I tried to post this earlier but as you all know this forum was down. It was posted on sportswireonline.com
As it turns out you didn't miss much with a win and a loss. My thinking was right on the mark with the Lightning/Bruin game untill the Bruins alarm clock went off near the end of the first period while they trailed 3-0. A bit of over coaching by Torortella,(in constantly changing his lines and succesfully taking his team out of sync), and a terrific second and third periods by the Bruins ruined whatever chance I had at opening the day at 2 for 2.
I'll post my entire day's selections for your reference only:
Tampa Bay Lightning PK +110
Tampa Bay/Boston Over 5 +104
Early start in beantown, (12:00 EST), and my first question was who would this effect more? Hockey players have a natural biological clock that is normally set for practice during the day and the game at night. When this balance is upset it can, and often does, show up in the quality of play. I believe in this case it will show far more with the home team as their routine is even more pushed out of kilter. To magnify it further the Boston Herald reports that, “Several members of the team are battling a nasty case of the flu that's bounced around the dressing room the last week or so.” In Tampa Bay’s case all the early start means for them is leaving a hotel room before the noon check out.
This game has large implications in regard to who takes the conference’s overall best record into the playoffs and the subsequent home ice advantage that title carries with it. Say what you will about Bolt coach John Torortella and his fiery temperament that he does not mind showing off publicly. His challenge to goaltenders Grahame and Khabibulin to step up to the plate was not made behind closed doors. But it seemed to have worked in their last game as they stopped a two game losing streak, (to Carolina and Islanders), by beating the Sabres 3-1.
Now Tampa Bay begins a three game road trip with a commitment to get back to what brung them to this dance.
"It's a wakeup call for us," Brad Richards (on the team’s two game struggle and only two goals scored). "We need to get back and play grittier, with more desperation, getting in other teams' faces and make it annoying for them. When we play well, we're making it hard on the other teams. Any system is going to fail if you don't put the extra effort into it or listen or pay attention to detail," he said. "Any system is great, but it's no good unless you commit to playing it."
Tampa Bay never showed up for the Carolina or Islanders games. It happens. No team is going to play 100% all the time. It could have been the best thing to have happened for them , (and us), in setting up this game today.
Left wing Fredrik Modin said players talked in the locker room about re-establishing the forecheck, working harder to maintain puck control and keeping their legs churning. "Throughout that little roll we were on, even some games we didn't play well, things were going our way. And maybe we got away from doing the things that are going to be so important come playoff time, getting in and holding on to the puck," Modin said.
Look for the Lightning to put in a solid effort in this game and continue to forecheck and create scoring chances. They will go back to a fast style that opens the game up and one that is the complete opposite of what the Bruins are used to. The Bruins cannot match the Bolts speed. And my belief is that this game will have much scoring and resemble the long winning streak Tampa Bay has enjoyed since 1/3/04 where they went 27-9-2 over the total.
Misc. garbage….Tampa Bay is 4-1-2 against the B’s in the last two years with the lone Bruin victory in OT. Patrice Bergeron will not play for Boston but Segei Samsonov will for his second game since returning from the IR. Lightning are 6-0-1 in their last 7 road games. The Bruins are 3-3-1 at home for their last 7.
I don’t know how many of you got a chance to watch last night’s game between the Montreal Canadians and the New Jersey Devils but it amounted to a tremendous two and a half hours of entertainment and
everything that is good about this game.
There was not one fight. No cheap shots, no blood, but at the same time plenty of hard hitting, incredible passing, and end to end excitement that left me on the edge of my seat the entire game. Both Brodeur and Garon were spectacular in net. This was as close to playoff action as you could find while still in March. My hope is that tonight these two teams can play to a equal encore.
Montreal Canadians -.5 +127
Much of the same rational that I wrote for this same match up at New Jersey last night is still the foundation for my selection here. However tonight it’s in Montreal, hockey night in Canada, and Jose Theodore will match up versus Martin Brodeur.
The Devils are still a good team but they are missing Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski and those two key injuries leave a hole in their defense that cannot be filled. No statement can prove that point any better than that the New Jersey Devils have won only one game against a team with a winning record in the last five weeks.
Since Scott Stevens has gone to the I.R. with his post-concussion syndrome the Devils have played to a 18-14-3 record but when facing a winning team they have gone 6-10-1.
NHL single unit plays………91-57-7.…..+ 34.38
Unit and a half plays………..13-5-1.…… + 10.845
NHL total to Date…………...104-62-8.……+ 45.225
(includes Saturday morning’s result)
As it turns out you didn't miss much with a win and a loss. My thinking was right on the mark with the Lightning/Bruin game untill the Bruins alarm clock went off near the end of the first period while they trailed 3-0. A bit of over coaching by Torortella,(in constantly changing his lines and succesfully taking his team out of sync), and a terrific second and third periods by the Bruins ruined whatever chance I had at opening the day at 2 for 2.
I'll post my entire day's selections for your reference only:
Tampa Bay Lightning PK +110
Tampa Bay/Boston Over 5 +104
Early start in beantown, (12:00 EST), and my first question was who would this effect more? Hockey players have a natural biological clock that is normally set for practice during the day and the game at night. When this balance is upset it can, and often does, show up in the quality of play. I believe in this case it will show far more with the home team as their routine is even more pushed out of kilter. To magnify it further the Boston Herald reports that, “Several members of the team are battling a nasty case of the flu that's bounced around the dressing room the last week or so.” In Tampa Bay’s case all the early start means for them is leaving a hotel room before the noon check out.
This game has large implications in regard to who takes the conference’s overall best record into the playoffs and the subsequent home ice advantage that title carries with it. Say what you will about Bolt coach John Torortella and his fiery temperament that he does not mind showing off publicly. His challenge to goaltenders Grahame and Khabibulin to step up to the plate was not made behind closed doors. But it seemed to have worked in their last game as they stopped a two game losing streak, (to Carolina and Islanders), by beating the Sabres 3-1.
Now Tampa Bay begins a three game road trip with a commitment to get back to what brung them to this dance.
"It's a wakeup call for us," Brad Richards (on the team’s two game struggle and only two goals scored). "We need to get back and play grittier, with more desperation, getting in other teams' faces and make it annoying for them. When we play well, we're making it hard on the other teams. Any system is going to fail if you don't put the extra effort into it or listen or pay attention to detail," he said. "Any system is great, but it's no good unless you commit to playing it."
Tampa Bay never showed up for the Carolina or Islanders games. It happens. No team is going to play 100% all the time. It could have been the best thing to have happened for them , (and us), in setting up this game today.
Left wing Fredrik Modin said players talked in the locker room about re-establishing the forecheck, working harder to maintain puck control and keeping their legs churning. "Throughout that little roll we were on, even some games we didn't play well, things were going our way. And maybe we got away from doing the things that are going to be so important come playoff time, getting in and holding on to the puck," Modin said.
Look for the Lightning to put in a solid effort in this game and continue to forecheck and create scoring chances. They will go back to a fast style that opens the game up and one that is the complete opposite of what the Bruins are used to. The Bruins cannot match the Bolts speed. And my belief is that this game will have much scoring and resemble the long winning streak Tampa Bay has enjoyed since 1/3/04 where they went 27-9-2 over the total.
Misc. garbage….Tampa Bay is 4-1-2 against the B’s in the last two years with the lone Bruin victory in OT. Patrice Bergeron will not play for Boston but Segei Samsonov will for his second game since returning from the IR. Lightning are 6-0-1 in their last 7 road games. The Bruins are 3-3-1 at home for their last 7.
I don’t know how many of you got a chance to watch last night’s game between the Montreal Canadians and the New Jersey Devils but it amounted to a tremendous two and a half hours of entertainment and
everything that is good about this game.
There was not one fight. No cheap shots, no blood, but at the same time plenty of hard hitting, incredible passing, and end to end excitement that left me on the edge of my seat the entire game. Both Brodeur and Garon were spectacular in net. This was as close to playoff action as you could find while still in March. My hope is that tonight these two teams can play to a equal encore.
Montreal Canadians -.5 +127
Much of the same rational that I wrote for this same match up at New Jersey last night is still the foundation for my selection here. However tonight it’s in Montreal, hockey night in Canada, and Jose Theodore will match up versus Martin Brodeur.
The Devils are still a good team but they are missing Scott Stevens and Brian Rafalski and those two key injuries leave a hole in their defense that cannot be filled. No statement can prove that point any better than that the New Jersey Devils have won only one game against a team with a winning record in the last five weeks.
Since Scott Stevens has gone to the I.R. with his post-concussion syndrome the Devils have played to a 18-14-3 record but when facing a winning team they have gone 6-10-1.
NHL single unit plays………91-57-7.…..+ 34.38
Unit and a half plays………..13-5-1.…… + 10.845
NHL total to Date…………...104-62-8.……+ 45.225
(includes Saturday morning’s result)
