Kaberle Signs in Carolina; Bruins Bring in Corvo

Today has been an uncharacteristically busy day for free agency. I know this because I've been working the Ducks2Nucks twitter today, and it is blowing up with signings rumors and trades. Two of the most impacting transactions of the day have been Tomas Kaberle's new contract in Carolina, and Joe Corvo being moved by the Hurricanes to Boston in exchange for a 4th round draft pick.


It's no secret that Kaberle didn't work out the way fans wanted him to in Boston, and we knew he wasn't resigning there, so maybe playing in Carolina will click better for him and show an upgrade in stats. As far as Joe Corvo and the Bruins go, Boston was just looking for an avid replacement for Kaberle on the blueline, and Corvo could very well be that replacement.

Corvo hasn't ever put up as many assists as Kaberle, and usually doesn't match his point totals, but as of late he's stepped up as a veteran defensive leader who can put the puck in the net.

Conference Finals Begin Today; Our Predictions

Only four teams remain.  These two series will determine who reaches the Stanley Cup Finals.  Here are mine and Adam's Predictions.


THE WEST:

                 (#1 Seed Canucks)                  (#2 Seed Sharks)


Evan's Prediction: Sharks win in 7.
Adam's Prediction: Sharks win in 6
Our Take: We both figure that the Sharks are simply a stronger team. Carried by the momentum of their series with Detroit, the Sharks are simply better prepared for a tough series with a capable team like Vancouver.

THE EAST:

                  (#3 Seed Bruins)                      (#5 Seed Lightning)

Evan's Prediction: Lightning win in 6.

Adam's Prediction: Bruins win in 6

Our Take:This series could prove to be a battle of the elderly goaltenders. Adam thinks that the Bruins Tim Thomas has the stamina to outlast Tampa's Dwayne Roloson.  The Lightning have offense on their side, but Boston has experience and a grittier defensive core. This will be a great series.

Some Goal Celebration Pics are Better Than Others?

Last night the Boston Bruins eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in a four game sweep with a 5-1 blowout. Leading the charge was power forward, Milan Lucic, who had two goals and was a plus one on the game. Out of Lucic's offensive playoff breakout came this picture, taken almost immediately post-goal.

Decent photograph. Two B's celebrating with a single greiving Flyer in the background, but it could be closer to Lucic I think...

Improvements after the jump...

Washington Chokes on Ovechkins Empty Promise

Tonight the Tampa Bay Lightning did what nobody thought they could do.  They completed a four game sweep of the Washington Capitals.  What makes this sweep taste all the more bitter for Caps fans is the fact that yesterday star forward Alexander Ovechkin promised reporters a series win out of a 3-0 deficit.

 “It’s not over. We don’t give up. We’re gonna win... They win three, we can win three.” 

The Lightning overall outplayed the Caps in every aspect of the series and just seemed to want the wins more than Washington.  The Capitals become the first number one seed since conference playoff format started in 1994 to be swept in first or second rounds.

Also tonight in playoff news, the Bruins increased their series lead over the Flyers to 3-0 with a 5-1 win, and the Sharks won in Detroit in overtime to go up 3 games to none on the Red Wings.

Krejci Gives B's A Commanding Lead

After some confusion, the Bruins have taken a commanding 2-0 series lead against the Philadelphia Flyers.

Some NHL Awards Finalists Announced

In recent weeks, the NHL has announced the nominees for several of the awards given out at the NHL Awards such as best defenseman, best defensive forward, rookie of the year, and best goaltender.


The nominees and our picks, after the jump.

Round 1 Winding Down: Caps Advance

The Washington Capitals defeated the New York Rangers yesterday by a score of 3-1 and go on to win the series 4 games to 1.  The Caps join the Detroit Red wings as the only other team so far to win their series.  Detroit swept Phoenix 4-0.

Andrew Ference Gives Canadiens an All-American Salute

Tonight the much heated Montreal-Boston series continued with an exhilarating 5-4 overtime comeback win for the Bruins. However tomorrow it won't be Michael Ryder's OT goal that the papers will be talking about. Instead it'll be this:

Bad-ass central.

After scoring a huge goal contributing to the comeback, defensive defenseman Andrew Ference simply flipped off the Montreal fanbase. In postgame interviews, Ference, apparently unaware that there are cameras at NHL games, claimed that it wasn't what it looked like and he merely tried to "fist pump"...

Fist pumpin' like a champ?

Right. Ference should expect a fine, but no suspension. I like Ference. He's not a bad guy and he brings a solid defensive game to a team, so its nice to see him score, even if he's such an... impulsive celebrator.

Chara Thugs it Up in Montreal (UPDATED)

Tonight in the Bell Centre, home of the Montreal Canadiens, the Canadiens hosted the Boston Bruins for a much anticipated Original Six matchup, but with 20 seconds left in the second period the focus quickly shifted from the game at hand to the health of Montreal forward Max Pacioretty.

Boston captain Zdeno Chara delivered a controversial hit to Pacioretty in front of the Bruins bench which pushed the forward headfirst into the divider between the team benches.

The only question now is if Chara will face suspension, and if so, how many games could he miss? Personally, I don't think Chara had the full intention of putting Pacioretty into the divider, but still he is expected to be more responsible with his hitting as a captain and a respected veteran of the league.

UPDATE: Chara will receive no suspension or fine for the hit.

Kaberle to Boston; Big Day for the Bruins

Today was a huge day for the Boston Bruins as we saw them make 2 trades which moved 3 players and 2 draft picks in order to receive star blueliner Tomas Kaberle, centerman Rich Peverley, and defenseman Boris Valabik. The Maple Leafs get future considerations and the Thrashers received a pair of players from the deals.

Blake Wheeler and Mark Stuart in Atlanta's most hi-tech training facility.

This trade should make a significant impact on the Bruins remaining games, and should make similar impacts on the Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs immediate and long term futures.

For further details on today's trades look after the jump.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year: The NHL Trade Deadline.

February. Possibly the most important month of the year in reference to the future of a hockey club. Teams fight to get themselves in the playoff picture before the final stretch into the playoffs, or they struggle to retain their dignity while letting the rest of the lost season play out... not pointing fingers but....

It's been a long year, better luck next 100 million dollar contracted superstar.

Regardless of standings, one of the highlights of the season is about to occur.

February 28th at 3 p.m. is the scheduled trade deadline for the NHL. Teams without hope will look forward to the draft, and teams on the edge of the playoffs will look into risky deals to give themselves a better shot at the cup, presenting interesting trade scenarios.

Make the jump..