The Lightning and the Penguins had scares throughout the game. In the first period,
Ryan Callahan hit Pens’ defenseman
Kris Letang from behind and Letang had to leave the ice. Callahan received a 5:00 major for the hit, which Tampa Bay killed off. Letang would return later in the period and finish the game. The hit should be looked at by the NHL Department of Player Safety and I wouldn’t be surprised if Callahan misses some time during the series.
Later in the first period,
Ben Bishop came out of his net to play the puck, but was pressured by a Pittsburgh player. He was trying to track the puck and skate backward into his net at the same time. Bishop lunged to get into the net and fell back awkwardly. He went down onto the ice in pain, play was stopped and after a few minutes he was taken off the ice on a stretcher.
Andrei Vasilevskiy, 21-years-old, came off the bench to replace the injured Bishop. After the game, Joon Cooper said that the x-rays were negative and there was no structural damage in a postgame interview on NBCSN.
Then the Lightning managed to keep their heads in the game, and score a goal.
Victor Hedman made a nice stretch pass from the side of his own net to
Alex Killorn at the Pens blue line. Killorn grabbed the puck, made a move around defenseman Olli Maatta, went forehand to backhand and guided the puck into the net for a Lightning lead.
Tyler Johnson was also injured on a knee-to-knee hit by
Chris Kunitz. Johnson saw Kunitz coming in for the hit, tried to move out of the way to avoid it, but Kunitz still caught him with his knee. Johnson would return to finish the game.
The Lightning continued its momentum and outscored the Penguins 2-1 in the second period.
Ondrej Palat scored a power play goal at 2:23 of the period. Killorn kept the puck in and got it over to Jason Garrison, who passed to
Valtteri Filppula. Filppula took the shot, the save was made by Murray, but the rebound came out a wide open Palat. Palat put the puck into the empty net. Filppula started a 3-on-1 rush into the Pens zone by poking the puck to Palat, who made a nice cross-ice pass to a wide open
Jonathan Drouin. Drouin fired the puck into a wide open net for the 3-0 Tampa Bay lead.
The Penguins managed to score a power play goal with under a minute left in the period.
Sidney Crosby made a nice no-look, between the leg pass to
Patric Hornqvist, who was wide open in the slot, and the put in behind Vasilevskiy. Braydon Coburn seemed like he was screening Vasilevskiy on the goal. Pittsburgh made a push in the third period outshooting Tampa Bay 16-5, but Vasilevskiy was there to make saves.
Brian Dumoulin was injured afer Palat hit him while he was away from the boards and didn’t return to the game.
The Lightning did a nice job of getting in the passing and shooting lanes and blocking shots. The line of Palat/Drouin/Filppula seemed to be the best line for the Bolts. The Pens will need to figure out a way to get traffic in front of the Bolts net and get the shots through. The Bolts played a physical game especially against the defenseman of Pittsburgh.
Game 2 will be on Monday night at 8 p.m. on NBCSN.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are headed to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive year and the Pittsburgh Penguins will be their opponent.
The Lightning had a pretty easy round to the Conference Final. In round one, they beat the Detroit Red Wings in five games and then dispatched the New York Islanders in another five games. The Penguins have only played one more game than the Lightning in the postseason (11). They beat the New York Rangers in five games to advance to the second round where they beat the Washington Capitals in six games.
Tampa Bay has been led by the line of Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn in the postseason. The top line has scored 16 of the 30 goals in the playoffs and have racked up 34 combined points. Kucherov leads the Bolts with nine goals while Johnson leads the team in points (13) and assists (9) during the postseason. Jonathan Drouin has done a nice job after being recalled when Steven Stamkos went down with an injury. Drouin has pitched in one goal and eight assists for nine points. The Lightning could possibly get back T.J. Brown and Anton Stralman from injury for this series.
Pittsburgh has had a fast and balanced attack in the offensive zone since Mike Sullivan took over as the head coach. Every player that has played in at least eight postseason games has registered at least a point. Phil Kessel leads the Penguins in scoring this postseason with 12 points. He and Patric Hornqvist are tied for the team lead with five goals apiece. The line of Nick Bonino, Kessel and Hornqvist have excelled since being put together because of the Malkin injury. The Penguins have scored three or more goals in eight of the 11 postseason games they’ve played.
The Bolts defense has been good so far this postseason. Victor Hedman is back to his playoff form of last season. He is pitching in on the offensive side of the puck and has been defending very well. If Stralman can return from his injury this series, it could make all the difference for Tampa Bay while improving the defense. The Lightning have only allowed 19 goals against which is the least amount allowed by the teams still alive. The 1.90 goals against average is also leading the teams still remaining in the postseason. Hedman and company will have to be aware of Pittsburgh’s skill and speed.
The defense of the Penguins has been led by Kris Letang and Trevor Daley. Letang is logging huge minutes and chipping in on the offense. Daley has been decent in his own end and is also providing some offense on the blue line. They will give up some goals and chances during the course of a game, but they’ll make you work for them. Tampa Bay is the fastest team that they have faced so far in the playoffs though.
The Bolts hold the advantage in the goaltending department, but not by much. Ben Bishop has the experience over Matt Murray, who has been very good this postseason. Bishop is 8-2 in 10 playoff games played with a 1.89 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. Murray is 7-2 in the postseason with a 2.05 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. The goalies will have to be on their game because each one is facing the best team they’ve seen in the playoffs so far.
The x-factor for the Bolts will be discipline and the penalty kill. They will have to stay out of the box because the Penguins have a good power play that can score. The penalty kill will need to keep doing what it has been doing all postseason. The x-factor for Pittsburgh will be how much they use their proven skill and speed to their advantage.
Tampa Bay has the speed to keep up with the Penguins, along with the experience, since this is the second year in a row that they’ve reached the Conference Final. This is going to be a close, tightly played series that will go seven with the Lightning moving on. Game 1 of this showdown takes place tonight at 8:00 PM on NBCSN.
Ruff was named a finalist for the Jack Adams Trophy, which goes to the NHL’s Coach of the Year. The finalists were voted on by the NHL Broadcasters Association. In his third season, he led the team to a 50-23-9 record for 109 points. The Stars won the Central Division and the Western Conference. Ruff helped lead the Stars to its first division title since the 2005-06 season and its first Conference title since the 2002-03 season.
Dallas hit the 50-win mark for the first time since the 2006-07 season and finished the regular season with the second best record in the NHL. The 265 goals scored by the Stars were the most in the league and the +37 goal differential was the third best. Ruff is a three time
Jack Adams Award finalist and he won the award back in 2006 as the coach of the Buffalo Sabres.
Ruff did a good job of managing the goaltending situation all season for Dallas. He split the time between
Kari Lehtonen and
Antti Niemi because both were playing well and there was no clear cut number one starter. When the Stars lost
Tyler Seguin to an injury, he managed to keep his team focused and got contributions from everyone up and down the lineup. Ruff wasn’t afraid to change the lineup if a player had a bad game. He got the most out of a team that could score goals, but didn’t have the best time defending against goals.
Benn was also named a finalist for the
Ted Lindsay Award, which goes to the most outstanding player in the regular season. The award is voted on by members of the NHL Players Association. The other two finalists for the award are
Braden Holtby of the
Washington Capitals and
Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks. This is the second season in a row that Benn has been named a finalist for the award. No Stars player has ever won the Ted Lindsay Trophy.
In 82 games played during the regular season, the foward had 41 goals, 48 assists, 89 points, five game-winning goals, and averaged 20:01 of ice time per game. His 89 points were second in the NHL behind only Patrick Kane’s 106. Benn’s 41 goals were ranked third in the league. The forward was the first Stars player to score 40 goals since
Mike Modano did it in the 1993-94 season. His 1.09 points per game average was second in the NHL.
He has 17 power play goals and racked up 30 points while on the man advantage. Benn finished second in the NHL in both categories. He led the league in points last season, and won the Art Ross Trophy despite Dallas missing the playoffs. The 41 goals, 89 points, 17 power play goals and 20:01 of ice time per game were all career-highs. The forward was named the first star of the week in the NHL once and was the first star of the month in October.
The winners will be announced during the 2016 NHL Awards held on June 22, 2016 in Las Vegas.
(Photo: Alan Sullivan)
The
Dallas Stars’ power play and penalty kill were both ranked in the top ten of the
NHL during the regular season, but have struggled mightily in the postseason.
The power play was ranked fourth in the NHL during the regular season. The Stars converted on 22.1% of its opportunities while on the man advantage. Its 58 power play goals scored was ranked second just behind the
San Jose Sharks’ 62. The 262 power play opportunities were the ninth most in the League. The success on the man advantage hasn’t carried over into the postseason. but it hasn’t helped that the power play has only scored once in 22 opportunities while on home ice.
The Stars’ power play has only cashed in on four of its 35 opportunities during the postseason. They are only converting on 14.3% of their power plays, which is second to last among the teams still standing in the postseason. The
Nashville Predators are the only team with a worse power play (9.8%). Dallas has given up nine power play goals against in 34 opportunities during the playoffs. They are killing off 73.5% of the penalties that they are taking making their penalty kill the worst among the teams still remaining in the playoffs.
In round one against the
Minnesota Wild, the Stars scored on four of its 19 power play opportunities. Dallas was converting on 21% of its opportunities in the first round, which was almost on par with what they were doing in the regular season (22.1%). They scored zero goals while on the man advantage in three of the six games played in the series. In the first two games, the Stars had 11 power play chances and only converted on one of them. The power play units only managed to score more than one goal power play goal in one game during the series.
The penalty kill could have been better during the series against the Wild. They allowed four power play goals against in 16 chances (75%). They didn’t allow any power play goals in three games, but then allowed two in four chances in Game 6. The Stars did a decent job of staying out of the box in the first round.
The
St. Louis Blues have done a good job of exposing the weaknesses of the Stars special teams in round two of the postseason. Dallas has had just one power play goal in 16 opportunities; operating at 6.25% for the series. The only power play goal came during a Game 4 win. In the first three games against the Blues, the Stars power play was a combined 0-for-11. Dallas is 0-for-9 while on the man advantage at home in the second round.
Dallas has allowed five power play goals in 19 opportunities to the Blues. They have allowed power play goals in three of the five games played including the game-winning goal in overtime during Game 2. They have already taken more penalties in five games against the Blues than they did in the six game series against the Wild.
If the Stars want to make it to the Western Conference Finals then they’ll have to be better on special teams.
This morning the National Hockey League named the Dallas Stars Jamie Benn, Chicago Blackhawks Patrick Kane and Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby as the finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy. According to an NHL press release, the Hart Memorial Trophy is given to the player “adjudged to be the most valuable to his team.” All three of these players have showcased how important they are to their own teams throughout the 2015-16 NHL season and even into playoffs, for some.
Patrick Kane has already been named the winner of the Art Ross Trophy (as the leading scorer in the 2015-16 season) and finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award (for most outstanding player), along with his Hart nomination. The reigning Stanley Cup champion posted his most impressive numbers this past season, setting career highs in goals (46), assists (60) and points (106). Kane recorded at least one point in 78% of the games he played in this season (64 of 82 games), along with setting a franchise record 26-game point streak. His impressive season led him to becoming the first U.S. born player to win the scoring title in League history.
Jamie Benn is in just about the same boat as Patrick Kane, having won the Art Ross Trophy last season as well as being named a finalist for the Ted Lindsay Award. Benn didn’t fall too far behind Kane in the running for the Art Ross Trophy this season, finishing second with 89 points. His career high 41 goals was an impressive accomplishment for the captain, making him the first Dallas player to score 40 plus goals in a season since Mike Modano (50) in the 1993-94 season. With his Hart Trophy nomination, Benn becomes the first player in Dallas Stars history to become a finalist for the award.
Sidney Crosby didn’t fall too far behind the aforementioned Kane and Benn in the Art Ross standings. The already two-time winner (2007,2014) placed third, with 85 points (36 G, 49 A). Crosby became the only player this season to have more than one point in a streak of ten or more games, including a seven-game goal streak. Crosby led the Penguins to an impressive second-half of the season, having recorded at least one point in 20 of their last 21 games (11 G, 18 A). The Penguins’ star is a Hart nominee for the fifth time in his career, in which he has won it two other times (2006-07 & 2013-14).
The winner will be announced on June 22nd at the NHL Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
If the Stars want to force a Game 7 and avoid elimination then they’ll have to be better in Game 6 in certain areas. The
Stars need to figure out their special teams, which haven’t been special in these playoffs. They’ll have to be better with the puck, play to their strengths, eliminate the Blues’ fore-checking game as best as they can and the goaltending has to be better than it has been in this series.
The duo of
Kari Lehtonen and
Antti Niemi hasn’t played its best hockey this series against the Blues. Lehtonen has played in all five games, while only starting four of them. He is 2-1 with a 3.05 goals against average to go with a .892 save percentage. He was pulled after the first period in game two and then came in to relieve Antti Niemi in game three. Niemi came in to relieve Lehtonen in game two after he allowed three goals on five shots in the first period. Lehtonen did have a solid effort in Game 4 allowing only two goals on 26 shots, but allowed three goals on 21 shots in Game 5.
Niemi hasn’t been spectacular tending the net himself this series. He is 0-2 with a 3.27 goals against average and a .875 save percentage. He was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots in game three. The Stars haven’t exactly been playing the best defense in front of the goalies, but the goalies need to make saves and not give up the “soft” goal. The Game 6 starter will need to make the easy saves and make some spectacular saves to keep them team in the game and series.
Dallas’ special teams have been anything but in the playoffs. The Stars’ have only scored one power play goal in the series so far. They are 1-for-16 against the Blues while on the man advantage. The power play has only cashed in on five of the 35 opportunities they have had in the playoffs (14.3%). Of the teams remaining in the playoffs, only the Nashville Predators have a worse power play at 9.8%. Dallas is a measly 1-for-22 while on the power play at home (4.5%) in six games, but are 4-for-13 (30.8%) on the road in five games.
The penalty kill hasn’t been much better than the power play, but it hasn’t helped that the Stars have been shorthanded 30 times in the postseason. Dallas has killed off 14 of the 19 penalties they have taken against the Blues. The Blues did score the overtime game-winning goal in game two while on the power play. The Stars have killed off 25 of the 34 penalties (73.5%) they have taken, which ranks them last among the teams still in the playoffs. The special teams need to be better in order for the Stars to even have a chance of avoiding elimination.
Dallas will need to play smart hockey during Game 6. They’ll need to avoid taking unnecessary penalties since they haven’t been good on the penalty kill. The Stars will need to not force plays. If something isn’t there then just dump the puck in and get in on the forecheck or just get the shot on net. They’ll need to avoid the blind pass and turnovers in its own zone that could lead to scoring chances or sustained time in the offensive zone for the Blues.
The temail needs to get back to playing to its strengths. They’ll need to use their speed and skill while adding in a little grit. The Stars out hit the Blues in game one and came away with the win. Dallas will need to use its speed to get to loose pucks and use its skill to have a clean break out of its own zone. They also need to play with speed coming through the neutral zone so the Blues defense is backing into its own zone, and not being able to stand Dallas up at their own blueline. The Stars need to use its speed and skill in transition to create more odd man rushes and get the defense involved in the offense.
One of the biggest thing besides the goalies are trying to eliminate the Blues second chance opportunities. The starter will need to have better rebound control than has been displayed in the series so far. The defense needs to have better coverage in front of the goalies so the Blues player standing around the crease can’t get the positioning to get to a rebound, should there be one. The Stars need to have better breakouts from their own zone to go with quicker, smarter decisions with the puck. The forwards need to come in and support the defense to win the board battles so the forechecking game of the Blues can be disrupted.
The Stars will have to weather the storm that will be coming to start the game and play a solid road game to have a chance at forcing a Game 7 back on home ice
Game 6 will be played Monday night in St. Louis at the Scottrade Center. The puck is set to drop at 8:00 p.m. and the game can been seen on NBCSN.
Image Credit: http://www1.nhl.com/islanders/
New York Islanders forward and member of the teams’ (in)famous fourth line, Matt Martin, has shown that he is a huge presence not only on the ice, but off as well. Martin has been recognized for something else besides his five season hit leading streak. It was announced on Tuesday that Martin has been named a finalist for the NHL Foundation Player Award. This honor is awarded annually to a player “who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork – to enrich the lives of the people in the community.”
The Matt Martin Foundation was launched in September of 2015 and organizes many events and fundraisers in support of and to raise awareness for many causes such as The Islanders Children Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Downs Syndrome, and the care of widows and children of fallen members of the NYPD.
Starting in 2011, the 26 year old Forward began working with Defending the Blue Line, visiting with Military families during all home games in order to ensure “that children of military members are afforded every opportunity to participate in the game of hockey.”
In addition to his many charitable events and donations, Martin has begun to show leadership in the form of community outreach. Martin spent time at schools across Long Island this year to teach children about Hockey and help them to develop skills. The Islanders moved to their new home in Brooklyn at the start of this season, and in December of 2015, he conducted a free hockey clinic for local children. This clinic afforded those children the chance to learn about the sport and hone their skills who otherwise may not have had the chance to do so. This free clinic led to the inception of a series of Hockey Camps that will give even more children the chance to learn the game.
Martin’s charitable efforts are exemplary of what the winner of the NHL Foundation Player Award should be doing. His various events, fundraisers, and donations afford organizations to receive much needed exposure and benefits. Additionally, his work has allowed the game of hockey to be positively associated with these causes and for the game to be spread to new generations to those who may not be able to have access to game otherwise.
The NHL Foundation Player Award recipient will be named at this season’s NHL awards which will be held in Las Vegas this June. For more information or to support any of the organizations and causes mentioned in this article please visit The Martin Foundation website at http://mattmartinhockey.com/ or click the links throughout this article.
The New York Islanders got everything they needed to in Game 3. Solid goaltending? Check. Secondary scoring? Check. Energy from the fourth line? Check Check Check. And yet, perhaps a sign that even at full strength the Islanders are not on the same level as the Tampa Bay Lightning, they lost the game. The Lightning tied the game late on a goal from Nikita Kucherov before sealing the deal with an overtime goal from Brian Boyle. With an air of controversy around the final goal, the Islanders find themselves down 2-1 in the series and looking for something positive to take out of last night.
The Islanders started strong, scoring first for only the second time these playoffs. Josh Bailey, making his return from injury (and mediocre play) scored on a nice play in front of the goal to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead. The goal was Bailey’s first in 22 games. Shortly thereafter, on an unfortunate penalty called against Casey Cizikas, Tampa Bay tied the game at 1 after Ryan Callahan tipped home an Alex Killorn shot from the point with only 13 seconds left in the period.
In perhaps the most evenly played and best game of the series, the teams exchanged goals in the second period. Before any of the scoring, the first questionable hit of the game was delivered by Islanders defenseman Thomas Hickey on the Lightnings’ phenom-turned disappointment-turned phenom again Jonathan Drouin. As Drouin entered the zone and attempted to cut inside, Hickey stepped into him, shoulder down but certainly making forceful contact to Drouin’s head. Drouin left the ice under his own power but did not return until the final minutes of the third period. The Islanders looked to gain momentum from the hit as they did in Game 1 following Cizikas’ hit on Erik Condra but it was Tampa Bay who took the 2-1 lead on a Victor Hedman shot from the point. The Islanders fourth line would again be involved, following a strong forecheck by setting up Nick Leddy from the point to even the score.
Again the teams exchanged goals in the third. Josh Bailey scored his second of the game on a power play just 2 minutes into the frame. However, a little over a minute later Vladislav Namestnikov scored his first of the playoffs. Then it seemed as if the Islanders had taken the lead for good when Cal Clutterbuck tallied the 4th point of the night for the 4th line, rifling a shot high glove side from the slot on Ben Bishop. But it was the Lightning who got the last laugh as Kucherov put home the tying goal with 39 seconds left on the clock after the Islanders were unable to clear their zone with the extra attacker on.
It didn’t take long in the extra frame for the Lightning to net the winner as Boyle scored just 2:48 in. The controversy stems from a hit earlier in the shift where it appeared that Boyle caught Thomas Hickey up high with an elbow, knocking Hickey out of the play as he struggled to get up. However, no penalty was called and Boyle ultimately found himself open on the back post to clean up the rebound on another point shot from Hedman. Following the game, Islanders coach Jack Capuano was furious with the no-call suggesting that Boyle should absolutely be suspended. As of Wednesday afternoon no hearing had been scheduled for Boyle and most replays are not definitive in showing fault.
The Islanders will have to forget about Game 3 quickly and hope that they can put forth the same effort with a better result on Friday. Captain John Tavares was again quiet, now going on 7+ periods without a point which will need to change if the Islanders hope to come back in the series. The good news for the Islanders is that defenseman Ryan Pulock could return and they can bring Ryan Strome back into the line up after being a healthy scratch. Hickey saw doctors on Wednesday and his status has not been clarified for Game 4.
(Photo: Andy Gibson)
Stena Line Belfast Giants Captain Adam Keefe has signed a new deal that will see will return for the 2016/17 Elite League season – his sixth with the Giants organisation.
Keefe, who collected the Players’ Player Of The Year Award, Fans Favourite Award and the Community Service Award at the 2016 Giants Awards Night, joined the Giants in 2011 and since then the Canadian has become one of the most popular players in the history of the organisation.
In his five seasons to date with the Giants Keefe has won two
Elite League Championships with the Giants, in 2012 as well as 2014, when he lifted the Monteith Bowl as Captain.
Keefe has played over 300 games for the Giants, scoring 56 goals and adding 74 assists – good for 130 total points in his Belfast career.
Adam Keefe celebrates his goal (Photo: Andy Gibson)
Steve Thornton, Head of Hockey Operations, spoke of the importance of the Captain’s return:
“Adam Keefe plays to win every game night and he is the fans favourite for a reason. Most importantly for me and for the fans, he wants to win more titles in Belfast.”
“Adam embodies the true meaning of the Giants with his work with charities, schools and youth groups throughout Northern Ireland.”
“Every team in our league would love to have a player like Adam Keefe and I am very pleased to have him back for the 2016/17 season.”
Adam Keefe, on his new deal with the Giants organisation:
“After my first season here, winning a league championship along with my experience of the fans and the city, I have been hungry to continue to bring trophies back to the city.”
“The passion that the fans bring to our games makes me and the team want to continue to play hard for them and that has been the driving force for me to come back.”
“My number one goal is to bring as many trophies back to Belfast and we need to get on the right track starting early next season so we can to get off to a good start and get the ball rolling.”
Up until two months ago, oil pulling was a foreign concept, almost as foreign to me as actually visiting a dental office. From a young age, I’ve had a hate-hate relationship with the dental chair. If you’ve ever heard about that select group of people that have fabulous oral hygiene habits, but still hit the dental lottery of cavities despite their flossing and brushing regime — I am one of those winners.
While at our latest yoga get together, a select handful of ladies began talking about oil pulling . Chances are, if you’ve found this post, you already have a handle on what oil pulling is. If not, “Oil pulling or oil swishing is a traditional folk remedy where oil is “swished” (kavala graha) or “held” (snigda gandoosha) in the mouth,” according to Wikipedia.
You’ve decided to start oil pulling, now what?
Oil Pulling Essentials
So you have a firm handle on what to expect. What do you need? A spoon, a virgin – bottle of coconut oil that is, you can also use sunflower, or sesame oil and essential oil (optional).
How many times have you eaten a substantial helping of peanut butter off a spoon ? That is a good guesstimate of the amount of oil you’ll need to use (about 1 tablespoon, so upon further consideration, not my average mound of peanut butter). Personally, I love adding a drop of peppermint essential oil to the mix. The smell of peppermint and the taste triggers a mental switch in my mind that it’s part of an oral regime.
Another essential oil that people love to use while oil pulling is Thieves from Young Living, with it’s spicy aroma, it pairs nicely with the coconut oil. The beauty of essential oils, is that you can pick one that you’re drawn to for use. Just be sure to verify that it is therapeutic grade and you can safely ingest it. When using oils, do your research – we will be posting about essential oils regularly with guest bloggers, so stay tuned.
Once you’re done pulling, ALWAYS spit the oil into the trash, or a bottle and then throw it out, otherwise it will clog your drain. A benefit of oil pulling is to pull toxins out of your mouth and body, why would you want to swallow that? Ick.
Read the rest of this post on our new sister site for yoga lovers, and healthy living; Pink Mantra.
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