Now it's even steven at the East playoff bubble. Buffalo Sabres continued a strong run and beat the conference leading New York Rangers. And easily. Assisted a bit by countless turnovers and resulting odd man rushes. A comfortable 4-1 victory puts them tied on the eighth spot with inconsistent Washington Capitals, who only managed to salvage one point from Winnipeg Jets after leading the game already 3-0. Total collapse and loss in overtime do not promise much for the end of the stretch. A welcome surprise may come in form of Ottawa Senators who have now lost three in a row and are having real trouble keeping their playoff spot that looked sure a while ago. At this pace they will be overtaken by both the Capitals and the Sabres.
Meanwhile, the Florida Panthers again collected one point with a disappointing shootout loss to lowly Edmonton Oilers. They still hold a four point cushion and keep a hold on the home ice advantage of third seed.
Friday night's honorable mention goes again to Eric Cole. To make history in such a storied franchise as Montreal Canadiens is something special. And to do it in positives, even better. Cole posted the fastest hat trick in franchise history by scoring three times in a bit over five minutes in the first period. Kudos!
Showing posts with label even. Show all posts
Showing posts with label even. Show all posts
2012/03/24
2012/03/14
Playoff race - Mar 14 - Western lineup
Whoa, last night's round of NHL playoff bubble hockey couldn't have been more Hollywood if written as a script. Calgary Flames beat San Jose Sharks, but only in overtime. At the same time, Los Angeles Kings pulled off a encouraging victory over injury ridden Detroit Red Wings. And, just like in the movies, the three playoff hopefuls (Detroit is in already) are even on 78 points. Joining Colorado Avalanche who had a day off. So, four way tie before the last dozen games. We can rightfully call this a race!
In the East, Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida all pulled off victories last night to keep the balance between them and put the pressure on the Buffalo and Winnipeg who didn't play this round. On a side note, Lightning's superstar Steven Stamkos casually hit 50 goals with two last night. On a struggling team, he's been phenomenal and should be considered in the Hart Trophy race no matter what's the result for Tampa in the end.
On Wednesday evening, there's a clash between East and West when the Avalanche visit Sabres in Buffalo. Both teams are in desperate need for points and one could easily predict another mutually beneficial three point game there. Another team to watch is Phoenix Coyotes, trying to stay ahead of the surging four in the West while visiting Vancouver Canucks, who have been in some trouble lately.
In the East, Washington, Tampa Bay and Florida all pulled off victories last night to keep the balance between them and put the pressure on the Buffalo and Winnipeg who didn't play this round. On a side note, Lightning's superstar Steven Stamkos casually hit 50 goals with two last night. On a struggling team, he's been phenomenal and should be considered in the Hart Trophy race no matter what's the result for Tampa in the end.
On Wednesday evening, there's a clash between East and West when the Avalanche visit Sabres in Buffalo. Both teams are in desperate need for points and one could easily predict another mutually beneficial three point game there. Another team to watch is Phoenix Coyotes, trying to stay ahead of the surging four in the West while visiting Vancouver Canucks, who have been in some trouble lately.
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