And Then There Were Four

The NCAA Frozen Four Men's Hockey Championship takes place this coming weekend in Denver, Colorado at the Pepsi Center, and will have some of the best collegiate-level players on Earth showing off their skills for NHL scouts while they make a drive for hockey supremacy. In recent NHL drafts, there has been an increasing amount of players who have been selected by teams - a reflection of the high level of skill possessed by the players as well as a reflection of the collegiate game itself. Guys like Paul Kariya, Jonathan Toews, Matt Carle, Kyle Okposo, Phil Kessel, Ryan Miller, Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins have all come to the NHL via the NCAA. The Frozen Four finalists this year look to add to the impressive list of NHL talent that graduated from the collegiate ranks.

From the East Regional tournament came the Michigan Wolverines with a season record of 32-5-4. The Wolverines defeated Clarkson 2-0 on March 29 to advance to Denver. The CCHA champions are ranked #1 out of the four remaining teams, and will play the fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday, April 10. Senior forward Kevin Porter led the Wolverines in scoring this season with 33 goals and 62 points. His 15 powerplay goals were also tops on the Wolverines, making him a scoring threat whenever he's on the ice.

Secondary scoring is provided by senior forward Chad Kolarik, and freshman forwards Max Pacioretty and Aaron Palushaj. Defensively, the Wolverines are led by junior Mark Mitera and freshman Chad Langlais. Junior Billy Sauer went 30-4-3 in between the pipes for Michigan while recording a 1.89 GAA and four shutouts.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish gained a berth in the Frozen Four in Denver by winning the West Regional tournament with a 3-1 victory over the Michigan State Spartans. They have a record of 26-15-4 on the season thus far, and will square off against the Michigan Wolverines at the Pepsi Center on April 10. Led by junior centreman Eric Condra's 38-point season, the Irish have a balanced attack.

Sophomore winger Ryan Thang led the Irish with 17 goals, and the Irish had four more players in double-digits for goals. Thang and senior winger Mark Van Guilder led the team in powerplay goals with seven apiece. Sophomore Kyle Dawson led the charge from the defensive group with 25 points on the season. Junior goaltender Jordan Pearce goes into the Frozen Four sporting a record of 22-14-4 with a 1.95 GAA and two shutouts.

The University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux qualified for the Frozen Four by defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 3-2 in overtime to secure the Midwest Regional title. The Sioux come into the Frozen Four with a record of 28-10-4, and will play Boston College on April 10. The Sioux are led by junior forward TJ Oshie with 18 goals and 45 points, but have three players who tied for the goal-scoring lead with 18 - Oshie, and junior forwards Ryan Duncan and Andrew Kozek.

Sophomore defenceman Chay Genoway and senior defenceman Robbie Bina lead the way on the blueline with 29 and 25 points respectively, good for fourth and fifth in team scoring. Senior goaltender Jean-Philippe Lamoureux comes into the Frozen Four with a record of 27-10-4 while sporting a 1.64 GAA with six shutouts.

The Boston College Eagles qualified for the Frozen Four by defeating the University of Miami in Ohio 4-3 in overtime to secure the Northeast Regional title. The Eagles sport a record of 23-11-8, and take on the North Dakota Fighting Sioux in the Frozen Four semi-final on April 10. Junior forward Nathan Gerbe leads the Eagles in goals with 30, and in points with 60. The Eagles sport a formidable offensive attack, having 13 players with points in double-digits, and six with 30 or more points.

Sophomore forward Ben Smith leads the team in powerplay goals with 10, but there are 12 players who have a powerplay goal on the team. Defensively, sophomore Carl Sneep leads the way with 14 points, while junior defenceman Anthony Aiello has 13 points. Freshman goaltender John Muse is the only goalie to have played for the Eagles this season, posting that 23-11-8 record while sporting a 2.26 GAA and three shutouts.

The NCAA Frozen Four Skill Competition also goes this upcoming weekend on April 11. It will be played in an East vs. West format, and features six male position players, six female position players, as well as two male goalies and two female goalies, on each side. The only qualifications in terms of eligibility for the Frozen Four Skills Competition are that all players must have exhausted their collegiate eligibility and be nominated by their head coach. The events the players will compete in are puck control relay, fastest skater, hardest shot, rapid fire shooting and penalty shot. Each competitor will also receive a complete set of equipment and a full uniform from Nike Bauer Hockey.

An alternate list has been established in the event that players have to withdraw from the competition due to other commitments, such as their team's participation in the Men's Frozen Four.

The six male skaters on the East squad include Luke Flicek of Army, Michael Brennan of Boston College, Pete MacArthur of Boston University, Jesse Winchester of Colgate, Jon Rheault of Providence, and Jake Morissette of RPI. The goaltenders selected are Kevin Regan of New Hampshire and David Leggio from Clarkson.

The West team is led by Kevin Porter of Michigan, Jimmy Kilpatrick of Colorado College, Andrew Thomas of Denver, Bryan Lerg of Michigan State, Tommy Goebel of Ohio State, and Mike Forgie of Wayne State in Michigan. The West goaltenders will be Kyle Jones of St. Norbert and Peter Mannino of Denver.

The six female skaters who make up the East team are Hayley Moore of Brown, Jaclyn Hawkins of Connecticut, Martine Garland of New Hampshire, Jennifer Hitchcock of New Hampshire, Marykate Oakley of Princeton, and Sabrina Harbec of St. Lawrence. The goalies will be Sarah Perry of Sacred Heart and Meghan Guckian of St. Lawrence.

The West female skaters are Tessa Bonhomme of Ohio State, Courtney DeHoey of Lake Forest, Karine Demeule of Minnesota-Duluth, Bobbi Ross of Minnesota, Shannon Moulson of Niagara, and Laura Fast of St. Cloud State. The goaltenders competing are Laura Hosier of Mercyhurst and Britni Kehler of Minnesota State-Mankato.

The Hobey Baker Award will also be awarded that night. The three male finalists are junior Boston College forward Nathan Gerbe, senior Miami University forward Ryan Jones, and senior Michigan forward Kevin Porter. All three are extremely deserving finalists as all showed the passion for the game necessary to become a star in the professional ranks.

With everything going on in the world of hockey this week, I'll have more updates coming up. The IIHF Sledge Hockey World Championships and Women's World Hockey Championships will be updated, as well as the NHL Playoff picture, the AHL Calder Cup Championships, and a new contest! Stay tuned!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

NCAA Frozen Women

I apologize for not posting this information yesterday, but I was interrupted by a few things and got sidetracked. Sometimes, it happens, so I apologize. However, today will make up for it as we have the in-depth recap of the Women's NCAA Frozen Four Championship. The men's tournament is being played this weekend in Denver, Colorado, and I'll talk about that tomorrow on here. The women's tournament, however, was played in Duluth, Minnesota on March 20 and 22. Ok, enough chatter! Let's check out the action before graduation hits!

The Women's Frozen Four took place at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center in Duluth, Minnesota, and featured teams from the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Harvard University, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Wisconsin. The four teams battled their way through the regional qualifying tournaments, and squared off in the semi-finals on Thursday, March 20.

The two-time defending NCAA champion and fourth-seeded 29-6-4 University of Wisconsin Badgers squared off against the number-one ranked 32-2 Harvard University Crimson. A power-play goal by Jenny Brine 4:42 into the opening period put Harvard up 1-0 over the Badgers. Brine scored her 20th goal of the season off a deflected Kati Vaughn shot. Junior Erika Lawler scored 18 seconds into the second on a fabulous individual effort. Picking up the puck in the right corner, Lawler cut to the net and slipped a low backhander underneath Harvard goalie Christina Kessler for her 12th goal of the season to even the game. Two minutes later, sophomore Jasmine Giles scored her fifth goal of the season on a one-timer from Tia Hanson.

The Badgers scored their third and fourth goals from senior Jinelle Zaugg at 6:56 of the second period and 3:15 of the third period, respectively. Those two markers gave her 24 goals on the season for the Badgers, allowed Zaugg to improve on her school record career goal total to 89 and moved within three points of third place on Wisconsin’s career points list with 156. Erika Lawler assisted on the first goal, while sophomore Meghan Duggan had a couple of assists in the game. Goalie Jessie Vetter made 33 saves in the 4-1 victory.

In the other semi-final game, the second-ranked 33-4-1 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs took on the third-ranked 33-4-1 University of New Hampshire Wildcats. Jenn Wakefield opened the scoring for the Wildcats in the first period, but was answered by goals from Laura Fridfinnson and Sara O’Toole of the Bulldogs. Leah Craig scored a power-play goal for New Hampshire in the second period to knot the game at two goals apiece. The winner was scored midway through the third period by Laura Fridfinnson to give the UMD Bulldogs a 3-2 win over the UNH Wildcats.

The real story in this game was Bulldogs' goaltender Kim Martin. Martin stopped 41 shots as UMD was outshot by UNH 43-15 overall. UMD went more than 30 minutes in this game without a shot on net! Martin is the starting goaltender for the Swedish team at the Women's World Championship, and helped the Swedes to a silver medal at the Torino Olympics. She has generally been a standout goaltender for some time, but this will only cement her legacy as one of the greatest Swedish hockey players of all-time.

In the final, the Bulldogs shut down the Badgers en route to a 4-0 victory to secure their fourth national championship and first since 2003. Kim Martin recorded the shutout with a 28-save performance to help UMD to the title, only the second shutout in NCAA Frozen Four history. UMD has built somewhat of a dynasty by winning four titles in eight years of NCAA Women's Hockey.

The opening goal was marred with controversy as Haley Irwin found a loose puck in front of the UW net and flipped it past Badgers' goaltender Jessie Vetter during a delayed penalty. A whistle was heard around the same time as when the puck went into the net. Let's go to the videotape:

I didn't hear a whistle. Goal stands. 1-0 Bulldogs.

Freshman defenseman Jocelyne Larocque and junior forward Sara O'Toole drew the assists on Irwin's goal at 19:22 of the first period.

Emmanuelle Blais made it 2-0 for UMD on the powerplay as she converted a loose puck during a scramble in front of the UW net midway through the second period. Sophomore defenseman Jaime Rassmussen fired the puck on net from the point. Freshman forward Laura Fridfinnson had two cracks at the puck, but Vetter made both saves before Blais fired the puck home from the crowd in front of the net at at 11:48.

Sara O'Toole scored a shorthanded goal late in the second period to make it 3-0. O'Toole stripped the puck from the Badgers' defenceman, and broke in alone on Vetter. After O’Toole withstood some contact at the line, she fired the puck over Vetter's left shoulder to give the Bulldogs a three-goal lead at 18:24 of the second period. It was UMD's 11th short-handed goal of the season.

UNH head coach Mark Johnson, son of Hall-of-Fame coach and Stanley Cup-winning coach Bob Johnson, pulled Vetter for an extra attacker in the final minutes as his team attempted to break the shutout. Duluth native and junior forward Tawni Mattila nearly scored an empty-netter as she fired the puck from the net, but it was deflected behind the net by a Badgers' stick. Let's go to the video again:

Gift-wrapped for Karine Demeule. Game. Set. Match.

Demeule scored her 16th goal of the season, her last with the Bulldogs, to give UMD a 4-0 at the 17:15 mark of the third period. As time expired, jubilation set in for the Bulldogs. All that was left was the ceremonial "mugging of the goaltender":

"It’s unbelievable, it’s like a dream," said lone senior Demeule to UMD reporters, after securing herself a piece of Bulldog title immortality. "A lot of players wish for this. I got to win a national championship at home. It’s perfect. It’s like a dream."

For her stellar efforts in between the pipes, goaltender Kim Martin was named the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four MVP in leading the Bulldogs to another title. She is the third MVP from UMD, joining fellow Swede Maria Rooth, who won in 2001, and former Canadian National Team player Caroline Ouellette, who won in 2003. Forwards Fridfinnson and O’Toole, defensmen Myriam Trepanier and Heidi Pelttari, and goaltender Kim Martin were also named to the 2008 Frozen Four All-Star team.

"Today we pulled together almost a perfect hockey game for 60 minutes," said UMD head coach Shannon Miller, who is now 4-1 in the title game over her career. "We have such a young team. Every single time there was a hurdle in front of us, we cleared it. Every time there was a wall, we went around it. And when you watch your team do that, you know you can win a national championship."

Congratulations goes out to the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs for their NCAA Women's Hockey dominance! They may just be the Detroit Red Wings of collegiate women's hockey!

Until tomorrow, keep your sticks on the ice!

An International Flavor

I'll admit that I am as patriotic as the next guy or gal, whether the next person be Canadian, American, German, or Russian. There is a sense of pride when a player pulls the national jersey on, and skates onto the ice. Maybe I'm a bit of a homer in that I cheer loudly for Team Canada whenever they take to the ice, field, or court. I am extremely patriotic for the Olympics, the World Junior Championships, and this time of year: IIHF World Championship time! The sledge hockey players are playing in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the women start their trek for a gold medal tomorrow in Harbin, China versus Russia, and the men take to the ice in Quebec City and Halifax on May 2!

The IPC Sledge Hockey World Championship has gone well for the Canadians thus far. As I had noted in a previous article, Canada defeated Italy 11-0 on March 29. They posted their second victory by downing Germany 6-3 on March 30. They followed that victory up with a 3-1 victory over Japan on April 1. They recorded their fourth victory in as many games by defeating the host Americans 3-0 yesterday, giving the undefeated Canadians a spot in Saturday's gold medal game. Their last preliminary round game goes Friday night against Norway. The Norwegians are also undefeated, meaning this game will be a preview of the gold medal on Saturday.

For more information on the Canadians and their quest for sledge hockey gold, please check out the Hockey Canada link. Keep it going, boys!

The women open the 2008 IIHF World Women’s Championship on Friday versus Russia in Harbin. The Canadians are the pre-tournament favorite to win gold, while the Americans and Swedes are looking like medal favorites as well.

Jennifer Botterill of Winnipeg will become only the sixth woman to suit up for her 150th game for the National Women's Team when she takes to the ice tomorrow, joining Hayley Wickenheiser, Danielle Goyette, Jayna Hefford, Vicky Sunohara and Cassie Campbell as the only Canadian women to reach that mark. The 28 year-old has played with the National Team since 1997-98. Her success at the World Championships has been well-documented as she was named Tournament MVP twice - in 2001 and 2004. Congratulations, Jennifer!

Canada is playing in Pool A with the Russians and the host Chinese team, one of three pools of three teams. Pool B features the Americans, Germans, and Swiss teams. Pool C features the Finnish, Swedish, and Japanese teams. The teams that finish first in each of the pools after the round-robin will then move on to the qualifying round.

Canada is looking to win its second straight World Women’s Championship after winning last season's tournament in Winnipeg. Canada has won nine of the ten World Women’s Championships thus far, and are looking to make it ten after this year's tournament.

Some quick notes about the Canadian Women's Team:

- Charline Labonté will back up Kim St-Pierre in the Canadian nets. Labonté, as you may have read on this very blog last month, just came off wining the CIS Women's Hockey Championship with the McGill Martlets.
- Defenceman Becky Kellar of Hagersville, Ontario is the oldest player on the Canadian roster at 33 years of age. The youngest player is forward Rebecca Johnston of Sudbury, Ontario at 18 years of age.
- Valerie Chouinard of Matane, Quebec is listed as the team's alternate player, while Shannon Szabados of Edmonton, Alberta is the third goaltender.
- Peter Smith of Lachine, Quebec is the man behind the bench. Smith also won a CIS Championship this season as he coached the Martlets to their title.
- The entire Canadian roster can be found here.

The Canadian men are waiting for the NHL playoffs to be finalized before they begin selecting players, but GM Steve Yzerman already went ahead and selected a coach. The Columbus Blue Jackets' Ken Hitchcock will lead the Canadians into battle in Quebec City and Halifax, and I think this is an excellent selection by Yzerman.

Hitchcock, the Edmonton, Alberta native, will make his sixth international appearance. He was an associate coach at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games which ended early for the Canadians. He was in the same role at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey where the Canadians brought home the championship. He was on the bench in Salt Lake City at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games where Canada won gold. He was at the 2002 IIHF World Championship and "Hitch" was also an assistant coach with Canada’s gold medal-winning National Junior Team at the 1988 IIHF World Junior Championship.

"We are extremely excited that Ken will join us as head coach for the 2008 IIHF World Championship," said Yzerman. "Ken’s wealth of international experience should prove to be a tremendous asset to our team as we go forward towards what we hope will be a gold medal on home ice."

I'm quite certain that, if he decides he wants to play, Rick Nash will be going to Quebec City and Halifax. His legacy there has already been cemented. Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Paul Kariya, Shane Doan, Brad Boyes, and Jonathan Toews will most likely get invitations. I can see Manny Legace, Pascal Leclaire, and Dwayne Roloson being asked to tend the nets. Possible other players that could be asked to join would be Sam Gagner, Nathan Horton, Jay Bouwmeester, Dan Boyle, Derek Roy, Bryan McCabe (dear god, no!), Mike Comrie, Mark Recchi, and Dustin Penner. It will be a tough job for Yzerman without a doubt, but there are a lot of great players who won't be playing in the post-season this year.

Are you feeling it? I'm excited. Playoffs, World Championships, and the Frozen Four - does it get any better than this? I'll be doing an in-depth look at the NCAA's Frozen Four tomorrow as the four remaining teams take to the ice in Denver. I'll also recap the Women's Frozen Four which took place in March.

To the NCAA ladies, I apologize, but there is just an extreme amount of hockey going on at this time of the year. Don't worry, though! I'll be talking a lot about you guys as well!

Until tomorrow, keep your sticks on the ice!

Scotiabank Parliament Hill

It is almost a universal belief that politicians are skilled liars. It is said that when politicians aren't kissing babies, they are stealing their lollipops. This belief is fine for politicians as it seems to further their careers. Heck, Bill Clinton "did not have sexual relations with that woman" when it came to Monica Lewinsky, yet we all know he did. In this regard, has it occurred to anyone that the Ottawa Senators are doing their city proud by basically uttering as much rhetoric as the politicians who occupy their city?

In a story filed by The Canadian Press entitled "Sens baffled by late season collapse", the Ottawa Senators offer up more excuses than a classroom of kids who didn't do their homework. The Senators are in dire straits in terms of missing the playoffs after starting the season 13-1-0, establishing a new record for points earned through the first 15 games of the season.

However, since January 1, the Senators have posted a horrific 17-21-4, the fourth-worst record since the calendar flipped to 2008. They have fallen from first in the Eastern Conference to sixth. They have arguably looked lost in their own zone most nights. Their goaltending has been non-existent. Yet no one in the Senators' locker room has a reason why they are now on the verge of the biggest season collapse in recent memory.

"It's a big game and we need the two points. I don't think I have to say too much more than that," defenceman Chris Phillips said to The Canadian Press in regards to Thursday's tilt versus the Maple Leafs. "It's still in our hands and if you're looking for any positives, that's certainly one we can use."

With games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Boston Bruins on Sunday, the Senators have to put together a two-game winning streak in order to secure their spot in the playoffs. They haven't put together two wins since a three-game winning streak from March 8 to March 13. Before that, you have to go all the way back to February 7 and 9 when the Senators last had consecutive wins.

"Is anybody happy? No. Is everybody a little uptight and frustrated? Yes," said Ottawa GM and coach Bryan Murray. "I don't think anybody on our team, or maybe in the city, thought we'd be going down to the last game.

You can say that again. When they cruised through the first two months of the season compiling a 16-6-2 record, it's hard to imagine that the Senators would be two points out of ninth-place at this point in the season, but that's where they find themselves tonight.

"We're all kind of baffled a little bit as to why we're in this situation," centre Jason Spezza said.

Really, Jason? Are you really baffled? Let's take a quick peek at some glaring numbers. In the first 24 games of the season where they posted that 16-6-2 record, the Senators held their opponents to two goals or less 14 times, and only gave up four goals or more to an opponent seven times. Clearly, defence made a huge difference for the Senators early on.

However, in the months of February and March, the Senators went 10-13-4. During those 27 games, the Senators held their opponents to two goals or less eight times, and went 6-1-1 in those games. However, when the Senators gave up four goals or more to an opponent, they went 2-9-0.

Their defence has evaporated. They have none. The Senators are dressing six pylons and sending them out to patrol their defensive zone. If it isn't apparent from their record in the last two months of the season, this strategy isn't working.

Starting in net, it's clear that Martin Gerber isn't getting the job done. He will start his 15th straight game on Thursday against the Leafs, but it's not like it matters. In his 14 previous starts, the Senators are 5-7-2. No offence, but why are the Senators going with a goalie who has gone 1-4-1 in his last six games against divisional opponents? And while I realize that Bryan Murray has no confidence in Ray Emery, it's not like he can be any worse.

Defensively, I've already made a case for how poorly this team is playing over the last two months, but consider this: for a team that was dominating the league for the first three months of the season, only six players have a double-digit plus-minus rating. Of those players, three are Heatley, Spezza, and Alfredsson who account for 42% of all of the Ottawa goals. This is a team that is hurting for secondary scoring, and cannot stop the red light from flashing in their own end.
What's worse, checking centerman Mike Fisher is a -10 for the season. He's supposed to be out there preventing goals from being scored!

Adding to the problem of having no secondary scoring is the fact that the Senators have been shutout in consecutive games for the second time this season by teams in their division! The Maple Leafs and Bruins pitched consecutive shutouts against the Seantors on February 25 and 26, and the Bruins and Canadiens did it again to the Senators on March 29 and April 1.

"Overall, one guy is trying to do it and we haven't been supporting him," forward Antoine Vermette said. "We have to try to win together and as a group."

Perhaps the understatement of the year for the Senators. This team has been fractured for a long time. It bubbled to the surface when former head coach John Paddock and goaltender Ray Emery clashed, and it is surfacing again. If the Senators can't fix the problems in their dressing room and on the ice, there will be a lot of unhappy fans in Capitol City.

Former Senator Rob Ray told TSN's Off The Record that he feels its a leadership issue. "Even when I was there, there was no one person who would stand up and take charge and you know, bat a head when it needed to happen," he said.

The Senators have denied this claim, coming to the defence of their captain, Daniel Afredsson, but there clearly is a problem. This team has been in a tailspin since January, and they haven't snapped out of the funk. They brought in Cory Stillman, Mike Commodore, and Martin Lapointe as veteran leadership with playoff experience, but it appears all that experience may go for naught.

"It's an unfortunate situation that we've put ourselves in, now we have to find a way out," Spezza said.

The Senators have two chances to secure a playoff spot. Will the Seantors from October show up, or will we see the dreadful March Senators who spent more time mailing in their effort?

When you're winning, everyone lets the little annoyances and irritations go. But when you're losing, they become the elephant in the room. Someone in that locker room had better figure out how to kill that elephant. Otherwise, Sens fans, those playoff tickets better be refundable because your team appears to be on the brink of the biggest choke that I can remember.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!

All Jokes Aside

Being that it's April Fool's Day, there have been a number of sites that cover hockey who have had a little fun with their readers today. I will tell you that this will not happen on Hockey Blog In Canada. Today is a huge day for NHL teams as there are a number of teams fighting to keep their chances of a playoff spot alive. Who's in? Who's out? Who still has a chance?

Feature Game: Let's start with the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators tonight. The Canadiens had a chance to pull even with the Pittsburgh Penguins atop the Eastern Conference with a win tonight. They would also become the fourth NHL team to amass 100 points with a victory. Ottawa, on the other hand, is falling faster than the price of Enron stock, and need a victory in a major way.

Well, if this is any showing of what kind of mettle these teams have, Montreal proved they are for real while Ottawa folded like cheap tent. Montreal defeated the Senators 3-0 tonight as Carey Price picked up his third shutout of the season. Goals by Alexei Kovalev, Mathieu Dandenault, and Andrei Kostitsyn paced Montreal to the win, and allowed them to pull even with the Penguins. Montreal also clinched their division, meaning they will finish no lower than the second-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Ottawa remains in sixth place in the conference with 92 points, but are dangerously close to missing the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. Both Boston and Philadelphia have 91 points, and ninth-place Washington has 90 points. With only having two games to go, Ottawa needs a win in their last two games in the worst way.

With games against the Maple Leafs and Bruins left, the Senators aren't out of the woods yet. The upstart Maple Leafs have been playing extremely well over the last few weeks despite them missing the playoffs. A game where they can stick it to their provincial rivals should make Thursday's game a heated affair. The Bruins are also fighting for a playoff spot, so I expect another fiesty game on Friday night as well.

Game Two: The Barney Rubble Hairpieces were looking to keep their slim playoff hopes alive against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Sabres trailed eighth-place Philadelphia by five points and had to defeat Toronto to keep their hopes alive. Toronto, meanwhile, can play the role of ultimate spoiler after their playoff hopes were dashed.

The teams battled to a 3-3 tie through regulation, and overtime solved nothing. Tomas Kaberle led off the shootout by scoring on Ryan Miller. Ales Kotalik replied for the Sabres by scoring on a backhand past Andrew Raycroft. Nine shooters later, and we had a winner on a Maxim Afinogenov wrist shot that beat Raycroft.

With the win, Buffalo moves to within three points of Philadelphia, but will definitely need help. Buffalo has two games remaining and has to win both games, while Philadelphia has to lose all three of their remaining games. Any loss by Buffalo or any point gained by Philadelphia and Boston will eliminate the Hairpieces due to tie-breaking rules.

The problem is that Buffalo travels to Montreal and Boston for their remaining games. Montreal has been playing exceptional hockey, and Boston is battling for their own playoff life. Personally, I think Buffalo is dead in the water, but I should never count out the Lindy Ruff-led Hairpieces.

Philadelphia, however, draws the Penguins twice, and the Devils once. Those games will certainly not be easy for the Flyers, so the Sabres still may have a chance at the playoffs if they play mistake-free hockey for the rest of the season.

Game Three: In a game that could very well decide the third-seed in the Eastern Conference, the Washington Capitals hosted the Carolina Hurricanes in what could be described as a game with monsterous implications. With a win, the Capitals would move into a tie with the Hurricanes for points and the Southeast Division lead. With a loss, the Hurricanes would clinch their division, giving them the third-seed in the Eastern Conference.

Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green assisted on two goals apiece and Alexander Ovechkin scored his 63rd goal of the season as the Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. Cristobal Huet made 21 saves in the victory, and the Capitals look like a team on a mission.

Let's flashback to November when the Capitals were dead last in the NHL. Skip ahead to the NHL All-Star game in January when the Capitals were still in 14th place in the Eastern Conference. Since January 1, the Capitals have gone 26-12-3!

Both the Hurricanes and Capitals have games against the Panthers and Lightning remaining. The Hurricanes currently hold the tie-breaker over Washington, but every point matters to these two teams as they both could make the playoffs if Ottawa, Boston, or Philly stumbles.

Game Four: Not much to comment on here, except that the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Islanders 2-1 in overtime to clinch a playoff spot, and keep their slim hopes of catching the Penguins for the Atlantic Division title alive. That battle will be settled this week.

Game Five: The Nashville Predators met the St. Louis Blues tonight. The Blues wanted to play the role of spoiler, and nearly did that after jumping out to a 3-0 lead just seven minutes in. However, after Dan Ellis was replaced by Chris Mason, Rich Peverley's overtime goal gave the Predator's a 4-3 win, and boosted them into eighth-place over idle Vancouver.

With this win tonight, Nashville put considerable pressure on Vancouver, Edmonton, and Chicago in their quest for a playoff spot. And that leads me to...

Game Six: Calgary and Edmonton squared off with both teams needing points. With Nashville winning their game, it basically meant that Edmonton had to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.

But it was not to be as Calgary defeated the Oilers 4-2. With the loss, the Oilers cannot make the playoffs as they have one game left, and are three points back of the Predators. Officially, you can cross the Oilers off the list of playoff-bound teams.

Calgary inched closer to Dallas, and are now a point behind the fifth-place Stars. The Stars do have a game in hand, though.

Game Seven: Colorado and Vancouver battled tonight with both teams needing points as well. Vancouver was looking to stay ahead of Nashville while Colorado was looking to keep pace with Calgary.

Well, Colorado has defeated the Vancouver Canucks by a score of 4-2, meaning Colorado is two points ahead of eighth-place Nashville, and Vancouver is one point behind Nashville now.

Personally, this is why I love this time of year. Everyone is making a mad dash for the playoffs, and the game of musical chairs won't be over until the last game is played. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Until tomorrow's games, keep your sticks on the ice!