SBNation.com: All Posts by Steve Lepore

2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Senators vs. Penguins Game 5: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-24T17:00:05Z

The Pittsburgh Penguins had one of those games that everyone always talks about on Wednesday night. The type of game that hockey fans and experts believe they're capable of every night if everything breaks their way. They busted out with six consecutive goals and four in the third period to knock out Craig Anderson and beat the Ottawa Senators 7-3 in Game 4, taking a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinal series.

The challenge, then, becomes finding a way to do it again and get the all-important, supposedly difficult fourth win to end the series. It'd be valuable to the Penguins if they could. Boston's overtime loss in Game 4 of the Bruins' series with the New York Rangers now means that the Pens can be the first team to clinch a spot in the conference finals. They would get at least one day extra to prepare for (presumably) Boston. You never know how much days off will affect or benefit a team, but in foresight you usually always want more.

Game 5 takes place in Pittsburgh on Friday night. Ottawa will stick with Craig Anderson, despite suffering the larger portion of the seven goals by the Penguins, being pulled after Sidney Crosby had made it 6-2 on a nasty backhand. Daniel Alfredsson was quoted as saying "We're in a corner here and we're just trying to get back to Ottawa. We've got nothing to lose." This despite him earlier having said that it was "probably not" likely that the Sens would come back in the series. Still, there's always a small chance.

Who takes charge and ends it for Pittsburgh?

Evgeni Malkin turned into a different player in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Islanders, and it turned the Pens into a different team. He had played an unexceptional game for about two and a half periods of Game 6. The Islanders were less than six minutes away from forcing Game 7. Then Malkin took over, finding that extra gear that makes him one of the game's most dangerous players. He set up Paul Martin's game-tying goal and then got an assist on Brooks Orpik's OT winner. A similar performance from someone on Pittsburgh will likely be needed to finish off the Sens.

Is this Daniel Alfredsson's last game?

This won't be answered for a while. There were reports that Alfredsson collected the puck from last night's Game 5, leading many to suspect it was his final game in Ottawa. If so, he's had a Hall of Fame-worthy career, at least in my opinion. It's not a stretch to think that, had he not sat out a season and a half due to lockouts, he might be approaching 500 goals. He played the first decade of his career in the dead-puck era, before exploding for his only 100-point season in 2005-06. He has a Gold Medal and practically put the Senators on his back, scoring 14 goals in the team's 2007 Stanley Cup Final run. He's above a point per game in the 2013 post-season. The game will be lessened a little bit by not having him around.

Can the Senators bottle the start of Game 4?

Ottawa played extremely well to begin on Wednesday night, it might surprise you to find out. Despite taking two early penalties, the Sens had a good first period, and got out of it leading the Penguins 2-1. Craig Anderson made 15 saves in the first before bending and eventually breaking in the second. Milan Michalek and Kyle Turris scored goals that made everybody think the pesky Sens had one more pestering in them. They still can if they come up with three periods like the first one in Game 4.

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC Sports Network, CBC

2013 NHL Awards will be split across two nights during Stanley Cup Final

2013-05-24T15:37:29Z

Las Vegas will once again host the National Hockey League's award show in 2014, but due to the lockout, we will see an odd arrangement for the ceremonies this season.

The 2013 NHL Awards will take place over two nights in the city hosting Games 1 and 2 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. Part one of the show will take place the day before Game 2 of the Final and feature the presentation of minor trophies. Part two will take place an hour prior to Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, and feature more of the prime, important awards given out.

Part one of the show will take place at 5 p.m. ET the day before Game 2. It will take place on NHL Network's set at the Stanley Cup Final and feature network personalities giving out awards. NHL Net will televise the ceremony in both the United States and Canada. The awards handed out will be the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, Frank J. Selke Trophy, Jack Adams Award, King Clancy Memorial Trophy, Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award presented by Bridgestone, NHL Foundation Player Award and the NHL General Manager of the Year Award.

On the night of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, NBC Sports Network and CBC will join forces to co-produce a show at 7 p.m. ET (an hour before the game) to hand out the major awards. Both NBC and CBC television personalities will announce the winners. The awards given out will be the Calder Memorial Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, James Norris Memorial Trophy, Ted Lindsay Award and Vezina Trophy.

The NHL Awards had been in Las Vegas since 2008. The lockout, however, forced the NHL to improvise, as it had little time between the end of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Draft and the start of free agency. As previously mentioned, the NHL Awards return to Vegas in 2014.

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Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013, Sharks vs. Kings Game 5: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-23T18:00:07Z

The San Jose Sharks are a very good, if streaky, hockey team. They've won six of their last eight games. They have solid goaltending and offensive stars that can rival many of the remaining teams in this post-season. They've lost twice in regulation at home this entire season in 26 games at HP Pavilion, which is crazy. You figure, if they steal Game 5 of this Western Conference Semifinal series in Los Angeles, they stand a pretty a pretty good chance at moving on to the next round.

Yet, they still only stand even with the Los Angeles Kings in what has been a wild, grueling series. Suspensions, big hits, goalie interference controversies. The series has been the equivalent of a club that Saturday Night Live's Stefon would describe. The Kings didn't necessarily look dominant in their two wins at home, though Game 1 was pretty convincing. The Sharks didn't quite look dominant in their two wins at home, though Game 4 was pretty convincing.

The fact is, the Kings are a miracle comeback away from being down 3-1 in all of this. But it's an even series headed towards Thursday night's Game 5. The swing game is here, and this is a must-win.

Do the Kings keep their perfect record in tact at Staples Center?

While San Jose has their excellent home mark, the Kings are 5-0 and yet to lose at their rink in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hell, the Kings also had a crazy home record during the regular season, going 19-4-1 at Staples Center. The first team to blink at home probably loses this series, so do the Kings have it in them to hold serve again?

Is Joe Thornton going to continue being great?

Nine points in eight games for the centerman often accused of not being a leader or a playoff performer. You could argue, however, that this has been the best post-season of his career. He's come close to, but never reached a point per game in the playoffs, but he's there this year. Jumbo's also been on ice for 16 Sharks goals for, while only one against during the post-season.

Who wins the elite goaltending battle?

Niemi vs. Quick really turned into the goalie duel we were expecting when this series shifted to Northern California. Both goaltenders were great, though Niemi got the better of Quick. Who can get two wins in three games and make all the big saves necessary? Should be the most intriguing "1-on-1" of the rest of this battle.

Game Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
National TV: NBC Sports Network, TSN

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013, Blackhawks vs. Red Wings Game 4: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-23T17:00:07Z

It must be as good a time to be a Detroit Red Wing right now as it has been in any time since they won their last Stanley Cup in 2008 (or perhaps when they won the right to compete for another in 2009). You've got a 2-1 series lead on one of your arch rivals the season before you'll likely not face one another again in the post-season for many years. Nobody expected you to be here: in the post-season, in the second round, ahead of the Blackhawks. None of this was predicted, expected, or even believed when I told people it was happening.

That said, there's a downside in that everyone still doesn't really expect much of them. The Blackhawks will find their form in time for tonight's Game 4 and run off three consecutive wins to take the series. Jonathan Toews will find his scoring touch again. The defense will play better in front of Corey Crawford, who will also play better. The Red Wings are just biding time until the stars of the Hawks return.

Game 4 proves pivotal then. If the Hawks show up and play their game, they should win and take the series back to Chicago even. However, Detroit is ready for Chicago's best game. They know they can beat the Hawks, they've done it two in a row. If they win tonight, the Hawks need three straight to avoid one of the most disappointing post-seasons ever. Detroit has the chance to do something special this evening.

Is Jonathan Toews ever going to score again?

We've been focusing on struggling players in the Eastern Conference, like Rick Nash and Tyler Seguin and Brad Richards. Jonathan Toews, however, is still goalless in eight games this post-season, and that's a problem for the Blackhawks. He's their captain, and he put up a performance a lot of folks felt was worthy of a Hart Trophy nomination during the regular season. If Toews stays off the board, it's pretty likely going to be the longest short summer ever for Chicago.

Does Corey Crawford have a performance in him that's better than Jimmy Howard?

We all kind of agree that the Blackhawks are better than the Red Wings, even though none of us would ever say that Corey Crawford is at the same level as Jimmy Howard, especially after the first three games of this series. Crawford at least needs to equal Howard if the Hawks are going to right the ship. Oh, and remember how good Ray Emery was during the regular season? When does he become an option if Chicago keeps losing?

Who turns it around for Chicago?

Okay, so if the narrative is waiting for Godot, who is Godot for the Blackhawks? Toews? Hossa? Sharp? Kane being even better than he has been the first few games? Crawford putting up a goose egg? Some help from the defense? Nick Leddy and Nick Hjalmarsson finding their offensive touch again would be nice. Who's going to save the Blackhawks season, which is what Game 4 has to be about?

Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
National TV: NBC Sports Network, CBC

Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013, Bruins vs. Rangers Game 4: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-23T16:00:04Z

The New York Rangers were out-shooting the Boston Bruins 14-9 after Ryan McDonagh scored the team's only goal. McDonagh's point shot through a screen came at 3:53 of the second period to make it 1-0 Rangers in a pivotal Game 3 that could swing the two teams' Eastern Conference Semifinal series. Here was the Rangers' chance to make it a homer series and prove to the Bruins that this would be a long, epic battle.

Instead, the Bruins took over. Boston outshot New York by a count of 25-10 over the last 36 minutes of the game, getting third period goals from Johnny Boychuk and a bizarre one from Daniel Paille to skate out of Madison Square Garden with a 2-1 win. Insane that this same Bruins team was seconds away from being eliminated by the Toronto Maple Leafs but 10 days ago. A testament to Claude Julien and his excellent team that they have found their gear when it was most needed.

They meet for Game 4 on Thursday night, giving the Bruins a chance to sweep out New York on the Rangers' home ice. It'll be a difficult task if the Rangers play the same game they brought in Games 1 and 3 to Game 4. The Bruins have gotten it done three times before, but the fourth is the hardest. Just ask their AHL affiliate in Providence, who took a 3-0 series lead on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their Conference Semifinal series just days ago, and surrendered it completely, losing 4-3. Of course, the NHL Bruins also have their own experiences with that in 2010.

The Rangers, meanwhile, may be without Anton Stralman. Stralman, who has become a key component in the New York defense, was injured during Game 4. It appears that Marc Staal is still not ready to come back, and Stralman's replacement will likely be either Matt Gilroy or Roman Hamrlik. So... the Rangers defense is pretty much Dan Girardi, Ryan McDonagh... and some duct tape. Good luck!

Does Henrik Lundqvist steal one before the Rangers get bounced?

It may not be fair to call it this way, given how the two defenses have played, but... Tuukka Rask has been better than Henrik Lundqvist in this series. Lundqvist was probably a little better in Game 3, despite his costly mistake that led to the winning goal, but he still needed to come up bigger in the series. The five goals in Game 2 -- a game that was winnable more than halfway through the second period -- were something that just couldn't happen. That said, Lundqvist is always capable of just ripping one away from his opponents. Perhaps tonight.

Can the Rangers depleted defense come up big the same way Boston's did?

The Rangers may be forced to put up a defense that includes John Moore, Steve Eminger and Roman Hamrlik or Matt Gilroy tonight. That includes the shaky Michael Del Zotto, and Dan Girardi, who was terrible in Game 2 of the series but is usually solid. Is there any hope for a Marc Staal return? Either way, maybe the Rangers can use their depleted 'D' as a rallying tool. It's worked for the Bruins, who have gone patchwork with youngsters on the blueline in this series. I just don't know if Roman Hamrlik is all that inspiring anymore.

Could Brad Richards come up big in what may be his last game as a Ranger?

Man, the saga of Brad Richards. It's been covered well by many, but he has been awful for most of this post-season. Just a completely forgettable performance. Fine in his own end, but awful offensively and especially on the dying Ranger power play. He and his old buddy John Tortorella may go down with the ship tonight, but will either of them be back in the fall?

Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
National TV: CNBC, TSN

Leo Komarov may return to the KHL

2013-05-21T18:49:47Z

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov is a free agent this summer, after splitting the season between Dynamo Moscow (during the lockout) and the Leafs. He attended the championship parade for the KHL winners this week and gave an interview to Sport-Express. The interview was translated by Fedor Fedin of Washington-based Russian Machine Never Breaks, and originally appeared on Pension Plan Puppets:

- Are you happy with your season in the NHL?
- Yeah. What should I be unhappy about?

- You played mostly on the fourth line...
- I had gone to the NHL to play and I played. We played like 55 or 56 games. I participated in 49 - it's alright.

- But you didn't play a lot.
- Why do you think so? I had like 14:30 per game.

- Maybe it's time to come back to Dynamo?
- My contract with Toronto is over. There are negotiations about coming back to Dynamo. Maybe. Or I could go to Australia, I think there's a hockey league, too.

Australia seems like a long shot, but Komarov should have some demand for his services. He had nine points in 42 regular season games on a fourth line role, was a physical presence, but didn't take penalties. He seems like he'd fit well on the fourth line of any club over a full season.

Predators fire associate coach Peter Horachek

2013-05-21T17:48:37Z

The Nashville Predators aren't necessarily the type of franchise that does big shakeups. They've still got the same head coach and general manager from when the franchise played its first game in 1998. Today, however, Nashville fired one of its top men behind the bench.

For more on the Predators visit: On the Forecheck

Preds general manager David Poile confirmed in a statement today that the team had relieved associate coach Peter Horachek of his duties. Horachek had been with the team since being hired as an assistant coach in 2003. Poile's statement was short and to the point.

"We thank Peter for his contributions to our organization during his time here. He has been a dedicated coach who brought passion to his role each and every day. We wish Peter the very best in his future endeavors and made this difficult decision at this time to allow him to pursue other opportunities."

Horachek had been promoted from assistant to associate coach prior to the 2011-12 season. This is only the second time the Predators have made a coaching staff adjustment in the past decade. Since Horachek was hired, Lane Lambert replaced Brent Peterson in June of 2011 after Peterson stepped down from on-ice coaching due to health reasons. The Predators have yet to announce a replacement for Horachek.

More in the NHL:

Follow @SBNationNHL

• Complete Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage

• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

• Our playoff predictions

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Stanley Cup Playoffs 2013, Bruins vs. Rangers Game 3: Time, TV schedule and more

2013-05-21T17:00:05Z

The New York Rangers will be in a familiar position on Tuesday night. This is the second consecutive round that the Rangers will have fallen down 2-0 in a postseason series. For the second straight round, they are returning home to Madison Square Garden to face this deficit. Of course, the very fact that they are in the second round tells you the obvious: that doing so in the last round led to the start of their comeback. They will try to win four out of five for the second straight series starting on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins.

They will try to do that just two days after playing their worst game of the postseason. The offense was limp, their defense -- even top dogs Dan Girardi and Ryan McDonagh -- was tissue paper, and Henrik Lundqvist surrendered five goals. You play another game like that, and you're basically dead in the water. The Rangers, their coaches, players and fans all know this.

For more on the series visit: Bruins blog Stanley Cup of Chowder Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter

Should the Rangers play an improved game on Tuesday night and win Game 3, then you start to build a little doubt. Remember, this is a Boston team that almost gave away a 3-1 series lead just a week ago. This is a Rangers team that fully came back from a 2-0 deficit just a week ago. The Rangers win tonight, and it is a series. They lose, and it becomes a laugher.

Will Boston's young defense continue to step up?

Torey Krug is an undrafted, 22-year-old defenseman out of Michigan State. After playing three career games in the NHL, he was called up from AHL Providence to replace the broken three (Wade Redden, Dennis Seidenberg and Andrew Ference) of the Bruins' defense. He has two goals and an assist in the first two games of this series. While 19-year-old Dougie Hamilton got beat by Ryan Callahan on the Rangers' first goal of Game 2, he has also not killed Boston in this series. Matt Bartkowski has also contributed. Redden may return to the lineup tonight (he is a game-time decision), but Dennis Seidenberg will likely not play, so all three of these young men will remain in. Do they, or at least Krug, keep their momentum going?

How will Henrik Lundqvist rebound?

Henrik Lundqvist had not surrendered five goals in a hockey game since 2011 before Sunday afternoon's barrage of Boston goals. It's very unlikely that this is going to happen again, two games in a row. The question remains, however, will Henrik Lundqvist bring his best game to steal the series back for the Rangers? It really is imperative that he be a brick wall again if they're going to win the series.

Where will the Rangers offense come from?

As much as the onus might be on Lundqvist, the Rangers have put up four goals or more three times in this postseason. It's not as if they're a team incapable of putting the puck in the net when everything gets moving. Will they respond with a little more offense at Madison Square Garden? Or has the well on all of John Tortorella's offensive options finally run dry?

Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
National TV: NBC Sports Network, TSN

More in the NHL:

Follow @SBNationNHL

• Complete Stanley Cup Playoffs coverage

• Celebrating hockey’s ‘anti-heroes’

• Our playoff predictions

• The best of our hockey network