hockey
We talk pucks and objects of that kind. We yell, complain, and analyze in the language of hockey fandom. Gretzky can do no wrong.
Jets Land on the West's Final Playoff Spot
I had a lot of faith in the Winnipeg Jets this season, so much so that I picked them to be part of the Central Division's Top 3. They were in that position for a while, but the Jets started to descend into an apparent free fall after the All-Star Break. It really looked like the Jets would actually end up out of the playoffs for the second straight season, which would have been absolutely disappointing given their amazing start. But they managed to get back upright and start flying at the right time, while the main teams below them--the Calgary Flames and the Nashville Predators--fell off.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Panthers Claw Their Way to Playoffs as Wild Card
Hockey is a funny thing at times. When the Florida Panthers made that trade for Matthew Tkachuk, I said--on a loop, mind you--that they fleeced the Calgary Flames. I had the Panthers as one of the top teams in the Atlantic Division (and maybe the Eastern Conference overall), while the Flames would either miss the playoffs or barely squeak in. By the midpoint, however, both teams were sputtering big time. However, the Panthers managed to get over the hump just a bit, while Calgary hung on and stayed alive for several weeks.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Kraken Released Into the Stanley Cup Playoffs
One of the many things that fascinates me about the National Hockey League is the timing of their expansion wave. The other three leagues added teams at the same time (usually the 1960s), and while the NHL did double in size in 1967 and did some more adding during the 1970s, the real big expansion wave occurred during the 1990s. I had the chance to see a number of teams added and relocated during my lifetime, and the result is a 32-team NHL, with the Seattle Kraken becoming team #32.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Reigning, Defending, and Undisputed: Avalanche's Championship Defense Begins
As the late, great, iconic Jackie Gleason once said, "How sweet it is!" The Colorado Avalanche entered the evening of April 4, 2023 with a lot of golden opportunities. Mikko Rantanen was one goal away from 50. Nathan MacKinnon was on the verge of reaching 100 points. But overall, the Avalanche had an opportunity to lock in a playoff spot, and they had three ways to do it. The first, of course, was win and in. Secondly, if the Calgary Flames lost, the Avs would only need one point to get in. A third option had the Avs getting in with a Nashville Predators lost coupled with a Flames regulation loss.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Even With Kaprizov's Imminent Return, Can the Wild Actually Advance This Time?
The Dallas Stars weren't the only Central Division team who clinched a playoff spot on the third day of April. The abbreviated hockey Monday kicked off in Minnesota with the Wild hosting the Vegas Golden Knights, with the former looking to lock in a playoff spot. A win would get it done, but just when it looked like they would get the win, Vegas tied it and forced overtime. It went to a shootout, which Vegas ended up winning, so with only one point acquired, the Wild had to look to the Dallas Stars to get them in, as they needed Dallas to defeat the Nashville Predators. Dallas did just that, so not only did Dallas clinch with their win, Minnesota got in with Nashville's loss.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Stars Reach Playoffs for 4th Time in 5 Seasons
It took until the third day in April, but the Central Division, my Central Division, finally has official playoff teams. Only three games took place on a Monday evening centered around the first Raw after WrestleMania, as well as NCAA basketball's National Championship. Two of them featured teams who could clinch spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and both teams fulfilled their duties. The Dallas Stars' first chance to lock in a spot occurred on April 1, but their loss to the Colorado Avalanche forced them to wait a few days. Their next opportunity came on April 3, against a lowly Nashville Predators team that was suffering and riddled with injuries. Of course, the Stars pounced; a 5-1 victory over the Preds, and it placed Dallas in the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Kings Look to Go Further in Their Return to the Playoffs
The biggest surprise playoff team from the 2021-22 season has to be the Los Angeles Kings. Their appearance came just two years after they were one of the seven teams who missed out on the modified 2020 playoffs, which was the second of a three-year playoff drought that the team had suffered. I don't think anyone had the Kings being one of the NHL's Sweet 16 teams so quickly after being one of what I called the "Not-So-Magnificent Seven," but the 2021-22 season truly surprised a number of fans, myself included.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Oilers Clinch, but What Happens if They Fall Short Again?
The Edmonton Oilers had a chance to lock in a playoff spot on the last day of March; despite not playing that evening, a Winnipeg Jets loss would have put the Oilers in the playoffs. However, the Jets (who are struggling to stay alive) had other plans. Even after the Nashville Predators won in blowout fashion on the following day, all Edmonton needed to clinch was one solitary point. That's it. The Oilers decided to go for the throat against the lowly, lowly Anaheim Ducks; blasting them 6-0 to become the second team to qualify for the playoffs, as well as the eighth team overall--halfway filling the playoff field for 2023.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Lightning Look to Bounce Back from Thwarted Three-Peat
The Tampa Bay Lightning's recent run has been amazing and fun to watch, at least in the perspective of this hockey fan. We all know the story; after their 62-win season ended with them getting surprisingly mollywhopped by the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Bolts bounced back in a big way. What did they do? Nothing much. Only won the Stanley Cup, that's all. They liked that feeling so much that they decided, "What the hell, let's do that again." This past season saw the Lightning with a great chance to do what hadn't been done in four decades: win three straight Cups. They managed to return to the Cup Final for the third straight year; the first team to achieve this feat since the Edmonton Oilers did so from 1983-85.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Vegas Returns to Playoffs, but Is Their Window Still Open?
We all laughed and had fun when the Vegas Golden Knights missed the playoffs last season, didn't we? For all of their bluster, for all of their pomp and circumstance in spite of not winning the Stanley Cup, for all of their arrogance and excuse-making, the Golden Knights completely missed the playoffs in the 2021-22 season--the first time that they missed the playoffs in their brief franchise history. Not a single tear was shed for them. I know I wasn't crying for them; I was too busy laughing. However, I also realized something right then and there: Vegas is going to strike back somehow.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Can the Rangers Go the Extra Mile in 2023?
The Toronto Maple Leafs weren't the only team who clinched a playoff spot without even playing. The Florida Panthers' regulation loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday, March 27, 2022, brought the New York Rangers one step closer. They still needed the Buffalo Sabres to lose, and that could come in any fashion. Buffalo's game against the Montréal Canadiens needed extra time, and eventually needed a shootout despite a Habs power play in overtime. It was scoreless entering the Habs' half of the shootout. If Montréal scored, the Rangers are in. Montréal scored. New York celebrates (maybe for the first of two times this season)!
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
Maple Leafs, You Have One Job!. Top Story - March 2023.
On Sunday, March 26, 2022, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Nashville Predators, 3-2, behind two goals from their captain, John Tavares. On the following day, the Leafs were off, but they could clinch a playoff spot during their idle day with a loss from the Florida Panthers. Even better, because the Leafs picked up two points, Florida's loss didn't have to be in regulation. In a crazy scenario, the Panthers were in Ontario, but against the province's other franchise, the Ottawa Senators. This meant that the Leafs and their fans had to (for that night) pull for their provincial enemies to pull out the victory. The Sens did just that, winning 5-2 over the struggling Panthers, and that gave the Leafs another playoff appearance.
By Clyde E. Dawkinsabout a year ago in Unbalanced
