Erskine called up....

Johnson in goal.

2:37 in, the Caps go on the PP- Bettman hockey is alive and well.

Caps can take this one
Despite the Cup , I am still not sold on the Canes .
Ward has looked shaky in the replays I have seen this year .


Should be a fun night on my side of the world
Wind warning followed by a heavy rain warning



Tucker just scored for Tor
1-0 in Bos

2 offsides and a weak effort later, it's back to ES.

speaking of Bettman hockey
lastnight in a women's tourney game there was 30 pp's in the Sweden/Can game !

Cole scores.....

one of the Caps went for a big hit and missed just inside their own blueline, and Cole shot down the ice.

1-0 Canes.

This scares me
Once again there is talk about clean hits that result in injury.
Many seem to want big time hits removed .

It was Pothier tried for the hit, and he couldn't recover.

Caps seem disorganized so far- almost like they think they don't have to work at it. Not saying they're lax, but they're still living on last game from what I can see.

Now the Canes get the PP, as Brashear hooks on the play.

another bettmanism
The Ducks can set a NHL record tonight for getting points in their first 16 games of the season .
They are tied with the 84/85 OIlers for a 15 game streak

Of course back then ,the OIlers did not get a point for losing !

Erskine proves worthy of the callup by leveling Ladd in open ice in front of Johnson.

Nice.

Yashin just scored in Philly
NYI 1
Philly 0

Holding on Morrisonn, and the Canes get :23 of 5 on 3, and another PP.

Eminger stick block and a clear, and it's 5 on 4......

And they kill it all off. Good work.

Did HOLLY sing the anthem ?

5:17 left 1st, the Caps go shorthanded again- another hook. They just look........

flat. Too big a win last game, I guess.

I don't know- they cut away to commercials while that happened.

Erskine looks pretty good- good poke check to save a SOG, good work everywhere so far. On the PK......

killed it again, and BJ saves a goal with a toe save.

2:30 left, but most of this period has been in the Canes' O zone.

TB acquires Corso from Philly for Darren Reid
Never heard of either of these guys

Tor just made it 2-0 in Beantown
I heard BOOS from the Beanies

NYI are also up 2-0 now

TSN just showed Erskine hit

Just under 1:00, the Canes come down on a 2 on 1 break, and......

Erskine goes flat to the ice, and takes the puck away from the man. This guy is going to stick, if he plays like this all the time.

I hope Erskine sticks


Tor end the first in Bos up 3-0

just showed the Flyers hilites and I definitely heard BOOS from the philly faithful
ex cap Simon has picked up a helper

Let's see some stats....

SOGs 12-3 Canes (ouch!)

Hits 7-3 Caps

Takes 6-1 Caps

Blocks 4-4

Faceoffs 10 of 18 Canes, 56%

Penalties 3 for 6:00 for the Caps, 1 for 2:00 for the Canes.

No O will not win this game for the Caps. And the (A)O was all but invisible in the first.

Rats- Gordon had a great chance, and Ward stopped him twice. Still 1-0 Canes.

Most of this so exciting, I didn't notice the first 4:00 of the period had gone by.

hawks and Devs are tied at 1

Mostly a snoozefest here, but now Semin gets taken down and the Caps get a PP- maybe they'll do something with this one.

And now 1:15 of 5 on 3..... they better get at least 1 out of this, or get on the bus.

Bruins pull Thomas after the first per
hasn't helped
5-1 Tor now

And now Semin gets crosschecked into the boards, and another Canes' penalty- this one won't start until the first 5 on 3 is over, so the Caps have about 1:40 of 5 on 3 coming.

Peter L. calls his timeout.

Ward with a great stop..... another save..... and a third.

you should always score when you have a 2 manner for over a min

Nothing on the entire 5 on 3. The crowd goes wild....

and now with :16 left, a Canes' steal and a Caps' penalty.

Ugh.

tsn just showed the caps two manner
not that impressive

At least the Canes' PP unit is as ineffective as the Caps', this evening. Back to even strength. Ward did make a great stop of a Bradley deflection while the PK unit was out there. 5:30 left in the 2nd, and.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Bad news for the Leafs
Raycroft leaves the game with an injury
doesn't look bad(he skated off without any help)

5-2 now

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ?
I thought these two teams are great rivals !
Just ask Bettman

I haven't noticed Ovechkin much all game, and just now Laughlin said that after the last shift "There goes Ovie to the bench, maybe a little banged up- he's limping off". Nothing serious, I don't think, but this isn't even close to his average effort tonight.

Green to the box again, another PK with 2:52 left 2nd.

Pavel Kubina was supposed to make his return to the Leafs lineup
but he ain't here
flown back to the Czech Republic because his girlyfriend is having his baby

Me thinks he shoulda flown this gal to Tor many months ago .I would not be happy if I was in the Leafs management

And a deflection and a score at 1:57 left.

2-0 Canes, might be Cole again. Johnson moves right, the puck moves left on him. Under review....... it's good.

2-0.

And at 1:47, another penalty- Erskine this time.

This game is so zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Laughlin just thought Kolzig was in goal when describing the replay (I can't really get on him about it, though- at the game the other night, I said they were putting Billington in....).

that is twice I have heard Billington's name this night .

2-0 end 2nd, Canes with :13 left on the PP to start the 3rd.

Ovechkin finally geta a good SOG, but Ward is more than up to the task.

3:05 gone in the 3rd, and.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dipeitro(sp?) was flopping around the ice like a flounder out of water and the Flyers still could not score
3-0 NYI

Finally a 2 on1 break, and Johnson is beaten.

3-0. Staal.

Tkachuk just scored his 450 career goal

2-1 Blues over the BJ's

oops
Kelsa just tied it at 2

Caps' game in a word tonight- flat.

Laughlin trying to jinx Ward by mentioning he's never had a shutout.....

that is like saying Macbeth to an actor !

Now Laughlin "takes it back", since Ward had 2 shutouts in the playoffs.

Meanwhile, it's 4-0 off a turnover.

the Nucks may be changing their uni's again for next year

McCaw sold his 50 % of the team today

It's a top hat for Eric Cole-  5-0.

tsn just showed Cole's 3rd one


scott walker was a good pick up for the canes

That's it for me. If you can't score on an extended 5-on-3 PP, you can't win.

...and this from Carolina's play-by-play announcer on the Center Ice Feed:

"Eric Cole has a hat trick...and we can finally give away a tractor."

________________________

ANNIE
I’ve never even been to a hockey game.

EDWIN
Well you fit into this town perfectly.

the Leafs are pulling a "senators" tonight

it's now 5-4
there big lead seems to be vanishing

I want a tractor !

Mercifully, this one's over.

5-0 final.

Leafs managed to hang on
6-4
en goal sews it up for them

5-0....ouch !
see ya next game

I have Ana in Van to watch in half an hour