Scott Taylor's Blog, page 78

Castillo leads Bombers to comeback win over Lions

By Scott Taylor

Sergio Castillo kicked a 40-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to give the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 29-26 victory over the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.

Castillo, playing his first game for the Bombers as a kicking replacement for Lirim Hajrullahu (who is still punting for the Bombers), kicked five field goals including the winner to make sure the Bombers put a halt to a three-game losing streak.

Horrible Jonathon Jennings throws another horrible, off-balance pass.

Despite the fact Winnipeg had only 271 total offensive yards and trailed 23-9 at the half, they never quit. The Bombers got a third-quarter touchdown off a Teague Sherman blocked punt and they picked off two Horrible Jonathan Jennings passes to give Castillo a chance to kick the Bombers to victory. (BTW, Jennings might be the only QB in the CFL to regularly throw passes to spots that only his receivers couldn’t catch.)

Winnipeg tied the game with a minute and a half to play, got possession before the final gun and set up Castillo for his final field goal of the night with no time left on the clock.

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols finished the game with 19 completions on 35 pass attempts for 179 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Newcomer Da’Rel Scott led the Bombers rushers with four carries for 33 yards. Clarence Denmark caught six passes for 60 yards and he was the best the Bombers had. The Bombers offence still wasn’t pretty, but finally, with a kicker it was effective.

The Bombers scored 10 points in each of the third and fourth quarters and the defence shut down Jennings and the Lions as Winnipeg outscored B.C. 20-3 in the second half to come back and win on the road. It was Winnipeg’s second road win of the season (2-5-0).

Horrible Jonathan Jennings hits the turf.

The win gave Winnipeg a record of 5-10 while B.C. fell to 5-9. As awful as the Bombers have been this season, they still have a chance to make the playoffs in the Western Conference.

This coming Friday night, the Bombers play in Ottawa against a RedBlacks team that is fighting for first-place in the East. B.C., meanwhile, heads to Edmonton to face a team that has won five games in a row.

It might be a battle of two bad teams, but it’s still a battle and one of these sub-.500 clubs will likely make the playoffs (unless Montreal pulls a crossover miracle). The Bombers picked a good year to be lousy, simply because three other teams are bottom-of-the-barrel material.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Full house proves that fans love the NBA in Winnipeg

By Scott Taylor/Photos by Jeff Miller

NBA Superstars Andrew Wiggins, Joakim Noah, Pau Gasol and Kevin Garnett came to town on Saturday night and 15,294 Winnipeggers loved every minute of it.

Even though it was a meaningless pre-season game — part of the NBA in Canada Series — and even though the Bulls injured superstar Derrick Rose didn’t suit up, it was not meaningless to Josh and Tom Caniouras, Thomas Medeiros and Jason Crawford.

Josh Caniouras, Thomas Medeiros, Tom Caniouras and Jason Crawford, loving every minute of the NBA in Winnipeg (Photo by Jeff Miller)

“This is great,” said Tom Caniouras. “I’ve been to an NBA game before, but to see one in my hometown is a big deal. I’m a Kobe fan, but it’s great to be able to see Wiggins. It’s just great for the city. I hope they can do more.”

Saturday night at MTS Centre, the NBA came back to Winnipeg and the game was greeted with a sellout. The fact the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 114-105 in a pre-season game that won’t matter a lick in January, was lost on Winnipeg basketball fans. On Saturday night, they loved every minute of it — pre-season or not.

Our downtown hockey rink was jammed to the rafters and when the players came out onto the court for their warm-up, they all had wide smiles. It’s unlikely any of them believed they’d get the warm, but raucous reception they received from the Winnipeg fans.

“This place is sold right out,” said the man behind the evening, the Senior Vice-President of Venues & Entertainment for True North, Kevin Donnelly. “It’s a combination of the Bulls, Wiggins and the day of the week. The Bulls are a huge brand. Wiggins, of course, is Canadian, he’s our guy. And we’re playing on a Saturday night. The last time we had a pre-season game here, it was a Thursday night, so we sold 4,000-5,000 more tickets this time.”

Fans get their pictures taken with the Larry O’Brian Trophy. (Photo by Jeff Miller)

When the Bulls were introduced, the crowd went wild for Pau Gasol, Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich, but they saved their real emotion for the Timberwolves. When No. 1 draft pick Karl-Anthony Towns was introduced, the fans began to rise. When Wiggins was introduced, half the crowd stood. When Garnett hit the floor, people went absolutely crazy. There were even some Celtics fans in the crowd who stood to pay tribute to one of their former greats.

For the most part, this was a crowd that just wanted to see NBA basketball and, make no mistake, it was a knowledgeable crowd. They cheered wildly when former Bulls centre Bill Wennington, the first Canadian to be part of an NBA championship team, was introduced in the second quarter. The Celtics fans led a court-rattling applause when legendary Boston Hall of Famer Robert Parrish was honored by Donnelly with a Winnipeg Jets jersey in the third quarter. And they went nuts when Towns drove the lane and dunked to get the Wolves within 13 in the third.

When Wiggins hit a three with 4:40 to play to cut the Bulls lead to six, they exploded.

However, just to prove it was, indeed, a Winnipeg crowd, they raised the roof with a thunderous “True North!” during Beverly Wynne’s rendition of O Canada.

Andrew Wiggins at the hoop (Photo by Jeff Miller)

Eyneil Bantugan and his friend Kim Virata, had just purchased Bulls jerseys when we met them on the concourse. They were about as wide-eyed as two fans could get.

“I’m a Derrick Rose fan and I’m kind of disappointed he’s not playing,” said Eyneil. “But I like the game. I play in the Filipino League. This is going to be fun.”

For Mohammed Hedoon, a Gordon Bell High School student who regularly plays basketball with a group of friends at the University of Winnipeg, it was a great night to show off his Derrick Rose jersey and Bulls hat.

“Derrick Rose is my favourite player,” Hedoon said. “ I know he’s not playing, but I hope he’s here. I’d just like to see him.”

As fans got their pictures taken with the Larry O’Brian NBA Championship Trophy, you could feel the excitement in the concourse. This is a big league hockey town so seeing high-end professional athletes shouldn’t be a big deal, but there just seemed to be a completely different vibe in the building on this night.

The game is closer, and more accessible for many fans, especially the fans sitting courtside. Boards, glass and layers of protective equipment don’t separate the players from the crowd.

Tyus Jones (1) of the Wolves was the best player on the floor. (Photo by Jeff Miller)

On Saturday, Winnipeg’s basketball faithful got to see Bulls 6-foot-8 shooting forward Doug McDermott (Creighton) come off the bench score 16 points and Wolves rookie point guard Tyus Jones (Duke) lead Minnesota with 18 points and nine assists. Jones was, clearly, Minnesota’s best player in this one. Wiggins finished with nine points, seven of them down the stretch. E’Twaun Moore led the Bulls with 18, most of them in the fourth quarter.

“I have tickets right on the floor to see Wiggins,” said Tom Caniouras. “The tickets are pricey but they’re well worth it. We need to have more games.”

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Jets win second straight to start new season

By Scott Taylor

Winnipeg Jets centre Mark Scheifele admitted between the first and second periods on Friday night that he’s spent some time working on his shot.

Not that anyone thought Scheifele has developed one of the best wrist shots in the NHL.

Mark Scheifele heads to the net.

On Friday night in Newark, Scheifele scored his second goal in as many nights and his second goal of the season. He also scored Winnipeg’s first goal of the game for the second straight night as he kick-started the Jets, leading them to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

It was the Jets second straight win to start the 2015-16 season and it gave the Jets back-to-back victories to open the new campaign. It also gave the Jets two road wins to start the season and there is a lot to be said about that.

After a scoreless first period on Friday night, Scheifele scored at 1:13 of the second period as he ripped a snap shot past Jersey netminder. Cory Schneider, a star with the Manitoba Moose from 2007 to 2010.

Blake Wheeler fired a quick shot under the bar past Schneider at 3:56 and after the Devils got a power-play (credited to former Jet Jiri Tlusty) goal when Jacob Trouba shot the puck into his own net, Andrew Ladd scored a beauty on the power play at 16:21 to give the Jets a 3-1 advantage.

In the end, the Jets actually scored all four goals.

Captain Andrew Ladd celebrates a power play goal.

In the third period, the Jets checked the Devils into the ice, missed a couple of great scoring opportunities, but held the Devils off the board as Winnipeg claimed its second straight win.

Ladd led the way for the Jets. He had plenty of jump, scored a power-play goal, dished out an assist was plus-one and had four shots on goal in 20 minutes and 37 seconds of ice time. Young Nikolaj Ehlers led all the Jets with five shots on goal. Adam Lowry led the Jets with four hits. And Dustin Byfuglien was often sensational as he had three shots and three hits in a team high 23 minutes and 42 seconds of ice time.

Michael Hutchinson made 20 saves and got the win. The Jets outshot New Jersey 30-21.

The Jets will get Saturday and Sunday off and then face the New York Islanders in Brooklyn at 12 Noon CDT on Monday.

Blake Wheeler beats former Moose goalie Cory Schneider.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

CFL Picks Week 16: The Season Hangs in the Balance

By Scott Taylor

Here is the crazy thing about the Canadian Football League: It’s Week 16, only four weeks left and a team that is 4-10 still has a mathematical chance to make the playoffs.

And it’s not just a long shot chance. At 4-10, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers trail the 5-8 B.C. Lions and the 5-8 Montreal Alouettes by one win. And even though the Bombers face the Lions in Vancouver this Saturday night, there is still a chance, a hope, that with a win, the Bombers improve to 5-10, the Lions fall to 5-9, Montreal happens to lose to first-place Toronto and Voila! The Bombers are back in it.

Matt Nichols is 1-3 as the Bombers starter.

Now look, there is no real reason to believe the Bombers can beat B.C. After all, Winnipeg is 1-5-0 on the road this season and they’ve lost seven of their last eight games (four at home) and play three of their final four games on the road.

However, do the math and even if the Bombers lose this week, they are not mathematically eliminated. Emotionally eliminated, mentally and physically eliminated, but not mathematically eliminated.

Of course, if the Bombers do lose to a not-very-good Lions team, the Bombers have to do some organizational soul searching. This team will be 4-11 this season under Mike O’Shea and 5-16 in their last 21 under O’Shea, GM Kyle Walters and CEO Wade Miller. They’ve also become the only team in the history of North American professional sport that didn’t get at least a three-year attendance bump with the construction of a new stadium. Based on this year’s attendance figures, the Bombers drew more people to the old Winnipeg Stadium than they are drawing now, to still brand new Investors Group Field.

In all sorts of different ways, this is a big game for the Bombers on Saturday night.

It will also be one of four big games for our fearless prognosticators this beautiful Thanksgiving Weekend.

Last week, The Doc went 2-2 straight up (35-25) and 1-3 against the spread (31-29) while The Coach went 3-1 (35-25) straight up and, in a rarity, 4-0 (32-28) against the spread.

This week, The Doc again writes our brilliant observations while The Coach just continues to whine about all the penalties and the “obnoxious” (his word, not ours) TSN panel.

Remember, all games are on TSN. And as we remind you each week, for your own personal mental health, always keep the mute button handy.

Let’s look closely at Week 16:

Friday Night

Kevin Glenn of the irrelevant Roughriders

Saskatchewan (2-12) vs. Hamilton (8-5)

Line – Hamilton by 7 ½

Saskatchewan was thoroughly humiliated in Vancouver last week while Hamilton almost knocked off the best team in the league with a quarterback nobody ever heard of. What will the Ti-Cats do against the worst team in the league? The Coach says: The Saskatchewan Roughriders are so badly coached, it’s an embarrassment to the recent history of the franchise.

Dr. Football: Take Hamilton to win and cover.

The Coach: Take Hamilton to win and cover.

Saturday Night

Eddie Steele (97), back to Eskimos from injury this week.

Edmonton (10-4) vs. Calgary (11-3)

Line – Calgary by 3 ½

Now here’s a game to watch, but it’s too bad it’s hockey season and nobody in Calgary will care. Calgary simply is the worst 11-3 team of all time, barely beating the Bombers and the Ticats over the past two weeks. They have run out of gas and the Eskimos will expose this. The Coach says: Take the home team. Both of these teams should have lost in Winnipeg. For the Bombers, it’s just shoulda, woulda, coulda.

Dr. Football: Take Edmonton in an upset.

The Coach: Take Calgary to win and cover.

Saturday Night (9 p.m. CDT TSN)

Winnipeg’s own Andrew Harris, the Lions offence.

Winnipeg (4-10) vs. B.C. (5-8)

Line – B.C. by 6 ½

B.C. blew out the Riders last week while the Bombers blew their chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of what’s left of their fans. Winnipeg will play better, but do they have the confidence to win? The Coach says: It’s the 1-5-0 Bombers on the road.

Dr. Football: Take B.C. to win but not cover.

The Coach: Take B.C. to win and cover.

Monday Afternoon 

Argos quarterback, Trevor Harris.

Toronto (8-5) vs. Montreal (5-8)

Line – Toronto by 2 ½

Toronto put it all on the line in Ottawa and showed character, something the Als have not been able to do all year. The Coach says: The Argos are simply better than Jim Popp’s “elite team.”

Dr. Football: Take Toronto to win and cover.

The Coach: Take Toronto to win and cover.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Jets blast Bruins to open the season

By Scott Taylor

Drew Stafford scored the winning goal, but it was rookie Nic Petan who emptied Boston’s TD Bank Garden on Thursday night.

With his mom, dad and brother looking on, Petan was standing in front of Boston Goaltender Tuukka Rask when Andrew Copp’s shot from the corner deflected off his leg and into the net to give the Jets a 5-2 advantage.

Jets celebrate a big win

It put a lock on what turned out to be a 6-2 Jets road-win to start the 2015-16 NHL season.

The Jets got at least one goal from every line as Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Stafford, Chris Thorburn, Petan and Alexander Burmistrov scored as the Jets ripped the Bruins in front of a sellout crowd that was nearly empty when Burmistrov scored his empty-netter.

The Jets trailed 1-0 after the first period as defenseman Ben Chiarot coughed up the puck in front of Ondrej Pavelec and Boston’s David Kriejci picked it up and slipped it into the Jets net.

“Our goaltender was the reason we were still in the game in the first period,” said Jets head coach Paul Paurice in his televised post-game media scrum. “Then we got off the plane and off the bus and started to skate incrementally, shift-by-shift, a lot better and we were a good team after that.

“We scored some big, big goals throughout our whole lineup – everybody got a piece of it – the goaltender was great, gave everybody a chance to get off the ground and we were pretty good after that.”

Drew Stafford scores the evential winning goal.

Winnipeg was outshot 14-6 in the first period and didn’t appear to be ready to play. But either head coach Paul Maurice or captain Andrew Ladd lit a fire under the club between periods as the Jets came out in the second and took over the game.

At 5:26, Scheifele ripped a beautiful one-timer over Rask’s shoulder to tie the game and then, les than four minutes later, Wheeler snapped a shot past the Bruins netminder to give Winnipeg a 2-1 lead.

At 17:39, Drew Stafford picked up a rebound beside Rask and popped it into the corner to give Winnipeg a 3-1 lead as Winnipeg outshot Boston 11-10 in the second.

In the third. Boston got an early goal from David Pasternak to make it 3-2, but the Jets didn’t wilt. Chris Thorburn got credit for a goal that was actually knocked into the Boston net by a backchecking Krejci. Then Petan’s deflection made it 5-2 and Burmistov flipped one off the board almost the length of the ice and into the empty Boston goal to put the icing on the cake.

Since 2007, the Jets/Atlanta franchise was 0-10-3 playing in Boston, but on this night, the Jets were clearly the better team. The Jets got a goal and an assist from Burmistrov, who was plus four on the night, and a goal and an assist from Stafford, who was plus-two. In total, 12 different Jets recorded points as the team opened the season with a road win.

Jets celebrate Mark Scheifele’s goal

“We didn’t skate very well in the first period but after that, we did and that was the difference in our team,” said Maurice. “Everybody’s got hopes and dreams at the beginning of the season that they can score 50. We still have six guys around here who still believe that tonight. The more people you can have on the board early in the season, the better. They all feel they’re a part of it. I’m very, very happy. For them. Lowry’s line was good, Burmy was plus four and Copp’s line had two goals. They played well.”

It was a terrific night for the Jets young players, none of whom looked out of place in an NHL game. 20-year-old rookie Petan had a goal, 21-year-old rookie Andrew Copp had an assist and 19-year-old rookie Nikolaj Ehlers was plus-one and had five shots on goal.

“(Petan) will remember that one (goal), It will be coast-to-coast by the time he has his own kids,” Maurice said laughing. “I was happy with all the young players’ games tonight. Really happy.”

The Jets will play the second game of this season-opening four-game road trip on Friday night at 6 p.m. CDT in Newark against the New Jersey Devils. They’ll play Monday at Noon in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders and then Tuesday night at 6 against the New York Rangers in Manhattan.

Rough going with Dustin Byfuglien

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

NFL Picks Week 5: Vikings get a week off

By The Coach and Dr. Football

Our fearless prognosticators are set for Week 5 in the NFL. The Vikings are off, the Panthers, Dolphins and Jets also have byes.

This week, the Detroit Lions have to overcome terrible officiating, the Dallas Cowboys have to survive no offensive weapons and Tom Brady and the Packers, Broncos, Falcons and Bengals are set to go to 5-0.

Last week Dr. Football was solid. The Doc went 10-5 (35-28) and 6-9 (29-34) against the spread. The Coach went 11-4 straight up (37-26) and 7-8 against the spread (33-30).

This week, the Doc writes brilliantly about our exquisite choices while The Coach will spend his time eating pork rinds and screaming at all the stinkin’ flags.

Ryan Mallett, Houston Texans

Thursday Night:

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) at Houston Texans (1-3)

Line: Pick ‘Em

Both teams are in total disarray. That being said, the expectations on the Colts puts more pressure on the team and I guarantee, that will result in panic. Watch the Texans rebound. The Coach says: If Luck doesn’t play, Matt Hasselbeck will not win two weeks in a row.

Dr. Football: Take the Texans.

The Coach: Take the Texans.

Early Sunday Afternoon

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-3)

Line: Buccaneers by 3

Both teams in one sentence; inexperienced quarterbacks and bad kickers. Stay out of Florida unless you’re into bad pro football. Go with the home team. The Coach says: Fortunately I have NFL Sunday Ticket and won’t have to watch this game.

Dr. Football: Take the Bucs to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Bucs and hold your nose. Ah, yes, and, OK, the Bucs will cover.

Buffalo Bills (2-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-2)

Line: Bills by 3

Bills play with gusto, so much in fact they may set an NFL record this season for penalties. Titans are terrible, but they’ll keep it close. The Coach says: I love Tyrod Taylor, but not on the toad. Not even against Marcus Mariota.

Dr. Football: Take the Bills to win but not cover.

The Coach: Take the Titans.

Cleveland Browns (1-3) at Baltimore Ravens (1-3)

Line: Ravens by 6.5

The Ravens 0-3 start is in the past. They’ll make it two in a row against a usually lousy Cleveland team. The Coach says: The poor Browns will NOT win with Josh McCown at quarterback, no matter how well they play.

Dr. Football: Take the Ravens to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Ravens to win and cover.

Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

Washington Redskins (2-2) at Atlanta Falcons (4-0)

Line: Falcons by 8

The Falcons are back on track and are for real. The Redskins got lucky last week and will pay for it in the Dome. The Coach says: The Washingtons are better than anyone thought and they will compete on Sunday. They just won’t quite be good enough against a very good Falcons team.

Dr. Football: Take the Falcons to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Falcons to win but not cover.

Chicago Bears (1-3) at Kansas City Chiefs (1-3)

Line: Chiefs by 9.5

Chiefs kicker Cairo Santos can take the night off and they’ll still win. The Coach says: Poor Bears got a win last week. Not this week.

Dr. Football: Take the Chiefs to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Chiefs to win and cover.

New Orleans Saints (1-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)

Line: Eagles by 5

In what looked like a big Week 5 matchup when the schedule was released has turned into a battle of two teams headed in the wrong direction. Has Chip Kelly’s Philly welcome worn out? The Coach says: The Eagles don’t have much of a quarterback but this is a battle of two bad teams. Take the one at home.

Dr. Football: Take the Saints in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Eagles to win and cover.

St. Louis Rams (2-2) at Green Bay Packers (4-0)

Line: Packers by 9.5

The Rams faced the Cardinals on the road last week and now travel north to face the undefeated Packers. Obviously the NFL schedule maker hates St. Louis. They can’t repeat last week’s magic. The Coach says: This one could get really, really ugly.

Dr. Football: Take the Packers to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Packers to win and cover.

Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

Seattle Seahawks (2-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (4-0)

Line: Bengals by 1

The Seahawks stole one at home against the Lions on Monday and will steal one on the road. Bubble burst time for the Bengals. The Coach says: The Seahawks had to get a fortuitous call from one of the NFL’s many terrible officials in order to beat the horseshit Lions at home. They’ll get killed in Cincinnati.

Dr. Football: Take the Seahawks in an upset.

The Coach: Take the Bengals to win and cover.

Late Sunday Afternoon

Arizona Cardinals (3-1) at Detroit Lions (0-4)

Line: Cardinals by 2.5

The Lions put it all out there in Seattle and still came away with nothing. Arizona got a wakeup call against the Rams and will be angry. The Coach says: The Lions have no offence for reasons I don’t understand but they ARE at home this week.

Dr. Football: Take the Cardinals to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Lions

New England Patriots (3-0) at Dallas Cowboys (2-2)

Line: Patriots by 8

The well-rested Patriots face Brandon Weeden who has lost 10 consecutive games as a starter. Not fun days in Dallas. The Coach says: With a still angry Tom, Brady coming off a bye week, this could be a complete massacre.

Dr. Football: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Patriots to win and cover.

Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos (4-0) at Oakland Raiders (2-2)

Line: Broncos by 5.5

The Orange Crush is back. Even with a sputtering offense, the ferocious D can will Denver to win. The Coach says: Doesn’t matter where he plays, Peyton Manning is better than Derek Carr.

Dr. Football: Take the Broncos to win and cover.

The Coach: take the Broncos to win and cover.

Sunday Night

San Francisco 49ers (1-3) at New York Giants (2-2)

Line: Giants by 7

People wrote off the Giants too early. Peyton’s little brother will show the NFL which Manning can still get the job done. The Coach says: The Giants aren’t that good, but they’re better than the Niners and they’re at home.

Dr. Football: Take the Giants to win and cover.

The Coach: Take the Giants to win and cover.

Monday Night

Pittsburgh Steelers (2-2) at San Diego Chargers (2-2)

Line: Chargers by 3.5

The Steelers will have had 11 days to lick their wounds after giving a game away to the Ravens but a cross country won’t play in their favour. Losses like the one to the Ravens hurt the team’s morale and that’s hard to recover from. The Coach says: Phillip Rivers was lucky to beat Cleveland last week. However, for the second straight week, Rivers plays against a starting quarterback who shouldn’t be the starting quarterback. That should make him lucky again.

Dr. Football: Take the Chargers to win but not cover.

The Coach: Take the Chargers to win and cover.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Stanley Cup Final: We Like the Blackhawks in Six Games

With Duncan Keith playing the best hockey of his career, Jonathan Toews at the top of his game and Corey Crawford doing the job that’s required, the Chicago Blackhawks are on the verge of their third Stanley Cup championship in six years.

However, after surviving the big, talented Anaheim Ducks, the Hawks will now head into a buzz saw in Tampa, Fla.

Steven Stamkos and Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning (Photo by James Carey Lauder).

The Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that features Steven Stamkos’ skill, Ben Bishop’s size in net and a gifted group of young, talented legs, took out the New York Rangers in seven games and are lying in wait for a Blackhawks team that has already played some remarkable hockey just to get to the 2015 Stanley Cup final.

In Tampa, where a sunny community of retirees and beach lovers has turned the downtown into “Hockeytown,” the Lightning is ready to corral their second Cup in 11 years. In fact, the folks in tampa are so crazy about their Lightning, that Garth Brooks had to cancel two concerts to make room for the hockey team.

And make no mistake, the Bolts have a ton of talent.

Besides Stamkos (43 goals in the regular season), the Lightning also boasts “The Triplets Line” of Tyler Johnson, 25 (league-leading 12 goals and 21 points in the playoffs), Nikita Kucherov, 22 (nine goals and 19 points) and Ondrej Palat, 24 (seven goals and 15 points). Throw in Valterri Flippula, Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan and this Lightning club has all the tools it needs up front.

The Hawks, meanwhile, have a first line that’s been lights out – Toews with Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad. That line tallied 15 goals in the last four games against the Ducks. Throw in Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Shaw and the Hawks have the ability to put up some crooked numbers.

Jonathan Toews (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

“This will be another great test,” Toews told NBC Sports. “If we can remember the other games we had against them this regular season, if that’s any sort of foreshadowing, it’s going to be a tough one. But we’ll be ready for ‘em.”

Chicago was 1-1-0 against Tampa in the regular season, winning 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 11 and losing 4-0 on Feb. 27. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop stopped 65 of 67 shots this season while Stamkos had two goals and three points.

“We never really stopped believing in ourselves,” said Patrick Sharp on Saturday night. “We were hearing a lot of things about our team in the regular season. Seems like we put things back together at the right time and we’re back in the finals with this group. We know what we have in this room, we believe in each other, we believe in the organization and it really matter what other people say.”

What they have in “this room” is one of the best defensive units in the game.

Two-time Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith has been spectacular and many think he’s Conn Smythe Trophy material. Keith leads all defensemen in the playoffs with 18 points, including 16 assists. Brent Seabrook has six goals and played terrifically in his own zone. Johnny Oduya and Niklas Hjalmarsson have been as good as could ever be expected.

For Tampa, the first team to play four “Original Six” teams in one Stanley Cup tournament (Detroit, Montreal, the Rangers and Chicago), will rely on Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman to do most of the defensive work. Veterans Matt Carle and Braydon Coburn have to be more consistent and that’s why the Hawks have the edge on defense.

Steven Stamkos scores (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

The Blackhawks trailed the Ducks 3-2 in the Western Conference final before winning Game 6 at United Center and Game 7 at Honda Center. Chicago is 8-0 in series that were tied 2-2 since the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Meanwhile, the Lightning is 9-0 when scoring first in the postseason. That’s why Stamkos and The Triplets have been so instrumental in Tampa’s success.

Ben Bishop (6-foot-7, 210 pounds) for Tampa and Corey Crawford for the Hawks will handle the bulk of the goaltending work. In fact, if their backups play at all, it’s because Bishop or Crawford were benched midway through a game.

Special teams always play a huge role in the post-season but neither the Hawks nor the Lightning has been outstanding. The Hawks power play has been inconsistent while the penalty-killing unit ranks 11th out of 16 playoff clubs at 75.5 per cent. Meanwhile, the Lightning’s power play is fourth overall in the playoffs at 22.2 per cent while the penalty kill is eighth at 81.2 per cent. The winning team, however, will have the best special teams units in the final – count on it.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final is Wednesday at Amalie Arena (7 p.m. CST; NBC, CBC) in downtown Tampa. The Lightning has home-ice advantage because it had six more points than Chicago during the regular season (108-102).

Game 2 is at Tampa Bay next Saturday. Game 3 is at United Center on June 8, followed by Game 4 on June 10. Game 5, if necessary, is at Tampa Bay on June 13; Game 6 is at Chicago on June 15; and Game 7 is at Tampa Bay on June 17.

Our pick: Blackhawks in Six Games.

BLACKHAWKS

Forwards

Brandon Saad—Jonathan Toews—Patrick Kane

Bryan Bickell—Brad Richards—Marian Hossa

Patrick Sharp—Antoine Vermette—Teuvo Teravainen

Andrew Desjardins—Marcus Kruger—Andrew Shaw

Defensemen

Duncan Keith—Niklas Hjalmarsson

Kyle Cumiskey—Brent Seabrook

Johnny Oduya—David Rundblad

Goaltenders

Corey Crawford

Scott Darling

LIGHTNING

Forwards

Alex Killorn—Valtteri Filppula—Steven Stamkos

Ondrej Palat—Tyler Johnson—Nikita Kucherov

J.T. Brown—Cedric Paquette—Ryan Callahan

Brenden Morrow—Brian Boyle—Vladislav Namestnikov

Defensemen

Victor Hedman—Anton Stralman

Jason Garrison—Braydon Coburn

Matt Carle—Andrej Sustr

Goaltenders

Ben Bishop

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

The New Black Sox Scandal

FIFA has been called a “vile criminal organization.” History would suggest that description is true.

Soccer, football if you will, is one of the fastest growing sports among children in North America. It’s unlikely kids care that the people who run the game are crooks, but as the FIFA Women’s World Cup comes to Canada this week, cartoonist Bill Day had a thought about FIFA today and how it compared to the 1919 Black Sox scandal — a scandal involving the fastest growing sport among children in the second decade of the 20th Century.

As I said, I don’t suppose kids care about the criminals who run FIFA. And I doubt anyone, media included, will care that the people who actually run this coming month’s Women’s World Cup are as corrupt as human beings can be.

Still, the long term fallout from the criminal activities of an organization that is actually killing construction workers in Russia and Qatar, remains to be seen.

In Winnipeg this week, I would not be surprised if it was simply ignored.

 

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Toews Rides to the Rescue

Just when the Chicago Blackhawks needed the cavalry, Jonathan Toews arrived.

Saturday night in hostile territory on the West Coast, Toews scored the first two goals of the game, logged nearly 22 minutes of ice time and was the game’s first star as the captain of the Blackhawks led his team to a 5-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Jonathan Toews scores again.

But this wasn’t just any victory. This was a win, on the road in Game 7 of the Western Conference final.

And it started and ended with the play of the best athlete ever to be produced in Winnipeg, Manitoba – period.

Toews was a monster all night. He scored off a rebound at 2:23 of the opening period to set the tone and then scored again in the first, this time on the power play at 11:55 and the Hawks had a 2-0 lead. Chicago then scored the first two goals of the third period and suddenly, before the Ducks got on the board, Chicago was up 4-0 and getting set to head to Tampa for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday.

There had been some talk earlier in the week that Duncan Keith might be the Blackhawk most likely to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Keith has been good, but he hasn’t been as good as Toews. Toews now has nine goals and nine assists in 17 playoff games and the Hawks are going back to the final.

In fact, Chicago has reached the final for the third time in six seasons. They won the Cup in 2010 and 2013, and last year, lost in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final to Los Angeles. Had the bounce gone the other way, the Toews-led Blackhawks would be playing in their third championship round.

Jonathan Toews and the Chicago Blackhawks (Photo by James Carey Lauder)

Regardless, Chicago is the first team to reach the Cup Final three times since the salary cap was instituted in 2005. They could become the first team to win three Cups in six seasons since the Detroit Red Wings did it between 1997-2002.

So does that make Toews and the Blackhawks a “dynasty?” Probably. At least by modern NHL standards.

Sure, I get it. Unlike basketball, hockey is not a one-man game. After all, Hawks goalie Corey Crawford had another solid game and made 35 saves on Saturday night and Patrick Kane had three assists, but consider this: During the series, Toews had five goals and two assists, won 103 faceoffs and lost only 73 (with a 51-19 domination at home) and was a solid plus-two while leading all forwards in ice time.

And that was just his offence. He was also a dominant defensive forward, shutting down rushes, blocking shots and holding his opposing centre scoreless most night. He was a tireless forechecker and has so much skill, that it’s tough for even skilled defensemen to get the puck out of their own zone on his side of the rink (whichever side he chooses).

LeBron James

Jonathan Toews is not the LeBron James of ice hockey. It’s a completely different game and Toews would laugh at that kind of comparison.

But while James, 30, has won two NBA championships (and is favored to win his third this month) since 2003, Toews has won two NHL championships since 2007. James has been NBA Finals MVP twice, Toews, 27, has been the Conn Smythe Trophy winner once. Both athletes have two Olympic gold medals.

This doesn’t mean that one of them is better or more important to his sport, it just means that these two athletes are the most dominant athletes of the era.

And for the next two weeks, we get to watch them chase the only thing that really matters in team sport – a championship. Don’t be surprised if they both pull it off.

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com

Zimmer: AP Can Play for the Vikings or Not Play. He’ll Play

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer didn’t pull his punches. Granted, Zimmer was upbeat and polite when he made his pronouncement this week, but a handful of sports columnists and, I’m sure, the agent for Adrian Peterson weren’t happy about it.

Asked about Peterson’s future during a news conference at spring camp this week, Zimmer made his position quite clear: “Adrian? He’s really got two choices. He can either play for us or he cannot play. He’s not going to play for anybody else. That’s just the way it’s going to be.’’

Mike Zimmer.

Pretty simple.

Now for those who haven’t been following the soap opera (and I have no criticism for those who haven’t bothered), Peterson and his agent Ben Dogra have a number of statements over the last few months suggesting they want Peterson traded sooner rather than later. When he wasn’t dealt at the draft, the Vikings made it pretty clear that he was not going to be traded.

In their view (as wrongheaded as that view might be), the Vikings didn’t have the Peterson’s back last year as he served a nearly season-long ban over criminal charges related to the beating of his four-year-old son.

Some tried to make a big deal out of Peterson not attending this week’s OTA but Zimmer just laughed and said it was not uncommon for Peterson to miss spring camp. In fact, no one could remember the last time he attended an OTA even though missing this one will cost him $250,000.

“He’s missed a lot of OTAs over the course of his career,” Zimmer said. “I’m not worried about it. I’ve got 89 guys out here that I’m coaching to try and get better.”

Just so everyone is aware, the 30-year-old runningback is signed with the Vikings through the end of 2017 and it’s pretty likely Peterson will be in Minnesota for the duration of his contract. We have been told Peterson would rather play in Dallas (did the Cowboys have his back during his prosecution – in Texas?!), but I’m not sure that’s true.

And, to be fair, Peterson is not that far removed from a 2,000-yard rushing season and an NFL MVP award. His presence on the field might also help a young Vikings team that believes it could make the playoffs this season.

Of course, now we hear Peterson might retire from football. The Vikings would love that. Peterson’s contract is not guaranteed but the cap hit is (as of now). If he retires, the cap hit is gone.

Adrian Peterson

To be precise, Peterson has three years and $44.25 million left on his current contract. He will be paid $12.75 million the upcoming season. That is, if he plays.

Peterson sent a written statement to ESPN on Wednesday night claiming he wants a better contract from the Vikings.

“The reason I’m not attending OTAs has nothing to do with wanting to be traded,’’ Peterson wrote in his statement. “It’s about securing my future with the Vikings. It’s business, not personal and I understand that firsthand. Go Vikings.”

Well isn’t that an interesting and somewhat refreshing response? Actually, it’s the first volley in what Peterson and Dogra hope is an upcoming negotiation to re-work his contract. No doubt, he wants some guaranteed money.

Right now, we’re closer to something we’ve written about here at Game Day Gold since this entire mess began. Peterson will play for the Vikings in 2015 and for at least two years after that.

Unless, of course, some idiot general manager thinks of Peterson the same way Mike Lynn thought of Herschel Walker 25 years ago and is prepared to give the Vikings enough to guarantee the team a successful future.

I’m not sure that guy is out there, but really, who knows?

Posted by: Scott Taylor for RiverCitySports.com