The Philadelphia Flyers started a postseason hero in goal, who gave up three goals on eight shots in 19:48 and was pulled. They brought back their all-star defenseman and attitudinal guide Chris Pronger to strictly play on the power play (4:33), where he didn't produce a point and picked up two penalty minutes.

They got down 2-0 in an elimination game on the road, and then 3-1, then 4-3. They came back every time, and then forced a Game 7 in this unpredictable series on this Ville Leino goal at 4:43 in overtime, for the 5-4 win.

Kris Versteeg makes this play happen: Alertly firing a second shot after Paul Gaustad blocked it. Ryan Miller, who had an inconsistent game to put it kindly, blocked it away high after a Mike Richards tip. Chris Butler, having a rough day with two minor penalties, couldn't box out Leino for the game-winner.

That the Flyers won this game with the goaltending they received was nothing short of miraculous. Michael Leighton was terrible: Rob Niedermayer's goal was soft. One of Thomas Vanek's was in slow-motion, another snuck through the five hole. The one goal Brian Boucher let in was a whiff on a Nathan Gerbe shot.

And yet here we are, in a Game 7 on Tuesday in Philly, which is a tribute to the resiliency of the Flyers that play in front of the crease.

A few thoughts:

• Danny Briere now has five goals in six playoff games, after 12 in 23 last season. In his career, Briere has 90 points in 92 playoff games. He used to be viewed as an overpaid, soft player; he's now one of the best playoff performers in the NHL, no debate.

• Quintessential Mike Richards game: Dangerous hit on Tim Connolly, shoving his head into the glass on a boarding penalty. (Leaving it as a minor was the right call. Coach Lindy Ruff thinks it's "something the League definitely has to take a look at" and the Connolly is "out.") And yet he had the primary helpers on the game-tying and game-winnng goal, and led all Flyers forward in shifts (32). If you're saying your wouldn't take him on your team, you're lying.

• Reader Steve Lansky with the line of the day: "Maybe Nathan Gerbe's signature move should be to dive into a photographer's hole."

• Again, it's an unpredictable series. But did anyone get the sense late in this game that the Sabres are going to regret not closing this out in six?

CHICAGO -- When Cory Schneider led the Vancouver Canucks onto the ice before Game 6 at the United Center on Sunday night, it was the first sign that something was amiss with Roberto Luongo.

Any suspicion that it was strictly a play of gamesmanship by the Canucks ended soon thereafter, when Canucks defenseman Dan Hamhuis confirmed to Versus that the team had been told Sunday morning that Roberto Luongo was not starting the pivotal Game 6 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

"He's been just as steady as Lou all year," Hamhuis said of Schneider. "We're just going to talk to him early and try to clear the front of the net. Try to make it as easy as possible."

So Schneider, with 35 NHL regular season games to his credit, makes his first Stanley Cup Playoff start. Roberto Luongo, with the $10 million base salary this season and the contract that runs through 2022, sits.

Coach Alain Vigneault yanked Luongo in the previous two games, both losses that allowed the Blackhawks to climb to within 3-2 in the series.

The starting lineup sheets bolded the name of Schneider, the 25-year-old who went 16-4 this season filling in for the Vezina Trophy finalist. Injury talk swirled before the game, but Mark Spector of Sportsnet reported that Canucks management confirmed Luongo was not hurt. Luongo was in goal during warm-ups.

Finishing off Chicago has been anything but easy. The Blackhawks have dispatched Vancouver each of the last two years, and the 10 goals Luongo allowed on 40 shots the last two games prompted the change.

The panic button has officially been plunged by Vigneault.

UPDATE: At 2:31 of the third period, Michael Frolik of the Blackhawks scored on a penalty shot, and Schneider was injured trying to make the save. After making 17 stops on 20 shots, he left the game and Luongo re-entered for the Canucks with the score tied 3-3.

Here's the shot and the injury:

It took Barry Trotz, the only coach in Nashville Predators history, exactly 984 regular season games, 34 playoff games and more time spent on the hot seat than a lifeguard.

It took David Legwand, their first NHL Entry Draft pick (second overall in 1998) exactly 768 regular season games, 31 playoff games and 12 years of not meeting expectations.

But in Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, in front of a delirious home crowd, they combined to do something unprecedented in Predators franchise history: Earning the right to play on into the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with a 4-2 victory that eliminated the Anaheim Ducks.

Trotz expertly managing the roster; Legwand scoring the empty netter with 9.2 seconds remaining to clinch the victory. No two individuals better exemplify this franchise's battle for respect.

But, in true underdog fashion, the Predators had to feel like they'd been screwed before they could wallow in the ecstasy of playoff success.

In the third period, with the score tied 2-2, Patric Hornqvist tipped a shot from the point that beat Ray Emery. The crowd popped, the Preds celebrated … and the referee waved it off, claiming it had been hit with a high stick.

The review took five minutes …

… and in the end, despite that tantalizing ice-level replay at the end, they found it inconclusive.

Moments later, the Predators found their redemption via Nick Spaling's second goal of the game, assisted again by Jordin Tootoo, who had an outstanding series.

The rest of the third played out as a combination of Ducks' close calls and Predators' blown chances.

With 9:52 left, a 3-on-1 by the Predators saw Legwand stopped by Emery. Just over a minute later, there was a harrowing sequence in which Tootoo had two whacks at the puck with an open net, Emery's stick barely keeping it out; Mike Fisher's follow-up missed the puck.

Then, with Emery pulled and just 38 seconds left in the game, Saku Koivu was called for an obvious interference penalty in the neutral zone. The Ducks protested vehemently. Legwand iced the game with just under 10 seconds left into an empty net.

So Nashville advances. Which means they're no longer the de facto first-round bye for higher seeds in the West. Which means their supporters will live and die with their team for a second round of playoff games. And that's how you really begin to expand, and indoctrinate, a fan base.

It only took 13 years, bur the Predators are finally 12 wins away from the Stanley Cup.

The first shot from the point stunned Roberto Luongo, bouncing off his blocker to the slot and sending him belly-first to the ice. The rebound shot came from the previously anonymous Ben Smith of the Chicago Blackhawks, who previously beat Luongo twice in Game 2.

The Vancouver Canucks goalie, his stomach still frozen to the ice, dropped his stick and raised his arm a few inches into the air, the puck already having flown past him. Like in his previous failures in this Stanley Cup quarterfinal series, the overtime game-winning goal was a combination of Roberto's struggle with control and his defense letting him down, as Smith beat a Daniel Sedin "check" for the winner.

Unlike his previous failures, and to paraphrase the film "Clerks" -- he wasn't even supposed to be in Game 6.

Besides pushing this series to seven games with their 4-3 overtime win, and inching within one victory of becoming the fourth team in NHL history to rally from a 3-0 deficit, the Chicago Blackhawks dished out new and inventive punishment to their postseason punching bag between the Vancouver pipes: Knocking Luongo out of Game 6 before Game 6, picking him up, and then slugging him again in overtime.

Coach Alain Vigneault started Cory Schneider in this game because the Blackhawks had proven they've set up a base camp in Luongo's cerebral cortex, chasing him in Games 4 and 5. When Schneider was injured on Michael Frolik's penalty shot, in came Luongo, everyone in the building knowing that his coach had lost faith that he can actually pull this out.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ice, there's nothing but faith for the Blackhawks, as the defending champions have recaptured their focus and their swagger.

If Game 5 was about the stars, Game 6 was about the grunts.

Dave Bolland, who sort of exists between the two cliques, scored a goal, had an assist and continued to limit the Sedins when Joel Quenneville could get the matchup (although Daniel had a goal, from Henrik).

Bryan Bickell scored again. Frolik, who had a goal and two helpers in Game 4, tied the game on a penalty shot. And Smith, who had 1 goal in six regular season games, now has three in six playoff games.

Corey Crawford, the rookie netminder, made 32 saves and outplayed two Canucks goalies tonight to follow up his Game 5 shutout.

Of course, when they needed a play, the stars were there. Witness the work Marian Hossa does in setting up Smith's eventual game-winner:

Vancouver was better in Game 6 than in Games 4 and 5. Vigneault called it their best game of the series, especially down a defenseman when Sami Salo was injured in the first.

But Chicago has been a much, much different team since  Bolland returned from his concussion, having outscored the Canucks 16-5 and winng three games.

They look dangerous. They look like the defending champs. And they look like a team that legitimately doesn't believe the Vancouver Canucks, or Roberto Luongo, can beat them in a seven-game series.

After giving up the game-winner, Luongo pulled himself off the ice, skated to the bench and left with his teammates while the stands were in a state of bedlam. The speakers blared the "da-da-das" of "Chelsea Dagger" by The Fratellis, the Blackhawks goal tune and psychological warfare.

That song. That same damn song for Luongo and the Canucks.

Patrick Kaleta of the Buffalo Sabres is a pest, and a damn good one. The best ones combine physical abuse with serving as an insult comic on skates, cutting down their opponents with fists, sticks and verbal stones.

According to Jerry Sullivan of the Buffalo News, Kaleta got personal with two members of the Philadelphia Flyers during the Sabres' 5-4 overtime loss in Game 6.

In a column about Danny Briere's leadership, Sullivan presented this nugget:

Briere had been emotionally charged up, and more than a little angry, since early in the game. "Honestly, one of their young guys said something to me that was personal and crossed the line," the former Sabre said. "It got me fired up a little bit more than it usually does. That was probably a big part of it."

A Flyers source said Patrick Kaleta made comments to Briere and teammate Scott Hartnell about their divorces early in the Flyers' 5-4 overtime victory, which evened the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at three games apiece.

Not only that, but Briere had two goals and Hartnell had the game-tying goal in the third.

Briere went through a two-year divorce that adversely affected his play for the Flyers; eventually, it also led to his eventually playing house with Claude Giroux.

Hartnell, you'll recall, was at the center of rumors about infidelity in the Flyers' locker room back in 2009. A tale about Jeff Carter and Hartnell's wife was denied by both players, and the rumor was eventually traced back to a Temple University senior that cited a Flyers employee as the source.

So if Sullivan's source is right: Over the line? Off limits? A pest gone too far?

Save it. Kaleta's got a job, and that job description requires dabbling in the tasteless, classless dark arts of the hockey chirp. It's Reggie Dunlop telling Tommy Hanrahan about his wife's preferences in "Slap Shot." It's a time-dishonored tradition.

For the Sabres, they should just be happy Kaleta kept it on the ice and didn't do something nutty ... like calling a press conference to mock an opposing player's love life. Because that would have cost him six games and a lobotomy from the NHL, at a minimum.

Stick-tap John Clark, NBC10

No. 1 Star: Nick Spaling, Nashville Predators

The Predators' center followed his 2-assist Game 5 with a 2-goal Game 6, including the game-winner in the third period, as Nashville defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 4-2. His first goal came on a centering pass from Jordin Tootoo; his goal in the third came on a rebound of a Tootoo rush to the net. Nashville won a playoff series for the first time in franchise history. The Ducks were eliminated.

No. 2 Star: Ville Leino, Philadelphia Flyers

At 4:43 of overtime, Leino scored his second of the playoffs off a Ryan Miller rebound, giving the Flyers a 5-4 victory and forcing a Game 7 on Tuesday night. Danny Briere had two goals, James van Riemsdyk scored his third of the playoffs and Scott Hartnell had the game-tying goal in the third.

No. 3 Star: Ben Smith, Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago rookie scored his third goal of the playoffs at 15:30 of overtime, sending the Blackhawks to a Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks with a 4-3 victory. Bryan Bickell, Dave Bolland and Michael Frolik (on a penalty shot) had the other goals. The Blackhawks had been down 3-0 in the series.

Honorable mention: Steve Sullivan and David Legwand had the other Predators goals; Teemu Selanne scored his sixth for the Ducks. … Nashville won 60 percent of its faceoffs. … Mike Richards assisted on the game-tying and winning goals. … Brian Boucher had one bad whiff on a Nathan Gerbe goal, but made 24 saves in relief. … Thomas Vanek had two goals for Buffalo. … Chris Pronger returned for the Flyers, playing 4:33, all on the power play. … Daniel Sedin scored his fifth for the Canucks. … Corey Crawford had 32 saves.

Did you know? The Flyers had never had three goalies start in one playoff series. The Canucks were the last team to start three, doing so against Calgary in 2004. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: The Canucks gambled by starting Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo, saw Schneider get injured, and then watched Luongo give up the game-winning goal in OT. … Saku Koivu took an interference penalty, setting a pick in the neutral zone, with just 38 seconds left in the game and the Ducks down a goal. Corey Perry later took a slashing penalty and Selanne was given a misconduct after Legwand's empty netter. … Michael Leighton gave up three goals on eight shots for the Flyers. … Mike Weber was a minus-3 for the Sabres. … The Canucks lost Sami Salo to injury, limiting him to four shirts. … This Mike Richards hit on Tim Connolly earned him a boarding minor and knocked Connolly out of the lineup for the Sabres. Coach Lindy Ruff wanted the NHL to look into it:

Conn Smythe Watch 1. Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings; 2. Michal Neuvirth, Washington Capitals; 3. Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks; 4. Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks; 5. Mike Fisher, Nashville Predators; 6. Danny Briere, Philadelphia Flyers; 7. Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning; 8. Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins; 9. Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres; 10. Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks;

The Lonely Island's "We Like Sports" is an intentionally terrible song about two geeks awkwardly professing their love of sports fandom.

It also serves as the source material for "We Like Sharks," an ear-gouging bit of auditory pain from Aditya Sriwasth and Kraig Martin that celebrates the San Jose Sharks and Patrick Marleau jerseys*:

Why is the 'C' on that black Marleau jersey is the size of Kyle Wellwood? And are the Los Angeles Kings even mentioned in this song; and if not, will the snub fuel them in Game 6 tonight (bulletin board material!)?

While we're obviously impressed with the song craft, the props and any tune that name-checks Joe Pavelski, we still have to give the nod for 2011 Sharks playoff anthem to Rowe and McDevitt's "Black and Teal" for obvious and completely superficial reasons.

(*While this is the worst San Jose Sharks rap song we've ever heard, we tap our sticks to its earnest 'hey kids, let's put on a music video' virtues. If we ever held a Puck Daddy Dance Party in San Jose, these guys are playing it.)

Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.

Gotta give Alain Vigneault this: It was a bold move.

Not necessarily the right one or the prudent one, but a bold one.

The hockey world can pretty much agree at this point that Roberto Luongo's brain has been fundamentally broken several times over by the Chicago Blackhawks, and that in every passing game he finds new and interesting ways in which to blow up on the launch pad.

So Vigneault says 'screw it.' Canucks can't lose the series in Game 6. Trot out Cory Schneider, see where that gets you. Worst he can do is the same as Luongo's been doing, right?

And for a while it looked like it was working. Schneider was unspectacular, and had frequent miscues getting the puck to his defensemen when he came out to play it — this directly led to Chicago's first two goals, obviously — but he wasn't having a Luongo-level meltdown and the Canucks were pumping enough past Crawford, who was having troubles of his own, that they were actually ahead through 42 minutes.

But then the Canucks surrendered a penalty shot and Michael Frolik does twice the damage: Not only scoring the equalizer but also getting Schneider to move in such a way that he injures himself. Somewhere in the depths of the United Center, Luongo's probably eyes got as big as beach balls. But he came out and acquitted himself well enough, doing the minimum amount that was asked of him — which is to say hardly anything — to force OT.

But that he misplayed a relatively simple point shot spectacularly, and in doing so wound up flat on his face while Ben Smith of all people once again flung the game-winner past him … well, I guess that's more than most mentally battered goaltenders can handle. It was the most foregone of conclusions yet in these playoffs, and the only logical ending to the game once Luongo came in.

But the practical upshot of all this is that Vigneault has royally screwed himself for Game 7 on Tuesday.

(Coming Up: In praise of Dave Bolland; Mike Richards should be suspended; Michael Ryder, Mr. Ball Hockey; Evgeni Nabokov goes back to the Island; Sean Avery's bite claim; Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Watch is on in Edmonton; Sad Selanne; Desharnais's knee; Predators make history; Glavine's Brave move for Thrashers; James Reimer's stellar season; and did someone break Drew Doughty's teeth?)

By not starting Luongo on Sunday, he basically acquiesced to pressure from the world at large, admitting that no, the league's current definition of a Franchise Goalie was simply not capable of keeping his team in an important game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

Now he's in a no-win situation that he created all by himself because this move, at best, was never going to do anything but invite criticism.

It should be noted that the Canucks at least seemed to have some level of comfort and at times even an against-all-odds confidence with Luongo behind them, which was somewhat absent with Schneider between the pipes. Of course, that may have been sheer, blind panic that forced them to get the puck, carry it up ice as quickly as possible and for God's sake keep it in the attacking zone because the farther the puck is from Bobby Lou, the less of a chance he listlessly jabs it like a punch-drunk prizefighter straight onto the tape of an oncoming Blackhawk.

Suppose Schneider's good to go on Tuesday (and the coach seems to suggest this will be the case). Who does Vigneault start?

Does he give the go to the rookie with the wonky lower-body-injury who miscommunicates with his D, and thereby essentially say the team is done with Luongo for these playoffs — and further, kick off a summer full of uncomfortable questions?

Or does he give the nod the guy who currently has the mental makeup of a nervous two-year-old being taken to sit on Santa's lap, having given up 11 goals on his last 53 shots against, almost all of them his fault?

Because of this puzzling decision, there's no easy answer. Hell, now there's probably not even a good one. Vigneault made sure of that himself.

What We Learned

Anaheim Ducks: A thing I never want to see -- Teemu Selanne being sad.

Atlanta Thrashers: Tom Glavine really wants the Thrashers to stay in town. Not enough to buy them, of course. What do John Smoltz and Steve Avery think, though?

Boston Bruins: Michael Ryder for Vezina.

Peep that form though. Unreal. Makes sense though: He plays goal in summer ball hockey leagues.

Buffalo Sabres: Bad news about Timmy Connolly after that puke Mike Richards drilled him into the boards from behind. "He's not doing very good." We'll I'd expect not.

Calgary Flames: More people hate the Flames than just their fans. The former owners of the Chilliwack Bruins say the team's AHL franchise in Abbotsford essentially forced them to sell the WHL team. Or something. I don't know.

Carolina Hurricanes: Like most AHL teams whose parent clubs didn't make the postseason, the Charlotte Checkers now have several players on the roster that didn't play for them in the regular season.

Chicago Blackhawks: What a play by Dave Bolland to set up this Bryan Bickell goal. If he had been in the lineup this whole time, the series would look completely different.

Colorado Avalanche: Oof, the Avs got the absolute crap kicked outta them by Terry Frei in the Denver Post this weekend. "[A]ll signs are that the organization is continuing to be carried away with: a) overrating its ability to spot and nurture young talent, and then, b) overrating that young talent itself, with notable exceptions I'll get to in a second." The exceptions were Matt Duchene and Chris Stewart. One of those guys doesn't play for the team any more.

Columbus Blue Jackets: Somehow, Scott Arniell is just now figuring out that you can't play a go-go-go style on the second night of back-to-backs.

Dallas Stars: Joe Nieuwendyk has liked what he's seen out of 2009 first-round pick Scott Glennie in the AHL playoffs, even if he's getting limited minutes on the fourth line.

Detroit Red Wings: Here's a fairly interesting look into the psychology of how and why Red Wings players tape their sticks the way they do.

Edmonton Oilers: Yup, they're already banging the drum for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. No surprise. The most interesting part of all this is which name he will drop for the back of his jersey. He can get advice from Magnus Paajarvi née-Svensson.

Florida Panthers: Some silver lining -- the Panthers' penalty kill wasn't terrible this year. A product of the new system perhaps? It's interesting to note that Tomas Vokoun's shorthanded save percentage actually dropped this year to .922, down from .925.

Los Angeles Kings: A great save on a great night from Jon Quick, a not-great goalie.

Minnesota Wild: Matt Cullen seems to be misremembering the season. "It was the tightest playoff race I've ever been in, and we were right in the thick of it." They were officially eliminated about a week before the season ended, and unofficially out of it around mid-March. But hey, they bounced the Stars on the last day of the season, so that sorta counts.

Montreal Canadiens: David Desharnais has a knee injury that kept him out of most of the second overtime. No word on the severity going forward.

Nashville Predators: What you're about to see right here is the most important goal in the history of a franchise. History's pretty cool sometimes.

New Jersey Devils: The Devs might take Zach Parise to arbitration. I imagine y'know, catastrophic injury and all that, they wanna try to shortchange him for a year to see if he can play at the same level. Makes sense.

New York Islanders: Nothing made me happier than the Evgeni Nabokov news on Friday afternoon. He's stuck with the Islanders for a year. Wonderful trolling by Garth Snow.

New York Rangers: Sean Avery says Brooks Laich bit him. Now, if it was the other way around, that'd be a lot more believable.

Ottawa Senators: Here's a bunch of guys who just might be stupid enough to accept the Senators' head coaching position.

Philadelphia Flyers: Mike Richards should've gotten the gate for this hit. The league needs to suspend him for Game 7. If he was truly "respectful" of the game, he would sit it out voluntarily. Wouldn't want to "get away with murder out there."

Phoenix Coyotes: The Coyotes are "confident" they'll stay in Phoenix, which is fair enough. After all, they at least have a buyer lined up if the Goldwater Institute ever relents. Ain't nobody lookin' to buy the Thrashers, y'know?

Pittsburgh Penguins: Second-worst loss in Pens playoff history. Worst on home ice ever. All in all, not a good day.

San Jose Sharks: Teethgate continues unabated. Drew Doughty says Scott Nichol broke two of his lower teeth on a roughing penalty. Nichol says he didn't. Will this war of words never end?!

St. Louis Blues: Gary Bettman believes someone will buy the Blues and they'll stay in St. Louis. BUT HE SAID THAT ABOUT PHOENIX!!!!

Tampa Bay Lightning: Real strong sticktoitiveness around the net by Steven Stamkos. So I found him. He was here all along.

Toronto Maple Leafs: James Reimer had one of the better seasons among NHL goalies, in terms of the percentage of "quality starts" to games started.

Vancouver Canucks: The Canucks lost Games 4 and 5 because they were overconfident. That's the ticket.

Washington Capitals: Memo to Mike Green: when there's an unscreened shot from the point, let your goalie get it. Don't try to block it with your face.

Gold Star Award

Big ups to the NHL for hiring a former WNBA exec so that it can better grow women's hockey. It's not going to get much play, but this is a great move.

Minus of the Weekend

Here's a preemptive jeer for the NHL, as well, because there's no way in hell it suspends Richards for Game 7.

Play of the Weekend

Seven passes and a shot that hits the back of the net in the space of about five seconds. I want to marry this goal.

Perfect HFBoards trade proposal of the week

User "SiCKNESS" is sick (get it?) of Roberto Luongo, yessir.

TO ATL:
Roberto Luongo

TO VAN:
Dustin Byfuglien
Blake Wheeler
3rd Round Pick

Signoff
You still owe me 10 more Iroquois twists.

Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is New York Islanders blogger B.D. Gallof of HockeyIndependent.com, fondly recalling the New York Rangers. Again, this is not written by us. But you're probably not reading the intro anyway.)

By B.D. Gallof, HockeyIndependent.com

Ladies and gentlemen... and fans of Mike Milbury... we are gathered here today to eulogize this years New York Rangers on behalf of Puck Daddy, New York Islanders fans and the NHL blogosphere in general, which had said for years that Glen Sather's UFA work post-Edmonton would only lead to perpetual and perennial disappointment for Rag fans.

Oh, where to begin? Let us start with another car wreck of a playoff showing by a team who almost looked like they wanted to hand off the postseason to a more competitive team as the season wound down. Maybe Carolina have brought a bit more than just conveniently laying down like a doormat for Ovechkin and … well... Ovechkin.

Let's be honest here. The only real passion was the prideful Ranger faithful in the stands chanting to the Caps coach that MSG was not quite THAT bad when Nassau Coliseum is only 10 miles away.

What a chant that must have been for MSG fans, in-between paying for $12 beers and $10 hot dogs.

The only real fight was between the hilarious thin skin prickliness of NY Rags coach John Tortorella and ever-curmudgeonly NY Post writer Larry Brooks (hey, you'd be curmudgeonly also if you had to write about the Rags each day).

For all the press that chant received, it was the Washington Capitals who came to play, without contracts for fourth-line 2-minute men that top $6.6 million (Derek Boogaard for 4 years … enjoy!).

Instead the NY Rags faithful cite the loss of Ryan Callahan, and that most things rode on Dubinsky for the playoffs. Two correct assessments that are fraught with bigger issues: Like the UFA money just tossed to players who are not even top line worthy.

The hapless Rags have never committed to a solid full rebuild, instead toying with one for a year, and then going back to window shopping.

Let me tell you, if the Rangers UFA's are any indication to Glen Sather's tastes, god knows what sits in his own closet.

The UFA contracts and choices the Rags make have constantly left them ultimately shortchanged on the ice, almost always smashed near or against the cap with no maneuverability. How does a coach work with such little and high priced tools?

Look, let me head off the usual Rags fan knee jerk retort at the pass. Rick DiPietro's contract is not just the worst in hockey history, it might be the worst in sports history thanks to the hubris of a hockey business handicapped owner in Charles Wang. The Nassau Coliseum is an old dilapidated wreck with a parking lot that looks like Edward James Olmos's face. We haven't sniffed the playoffs in years. So let's get the defensive Isles/Rags thing just out of the way, shall we?

But honestly, there is something seriously wrong with the Rangers, and has been for quite a while. It isn't the coach, despite the laughable press conferences.

Anyone who can take that motley group that has zero chemistry and push them, even backside in, to the playoffs is a guy you need. Pompous and prickliness is a NY institution. I look forward to when he joins Earl the Pearl and Keith Hernandez hawking Just For Men commercials.

Your team is stuck in mediocrity. There are a bunch of 2nd-3rd line forwards, nothing at Center, and one star player in Marian Gaborik who is NEVER your best player in meaningful games. Your defense is mostly made up of second-pair D, generally overrated.

Meanwhile, you have an elite goalie who must steal games for the team to be a factor. So you have, at heart, a team that is neither rising or sinking with GOOD, but not outstanding prospects with not a whole lot of cap space. How long can your team continue to house their mistakes? First Redden, clearly Drury, and probably you can eventually add Gilroy.

In truth, your team is what the last two-year record indicates, folks...pure mediocrity with no clear path forward. Just enough to scrape into the playoffs depending on the year, but once there, shown in many ways in what they are lacking.

But, let us go back a few years...

It seemed that the Rags were turning a corner when Sather finally pushed out the vets and got all those draft picks back about five years ago, letting Don Maloney handle the development and drafts. That's right, Don actually was the guy who picked Callahan and Dubinsky. And look who now has gotten Phoenix teeming with kids and to the playoffs as well … good old Don.

But the focus of the Rags is to buy, buy, buy since Don's departure. Is it no wonder they have floundered with high priced free agents who have not been the answer, and lost a lot of years of development from an about face.

Flash forward to this year, after a summer when Sather just was basically throwing money away, look at those players who are shouldering the load for the Rangers and where those Sather has brought in are languishing...

(Hat tip to HockeyDB.com for screenshot)

Rags fans should be thankful besides heartened that the kids are carrying that load. But this team is constantly dis-serviced by a GM who hasn't gotten much output from most of his choices for quite a few years now, most of the time meeting exorbitant prices or competing against themselves paying top dollar. Ottawa fans knew Wade Redden was a car wreck in handling just the Ottawa pressures. Yet, here rode in Sather, ignoring common sense, all other dmen and setting a price that was stratospheric. Who else was chasing Redden in the same fashion or piling up an offer? That's right, nobody. Not at the high price. The damage done has been catastrophic, and this short-sighted philosophy continues to be done is mind-boggling.

So how is it we hear each year from some fans that somehow the Rags are going to go far? That they are going to go all the way!

Oh wait... nevermind, that was just Stan Fischler.

Anyone with half a braincell who has watched the Rangers struggle most of the season knows that something is wrong. Why can't the Rangers themselves?

Having two Ranger fans brothers in my family, I went to one for this piece...

BD: Give me 5 reasons for their playoff death in your opinion

Scott Gallof (semi-retired NYR blogger):

1: couldn't score goals
2: couldn't stay out of their own zone
3: lack 60 minute work ethic
4: got manhandled physically
5. Micheal J Fox would have had a better chance on the power play

In summary, outclassed

So it's not just me folks.

But don't worry Rags fans, you will convince yourselves it will all be different next season. That Sather will buy smart, for once, and suddenly all things will come up roses. Or Tortorella, the man with a hair trigger who can barely hold off a freakin' NY Post reporter, can then throw a water bottle at a fan in frustration to an ownership and GM that is keep handing him a pile of crap.

Maybe he'll continue to then work his magic into creating first round playoff doormats for teams with far more prospect talent and UFA contracts that haven't hamstrung their organizations.

Word is it is has been Torts himself preaching patience and trying to get the kids to fill in roles. But unless they and he can finally get the GM and owner just to get out of the way, they will only be raising this in the near future in NYC …

Buffalo Sabres Coach Lindy Ruff wanted the NHL to take a look at this Mike Richards boarding minor that knocked Tim Connolly out of their series with the Philadelphia Flyers (at least according to Ruff). Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos reports the NHL did, and has decided against suspending the Flyers captain for Game 7.

Craig Custance confirmed there will be no hearing for Richards either.

This is the second incident for Richards against the Sabres that left fans screaming for a suspension. In Game 4, he leveled Patrick Kaleta with an elbow in "self-defense," earning his 5-minute major. In Game 6, he rode Connolly into the boards for what should have been, at most, another major.

But a suspension? The people demanding one either (a) want it for a tactical advantage in Game 7 or (b) have a knee-jerk reaction that any illegal play plus an injury equals a suspension or (c) are playing the "get it out of the game!" card or (d) hate the Flyers or (e) hate Mike Richards with every fiber of their puckhead being.

Because it doesn't warrant a suspension.

Even Buffalo blogger Dan Sterlace of Sabres Noise concedes that point:

I'm okay with the Mike Richards hit. I don't think there should be any action by the league and I was really let down that Lindy said anything about it. He deserved 2 minutes, he got it, and the captain of the Flyers put his team down 2 men. It would've been awesome if the 5-on-3 could've capitalized but instead we all had to wait until it was over for Gerbe to punch home his goal. It sucks to lose Connolly (by the way, we now have 3 injured starting centers) but the hit wasn't worth any more than 2 minutes.

Ryan Miller of the Sabres saw it differently, turning around Richards' claim that the Sabres were "getting away with murder" into a question of whether Richards got away with "mass murder."

From WGR:

"If Mike Richards thinks we're getting away with murder, I don't know what he got away with. Mass murder? Are we stepping it up a notch? Unbelievable," said Miller.  "We lose a player for the rest of the game off of a hit that the league has been talking about that is dangerous.  They (the league) better seriously consider looking at that one."

Had this been something worse than a shove in the back, would Richards have been suspended for a Game 7?

Of course not. You know it and we know it. NHL VP of hockey operations Colin Campbell gets pissy when you accuse the disciplinary process of being a political one, but it is; how on earth do Kunitz and Downie both receive one game "matching minors" if not to ensure neither Pittsburgh nor Tampa gain an advantage?

As the playoffs continue, and as the series reach their finales, the suspensions begin to slow to a trickle. It happens every postseason. See: Scott Walker, Aaron Ward, sucker punch, farce. That happens in the first round, it's three games.

So Mike Richards will play in Game 7, as will Derek Roy and possibly Jochen Hecht for the Buffalo Sabres. Which should make for a suitably chaotic Game 7, and that's even without mentioned the Flyers' goaltending.

It's a Monday edition of Puck Daddy Radio, and we're chatting about the following and much more:

• Special Guest Star: Hockey Hall of Famer and New York Islanders great Mike Bossy talks NHL playoffs with us.

• Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the 2010-11 James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is awarded "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position," the National Hockey League announced today. Who was snubbed?

• Complete reviews of last night's playoff games.

• Breaking down the Mike Richards hit on Tim Connolly.

• Question of the day: Did Alain Vigneault's decision to sit Roberto Luongo in Game 6 show balls or stupidity?

• Puck Previews.

Email your thoughts to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com.

Puck Daddy Radio is on Monday through Friday, from 1-2 p.m. ET/10-11 a.m. PT on The Score Radio Sirius Channel 98. Featuring Wyshynski and Rob Pizzo, it's your show: Calls, tweets, special guests and a ton of hockey goodness every day.

The call in number is 1-888-942-7326 (1-888-9-HARDCORE). We'll also be reading emails to puckdaddyradio@thescore.com and tweets that you send to @wyshynski and @robpizzo.

We're all about interaction here; call in, email, tweet ... we'll discuss whatever you'd like. Listen here:

The Norris Trophy means different things to different people. For some, offensive achievement by a defenseman is essential; others discount it. For some, a gaudy plus/minus is an indication of effectiveness; others don't consider the stat to be a sign of anything but right place, right time.

If you were looking for a trend in the 2010-11 Norris Trophy nominees, consider this: Many of the defensemen (Lubomir Visnovsky, Keith Yandle, Dustin Byfuglien) who had the offensive numbers but didn't make the cut are also defensemen who don't play on the penalty kill. This probably is not a coincidence.

Who was nominated: Zdeno Chara of the Boston Bruins, Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators are the three finalists for the 2010-11 James Norris Memorial Trophy, which is awarded "to the defense player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position," the National Hockey League announced today. The Professional Hockey Writers Association submitted five-player ballots for the Norris Trophy at the conclusion of the regular season.

So who takes the Norris this season?

Why Zdeno Chara deserves the Norris Trophy

From the NHL:

Chara is a Norris Trophy finalist for the third time in the past four seasons and for the fourth time overall; he finished second in 2004, third in 2008 and captured the award in 2009. The Bruins captain led the NHL in plus-minus in 2010-11 with a +33 rating, matching his career high set in 2003-04. He recorded 44 points (14 goals, 30 assists), marking the seventh consecutive season he has surpassed the 40-point plateau. Chara also ranked second among NHL defensemen in shots (264), tied for third in power-play goals (eight) and was sixth in average ice time per game (25:26).

Chara had essentially the same season stats-wise as he had in 2009-10, with an improved plus/minus rating. His ice time was up slightly from last season. As the next nominee nears the end of his run, one gets the feeling that Chara is going to be an automatic in this category; he didn't make the cut last season because the opinion was that the Bruins and Chara took a step back from their stellar defensive season one year earlier.

Not sure how much support Chara received from the Montreal voting block, but he's a finalist.

Why Nicklas Lidstrom deserves the Norris Trophy

From the NHL:

Lidstrom is a Norris Trophy finalist for the 11th time in the past 13 seasons. He has captured the award six times, placed second three times and third once. Lidstrom enjoyed one of his most productive seasons, ranking second among NHL defensemen in scoring with 62 points (16 goals, 46 assists) in 82 games, highlighted by a career-best 11-game point streak. He tied for fourth place among League defensemen in goals, was third in assists and tied for sixth in power-play goals (six). The Red Wings captain, who turns 41 on Thursday, led the Central Division champions in ice time, averaging 23:28 per contest.

Because he's Nick Lidstrom. Next.

OK, if you want justification, how about this: Quality of competition. Behind The Net's stats on how tough the talent is on the other side of the ice reveals that Lidstrom (at 0.128) faced better competition this season than any other defenseman in the League with at least 50 games played. It's not even close: Brent Seabrook was second at a 0.117 rating; Weber and Chara don't rank in the top 15.

Why Shea Weber deserves the Norris Trophy

From the NHL:

Weber, drafted by Nashville in second round of the 2003 Entry Draft, is a Norris Trophy finalist for the first time. Only two NHL skaters saw more ice time in 2010-11 than Weber, who appeared in all 82 games and averaged 25:19 per contest. The Predators captain set single-season career highs in several categories, including games, average ice time, assists (32) and shots (254). Topping all Nashville defensemen in scoring with 48 points (16 goals, 32 assists), his offensive contribution proved crucial to Nashville in securing a sixth playoff berth in seven seasons; the Predators posted a 13-2-1 record when he scored a goal.

Weber became a bit of a rock star pick as the voting was underway. He had better offensive numbers than Chara and is fresh blood for the award, which no doubt appeals to some voters. Plays in every situation. Watch any Predators game, and you're going to notice him; and not just because he can shoot the puck through the netting.

On the downside, he started growing his playoff beard somewhere around late February, which is a total cheat.

Prediction

Weber wins his first Norris. Can't see Chara getting the support he did two years ago with the optics being that Tim Thomas was the backbone of that defense in 2010-11. Can't see Lidstrom winning the award at a minus-2, because as asinine as that measure is for a D-man's effectiveness, the voters are going to recoil from it. Via Matt Kozlowski: "Only 2 "minus players" have ever won the Norris Trophy: Rob Blake in 1998, -3 & Randy Carlyle in 1981, -15."

We can see Weber winning, for his ice time, his impact and being a primary reason the Predators qualified for the postseason. It's his turn.

How We Voted

1. Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings
2. Shea Weber, Nashville Predators
3. Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim Ducks
4. Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
5. Keith Yandle, Phoenix Coyotes

Yep, Chara out of the Top 3. Didn't feel he had the impact that Visnovsky did, as 68 points and 116 blocked-shots are a compelling combination. Plus only 24 PIMs, which meant he wasn't a liability.

The lack of shorthanded ice time for Visnovsky makes this a harder argument to make, but he was still a well-rounded leading scorer among defensemen, which was good enough for us.

As for Lidstrom winning, it's a combination of plus/minus being a garbage glamour stat, quality of competition and his numbers again simply being outstanding. Weber can wait; it should still be Lids' award.

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• Decimated by injuries, the German national team had no choice but to put Mr. Cinders the Wonder Dragon in their starting lineup on left defense. He ended up a minus-3 and was ejected for biting the arm off the linesman on an offside. The German League later claimed it was a hockey play that occurred in the 'biting zone.' [Getty]

• The San Jose Sharks in Game 6s? That would be 3-13. [Jewels From The Crown]

• So, Los Angeles Kings Coach Terry Murray, your team gave up 52 shots against the Sharks. Ewww-weee, what up with dat? "I don't even look at the 52 shots very long. I know it was there, but it's not a number that I'm concerned about. We always break those numbers down to smaller areas. It's the grade-A quality chances that are the ones that I really focus in on. That number was not too bad." [LA Kings Insider]

• Sharks Coach Todd McLellan on Antti Niemi: "We don't expect him to be perfect. We expect him to be a little bit better and I think he expects that of himself." [Working The Corners]

• The key in Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins for the Tampa Bay Lightning? Calm down. From Guy Boucher: "Fans are waiting for that big win in the playoffs, and everybody cared so much, probably too much and it took us away from our task. We want to make sure we come to the ice intense but mentally calm about what we want to do." [Lightning Strikes]

• My gawd, is that Evgeni Malkin's music!? (Yes, but he's not playing in this postseason.) [Tribune]

• The Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres are two markets that can "move the needle" on national ratings. So NBC earned a 1.6 overnight for Game 6 of that series, which is their best first-round rating since 2009 and a Flyers/Penguins game. [Puck The Media]

• Lindy Ruff says that despite the similarities to Game 7 in the 2006 conference finals, when a slew of injuries cost the Buffalo Sabres a trip to the final round, this year's Game 7 will have a "fairy-tale ending." We're betting on someone kissing Brad Boyes to wake him from his slumber or Nathan Gerbe being revealed as some sort of a wood sprite.  [Sabres Edge]

• Complete coverage of the Nashville Predators' first journey to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. [On The Forecheck]

• Ryan Kesler hasn't scored a goal in six games, and now he's going to have to deal with being The Guy Who Made a Win Guarantee and Then His Team Lost. [QMI]

• Interesting story from over the weekend: The Columbus Blue Jackets asked the NHL about moving to the Eastern Conference and found out that there's no super special agreement that the Detroit Red Wings get to move there first. Problem is that the Atlantic and Northeast are sorta perfect as they are, no? [Blue Jackets Xtra]

• From Elliotte Friedman's latest CBC column: "During a Fan 960 Calgary radio interview last week, Rhett Warrener wondered how Gordie Howe and Mark Messier would be received if they played now. It's a great question, because part of both men's lore is the 'intimidating elbow' they would deliver to soften an opponent's melon. Of course, they weren't using killer elbowpads and didn't care as much about concussions back then." [CBC Sports]

• The Washington Capitals don't have a game until, like, May, so there's time for injury rehab. But Coach Bruce Boudreau wouldn't put a timetable on the health of Mike Knuble and Dennis Wideman. [Capitals Insider]

• Who will coach the Ottawa Senators? The Citizen assesses the field and sees Wings assistant Paul MacLean, Habs assistant Perry Pearn, St. Louis assistant Brad Shaw and Anaheim assistant Dave Farrish as the most likely candidates. [Ottawa Citizen]

• Great, now that bastard Trevor Gillies is breaking bread, too ... Oh, wait, think we misunderstood the headline. [Islanders]

• Game 6 was the second greatest miracle on Easter Sunday in the history of mankind. [Rumors and Rants]

• Via The Danny Mac Show, it's the doo-wop-tastic "Luongo Weeps Tonight." Ouch:

• "Historically speaking, the Blackhawks have put Team Choke on the verge of a spectacular gag.  Stay thirsty, my Vancouver friends." [Daily Herald]

• Another look at NHL.com's unstoppable pun machine. How was "Won't Black Down" never a Jay-Z song? [The Royal Half]

• General Manager Steve Tambellini announced today the Edmonton Oilers have agreed to terms with defenceman Martin Marincin on a three-year entry level contract.  Marincin, 19, finished his first season with the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars, appearing in 67 games collecting 56 points (14G, 42A) and 65 penalty minutes. [Oilers]

• Good piece on Jordan Eberle, his breakout rookie season and the expectations on him for the Oilers. [Copper and Blue]

• Rick Nash has been named Canada's captain for the NIT. [Blue Jackets]

• Finally, a plea to get the St. Louis Blues into the NHL Winter Classic through the hypnotic use of jaunty old-timey music. Not only that, but a Blues vs. Montreal Canadiens Winter Classic. Ratings bonanza!

(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The fans who hated them the most. Here is Los Angeles Kings fan and Battle of California blogger Rudy Kelly on the Anaheim Ducks. Again, this is not written by us. But you're probably not reading the intro anyway.)

By Rudy Kelly, Battle of California

No team in the NHL needed to miss the playoffs more than the Anaheim Ducks.

"What?" you may be asking. "Miss the playoffs? Rudy, you're crazy!"

No, friend, I am not crazy; the Ducks would have benefited far more by missing the playoffs than they did by making it.

You see, the Ducks are an incredibly flawed team that will never go anywhere as currently constructed. The Ducks are probably the most top-heavy team in the league, blessed with two good scoring lines, a solid No. 1 defensive pairing, an All-Star goaltender... and absolutely nothing else. They are a team of stars and trash with nothing in between.

Their best forward that's not on the top two lines was Brandon McMillan, a 21-year old 3rd round pick who had 21 points. Their best defenseman not on the 1st pairing was an 18-year old Cam Fowler who had 40 points... and was also minus-25. Their best non-Hiller goaltender was Ray Emery. There were stars and trash with nothing in between.

That type of mix could work, potentially, but even the Ducks' stars are flawed. Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan are given responsibility that far outpaces most other No. 1 forwards despite never showing the maturity to handle it.

Ryan Getzlaf is expected to shut down other team's top centers despite never really showing an interest in back checking. Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan are supposed to score the lion's share of the team's goals... when they're not in the box for slashing.

Instead of showing displeasure at their young stars' mistakes, the Ducks instead reward them; Ryan Getzlaf was named Captain of the team, Corey Perry was given an "A," and Bobby Ryan was given a multi-million dollar deal last summer. What impetus do they have to change when the Ducks tell them that what they are doing is A-OK? Their goals are cheered and the goals against while they're on the ice are ignored.

The Ducks were not very good this season despite the plan going as well as Ducks GM Bob Murray could have hoped. The Ducks' top line was fantastic offensively, with Corey Perry leading the league in goals while Bobby Ryan was not far behind (he had 34). Lubomir Visnovsky found chemistry with Toni Lydman and led all defensemen in points. Jonas Hiller made the All Star Game and was in the Vezina conversation for most of the season. Despite all this, the Ducks were still outshot by the 3rd greatest margin in the league (ahead of only Minnesota and Edmonton) and had the 10th best goal differential in the Western Conference.

Hockey's not basketball, where one or two superstars can carry a below average team to glory. In hockey, everyone must contribute.

"But wait," you may be thinking, "Didn't they lose Hiller for most of the season and Getzlaf for a good part? They were pretty unlucky."

(Hey, stop interrupting me.)

It's true, the Ducks did lose Jonas Hiller after the All-Star Break. Is it bad luck that they lost Hiller for the last 30 games or the season, or good luck that Hiller was able to have a .924 save percentage while facing 31 shots a game when he did play?

Is it bad luck that the Ducks lost Getzlaf for 15 games after he got a puck to the head, or good luck that Teemu Selanne was able to average over a point a game at the age of 40?

Was it bad luck that Andy Sutton, Andreas Lilja, and Paul Mara didn't seem to click with the team, or good luck that Lubomir Visnovsky tied his career high in points at age 34?

Not to mention that Getzlaf and Perry both set career highs in shooting percentage, they managed to shoot 20 percent while 4-on-4, they won 8 games in overtime, etc.

No, friends, the Ducks were as good as they could be and it still wasn't all that good. Still, they managed to ride a hot March into the fourth seed and were expected by many to do some damage in the playoffs. Then they ran into the Nashville Predators, and it's poetic that it was the Predators that clipped the Ducks.

The Predators were the Bizarro Ducks: They are an unheralded team with no offensive stars, just wave after wave of tough players that can succeed in the tough areas where the Ducks, for all their talent, falter. It was extremely satisfying to watch the Ducks get more and more incredulous as this no-talent team beat them through sheer will and force of action.

The Ducks scored all the pretty goals but the Predators scored all the dirty ones. In a poetic ending, Corey Perry scored 8 points in 6 games; then he took a slashing penalty right after the Predators scored the series-clinching empty net goal.

So where do the Ducks go from here? They have some offensive talent in the system to replace Selanne and Koivu but there's no guarantee they will be nearly as good as those two Finnish icons were. Their young stars will have good seasons, they'll have great seasons, and they'll take stupid penalties. Their young defensemen will get better but their old defensemen, Visnovsky and Lydman, will get worse. The Ducks killed their star goalie and who knows when, or even if, he'll be back.

If they had missed the playoffs maybe they'd see the fatal flaw in the makeup and strive to change it, but now... I doubt it. They'll be stuck in a holding pattern unless something drastic changes as the memories of the Cup win fade and they assume their rightful place in the NHL as irrelevant.

Their fans like to think the Ducks are the "villains" of the NHL and that people in the league office are conspiring against them. They point to the suspensions of Bobby Ryan and Jarkko Ruutu as evidence of this conspiracy. This is nonsense, of course. It's classic paranoid delusional thinking wherein one blames imaginary hostile forces for personal failures.

There is no conspiracy against the Ducks because that would require someone to give them a second thought. Even worse, this delusion spares the Ducks the pressure they need to actually change their ways.

But no, Ducks fans would rather live in a happy fantasy world and invent boos to cover the silence that's actually there.

Los Angeles will always be important because c'mon, we're kind of a big deal, but Anaheim? Anaheim is only relevant when they're actively being annoying. They are of no more consequence than one of those terrible NHL Geico Caveman commercials -- when they're on they're irritating, but then they're gone and people forget they exist.

And right now, thankfully, they're gone.

Again, this was written by Battle of California blogger Rudy Kelly. We can't stress this enough.

After one has witnessed what the Blackhawks have done to Roberto Luongo's confidence, the notion that the Tampa Bay Lightning have somehow fractured the will of Marc-Andre Fleury seems a little flimsy. It's like comparing a sinus headache with a brain aneurism.

But that's the line St. Pete Times columnist Gary Shelton is sort of selling: That the Lightning, by virtue of their having chased Fleury in that shocking 8-2 victory in Game 5, have gotten into the head of the Pittsburgh Penguins netminder ahead of Monday's Game 6.

From the St. Pete Times:

In Saturday's game, for instance, the game was only 25 minutes old when Fleury was plucked like a wilted flower. In a sport where there are broken teeth on the mental side of things, too, that is hardly an endorsement for a goaltender.

To be blunt, that wasn't the first evidence of vulnerability for Fleury, either. Twice, he has given up two-goal leads in this series. Twice, he has given up four goals in defeat. Since that brilliant opening game, Fleury has stopped only 80 of 92 shots, a buy-extra-bulbs-for-the-lamp-looking .869 save percentage. In the NHL's regular season, that would be good enough for 86th place in the save stats.

Shelton rhetorically asks if the Lightning have gotten to Fleury, answers his own question as "no," and then spends of the rest of the column establishing the actual answer as "maybe."

Let's dial it back to "no." Forget the anomaly that was Game 5; what in Games 3 and 4 occurred to make one believe Fleury's rattled? Two Marty St. Louis goals in Game 3, a power-play goal on which he slipped a check of Jordan Staal and another one on a fortunate bounce that led to a gaping net? Another St. Louis goal in Game 4 that was a partial breakaway? Sean Bergenheim's goal off a deflection and scramble in front?

This isn't exactly a Michael Leighton series of Snuggle-soft goals here.

Whether Game 5 caused some psychological damage, we'll find out on Monday night. But as the Post Gazette notes, Fleury is 3-0 with a .958 save percentage and a 1.33 GAA after getting pulled in the playoffs.

Who do you think has the better chance of being rattled in Game 6: The goalie with the Stanley Cup ring or the team playing in its first playoff series since "300" was in theaters?

So no, Fleury isn't rattled. The Penguins' penalty killing, on the other hand...

We've always been fond of Evgeny Artyukhin. Not because he's an outstanding player -- he's the size of a Panzer tank but has never been able to crack 20 points in an NHL season -- but because he's a penalty prone, fight-happy, 255-pound bundle of trouble.

So it was no surprise to see Artyukhin in the center ring of a small circus between Finland and Russia in a Eurotour match at the Czech Hockey Games last weekend. This clip would be 100 times better had the Russian Jack Edwards been on the stick.

That's Tuomo Ruutu of the Carolina Hurricanes that began the melee with a booming hit on Yevgeny Biryukov. And yes, that's Mikko Koivu of the Minnesota Wild getting pounded on by Artyukhin. From Hockey Wilderness, a Minnesota Wild blog:

Yeah, it was a ridiculous three and four on one battle where Mikko found himself on the wrong end, but held his own as well as can be expected. Oh, and Mikko, Tuomo Ruutu and other Finns took off their lids while the dirty, cheating, stinking Russians wore their helmets and half-shields.

Something tells us Wild fans aren't all that keen about seeing their guy pummeled in an international game. That said, at least one Russian writer wasn't keen on seeing Artyukhin goon it up. Evgeniya Chaykovskaya of The Moscow Times writes of Artyukhin:

Sure, he was given a penalty, but the ugly scenes spoiled the game as players with broken noses had to change shirts. Worse, Artyukhin thought he did quite well.

"I hope I earned myself a place in the national team for the World Championship with this act, if not with my goals," the forward said, admitting that he did not actually see the foul on Russia defender Yevgeny Biryukov that lead to the fight.

Goalie Yevgeny Nabokov was proud of his team-mate. "How did you do it — first, second, third from the first punch? Well done, stud."

Er … uh … Evgeni Nabokov, ladies and gentlemen.

Stick-tap Houses Of The Hockey.

Two big bits of news ahead of Game 7 between the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

First, Coach Alain Vigneault said he told Roberto Luongo he would get the start. Which means he's turning to a goalie he didn't believe could win Game 6 to win Game 7.

Turns out it's not all sunshine for the Chicago Blackhawks after their Game 6 win, however.

Forward Bryan Bickell is out for Game 7 and the next three weeks after wrist surgery today to repair two tendons. The news was first reported by XM Home Ice and then confirmed by Adam Jahns of the Sun-Times.

He missed Game 3 after injuring his wrist in Game 2 in Vancouver on a third-period hit.

Bickell has four points in his last four playoff games, including goals in Games 4 and 6. His line with Michael Frolik and Dave Bolland was the best for the Blackhawks in their win on Sunday night; one wonders in particular how this affects Bolland, who has been the Blackhawks' most important forward since his return from a concussion in Game 4.

Never a dull moment in this series. Even on the off days.

Antti Niemi lasted nine minutes in the San Jose Sharks' Game 5 loss.

Think about that: It probably took you longer to get through the supermarket checkout line than Niemi lasted in Game 5. And you got to flip through the pages of Cosmo (don't lie) while Niemi gave up three goals on four shots as his defense let him down.

It was the second game in this series in which he was pulled, and he's given up an unforgivable eight first-period goals in five games.

Well, almost unforgivable: Coach Todd McLellan's giving him the start in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Kings on Monday night, of course -- a show of confidence in what could be the series finale for San Jose.

Jon Swenson of Sharkspage reports that Niemi's preparing himself mentally for the challenge:

For Game 6 against Los Angeles, Niemi almost has to turn off his brain and use what has worked for him over the last 2 months of the season. Sometimes thinking about making changes while you are making them results in the puck finding the back of the net. Building on the success he had last year after being pulled against Vancouver, and on earning a win in Game 4 after being pulled a game earlier, Niemi expressed confidence in himself and in his preparation.

"It is always a new time when you have to come back," Niemi said. "It takes careful preparation, just getting ready and not thinking about it too much."

From Fear The Fin:

Niemi bounced back in Game Four-- whether he bounces back in Game Six won't be known until the game gets underway, even if historical data suggests that Niemi does play well after a bad start. With San Jose facing down Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick, who was absolutely brilliant [in Game 5] during the course of his 52 save performance, all eyes will be on Niemi to match that type of game-changing ability.

Sure, but they're also on Quick. He has a shutout and that 51-save stunner to his credit; but he also gave up 12 goals in Games 3 and 4 on home ice. He needs to be better than Niemi, which has been easy for most of the series, given where Niemi has set the bar. More importantly, he has to keep the Sharks from scoring goals in clusters as they did in their Game 3 rally and their Game 4 win in LA.

For both goalies, it's about establishing confidence for their teammates. The Sharks want to end this thing. The Kings want to extend this thing; and as Dustin Brown told the LA Times, they've learned a bit since the last time they were in an elimination Game 6:

"Going into Game 6 last year at home it was a different team, just as the result of not being in that situation [before], win or go home," Brown said. "I think everyone understands playing in that game it wasn't a big mistake, or a couple of big mistakes. It was stuff that probably the average fan doesn't recognize. ... I think the message that needs to be in this [dressing] room is eliminating those tiny mistakes because that's what's going to be the difference here tonight."

So will we see a Game 7 in this series? Time to get pumped, courtesy of the Kings Game 6 Jumbotron video:

The Tampa Bay Lightning forced a Game 7 in their Eastern Conference quarterfinal against the Pittsburgh Penguins with a 4-2 victory on Monday night. Several things went wrong for Pittsburgh in the game; this Chris Conner penalty shot at 9:10 of the second period is one of them:

To quote Rick Jeanneret during Ilya Kovalchuk's shootout fail earlier this season: AND HE LOST THE PUCK. And after HBO's "24/7," is anyone surprised to see Dan Bylsma give one of his players a hug on the bench?

The Penguins ended up tying the game in the third on a Jordan Staal goal, but the Lightning regained the lead 1:07 later on a Steve Downie goal.

This was Conner's eighth career playoff game; it was also his second penalty shot this season, having previously converted against the Detroit Red Wings on Jan. 18:

One assumes he may have been going for the same move on Dwayne Roloson, but ended up with that desperation shot into his pads.

NHL rules dictate that the player fouled must be the player who takes the penalty shot, which you'll recall wasn't the case in Olympic play; which format do you prefer?

It's become customary, on nights when Stanley Cup Playoff games go to overtime, for puckheads to predict which players will score game-winning goals for each team.

Were one to tabulate those picks for the San Jose Sharks entering their extra session vs. the Los Angeles Kings in Game 6 on Monday night, the name "Joe Thornton" would not have hit the leaderboard. Unless you've been living in a fallout shelter for the last decade, you know the reputation for the Sharks captain and his team when it comes to choking in the playoffs.

And yet, Joe Thornton did this at 2:22 of overtime, to give the Sharks a 4-3 win and eliminate the Kings:

Devin Setoguchi started the play, firing a pass that handcuffed Patrick Marleau in the slot. The puck bounced off of Marleau, away from Rob Scuderi of the Kings and then Thornton alertly whipped around Willie Mitchell to tuck it past Jonathan Quick.

His celebration was classic: The 6-4, 230-pound forward tumbling to the ice and sliding on his back like a human curling stone until he was mobbed by his teammates.

"You just enjoy it for an hour or so," he said on Comcast SportsNet. "This is just the start."

The Kings had their chance to win this. Jamie McGinn took a 5-minute major for charging and earned a game misconduct at 16:37 of the third period, but LA couldn't convert in regulation or the carryover in overtime. The Sharks killed it, captured the momentum and Thornton's goal arrived moments after the kill. It was Thornton's first career OT goal and seventh playoff game-winning goal.

We felt, as a team, they shook the label as a team last postseason, and continued that progress with their stunning five-goal rally in Game 3 against the Kings. Then, in Game 6, their most maligned star nets the game-winner.

The Sharks have been called a lot of things over the years. Is it time to start calling them clutch?