Goodbye Vancouver
Anaheim knocked the Canucks out last night in the second OT period. What is the biggest stat of this game? Vancouver had a total of 27 shots on goal. The Ducks had 63. Vancouver didn’t have double-digit shots in any frame. Luongo was amazing in this game, keeping a weak Vancouver defense in the game but the loss was inevitable. You cannot let the opposition put EVERY shot on net and still expect miracles from your goalie. Defense wins championships, and for proof, look at last night’s results.
It appears that Bill Guerin will be out for the next Sharks/Red Wings game on Saturday. He took a puck to the face and might have to be a scratch. Thus far this series, Guerin has had a whopping 0 points and is skating at -2 (all from game 2 of the series; he is at 0 for the rest of the games) so it’s easy to think that this isn’t a big loss. But his 36 regular season goals tied him for 16th both overall and among forwards. I will grant that this isn’t a huge loss right now, because he has not performed, but Billy was a good player this year and he’s due to find his groove. Add to that the fact that the replacement will most likely not be as high-quality as Guerin so this is not a good thing for the Sharks.
End of Season Awards
The Frank J. Selke Trophy (Outstanding Defensive Forward)
The Finalists:
- Rod Brind’Amour (Car)
- Samuel Pahlsson (Ana)
- Jay Pandolfo (NJD)
Brind’Amour is a mainstay in this category and it’s a shame that he won’t win it. It’s between Pahlsson and Pandolfo this year because these are two of the best defensive teams in the league. The Devils are weak on offense but it’s become clear that they are a defensive juggernaut. Anaheim has proven the same thing this season. Surprisingly, both are in the negative and neither had a great season scoring-wise.
Who should win: Brind’Amour
Who will win: Pandolfo
Anaheim, Canucks, Vancouver, Ducks, Sharks, Red Wings, NHL, Stanley Cup, Playoffs, Hockey
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