Logan Couture Says Crosby is a Cheater -- and Most People Agree

The Sharks lost Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins right after Sidney Crosby won a faceoff, passed the puck to Kris Letang, who passed to Conor Sheary, who put it past Martin Jones. Basically, Crosby won the faceoff that led to the goal. But Couture said otherwise. 

"He cheats. He gets away with that. He's Sidney Crosby," Couture said. When asked how Crosby cheats, Couture's response was: "He times them and yet they don't kick him out for some reason; probably because of who he is." 

Crosby won an absurd 71 percent of faceoffs in Game 2, which is nearly impossible to pull off, and 56 percent in Game 1. 

Here is the NHL rulebook's take on faceoffs:

Rule 54 - Face-Offs

(a) Conduct of any face-off commences when the Official designates the place of the face-off and he takes up his position to drop the puck. As soon as the line change procedure has been completed by the Referee and he lowers his hand to indicate no further changes, the Linesman conducting the face-off shall blow his whistle. This will signal to both Teams that they have no more than five (5) seconds to line up for the ensuing face-off. At the end of the five (5) seconds (or sooner if both centers are ready), the Linesman will conduct a proper face-off. If, however:

One or both centers are not positioned for the face-off,

One or both centers refrain from placing their stick on the ice,

Any player has encroached into the face-off circle,

Any player makes physical contact with an opponent, or

Any player is in an off-side position, the Linesman shall have the offending center(s) replaced immediately prior to dropping the puck.

If a center is not at the designated face-off area once the five (5) second time limit has elapsed, the Linesman will drop the puck immediately.

So, basically, Couture is calling for the referees to watch Crosby more closely in the faceoff dot, and I think they should, as lots of people think he gets away with too much.

Sharks or Pens?

My prediction: Sharks in 5. Joel Ward scores the series-winning goal.

Go Sharks beat the Pens.

Comment below to let me know what team you are rooting for. 

Joel Ward is in the Stanley Cup Final!!!!

The San Jose Sharks, after 25 years of waiting, finally made it to their first Stanley Cup Final, and Joel Ward scored two goals in Game 6 against the St. Louis Blues. 

Last summer, when Ward signed with the Sharks as a free agent he had said he was looking for the chance to win the Cup with the Sharks. I remember laughing and saying that the Sharks won't even make the playoffs but boy, was I wrong. 

Ward scored two goals in the game, and further cemented his status as a clutch playoff performer. Here's to many more goals that Ward will score in the Final, but go Lightning!!!

Recap: Day 2 of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs

And today's (well, actually, yesterday's) winners are........

drumroll, please........

1. THE WASHINGTTTTTTOOOOOOOONNNN CAPITALS!

The Capitals shut out the Flyers 2-1 amid a brilliant performance by immortal beast Braden Holtby.

2. THE NEW YORRRRRKKK ISLANDERRS!!!

My prediction isn't so far off thought this is only Game 1... the score was 5-4.

3. THE DALLAS STAAARRRRSS!

A 4-0 shutout!!

4. THE SAN JOSEEEEE SHARKS!!!!

4-3 capped by a goal by none other than Mr. Joe Pavelski.

I am right in all but 2 series so far. Can't wait to see what's going to happen next.

Washington Capitals Offseason Recap

12 days until the Capitals' preseason starts, 31 days until their opener against the New Jersey Devils. Can't wait, eh? Well, there is much to be optimistic about this season. From the acquisition of T.J. Oshie to the signing of Justin Williams, be prepared for an exciting year. I expect the Capitals to at least reach the Final this year, if not hoist the Cup.

The Caps made several huge offseason moves:
Their earliest was signing advanced stats deity Justin Williams, who last played for the LA Kings. Williams, known as Mr. Game 7, is a huge playoff performer, and scored one of the goals in Game 5 of the Cup Final 2014, where the Kings won the Cup.
However, they lost Joel Ward, who signed with the San Jose Sharks and was also a clutch playoff performer.
The Capitals also aquired T.J. Oshie from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Winter Classic game-winning-goal scorer Troy Brouwer, as well as AHL-caliber goalie Pheonix Copley and a 2016 draft pick. T.J. Oshie is best known for his performance in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where he singlehandedly helped Team USA beat the Russians in a seven-round shootout.
The Capitals also re-signed playoff performer Evgeny Kuznetsov. Expect a lot from him his sophomore year; his playoff numbers were no joke. Kuznetsov should combine with fellow sophomore Andre Burakovsky for at least 60 goals.
Bottom-sixer Jay Beagle was also re-signed; he should help the Capitals acheive their goal.
Marcus Johansson, who should assume the role of third-line centre, was also re-signed; he hit career highs in goals, assists, and points last season. He might be able to do it again.
Last, but not least, Braden  Holtby, one of the elite NHL goalies, was resigned. If Holtby puts up the numbers he did in 2014-15, expect him to be a Vezina finalist, if not the winner.

The Capitals should go deep into the playoffs this year. I nominate them to represent the east in the Final. Are you optimistic heading into this season? You should be. Let me know in the comment box.

Looks Like the Defending Stanley Cup Champions Aren't Doing so Well This Season

This picture explains how the Kings beat the San Jose Sharks right before Discovery Channel's Shark Week started.

However, this season the defending Stanley Cup Champions are not doing as well as they should be. Right now, they are 16-11-6, 4th in the Pacific Division. They have been losing to low-ranked teams. The question is: What happened?