David Backes
NHL Western Conference team-by-team preview
1. San Jose Sharks
2009-10 record: 51-20-11, 113 points.
Power play: 21.0% (fourth). Penalty killing: 85% (fifth).
Team goals-against average: 2.51 (eighth).
Leading scorer: Joe Thornton 20-69 — 89.
Outlook: Another strong regular-season performance ended short of the Cup. The Sharks still have an exceptional defense corps despite the retirement of Rob Blake. The big change is in goal. Evgeni Nabokov was allowed to walk as a free agent and GM Doug Wilson signed Antti Niemi from salary cap-strapped Chicago.
2. Detroit Red Wings
2009-10 record: 44-24-14, 102 points.
Power...
Related "David Backes" Articles
NHL Western Conference team-by-team preview
1. San Jose Sharks 2009-10 record: 51-20-11, 113 points. Power play: 21.0% (fourth). Penalty killing: 85% (fifth). Team goals-against average: 2.51 (eighth). Leading scorer: Joe Thornton 20-69 — 89. ...
Canada, U.S. hockey teams close in on gold-medal matchup
An icy dream dawned six months ago in a rink near Chicago, where candidates for the U.S. Olympic hockey team took the first steps of a journey that will end a few hours before the flame is extinguished on the Vancouver Games. A week later the same...
A stunning victory
Wearing uniforms that honored the Olympic champion 1960 U.S. hockey team and deploying a lineup that included the son of a player from the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" squad, the current U.S. Olympic team made some history of its own Sunday. In an...
Stanley Cup playoffs: Maple Leafs stave off elimination, beat Bruins 4-3
Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk scored 1:19 apart in the second period, and then the Toronto Maple Leafs killed off a 5-on-3 and three more power plays in a row to beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in Game 5 on Saturday night and avoid playoff elimination.
...
NHL playoffs: Lightning open playoffs with 5-2 victory over Devils
The Tampa Bay Lightning are off to a strong start in the NHL playoffs.
The top seed in the Eastern Conference got early goals from four players — none of them named Nikita Kucherov or Steven Stamkos — before holding off the New Jersey Devils for a 5-2...
Grabbing a beard? The NHL has it covered
Nazem Kadri may have got off lightly for grabbing Joe Thornton's beard in a fight.
For one, the Toronto center survived a tilt with a much bigger man with only some facial swelling. But he also escaped further punishment for getting his hand tangled in...
What we learned in the NHL over the past week of play
What we learned in the NHL over the past week of play:
Tough Classic to watch
The Winter Classic, won by the New York Rangers over the Buffalo Sabres in overtime on Monday at CitiField, was plagued by shadows that made the puck difficult to track and...
Jaromir Jagr becomes NHL's 2nd-leading scorer in Panthers' loss to Bruins
Iconic forward Jaromir Jagr used his butt to make history, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Florida Panthers from repeating their ugly history against the Boston Bruins and their impenetrable goalie Tuukka Rask.
Trailing 2-0 with 6:40 left in the...
Team USA's World Cup failure signals need for shift in philosophy
Team USA players will play a meaningless hockey game Thursday night at the World Cup of Hockey before returning home to lick their wounds and ponder another failure in international play.
The Americans were outclassed in the first two games of the...
Milan Lucic, as expected, signs with Edmonton
All the talk about NHL belt tightening and cost containment turned out to be just that — talk.
The action started early on the opening day of NHL free agency — think Black Friday at the mall — and by the time the first hour passed, teams had spent...
Sharks head to first Stanley Cup final after 5-2 win over Blues
After 25 years, the San Jose Sharks will finally play for the Stanley Cup.
Captain Joe Pavelski scored an early goal, Joel Ward added two of his own and the Sharks advanced to their first Stanley Cup Final in franchise history by beating the St. Louis...
Patrick Kane hits Game 5 winner as Blackhawks top Blues in 2nd overtime
For as long as the Blackhawks' playoff series with the Blues has lasted, fans, analysts and maybe even Patrick Kane himself were wondering when the high-scoring forward was going to show up on the goal sheet.
He showed up at just the right time for the...
Tampa Bay eliminates Detroit from Stanley Cup playoffs
Ben Bishop refused to crack.
Tampa Bay's Vezina Trophy candidate stopped 34 shots, Alex Killorn scored with less than two minutes remaining and the Lightning advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Detroit Red...
Blues defeat Blackhawks, 3-2, to take 2-1 lead in first-round series
Jaden Schwartz scored at 13 minutes 32 seconds of the third period with Patrick Kane in the penalty box for high-sticking, and the St. Louis Blues beat the host Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2, on Sunday for a 2-1 lead in their first-round Western Conference...
Blackhawks drop playoff opener 1-0 to Blues in overtime
The Blackhawks were without defenseman Duncan Keith, who was suspended for Wednesday night's playoff opener against the Blues.
Their goaltender, Corey Crawford, was making just his second start after coming back from an upper-body injury.
Being down...
Straight answers about injuries are difficult to come by during the NHL playoffs
Prying injury information out of NHL teams is a difficult task any time of the year. At playoff time, team officials probably would sooner give their bank account information to phone scammers than disclose the nature and severity of a player's injury.
...
NHL preview: Western Conference capsules
In predicted order of finish
Pacific Division
1. KINGS
2013-14: 46-28-8 (100 points), 3rd.
Coach Darryl Sutter wants more from the kids, and wingers Tyler Toffoli and Tanner Pearson look ready to deliver. Sutter also will have a full season of...
Penguins' Crosby caps NHL awards with second Hart Trophy
Despite the disappointment of another playoff flameout by his Pittsburgh Penguins that resulted in his coach and general manager getting fired, center Sidney Crosby put a cap on a successful regular season Tuesday night at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas.
...
Can Crawford get some help before overtime?
Patrick Kane went forehand. Then backhand. Then top shelf.
Hello, Western Conference final.
Kane launched the Blackhawks into their fourth conference final in the last six seasons with a sweet and completely expected overtime game-winner.
Sweet because...