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Daniel Sedin to be in full practice with Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday

vincentkuo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:27:30 +0000

The Vancouver Canucks received some good news. Daniel Sedin will participate in the Vancouver Canucks full practice on Tuesday. Sedin, who missed 12 games with a concussion that was caused by Duncan Keith’s elbow to the face on March 21, 2012. The Canucks are down 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings and getting Daniel Sedin back will help the Canucks offensively. But, it’s going to be too late to help the Canucks to win the series. The Canucks are struggling to score goals, scoring only 4 goals in 3 games. Sedin is questionable on Wednesday night for Game 4. The biggest reason why the Kings are winning is because of Dustin Brown and Jonathan Quick. The Canucks lost Game 3 1-0 behind Quick’s shutout. If I were the Canucks, I would keep Sedin out for this whole series rather than risking him coming back and suffering an injury in a series that the Canucks have lost already.

Florida Panthers- New Jersey Devils Game 3 Preview

vincentkuo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 02:01:18 +0000

After a night that Panthers fans won’t forget in a long time, they’ll travel to New Jersey to take on the Devils on Tuesday night at Prudential Center. The Panthers have done something that they haven’t done since 1997. The Panthers got their 1st playoff and home win. The Panthers defeated the Devils 4-2 behind Stephen Weiss’s 2 goal game. After the game, the Panthers littered the ice with toy rats, bringing the tradition back in 1996, when the Panthers had their playoffs and Stanley Cup run. Despite the Game 2 win, the Devils have the advantage since they defeated the Panthers 3-2. The Panthers are 3 for 7 on the power play while the Devils are 1 of 8 on the power play. The Devils missed the playoffs last year and they have struggled at home in the playoffs in recent years. The Devils haven’t made it out of the 1st round in their last 3 playoff appearances and they’re 3-7 at the Prudential Center in the playoffs. For the Panthers to win this game, they have to do what they did in Game 2. For my prediction, I think the Devils will win 4-1.

Jonathan Quick’s shutout help Los Angeles Kings get by Vancouver Canucks

vincentkuo — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 06:03:46 +0000

No one saw this coming. The Vancouver Canucks lost to the Los Angeles Kings 1-0 in tonight’s game and are now down 3-0. Yeah, you’re not reading a typo. The Canucks are down 3-0. Dustin Brown scored the only goal of the game. Justin Williams and Anze Kopitar would get the assists on the goal. Jonathan Quick would stop all 41 shots fired his way today. His counterpart, Cory Schneider stopped 19 of 20 shots. The Canucks were the Presidents’ Trophy this year. The Canucks are trying to not just avoid losing to the #8 seed, but also are avoiding to be swept by the Kings. Since the merger of the Presidents’ Trophy, the #1 seed haven never been swept. The last time the winner of the Presidents’ Trophy lost was in the 2009-10 season. The Washington Capitals lost to the Montreal Canadiens in 7 games that year. There were lots of scrums and bad blood in today’s game. I think the Canucks need to find a way to score on Jonathan Quick. The Canucks are lacking firepower right now as they have scored 4 goals in their last 3 games. So hopefully the Canucks can win in Los Angeles on Wednesday and force game 5.

Florida Panthers win 1st playoff game since ’97, upset New Jersey Devils 4-2

vincentkuo — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 03:40:21 +0000

Florida Panthers fans can finally rejoice. Your team have finally won a playoff game since April 17, 1997 when you guys defeated the New York Rangers 3-0. The Florida Panthers pulled an upset by beating the New Jersey Devils 4-2 to tie the series up at 1 each. The Panthers avoided being down 2-0 going back to New Jersey. These 2 teams will meet on Tuesday, April 17. Stephen Weiss scored the 1st 2 goals in the game. Marcel Goc tallied a goal and an assist in today’s game. Tomas Fleischmann scored the empty-net goal, just as the game ended. For the Devils, Travis Zajac and Ilya Kovalchuk scored. Martin Brodeur saved 20 out of 23 shots he faced while his counterpart, Jose Theodore saved 23 out of 25 shots he faced. After the buzzer sounded, Panthers fans littered the ice with hundreds of toy rats, bringing back the tradition that they did during the Panthers’ run to the 1996 Stanley Cup Finals. With this win, the Panthers are guaranteed to have 1 more home game, which will happen on April 21 at 6:30 ET. This is a night that Panthers fans won’t forget for at least a couple of years.

New Jersey Devils 3 goal first period helps them get by Florida Panthers

vincentkuo — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 18:17:16 +0000

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 at BankAtlantic Center to take a 1-0 series lead. Patrik Elias, Dainius Zubrus and Ryan Carter scored for the Devils. Sean Bergenheim and Kris Versteeg scored for the Panthers and Mikael Samuelsson had 2 assists. Pete DeBoer, who coached the Panthers from 2008-2011, got his 1st career playoff win as a coach. Martin Brodeur got an assist and stopped 24 out of 26 shots. Brodeur also gets his 100th career playoff win. His counterpart, Jose Theodore stopped 35 out of 38 shots, including facing 26 shots in the 1st period. The Panthers last playoff appearance in 2000, when they faced these New Jersey Devils. They were swept by the Devils that year. The Panthers got home-ice advantage since they won the Southeast Division. Despite the home-ice advantage, the Devils are the favorites since they have 102 points and the Panthers have 94 points. The Panthers are now in a must-win game as they host the Devils on Sunday. The last thing the Panthers want is going to New Jersey down 2-0. The Panthers are going to have to get their scoring up and shut down Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise.

New Jersey Devils-Florida Panthers Game 2 Preview

vincentkuo — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:56:55 +0000

The Florida Panthers will host the New Jersey Devils at BankAtlantic Center on Sunday night. The Devils took 26 shots in the 1st period and they scored 3 goals. The Panthers kept the game close by scoring 2 in the 2nd period. But there would be no scoring in the 3rd period and the Devils would hang on to win by a score of 3-2. Jose Theodore stopped 35 on 38 shots while Martin Brodeur stopped 24 of 26 shots. The Panthers are still looking for their 1st playoff win since 1997. The last time they made the playoffs was in 2000. If the Panthers want to win Game 2, they have to score more goals on Brodeur in Game 2 and they also have to stop Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise. This game is a must-win for the Panthers because they don’t want to go down 2-0 heading back to New Jersey. If the Panthers lose tonight, I think they’ll get swept by the Devils. Despite the Panthers having home-ice advantage, they’re the underdog in this series. The Devils have 102 points while the Panthers have 94 points. In my opinion, it’s like the Panthers are the 7th seed and the Devils are the 2nd seed. For my prediction, I think the Devils will go to New Jersey with a 2-0 series lead by beating the Panthers 4-1.

Vancouver Canucks-Los Angeles Kings Game 3 Preview

vincentkuo — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 01:29:33 +0000

The Vancouver Canucks will travel to Los Angeles for Game 3 to take on the Kings on Sunday night. The Kings shocked the NHL by defeating the Canucks in Vancouver twice by the score of 4-2 in both games. In Game 1, it was Mike Richards that led the Kings to victory as he got a goal and 2 assists. In Game 2, it was Dustin Brown who led the Kings to victory with 2 short-handed goals and an assist. Jonathan Quick have been solid for the Kings as he have stopped 70 of 74 shots that were fired at him. The Canucks will start Cory Schneider in net for Game 3. There’s a good chance that the 8th seeded Los Angeles Kings can upset the 1st seed and the Presidents’ Trophy Winner, the Vancouver Canucks. One of the reason is because the Canucks won’t have Daniel Sedin for Game 3 and Game 4 and most likely the rest of this series. But there’s hope for the Canucks because the Kings have lost 5 straight home playoff games. The Kings lost all 3 home games to the San Jose Sharks last year in the playoffs and they lost their last 2 home games against these Vancouver Canucks. On another note, the Kings have struggled to score in the regular season but they’re scoring a lot in the playoffs. For the Canucks, they scored a lot in the regular season but now they’re struggling to score in the playoffs. For my prediction, I think the Kings will snap their 5 game home playoff losing streak as they’ll take a 3-0 series lead by blanking the Canucks 5-2.

Dustin Brown’s 2 shorthanded goals help Los Angeles Kings crown Vancouver Canucks

vincentkuo — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 06:08:51 +0000

The Los Angeles Kings defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the series. Dustin Brown had 2 shorthanded goals and also tallied an assist. Brown would tie an NHL playoff record with 2 short-handed goals in a game. He would become the 13th player to score 2 short-handed goals in a playoff game. John Madden was the last person to score 2 short-handed goals, which he did it in 2006. Trevor Lewis and Jarret Stoll also scored for the Kings. For the Canucks, Jannik Hansen and Samuel Pahlsson scored. Jonathan Quick is showing why he should win the Vezina Trophy this year. He had a excellent game, stopping a whopping 46 shots out of 48. Roberto Luongo stopped 22 out of 26 shots. Keith Ballard returned to action for the Canucks since suffering from a concussion in early February. He picked up as assist tonight. Daniel Sedin once again did not play due to a concussion. Let’s hope he gets better soon because the Canucks really miss him. I got questions for you viewers. Do you think the Canucks will come back and win the series after losing their 2 home games against the Kings? In my opinion, I think the Canucks are going to lose this series and they don’t have that hunger like they did in the regular season. Also, what do you think the Canucks need to do to get back in the series? In my opinion, I think the Canucks need to play with the hunger like they did in the regular season and they must eliminate mistakes that they make and they must also capitalize on the Kings mistakes. Do you think the Canucks should start Schneider or Luongo in Game 3 on Sunday? I think the Canucks should start Schneider because I think that why not take a gamble when you’re down 2-0 in the series. If the Canucks can’t beat the Kings at home, then it’s going to be harder to beat them in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Kings- Vancouver Canucks Game 2 Preview

vincentkuo — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 02:11:52 +0000

The Vancouver Canucks will host the Los Angeles Kings in Game 2 on Friday night. The Los Angeles Kings lead the series 1-0. The Kings defeated the Canucks 4-2 thanks to a 3-point night from Mike Richards. After the Kings victory, they wrote the following on twitter: “To everyone in Canada outside of BC, you’re welcome”. This caused a lot of response, forcing the Kings franchise to issue an apology through the media today. .
“We encourage our digital team to be creative, interactive and to apply a sense of humor whenever possible,” Kings spokesman Mike Altieri said. “To anyone who found it offensive we sincerely apologize.” The Canucks won’t have Byron Bitz, as he was suspended 2 games for boarding Kings forward Kyle Clifford in Game 1. It happened at 12:12 mark of the 2nd period. Bitz got a major penalty and a game misconduct. Clifford did not return to the game. Daniel Sedin, who missed 10th straight game with a concussion suffered when he got elbowed by Duncan Keith is questionable for Fridays game. In my opinion, I don’t think Sedin will play because they said Sedin isn’t even ready to skate from multiple sources. The Kings were 2 for 7 on the power play while the Canucks were 0 for 5 on the power play. For my prediction, I think the Canucks will bounce back and take game 2 by a score of 3-2.

Vancouver Canucks Byron Bitz suspended 2 games for hit on Kyle Clifford

vincentkuo — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 00:04:21 +0000

Byron Bitz of the Vancouver Canucks has been suspended 2 games by the NHL for the hit that he nailed on Los Angeles Kings Kyle Clifford in Game 1 on Wednesday night. Bitz had a disciplinary hearing with Brendan Shanahan on Thursday afternoon. Shanahan said that Bitz saw Clifford’s back and number throughout his approach to this check and he could of done something differently. Bitz got a boarding major and a game misconduct at 12:12 of the 2nd period. Clifford was trying to get puck control, but he had his head down and he was in a vulnerable position. That’s when Bitz came charging in and nailed him and his head went into the glass. Clifford would not return to the game and the Kings are announcing that he’ll miss Game 2 tomorrow night.