On The Forecheck

Makar’s play in Western 1st Round no surprise to Avalanche teammates | NHL.comDefenseman has 8 points in 4 games; highlight-reel goal in Game 4 helped put Jets on brink Bedard, Faber, Hughes named Calder Trophy finalists | NHL.comBlackhawks center, Wild, Devils defensemen up for award given to top NHL rookie Panthers pull away in 3rd, eliminate Lightning with win in Game 5 | … [Read more...] about Wednesday’s Dump & Chase: Busy Tone

All the way back in Game 1, we looked at how both teams seemed to be able to throw some good punches (no, not the chirpy kind, though we’ve seen some of those, too). There were a lot of stretches where it’d look like the Canucks and Predators were taking turns with skating sprints down to the other team’s goal line, with several long sieges by Vancouver of the Nashville … [Read more...] about Preds-Canucks Game 5 Analysis: Strength vs Strength

The Preds entered a must-win game tonight and won it in dramatic comeback fashion. The teams traded chances early, with a good Nashville shift followed by a better Vancouver one, and the pattern repeating as the period went on. JT Miller, Brock Boeser, and Pius Suter regularly wreaked havoc in the Preds’ zone, while the Canucks were able to keep the Preds’ top line from … [Read more...] about Nashville Predators 2, Vancouver Canucks 1: Preds survive

It’s do or die for the Preds tonight, and we’ve got a late start to go with it. One interesting tidbit: if this game goes to multiple OTs, it’s probably safe to just go to bed and just check our recap and analysis in the morning. I can’t find a concise writeup of the phenomenon again, but teams that win a long way into the game very often win the series but lose the next game … [Read more...] about Preview/Live Thread: Preds @ Canucks — Game 5

Cooper, Lightning lament ‘unfair’ overturned goalsTwo goals, overturned because of goaltender interference, were “clearly a turning point” on Monday night, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said, as the Lightning saw their season end with a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their first-round series. Unfortunately relatable. Playoff Takeaways: Stars earn second straight win … [Read more...] about Tuesday’s Dump & Chase: Another One Gone