One of the few nice things about a minor penalty, like a hooking call, is the duration is always a given. The hook could be a minor infraction or a bold water-skiing-like take down, and either way, the responsible party is always going to get two minutes. It’s simple, yet effective. There’s no judgement required. [...]
Some days, Tampa Lightning coach Guy Boucher’s psychology background is practically visible. Yesterday was one of those days. Down three games to two and facing elimination, Boucher has named Dwayne Roloson as his starting goalie for game six. Roloson struggled in game four and was replaced by Mike Smith in game five. Smith was very [...]
In his Sunday notes column, Kevin Paul Dupont let himself wonder what life would be like for the Bruins had the Joe Thornton who’s currently playing in San Jose been the same Joe Thornton who played in Boston. Dupont acknowledges that Thornton has taken a while to blossom and that the coaching situations in Boston [...]
It looks like Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau’s job is safe. At least until next season starts. But Boudreau is going to have a tough job next year. There are basically two theories floating around about how the Capitals were swept by the Lightning: The Capitals were outplayed. The Capitals were outcoached. Tarik El-Bashir says [...]
With the Washington Capitals down two games to none in their series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, I have a suggestion for the Caps: don’t chase the Lightning in the defensive zone. For all of the talk about how system-oriented and defensive Tampa coach Guy Boucher’s 1-3-1 system is, once the Lightning enters the offensive [...]
I have to admit I’m not totally looking forward to the Boston Bruins-Philadelphia Flyers second round matchup. Between Boston’s defensive crouch and Philadelphia’s often overly physical play, I’m concerned there won’t be too much skating or movement. Also, both teams have pretty bad power plays going right now. And factor in that the Flyers have [...]
Vancouver Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo shouldn’t be nervous about tonight’s game seven against the Chicago Blackhawks. He shouldn’t be embarrassed about earning tonight’s start because Cory Schneider, the backup who replaced him in game six is hurt (but feeling better). Everyone wants to be the goalie who dominates his way through the playoffs. Everyone wants [...]
New York Rangers’ coach John Tortorella, despite another bumpy year, deserved the contract extension he received (thought to be three years). Ultimately, he managed to make the playoffs with a team that was not only inexperienced and/or bad, but one that was also injured for much of the season. Tortorella got a pretty bad team [...]
The Blackhawks have played their post-season perfectly. Shutout in game one, they lost two close games before turning on the heat in games four and five. Chicago lulled the Vancouver into a false sense of security. No one looks more surprised than Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo, who wound up pulled in games four and five. [...]
When a coach’s team is in trouble, he’ll typically do or say something provocative or outlandish to draw media attention away from his team and their performance and onto himself. It’s a standard coaching move that’s common across sports. Washington Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau worked that move yesterday, calling New York Rangers defenseman Marc Staal [...]
