http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com Hockey News, rumors, articles, statistics and video clips! Mon, 19 May 2008 16:59:42 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en No one would say it in the locker room following Saturday’s 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, but the absence of Johan Franzen is starting to loom large for the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit won its first two contests without the “Mule,” who has been sidelined with concussion-like symptoms, to extend ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/19/red-wings-missing-franzen%e2%80%99s-presence/ The first ever IIHF World Hockey Championship to be played in Canada ended in silver for the host country after a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Russia on Sunday in the gold-medal game.Ilya Kovalchuk’s power-play goal at 2:42 of overtime gave the Russians their first gold medal at the event since ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/19/disappointment-for-canada-as-russia-takes-gold-at-world-hockey-championship/ The Detroit Red Wings aren’t really going to blow this - are they?Just a few days ago, the Red Wings were still in a span of being undefeated for almost a month, owning the NHL’s longest post-season winning streak in 15 years and doing it with flair. Three games into ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/18/red-wings-look-to-finally-close-out-stars-in-game-6-of-western-final/ Toronto Marlies coach Greg Gilbert says his team doesn’t need any significant corrections following a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Wolves in Friday’s opener of the American Hockey League Western Conference final.He’ll settle for better execution and fewer penalties as the Marlies hope to stay competitive in what could be ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/17/krog-scores-hat-trick-as-wolves-draw-first-blood-with-4-1-win-over-marlies/ It was an epic battle for the ages and a rare occurrence in the NHL. A game 7 that needed to be decided in overtime. The series itself from the drop of the puck in game 1, until Lupul's goal in OT in game 7 was hard fought by both ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/16/philadelphia-flyers-survive-washington-now-head-to-montreal/ Evgeny Nabokov made 23 saves for his second straight shutout, and Sergei Fedorov scored the opening goal to help Russia beat Finland 4-0 on Friday for a spot in the world hockey final. Seeking its first world title since 1993, Russia will face Canada on Sunday after the host country eliminated ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/16/russia-reaches-final-with-4-0-win-over-finland/ Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Gary Roberts has a case of pneumonia and will miss Game Four of the Eastern Conference finals against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday. The veteran told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Thursday morning that he has “a minor case” of pneumonia - an illness he has dealt on ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/15/penguins-lw-roberts-has-pneumonia/ Ken Hitchcock knew he was leaving Halifax. He just didn’t know what mode of transportation he’d be taking.The Canadian coach went through some nervous moments during an 8-2 quarter-final win over Norway at the IIHF World Hockey Championship on Wednesday. The victory earned his team a semifinal game with Sweden ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/05/14/canada-moves-into-world-championship-semifinals/ Each team in the NHL plays 82 regular season games, 41 games at home and 41 on the road. Teams used to play all other teams in the league at least once, but this will no longer be the case following implementation of post-lockout changes. Teams will now play 10 ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/04/21/national-hockey-league-and-the-stanley-cup/ The NHL playoffs start April 9. In the Northwest Division, it’s almost as if they’ve already begun. Brent Burns and Branko Radivojevic both scored and Niklas Backstrom stopped 29 shots for the Minnesota Wild to give them a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche and break a three-way tie for first ... http://www.nhlhockeyblog.com/2008/03/18/wild-top-avs-alone-in-1st-in-northwest/