Last night we saw two game threes go into overtime, with each game ending 3-2. In Raleigh, the Bruins looked completely out of steam, yet still made it to OT before losing. In Pittsburgh, the Caps seemed to spend the whole game on the penalty kill. And while the penalty kill was strong, it prevented [...]

In a lot of ways, it’s kind of a relief for a coach to be down 4-1 in a game. It frees the coach up to make riskier decisions, since the game is pretty much gone anyway. Last night, down 4-1 to the Flames, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville rode his third and fourth line to [...]

Is it me, or is every Eastern Conference team in the middle of some kind of slide? Montreal has lost its two best defensemen and last night couldn’t beat Ottawa to solidify their playoff spot. The Flyers are firmly entrenched in the playoffs, but have struggled lately. The Devils seem to be coming out of [...]

What a crazy night last night. The Blues beat Detroit, the Blues on the second half of a back-to-back and the Wings coming off of three days of rest. The Blues are now in the playoffs. I don’t think anyone saw that coming a few weeks ago. The bottom of the Western Conference is crazy. [...]

So after settling down for a brief period in February, Dallas goalie Marty Turco seems to be regressing, getting pulled in the first period last night, his second hook in six starts. Unsurprisingly, Dallas lost to the Blues, tightening the Western Conference playoff race even more. Dallas coach Dave Tippett told Bill Nichols before the [...]

I enjoy checking in on players immediately after they were traded. It’s like watching someone at their first day of work: Mark Recchi hit the ground running in Boston. It helps that after he was traded to Carolina, they won the Cup. Shockingly, he spent some time in last night’s loss to Phoenix bouncing around [...]

The trade deadline draws nearer. I’ve always thought the NHL should take a few nights off for it. Get everyone in the same room, players and GMs, and just do the trading right there, live. It would be like when you chose teams when you were a kid. Maybe the NHL could make it even [...]

With Sean Avery’s reassignment to the AHL and seemingly self-inflicted muzzle working (for now), it’s very hard to find controversies in the NHL. You’d think there’d be one in Philadelphia, but Flyers coach John Stevens is a pretty smart guy. His former number one goalie, Marty Biron, has lost the starting job to Antero Niittymaki, [...]

It sure will be nice to see games that count tonight. The seemingly unstoppable Bruins are starting to get healthy. Patrice Bergeron, out with a concussion, skated yesterday, and could return to the Boston lineup as a wing. It makes sense given Boston’s depth at center and given that playing center is physically demanding. Bergeron [...]

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving. I’ve been on the phone with Richard Simmons since Friday, so I’m feeling much better. You know who’s not feeling so well? Brendan Shanahan. It seems all of the teams that might have wanted him are now playing so well, they really don’t need him. The Flyers are [...]