8 penalties? EIGHT?! Do I need to pull out my dictionary and make you go over the words discipline, control and restraint? I didn’t go over this in the keys to the game because I just assumed you knew better than to turn this into a special teams competition. Well I guess I was wrong, what part of #1 power play team shouldn’t get power play opportunities, didn’t you get?  ok, ok maybe thats a little harsh for a beginning…let’s back up a notch and take a look at the good, the not so good and the ‘other’ stuff. (I’m not going to call it bad stuff…just ‘other’)

The good -

the Korpedo! – Lauri Korpikoski (try spelling that 5 times fast!) This guy really doesn’t do things by half measure, he loves a good twofer. Turned on the afterburners and did his share with 2 goals to keep us in this one. Almost pulled an Upshall but just missed getting that 3rd goal. (yes we are going to refer to natural hatties as Upshalls until someone else gets one)

Vernon Fiddler – a shorty try, 4sogs, some hits and blocked shots plus a sweet 53% in the circles. That all counts as good in my book. 

Robert Lang – 53% on the dots, 2 assists and +1 for the night. I know I’ve been on him a lot lately but not for this game. Not bad Langer, not bad at all… even with the 2 give aways.

Peter Mueller -  +1, 1 assist and the beginnings of a mini point streak. (ok its not a ’streak’ exactly but the number of games with out a point are not as far between any more, its a start right?) Maybe its reaching but he needs a little positive encouragement after the way I’ve been riding him. He’s got the tools and he seems to be getting some confidence to use them finally, its good to see.

Also good… no highlight reel goals for either of the crazy DC Russians. whoo hoo! (really tiresome watchin that last one over and over again)

The not so good -

The Coyotes managed three shots on goal during their five power plays, but had six short-handed chances during the Capitals’ seven power plays. So should we just ask to be a man down instead of a man advantage from now on when the other team committs a penalty?

41% on the face off dots? 3/10? 4/11? Can you say puck possession fail? Not even gonna say whose stats those were but that is just ugly. Maybe we shoulda been watching a whole bunch of film on Backstrum/Steckel face offs cuz they were each 12/7. We have to get the puck before moving on to keeping it and even further forward, to doing something with it… like putting it in the net.

18 giveaways? sheesh, don’t have to say much about that do I?

The other stuff -

Z? sweetie, I know it is tough playing your side of the zone (the side that Ovie likes to backdoor goalies on). I realize you were under siege, its tough to be you under any circumstances but honey you are really gonna have to get a handle on that puck over glass thing. Gonna ignore the tripping penalty because Ovie skated over you and your stick and well, short of just giving him the lane, what could you do? Betcha if MamaZ was to look up the history on your meager penalty minutes, 75% or more would be POG…….. just sayin.

Sami? On your big triumphant return to where it all began? Hooking AND holding? You got tagged for 2 of the lazyman penalties doode. These happen when you are caught out of position or when you can’t handle your man… or both…ouch. You did have hustle and you did work hard but lets try smarter for a bit sweetie. You weren’t the only one getting outworked though, if its any consolation besides, duude you still got fans in DC! Crazy ones!

Scoring committee? Unusually MIA last night. Seemed like no one was shooting… the stats say 30 sogs but really? How many were actually sogs and how many were hail Marys thrown in the general direction of the Cap’s net? Neurosis or however you say that goalie’s name was shaky as hell at the start, no one picked up on that? Needed to keep him shook up with a decent barrage coming out of the gate. Lombo? Prucha? Aucoin? all zero sogs… sighhh.

Power play? Isn’t there any way we can decline these? Seriously? Please? didn’t we talk about this zero for PP thing before? 0 – 5 is just not acceptable… difference between taking a point out of this one and goin away empty handed.

Despite everything, this was a tight game, a close game for most of the 60 minutes. As Tippett usually says, we can be better, we have some stuff to work on. Seems like just when we get one thing straightened out, something else rears its ugly head. But we’re still #2 in the Pacific, #5 in the West and tied for 8th with PIT in the league. (It won’t take much to change those stats if we can’t pick up our road game a bit).

We’ve got another ugly game coming up on Tuesday night. The Ded Things are on the horizon in their own barn. The Joe has not always been kind to us with its funky bouncing backboards and snarky crowds. But it is definitely doable and a win there is the very thing we need to get rolling again.

In other news *******************

Yotes help Haiti “Prior to next Thursday’s game, the Coyotes players’ wives and girlfriends will hold a Dollar Drive outside Jobing.com Arena’s Gate 4 and Gate 7,  from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. During the game, the Coyotes Community Table, located outside section 115, will auction off a luxury suite for 12 people for a future home game, as well as autographed Coyotes memorabilia. In addition, Facility Merchandising, Inc. (FMI), which manages and operates the Coyotes Den Team Store, will donate 10% of its non-discounted sales from the evening to the cause.”

Yotes n friends on Twitter – Dave Strader, Scottie Upshall, Luke Lapinski and Todd Walsh have embraced the popular social networking media with Tweets on Coyotes happenings and unique information for the fans. We’re on Twitter too… sorta sporadically

I was thinking about our unemployed and under employed faithful fans when I ran across a couple of new places to look for employment. (besides the old faithfuls Jobing and Dice ), the economy picture isn’t pretty so every opportunity to help each other out is good stuff. If you have any faves or successful ones pass ‘em along we’ll try to get them out there.

http://www.us.randstad.com/

http://www.careerstallion.com/

top photo from Clyde

Lepisto love from Caps girl

As always…GO COYOTES!

OM frickin God… the storm warnings didn’t tell us a tornado named Scottie Upshall would touch down in the middle of Glendale. It wasn’t all about Scottie last night though. The whole team had wonderful performances but TheGr8Scott had the performance of his career with a natural hattie (his 1st ever)  in the 3rd period to put the icing on this cake.

THIS is incredible. Coming back like this after the slug-ugly game before? IDK if the ‘other’ Coyotes could have done it. This just may be the major difference between the old Yotes and the new ones. This newly found ability to pick ourselves up by the skate straps and find a way to win important games after a tough loss or skid.

It took about 50 games for us to even have a meltdown. That, in and of itself is a mini miracle. Then we go and pull off a rebound! Simply boggles the mind. Last season, there were meltdowns all the time and there was the post-ASG meltdown of EPIC proportions from which we just couldn’t seem to recover. (oh I know we got Uppy n Lombo and started showing signs of life again but we all know it was too little too late)

This Preds game had several key resiliancy factors to it. Our record when scoring 1st is simply incredible 23 – 2 – 2! We are a dangerous and nasty team with a small lead (its the big leads we need to work on keeping). It was good to see the boys bounce back hard. Around 10k or so insane fans battled the weather, which was horrific, to come see the kids play. They were noisy and raucus despite their chilled and soggy condition.

Biznasty – Paul Bissonnette has been having a crazy run, pure energy. Key goals, big hits and the ability to hang around for screens have been his hallmark lately. Keep it up Bizzy! He may not have the hands to put away all of his chances but he is creating buzz in the opponent’s zone nearly every shift by his tenacity and nasty.

Bryzzie – back in the saddle and rolling dirty. With the defense a little slow to get after shooters (especially in the high slot) Bryz has had his hands full. This game was no exception. Bryz made much of it look easy (the goal from that crap pass from Z to JV is not on Breezy) He’s doing his part again and that kept us in this game long enough to get the win.

Lombo combo featuring Shane Doan – sounds like a band at one of our jazz bars doesn’t it? Well any line featuring Lombardi gets major chances. The kid can really pass. If you can’t score with Lombo, you really have issues. Tippett has been swappin Doan around like a hot potato and it seems to have woken the Captain up. This line had chances all night and looked damn good doing it. Good job for remembering you ain’t just a passer Lombo, sweet goal, to give us the jumpstart we needed.

Czech your 2 points at the door, no return policy. The Czechs are still shutting off the entry through the neutral. People are expecting big points from Vrby and Pru but it is their efficiency at stealing pucks and trapping up the opponent’s big guns that make these guys so very valuable. Prucha has been a monster (he creates chances by making the other team make mistakes) he’s so wired I think he just makes the other players dizzy trying to get around him.

Gr8Scott – what can I write about Scottie’s game that other people haven’t already said? We could see Scottie gettin hotter over the last few weeks, his play without the puck has been really strong but he has been so close, so many times, we could tell his day was coming. Congratulations on the your first hattie Scottie. It was well deserved!

The gang was all in synch last night. A few faux pas here and there and the last 3 minutes we could see they were kinda easing up on the Preds. We gotta stop doing that! In this tight conference, especially against teams like the Preds, we have to learn to battle all 60 minutes. Overall though, everyone contributed to their role well. Impressed with Mueller’s game again as well as the continuing great play by Fiddy.

I love the Preds and their fans are simply awesome. Some of the most miserable hours of BK court were mitigated by the support of some bodaciously righteous Preds fans. Buddy and Mark to name just 2. I wish the Preds well in all games except against us of course. They are so much like us, from the scrappy no name team surprising everyone to the survival of the BaldSilly madness. Even their no nonsense coaching and pack style of play is similiar. On any given day we can trade spots with these guys. I hope we both make it to the ‘extra games’ in April.

In other news ***********************

I still hate MOST of the Buffalo fans in Phoenix. I hope your team sinks into a skid so horrible that they feel the effects of it for the next 100 years. Sorry Sabres, its not you, its some of your lice ridden, drunken, pond scum licking fans here in Phoenix. Yeah I went there and I am not sorry for it. While I am sure there are exceptions (hell I even know a couple, Hi Mike!) for the most part that description fits the majority of the slug apparelled jug heads present in the arena on 1/18/2010.

exhibit A – Standing drunkenly on a chair in the middle of Coyotes fans on the outside patio yelling at the top of their lungs “this is our patio now bitches” or this beauty “your team is so bad, no wonder you don’t have any effing fans”

exhibit B – Telling the Coyotes fans behind them, “your team sucks and you are all a bunch of losing effers, no wonder your team is leaving”

exhibit C – throwing their beer on a family for standing and cheering when the Coyotes finally scored… including a 2 year old girl

So, yeah, still pissed and still sorry assault with a deadly weapon wasn’t an option.

On to better news flashes **********

We had a season ticket holders event on Tuesday night. About 1k loyal and hardy souls braved the inclement weather to spend a few off ice moments with their boys. You might think the kids woulda been snarky and pissy after the Sabres debacle but you would be dead wrong. The guys had their best smiles and social chit chat for their fans. They shook hands, smiled pretty for pictures and were charming and sweet to all.

From the effervescent Doan to the shy Prucha, they were a delight to mingle with. I’m still Z’s girl but I gotta tell ya, if you haven’t spoken to Ilya Bryzgalov, you are really missing something special. (It’s not all about the funny Bryz, he’s a genuinely warm and sweet person.) My next jersey is probably going to sport the number 30 (sorry Sweets, I will get a #44 soon too)

Scottie Upshall made the NHL 3 stars list AND the NHLPA’s player of the day. How awesome is that for mad props?

Lots of interesting stories around the net on the Yotes, surprisingly, most of it informed and positive.

View from Suite 1114 – Scott Burnside of ESPN comes to visit.

Coyotes coach Dave Tippett on life in Phoenix and some words from the rest of the staff as well.

Ice Edge has been on the move lately too. No timetable is set for concluding the deal.

Next up, we face Alex O and the mad, bad and dangerous to know Caps today. We’ve fought them to a standstill lately. ( 4Ws out of the last 5 tilts) There will be nothing easy about the start of this mini road trip. The Capitals are on a 5 game winning streak behind the almost always red hot Ovie. The official preview talks about cooling those boys off. They may get Greenie, Erskine and Pothier back tonight so we better be ready. (Green has been on an offensive roll lately too)

Keys to this game?

Just say NO to the O! The always hard to play against Martin Hanzal and his Czech line will have their hands full with the crazy Russian highlight goal king. So far this line has had great success shutting down top scoring lines. This will be doubly important in this matchup. Taking Ovie out of the equation brings the Caps down to earth, where we can battle on a more even playing field.

Defense, discipline, defensive discipline? #2 is gonna have to step up his game (where forth are thou rough and ready Vandemeer?) With Jovo having to watch himself (due to the completely unfair tag of ‘repeat offender’) our number 2 hitter better get to making people’s heads swivel. The blueliners have to get the lead out, start holding the line a little better, keep their end up at the neutral zone and keep playing street sweepers for our back-on-track Bryzzie. We gotta stop lettin our netminders face so many shots every night.

Goal tending needs to be mind bending. Bryz seems to be back. He got a taste of rubber last game (stopping 41 of 43 shots). Are his head and heart back into the quest? Tonight is going to help answer that question. The Caps have been averaging around 33 shots per game, Bryzzie has been facing a lot more puck than that lately so, no softies in this joust! We just can’t afford the let down and the uncertainty that come with those.

This is definately a winnable game. We need to match intensity and physicality with the Capitals. But we will definitely have to play all 60 minutes (this team actually plays better from behind) so score first and score often. No coasting!

Wanna watch the game but don’t have the Versus option? Check out the online feed from Yahoo sports. Wanna talk to other fans during the game? TheNHLarena has a chat, as does the HFBoards group. Five for Howling will have a thread later today too. Not near a computer at 5pm? Check out your radio to listen to Heeter on Xtra 910. Ooops almost forgot… tweeples can follow game on the newly created @coyotesgameday Twitter account.

~Upshall pic from the Associated Press and Azcentral – no photographer credit shown…

As always… GO COYOTES!

Even as Jim Balsillie launches another salvo across our bow, GMDM doesn’t let that stop the work that must go forward if the Coyotes are to be competitive next season.

GMDM got Pruuuuu!!! resigned! Oh YEAH! The Coyotes are on the prowl. Its a 2 year deal that will let Petr Prucha shine here in the desert sun with plenty of TOI I hope. Hey Deb! we’re keepin yer boy, so you’ll still be an honorary Coyotes.

DM seems to be in a deal makin mood this morning because he also did a quick trade with Florida while he was sippin his morning latte.

Steven Reinprecht was traded to the Florida Panthers this morning where he joins other former Yoties, Keith Ballard and Nick Boynton. Rhino promptly signed a 3 year deal with the Panthers, so you know that deal had probably been in the hopper for awhile (might be the reason we didn’t pull the trigger on Rhino at the trade deadline).

In return, we got 23 year old Stefan Meyer. The Medicine Hat native has been up and down quite a bit (his frequent flyer miles to Rochester probably rival our Kevin Porter’s from the beginning of the season).

Here we go fans, the Yotes are setting out to show they got unfinished business here in the Valley of the Sun. They host their first Open House for the 09 season. This will be the team’s first push for season ticket sales since this mess started. They will also be releasing their 20 game pick your game plan that night as well.

Let’s show up by the thousands and show them we want to support our team! The ticket reps are calling the people on their lists to inform everyone of the Open House and we can also expect more information from the Coyotes as it becomes available. Please check phoenixcoyotes.com as well as this site for information as its made available.

Here’s the info that I have so far:

Coyotes Open House

Thursday June 25th 6-9pm at the Arena

The Coyotes will provide hot dogs and soda for everyone and a free “Game On AZ” t-shirt will be given to the first 2000 people through the door.

Season Ticket holders can RSVP to their ticket reps, non season ticket holders can call Ian at 623-772-3293 or Matt at 623-772-3349.

Your RSVP is not required but is appreciated, so that they can get an idea of how much food they will need.

Hope to see you there as I visit my favorite seats and my beloved patio… come on over and say howdy if you see me.

As always… Go Coyotes!

This is probably a lil disjointed and maybe I’m an idiot but its how I feel…

Okay hockey bretheran… I have a question. One that has been bothering me for some time. Why can’t the league support 2 more teams? Why can’t makeit32 work? Why is expansion ‘really’ such a bad thing? Is it really the horrible an idea that Kansas City or Wisconsin AND Hamilton or Winnipeg get a team. (I really don’t have a clue who all is clamoring for a team right now)

I can see the NHLPA getting behind the idea. They get more members to contribute to the pool and have a stronger voice. More players get a chance at the gold ring.

I can see the players getting behind the idea. More opportunities to play longer (they are already like migrant workers going from team to team, 2 more to choose from can’t be a bad thing). Newbies could see it as better opportunity to break into the league with a bigger draft (almost like adding round 8 back in...) and b4 you say no one good comes out of the lower rounds, puhleze! the Wings seem to have no problems finding talent like Zetterberg and Datsyuk in late rounds.

I can see the fans getting behind this. More hockey! is thereanything better than more hockey? Ummm especially for the fans of the chosen cities who have been raucously screaming their lil lungs out to get one for years.

The team owners, well hell, them ole boys would get expansion money out the wahzoo. Could shift the conference member teams around a bit resulting in shorter flights, less money being spent crisscrossing the country, more revenue to share, better TV contracts if the markets are chosen correctly.

Seems to me that everyone wins with makeit32. So why isn’t it happening? Why haven’t Mr. Balsillie or Mr. Bruckheimer or whomever, been throwing their dollars at getting the NHL to expand, rather than targeting teams already in place? We’ve expanded and contracted a lot since 1967, I don’t understand why the topic has suddenly become such an anathema.

Cincinnati, Hamilton, Oklahoma City, Portland, Winnipeg all seem like pretty viable expansion cities for various reason. Hell Kansas City’s TV market alone would make me sit up and drool if I’m the NHL. Portland doesn’t provide a whole lot of competition from ‘other’ sports and could easily become a hockey hotbed just from lack of Pro sports choices. With a bit of judicial governmental $$ support, either Hamilton or Winnipeg could renovate their large arenas to accommodate a couple more thousand fans and some state-of-the-art luxury boxes in a very short time frame and with the clamoring market could have that monetary support paid back very quickly. Cincinnati I’m not too sure about even if it has been bandied about in the past. Vegas seems too transient to support a pro franchise on the season ticket holder front (although I am pretty sure they could get plenty of corporate response). These are just a few cities w/ possibilities off the top of my head.

Its long been said that hockey costs too much to make part of the average Joe’s discretionary spending and that isn’t true in most markets. Its mainly the longest serving and the big ticket winners that charge out the wahzoo for tickets (but hey! they only charge what the market apparently will bear). Maybe it is time for Toronto et al,  to share the wealth? Bring down the ticket prices there just a little bit with some healthy competition from a team close enough to give fans a choice (TOR has got a waiting list that would immediately give their competitor a built in shot at a fanbase). That would certainly give the fans a boost (lower prices for the team they already love and a chance for others to get season tickets without waiting for Uncle Cletus to drop dead) It could start one of the nastiest rivalries the NHL has ever seen and you KNOW hockey fans can seriously get behind a rivalry. Maybe its time to take a look at having a set price range? We’d damn sure see which cities can support a hockey team then. Have a set range that ticket prices can fall within, if your team can’t maintain an average attendance at the prescibed prices…well I guess then we get to find a home for you that will be able to. I don’t know… just seems like all the teams should be contributing equally but can’t due to weird ass management practices or some other form of monetary mismanagement madness. (That way it truly becomes about butts in the seats rather than teams filling an arena yet still not pulling in the monetary numbers because they charge 40% less that the rest of the league, we need equal footing for true measurements)

With the economy in such disarray maybe this seems like a shallow and thoughtless entry. Expanding the NHL when people are losing their jobs, the economy is freefalling like a stone from a bridge and food banks can’t keep up with families on the edge. But even the economy would get a boost. Construction or renovation of 2 arenas would create jobs, said arenas need to be staffed which would create new jobs and of course their would be another 60+  hockey players getting jobs (including any minor league additions in 2 new feeder rosters).

What am I missing here? I know there has to be some major issue with this idea. The NHL can’t be stifling its own growth for no good reason right? So help a sista out. Explain it to me like I’m a 5 year old because I don’t get it. Makeit32 makes more sense to me than keepinit6 or relocating it7 in too many ways to ignore.

I can’t wait for this to be over so I can enjoy hockey again. C’mon Canes! (damn you flightless birds! That Geno is a monster! why’d he have to wake up now?) You can do it Cammie Cane. Lets go Ded Things! Black Hawks Suck! Guess you know where I stand in this series LOL Even though I kinda realize a Canes – Wings final just won’t have the punch that a Wings – Pens matchup would have, it would still be beautiful to have a ’southern’ team in the finals… for troll taunting reasons if nothing else.

Mr. Breslow… sir, I salute you!

As always… Go Coyotes!

Oh my Capitals, 1B team of my heart, I have neglected you woefully. I apologise for leaving you to the mercy of Lil Flower and the Kid, not mention that other guy Geno and his OT antics.

I have been watching…really I have. But due to the surprising turn of events with the 1A of my heart I have been unable to cheer you on in these humble pages. But somehow you have won through on your own. I am so proud of you guys.

Tonight’s game was a blood curdling monster. It is sooo not good for my blood pressure! But damn was it exciting. Way to go Steckel! But guy? don’t toy with your victims anymore. Take the lead and take down the black n gold with extreme prejudice.

Game 7 is going to be a hellstorm and I will be with you all the way through, I promise. I am going to ask the hockey goddess to help you thru to a thorough beat down of the Kid & Co. May Cindy and Gena’s shots be high and wide, may lil Flower’s glove  tip pucks into his own net and may Ovie, Greenie or Stecks (heck, anyone rockin the red will work) hit the Cap’s GWG in a spectacularly amazing highlight reel fashion. Ummm Varley? Doood! Let’s address your glove side issues  soon mmkay?

Sorry Pens… It is time to Rock the Red all the way to the finals. Go Caps Go!

Hooboy! Nucks killed themselves. Only US teams left in the playoffs. These post season games have held some of the most surprising games and winners ever. Upstart Blackhawks take down one of the NHL’s best. Sorry Lou. I was pullin for ya big guy.

On the Coyotes front… big news comin… maybe some early word? Remember there’s gonna be a rally on Saturday May 16th at 10 am

I’ve finally woken up out of my postseason funk. (who the hell wouldn’t after these 2nd round antics) Ducks managed to scoot past the Ded after 3 OTs (4 – 3 ANA). The Cardiac Canes are certainly living up to their moniker after spankin Boston’s bear butts (3 – 0 CAR) you go Cammie!. The Nucks found out that the Bulin wall has apparently patched up most of his holes (4 – 3 CHI). All the series are tied at 1 – 1 right now…….except the Caps VS Pens.  So in honor of my personal favorites I want to share a new glossary of hockey terms and maybe give them a lil luck to grab a bit of a lead in their series.

Ovination! – actions in which the red number 8 decimates your squad with a super slick move that makes you feel shame and embarassment… and possibly makes the Kid cry…some more.

Greenitized! – when a hawk sportin, red wearin defenseman glides into your zone innocently, mesmerizes your forwards and blasts your goalie with a slow rising wrister w/ eyes.

Varleytini- what a rookie goaltender from Russia serves you after he shuts yer asses out. It contains no alcohol yet leaves you with a hangover and a sense disbelief that you did all that embarrassing stuff the night b4.

Steckelportation – when an-impossible-to-miss, 6′ 5″ forward slips into your zone and drops his stealth shields and makes your team look like it has a bad set of Lithium crystals and Scottie is nowhere to be found.

Laichning – a type of electrical strike that only occurs when the DC team is on yer ice. Get the hell out of its way, it packs a hell of a punch and can strike more than once in the same spot.

Seminaltalality - when memories of a bongo playing Opie Taylor looking kid overwhelms your sense of danger and that ‘other’ Alex finds your goalie’s 7 hole for the GWG.

Potimon – not to be confused with any anime character. This lil monster stands between you and the best shot angles and often gives opportunities for Ovination or Steckeling to happen to you with his super blocking powers.

Fedorovitis – a disease that doesn’t strike often but when it does, it usually makes the goalie being struck very ill. Can happen in any zone and during playoff runs can kill.

Brashearing – a type of close shaving given to anyone NOT rockin the red by a really pissed off mack truck… if you manage to survive to game 6, be very careful that it doesn’t happen to you.

We hope this helps and we continue to Rock the Red… GO CAPS GO!

and as always… Go Coyotes! Still alive and ready to rock the desert in 09!

Happy Playoff Hockey!!.. SOMEONE had to step up and do it since HTH felt the need to make me give a shit. We all know how much I hate to do it since my precious boys are off participating in the Worlds or chillaxillatin for the summer. I guess it’ll be me doin the quicky look at round II and a couple of player(s) to watch for and hopefully a reason to tune in, watch and maybe discuss on the forum. So let’s start off with the Eastern Circus…

(1) Boston Bruins v. (6) Carolina Hurricanes  Bruins lead the series 1 – 0

The Canes knocked off the nearly invinsible Marty Brodeur and the red hot Zach Parise led Devils by the skin of their teeth. Taking on the insatiable Boston Bruins will hold a very scary challenge. Timmy Thomas (dontcha just wanna say little Timmy Thomas for some reason?) and the B’s seemingly can do no wrong (sweeping the Canadiens and ruining their 100th anniversary). In their first meeting, Boston has established a psychological advantage over Carolina with a big win. (4 – 1) but we all know why Carolina fans call their team the Cardiac Canes. Don’t count out Cam Ward and his determined band of miscreants, they always seem to find a way out of every hole they dig themselves into. Having the Canes in a game almost always means a crazy roller coaster. Game 2 will be in Boston on Sunday 5/3 at 7:30pm on Versus.

Player(s) to watch: David Krejci (B’s) – he’s been quietly doin some serious scoring and  is 3Gs, 3As in 5 games so far in the post season to go with his 73 regular season points. Combine those numbers with a sweet post season +/- plus 8 and you’ve got a guy to watch for sure. (not to slight the red hot Ryder or Savard in any way) On the Cane’s side as always it comes down to whether or not Cam Ward can work his magic. The Bs have so much fire power, Cam is going to be one busy boy. Stahl had better step it up a notch or 3.

Definitely worth watching, although I can’t stand the B’s (still have a little Wheeler induced nausea), they are very very good and very very disciplined and will make life miserable for the erratic Canes all through the series.

(2) Washington Capitals v. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins

I’ll be rockin the Red when these 2 division rivals meet for round II or should I just go ahead and call it WWV? Or how about the Cold War – Part Deux? Anyway you slice it, its gonna be a media circus (hell, it already is) Ovie VS Sydney is causing Betty to salivate all day and into the wee hours of the night. The regular season has ramped this series into the stratosphere and when these two play in Washington on Saturday, the pundits will be squirming in their analyst chairs no matter who beats who. (hell they already are. NHL on the Fly has been beside itself and had a lil series of questions for the Kid and Ovie…including some really dumb ones) Poor Syd and poor Ovie, lots of people tryin to make this into a Thrilla in Manila. But there is more to both teams than Ovie and the Kid.

Player(s) to watch: Alexander Ovechkin (Caps) – is he really hurt or is he playin possum? Or is the injury all in the mind of a certain reporter from the Post? Whether he’s hurt or not, he’s still not going to be the deciding factor in the series, again…this time it will probably come down to another Russian, that lanky youngster in the net. Simyon Varlamov has the Capital buzzin. Cool as a cucumber, seemingly unflappable and holding a mind boggling .952 sv % and a stunning 1.17 GAA, if the Iron Curtain continues to hold, the Pens could be in deep borscht. For the Pens all eyes will be on the Kid and Geno but it may just come down to Fleury keepin up with Varlamov.

As HTH would say, both teams can score. Between two time Rocket Richard trophy winner Ovechkin and the top goal scoring defenseman in Mike Green (now that Greenie appears to be back on track) add another Hart candidate in the hulking Evgeny Malkin and the human highlight reel stylings of Crosby and every game should be a barn burner. (but can they play some serious defense too… the answer to that question may just be the tie breaker)

Now on to the West Coast Royal Rumble

(2) Detroit Red Wings v. (8) Anaheim Ducks  Detroit leads the series  1-0

True to form the Ducks came out viciously dirty. ( No I don’t like them or their style but hey, its hockey and not supposed to be prim nor prissy) They took their edge and  “flexible” rule book to the next level as expected. Brownie knocked Hudler into next week with a shot to the head and will probably get a suspension for it. (lots of disagreement on whether it was dirty or if Hudie shoulda had his head up) whatever you think it was, it sure got the Ded into the highest levels of pisstivity that I’ve ever seen. Who woulda thunk that Ericksson could fight?

As HT said, the former Stanley Cup champions will certainly do “whatever it takes to get their cup back”, literally! No matter who they have to run over or run through. But the Wings are pretty damned determined to keep it for themselves.  (Go Liddy!) Its gonna get nastier so stay tuned.

Player(s) to watch: Jonas Hiller (Ducks) Can the kid hang on in the face of one of the best offensive juggernauts in the league? Can he live with Holmstrom’s butt in his face all the damn time? Chris Osgood (Wings) -Ozzy was on and poppin. Despite the Ducks attempts to put him through his own posts, the cagey vet hung in there and seems prepared to give as good as he gets. Combine that with the Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Franzen onslaught VS the Getzlaf/Perry/Ryan combo and it should make for one hell storm of a  series. Game 2 in Detroit on Sunday at 2pm.

(3) Vancouver Canucks v. (4) Chicago Blackhawks Vancouver leads the series  1-0

Defensive shutdown artistes VS high flyin creative offensively minded youngsters. The Nucks have been finding ways to score but they are bettter at getting a lead and then shutting down the opposition. The Hawks have had their defensive struggles, but usually can score their way out of trouble. Facing one of the best goalies in recent memory is going to prove troublesome for them.

Players to watch: Roberto Luongo (VAN) Nicolai Khabibulin(CHI) – just like the other goaltending battles, this one may come down to which goalie has the best set of nights and the edge goes to Louie. But other players are definitely making their presence known. Chicago’s Captain better get into battle mode because Kaner and Versteeg probably can’t keep up their current pace alone.

I agree with HT that Louie is just too good in the playoffs…  and could be the biggest factor in halting the Hawks march to a finals appearance. Chicago is young but rapidly proving themselves worthy after knocking off Calgary.  Can the Bulin Wall keep playing above himself and get his team back on track? Game 2 in Vancouver on Saturday.

Another toss up series that will really depend on the goaltending (Chicago), or lack thereof, that each team receives. While HTH seems to have forgiven and forgotten the bitter season against the Hawks, I certainly haven’t, and will be rooting for the Nucks.
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Be sure to tune into the playoffs and watch some exciting hockey!! Don’t forget to stop by and vote in the polls and chit chat on the forum.… Enjoy!

Shout out… for those interested in a particular game and it’s not being shown on TV, you can watch the game via online feed.. just head on over to www.nhlsnipers.com

Dear Washington Capitals,

We here at the NFOT – (NHL fans of other teams who didn’t make it to the playoffs and are pinning our hopes on your sorry asses), hereby release you from all prosecutionable actions for game 5. You can proceed with all larceny, including grand theft (stealing of any available pucks),  battery (hitting, blindsiding, plain-old-knocking-into-next-week, any and everyone holding said available pucks, not rocking the red), B n E (forcibly entering the Ranger zone with intent to commit mayhem) and of course assault with intent (landing as many shots on Lundy as possible from any and all angles with the sole intention of scoring as many embarassing goals as humanly possible). If we missed any potential crimina activity that you might like to attempt, we are very good at cut n paste and can edit this immunity after the fact, so feel free to improvise as necessary.

Regardless of what you or Coach Boudreau may think about the Rangers “awesome” defensive positioning, we would like to issue you this “immunity from prosecution” letter. We understand that you have been planning w/ malice aforethought, an assault of some type (see recent transcript of planning session) and we applaud both the plan AND the execution of the dry run during game 3. The plan worked very well  and should be implemented full force, ASAP. We realize in Game 3 you pulled off a lil’ B & E, breaking and entering into the net area. Obviously you did this without the Rangers permission and must’ve been distinctly nervous about King Lundqvist calling in the police to take you away should you try to get to the front of the net and poke a rebound in ever again. This letter is to ensure you that you will not get prosecuted if you refuse the Rangers detour to the outside and instead decide to revisit this “dangerous” area known as the crease.

We here at NFOT will do everything we can to prevent retaliation from the brigades of NYR fanatics who will undoubtedly try to invade the Verizon Center and prevent you from stealing another win from their King. We will even return Greenie from the Witness Protection Program (he mistakenly entered it too early and disappeared during this series) but will hopefully be returned to you pronto. *it should be noted for future needs that our program is very effective – exhibit A… it looks like someone named Mike Green is on the ice, but it is appearant to all, that it is not the same person who scored 31 goals this season* We regret that Greenie or Mr. Smith as he is known in the program, was spirited away prematurely. (we believe some NYR fan activated his disappearance in order to create chaos and give those sorry bastages a chance at winning).

Sooo, Mr. Ovechkin, please take this letter into the lockeroom with you and translate it for Mr. Semin and Czarlamov so that they will understand that they are safe from any repercussions  and can get busy whuppin some Ranger azz… err I mean so that you can all proceed with the Plan as outlined by Mr. Laich and yourself and we can all see as you promised. Mr. Smith should be replaced by Mr. Green by the time this immunity letter reaches you and should also be present during this translation session. You may not see us but rest assured we are out there, watching, waiting and doing our part. Carry on.

Sincerely,

Your No Longer Silent Supporters at NFOT

Psssst! Pssst! (we’re getting a forum!) grand opening tommorow… whoo hooo!

I’ve been a hockey fan for over 17 years. I’ve  never been called a puck bunny (to my knowledge) so I guess I just don’t get the whole affronted female fan thing.

I’m a fan and I’m female, big whoop. I don’t need a pink jersey, pink hat, a purse w/ my team’s logo on it ( I did fork over some bucks for the logo’d porch rug though and my car is soon to be adorned with Z4dfense plates) but none of that pink shit for this fan, not because its girly or insulting… I look like shit in pink, thank you for offering though. I understand the pink crap sells pretty well and the league does need to make money.

The Caps are offering an all female site called Scarlet Caps. YAY! Go Caps. But apparently not everyone is happy nor amused by the new site. Some say its sexist and insulting, well hell so is Don Imus and he’s still around. Some say it promotes the game wrong, like sex isn’t used to sell everything except baby wipes these days.

Is the new Caps site insulting? Not to me personally but I can understand that there may be some vitriol if its not done right. Explaining the game in basic language, terminology, slang can be a good thing. But then again, what hetro female in the world doesn’t like some eye candy? Hell, men have been appreciatin eye candy for centuries, I don’t object to having a site that doesn’t mind a lil drool, just don’t go overboard. Make sure we get the stats, the previews, announcements and the discussion board access as well as the fluff. Oh and Ted? Subtlety on the pics n backgrounds should be the watchword here big guy. Be sure that the design and content help sell the game as well as the names.

Is it neccessary? Maybe so, there are a lot of female fans out there that want to understand the game better without appearing stupid to the male fans in their lives, that want to interact with other fans that have interests beyond the stats and want to develop some relationships with other women who enjoy the sport but have more to give than just hockey. Thats just how women roll. We incorporate all the pieces of our lives together when we can.

Will it catch on with other teams? Damn I hope so. Most of the season ticket holding fans I hang with are women. Most admit to not knowing much beyond loving the game. The pace, the goals, the hits and oh hell yeah, these gals really get behind the fights. I often think they are more blood thirsty than my male fan friends (except Jimmy, no one is more blood thirsty than Jim). But having another venue/outlet to learn, discuss and access the game and the players can only be a good thing.

Team official sites created for female fans acknowledges that we are here to stay and that we are a force to be recognized. I like that. We have been complaining for years about a lack of official cred. Instead of bitchin about it we should embrace it and help make it work for us. We have enough voices out here in the blogoshpere to be heard and to be counted. So make that work for us, contribute constructive criticism don’t just condemn the whole concept out of hand.

The Caps site is still evolving, hopefully it will eventually have a look and feel that works well for the hardcore and the novice female fans… they should probably throttle back on the eye candy parts though… not sayin completely, cuz I admit that even I like to drool occasionally.

Be sure to read the great comments as well as the insightful posts themselves.

HLOG

Wrap Around n Curl

Puck Huffers (scroll down, its in there somewhere to the middle)

BarryMelrose Rocks

The Thrashers were cutting a swathe through the left coast. The Coyotes were nestling into their habitual bottom end of conference niche. Funny how fortunes can change in the flash of a goalie’s stick. Hey maybe the GDT thingy really worked?! Guess I’ll be doin those puppies as long as we keep winnin. LOL

Goodness! Where to start? Well I guess it’ll have to be brief because I leave for Cali in a couple of hours (gonna catch the boys at the Staples Center tomorrow w/ my kids).

Every single Yote contributed. There is absolutely nothin better than watchin these guys when they are playin unselfish, balls out hockey. The passes were crisp and on target (oh yeah and were actually recieved by their intended target). The PIMs were minimal, limiting ATL’s devastating PP potential. The hits were timely, the face off wins (while not fantastic percentage wise) were won at the most crucial times (Winni won 9 of 12!, Rhino and Hanzal all goin 50% or better). 9 Yotes grabbed points in this one. The biggest factor of course was Tellqvist, the guy was phenomenal every step of the way.

The only sour notes for the night were watchin Sweets struggle, Kurt is not 100% and it showed on the 2nd and 3rd Thrasher goals. The 2 were both scored on mental and physical breakdowns. On a day when the 4/44 combo is healthy and in synch those 2 goals just don’t happen. And the Jovo hit should have been called. Sorry, it wasn’t a good hit, it didn’t look intentional (more like an emotional JV goin for broke in the heat of the moment)… but it looked like one of those between the numbers and face into the boards hits that can really hurt a player. Thankfully Thornburn wasn’t injured in the MadJovo hit, he came up scrappin and gave JV a run for his money in the ensuing bout.

Have you ever seen anything as joyous as a Daniel Carcillo shootout goal? I really don’t think I have ever seen a sports figure as thrilled as our DC…  both the teams gave him a ration of razzing but I don’t think they coulda been as proud even if they had scored it themselves. DC with the ‘unofficial’ Gordi Howe (goal, assist, fight)! The entire arena and both benches were stunned when DC took the ice (Hanzal hadn’t had a turn yet) but TGO’s ‘hunch’ certainly paid off last night. (see Yotes TV for the great one’s explanation of why he threw Danny into the mix)

The Thrashers are no joke right now. They are on a mission to build something for next year. Led by Kovalchuk and Lehtonen, they were strong all night. Making the most of their chances, strong on the puck and never once giving up. Gotta respect an opponent like that. Kovie and Little each had 2 points on the night and Lehtonen faced 40 shots without giving up any weak goals.

From Telly to Mad Jovo to that crazy Winnik line, the boys gave us a real show. Even Olli earned a reprieve from my constant ragging. Glorious win! Its nice to finally have that feeling again.

Will edit later for pics from Teal

News n notes…

Doan almost had his 250th goal but it was given to Lindstrom since it bounced off Lindy in a net scrum before going in. Can the boy just finally get a hattie? Keep pluggin big daddy, its comin.

Man, can it get any worse for the Habs? Just damn… at least we only have financial issues. Goes to show you, it can always get worse. I wonder if the Grab and Maul will jump all over them and give us a break for a bit.

GMDM was seen inhabiting the NYR press box recently… Prucha? Prucha?

As always… GO COYOTES!