2016-17 NHL Hockey Season Thread

[ruthianblast]

Admittedly I hate Anaheim.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Canada's last hope stole home ice from the defending Stanley Cup champions.

The Ottawa Senators take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals after outlasting the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 in overtime inside PPG Paints Arena.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau helped the Sens draw first blood at 14:32 of the first period as Ottawa led 1-0 after the first period. It is Pageau's eighth goal of the playoffs.

Both goaltenders put on a show. Craig Anderson kept the Pens at bay with 27 saves while his opposite number Marc-Andre Fleury had 33 in a losing effort.

But Evgeni Malkin finally solved the Anderson puzzle with his sixth goal of the postseason at 14:25 of the third period to force overtime tied at 1-1.

The Sens also killed all five Pittsburgh power plays in regulation including a 5-on-3 in the second period.

The penalty killing and Anderson's play in goal helped Bobby Ryan net the winner at 4:59 into overtime on a breakaway.

Game 2 in Pittsburgh on Monday.

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Anaheim Ducks level their Western Conference Finals series at 1-1.

The Ducks defeat the Nashville Predators 5-3 in Game 2.

The Predators surfaced first with the first two goals of the game.

Ryan Johansen struck at 4:18 of the first period and followed up with one of the assists on James Neal's fifth of the playoffs at 8:32.

The Ducks get on the board before the first period ended on the power play as Sami Vatanen cut Nashville's lead to one, 2-1.

The Ducks tied the game at 2-2 as Jakob Silfverberg scored his ninth of the playoffs 39 seconds into the second period.

Filip Forsberg gave Nashville their second lead of the game at 7:59 as the Preds lead 3-2.

But Anaheim closed out the second period with the final two goals to give the Ducks their first lead of the game 4-3.

Ondrej Kase struck at 10:41 to tie the game at 3-3 and Nick Ritchie made it 4-3 Anaheim at 17:07.

Ducks goalie John Gibson stymied the Preds with 30 saves.

Antoine Vermette sealed the win with an empty netter at 19:16 of the third period as Ryan Getzlaf had three assists in the game.

Game 3 in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday.

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Eastern Conference Finals is nodded up at 1-1.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins even the Eastern Conference Finals at 1-1 heading into Canada's capital after edging out the Ottawa Senators 1-0 in Game 2.

Both goalies were effective as Craig Anderson had 28 saves in a losing effort for the Sens while Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury had his second shutout of the postseason with 23 stops.

The only goal in Game 2 came at 13:05 of the third period as Phil Kessel scored his sixth of the playoffs.

Evgeni Malki had one of the assists to earn his 20th point of the playoffs.

Game 3 from Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre on Wednesday.

[ymike673]

USA beat Russia today 5-3.

[Mr Coffee]

USA beat Russia today 5-3.

"Do you believe in miracles?! Yes!"

[BroadwayBomber55]

The 2017 IIHF World Championship playoff round is set.

Quarterfinals May 18
USA vs. FIN
SUI vs. SWE
RUS vs. CZE
CAN vs. GER

Semifinals May 20
SF1: USA/FIN winner vs. SUI/SWE winner
SF2: RUS/CZE winner vs. CAN/GER winner

Third Place Game May 21
SF1 Loser vs. SF2 Loser

Final May 21
SF1 Winner vs. SF2 Winner

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Nashville Predators are still sizzling at home.

Peter Laviolette's Preds won their 10th consecutive playoff game inside Bridgestone Arena after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 Western Conference Finals series lead.

After a scoreless first period, the Ducks drew first blood.

Jared Boll gave Anaheim a power play opportunity after his clean hit on Harry Zolnierczyk which allowed Cody McLeod to draw a two-minute fight instigating infraction.

Corey Perry capitalized with his third goal of the playoffs on the man-advantage at 15:35 of the second period to give the Ducks a 1-0 lead heading into the third.

Ducks goalie John Gibson kept the Preds at bay with 38 saves, but Nashville was swarming him and also beat him up a couple of times in the crease.

It worked for Nashville as Filip Forsberg tied the game at 3:54 of the third period for his sixth goal of the postseason.

Roman Josi scored the winner for Nashville on the power play at 17:17 after pouncing home a rebound for his fifth goal of the playoffs.

Game 4 on Thursday in Nashville.

[Mr. Mxylsplk]

Nashville's winning goal was such an open net even playoff Rick Nash could have buried it. Not a replay Gibson is going to enjoy looking at.

[RhodyYanksFan]

Nashville's winning goal was such an open net even playoff Rick Nash could have buried it. Not a replay Gibson is going to enjoy looking at.

And Cam Fowler with his back turned looked like he'd be right at home on the Blueshirts.

[GordonGecko]

Nashville's winning goal was such an open net even playoff Rick Nash could have buried it. Not a replay Gibson is going to enjoy looking at.

Nash, Stepan, & Kreider all hit the boards instead of the net

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Ottawa Senators are two wins away from their first Stanley Cup appearance since 2007.

Guy Boucher's Sens used a four-goal first period barrage to frustrate the Pittsburgh Penguins en route to a dominating 5-1 rout in Game 3 and take a 2-1 Eastern Conference Finals best-of-seven series lead.

Mike Hoffman set the tone early with the opening goal 48 seconds into the game.

Marc Methot and Derick Brassard each added a goal and assist to continue Marc-Andre Fleury's misery.

Zack Smith delivered the knockout punch on Fleury at 12:52 of the first period as Fleury was pulled after allowing four goals on nine shots.

Former 2016 Stanley Cup playoff hero Matt Murray had 19 saves in relief of Fleury.

Kyle Turris joined in on the act with fourth goal of the postseason before the end of the second period as Ottawa led 5-0.

Only Sidney Crosby's power-play tally at 6:07 of the third period spoiled Craig Anderson's shutout bid when the Sens netminder had 25 saves.

Things got nasty late in the game in which Evgeni Malkin received a 10-minute misconduct penalty.

Tempers boiled at the end of the second period.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdxW723zzVY

Game 4 on Friday from Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Meanwhile in the American Hockey League, the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs has reached their Final Four.

Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch will take on the Boston Bruin's AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Shark's AHL farm team, the San Jose Barracuda will tangle with the Detroit Red Wings' AHL top minor league club, the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Western Conference Final.

The East start their conference final on Friday while the West start their conference final on Saturday.
http://theahl.com/2017-conference-finals-schedules-set

[RhodyYanksFan]

Meanwhile in the American Hockey League, the 2017 Calder Cup playoffs has reached their Final Four.

Tampa Bay Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch will take on the Boston Bruin's AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins in the Eastern Conference Final.

Meanwhile, the San Jose Shark's AHL farm team, the San Jose Barracuda will tangle with the Detroit Red Wings' AHL top minor league club, the Grand Rapids Griffins in the Western Conference Final.

The East start their conference final on Friday while the West start their conference final on Saturday.
http://theahl.com/2017-conference-finals-schedules-set

Oh cool, I didn't realize the P Bruins were still in it. Maybe I'll go see a game.

Random note, until a few years ago, for some reason, the San Jose Sharks' AHL team was all the way in Worcester, MA.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Oh cool, I didn't realize the P Bruins were still in it. Maybe I'll go see a game.

Random note, until a few years ago, for some reason, the San Jose Sharks' AHL team was all the way in Worcester, MA.

Yep. The San Jose Sharks' AHL team was called the Worcester Sharks before they moved to San Jose to become the San Jose Barracuda starting in the 2015-16 season in the newly formed Pacific Division.

[BroadwayBomber55]

The 2017 IIHF World Championship reaches their Final Four on Saturday.

Finland blanks the United States 2-0 and they will take on their Scandinavian rivals Sweden in one semifinal after the Swedes sent Switzerland packing 3-1.

In the other semifinal, it's another chapter in one world hockey's greatest rivalries as Canada takes on Russia.

Russia whitewashed the Czech Republic 3-0 while Canada survived Germany's fightback 2-1.

[BroadwayBomber55]

We are going to overtime inside Nashville's Bridgestone Arena in Game 4.

The Nashville Predators scored twice in the third period to force extra hockey tied at 2-2 against the Anaheim Ducks.

The Ducks took a 2-0 lead after two periods with Rickard Rakell scoring his seventh of the playoffs at 11:30 of the first period and Nick Ritchie scored his fourth at 10:22 of the second period.

But Randy Caryle's men were very undisciplined in the third period with four penalties. Despite killing all five power plays including a 5-on-3 in the third period, the penalties wore them down.

Viktor Arvidsson had two assists on both goals by P.K. Subban at 13:33 and Filip Forsberg's seventh of the postseason at 19:24.

Shots are 31 a piece.

Will Nashville go back to Anaheim up 3-1 or will the Ducks make the Western Conference Finals series a best-of-three?

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Western Conference Finals is now a best-of-three!

The Anaheim Ducks stun the Bridgestone Arena crowd and snap the Nashville Predators' 10-playoff game winning streak at home with a 3-2 win in overtime.

Corey Perry threw the puck in front of the net and Nate Thompson deflected the game-winner at 10:25 in the first overtime period.

John Gibson was another Anaheim hero with 32 saves.

Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne had 33 in a losing effort.

Game 5 back in Anaheim's Honda Center on Preakness Stakes Saturday with the Western Conference Finals series tied 2-2.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Another blow for the Nashville Predators: C Ryan Johansen out for the rest of the playoffs with a thigh injury
http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2017/05/19/...-thigh-injury/

[BroadwayBomber55]

The Eastern Conference Finals is also a best-of three!

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins edged out the Ottawa Senators 3-2 to head back to the Steel City with the series tied 2-2.

Sidney Crosby led the way with a power play goal and an assist with Jake Guentzel adding two assists.

Matt Murray had 24 saves starting in place of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Ottawa made it interesting after trailing 3-0 when Clarke MacArthur and Tom Pyatt, but fell short.

Game 5 in Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena on Sunday.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Until this postseason, the Nashville Predators didn't make a Conference Final in their 17-year franchise history.

On Monday inside the raucous Bridgestone Arena, Peter Laviolette and the Preds will have a chance to clinch their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance in team history.

The Preds win Game 5 over the Anaheim Ducks inside Honda Center to take a 3-2 Western Conference Finals series lead back to the Music City for Game 6.

After a scoreless first period, Anaheim Ducks goaltender John Gibson left the game for undisclosed reasons after stopping all 10 shots he faced.

Jonathan Bernier came in and took over for the rest of the game.

The Ducks drew first blood at 12:46 when Chris Wagner scored his second goal of the playoffs after doing the dirty work in front of Nashville netminder Pekka Rinne.

However, the Preds made it 1-1 before the end of the second period on the power play when Colin Wilson scored his second in front of the net.

Nashville took their first lead of Game 5 at 11:01 of the third period.

Rinne made several of his 32 saves in a scramble in front of the net and Mattias Ekholm saved one goal on one end and then skated to the other of the side of the ice, fed a pass to Filip Forsberg and Pontus Aberg, who came into the lineup with Ryan Johansen out for the rest of the playoffs with a thigh injury and Mike Fisher banged up, scored the go-ahead tally.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6StApu7TMg

Aberg had to leave the game later for concussion protocol. Aberg also had a faceplant earlier in the period.

Rinne kept the Ducks at bay again and Austin Watson sealed Game 5 with an empty netter.

Tensions boiled over late as the Ducks are facing elimination on Monday in Nashville for Game 6 on Monday May 22.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20P0R92wd-g

Randy Caryle hopes the Ducks turn back the clock to 1997 when in Round 1 of that postseason, the Ducks lost Game 5 at home to the Phoenix Coyotes, but won Game 6 in overtime off a Paul Kariya winner to force a Game 7 back in their building and won that game and that series.

If the Preds win, Nashville books a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. If the Ducks triumph, they will force a winner-take-all Game 7 back in Honda Center on Wednesday May 24.

[BroadwayBomber55]

Meanwhile in the 2017 IIHF World Championships on Sunday, it will be Canada gunning for their 27th IIHF World Championship Gold Medal, tying them with Russia for the most of all-time, as they take on Sweden who is looking to win their 10th.

Canada defeated Russia 4-2 while Sweden trounced Finland 4-1.

Russia and Finland duke it out for bronze.

[BroadwayBomber55]

NHL confirms 2017 Stanley Cup Final dates
http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2017/05/20/...ley-cup-final/

via NHL PR twitter

Game 1: May 29
Game 2: May 31
Game 3: June 3
Game 4: June 5
Game 5: June 8
Game 6: June 11
Game 7: June 14

Seeding TBD.

[Donnybaseball72]

NHL confirms 2017 Stanley Cup Final dates
http://nhl.nbcsports.com/2017/05/20/...ley-cup-final/

via NHL PR twitter


Seeding TBD.

Good God. They go out of their to push the finals into mid June. So if both semis are done by Tuesday that will be 5 nights without hockey.

[BroadwayBomber55]

The defending Stanley Cup champions flexed their muscles after scoring a touchdown and a extra point in Game 5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins vaporized the Ottawa Senators 7-0 to move one step closer towards their second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

10 different Penguins scored at least a point with Evgeni Malkin and Carter Rowney each having three assists.

Sidney Crosby, Trevor Daley, Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust each chipped in with a goal and assist as the Pens pounced on a lot of Senator turnovers and poor goalie play from Craig Anderson who was pulled after allowing four goals on 14 shots.

Pittsburgh also went a perfect 3/3 on the power play and killed all four Ottawa power plays.

Guy Boucher's men also took another blow as Erik Karlsson left the game banged up.

Penguins goalie Matt Murray had a 25-save shutout.

Game 6 in Ottawa's Canadian Tire Centre on Tuesday.

If the Penguins win, they book their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. If the Senators win, they force a Game 7 back in Pittsburgh's PPG Paints Arena on Thursday May 25.