jpfalcon09

My hometown boy Bryan Smolinski! He went to the high school that was like 1/2 mile from my old house, run into his folks at Meijer all the time.

4-2 Vancouver

Gaborik just hit the post, Anaheim gets a hook though, PP Wild.

Key point here in the Stars game, Dallas needs to kill this off.

This game has got action and a great atmosphere, man. Hopefully the Joe is somewhere close to this tomorrow. BTW, I'll be at Game 2.

What a stop Turco!

San Jose is up 4-2, Nashville's been pouring it on in the 3rd but to no avail. Great setup there by the Stars, this Stars/Nucks series will be exciting.

I didn't know Darryl Sutter was back coaching either!

http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/ Bert didn't practice again today and is unlikely to play tomorrow.

Maggie last year picked us to beat the Oilers, so here's to her picking the Flames to win!

No, however it is only $49 for the first two rounds, either on tv or online.

Bert didn't practice Tuesday because of lingering effects from his concussion. The hope is to have him tested either today or tomorrow in hopes of getting clearance to play, but him missing Game 1 is a good possibility.

Paul Kukla's blog at http://kuklaskorner.com/ has posted that the Avs have called a press conference for today at 2 p.m. MDT. One can only speculate, but some think it's either it's re-signing of Joe Sakic or his retirement.

Per Bruce MaCleod of Macomb Daily, Bert was the only player not on the ice today during practice, likely because he needs medical clearance from his concussion.

It's going to come down to whether or not the Wings will be able to adapt their play if Calgary decides to bottle up the neutral zone or not. If the trap is employed and the Wings forwards are stuck at center ice trying to skate in the puck rather than dumping it in, I will get that sick feeling that I got last year during the Oiler series. It's all going to hinge on that, the Flames will watch that series last year and take tedious notes on how to shut down the Wings, it'll just be up to Babcock and the 5 guys on the ice at that time to pony up and adjust their game to win.

If Nashville can shut down the Thornton line and get a couple games stolen by Vokoun or Mason, I can see them winning the series. It's going to be a high-powered offense series, I think the neutralizing factor though will come if San Jose can match the scoring depth of Nashville, the Preds have a lot of players that can score in key situations. My breakdown: Goaltending: The tandem of Nabakov and Toskala has been steady all year, as has Vokoun and Mason. In terms of talent, it's a draw, but in terms of stealing a game, Nashville gets the slight edge. Defense: Both teams have D that can score and move the puck. Weber had 19 goals this year and has a booming shot on the PP. Guys like Zidlicky and Hamhuis can move the puck well and are pretty reliable on the back line, but I think Greg Zanon is the x-factor for the Preds. If he can be a physical presence, the Sharks will have some trouble. San Jose also has good puck movers in the form of Craig Rivet and Ehrhoff, as well as a bruiser in McLaren. Offensively, the Preds have the advantage but I think defensively, the Sharks are better. Offense: What can you say? Thornton, Marleau, Cheechoo, Guerin vs. Forsberg, Kariya, Dumont and Arnott. Both teams are ridiculously gifted offensively, it's really hard to say if anyone has a distinct advantage here. Special Teams: The league's top powerplay goes up against one of the better penalty killing teams. San Jose was close to 23% this year on the PP, Nashville close to 86% on the PK. This series may very well come down to special teams and who is able to execute. My prediction? If what I feel is going to happen actually does, I actually like Nashville winning this series. I think they are one of only a few teams in the West that can handle the scoring depth of the Sharks and apply similar pressure on them. Preds in 6.

Shinedown - I Dare You

The way I see it, signing him right now provides even more incentive for him to do well in playoffs. This will take a lot of weight off of his and the organization's shoulders going into the playoffs with all the uncertainty surrounding the situation. Good for the team and good for Dats, he's earned it with his play this year without Hank in the lineup, and I think he'll have a solid playoff campaign.

Maybe next time he should try not to be so wreckless, let alone on his own goaltender. I'm really getting tired of these injuries.

Bertuzzi has a sprained neck, so it's probably his back or a knee knowing the Wings.

All indications from various media outlets I've seen and people close to the organization feel it's not worth the risk to have him play the final two games. The 3-4 days off after the season concludes are going to be valuable to him and I wouldn't be surprised if Hank tries to go all out in at least two of those days to get back into game shape.

Last night on the Fox Ohio broadcast they said Bert still has some problems tying his skates, he'll experience some tightness and soreness but it's nothing that keeps him out of game shape.

Here in Toledo we're screwed because Fox2 dropped their service here...stuck with the radio. *sigh*

Wings finish 6-1-1 vs. Bubba, I'd say that was domination this year. Good luck in the playoffs Nashville, you gotta be able to run with the big dogs before you can own the yard.

Yeah, they might start spitting their chew on the ice and threaten to run the refs down with their 82 rusted Chevy pickups.