On the Forecheck

Eastern Conference Finals Game 2 Thread

2012-05-16T23:30:22Z

Can the Rangers take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, or will the Devils earn a split at Madison Square Garden tonight?

Next Game

New Jersey Devils
@ New York Rangers

Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 7:00 PM Central (NBC Sports)
Madison Square Garden

Complete Coverage >

2012 Eastern Conference Finals: Rangers Vs. Devils - Rangers Looking For First 2-0 Lead This Postseason - Blueshirt Banter
New York hopes not to repeat what they've done in their two previous Game Two's this spring.

A Devilish Plan: Wednesday's nooner

2012-05-16T18:31:59Z

It seems like the running theme of these 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs has been the blocked shot - are there too many of them in today's game, and what, if anything can be done about it?

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur had something to say on the topic, and it's got tongues a-wagging in response...

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Nashville Predators News

Preds in review: Pekka Rinne - Predators Insider
Josh starts what is presumably a series of player profiles... ours will launch here in the next day or two.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Brodeur under fire for shoot to hurt comments - The Globe and Mail
Here's your manufactured controversy of the day, in which Devils goalie Martin Brodeur says that maybe the Rangers need to pay a price for all those blocks.

NHL seeks to terminate CBA this fall - The Globe and Mail
It's official, we'll need a new CBA before the next season begins.

What the Devils Can Learn from the Senators & Capitals About Beating Henrik Lundqvist - In Lou We Trust
John plays Video Coach for New Jersey.

Penguins GM Ray Shero wants Jordan Staal in Pittsburgh, not on trade block | Puck Daddy
Well, so much for that Nick Spaling-for-Jordan Staal deal I've been fantasizing about.

No injuries? There’s always Kesler. | Backhand Shelf
Good info here on what's involved with fixing a torn labrum, which is what Nick Spaling had last summer.

Military Veterans: What's Your Favorite Sports Memory From Deployment? - SBNation.com
Attention, vets! SB Nation wants your input for a Memorial Day tribute...

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flashed first-overall talent in seizing NHL job at 18 | Edmonton Journal
It's always impressive to see a teenager step right in and earn a regular spot in an NHL lineup.

Report Card: Aaron Johnson | BlueJackets Xtra
The former Pred did yeoman's work for Columbus this season.

The 10 best Sports Illustrated Stanley Cup Playoff covers | Puck Daddy
What's the over/under on the year when a Nashville Predator makes the SI cover?

Lowetide.ca | Issue 2: Hartikainen’s Progress
Might the Oilers sign a winger like Jordin Tootoo rather than give Teemu Hartikainen a chance?

And lastly, check out the proposed design of the new arena in Edmonton, as found at the Edmonton Journal:

Your Weekly OTF Photo Caption Contest

2012-05-16T15:00:48Z

What's Patric Hornqvist doing here? This comes from a recent Sweden/Italy game at the IIHF World Championships...

Coyotes lose cool as Kings take 2-0 series lead: Wednesday's notes

2012-05-16T11:55:26Z

The Los Angeles Kings took a big step towards returning to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1993 last night, taking a 4-0 victory at Phoenix in a game which saw the Coyotes come unglued. The Western Conference Finals will now move to L.A. for Game 3 & 4, giving the Kings a chance to close things out quickly and see what happens in the East.

Our morning hockey notes start from there, and move on to cover the Nashville Predators' roster decisions this summer, a look at the NHL coaching market, and insight from hockey's keenest mind on where all this shot blocking is coming from...

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Nashville Predators News

Nashville Predators are close to contending again | The Tennessean
Josh Cooper takes a thorough look at the roster situation and forecasts what might happen this summer.

303 QUICK HIT: 84% of Preds roster has played in international competition | Section 303
An interesting tidbit here.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Phoenix Coyotes Lose Focus, Poise, Game 4-0 to LA Kings. - Five For Howling
What happened to that determined group which handled the Preds so easily?

Is Martin Hanzal’s shove from behind on Kings’ captain Brown worthy of suspension? | Puck Daddy
This reminds me a bit of Hossa-Hamhuis from the 2010 playoffs, so we'll have to see how it plays out.

Inside the Los Angeles Kings Twitter feed, social media sensation of NHL playoffs | Puck Daddy
This one here is the best in the biz.

John Tortorella Doesn't Know What You're Talking About - SBNation.com
Torts is a beauty, plain & simple.

10 Wild Stats Through the First Two Rounds - Arctic Ice Hockey
Some interesting observations...

Raffi Torres Suspension Appeal To Be Heard Thursday, According To Report - Five For Howling
Maybe they'll extend the ban to 50 games?

Until The Music Stops - The Spin
Calgary and Montreal can afford to take their coaching search slowly, as it's a buyer's market these days, writes Damian Cox.

Scotty Bowman traces current style of playoff hockey back to Roger Neilson - The Globe and Mail
The Grand Master of Hockey doesn't see a ready solution out there to the perceived increase in shot blocking.

Western Conference Finals Game 2 Thread

2012-05-16T00:00:19Z

The Kings took the opener Sunday night at Phoenix, and another win tonight would give them a real choke-hold on the Coyotes before taking this series back to Los Angeles for Games 3 & 4...

Next Game

Los Angeles Kings
@ Phoenix Coyotes

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 8:00 PM Central (NBC Sports)
Jobing.com Arena

Complete Coverage >

WCF: Phoenix Coyotes vs Los Angeles Kings: Game 2 Preview - Five For Howling
Carl looks for the Coyotes to dust themselves off and get back to work after getting dominated for most of Game 1.

Why the NHL Needs the Sunbelt

2012-05-15T16:35:39Z

Why the NHL Needs the Sunbelt

Good stuff here from Slate blogger Matt Yglesias:

The issue is the bifurcated cable television markets in North America. Right now, hockey has a national broadcast deal in Canada and it has another one in the United States. Losing the national deal in the USA would be very costly to the entire enterprise. But to maintain that national deal, the NHL has to present itself as offering a true nationwide sports league which means you need teams in the sunbelt. Atlanta's departure didn't leave too much of a hole in the map since there are teams in North Carolina and Tennessee. Probably any one of the remaining non-Dallas sunbelt teams is expendable, but if you lost more than one to colder climes you might start imperiling the League's claim to be a real major sports across the length and breadth of the United States.

Offered in response to The Economist.

Update: In case you missed it, more of my thoughts on the future of national television broadcasts for the NHL from March 30.

Report: Sergei Kostitsyn injures shoulder at World Championships: Tuesday's nooner

2012-05-15T15:59:57Z

Hey, remember that Sergei Kostitsyn guy we were just talking about this morning? Well, there's good news and bad news from the IIHF World Championships...

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Nashville Predators News

Canada wins, finishes first - IIHF.com
Good news, Sergei Kostitsyn got the lone goal for Belarus as Canada beat them 5-1! Bad news, SK74 separated his shoulder.

Paul McCann - Nashville TV Ratings and Random Notes
Paul trumpets increased TV ratings, but remember, these percentage jumps are off a very small base. Still, good news.

Smashville 24/7 - Top 5 storylines of Predators’ 2011-12 season
Ryan picks the stories that will stick with him.

An In-Depth 2012 Memorial Cup Preview | The Hockey Writers
The Preds have two prospects in the mix here, Austin Watson for the London Knights and Charles-Olivier Roussel for the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

Alex Semin denies he’s done with Capitals; Ovechkin talks ice time in Washington | Puck Daddy
It seems like those "where will Alex Semin go" articles have been going on for years, don't they?

Party on, Kaner: Patrick Kane’s public inebriation leads to consternation in sports media | Puck Daddy
What makes Patrick Kane so different from a zillion other young 20-somethings? For one, I'd say he doesn't seem to handle his booze particularly well.

New York and Los Angeles Are Not the Key to Record NHL Ratings, Even if Everyone Keeps Telling You It Is " Puck The Media
Steve plays down the hype about a Kings/Rangers final, but it's still by far the most lucrative option for the league.

On Peter Laviolette's System and the Call For Change - Broad Street Hockey
It's very difficult to parse out the details of a coach's system from an outside perspective.

Phoneix Coyotes G.M. Don Maloney Traded His Way To A Contender | Edmonton Journal
Under rather unique circumstances, Maloney has wheeled & dealed his way to remarkable results.

The NHL's real problem are its defensemen - Raw Charge
Greg Zanon... Public Enemy #1.

Down Goes Brown: Hidden playoff injuries revealed
Hey now... "Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators – His teammates say he was obviously dealing with some sort of major injury that will require him to meet with a specialist in Detroit, since he spent the past few months constantly whispering into his cellphone about some sort of appointment there at 12:01 on July 1."

National Hockey League job opening: Manager, Media Strategy | Hockey Gear HQ
The National Hockey League has a job posting for a Manager of Media Strategy. This is your chance to get involved with perhaps the most dynamic part of the NHL's business.

Sergei Kostitsyn would like to stay: Tuesday's notes

2012-05-15T12:10:44Z

Our morning hockey notes begin with word from one of Nashville's most important restricted free agents, Sergei Kostitsyn, on how he'd like to stay with the Predators for the long haul. While I doubt there's much question that the team would like him back (unlike his big brother Andrei), the question is, what role do you see SK74 playing on this team going forward?

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Nashville Predators News

Inside Smashville " Sergei Kostitsyn looks for multi-year deal with Predators
I'm OK with this, as long as they don't tie up too much money. He's just not top-line material, and has done next to nothing in two playoff runs here.

The View from 111: An Open Letter to Ryan Suter
Mark pens a longer, more detailed version of this.

Hockey Night in Nashville: Smith now knows what to expect at NHL level
I think we're all eager to see what Craig Smith will do next season.

In Memoriam: The 2011-2012 Season of the Nashville Predators | The Predatorial
Jeremy ponders the opportunity lost, and whether a hint of arrogance undermined the Preds.

Paul McCann - The Class of 2012 - Thoughts on Graduation
Paul plays some "Pomp & Circumstance" for potentially departing Preds.

Better equipped, better prepared Preds do no better | Nashville City Paper
Have expectations been raised? And if so, what constitutes a disappointing season?

Boclair: Owners, schmowners | Nashville City Paper
David Boclair wonders why Tom Cigarran didn't just jump on the ice and score a few goals against Phoenix.

Around the Wide Wide World of Hockey

2012 NHL Playoffs: Rangers Erupt In The Third Period To Take Game 1 - Blueshirt Banter
New York jumps out to the 1-0 series lead...

Why Is Marek Zidlicky a Success With the Devils? - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
The Devils embracing a blueliner with defensive liabilities, but who can create scoring chances? The world has gone mad.

IIHF World Championships: Preliminary Round Closes Tuesday - Puck Worlds
Here's what's on tap at the Worlds today.

Los Angeles Kings? Sacramento Kings? Ah, What's The Difference ... - SBNation.com
Well, that's embarrassing.

Unrestricted Free Agents: The Northeast Division - Canes Country
Does anybody here catch your eye?

Todd Richards - More Than Mr. Right Now - The Cannon
Matt wonders if this head coaching thing's going to work out.

Coaching candidates that could merit consideration - NHL.com
No mention of Nashville here.

On Spec: Bad refs, Pronger and expansion - sportsnet.ca
You used to hear talk about NHL expansion into Europe, but forget about it.