Detroit with a win tonight will force Chicago to win three in a row.

The Sharks or the Kings will be facing an elimination game on Sunday, which team will it be?

Discuss the game tonight or any topic related to the NHL Playoffs.

Denis Savard fathered Patrick Kane’s style, so it’s no surprise that he loves the player like a son.

“You get to meet him, you get to know him, and you’re gonna love him like he’s your son or your brother. He’s a great kid. He’s done a lot of great things for Chicago,” says Savard, a 52-year-old Hall of Famer. “And I always remind people of this: Patrick Kane comes to play every night.”

For the first time since the Chicago Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup-winning season of 2009-10, Kane produced at better than a point-per-game rate in the 47 games he came to play in 2013. His 23 goals and 32 assists in this chopped-short season were good enough for fifth overall in NHL scoring — and Kane averaged at least 50 seconds less ice time per game (20:03) than the four guys ahead of him in the race.

While Chicago’s multidimensional captain, Jonathan Toews, has taken some heat this postseason for producing nary a goal and only three assists in the team’s first eight playoff contests, Kane’s output has maintained. No. 88 has eight in eight.

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Following a 7-3 loss at the hands (or should we say flippers) of the Pittsburgh Penguins Wednesday night, the Ottawa Senators are on their last leg, down 3-1 to arguably the NHL’s top team.

Has the Senators’ luck run out, or did they simply run into an unstoppable force they couldn’t overpower with grit, hustle and focus, similar to how they dismantled the higher-seeded Montreal Canadiens earlier this month?

Continue reading "TiqIQ Ticket Preview: Senators vs. Penguins"

Roy, 47, becomes the sixth head coach in Avalanche history and the 14th in franchise history.  In addition to his head coaching duties, Roy will also work with Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic in all player personnel decisions. 

“This is a very exciting day for our fans and a significant moment in our organization’s history,” said Avalanche President Josh Kroenke.  “Patrick’s passion for the game of hockey both as a player and as a coach defines who he is as a person.  He is a winner and is coming back to Denver where he created numerous special moments on and off the ice while helping lead us to two Stanley Cup championships.”

Continue reading "Patrick Roy Returns To Denver As Head Coach"

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scoffed at the notion, put forth by Sharks forward TJ Galiardi, that goalie Jonathan Quick engages in “a little embellishment.”

Doughty stood up for his goalie Quick, a spirited defense, and then said the San Jose player is a noted diver. He took issue with the comments and said they went beyond the usual playoff back-and-forth.

“It’s not even playoff talk,” Doughty told The Times after Thursday’s morning skate before Game 5. “It’s just funny to even hear that from a guy who is the biggest diver on their team. Like it’s just ridiculous he can even say that, to be honest.

“But I don’t want to get involved in that stuff. I don’t think you have to watch many (Sharks’ games). You can just watch three of his shifts and you’ll see how many times he dives. There’s been times where even the refs are telling him, just get up, because he’s diving so often.”

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#CHL announces #NHL Hockey Ops decision to suspend D. Thrower (SAS) for balance of #MCMemorialCup for check to head injuring T. Leier (POR)

— CanadianHockeyLeague (@CHLHockey) May 23, 2013

Brad Richards says he is not playing tonight. He said Tortorella called him this morning to tell him.

— Dan Rosen (@drosennhl) May 23, 2013

It was close late in Game 3, but in the end, Antti Niemi got it done for the San Jose Sharks. The veteran goalkeeper stopped 22 of 23 stops en route to a clutch victory for the Sharks, their second in a row.

It was also the second straight game where Niemi was near unbeatable. In games three and four he allowed only two goals combined, and give his team a decisive advantage on the ice. Niemi has posted a stellar 1.93 Goals Against Average this postseason.

Continue reading "TiqIQ Ticket Preview: Sharks vs. Kings"