2019-nhl-playoffs Page 3 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Well, Here's Another Type Of Call That Needs To Be Reviewable Now
The Boston Bruins can’t be too bent out of shape about it, because they still ended up beating the Blue Jackets 4-1 to even the series at two-all. But they did get their shutout ruined by a goal that shouldn’t have counted, and now we have another video review controversy in the NHL....
A Lover's Guide To The NHL Playoffs
The Stanley Cup Playoffs: they apparently started some time ago. I was not apprised of this, but then no one would have thought to do that because I have been very clear with the people in my life that I do not need to be told about the latest developments in the National Hockey League. It’s often a...
Jordan Binnington Finally Looks Nervous
He’s played in fewer than 50 NHL games, but St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has already become famous for his unflappability. His call-up from the AHL and run as the starter beginning in January was the spark that completely turned the Blues’ awful season around. The 25-year-old was magic f...
Hurricanes' Justin Faulk Waltzes Out Of Penalty Box And Directly Into All Kinds Of Glory
Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk was hit with a two-minute hooking penalty at the 9:51 mark of the second period of Wednesday’s Game 3 of the Islanders-Hurricanes series, with the score tied a one goal apiece. The Canes successfully killed the ensuing Islanders power play, which functionally ended...
Brad Marchand Has Given Up Being Creatively Annoying And Just Punched A Guy In The Back Of The Head
The truly frustrating thing about Brad Marchand is that he’d be a star without all the bullshit. He’s on the top line of the team with the best odds to win the Cup because he’s really, really good at hockey, not because of the other stuff. It’s just that the other stuff—“pest” feels insufficient to ...
Esa Lindell Kept Diving And Diving And Then Suffered Cosmic Justice
Let us stipulate that diving, or flopping, is not so common in hockey as it is in some other sports we could name, nor is it generally treated with anything but outright contempt. It does exist, and it does, unfortunately often, work, but it’s not regarded with the grudging respect for its value it ...
The Islanders' Best Hope Against The Hurricanes Is A War Of Attrition
A team playing its ninth game in 18 days on Sunday afternoon, the Hurricanes, were struck by disaster in the very first minute of Game 2 against the Islanders. Carolina defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk got checked hard against the boards by New York’s Cal Clutterbuck, knocking him out for the whole ga...
Now The Sharks Want An Apology From The NHL For A Controversial Call
The Sharks watched, amused, as some rough officiating in the first round led to their improbable Game 7 comeback, and as the league quietly apologized to the still-salty Golden Knights. Not that it did Vegas any good; they’re still golfing. (The Sharks’ general reaction to that kerfuffle could be su...
Vladimir Tarasenko Remains The Best Reason To Watch The Blues
Goaltender Jordan Binnington is getting the overwhelming share of attention during this dominant run the Blues have enjoyed since putting him in net halfway through the season, and it’s not hard to see why. The team sucked before he showed up, and now they’re in the second round of the playoffs with...
It's Not Really The Playoffs Until There's A Brad Marchand Controversy
The most irritating man in hockey had returned for the second round of the playoffs after lying relatively dormant in the first, as Bruins forward Brad Marchand is back to inventing petty tricks to get in his opponents’ heads....
Vegas Says NHL Apologized For Game 7's Bad Call, And Those Referees Won't Work The Next Round
The San Jose Sharks are in the second round of the playoffs, and it’s mostly because of a third-period Cody Eakin major penalty. In the Golden Knights–Sharks Game 7 on Tuesday, Eakin crossed-checked Sharks forward Joe Pavelski on a face-off with Vegas leading 3-0 and 10 minutes remaining. Pavelski h...
The Hurricanes Are Still Here, And We're All Better For It
The Carolina Hurricanes pulled off the last in a string of crazy first-round playoff series upsets on Wednesday night, disrespecting the far more experienced Capitals by wearing them down over two overtimes for a 4-3 win. It was going to be extremely tough for the Canes and the Caps to match the hij...
The 8 Deadly Sins Of The First Round
All your brackets are dead. Every prediction model is forfeit. Does the regular season have any meaning whatsoever? (Does life?) Does chance play too great a role in this slippery sport? Does the best team ever win the Stanley Cup?...
Justin "Mr. Game 7" Williams Does It Again, Helps The Hurricanes Knock Out The Capitals
The Carolina Hurricanes refused to play their part in their opening-round series against the defending champion Washington Capitals. Arriving in the playoffs for the first time since 2009, the Hurricanes were not the inexperienced youngsters who got taught a lesson about the difficulties of the post...
Sports Were Good As Hell Last Night
When God (or whatever you decide is the name of the invisible being you keep nagging for favors for your favorite sports team) stops letting the nutters run the world and starts listening to the constituents, we will get Thunder-Blazers and Knights-Sharks on a loop that never ends, with a crawl acro...
The Golden Knights Are Furious Over How Their Season Was "Stolen"
Let’s get this out of the way right at the outset: Yes, the Vegas Golden Knights could have avoided all of this controversy—and their elimination—by simply not allowing allowing four goals in 4:01. One of the weirdest and wildest comebacks in recent memory, a Game 7 eventually won by the Sharks 5-4 ...
Sharks Avenge Joe Pavelski's Bleeding Head, Pull Off Wild Game 7 Comeback To Eliminate Vegas
The Vegas Golden Knights were cruising through the first 50 minutes of their Game 7 against the Sharks on Tuesday night, and then Joe Pavelski started bleeding on the ice. The Knights were up 3-0 and had completely sucked the life out of San Jose’s crowd, but with 10:47 remaining, a major cross-chec...
Bruins Beat The Leafs In Game 7, Because Time Is Frozen And Reality Is Stuck On Loop
Whether or not you believe in omens or fate or curses or a God who hates Canada, it’s never a good sign when a goalie loses his corporeality for a few crucial seconds in the first period of a Game 7 that a whole country is desperately clinging to as a final hope. With Winnipeg and Calgary both dispa...
Gerard Gallant Calls Peter DeBoer A "Clown" For Saying He Talks Too Much Trash To Players
The Golden Knights have squandered a 3-1 series lead against the Sharks and must now win Game 7 in San Jose tonight to advance, so it’s understandable if everyone on both sides is a little on edge. Even Sharks coach Peter DeBoer and Knights coach Gerard Gallant are squabbling in public....
Alex Ovechkin Had One Hell Of A Wild Night
In retrospect we couldn’t have asked for a better first-round matchup. The Capitals are the more talented team, but they’re also more banged-up and tired. The Hurricanes are younger and hungrier (whatever that means), but also less experienced—which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on...