Comments on: Kovy scores again in loss to Senators

By: Hockey Biltong

Hockey Biltong — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:48:17 +0000

WBF, I watched Calgary beat Vancouver handily the other day. Probably thought they had the game with Chi-town locked up and just lapsed into “bud light”.
My main focus this year btw, is to get the beer guys to bring me an ale or a stout to my seat.None of this lager rubbish….

By: World Be Free

World Be Free — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:17:17 +0000

Brendan, we all know there’s so much pressure on anyone running the Leafs. It has been that way for a 30 years. In my opinion, only Cliff Fletcher has really been able to handle the heat. He made some trades that turn the team into a winner fast. Trouble, the NHL has become a limited trade league with the salary cap.

I don’t want to project them out too much, but the Leafs certainly don’t have the horses on their team or in their system to turn things around.

When it comes to free agency, they don’t get the “fisrt day” (early morning-July 1) free agents. They get good, compliment players. But alotta players don’t want to play under the microscope for fans that are constantly frothing at the mouth for a winner.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:01:43 +0000

OMG, Calgary lost! Up, 5-0, they lost. The final score? 6-5, in overtime. Let’s not even talk about that ‘bonus point.’ If today is Thanksgiving up in Canada, the Turkeys are the Calgary Flames.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:07:38 +0000

Niittymaki got the win for Tampa Bay, who scored twice in the 3rd, to defeat the Panthers. Bolts are 2-1-2 now. That should tie them with the Capitals for six-points atop the SE Division. Atlanta has games-in-hand, however. Caps are 2-2-2, I think. That’s three games-in-hand on Washington and two games-in-hand on Tampa Bay.

WBF, I think Toronto is out to an 0-4-1 start. I don’t want to project that over 82 games, but … that’s definitely inside the lottery draft. The Isles lost, earlier today, so that should put them around 0-1-3 for the season. I think, but don’t quote me, the Leafs would be, percentage-wise, the odds on favorite to draft 1st overall, if the season ended today. I know. Utterly laughable to discuss final standings in October. Got it.

Still, I renew my objection over that Kessel trade. They spent a lot on him. They, pretty much, HAVE TO WIN, or their best option at rebuilding goes to Boston, a division-rival of the Leafs. Again, I thought Burke would be “above” that. Boston also gets a 2nd rounder in 2010, and another 1st rounder in 2011. Is this the proper was to “rebuild?”

Before you Leaf fans jump all over my case, you guys gave up seven (7) goals tonight. And where are the Leafs, league-wide, on Goals Against this year? If you guys cannot get this number down, it’s going to be a big problem to win games. What’s the goaltending situation in Toronto?

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:58:16 +0000

Brian Burke, Leafs GM, was interviewed in the 2nd period of that Ranger game. He said that some of the European teams have played as many as 30 games as a unit, whereas the Americans will arrive with one day to practice before they play a game. But Burke said the referees will be NHL referees and the games would be played in NHL sized ice surfaces, not Olympic ones.

Burke admitted that the smart money will be on Canada, Russia and Sweden to be up there on the medal podium. He said TEAM USA would fly under the radar. But that it’s his goal to bring home the Gold. In North America, Team USA has experienced its greatest successes. In the Salt Lake City Games, the Americans took silver.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:55:05 +0000

Weiss hit the crossbar for Florida with just over a minute left. The Panther net is now empty. There’s 58 seconds left now.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:53:10 +0000

Dang. Meszaros just got a penalty for TB. So, the Panthers will be on the PP essentially until the end of regulation. And Florida will almost certainly pull their goalie for a two-man advantage.

By: World Be Free

World Be Free — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:52:52 +0000

Ben-just like when they made Luke Schenn the next Bobby Orr.
Schenn’s more like Orr’s defense partner, Dallas Smith.

Dustin Byfuglein is a tank. Chicago-Calgary is a barnburner. Hey Biltong, where’s Calgary’s “D”? Bouwmeester looks OK, not a world beater.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:52:07 +0000

That’s 3-2, not 4-3, in favor of the Bolts over the Cats, in Tampa Bay. Less than 3:00 to go now.

By: Brendan

Brendan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:50:16 +0000

Anyone watching this UTTER COLLAPSE by the Calgary Flames tonight on Versus? It was 5-0, Flames. They scores three goals in just over a minute. But now, it’s 5-4, with the 2nd stanza about to come to a close.

In other news tonight, the Washington Capitals, for the third time this young season, squandered a multi-goal lead to lose in overtime or a shootout. This time, they were entraped by the Devils. NJ got the equalizer in the 3rd period and then won it in the shootout on goals by Zack Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner. It was a tough break for Jose Theodore on the Langenbrunner goal. It looked like he stopped it, but the momentum of the puck carried on over the goal line. Parise’s goal was a beauty! Backstrom scored on the 1st Capitals shot, high glove, on Brodeur. But Marty stopped Alex Semin and then STONED Ovechkin, who desked wide and tried to go five-hole. There was daylight, but Brodeur stopped him. So, way to DENY our division rival another point.

Tampa Bay leads Florida, 4-3, late in the 3rd period. Roughly 3:00 left in regulation time. I just hope none of them get that dredded “bonus point.”