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NHL does not supsend Matt Cooke for hit on Marc Savard

The NHL is now a sick joke. From ESPN-

Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke has escaped suspension for a hit to the head of Marc Savard that knocked out the Boston Bruins center.

NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell made the announcement Wednesday at the general managers’ meeting in Boca Raton, Fla. Penguins general manager Ray Shero also confirmed the news to ESPN.com via e-mail.

Cooke delivered a blindside hit with his shoulder to Savard in the third period of Sunday’s game. Savard was taken away on a stretcher and has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion. He is out indefinitely, and Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli has said Savard possibly could miss the remainder of the season.

Doctors will continue to evaluate Savard during the next several days before determining how long the star center might be out.

Florida Panther David Booth suffered a similar concussion and miissed 45 games. Savard could well be out for the rest of the NHL 2009-10 season plus the playoffs.

Here’s a video of the hit

There’s no question it was a deliberate elbow to the head. Now listen to the justification for not suspending Cooke who BTW is a repeat offender.

Under the new guidelines recommended by GMs on Wednesday at the conclusion of their meetings, both hits would have been subject to a penalty and a possible suspension next season. The recommendation of a rule change still needs to be approved by the NHL/NHLPA competition committee and by the league’s board of governors.

“I know it’s not something that Boston fans, or hockey fans would like to hear,” Campbell said, according to TSN. “They want justice. We feel we have to be consistent and do what we feel is right and hopefully we’ve gone to a place in our meetings today that we can eradicate plays like this in the future.”

Colin Campbell you are one very sick puppy. You fucked up on Richards so now you’re using your stupidity in that case to do nothing in the case of Deliberate head hit. You’re telling me if Savard was paralyzed for life by what Cooke did, you would sit on your hands because of precedent. Admit your fucking mistakes or get out of the way other people who care about hockey can stop this nonsense.

 

Record win- Florida beats Minnesota 3-2

Tonight’s Panther game was frankly unbelievable.

The Wild scored two goals on four shots and were up 2-0 approximately 11 minutes into the game.FL-Minn

Minnesota had only 7 shots on goal for the first two periods but were still ahead 2-0. Florida had 21 SOG and had lots of opportunities to score but couldn’t. I was ready to throw in the towel on the game and the Panthers remote chances of making the playoffs.

For how often has Florida come back from a 2-goal deficit with just one period to play? I don’t know but it is not often.

Minnesota still couldn’t put pucks on net as the 3rd period opened. In fact they went 10 minutes into it before Panther Goalie Tomas Vokoun had to make a save.

In the meantime, Florida tied up the game. Michael Frolik scored two minutes into the period to make the game 2-1.

Then at the 10:40 mark, Cory Stillman took the puck away from fellow Panther Steven Reinprecht and got it past Wild Goalie Niklas Backstrom. Florida had wiped out the 2-goal deficit and the game was now tied.

Nothing more happened in regulation and the same for overtime. Then as the shootout commenced, I asked myself when’t the last time Florida won a shootout. It was last year I think and Florida hasn’t beaten Minnesota in 9 years either. The Panthers are doomed.

The first two Panther and Wild players a piece can’t score in the shootout. A 3rd Wild player can’t beat Vokoun. Then Peter DeBoer sends out Holy Kreps to get a shootout goal. Guess what happens?

Kamil loses control of the puck and doesn’t get a shot off. How embarrassing and what was DeBoer thinking by sending a player out in the shootout who had 1 goal in the first 63 games of this season?

A 4th Wild player does nothing then Cory Stillman beats Backstrom again and Florida wins 3-2.

Holy Cow! Even with the win, Florida is still 6 points out of the last playoff spot.

Minnesota finished the game with just 11 shots on goal. That is the lowest total ever allowed by a Florida team. The previous mark was set in 1997. It ties Minnesota’s all-time low output and this NHL season’s lowest.

Who out there thought Florida could overcome a two goal deficit with 20 minutes left to play, allow only 11 shots on goal the whole game, and win in a shootout?

Bueller? Bueller?

Donny at The Litter Box is also commenting. He makes mention of tonight’s Florida win being the 500th in franchise history.

 

Home New Home- Calgary beats Minnesota 5-2

The win allows Calgary to keep pace with Detroit, who also won today, in the race for the NHL Western Conference’s last playoff spot. From AP-

Despite being the career leader in goals against Minnesota Wild, Jarome Iginla hadn’t scored one in 10 games.

He certainly broke out of his slump in a big way.Calg-Min

Iginla recorded his 10th career hat trick — his third against Minnesota — and Vesa Toskala made 27 saves in his first start since being traded to Calgary as the Flames beat the Wild 5-2 on Sunday. Rene Bourque and Mark Giordano also scored for the Flames, who stayed within a point of Detroit for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Iginla hadn’t scored a goal against Minnesota since March 22, 2008 — he had a hat trick in that game, too.

That’s a long time in light of the fact that Minnesota and Calgary are in the same division and play 6 times a year.

Toskala was traded to Anaheim for Jean-Sebastien Giguere on Jan. 31, and then to Calgary for Curtis McElhinney on March 3. He made his first start since Jan. 30, when he was still minding net for Toronto, playing in place of resting Olympian Miikka Kiprusoff. He looked solid in net for his new team, save for the couple of second-period goals by Latendresse, who has 21 goals in 39 games since being acquired by the Wild.

Toskala who was a excellent number #2, struggled terribly(2.74, 3.26 and 3.66 GAA average respectively) in Toronto over parts of three seasons and didn’t even play during his short time in Anaheim. He played great today, but one result is not enough proof to say this marks a comeback for the Finnish born Goalie.

Minnesota plays the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. I hope the cats tame the Wild also.

 

Holy Kreps- Florida beats Carolina 4-1

What is going on with the Cats right now? For 13 games the team couldn’t score more than two goals in any game. Now they’ve scored 11 in their last two.

First a 7-4 victory over Philadelphia. Then tonight’s game.

Vokoun was great in goal like he has been most of the season. Defenseman Bryan McCabe scored three assists for the 2nd straight game. To be honest, McCabe is a defenseman who contributes offensively to the teams he’s played for. Look at his assist totals for the last five NHL seasons-

37
49
42
24
19

McCabe has 26 assists so far for the 2009-10 season. Kreps

How about Kamil Kreps scoring two goals? One assisted by Nick Tarnasky who gets in ten fights at least for every point he scores.

Kreps has gotten to three goals on the year now. Watch Panther Coach Peter DeBoer put him on another line other than the 4th now. Tonight aside, Kreps is a crappy player. His best NHL season was 2007-08 when he scored 8 goals and 17 assists in 76 games played.

At one point in tonight’s game, two Panther defensemen had a shorthanded odd man rush. What is going on at the Bank Atlantic Center right now?

Florida starts a three-game road trip on Tuesday. First they play Minnesota, then Colorado, then San Jose. The team is currently 26-28-10 for the season and 12th in the Eastern Conference. They are just 4 points away from the last playoff spot, but the bad news is that 3 teams are tied for that one last spot.

The cats may be getting ready to make a late playoff rush. I still don’t think they will be playing this NHL post season.

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Montreal Canadien Maxim Lapierre suspended for 4 games

Welcome to case #2318 of wacky NHL discipline decisions.

Montreal Canadiens forward Maxim Lapierre has been suspended four games for a late hit on San Jose Sharks forward Scott Nichol.

The NHL announced the discipline on Friday.

Lapierre knocked Nichol into the end boards 1:50 into the third period of the Sharks’ 3-2 win Thursday night in San Jose.

Nichol was injured on the play and did not return to the game. No penalty was assessed on the play.

Lapierre will miss games at Los Angeles, at Anaheim, against Tampa and against Edmonton. He will be eligible to return March 13 against Boston.

Lets get this straight Lapierre isn’t penalized during the game but has to serve a suspension. Philadelphia Flyer Mike Richards whacks Florida Panther David Booth so hard he earns a five minute penalty and Booth can’t play because of a concussion for three months. Yet the Richards serves no suspension. Isn’t this pro league’s discipline system in serious need of an overhaul?

Here’s a video of the hit

Lapierre deserved the suspension IMHO.

Special Note- This is the 4000th post made to OTB Sports since the blog began on February 21, 2006.

 

Philadelphia Flyer Goalie Ray Emery to have season ending hip surgery

What Goalie will the Broad Street bullies trade for before tomorrow’s trading deadline? From ESPN-

Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery will need surgery to repair his right hip and will miss the rest of the season, the team announced Tuesday.

“He is suffering from avascular necrosis and will have a bone graft done to alleviate his hip issues,” general manager Paul Holmgren said in a news release.

With Emery out, the Flyers may look to trade for a goalie ahead of Wednesday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, although Michael Leighton has played well for the team.

Emery, 27, went 16-11-1 record with a 2.64 goals-against average and .905 save percentage, including three shutouts, in 29 games this season.

Ray Emery is a unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. He seems to have reformed from his tumultuous Ottawa days that caused him to play outside the NHL the for 2008-09 season. I think Emery won’t have any problem signing with another team.

The Flyers are now in need of a Goalie and a lot of rumors are flying around. One of them is Florida Goalie Tomas Vokoun being traded to Philadelphia. If not for salary cap reasons, I’d bet the trade takes place. It may still happen.

Vokoun is the best Florida player by a mile and only reason the team isn’t in the Eastern Conference cellar. Interesting enough-

1- Vokoun won’t start tonight against Atlanta. It’s going to be Scott Clemmensen(who’s been horrible this year)
2- If Vokoun is traded to Philly, his first opponent as a Flyer? The Florida Panthers, at Florida.

Florida is going to trade Vokoun either by the deadline or during the off season. They have the rights to an excellent Swedish Goalie named Jacob Markstrom. Markstrom could play in the NHL as soon as next season. If Florida trades Vokoun, what do they do at Goalie?

Obviously Clemmensen becomes the starter, but who will back him up? Alexander Salak from Rochester? If so, I better get my hard hat out for the rest of the 2009-10 season.

ESPN’s Scott Burnside speculates on what move Philadelphia will make. DolPhanDave covers the Vokoun/Florida Panther angle.

 

They’re back- Detroit beats Colorado 3-2

The first NHL game since the Olympic break was From played last night.

The Detroit Red Wings are healthy and ready to make a run at the playoffs.Col-Det

That might bad news for the rest of the NHL.

Nicklas Lidstrom scored a power-play goal with 9:03 left in the third period and lifted the Red Wings past Colorado on Monday night and put themselves into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

Tomas Holmstrom had a goal and two assists, Pavel Datsyuk had two assists and Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for Detroit, which won the first NHL game since Feb. 14 when the NHL took a two-week break for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Last night was the first time Detroit won back to back games since Jan 7-8. The Red Wings are currently 29-21-12 and 8th in the Western Conference race. I think they will make the post season but exit early. Detroit is getting old and a rebuilding period will start soon.

 

Florida Panthers trade D Jordan Leopold to Pittsburgh

He didn’t even last a full season in South Florida. From the Miami Herald-

The Pittsburgh Penguins have acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold in a deal with the Florida Panthers.

Florida traded Leopold to Pittsburgh for a second-round pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The move was announced Monday, two days before the league’s trade deadline.

The 29-year-old Leopold signed a one-year contract with the Panthers in July. In the summer, he was part of a deal that sent the rights to defenseman Jay Bouwmeester to Calgary.

Leopold had 7 goals and 11 points for the season. He was to become a free agent at the end of this season, so the trade wasn’t unexpected.

This and the Dominic Moore trade are all the proof one needs to know about the rest of the 2009-10 Panther season. The team is packing it in. Their play has been brutal for over a month and only the wizardry of G Tomas Vokoun has kept the Panthers anywhere near the playoff race. Their 6 points out the 8th spot at present but it might as well be 1,000. This team isn’t going to the playoffs. AGAIN.

As for the trade, a 2nd round pick is a good deal on paper. If Florida makes good use of the pick. Say another David Booth but not a Lukas Krajicek. Even if the pick works out, Florida isn’t likely to benefit from it for 2-3 years. Dimitry Kulikov(Florida’s 2009 1st round pick) aside, most draft picks don’t come to the league for 2-3 years and then need time to adjust. Florida is rebuilding, AGAIN, but it could be 4 years before fans see improvement. I really am a Masochist when I root for this team 82 games a year.

Also blogging on the trade- Donny at Litter Box Cats.

 

Dallas Stars waive Goalie Alex Auld

With the recent acquisition of Kari Lehtonen, the team had one more netminder than they needed. From ESPN-

The Dallas Stars placed Alex Auld on waivers Wednesday and are content to go with Marty Turco and Kari Lehtonen in goal the rest of the season.Alex Auld

Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk acknowledged there’s little chance of trading Turco, who played well the last six games leading into the Olympic break. Turco is 4-1-1 with a 1.15 goals-against average and a .967 save percentage in that stretch.

*****

Lehtonen, 26, has not played an NHL game since last April. The Stars traded for him earlier this month in an effort to fortify their goalie position going into next season. Lehtonen is a restricted free agent next season, while Turco and Auld are unrestricted free agents.

The Stars are one point out of the eighth and final playoff spot and have games every other day in March.

“We’ll work Kari in there because we have so many games,” Nieuwendyk said.

Auld is a journeyman Goalie who has played for six teams since 2006. That says enough about how good he is. Could a 7th team on the horizon? I’d say the chances are about 50-50. If Auld can’t find work in North America, he can always go to play in Europe.

 

No end in sight- Comcast/Versus dispute still unresolved

A game between two top 15 schools is scheduled to be broadcast on Versus this Saturday. From KRQE-

Saturday’s game between the New Mexico Lobos and the BYU Cougars may be the biggest game of the season and an estimated 1/3 of Albuquerque TV viewers will not be able to see it.

The No. 10/12 ranked Lobos are heading for a huge showdown Saturday in Provo, Utah against No. 13/11 BYU.

The regular season conference championship will most likely be on the line.

But, because the game will air on the Versus network, DirectTV subscribers will not be able to see it.

A money dispute between Versus and DirectTV has kept Versus off DirectTV.

On their network, DirectTV claims the parent company of Versus, Comcast, is asking too much money to carry the network on DirectTV. As a result, DirectTV does not carry Versus.

The Mountain West Conference’s tournament championship is scheduled to be broadcast on Versus next month.

I sympathize with Mountain West sports fans. This dumb dispute has dragged on far too long and NHL fans are about to get screwed even more than they have already been up to now. The playoffs are less than two months away and some of those games are carried exclusively by Versus.

The NHL’s decision to sit on its hands is mind boggling to me. The league doesn’t have a big United States fan base. Marginal fans are going to find something else to watch and perhaps permanently. Is Commissioner Gary Bettman too dumb to realize that or does he simply not care?

 
 


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