Remember all the ‘puck luck’ talk I linked to last time? You know, how the Rangers were basically getting screwed by the hockey gods? Well Zeus & Co (I assume the head hockey god’s name is Zeus, but I could be wrong) did their best to make amends in Game 4. After that wanker Dustin Brown scored this beautiful goal to cut the Rangers’ lead to 1 goal, the Kings proceeded to outshoot New York 27-2. Twenty seven to two! That’s so crazy that I had to spell out the numbers. And italicize them. And no, you can’t even write it off as ‘Oh, score effects, yada yada’ because it was only a one-goal game. The Rangers were clinging on by the skin of their teeth!
But lo and behold, they pulled it off, as the Kings failed to come back from a 2-0 deficit for the first time in what feels right next door to forever. Bad news is, the Rangers probably used up all that karmic puck luck they had coming their way at once. Or, if not all at once, then through the course of this… and this.
Alright. I suddenly got very tired of talking about puck luck. Let’s just look at a straight recap from SB Nation. “Luck is something that’s earned in hockey.” Damn it. How about this one from Blueshirt Banter? “Lady Luck smiled on the Rangers last night.” Damn it! Come on Jewels from the Crown, give me something we can work with. “By the time the puck dropped in Game Four, we were all sick of hearing about luck.“
Yes! Yes we were!
Moving on…
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Travis Morin for Playoff MVP! Well, I don’t know if that should actually be the case, but scoring an overtime goal on the road to give the Texas Stars a 2-1 series lead is pretty huge… [100 Degree Hockey]
One more article on goaltender interference, and the need for video review of it. Because, I mean, come on… [Sporting News]
Ryan Kesler and his most likely/definitely/possibly moving on from the Vanouver Canucks. [Pass it to Bulis]
Not sure if this is a first on Defending Big D, but it’s a first for me. We’re linking to an article on George Strait today. Why? Because apparently George threw his hat into the crowd at a concert last Saturday night… and a Dallas Star ended up with it. And no, he didn’t have to check a crowd of middle-aged women out of the way to get it. Or at least he claims he didn’t. [SI.com]
Hockey as a really successful niche sport? Hmm… [SI.com]
More talk about Jason Spezza! Why not? [Puck Daddy]
It would appear Jaroslav Halak has finally found a home. With the Islanders. All the best with that one… [NHL.com]
Relocation! Wait, in the AHL? [Penn Live]
Awesome goalie mask art! [Dave Art]
And lastly, Steve Dangle talks about jinxing the Kings, being a Leafs fan and thus being dead inside, and Martin St. Louis. “That little guy’s jacked!”