physical games. Again, game after game.

But that’s not all. There’s no 3-on-3 overtime in the playoffs, or a shootout. Games are decided by 5-on-5 hockey. Sometimes, in a given game, or over the course of a series, a lot of 5-on-5 hockey.

That last bit doesn’t necessarily favor big players over small players, or vice versa. It becomes more about endurance and will.

And all that said, because the style of play is so much more physical, the frequency of injury in the playoffs is higher game to game. Yet players tend to play through injuries in the playoffs (or try to). Because, unlike the regular season, where you can take a few weeks off and come back and help your team—in the playoffs, they might be eliminated by then.

Pretty passing and stickhandling plays and players moving the puck uninterrupted through the neutral zone—while not totally uncommon in the playoffs—seem to happen less. And a relatively higher percentage of the goals are of the “greasy” variety.

And this is where things like size—without dismissing compete level (regardless of size)—become very important.

The net conclusion here is fairly obvious, and proven by the teams that actually win the Cup year after year: teams that have players with the will to play physical hockey, and the talent to produce while playing that brand of hockey, win the Cup year after year.

Last year, it was the Washington Capitals. This year, either of the teams in the finals fits that description.

Going back over the years, you can point at the Penguins’ Cup teams and those of the Blackhawks’ since 2009 as examples of highly talented teams that won Cups. But those were teams that could and did match up physically, and dealt out as much or more punishment than they took. Go back to just 2015, when the Hawks could roll a “fourth line” of Andrew Shaw, Marcus Kruger and Andrew Desjardins. They didn’t score (much), but they dominated offensive zone possession and drove opponents nuts. And it’s important to point out, none of those players are what you’d call “big.” But all of them “played big.”

Conversely, remember when the Vancouver Canucks won the Cup in 2011? Wait, no, that’s right, a “high finesse” team that was the presumptive favorite to win the Cup that year, the Canucks ran into the brick wall known as the Boston Bruins, got epicly “bi— slapped” and took a physical and humiliating Cup Final loss.

Just this year, the “electric” Tampa Bay Lightning were on the high-flying express train to the Finals when they got destroyed in the first round by a Columbus team that outhit them and outworked them. Then, Columbus ran into a team that upped the stakes on physicality and intimidation, and now Boston finds themselves in yet another Cup Final.

Fact is, although interwebz experts keep proclaiming that “the game has changed,” typically as part of a rationale for drafting 165 pound defensemen, or in support of teams that get a disproportionate amount of regular season production in 3-on-3 OT and on the perimeter at 5-on-5 (like the Hawks of the last few years), the Stanley Cup playoffs keep proving, year in and year out, that the games played in May and June really haven’t changed that much.

Again, it’s not just about the size of the player, as proven by the likes of Brad Marchand, but it really is about how willing and able your players are to go in between the circles and to the front of the net, win along the wall, and take and deliver punishment every other night for a couple of months.

Size, skill and speed—especially when a player has all three—check important boxes. But definitely, what seems just as (if not more) important is the size of the heart and willingness to pay a physical price to win.

All I have for now. Comment below.

The post The age-old debate: size versus finesse in the NHL appeared first on The Rink.

Chicago Blackhawks 25/1 To Win Stanley Cup

Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2007-08 season. Their work in the off-season has done very little to shore-up the short-comings of last season’s team. Other than the hope that goaltender Corey Crawford will be 100% ready for the season and able to play at the level that the Blackhawks community has grown accustomed to over the years, and also hoping that multiple players have bounce-back seasons in 2018-19, the organization hasn’t made the drastic changes to “right-the-ship” after last season’s disappointment.

That being said, apparently the Las Vegas odds-makers at Bovada don’t have much worry about the Blackhawks. Their 2018-19 odds to win the Stanley Cup are listed below:

Odds to win the Stanley Cup (@BovadaOfficial):

TOR/TBL +750
WPG +950
NSH/VGK/WSH +1100
PIT/BOS +1200
SJ +1600
EDM/STL +2000
CHI/LAK +2500
PHI/ANA/DAL/CBJ +3000
CGY +3300
MIN +3500
NJD/COL +4000
FLA +5000
MTL +7500
NYR +8500
BUF/CAR/NYI/ARI/OTT +10000
VAN +12500
DET +20000

— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) August 17, 2018

Right Or Wrong, Blackhawks Given Favorable Odds

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning lead the way with the best odds to win the Stanley Cup next year with 15/2 (+750) odds. Not far behind them are the Winnipeg Jets at 19/2 (+950), leading the Western Conference. Not far behind the Jets are the Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights, and defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals all with 11/1 (+1100) odds for the 2018-19 season.

One thing that jumps off the page, or screen rather, is that the Blackhawks have been given better or equal odds to win the 2018-19 Stanley Cup as seven teams that were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. The Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, and Colorado Avalanche all made the post-season last year and begin this season with worse odds to hoist the Stanley Cup than Chicago.

Of note, the team with the worst odds to win the Stanley Cup next season at 200/1 (+20000) are the Detroit Red Wings.

While there are no guarantees when it comes to the NHL, there is a better chance than not, that most of those teams will return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season, or at least be in the race late into the Spring. Chicago is much more of a question mark, but odd-makers feel better about the Blackhawks than most hockey fans and analysts.

The post Chicago Blackhawks Given 25/1 Odds To Win Stanley Cup appeared first on The Rink.

I am not immune to it either. Re-listening to the latest episode of the Rinkcast, I realized I was getting a bit too down on the Blackhawks for my own good so I wanted to do something to make myself and maybe some other Blackhawks fans happy, even for just a moment. A stroll down memory lane to relive the three moments that clinched the Blackhawks their three modern-era Stanley Cup championships.

Kane’s 2010 Overtime Winner Still Reigns As Blackhawks Fan-Favorite

Last week, I tweeted out a poll on Twitter to gauge the temperature of the Blackhawks community as to which game-winning goal was their favorite in a Stanley Cup clinching game:

I've been a bit negative about the #Blackhawks recently.
SO, let's do something positive and fun: Relive the past.
Which #StanleyCup Winning Goal is your personal favorite and why!
Comment below

— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) July 5, 2018

The responses to the poll were awesome and gave me and I would hope others, a few moments of Blackhawks happiness in between the perceived doom and gloom of this Summer, so far. I posed the 2010, 2013, and 2015 Stanley Cup Game-Winning Goals against each other, Patrick Kane in 2010, Dave Bolland in 2013, and Duncan Keith in 2015. In what was nearly no surprise, the first Stanley Cup championship in 49 years for the Blackhawks back in 2010, clinched by Kane in overtime of Game Six against the Flyers, came out on top.

Third Place: Duncan Keith, 2nd Period, 1-0 Goal vs Tampa Bay – 2015

In what I thought would have had a better showing than just 9% of the vote, Duncan Keith’s opening goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game Six of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final broke the tension in the United Center on a stormy night in Chicago late in the second period. Chicago and Tampa Bay had fought a tough battle of attrition through nearly 40-minutes of action, then Keith took a feed from Kane and finished a rebound chance on Ben Bishop.

Keith was an absolute machine during the 2015 Stanley Cup run for Chicago. Averaging a staggering 31:07 minute of ice-time per game over the course of a 23-game post-season, Keith finished with 21 points and was the first defenseman to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup playoffs MVP since Scott Niedermayer in 2007.

CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 15: Duncan Keith #2 of the Chicago Blackhawks scores a goal in the second period against Ben Bishop #30 of the Tampa Bay Lightning during Game Six of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final at the United Center on June 15, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

A few responses in favor of Keith’s 2015 winner:

So worth it! $$, weathering the weather (monsoon rain & tornado) while waiting for the gates to open, insane tension and crazy heart rate. But counting down those last few seconds and the crazy eruption of emotion – seeing my team win the cup on home ice!?!?!! Worth it all.

— sem (@semiamagain) July 5, 2018

2015. Because it was also my birthday.

— {B} (@wonderBmarie) July 6, 2018

This goal was actually my own favorite of the three because of the situation of the game and its significance in solidifying the Blackhawks as a modern-era dynasty. Plus, Keith’s lion roar after scoring the goal still gives me goosebumps.

Second Place: Dave Bolland, 3rd Period, 3-2 Goal vs Bruins – 2013

Coming in a very competitive second-place, the second goal of one of the most memorable moments in all of Stanley Cup Final history, 17 seconds, Dave Bolland was able to cement himself in Blackhawks lore by scoring the game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins in the final minute of Game Six of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. In his last game as a Blackhawk, Bolland found space behind the Bruins net to set himself up for the perfect rebound chance on one of the most improbable sequences in NHL history. From the grips of a Game Seven scenario, Bolland gave the Blackhawks their second Stanley Cup in three seasons.

The goal would be the latest goal scored in a non-overtime game to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history at 19:01 of the 3rd period. Just 17 seconds prior, Bryan Bickell tied the game at 2-2 in a last-ditch effort by Chicago to try to avoid a potential Game Seven against Boston.

BOSTON, MA – JUNE 24: Dave Bolland #36 of the Chicago Blackhawks scores past Tuukka Rask #40 of the Boston Bruins in the third period in Game Six of the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden on June 24, 2013 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jim Rogash/Getty Images)

A few responses in favor of Bolland’s 2013 winner:

That 17 seconds was incredible!!! Also because it was Crow's first and he was crawsome throughout the entire Cup run!!!

— Les Sweetpea's Papa (@TheHawkeyGuy) July 6, 2018

2012/2013 17 seconds sequence was so awesome, even though Kanes goal was the first SCW-goal for 49 years.

— Cklimateer (@cklimateer) July 5, 2018

The goal would hold, obviously, and the Blackhawks would complete the wire-to-wire run in the strike-shortened 2013 season as the best team in the NHL. To date, the Blackhawks are the last team to win both the President’s Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year, thanks to a heads up play by Bolland.

Winner: Patrick Kane, Overtime, 4-3 Goal vs Flyers – 2010

The most memorable moment of the Blackhawks modern-era is Patrick Kane’s overtime goal that gave Chicago its first Stanley Cup since 1961. Game Six against the Philadelphia Flyers, in overtime, and only Kane and Patrick Sharp seemed to see the puck go in. (Also, my Dad. Go ahead, ask him if he saw it first, he’ll be happy to tell you he did.) The 2010 Stanley Cup Final came down to one of the more confusing ends in NHL playoff history, but ultimately the puck was found under the padding of the net behind Michael Leighton and the Blackhawks were 2010 Stanley Cup Champions.

What chaos indeed, Doc.

Kane’s goal was the first of three Stanley Cups to be won by Chicago over a six-year span and was the defining moment of the changing of the guard for the organization after years and years of sub-par hockey, and sub-par fanfare. The rejuvenation of the organization through the core of Kane, Keith, Marian Hossa, Brent Seabrook, and Jonathan Toews, to name a few, had its signature moment.

PHILADELPHIA – JUNE 09: Patrick Kane #88 celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against Michael Leighton #49 of the Philadelphia Flyers
to defeat the Flyers 4-3 and win the Stanley Cup in Game Six of the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Final
at the Wachovia Center on June 9, 2010 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

A few responses in favor of Kane’s 2010 overtime winner:

Had to go with the Kaner goal, because it was the start of the great Hawks cup run and because he was rocking that sweet ass mullet.

— MarkOnTheTweet (@HawksFanAZ) July 5, 2018

2010, only because I’ve been a Hawks fan since ‘67 and I wasn’t sure if I would ever see them win the Cup. ‘13 was great. We were at ‘15!

— Keith Bliss (@keithisbliss) July 6, 2018

https://twitter.com/chynes22/status/1015014914576904192

With “One Goal” achieved in 2010, for some Blackhawks fans, it was enough. After “One Goal” was achieved again in 2013, it was magic. After “One Goal” was achieved a third time in 2015, it was gravy. Sweet, sweet gravy over a Stanley Cup full of poutine.

For all of Blackhawks fandom, the three Stanley Cups in a six-year span from 2010-2015 will be remembered forever as yet another “Golden-Age” of Blackhawks hockey.

Let’s all hope it can return to that again. Soon.

The post Patrick Kane’s OT Winner Still Blackhawks Fan Favorite Cup Memory appeared first on The Rink.