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5.30.2004

Stanley Cup Finals: Game 3

As I said, consistency is key, and the Lightning can't seem to manage one bit of it. Not only have the last ten games for Tampa been a continuation of a win-loss pattern, but the team that played the first and third periods last night didn't show up for the second, strangely enough.

The Lightning came out strong in the first period, but Mikka Kiprusoff made some fantastic saves to keep the Flames alive. Khabibulin had some great saves too, but a goal via a scramble in front of the net broke him down as Calgary scored twice in the second. Kippur deserved the shutout he got, as he robbed Tampa on numerous occasions.

I just don't get why Tampa seems to become so out of it when Calgary scores. It's like they give up all hope.

One of the high points of the game included a fight between Vinny and Iginla, two team leaders and two superstars. For those of you who don't watch much hockey, fights are quite rare in the Stanley Cup Finals, and even more rare is two big-name players scrapping at it. Vinny does amateur boxing in the offseason, so it was nice to see his scrapping skills on display.

While the fight might have temporarily pumped up the Bolts, it wasn't enough.

Take heart. If the last 10 games are any suggestion, the Lightning should come back strong for game 4.

5.27.2004

Stanley Cup Finals: Game 2

So reverse everything from game 1 (including the score) and you have game 2. Didn't I say that this series would be evenly matched?

Well, you don't get more evenly matched than playing your mirror image. And you don't get more evenly matched than playing identical games.

The Lightning kept the pressure on in the offensive zone, which was key. They kept Iginla's line silent. They made the most of their scoring opportunities. And, most importantly: they capitalized on the power plays.

On a side note: the refs in this game were dickheads. On both ends of the ice, they called bullshit calls against both teams that were 100% unnecessary. This is playoff hockey. It's understood that calls are going to slide at this point in the season. Don't change the game up at the last minute in the Stanley Cup Finals with bullshit calls that wouldn't even be called in the regular season. That's a crock of shit.

Regardless, the Lightning played a damn near perfect game and kept the pressure up for all three periods, which is exactly what they need to do. Fantastic.

5.26.2004

Stanley Cup Finals: Game 1

Well, it wasn't pretty. Not at all.

But don't panic.

In this 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames, a lot of things didn't go the Lightning's way. But that's not to say that the Lightning didn't make their share of mistakes either.

The first goal was lucky. Khabby should have had that. As for the second one... Iginla's shorthanded breakaway was a puck that bounced over Fredrik Modin's stick in the offensive zone. If the puck had landed on Freddy's stick, we could have been talking a Lightning goal and a 1-1 game. Instead, it's a 2-0 game and a momentum killer.

I don't believe in relying on ifs, ands or buts, however. San Jose, Detroit and Vancouver did enough of that to fall to the Flames. The Lightning came out strong in the first period, a period that was not reflected well by the score. Perhaps the frustration got to the Bolts, as the second period was an absolute disaster. The Lightning played well in the third period, but could only muster one goal from Marty St. Louis. Regardless, you can't expect to win by playing 40 minutes of a 60 minute game. The Lightning might have lead in shots and scoring opportunities, but they had the lowest number where it counted.

Here's what I feel the Lightning need to do if they want to take control of game 2:

1. Khabby needs to step it up. The first goal was cheap. Iginla's breakaway started off with a fantastic save, but Khabby lost sight of the puck and Iginla grabbed his own rebound to put it in easily. Still, in the battle of the goalies, Khabby was outperformed by Kippur.

2. Defensive zone turnovers. Too many of 'em. The Flames might not have scored on any turnovers tonight, but a turnover takes the team from clearing the puck out of the zone to handing the puck to the other team. It changes momentum and affects the outcome of the game. And Calgary will capitalize on them better as the series goes on.

3. Concentrate, boys. The Lightning seemed to have a lack of focus following the first goal. Following the disheartening goal by Iginla, it seemed as though all motivation was lost. A stark contrast from the strong start the Lightning saw in the opening minutes. Consistency is key, and it was lacking tonight. Martin St. Louis led the charge for the Lightning in the third period by giving his all, and he got a goal for his efforts, but the rest of the team seemed as though they couldn't put in the effort St. Louis did. And the results showed.

Taking a split at home isn't a bad thing based on Calgary's home ice performance in the playoffs. Game 2 is going to be a crucial one for the Bolts if they want to get back into this series. I say we need more of the Hulkster to kick off the festivities once again. Heck, it's worked up until now.

5.24.2004

Stanley Cup Preview

The next few weeks, I'll be kind enough to provide all you hockey n00bs the insight and opinion I can on the Lightning/Calgary Stanley Cup Finals series.

To kick things off, here's the statistical breakdown (ripped straight from NHL.com):

Calgary (42-30-7-3, 94 pts) vs. Tampa Bay (46-22-8-6, 106 pts)

CategoryAmountLeague Rank
Goals For20019
Goals Against1763
Power-Play Percentage15.121
Penalty Kill Percentage84.613
Faceoff Percentage50.712
CategoryAmountLeague Rank
Goals For2453
Goals Against19211
Power-Play Percentage16.216
Penalty Kill Percentage84.810
Faceoff Percentage50.016

Scoring Leaders (G-A-TP)

1. JAROME IGINLA: 41-32-73
2. CRAIG CONROY: 8-39-47
3. SHEAN DONOVAN: 18-24-42

Scoring Leaders (G-A-TP)

1. MARTIN ST. LOUIS: 38-56-94
2. CORY STILLMAN: 25-55-80
3. BRAD RICHARDS: 26-53-79

Goaltending Leaders (W-L-T, GAA)

MIIKKA KIPRUSOFF: 24-10-4, 1.69
ROMAN TUREK: 6-11-0, 2.33

Goaltending Leaders (W-L-T, GAA)

NIKOLAI KHABIBULIN: 28-19-7, 2.33
JOHN GRAHAME: 18-9-1, 2.06

REGULAR SEASON SERIES: Lightning win series, 1-0-0

Jan. 24: Lightning 6, at Flames 2



The short of it: on paper, the Lightning look like the better team overall. However, as Calgary has proven in its entire playoff run, the numbers mean nothing. As the sixth seed in the West, Calgary has been the lower ranked team in every series it has been in, and was expected to lose every series.

How did they get here? The Flames beat the third seeded Vancouver Canucks in 7 games, the top-ranked Red Wings in 6 games, and most recently the second place San Jose Sharks, also in 6. Calgary is the first team ever to defeat three teams with over 100 points from the regular season to make the Stanley Cup Finals. The last time Calgary made the finals was in 1989, when they won the Cup.

The Lightning defeated the Islanders in 5, swept the Montreal Candiens, and just capped off a fantastic, exciting and emotional 7 game series with the Philadelphia Flyers. Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk previously held the record for playing the most regular season games without playing in the Stanley Cup Finals. Now that record is finalized with his appearance in the finals, but it also rewrites it anew: most regular season games without winning the Cup. At 40, Andreychuk is hungry... and more than likely looks to go out on top. This is also the first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals for the Lightning.

The top playoff performer for Calgary has been Jarome Iginla, as he was in the regular season. He currently has the most postseason goals at 10. Tampa's main star and regular season point leader Martin St. Louis has been relatively quiet in the goal department with only 5, but has 13 assists and leads the postseason with 18 points.

Calgary and Tampa play similar styles of hockey. Both teams are quick, have solid defense, and have an excellent passing offense. Neither team is afraid to change up its system for a win, and both teams have shown the ability to push themselves when in the clutch. Both teams can play physical if it comes to it, but they don't depend on size... they're both speed teams.

In terms of goaltending, it's Khabibulin for Tampa and Kiprusoff for Calgary. This is a non-issue, as both goalies are playing the best hockey of their careers. Assuming their level of play stays as it has been throughout the playoffs, we could be looking at goals that require a lot more luck than skill on both ends of the ice.

The key for Calgary is going to be shutting down the Tampa players that can create a fast break for the Lightning and turn around the game in a heartbeat, as they've done many times in the playoffs. Lecavalier, Richards, Fedotenko and Modin are key players for the Lightning's potent offense. Calgary will also have to make sure to stay out of the penalty box, as Tampa managed to score on 8 of its last 9 power plays against the Flyers, including the opening goal in game 7 of the series with the Flyers. Finally, Calgary has had a great deal of trouble winning at home, and will have to fix that. The bad news for Calgary is that Tampa has the same amount of losses at home as it does on the road in this post-season: two. Calgary certainly won't be able to guarantee wins at the Forum, so winning at home will be key.

Tampa, on the other hand, will need to keep the intensity up. Just getting off a series where neither Philly nor Tampa could keep momentum in their favor for a period (let alone a game), Tampa showed a lot of perseverance - along with a lack of consistency. Tampa should put more pressure on the point men in the defensive zone to force the Calgary players to make a play with the puck rather than take their time and take a shot. I know their defensive strategy is to block shots and let the shooter shoot as long as he has a bad angle, but deflections can be killer. Tampa will also need to keep the pressure on in the offensive zone to limit the time Iginla gets to handle the puck. Iginla has such a level of skill that if you give him too much time in your zone, he'll put the puck in the net. The best way to counter that is to keep the puck in their zone by pressuring their defense.

It's going to be a great hockey series, and it's great for both towns involved. It's two young, hungry, hard-working teams with a lot of heart that have most certainly earned their place here in the finals.

With all that said... Go Bolts!

5.23.2004

Shut Your Yap

In celebration of the Lightning making the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in team history...

Shut your yap!

Torts says "Happy Birthday!"

5.18.2004

Calm down, fanboys

In case you haven't seen it yet, Moriarty over at Ain't It Cool News "leaked" a "shot" from the new original Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. If you have yet to see it (since the AICN severs are so slow), here's the picture:

Fake


Of course, everyone's all up in arms. Lucas is raping everyone's childhood all over again. Replacing Sebastian Shaw is an insult to his work in Return of the Jedi.

But there's a glaring problem here. Why on Earth would Anakin be seen at the end of Return of the Jedi as a young man? Yoda and Obi-Wan are still pictured as old. Why not have Ewan McGregor instead of Sir Alec Guiness? Or a non-800 year old Yoda?

Simple: it's bullshit. If Lucas was going to replace Shaw as Anakin, he'd have Hayden Christensen wearing makeup to make him look older, much like Shaw was originally shown as Anakin.

Now this has been a long-running rumor that Christensen would replace Shaw in the re-shot finale of Return of the Jedi, and it may still happen, but the picture is a fake.

In case you're curious, here are the rumored changes to the upcoming DVD set as reported by AICN awhile ago:




Episode IV: A New Hope

01. The Imperial March has been added to Darth Vader's first appearance on Princess Leia's ship.
02. When Obi-Wan is talking to Luke about his father Anakin's Theme plays in the background and then it turns into the Imperial March as he talks about Vader.
03. The lightsaber effects have been redone and the frame jumps of lightsabers being turned on has been removed.
04. There's a new scene which has been shot during the filming of Episode III in which the Emperor dissolves the Senate.
05. In the Cantina, the Duros(green aliens guys) have been replaced with Neimoidians and some aliens from the prequels have been added.
06. The bleeding arm on the floor in the Cantina has been replaced with a non-bleeding arm because it's now canon that lightsabers cauterize wounds.
07. The original shooting scene between Han and Greedo has been restored.
08. Jabba the Hutt has been given a makeover and Han no longer steps on his tale.
09. In place of R2 wobbling down the stairs to the Falcon's hangar, a CG R2 navigating the stairs like he does in Attack of the Clones was added.
10. The white boxes around space ships have been removed and new CG shots have been added.
11. The scene of the Falcon being chased by the two Star Destroyers was modified. The Falcon now does spinning moves, avoiding the Star Destroyers' fire.
12. When the Death Star destroys Alderaan there's a new scene of Yoda's reaction to the disturbance in the Force that is created by all those deaths and then it cuts to Obi-Wan reacting to it as well.
13. The Dianoga has gotten a CG makeover and were are now able to see more of the creature.
14. The Death Star's paneling and computers have been slightly altered to show similar displays to those in the prequels.
15. The words "Tractor Beam" with Aurebesh lettering.
16. More stormtroopers have been added to the Death Star.
17. Temuera Morrison's voice is being recorded for use with all the stormtroopers.
18. The Obi-Wan/Vader duel has been spruced up. It is much more epic and there is much more movement. A modified version of Duel of the Fates is being considered for the scene.
19. The Death Star plans that are taken from R2 have been updated. When the Rebels are reviewing the Death Star plans they look similar to the plans we see in Attack of the Clones.
20. The Death Star battle is much more epic with more Tie Fighters and more Rebels being blown to bits. We get to see old Naboo starfighters being used by the Rebels.
21. There's a new scene(shot during Episode III) where Darth Vader goes to Coruscant and lands his ship in the same building Count Dooku does at the end of Attack of the Clones. Except now the building is all fixed up and it is now Palpatine's palace. He meets with Palpatine to ask for forgiveness for his failure and inform him of a new potential who is strong in the Force.
22. Chewbacca now gets a medal.

Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

01. The taun-tauns are now CG.
02. The battle of Hoth is much more epic. We see the Imperial ships land on Hoth and release AT-ATs. The AT-ATs have been sped up a bit. There's a ground battle between the Rebel soldiers and stormtroopers featuring new ships and vehicles.
03. Temuera Morrison's voice is being recorded for the older Boba Fett and all the stormtroopers.
04. The white boxes around space ships have been removed.
05. The slug monster is CG.
06. Ian McDiarmid has refilmed scenes as the Emperor. The conversations between Vader and Palpatine is now longer and features a few connections to the prequels.
07. Yoda's face is now animated in CG allowing more _expression of emotions yet his movements remain the same. Also two deleted scenes featuring Yoda instructing Luke have been restored.
08. A new scene was shot in which the stormtroopers, after they capture Han, Leia and Chewie, bring Vader the box containing C-3PO in pieces. Vader orders the stormtroopers to bring the broken droid to Chewbacca's cell so that he can fix him.
09. The lightsaber effects have been redone in certain parts.
10. Luke's fall from Cloud City has been reshot against bluescreen using a stuntman.

Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

01. Jabba the Hutt is now a combination of the puppet and CG.
02. The Rancor is CG and looks disgusting as ever.
03. Yoda is CG. Yoda disappears leaving his clothes behind like Obi-Wan now.
04. The ewoks are now mostly CG and there are a lot more of them.
05. The plan is to insert the love theme Across the Stars when Luke is talking with Leia about their mother.
06. Temuera Morrison's like before is now the voice for Boba Fett and all the stormtroopers.
07. In the battle of Endor there are thousands of Ewoks and they are more vicious than there midgets-in-suits counterparts. More bite the dust now.
08. White boxes around ships removed.
09. The black blotches around Palpatine's face are gone.
10. Some of the lightsaber effects have been redone. The shadows that the lightsabers made on the floor are gone.
11. During Anakin's death scene it starts with a sad rendition of the Imperial March and slowly evolves into Anakin's Theme.
12. Sebastion Shaw who played Anakin when he was unmasked has been replaced with Hayden Christenson in make-up to make him look older. Anakin has much more dialogue. He apologizes for the destruction he caused, he thanks his son for turning him back to the light, he tells his son to rebuild the Jedi and he says he loves him and his sister. Just before he dies he says, "It is finished...".
13. We see more planets celebrating at the end of the movie. We see an aged Jar Jar, who is now the leader of the Gungans, on Naboo celebrating with the people of Naboo and the Gungans. We see an old Watto, who is now unable to fly, sitting in a hover chair cheering on Tatooine. During these scenes Across the Stars plays transitioning to the victory celebration music at the Ewok tree village.
14. Anakin's spirit is now played by Hayden Christenson with make-up to make him look his age. He looks on proudly at his son Luke with the spirit of Padme by his side.


5.12.2004

Tampa/Philly: Rivalry roundup

If you haven't been following the Lightning/Flyers series, shame on you! But, to fill you in: it hasn't been pretty. For those of you who have been watching, you probably know it's only going to get worse.

The Tampa/Philly rivalry is most certainly nothing new. Even the Bucs, who had a shitty year, managed to ruin the opening of the Eagles' new stadium. Needless to say, the folks in Philadelphia won't soon forget that night, and wouldn't mind the Broad Street Bullies exacting some revenge in this playoff series.

The series is currently tied at 1-1, with game 3 being played in Philly tomorrow (Thursday).

So, for your convenience, here's a recap of everything that's happened on (and off) the ice thus far.



Game 2 brawl


fightGame 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a 6-2 blowout of the Lightning by the Flyers. As with every NHL game decided before the third period even starts, the game ended slowly and painfully with a series of brawls.

Andre Roy, of the Tampa Bay Lightning, joined a fight when an official was attempting to break it up, causing Alexei Zhamnov to attempt to join the action, in the process of which he managed to push an official - a big no-no. Then, with a minute left, Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock put well-known enforcer Donald Brashear on the ice to hurt some people, which, of course, started yet another fight. The NHL reviewed the game but decided not to penalize either team any further.



'Shut your yap'


The trouble continued off the ice, as Lightning coach John Tortorella vocalized his displeasure of Flyers coach Ken Hitchcock engaging in verbal warfare with Lightning players on the ice. Said Tortorella:

Last time I looked, he's wearing a suit back there,
the same type of suit I'm wearing. He's not in the
battle. There are two quality teams here. He should
shut his yap. It's not about him. It's about two
quality teams.

We understand how Philly works as far as the dialogue
that goes on with all this stuff here, but when it
comes to a coach to an opposing player, it's
disrespectful and it's wrong. That's got to stop. Park
your ego. Shove it in your pocket.


Hitchcock, on the other hand, kept his response to the point:

Tell him to mind his own business.




Inciting a riot


Tortorella wasn't the only one complaining about the opposition, however. Hitchcock was upset about a replay that kept airing on the jumbotron above the ice at the St. Pete Times Forum during game 2. Donald Brashear landed a late hit on Lightning player Tim Taylor, which should have warranted a penalty, but no call was made. Moments later, because of the hit, a fight broke out. During the lull in play in which the referees worked out the penalties due to the fighting, the replay of Brashear's hit was played over and over.

Said Hitchcock:

I am listening to those people behind us, behind our
bench and they are not happy. And they are watching
this thing and then it comes up again and again. You
can't do it. You just can't do it.


Because of the ordeal, the NHL warned the Lightning that such activity at the St. Pete Times Forum will not be tolerated in the future.



You booze, you lose


boozeAs if playing a late hit on the jumbotron wasn't enough to cause chaos, the Tampa Bay Lightning are offering free and unlimited beer to anyone who buys season tickets for next year.

Unsurprisingly, this move upset some people who don't like the idea of 20,000 people driving home wasted in a city that offers no alternatives to driving your own sorry drunk ass home.

The Lightning's response to the criticism? They can have free soft drinks, too.



Game 3 airs Thursday at 7pm on ESPN. Do yourself a favor and tune in.

5.09.2004

Iced Earth

After years of writing songs about fantasy and science fiction, guitarist Jon Schaffer decided to take on something a bit more serious - and real - with Iced Earth's latest album, "The Glorious Burden." The album features songs about great wars and war heroes throughout history, along with a 9/11 tribute. If that change from all things nerdy to all things historical wasn't enough, Matt Barlow left the band and was replaced by former Judas Priest singer Tim 'Ripper' Owen for the new album. Needless to say, Iced Earth fans were not happy.

Me? I couldn't be happier. I think the sound has kicked up a notch, as Owen's voice is much more crisp than Barlow. And I may be a nerd for sci-fi and fantasy stories, but I'm also a nerd for American war history.

So I made it to the House of Blues in Orlando last week to catch one hell of a show by Iced Earth and Children of Bodom. Evergrey kicked off, followed by Bodom, who rocked their asses off for a good 45 minutes. Sucked that COB had such a short set, but it was all leading up to Iced Earth ready to rock the place.

And rock the shit out of the place they did. Kicking things off with "Declaration Day," the opening track off their latest (and quite awesome) album "The Glorious Burden," they played an hour and a half long set that included such old and expected favorites as "Vengeance is Mine," "Pure Evil," "My Own Savior," and the entire "Something Wicked This Way Comes" trilogy. Very cool.

They also included quite a few other songs off the new album, with "When the Eagle Cries," "Greenface," and "Red Baron/Blue Max" making the cut along with the aforementioned opening track.

But most impressive was after their entire set, they came out for an encore and performed the ENTIRE Gettysburg trilogy off "The Glorious Burden." For those of you not familiar with Iced Earth, or if you just don't like them anymore because Matt Barlow was replaced, we're talking a 35 minute long composition. The guitarists came out wearing blue and grey general's jackets, one with a guitar with a confederate flag and the other sporting the union...

...further proving that Iced Earth is the ultimate geek rock band in disguise. And you know what? I eat shit like this up. I can't get enough of it. That's right, I like my heavy metal guitarists to play dress up according to the song they are playing. Britney Spears isn't the only one who does costume changes. Wearing general's jackets while playing an epic 35 minute song about Gettysburg is fucking cool, and you can't deny it.

Any Owen doubters should have seen this show and eaten all the crow they could handle. Tim hit every note perfectly and sounded absolutely fantastic. And the man can hold a note for a long-ass time too. After a watching him do a full two hours of singing his damn lungs out, I can't imagine how he does a show night after night. He must go backstage after the show and get major shots of cortisone in his fucking throat.

In fact, the whole band has to be commended for the performance they put on. Just a great show, and one of the best concerts I've been to in a long time.

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