A road to nowhere

Ever root for a team even though you know deep down it won't do any good? We've all experienced that in this space. Brian with his two Buffalo teams. Hasan with the Mets and Jets, who appear to be defying logic 101 with their best player. And of course, yours truly with the Knicks, Rangers and my alma mater St. John's, who tries to bring in a big name coach in hopes of becoming relevant again in college hoops.

What does any of this have to do with the tired subject of the NHL defeating the Devils and Ilya Kovalchuk thanks to Richard Bloch's cap defining decision? Just this. By disallowing the controversial 17-year, $102 million contract, it opened up a pandoras box. A whole new can of worms may have been created, allowing Gary Bettman and his cronies to further investigate similar mega deals that were already approved. But that shouldn't stop a league hell bent on more chaos as we get closer to Armageddon II. In other words, beware Roberto Luongo, Chris Pronger, Marian Hossa and Marc Savard. Didn't Hossa just win a Cup in his first year with Chicago? And Pronger was instrumental in getting the Flyers to the the Final.

Just imagine if Bettman Inc. does the predictable. What are they going to do? Erase history. Something like this is unprecedented. No other league would dare break contracts that already were signed off on. Of course, that won't stop the NHL. Why would it? When has logic ever prevailed? To think that '04-05 was sacrificed so they could get their precious cap. As it turns out, it wasn't good enough. GM's found a way around it by locking up star players long-term. Fittingly, the chaos started thanks to Charles Wang, who inked Rick DiPietro to a then record 15 year, $67.5 million back in '06. That it would be an unorthodox owner who obviously didn't realize the tremendous risk he took in signing the No.1 goalie until the age of 40, speaks to another issue. One which was supposed to go away due to the lockout. Owners were supposed to be fiscally responsible. But here you had the uncanny Islander owner going over the top for a goalie who'd never even won a playoff series. Since, it's been one catastrophe after another with the franchise netminder suffering injury after injury, sidelining him for long stretches.

What's even sadder is that under Wang's leadership if you could call it that, this is the same organization that's still paying Alexei Yashin for the nonsensical 10-year $87.5 million albatross pre-lockout. Hard to comprehend two of the worst contracts coming from a team whose hands are tied, just treading water at the bottom of the cap. While it's easy to look at Glen Sather for many NHL/Ranger fan headaches, it was actually Wang calling the shots over Mike Milbury, which changed organizational philosophy in the Cap Era. Now, such mega contracts are common as more and more teams lock up players before the rules change.

Detroit's done it with both Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. The Flyers also with star captain Mike Richards. The penny pinching Sabres with Thomas Vanek with an assist from Kevin Lowe. At least Darcy Regier got it right with Vezina winner Ryan Miller. Not so much with Jason Pominville. The rating Cup champion Blackhawks have cornerstones Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith tied away along with Hossa, who will be over 40 by the end of his deal. However, other players like Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland and Cristobal Huet forced Stan Bowman to trade away key pieces Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager while letting Antti Niemi and Adam Burish go. That's what the cost of winning has become in a constantly revolving league where more and more players are changing jerseys.

If it's true that there was technically nothing wrong with the Kovalchuk contract under the current CBA, then it's also true that the NHL should be concerned about what these deals are doing. We maybe against the league in this particular fight but they are justified in wanting to make adjustments for the future. Problem is they can't do it now. Dragging more players into this mess would do an incredible disservice for a sport that's coming off an exciting Cup where a major market won for the first time in half a century. Ratings were up and popularity was as well. The game doesn't need another post '94 when it was also hot before they locked out the players. How many times does a disorganized NHLPA take it on the chin? The players are the product and want to play.

When it starts up again sooner than you think, the focus needs to be on hockey. Not the current nonsense. It's called good PR. Like a classic Run DMC hit, time for the NHL to check itself before it wrecks itself.

Better Late Than Never

It's hard to believe we finally return and a wild 2009-10 has commenced with the Chicago Blackhawks ending a long drought- thanks to Patrick Kane's sudden death sneaker thru Michael Leighton's wickets which only he knew was in, stunning Philadelphia, Doc Emrick and NBC to deliver the Original Six franchise's first Cup since 1961.

Kudos to Conn Smythe captain Jonathan Toews and dynamic running mate Kane, who helped lead one of the league's most riveting young teams to the sport's pinnacle. Amazing how quickly Joel Queenville's club did it too, going from last Spring's rise to the Conference Final all the way to champions in two postseasons. Awesome stuff from arguably the most talented, rich roster in the game. Duncan Keith was a beast all year teaming with overlooked partner Brent Seabrook to form the best tandem. The third time was the charm for Marian Hossa, who overcame the fluky Scott Hartnell equalizer off his skate after Queeneville foolishly sat back, forcing dramatics. Good for Hossa, who this time was much more effective these playoffs. Though he only lit the lamp three times, the star was superb in all facets, hustling all over the ice and setting example.

While Hossa redeemed himself, what could be said about Dave Bolland and Dustin Byfuglien? Both were money during the magical run, scoring and setting up big goals as well as throwing their weight around. You could easily make the argument that Bolland- not Toews- was Chi-town's best player and deserved playoff MVP. But they went with the overall playoff leading scorer who certainly dominated Vancouver and San Jose as these Blackhawks went through a tough trio of Nashville, Vancity and San Jose. Remarkably, the division rival Preds pushed them the most, coming very close to leading 3-2 before the Hawks rallied to win it.

Enough can't be said about Patrick Sharp, who notched timely goals during the run, including some daggers against his former team for Lord Stanley. The Flyers didn't exactly come out on top in that trade. Hell. Even former pest Ben Eager got them early in the series, helping the Windy City go up two-nil before Peter Laviolette's pesky bunch got back in it. If ever a team deserved a better fate, it was this tough Flyer bunch who never heard the words 'give up.' No matter what obstacles (injuries, 0-3 down), they were a T-E-A-M, proving it with determined play that even won over this rival fan. Anyone who knows me knows I got no love for the Flyers but they really get mad props. You represented our conference proudly, showing that never say die attitude that only Rocky could appreciate. And you can bet the legions of Philly fanatics who booed Santa stood proudly even after Kane's stunner, leading to the most anti-climatic ending in Cup history. Yeah. Elias to Arnott was a lot better a decade prior.


Kudos to Jeff Carter, Ian Laperriere and especially Simon Gagne for igniting the orange and black back with the OT winner staving off elimination at Wachovia in Game Four versus Beantown. We all know what happened afterwards. One of the most historic playoff comebacks ever. And to think, they dismantled the Habs and had Chicago concerned before the wild end to the Cup. Would it have shocked anyone if the Flyers had pulled that out, they go into United Center and win the series? Considering how tough they were led by Mike Richards and royal pain Chris Pronger, not at all. Look at the contributions they got from Scott Hartnell, Claude Giroux and former Wing Ville Leino, who really came of age during the special run.


And what of the unlikely netminding duo of Leighton and Brian Boucher? Two journeymen taking this team who snuck in thanks to Bouch outshining Henrik Lundqvist in the shootout, nearly doing the unthinkable. Who needs goaltending? When one of his netminders seemed off, Laviolette had the magic touch or even a weird injury like to Boucher versus Boston allowing Leighton to come in and steal the show. When you have a blueline led by Pronger and big minute logger Kimmo Timonen, it really helps.
As Hasan noted much earlier during his team's first round ouster, this wasn't your normal low seventh seed that just made the cut. They had star power up front and on D and it showed all Spring.


There also were heart and soul types like Blair Betts and Laperriere risking themselves with tenacity on the PK. Hence. Lappy taking one to the eye when the Devils were all but finished. The kind of yeoman work you need to go deep. It was that kinda gritty effort that made Philly so proud of these Flyers, who brought that Broad Street mentality with them. In the end, even though they came up a little short of delivering the franchise's first Cup in 35 years, the orange and black were winners.


No wonder the series was so popular, garnering excellent ratings which demonstrate just how far the game's come. It helped to have two of the largest markets, who boast strong fanbases. However, the action was fast, furious and ferocious. Precisely the kind of in your face playoff hockey we can appreciate. In the end, the best team won.


As it turned out, Antti Niemi was a little better than Leighton, who the Hawks chased a couple of times en route to becoming champions. A Finn getting his name on the chalice who wasn't exactly a household name. He didn't have to be.


A toast to both cities on an outstanding Cup Final.





Sincerely,






BONY's Derek Felix

Goals A Plenty

How to describe last night's Blackhawk 6-5 home win over the Flyers in Game One? Unpredictably offensive. Never have I seen so many goals on such a big stage. You had to love it if you were an NBC exec. The exciting, edge of your seat opener earned the best rating in 11 years with the 2.8 turned in bringing back flashbacks of Sabres-Stars (3.7) on Fox. Heck. It was 12 percent higher than last year's Pens-Wings rematch. Sidney who?

The two traditional markets kicked off this year's Stanley Cup Final with a bang, combining for 11 goals and six lead changes with unsung hero Tomas Kopecky getting the last laugh by outwaiting Brian Boucher for the deciding marker with 11:35 left in the contest. The key sub was in for Andrew Ladd and paid huge dividends, giving Chicago its first win in the Final since 1973 when they fell in six to Montreal. Nearly two decades later, they were swept by the Super Mario Pens. Oddly enough, Pitt's Cup clincher to repeat was an identical 6-5 margin. Last night marked the first time that many goals had been scored since. Hopefully, a franchise that hasn't won Lord Stanley in 49 years will net a different result. If you didn't get enough of the goalfest, Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski has all 11 broken down.

“A lot of action. Shootout at the OK Corral,” deadpanned Chicago coach Joel Quenneville. “Things settled down as the game progressed. Certainly, I don’t think anybody envisioned 5-5 heading into the third period.”

Queeneville's deep club did it despite getting zilch from the top line of Dustin Byfuglien, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, who went a combined minus-nine with Big Buff losing his first battle against Chris Pronger- who fared better tallying two assists, five shots, four hits, two blocked shots and finished plus-two in over 32 minutes. Despite not playing close to their best, Chicago still showed enough resiliency to pull it out thanks to big performances from Kopecky (G, A), Troy Brouwer (2-1-3), Marian Hossa (2 A) and Dave Bolland (SHG, A), Kris Versteeg (G, A) and Niklas Hjalmarsson (2 A, 4 blocked shots). The Hawks' biggest edge showed up, overcoming a four-point night from Daniel Briere (10th G, 3 A), who was the best player. With 27 seconds left in the first, he followed up his own rebound putting the Flyers ahead 3-2. Late in the second, it was his brilliant cross-ice pass to Arron Asham which tied it at five.

It still wasn't enough. The Blackhawks responded with a much better third, using their puck possession and speed to control the tempo. Eventually, it led to the winner. Thanks to an unreal diving keep by Brent Seabrook, the puck stayed in where Bolland and Versteeg combined to set up a wide open Kopecky, who calmly went around Boucher and hit the net. Great composure shown by the ex-Wing who played a whale of a game with Ladd out, also assisting on Versteeg's tally that made it 4-4 halfway through. From there, Antti Niemi shook off a poor first 40 minutes turning aside all six Flyer shots in the third, including a nice glove save on a long Briere try from 50. With Boucher pulled, a Pronger one-timer went wide as the final seconds ticked off giving an ecstatic United Center of over 22,000 strong victory.

Despite falling, the Flyers did many things well including establishing their physicality (40 hits to 37) while connecting once on four power plays while failing to take a single penalty. Though you'd definitely get some argument from the Hawk faithful. They did miss a couple. And as NBC's Doc Emrick noted, kinda odd that the road team got the only PP's. Don't expect that for Game Two tomorrow. But then again, can we really get a duplicate of the fun chaos that ensued last night? The Blackhawk stars weren't alone with the Flyers getting nothing from Mike Richards, Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne, who were a combined minus-seven. Claude Giroux wasn't any better going minus-two without a shot. Peter Laviolette's club got strong games out of Scott Hartnell (G, 2 A), Wing castaway Ville Leino (G, A), the aforementioned Briere, Pronger and Asham (G, A). Even former Ranger Blair Betts scored his first postseason goal since '06 when he rang one off the post and in from the right circle. Nice to see unless you're John Tortorella.

Not so nice was the performance of Michael Leighton, who was chased from the net after permitting five on 20 shots. Even if the last wasn't his fault, the journeyman's off day forced Laviolette to go to Boucher, who in his return since a Game Four injury versus Boston two rounds prior was solid, making 11 saves. Does the Cup experienced coach stay with him or go back to a shaky Leighton? We're banking on Bouch.
Hartnell is hoping the ice will be better.

“It’s really chippy. A lot of snow accumulates really fast, so after the first couple of minutes you don’t see those nice crisp passes and things like that. It’s hot outside and humid and stuff like that so hopefully they’ll be able to do a better job for Game 2, the ice guys.”

"It’s so hot outside, I don’t know if you could do anything about it,” echoed Versteeg while noting the difference after the first 10 minutes had been played.

“The last 10, it heats up a bit. There’s nothing they can do about it. They’re not going to change the temperature or anything like that. They’re not going to tell the people to stop screaming and opening doors.”

But as Hartnell's experienced 'mate Pronger points out, it's something he's accustomed to.

“I don’t think it’s any worse than it was in Anaheim or Carolina. As you progress in the playoffs, the ice gets a little bit softer.”
Regardless, it's the same for both sides. Let's drop the puck for Game Two!

Cup Preview: Someone Has To Win

Tomorrow night, the Stanley Cup Final finally gets going. It'll be a battle between two Cup starved franchises that haven't sipped from Lord Stanley in quite a while.

On one side, you got the surprising Flyers looking to bring the trophy back to Broad Street for the first time since winning their only two back-to-back in 1974 and 1975. The miraculous comeback from 3-0 down stunning Boston has Peter Laviolette's club looking like a team of destiny. Boosted by the return of Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere, they finished off Montreal in five. Captain Mike Richards has led the charge with 21 points (6-15-21) playing in every key situation. He's gotten plenty of help from Daniel Briere and Claude Giroux, who've combined for 17 goals. Chris Pronger (4-10-14) has been brilliant anchoring the D while actually making Matt Carle into a viable option.

Without Simon Gagne's amazing return (7 G), Ville Leino's (12 Pts in 13 GP) surprising contributions and the goaltending of tandem Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton, the orange and black aren't here. It all makes for a tremendous story. Something a Ranger blogger and Devil blogger hate to admit. If they pull this off, you have to tip your cap. We're sure the Rangers will be the main source of frustration. Damn Olli Jokinen and silly skill comps. At least Blair Betts is vying for the hardware. Silly Tort.

Standing in their way are the Blackhawks, who are searching for the franchise's first Cup since 1961 when Bobby Hull starred. They've made the Final four times since losing every single one. The last in 1992 to the mighty Pens, who swept them. Nearly two decades later, here are a different batch of Hawks focused on making history. Led by Conn Smythe candidate/captain Jonathan Toews (7-19-26, 3 GW), Joel Queeneville's club has backed up last year's run to the Conference Finals by taking the next step. They'll have home ice and face immense pressure in a city that's still haunted by Steve Bartman. Can a talented squad led by Toews and running mate Patrick Kane (7-13-20) deliver a fourth championship to the Windy City? They'll have to overcome the obstacle of Marian Hossa. The gifted Slovak has made it here three consecutive years losing with Pittsburgh and Detroit the past two years. Is the third time the charm for one of the biggest superstar teases? He'll have to do better than two goals in the first three rounds.

While much of the focus is on him, these Hawks boast incredible depth led by money performer Dustin Byfuglien, who's netted half his eight as deciders including two in sudden death. It should be fun to watch Big Buff battle Pronger in front. Patrick Sharp and Dave Bolland have been instrumental with the latter scoring backbreaking goals on breakaways. Kris Versteeg, Troy Brouwer and Cup proven John Madden should give them an edge. Norris hopeful Duncan Keith (1-9-10) anchors the D along with Brent Seabrook (3-6-9 +8) who'll be severely tested by the Flyer forecheck. Brian Campbell could be a key. Meanwhile, Antti Niemi has silenced critics in net keeping Cristobal Huet as far away from ruining it. Can he ace the final test?

It really shapes up to be a good series. Both these teams boast speed and are very effective on the forecheck. The Flyers looking to control the back boards. The Hawks similar but with more skill. Keep an eye on their pinpoint passing. Both teams are effective on special teams. An area that figures to be a real key to who prevails. Of course, whoever can get to the goalie first should have an edge. Boucher returns if Leighton falters. Huet has only seen three shots the whole Spring. Never discount coaching. Laviolette has been here before guiding Carolina to the Cup in 2006. He usually pushes the right buttons and is a master motivator. Queeneville's a good coach but the edge goes to the Flyer bench.

Two big markets battle for the most prestigious trophy in sports. As long as it isn't onesided, figure the series to fare well. I see it going at least six. My heart says Blackhawks but my gut says Flyers. We'll start getting some answers tomorrow on this Memorial Day weekend.

About those Canucks

Well, it looks like it's another wasted year for the Canucks. They couldn't follow up a fantastic season with a deep playoff run as both Hasan and myself foresaw. Ironically, each of us (Devils/Rangers) took them to the Cup Final with Has having them fall to the Ovechkin Caps while I had the 'Nucks winning it all over the Sabres. That collective thud you just heard was our predictions going right into the dumpster.

Hey. Who had the Habs over the Caps and pushing the Crosby Pens to Game Seven tonight? Did anyone take the Bruins deep and figured things were okay until the banged up Flyers woke up? Can they really comeback from 0-3 down?!?!?!?!?! You better believe the B's want no part of a deciding game even if it's in their building.

Yes indeed, these playoffs have been wackier than usual. At least the Sharks as Has accurately predicted are in their second Western Conference Final- not first Versus! Can they ever get their facts straight instead of making their talent look like morons? Almost as bad as having two games going at the same exact time in the East. Thanks for nothing NBC. Take your beloved golf and shove it. Especially Tiger. Thankfully, we won't have a repeat of Monday with the win or go home Montreal/Pittsburgh tilt going off at 7 while Boston/Philadelphia starts an hour later. Before I get to the original subject, let me just point out that the Bruins and Flyers are playing Game Six after the Canadiens and Penguins face off for their series conclusion. How does that work exactly? Okay. Enough about the Bettman-ization of the NBA errrr NHL.

Now to the latest Vancouver mess again proving what a fraud Roberto Luongo is. Like many including Puck Daddy Greg Wyshynski, who also had these Canucks all the way, I thought this batch were better. It all seemed lined up. A dominant top line that featured probable MVP Henrik Sedin, twin brother Daniel Sedin and fired up fellow Swede Mikael Samuelsson. Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Mason Raymond, Pavol Demitra, Steve Bernier and Kyle Wellwood along with a balanced blueline that included Sami Salo (insert balls joke), Kevin Bieksa, Christian Ehrhoff, Alex Edler and Shane O'Brien should've been enough to take them further. Even without top defender Willie Mitchell, this is a bitter pill to swallow for Alain Vigneault's crew which finished off a hat trick falling 5-1, dropping all three home games to the grittier Blackhawks in the series.

Make it two consecutive Springs Chicago has ended their season. Both in six. Last year as a lower seed highlighted by Patrick Kane's hat trick. This time, as a No.2 to Vancouver's No.3 coming back from a blowout home Game One loss to take four of the next five. Unthinkable. Not taking anything away from Joel Queeneville's talented bunch that prominently features Conn Smythe candidate Jonathan Toews (6-14-20), Kane, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, series tormentor Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Brian Campbell and Antti Niemi. The Hawks are formidable and worthy of a second straight Final Four appearance where they'll battle the Sharks for the Campbell Trophy.

While it will be refreshing to see new blood vying for Lord Stanley, it doesn't take the Canucks off the hook. They lost to a more disciplined team who turned the series around thanks to Byfuglien. It was his first career playoff hat trick in a Game Three 5-2 win which shifted the momentum. The big 6-4, 257 pound American was moved up by Queeneville to the top line flanking Toews and Kane. Entering that pivotal game, he previously had no points in Chicago's first eight postseason games. From that point, Big Buff recorded four goals and two assists while racking up 10 penalty minutes. Even with it, he used his big frame to make life difficult on Luongo, doing whatever it took to get to the Vancouver netminder. Textbook screening, strong skating, grit that drove the Canucks crazy and finishing. It was in Game Four that the 'Nucks anger boiled over losing their heads by going after Byfuglien. The result was three power play goals allowed and an ugly 7-4 loss putting them on the brink. Though they responded with a 5-2 win in enemy territory, the Canucks couldn't follow it up with a first win in British Columbia. Instead, the 5-1 disgrace further teased their fans who roundly booed. In three home games, they were outscored 17-7. Just brutal.

So, what went wrong? Aside from Niemi outplaying Luongo, the Hawks got strong performances from Toews, Kane and Hossa who despite three points, was very effective on the forecheck. With Toews torching Vancouver for 12 points (4-8-12) including a five-point explosion that included a hat trick, it was one of the Olympic standouts who outshined The Sedins. They didn't get much help with Samuelsson and Daniel only netting one goal apiece, Kesler none and little from first round heroes Bernier and Demitra. Meanwhile, Chicago saw Byfuglien and Versteeg come to life while Dave Bolland also picked it up. Lineup addition Troy Brouwer notched his first goal starting it off yesterday followed by Versteeg 36 seconds later in the second. Louie had little chance on either but Bolland's shorthander with 45 seconds left was a back breaker. He was pressured from behind but still snuck the puck thru Roberto's wickets. One he definitely should've had. At that big moment, you expect a goalie of his caliber to make a momentum turning save. Instead, it flattened their chances.

Sure. O'Brien scored 3:44 into the third giving the league's best come from behind team life. However, despite tons of pressure, they couldn't get another past Niemi, who got help from his D. Before you knew it, there was Kane breaking in and beating Luongo with a change up, letting the air out of the balloon. Only 25 ticks later, Byfuglien broke in on the pedestrian goalie and easily whistled one upstairs for 5-1. On it, it seemed that Luongo gave up, totally off his angle. If he really did and only he knows, it was a sad display. He may have won Olympic gold in relief of Martin Brodeur on a stacked Canada but he was never the same afterwards. The five rebound goals he permitted in Game Three summed it up. For a goalie who always receives high accolades as one of the game's elite, Luongo has advanced past the first round three times. Three series victories before falling apart. Not the kind of playoff resume one would expect. Of course, it wasn't all his fault. His teammates didn't perform well. Perhaps this quote tells you everything.

"I don't think they're a better team than us, but maybe a smarter team."

In the playoffs, you can't just rely on talent. There's also work ethic and discipline plus consistency. Without those three, you morph into the Devils. The one team who didn't come to play. Though we're learning more about why they didn't bother. How is it that Jacques Lemaire resorted to text messages to inform players he earlier told were playing that he changed his mind? Is this the issue in Vancity? Hardly. Do they got the right mix? We believed they did. Was Mitchell missed that much? He sure wouldn't have allowed Byfuglien to run rampant. Right now, the Canucks are as much a mystery as the post-lockout Devs. Difference is one franchise has three Cups. When does it finally change for Vancouver? Will they ever make it back? 1994 is a long time ago. Try telling Dolan.

Until they get H-E-A-R-T, it looks like the Vancouver Canucks have officially replaced San Jose as playoff Tinmen. They sure had us fooled.

Canada hangs on for dear life, USA-Canada dream match-up set

If you caught the frantic finish, that was something else. Who ever would've believed that Canada up three against Slovakia with 20 minutes left wasn't a lock for the gold medal game Sunday versus Team USA? Sure. They held on by the skin of their teeth, eeking out a 3-2 win over the feisty Slovaks who just wouldn't quit despite no Marian Gaborik the final period. Insert Ranger fire alarms in 5...4...3...2...1.

For 50 minutes, Slovakia still trailed by the same three-goal margin that made the Canadians look like a shoe in for NBC's dream match-up. Then things got interesting when Roberto Luongo allowed a clunker to pinching Lubomir Visnovsky, whose close backhand slipped past the Vancouver netminder with under nine minutes left. Suddenly with more jump than they had the first 40 in which they only tested Louie nine times, the more confident Slovaks won all the battles. Not shockingly, they took more shots (12 or 13) in the unpredictable third no one saw coming.

Especially a bunch of confident Canadians who chanted, "We Want USA, We Want USA," with under 10 minutes to play. Even when their country still tried to attack, Jaroslav Halak made the stops and his D led by Zdeno Chara transitioned the puck through the neutral zone without a problem. Suddenly, Marian Hossa, Pavol Demitra, Ziggy Palffy, Michal Handzus, Jozef Stumpel and Tomas Kopecky became dangerous. A couple of nights removed from one of the most heartless performances ever against the same loaded roster, here was a persistent team who exemplified what these Winter Games are about.

The stronger commitment continued to pay dividends when Handzus batted a loose Richard Zednik backhand wraparound out of mid-air past Luongo, stunning everyone wearing Canadian colors. Two goals in less than three and a half minutes had cut it to one with still four and change left. No longer were there any chants other than "Go Canada Go, Go Canada Go," by some antsy red and white fans who had to be dying at the thought of possibly being taken to sudden death.

Slovakia did everything in their power to get it tied, even forcing Luongo to come up with a couple of tough stops from in tight on Hossa. It all came down to the final 60 seconds which were just as wild and crazy as one would expect. Maybe too much so for Canada, who couldn't get out of their zone.

With Halak on the bench for an extra attacker, a couple of excellent keeps including one by Visnovsky gave them their big chance to force four-on-four overtime. A give-and-go was worked to Hossa, whose low shot from the right circle caromed off Luongo to Demitra with three ticks remaining. Earlier, Louie's teammate was stoned twice on a loose scramble. This time, with Roberto dead to rights, his shot didn't go. Somehow, the sprawling hometown favorite kept it out along with maybe an assist from the crossbar as time ran out, leaving Demitra heartbroken.

The veteran who's been banged up a lot this year had nothing to be ashamed of as did any of his 'mates with many on their final tour as he referred to it. They'd given Canada everything they could've wanted. When the two countries shook hands in still the finest tradition, Demitra and Luongo shared a laugh before the accomplished center and his proud team saluted their sticks to a relieved crowd. Canada did likewise to grant them their wish.

USA vs Canada for all the marbles. The greatest scenario NBC could've ever dreamed of. Who ever would've believed our country would be the only one left unbeaten looking to run the table and beat their North American rival twice for gold? Eight years ago, they took it on our home soil in Salt Lake. Now, the Americans have a chance to turn the tables in hostile territory much the way another Ron Wilson-led squad shocked Canada in 1996. Only this is much bigger.

Can the sizzling top line of Zach Parise, Paul Stastny and captain America Jamie Langenbrunner continue to dominate as they did earlier today combining for half the club's six tallies? Will two-goal scorer Patrick Kane get the better of Chicago 'mates Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook? Can muckers Ryan Malone, Dustin Brown, David Backes, Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan continue winning the battles in the trenches like they have all tournament long? Will Bobby Ryan burn his Duck teammates Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer? Can Ryan Kesler get the better of Louie? Will Brian Rafalski's magical Winter Games continue alongside Ryan Suter? And can Ryan Miller continue to prove that just maybe he's the best goalie in the game by outperforming both Martin Brodeur and Luongo?

All these questions and more won't get answered until 3 ET/12 PT Sunday at Hockey Canada Place. And like the rest, we can hardly wait. Drop the puck already!

USA/Canada a period away

Thus far, it looks like the much anticipated USA/Canada rematch for Olympic gold is in line. After the Americans dominated Finland with a six goal first period barrage including five in 5:54, the host Canadians lead Slovakia 3-zip after two periods. They've outshot the Cinderella 21-9, getting goals off the sticks of Patrick Marleau, Brenden Morrow and Ryan Getzlaf.

All three have come via simple North American style plays. Three point shots from D with the opening deuce in the first both via redirects by Marleau (video review confirmed) and hit machine Morrow, who's suddenly his country's most visible player. The third came with under five to go in the second when Getzlaf whipped a backhand rebound past Jaroslav Halak for a power play goal, cashing in an undisciplined Richard Zednik hold of the stick 200 feet away.

When called upon Roberto Luongo has stopped everything one by one as Canada's D has limited the skilled Slovaks, who have overpassed. Marian Hossa and Marian Gaborik have had chances but were unable to get them on net. Down three, former Islander Ziggy Palffy had the best opportunity off a turnover but his five-hold try on a mini-break was shutdown by Louie.

Unless Slovakia can produce a miracle of their own, it looks like USA/Canada will vie for gold eight years later. But this time in Vancouver and not Salt Lake. If it comes off, can the Americans return the favor? Still one more period left before it becomes official.

Canada vs Slovakia Preview

One more game to decide who will meet Team USA for Olympic gold. Will it be the expected Canadian/American rematch from Salt Lake '02 or can the true underdog Slovakia continue their great run? Few gave them a shot against defending champ Sweden. Hey. That was one we actually had. Go figure.

Obviously, Jaroslav Halak has to be huge for his country to stand a chance tonight. He'll need plenty of help from one of the Games' best Marian Gaborik, who looks all the way back from his bad hip.The Great Gabby has finished all tournament while Marian Hossa along with savvy vets Pavol Demitra, Richard Zednik, Jozef Stumpel and Ziggy Palffy have all played superbly as has two-way pivot Michal Handzus and Miro Satan. As expected, Zdeno Chara has been a tower of strength anchoring an overlooked blueline that includes Lubomir Visnovsky, Andrej Sekera and Milan Jurcina. Hell. Even Andrej Meszaros has been okay. Can they pull another shocker?

It's coming up next.

Hossa to Pens, Rangers add Backman to blueline

Marian Hossa is on his way to the Penguins for prospect Angelo Esposito and forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen.

Analysis: Wow! What a deal that is for the Pens. They lost only two depth forwards and got one of the better scoring forwards in the league. Figure Crosby gets to center him when he returns leaving Malkin to play with Sykora and Malone as they've formed a great chemistry. The Thrashers did get Esposito in the deal and he was highly rated. So maybe it works out for them as well.

The Rangers acquired D Christian Backman from the Blues in exchange for a fourth round pick.

Analysis: A smart move by Glen Sather not overpaying like so many other teams did today. He got a serviceable defender instead who should fill in nicely for the injured Paul Mara.