CHICAGO (AP) What was left of the United Center crowd was mostly quiet while the final seconds of an era ticked off Tuesday night. There was no big rally for the Chicago Blackhawks. No final charge.It’s over.The NHL playoffs will go on without Chicago for the first time in a decade after the Blackhawks were eliminated from contention with a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Injuries Troy Brouwer Jersey Womens , aging stars and inexperience combined to sink Chicago after a wildly successful run that included three Stanley Cup titles.”It’s been a tough, tough stretch here,” coach Joel Quenneville said.Quenneville was coaching Colorado the last time Chicago missed the playoffs. The former NHL defenseman and the Avalanche decided to part ways after the team was swept by Detroit in the second round of the 2008 postseason, and he replaced Denis Savard after the Blackhawks fired the Hall of Famer four games into the following season.What followed was the most successful decade in franchise history. Led by a core group of stars that included Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, Chicago won three Stanley Cups and reached the conference finals two more times while appearing in the playoffs for nine straight seasons.But it looks as if age and an annual dance with the salary cap might have finally caught up to the Blackhawks (30-35-9), who are last in the Central Division with eight games left on their schedule.”We’ve had some terrific players and some really good teams, real good depth,” Quenneville said. ”We didn’t always have good starts to the season, but had a lot of options to work with as a staff. The building was rocking and we’re good at home http://www.officialavalanche.com/authentic-adidas-sven-andrighetto-jersey , and we’re successful on the road, real consistent.”This has been the one year we’ve been unpredictable in our game, and our possession game has been the one area that we’ve nailed. This year, we didn’t get to that level we needed to get to.”An injury to two-time All-Star goaltender Corey Crawford also contributed to Chicago’s rapid decline. The 33-year-old Crawford hasn’t played since Dec. 23 due to an upper-body injury, and it has been a steep drop-off to backups Anton Forsberg, Jean-Francois Berube and Jeff Glass.The Blackhawks also have been without top forward Marian Hossa all season due to severe side effects from medication to treat a progressive skin disorder. It’s unclear if he will ever play again.”You’re always going to have key injuries,” Quenneville said. ”Always going to have significant injuries, have some things go against you. But we’ve always been able to overcome them and find ways rectify some tough situations and get back on track. This year we’ve been unable to do it.”Chicago still might have been able to make a playoff run if not for its other issues. Toews, Keith and key defenseman Brent Seabrook are showing signs of age after years of long playoff runs and international play. The Blackhawks’ young defensemen have experienced some growing pains, and Brandon Saad has struggled in his return to Chicago after an offseason trade with Columbus.But the Blackhawks just got a closer look at a possible roadmap for a return to contention.The Avalanche are in prime position to return to the playoffs after going 22-56-4 last season. Top goaltender Semyon Varlamov is healthy again after playing in just 24 games a year ago. Mikko Rantanen has developed into an offensive presence at age 21 http://www.officialcanadiensprostore.com/authentic-adidas-phillip-danault-jersey , and rookie Alexander Kerfoot scored twice against Chicago to get to 17 goals on the season.”There’s a great example in the team we played today, and in how far out you can be, and how quickly you can recapture that winning attitude and that feeling and get right back in the race,” Quenneville said after the Blackhawks’ sixth loss in seven games.”The playoff picture’s probably completely different than a lot of people anticipated. That’s how close teams are when they begin a year, and things can go right from goaltending to special teams to top players. There’s a number of ways where you can make a difference and new young players are certainly a part of that equation.”—Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap— CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Mike Smith pumped his fist at the final buzzer, letting himself enjoy another shutout.“That’s the only time of the game I can celebrate, is when we win the game,” Smith said.Smith made 31 saves, Elias Lindholm scored twice and the Calgary Flames beat the Minnesota Wild 2-0 on Thursday night.Smith got his second shutout of the season and 38th of his career. He has won his past five games Womens Craig Smith Jersey , including a victory in relief of David Rittich on Tuesday when Calgary rallied from 4-1 down to beat Columbus 9-6.“It’s always nice, especially in a close game to hear the horn go off at the end and get the two points,” he said.Lindholm got his 14th and 15th goals of the season and has 32 points in 29 games. His career high is 17 goals, reached with Carolina in 2014-15.Johnny Gaudreau and captain Mark Giordano assisted on both goals.“We find ways to score. It’s good for us and good for the team,” Lindholm said. “Smitty made some huge saves for us at key moments so I have to thank him for this one.”Smith didn’t just make an impact in net. He checked Wild leading goal scorer Zach Parise in the second period when the goalie came out of his crease to play the puck.“I wasn’t trying to hit him, I was just trying to protect the puck,” Smith said. “They teach you that in minor hockey, to turn your back and get your big butt out.”Calgary leads the Pacific Division at 18-9-2 and improved to 13-2 this season when scoring the first goal of the game.Alex Stalock stopped 18 shots for the Wild.“I always think for the most part the effort was there, but a lot of our guys weren’t handling the puck well,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. “Alex played a really good game and kept us in there Filip Forsberg Jersey , especially at the beginning.”Minnesota dropped to 1-2 on its trip to five Canadian cities, a first for the franchise.Smith held off Minnesota on a pair of power-play chances in the second period and another to end the game after the Wild pulled Stalock for an extra attacker.“He was good tonight,” Boudreau said. “When he’s on, he’s really on. Everybody knows that. When he’s off, he’s really off.”Lindholm made it 2-0 at 1:13 of the third period when Gaudreau took a stretch pass from Giordano and dished the puck to him alone at the faceoff circle.Minnesota won a first-period challenge of Lindholm’s goal that was ruled offside, but Lindholm scored 50 seconds into the second frame on a 2-on-1 with Gaudreau.Matt Dumba steamrolled Calgary center Mikael Backlund in the final minute of the game. Flames forward Ryan Lomberg went after Dumba, which resulted in a Calgary penalty.“I think it’s showing no respect for the player and for the game,” Lindholm said of Dumba’s check. “They’re down 2-0 and there’s 40 seconds left and I thought he left his feet a little.”NOTES: With two assists, Giordano reached 407 career points and moved past Lanny McDonald into 11th on Calgary’s career list. … Flames forward Michael Frolik (lower body) and defenseman Michael Stone (blood clot) and Juusu Valimaki (lower body) were scratched from the Flames lineup.UP NEXTMinnesota: At Edmonton on Friday.Calgary: Hosts Nashville on Saturday. « Advantages of Playing NetballPatrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks » Weitere Artikel der Kategorie Allgemein |
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