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Post by Hawks on Jun 6, 2015 19:26:34 GMT -5
Good job Ron! Should be a great Finals.
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Post by Nordiques - Chris on Jun 6, 2015 22:47:57 GMT -5
Congrats to Joe and Ron for both making their first trip to the cup finals. I guess the 4th time was the charm for NJ! Good luck to both! Good look, lads - well deserved. Both GMs have made their current teams with a complete metamorphosis over last couple of seasons.
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Post by BruinsGM on Jun 7, 2015 10:10:46 GMT -5
Thank you guys! Did not think we get by Boston. Congrats to Jim for great series and season. Congrats to Joe! We said we meet next year but will take it this season. Going to be hard final as numbers are against us in all areas, but will try to compete. Big underdog I feel but will do best to bring the stress Joe! Great series Ron! Sorry to see my season end but glad it was to you. We will be pulling for you in the finals!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2015 14:19:08 GMT -5
Congrats to Both Joe and Ron!!!.. Both great GM's and even better people. Very happy to see you both there..
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Post by RangersRon on Jun 7, 2015 19:59:44 GMT -5
Thanks guys! I appreciate it!
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Post by gmcanucks on Jun 8, 2015 6:22:57 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone for your words of congratulations and good luck. Super excited to be in the Canucks' franchise first JGHL Cup Final and even more excited to be facing my good friend Ron and his high-flying Devils' squad. Should be a lot of fun.
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Post by RangersRon on Jun 8, 2015 7:51:03 GMT -5
Joe and I made a deal to meet in finals next year but knew his team would be there this year so had to make moves to try to meet him this season! May regret it. Lol....but will do best to give him a run and scare him some.......it will be uphill but happy to compete against my friend!
Good luck Joe! Let's make it a great one!
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Post by RangersRon on Jun 8, 2015 8:46:59 GMT -5
Thank you guys! Did not think we get by Boston. Congrats to Jim for great series and season. Congrats to Joe! We said we meet next year but will take it this season. Going to be hard final as numbers are against us in all areas, but will try to compete. Big underdog I feel but will do best to bring the stress Joe! Great series Ron! Sorry to see my season end but glad it was to you. We will be pulling for you in the finals! Thanks Jim! I thought it was going your way after game 6 especially with changes you made.....force me to change things. It was a great series!
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Post by gmcanucks on Jun 9, 2015 12:06:39 GMT -5
Canucks Take Game One
Ladd's OT winner gives Vancouver opening game of the JGHL Championship Series
Vancouver (CP) - Andrew Ladd scored at 12:07 of the first overtime period to give the Vancouver Canucks a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils in game one of the JGHL League Championship Series on Monday at Rogers Arena.
Ladd took a pass from centre Joe Thornton and fired a hard wrist shot past Devils' goalkeeper Cory Schneider for his 7th of the playoffs, sending the sellout crowd home in a delirious mood.
"Joe put the puck right on the tape and I had the whole open side", said Ladd. "When you play with great players sometimes you get chances like that. I'm just glad it came in overtime."
Canucks coach Wayne Gretzky said he wasn't surprised it was Ladd who was there to score the big goal. "Andrew has been doing this all year for us", said the Great One. "Whenever we need a big goal or find ourselves in a tight spot, he responds. He's a big game player."
The President's Trophy winning Canucks came out energized in front of the partisan crowd, but it was the visiting Devils who drew first blood at 4:59 of the first period, on Valtteri Filppula's 10th goal of the post-season. James Neal and Jonas Brodin drew assists, as New Jersey, at least momentarily, silenced the crowd.
Centre Logan Couture re-energized the assembled masses at 4:42 of the second, tying the score with his 12th of the playoffs from Okposo and Niskanen.
Three minutes into the third it was Couture again, giving the home side a 2-1 lead with his second goal of the game. Mark Giordano and Okposo with his second helper of the evening had assists.
The surprising Devils, who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins to reach their first final, refused to give up. Their hard work and belief was rewarded at 15:38 of the third, when Michael Frolik knotted the score at 2-2, sending the teams into overtime and setting up Ladd's heroics.
Both goalies were sharp during the contest, with Schneider stopping 23 shots in the New Jersey goal, while Canucks' netminder Semyon Varlamov was only called on to make 18 saves for Vancouver.
Couture, Giordano and Ladd were named the game's three stars.
Neither team had any luck on the power-play with the Devils going 0 for 1 and the Canucks' producing a goose egg in four chances.
The Canucks will host game two of the series on Wednesday. Game time is 4:00 EDT.
Game Notes:
- Gretzky wasn't happy with the way the Canucks were dominated in the face-off circle. The home side lost 50 of 81 draws during the contest and the bench boss promised that adjustments will be made. Many believe this means Paul Gaustad will return to the line-up for game two.
- The Canucks were able to hold Devils' captain Patrice Bergeron in check in game one, holding him without a point. The New Jersey centre ran roughshod over the club's first three opponents and leads the playoffs in goals (13) and points (28).
- The win was the Canucks' first victory in a game one in the playoffs after losing the first game of the previous three series to Anaheim, Calgary and St. Louis.
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Post by Philly on Jun 11, 2015 18:26:25 GMT -5
Pretty good finale so far, looking forward to tomorrows game. Low scoring games mean special teams could be a major factor.
With the 10th best overall record in the league during the regular season, Jersey the "Poster Child" for good moves at the trade deadline.
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Post by gmcanucks on Jun 12, 2015 5:53:00 GMT -5
JGHL Championship Series - Game 2 UNBEATABLE Schneider makes 25 saves to blank Canucks and even finals at a game apiece
Vancouver (CP)– It was the performance from Cory Schneider that Devils’ GM Ron Giovanni had been hoping for, and expecting, since the start of the playoffs.
Despite the team success, New Jersey’s biggest star had struggled somewhat during the playoff run with a goals against average over 3.00 and a save percentage below .900.
But that all changed on Wednesday, when Schneider delivered his best game of the playoffs in a 25-save, 1-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena. The win evened the best of seven JGHL Cup Final series at a game apiece, with game three back in the Garden State on Friday.
“We’ve been waiting for him to step up like this since the start of the playoffs”, said Giovanni. “We know it was only a matter of time. He’s been struggling a bit, but the rest of the team has bailed him out. All 20 guys have contributed during this incredible run and we knew his turn would come.”
After a scoreless first period, the Devils got the break they needed early in the second when Canucks’ winger Zach Parise was whistled for hooking at 2:30. Just 16 seconds later, Patrice Bergeron took a pass from Jason Pomminville and buried his league-leading 14th goal of the post-season past Canucks’ keeper Semyon Varlamov.
Bergeron said the team was aware of how sharp Schneider was and knew if they could get one they had a good chance. “We talked about it in the dressing room in the first intermission”, said the Devils’ captain. “We could tell Cory was having one of those nights and if we could find a goal we would probably get a win. Just happy that’s how it worked out.”
Canucks coach Wayne Gretzky praised Schneider’s performance, but said his team has to be better if they expect to win a championship. “You can’t get shutout in your old building in a big playoff game”, said the Hall of Famer. “We had some good chances and couldn’t bury them. We have to be better. Varlamov gave us a solid performance and we wasted it. I guarantee we will be better in game 3.”
Not surprisingly, Schneider, Varlamov and Bergeron were named the game’s three stars. The teams were even in shots on goal after 60 minutes with 25 apiece.
Game number three is set for 4:00 EDT on Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark. Schneider and Varlamov are expected to once again get the start in goal for their respective squads.
Games Notes
- The Canucks went 0 for 3 on the powerplay on Wednesday, making them 0 for 7 in the final and just over 13% for the playoffs. “It’s a concern”, said Gretzky. “Our special teams haven’t been as good as they should be in the playoffs, but we’ve managed to survive without them. Not sure that can last forever.”
- The Canucks dominated most statistical categories except for the one that matters most, dominating the Devils in hits and blocked shots and reversing a poor showing in the face-off circle in game one. “There are no style points in hockey”, said the coach. “We played a solid game, but if you don’t score that doesn’t matter.”
- Gretzky hinted he would juggle some of his lines for game 3. “I’m sure there will be a couple of changes”, said the Great One. “All of our forwards are comfortable playing with anyone, so I don’t think it will hurt to shake things up a bit.”
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Post by MontyBurns on Jun 12, 2015 11:24:57 GMT -5
Can I just say that these summaries are FUCKIN AWESOME.
So entertaining!
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Post by gmcanucks on Jun 12, 2015 16:44:37 GMT -5
I guess moving Ladd to Kopitar's line worked for at least one game.
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Post by Nordiques - Chris on Jun 13, 2015 10:58:08 GMT -5
Can I just say that these summaries are FUCKIN AWESOME. So entertaining! Agree - brilliant stuff!
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Post by gmcanucks on Jun 13, 2015 12:39:52 GMT -5
JGHL Championship Series - Game 3
THE NATURAL
Kopitar's natural hat-trick gives Canucks series lead
Newark, NJ (AP)– Vancouver Canucks' head coach Wayne Gretzky wanted to get his star centreman going, so he thought he'd try a little line juggling.
It worked.
With Andrew Ladd moved to his left side, Anze Kopitar had a natural hat-trick and an assist to lead the Canucks to a 4-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Friday, at the Prudential Center. The win gave Vancouver a two games to one lead in the best of seven, JGHL Cup Final series.
"Andy is so much fun to play with", said the big Slovenian. "He does a lot of the work and he usually finds a way to get the puck to Gus (right winger Gustav Nyquist) and me in good places. He showed that again tonight."
For his part, Ladd laughed off the suggestion that he was the difference maker. "I think anyone would look good playing with Kopy and Gus", said Ladd, who had 17 goals and 48 points in a primarily third line roll during the regular season. "When you play with talented guys like that, you are going to get some points. I just happened to be the lucky beneficiary of their skill level tonight."
Ladd scored the opening goal to give the visitors a 1-0 lead after one period, but the never-say-die Devils got a pair of goals, 31 seconds apart, early in the second, from Michael Frolik and Christian Ehrhoff, to take a 2-1 lead.
Then the combination of Kopitar and Ladd went to work. Kopitar tied the contest at 2-2 at 9:43 of the second and added two more goals in the third to give Vancouver the win and the edge in the series.
Ladd assisted on all three of Kopitar's goals and Nyquist also had 3 assists in the contest, giving the line 11 points in the win. All three players finished +4.
James Wisniewski added an assist on the go-ahead goal in the third.
The linemates - Kopitar, Ladd and Nyquist - were named the game's three stars.
Valtteri Filppula, Andrei Markov and Justin Faulk earned assists on the New Jersey goals.
Semyon Varlamov (14-8) maded 28 saves in posting his league-leading 14th win of the playoffs for the Canucks, while Cory Schneider stopped 26 of 30 shots while falling to 9-9 during the Devils' playoff run.
The series resumes in Newark on Sunday as the home Devils will look to get back on even terms. A Canucks' win will give them the opportunity to win the cup in front of their own fans on Tuesday.
Games Notes
- The Canucks futility with the man advantage continued with three more missed opportunities on Friday, running their series tally to 0 for 10. "It's hard to explain", said Vancouver winger Zach Parise. "The effort is there and I don't think we are doing anything different than we did all season. The puck just isn't going in. All credit has to go to the Devils.” Vancouver is 11 for 86 (12.79%) to rank 14th out of 16 teams in the playoffs. They were 9th in the category during the regular season, converting on almost 20% of their opportunities (19.6%).
- Devils' coach Peter DeBoer admitted the club had to find an answer for the Kopitar line before game four, but advised against counting his club out. "We are still really confident in this room", said DeBoer. "We've been down and out before in these playoffs and found a way to come back. There is a lot of character in our lineup.”
Game Summary
1st period 1. Vancouver Canucks , Andrew Ladd 8 (Anze Kopitar, Gustav Nyquist) at 5:29
Penalties : Jason Chimera (NJD) for Tripping (Minor) at 0:18, John Carlson (VAN) for High sticking (Minor) at 16:43, Andrew Ladd (VAN) for Tripping (Minor) at 19:50
2nd period 2. New Jersey Devils , Michael Frolik 4 (Andrei Markov) at 3:57 3. New Jersey Devils , Christian Ehrhoff 1 (Valtteri Filppula, Justin Faulk) at 4:28 4. Vancouver Canucks , Anze Kopitar 6 (Andrew Ladd, Gustav Nyquist) at 9:43
Penalties : Daniel Girardi (NJD) for Tripping (Minor) at 4:12, Andrew Ladd (VAN) for Hooking (Minor) at 4:12, Paul Gaustad (VAN) for High sticking (Minor) at 9:57, Daniel Girardi (NJD) for High sticking (Minor) at 13:26
3rd period 5. Vancouver Canucks , Anze Kopitar 7 (Andrew Ladd, Gustav Nyquist) at 4:59 6. Vancouver Canucks , Anze Kopitar 8 (James Wisniewski, Andrew Ladd) at 7:22
Penalties : Daniel Girardi (NJD) for Roughing (Minor) at 8:28, Andrej Sekera (VAN) for Slashing (Double Minor) at 14:49
Goalie Stats: Simeon Varlamov (VAN), 28 saves from 30 shots - (0.933), W, 14-7-1, 60:00 minutes Cory Schneider (NJD), 26 saves from 30 shots - (0.867), L, 9-7-2, 60:00 minutes
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