Nicklas Lidstrom To Retire Today

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom will announce his retirement after 20 NHL seasons at a news conference Thursday afternoon. Lidstrom is one of the best defenseman that has ever lived. 7 times he was voted the NHL top defenseman, and 3 times he was the runner up. That means half the time he was in the NHL he was either the best or 2nd best defenseman in the NHL, that's pretty amazing.

Lidstrom never missed more then 11 games in a season. Even in his last season (actually the year he missed 11 games) Lidstrom had 34 points and a plus-21 that ranked among the league leaders.

This 12 times All-Star, 4 time Stanley Cup winner, 7 time Norris Trophy winner, Conn Smythe Trophy winner, Gold Medal winning is a no doubt Hall of Famer, and even though I have never liked the Red Wings he will be missed.

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 7

More overtimes, more injuries, more suspensions. I can't decide if these playoffs are the best I've ever seen or the worst.

PANTHERS 4, DEVILS 3 - (Panthers lead series 2-1)

What makes the NHL Playoffs so compelling to watch is their unpredictability. Everyone figured New Jersey had the easiest draw in the playoffs. They'd roll over the 94 point Panthers. People were even pointing to this matchup as a reason to change the playoff system. But the game isn't played in theory, or by "experts." It's played by players on ice.

The Panthers were down in 3-0 less than 7 minutes into this game. They came back thanks to 3 Power Play goals. The Panthers are 6 for 10 on the PP. 6 Power Play goals against the best PK in the regular season (89.6%). The Devils only allowed 27 PP goals all season long, or about 1 every 3 games. Now they've allowed 6 in 3 games.

Game 4 Thursday night in Jersey.

PREDATORS 3, RED WINGS 1 - (Predators lead series 3-1)

Another example of how regular season trends mean nothing in the playoffs. Detroit had the best home record in the NHL, with 31 wins. They've lost to Nashville twice on their home ice.

All the scoring occurred in the 3rd. The Predators have preyed on Detroit's defensive lapses. The Red Wings are all chasing the puck carrier, not protecting the area in front of the net or covering other players. The Wings outshot Nashville 41-17, but Pekka Rinne did his job, stopped 40 shots, and gave the Predators a chance to win.

Game 5 Friday night in Nashville.

COYOTES 3, BLACKHAWKS 2 (OT) - (Coyotes lead series 2-1)

All three games of this series have gone into overtime but the big story of this series have been the hits to the head and the suspensions. In this game, Chicago's Marian Hossa was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher after Raffi Torres checked him in the skull. Here's the hit:

He targeted the head, he launched himself, and it could be argued that it was a late hit and a charge. Torres has an extensive history of dirty play. Exactly one year ago to the day, he did this:

Torres was suspended once already this season. Last year he was suspended for 5 games at the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Given the nature of this hit combined with his history, he should be banned for the remainder of the playoffs.

Honestly, I don't think players like Raffi Torres belong in the National Hockey League. I don't think the League should tolerate them, merely slapping them on the wrist as they repeatedly misbehave.

Game 4 Thursday night in Chicago.

Tonight's games:
7:30pm - Rangers @ Senators - CNBC - Rangers lead 2-1
7:30pm - Penguins @ Flyers - NBC Sports - Flyers lead series 3-0
10:00pm - Canucks @ Kings - NBC Sports - Kings lead series 3-0

-The Captain

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 5*

Things are getting nuts out there. Bad blood, rats on the ice, and a sad octopus. It was a very entertaining weekend of hockey.

PREDATORS 3, RED WINGS 2 - (Predators lead series 2-1)

The Red Wings only lost 10 times at home in the regular season. The Predators, however, won a huge game in Detroit yesterday afternoon. The Preds have been able to get early leads and force the Red Wings to chase the game. And with Pekka Rinne, any lead is a very safe lead.

Game 4 Tuesday night in Detroit.

FLYERS 8, PENGUINS 4 - (Flyers lead series 3-0)

I hate the Penguins more and more every game. James Neal levels a dirty and late hit on Sean Couturier, injures him, then gets absolutely no penalty for it. The Flyers tried to take care of business themselves (Neal, right after Couturier had been helped off the ice, was messing with Claude Giroux), which got messy. Then Crosby looked like he was trying to initiate a fight with Brayden Schenn, then refused to drop the gloves. Moments later, Crosby tried pulling Hartnell off Neal. Hartnell went after Crosby as if he were anyone else, then Craig Adams becomes the 3rd man in (automatic game misconduct), then fights Hartnell, then pulls Hartnell's hair.

In short, a Pittsburgh player dishes out a dirty hit and injures an opponent. He doesn't get penalized (we've heard this story before, haven't we). Then the Penguins fight dirty. That's if they're willing to fight at all.

Game 4 Wednesday night in Philly.

Go Flyers

PANTHERS 4, DEVILS 2 - (Series tied 1-1)

Nobody took Florida very seriously. They were used as an example of the NHL's imperfect playoff system. Stephen Weiss, who's getting his first taste of playoff hockey in south Florida, scored two Power Play goals. That's pretty impressive against the Devils' PK unit, which was the best in the NHL in the regular season.

Game 3 Tuesday night in Jersey.

Tonight's games:
7:30pm - Rangers @ Senators - CNBC - Tied 1-1
7:30pm - Bruins @ Capitals - NESN/NBC Sports - Tied 1-1
10:00pm - Blues @ Sharks - NBC Sports - Tied 1-1

-The Captain

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Day 1

Thank you NBC/Universal for broadcasting all the games of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on NBC, NBC Sports, CNBC, and NHL Network. This is the greatest sports tournament in the world, and it's nice to be able to watch as much of it as possible.

Flyers 4, Penguins 3 (OT) - Flyers lead series 1-0

This game was decided in the few square feet in front of the net. The Penguins dominated the crease in the 1st period (Chris Pronger's absence was very notable) and went up 3-0. Then the Flyers fought for that real-estate, eventually tying it off a tip in a few feet in front of the net. Then winning it when Jordan Staal let Jacub Voracek sneak in the backdoor. This series was the most hyped, and Game 1 lived up to expectations. And it was just a post and/or an offsides call from going Pittsburgh's way.

Game 2 Friday night.

Predators 3, Red Wings 2 - Predators lead series 1-0

Rinne won this game for Nashville. It wasn't that Howard had a bad game though. Some really freaky bounces allowed Nashville to play with a lead for most of the night. I was actually impressed with how well Detroit played. Howard looked sharp, and they killed all 6 Nashville penalties (including an extended 5-on-3). This series will be pretty good.

Nashville might lose Shea Weber for a game or more. At the end of Game 1, he grabbed Zetterberg's head and bashed it into the glass. This was as the final whistle blew. Every year, the NHL likes to declare that they're clamping down on "message sending" in the playoffs. We'll see if they actually do anything about this message.

Game 2 Friday night.

Kings 4, Canucks 2 - Kings lead series 1-0

Vancouver lives by the Power Play, and last night they died by the Power Play. The Kings scored 2 goals with a man advantage. And despite incessant praise from the announcers, Robert Luongo just wasn't very good. He wasn't bad, but nowhere near as good as his defenders claim he is. The other Canucks were up to their old tricks. Kesler got a penalty for embellishment. Byron Bitz has caught the Canucks' disease and got a 5 minute boarding penalty, and a 10 minute misconduct. The rest of the team generally whined and moaned about only getting 5 Power Plays.

Game 2 Friday night.

Tonight's games:
7:00pm - Senators @ Rangers - Game 1 - NHL Network
7:30pm - Capitals @ Bruins - Game 1 - NESN/NBC Sports
7:30pm - Sharks @ Blues - Game 1 - CNBC
10:00pm - Blackhawks @ Coyotes - Game 1 - NBC Sports

-The Captain

Stanley Cup Preview: Red Wings vs. Predators

As loaded as Detroit is with familiar names, their fate hinges on Jimmy Howard. The 28 year old goalie missed time with a groin injury, and the slide in Detroit's play was noticeable. The Wings were 35-17-4 with Howard in net. 13-11-2 without him.

The Predators also rely heavily on their goalie. Pekka Rinne played in 73 games but still managed to put up solid numbers. If they do go deep in the playoffs, it will be on Rinne's back.

But they're talented elsewhere. They had the most potent Power Play in the league. Meanwhile, Detroit's PK unit was 18th in the NHL. The Preds should be able to score some key goals with a man advantage.

If Detroit were healthy, I'd pick the Red Wings. But they have a few injury question marks. Nashville plays well at home, Detroit struggles on the road. Nashville will score on the Power Play. Detroit will struggle to stop them.

Predators in 6.

Series schedule:
1: Wednesday 4/11 - 8:00pm - DET @ NSH - CNBC
2: Friday 4/13 - 7:30pm - DET @ NSH - CNBC
3: Sunday 4/15 - 12:00pm - NSH @ DET - NBC
4: Tuesday 4/17 - 7:30pm - NSH @ DET - NBC Sports
5: Friday 4/20 - 8:00pm - DET @ NSH - CNBC
6: Sunday 4/22 - tba - NSH @ DET - tba
7: Tuesday 4/24 - tba - DET @ NSH - tba

-The Captain