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| Dany Heatley was named the MVP of the IIHF World Hockey Championships despite the fact that Canada fell 5-4 to Russia in the finals, according to SLAM SPORTS. Heatley led all tournaments skaters in scoring with 20 points (12g, 8a). |
Our View: Heatley also won MVP honors in the tournament in 2004, so please, put to rest any thoughts that this guy isn't a big-time player. Heatley is now Canada's all-time leader in international goals (31) and points (47).
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| R.J. Umberger was held to just one shot and a (-2) rating in Game 5 as the Flyers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Penguins. |
Our View: Umberger was the breakout performer of these playoffs for the Flyers as he scored 10 times in 17 playoff games. Umberger will be a hot property next year on draft day, and he could easily emerge as a 30-goal scorer after this confidence building post-season.
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| Jeff Carter was held scoreless on Sunday as he was a (-3) for the Flyers who were eliminated from the playoffs by the Penguins. |
Our View: Carter was a (-5) in the five game series with the Penguins, but don't let that override what was a solid playoffs that included seven points in his last nine games.
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| Daniel Briere was held scoreless in Game 5 as the Flyers fell 6-0 to the Penguins. |
Our View: Briere was limited to just one goal and one assist in the five games against the Penguins, but he still finished the playoffs with nine goals and 16 points for a Flyers team that went further than anyone thought they would.
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| Evgeni Malkin scored a goal in Game 5 to help the Penguins defeat the Flyers and move on in the playoffs. |
Our View: Malkin, and linemate Peter Sykora had been suffering from the flu, but both skated in this one. As for Malkin, this was his first goal in four games, and he now has nine goals and 19 points during the NHL's second season.
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| Marc-Andre Fleury stopped every one of the 21 shots sent his way on Sunday as he picked up his third shutout of this playoff season. |
Our View: Fleury enters the Finals with a dazzling 12-2 record and a 1.70 GAA as he is clearly at the top of his game. At this point it's hard to imagine the Penguins failing in the Finals, but stranger things have happened.
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| Marian Hossa exploded for four points on Sunday (1g, 3a), as the Penguins shutout the Flyers 6-0. |
Our View: Hossa enters the Finals with nine goals and 19 points in these playoffs, and the Penguins run to play for the Cup certainly will be a nice selling point when the team tries to sign Hossa this off-season.
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| Ryan Malone scored two goals and had an assist to led the Penguins to a stunning 6-0 victory over the Flyers on Sunday to propel the Penguins to their first Stanley Cup Finals since 1992. |
Our View: Both of Malone's goals were on the power-play, and he enters the finals with six goals and 15 points, not bad for a secondary scoring option huh? Like the Pens need anymore scoring options.
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| Kimmo Timonen was able to return from a blood clot in his left ankle to play in Game 5 for the Flyers, according to the Associated Press. |
Our View: The Flyers will need him if they have any hope of coming back against the Penguins, but his return may be too little, too late.
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| Detroit coach Mike Babcock has hinted at potential line changes for Monday's Game 6 hookup with the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference finals, according to the Detroit News. |
Our View: Babcock failed to name specific players, but the problems with the team's second line since Johan Franzen was lost to concussion are no secret. The Wings want to close the series, now sitting at 3-2 after Dallas posted consecutive wins in their last two matches, giving us reason to believe the line of Mikael Samuelson, Valtteri Filppula, and Dan Cleary is likey to change, revisions aimed at getting some semblance of offense going.
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| As the Pittsburgh Penguins seek to put an end to the Philadelphia Flyers today in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, up 3-1 in the series, concerns about winger Evgeni Malkin and his slight fall from grace have formed, according to ESPN.com. |
Our View: Scott Burnside of ESPN notes the prolific young winger was the best player in the playoffs over the first two rounds of play, netting 17 total points over 10 games, but he has just one assist and is minus-3 over his last three. As a result, Burnside wonders if he is battling fatigue, being just 21-years-old and having never played for such a long stretch. Today's match will be the 96th game he has played this season, significantly more than he has ever completed in one full season. It's a small span of time, but there is reason for concern. A rest could be beneficial and may be gained with a win today.
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| Veteran winger Jaromir Jagr and the Rangers may be close to a new contractual agreement to bring the goal hawk back to New York, according to the New York Post. |
Our View: Jagr is officially a free agent having played out his time with the Rangers, but the Post reports general manager Glen Sather will sit down with Jagr's agent to commence negotiations this week following preliminary discussions held via the phone that have gone well. We will update as news becomes available.
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| Having practiced with the team on Saturday, veteran winger Gary Roberts tells reporters he is ready to return and will be on the ice for Pittsburgh as they face the Philadelphia Flyers today for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. |
Our View: Roberts has been battling pneumonia, having missed Games 3 and 4 with what the team classified as a "respiratory ailment." Roberts finally commented on Saturday, stating, "My lungs are cleared up, so come [today] I'll take warmup and see how I feel. I've been battling for a while, for a a few weeks, so I think the medication has started to help. I hadn't skated for four days, but my lungs felt better than they had the past few weeks." It's hard to imagine that he won't be on the ice today, but there is a slight window to change his mind before tonight's matchup. We will update with news if needed.
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| Philadelphia defenseman Braydon Coburn reports he is still dealing with health issues that may prove worrisome as the Flyers continue to battle with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference finals, but he will be on the ice and playing today in Game 5, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. |
Our View: Coburn was struck in the face by a puck in Game 2, and after practicing with the team yesterday, he told reporters he was still struggling with depth perception and the feel of a his newly-needed visor. Coach John Stevens is going to leave the decision to play to Coburn, and it sounds like he's going to give it his best. "I'm dealing with some things with the eye and stuff like that and every day it's been getting better, and tomorrow I will evaluate it again," said Coburn. "Yeah, there's a good chance I will play."
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| Many thought this series would be over at this point, but Dallas goalie Marty Turco has other plans, icing a 38-save win over the Detroit Red Wings to bring the Western Conference finals series to 3-2 in favor of the Red Wings. |
Our View: Detroit was up 3-0 but Turco has been on fire. "It's probably the best I've felt in this building ever," said Turco. Prior to this series, Turco was 0-9-2 in Joe Louis Arena. Over his last two games (one in Dallas), he has held the Red Wings to two goals on 73 shots on goal, an outstanding performance pushing Dallas forward. Game 6 will be played in Dallas tomorrow night.
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