Burke To Stay In Anaheim... For Now

TSN is reporting that General Manager Brian Burke will be staying with the his current team, the Anaheim Ducks, for now. Burke has one year left on his contract but plans to fulfill that final year before even contemplating leaving sunny California. There is no final word on whether or not Burke will re-up with the Ducks but one would assume if Burke plans to stay, a contract will be written up as soon as possible.

For the Leafs, this does not rule out Brian Burke being their next GM, it just diminishes the chances greatly. Cliff Fletcher was signed to a nineteen month contract, technically, Fletcher could fulfill that until Burke has finished his time in Anaheim then flock to the GTA. Though, it seems unlikely, there is still some hope for those clinging to the idea of Burke bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto.

Second Night Of Playoffs Begin

Three new series kick off tonight while one proceeds to the second game in as many nights. Starting in the East, the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens take on the injury-plagued Boston Bruins. Although Patrice Bergeron has been cleared to practice it is unlikely he will be ready for the first few games of the series which could be detrimental to the Bruins playoff success. The Canadiens come in with a rookie goaltender backstopping them and young talent spread throughout the line-up. People have been drawing comparisons to the Patrick Roy era in regards to Price but hockey has changed much since those days. Can he carry this team or will the offence be enough to get by the first round? Only time will tell.

Now to the West where also the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings face the new-look Nashville Predators. Detroit seems to be the same-old dominating puck possession team with sufficient goaltending but will it be enough? Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators have been stripped of many top-notch players in the passed year, yet find themselves still in the playoffs in a very competitive Western conference. Many experts are speculating that this series could be the biggest upset all playoffs, but that is the case every year with the Red Wings due to their dominance of the regular season each year.

Even further West, we have the Flames and Sharks facing off again at the HP Pavillion. The eventual game-winning goal last night came at the expense of a Brian Campbell misplay at the Calgary blueline where Jarome Iginla powered himself to the net and Stephane Yelle completed the play with a very controversial goal. The net appeared to come off its moorings at about the same time as the puck crossed the goal line, fortunately for the Flames the goal stood and they lead the series 1-0.

Finally, the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks match up in which looks to be the biggest goaltending duel of the first round. The Stars won the season series 5-3 but that was before the additions of the trade deadline and the returning Philippe Boucher. Brad Richards looks to lead another team to the Stanley Cup Finals, now for the Stars, while the Ducks look to be the first team to repeat championships since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-1998.

NHL Playoffs Kick Off Tonight

Finally, playoff hockey is returning in full force as two of the Western and Eastern conference series begin. Starting in the North, Ottawa takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh as it is a rematch from Round One last season. The last time these teams met Ottawa won the series and eventually went onto the Stanley Cup Finals.

On the other side of Canada, the Flames begin their series with the San Jose Sharks in beautiful California. Both teams intend to play a physical game, unfortunately for San Jose, though, Calgary is already used to playing a brutal and nasty game while the Sharks are still experimenting.

From the West the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche start their series. Minnesota is already missing a key defenceman in Kurtis Foster but recently it was revealed that Nick Schultz will miss the first round and probably longer. That does not bode well for the defensive Minnesota game. For the Avalanche the real wild card is Peter Forsberg. Can he produce his magic like in the past with the Avalanche or will he re-injure his nagging foot?

Back in the East, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils face off in a highway series. The Devils won the final game of the season in a shootout to maintain home-ice throughout the first round but is looking to be a snooze fest. Both teams like to play the defensive game. While New Jersey's reputation speaks for its self, the addition of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury as well as the emergence of rookie defenceman Marc Staal has brewed a surprising Ranger defence that surrendered the second least amount of goals in the Eastern conference. Of course, the Devils were first in that category.

Enjoy!

Sundin Likely Out For Weekend

Toronto Maple Leaf captain Mats Sundin is expected to miss both games this weekend against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators per TSN. This will be a big blow to a team who is desperate for wins; obviously almost every game is a must-win and missing the captain will not help. On top of Mats' injury, Nik Antropov and Carlo Colaiacovo are both still injured. Antropov looks to be the closest to returning but it may be too little, too late by then.

Buds Face Tough Times

Some may still be hoping upon a Leaf playoff berth as the season winds down but most people by now have accepted reality: It's hard enough to win without their captain, Mats Sundin but add their second leading scorer Nik Antropov and you have a recipe for failure. Not only does this affect the immediate future of the Leafs but Antropov has had a history of reoccurring injuries and I doubt one would like to add more knee problems to the list. The Buds cannot afford more than two losses with a lot of help to have a chance at the playoffs but in the Eastern conference anything is possible. If you read this and are inspired by the "Tank Nation" crowd then this is music to your ears. Obviously no one wishes injuries upon these players but sometimes this can be for the best.

Gordie Johnson Rocks The ACC

An interesting take on the Canadian national anthem.

Leafs Make Late Push

The Buds are now making their annual late season push for the playoffs. Unfortunately, this time they may be too far behind for it to matter. This is even worse because just like the last two years, they make a late stretch-drive run and it only leafs them to 9th or 10th place in the Eastern conference. Not making the playoffs and getting the worst possible pick in doing so is a double-edged sword. For all the Tank Nation supporters, the schedule doesn't look too fortunate for the Leafs even if they're playing their best hockey. Ottawa plays the blue and white twice, as do the Devils, Flyers and Canadiens. The Bruins square off with the Buds three times along with the Sabres and finally one spin with the lowly Islanders. For those hoping for a high pick your dream may still come true.