Week 12: Nordiques, Devils and Canucks advance to playoffs

Week 12 Results: 
Adams Division:

Boston 8 at Buffalo 6 - The cream rises as pre-season favourite Boston finally takes over 1st
Cleveland 3 at Hartford 2 - Barons rally from 2-0 down to put the pressure on the Nordiques
Montreal 3 at Quebec 4 - The Nordiques win a nail-biter versus provincial rival to break Barons hearts

Patrick Division:
Philadelphia 3 at Washington 3 - Capitals conclude season with three consecutive 3-3 draws
New Jersey 8 at Pittsburgh 3 - Devils bomb Pens to force Rangers into must win situation
NY Islanders 7 at NY Rangers 3 - Islanders eliminate cross-town rivals and win Patrick in the process

Norris Division:
Minnesota 8 at Toronto 2 - North Stars cream Maple Leafs; but will finish 2nd unless Hawks upset Blues
Chicago 1 at St. Louis 4 - Blues have no problem clinching Norris - and President's Trophy - versus Hawks
Atlanta 2 at Detroit 6 - Firebirds finish 0-12. Barely score 2 goals a game. Wings have 1st Rd date with Minny.

Smythe Division:
Winnipeg 1 at Calgary 3 - Jets lose back to back in Alberta; Flames set-up Battle of Alberta 1st Rd with win
Edmonton 4 at Colorado 2 - Oilers finally win on road under CPU control eliminating Rockies
Los Angeles 3 at Vancouver 6 - Canucks jump from 6th to 4th place stealing a playoff spot from the Kings

Final Standings - Click Here
 
Playoff Bracket:

 

Week 12 Preview - Battle For Playoff Spots

• Top 4 teams in each division make the playoffs; 1vs4 / 2vs3 1st Round
• All playoff rounds are Best-of-5
• First tiebreaker is goal differential; Second is head to head record; Third is strength of schedule

Wk 12: Boston at Buffalo / Montreal at Quebec / Cleveland at Hartford

• Sabres and Bruins battle for 1st in Buffalo; winner avoids Canadiens in 1st Rd - provided Montreal doesn't lose by 7 in Quebec - which is highly unlikely.
• The Barons win any tiebreaker with the Nordiques; as if they finish in a tie they will at least finish in a tie in goal differential and the Barons won their matchup. So the Barons need to earn one more point than Quebec to takeover the 4th and final playoff spot

 

Wk 12: New Jersey at Pittsburgh; NY Islanders at NY Rangers; Philadelphia at Washington

Presuming there are no 7+ goal margins in these games the following is true:

• A Penguins win ensures it's a Penguins-Rangers 1 vs 4 matchup in the 1st Rd; as the Devils need to gain a point on the Rangers to make the playoffs
• A Penguins tie and Islanders win means the Islanders win the division
• A Penguins loss opens it up to the Capitals as well who would win a tiebreaker over Pit OR Nyi
• The Flyers are mathematically alive but really have no chance here

Wk 12: Chicago at St. Louis; Minnesota at Toronto; Atlanta at Detroit

• The Blues take 1st with a win
• A Blues tie or loss opens door for the North Stars; if the teams finish tied in both wins and goal differential they also tied 6-6 in their head to head matchup - so strength of schedule would be the determining factor. Calculated only if necessary.
• The Red Wings are locked into 3rd and Maple Leafs locked into 4th 
• The Firebirds have one more shot at avoiding the embarrassment of being skunked on the season 

Wk 12: Winnipeg at Calgary; Edmonton at Colorado; Los Angeles at Vancouver

• The Jets and Oilers are locked into 1st and 2nd
• With their goal differential gap the Flames clinch 3rd with a win or tie; or a loss and an L.A. tie or loss
• The Kings clinch a playoff spot with a victory
• If LA-VAN ties and the Rockies win, the Rockies make the playoffs - as they would at worst tie the Kings in goal differential and the Rockies won the head to head match. The Rockies also make the playoffs with a win and a Kings loss
• The Canucks make the playoffs with a win and a Rockies loss or tie  

Lineups for Week 12: The Sabres could have trouble slowing down Pederson, Middleton and Bourque with Mike Ramsey out of the lineup. The Barons playoff hopes take a hit with Dennis Maruk on the sidelines. Here's a full list of Week 12 lineups.

 

 

Week 11 Recap

Adams Division:

Bourque and the Bruins Bury the Barons

Cleveland 3 at Boston 8: Consecutive 3-goal victories over Quebec and Montreal had the 4th place Barons feeling mighty good about themselves - but they were humbled this week in the Boston Garden. The Bruins led 5-1 after the 2nd, but Cleveland cut into the lead with two quick ones by the speedy Dennis Maruk early in the 3rd. Undaunted; the Bruins reasserted their dominance scoring 3 beautiful goals to blow away the Barons

Quebec 4 at Hartford 2: The Whalers' Ray Neufeld knocked Louis Sleigher out of the game in a 2nd period fight, but not before Sleigher staked the Nords to a 2-0 lead, converting on brilliant feeds from Marian Stastny and goalie Clint Malarchuk. Quebec sealed the game late in the 3rd, when Blake Wesley bodychecked Blaine Stoughton out of a scoring opportunity and skated the other way, eventually firing home the game clincher. The Nordiques regain possession of the 4th and final playoff spot in the division from the Barons with the victory. The Whalers are 0-5 under MAN control at the Hartford Civic Centre this season.

Buffalo 3 at Montreal 3: Skating without Gilbert Perrault, the Sabres manage to come out flying once again in La Belle Provence. Buffalo had a 2-0 lead 27 seconds in, but the Habs defence would tighten back to normal the rest of the way. John Chabot potted the lone goal in the 3rd period to tie the game for Montreal. Tom Barrasso stopped 13 of 16 shots for the visitors. The Sabres will host the Bruins next week with 1st place in the Adams on the line. The winner will avoid 3rd place Montreal in the 1st round.

Patrick Division:

New Jersey 3 at NY Islanders 4:  The Devils suffer their first defeat under CPU control; dropping a tough one on the Island. Ken Morrow sprung Anders Kallur on a breakaway with a brilliant feed for the go-ahead goal midway through the 3rd. Morrow would later lay out Brent Ashton in the slot; keeping him from firing a potential game tying shot. The Islanders did control the play in this one; limiting the Devils to only 0:43 of attack zone. Chico Resch stopped 15 of 19 shots for the visitors.

Glen Cochrane won the fight; but the Penguins
win the  Battle of Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh 5 at Philadelphia 3: The inaugural Battle of Pennsylvania was a match of 1st and worst in the Patrick Division -- who would guess it'd be Pittsburgh in 1st and Phlly in last? Dave Hannan continued to give the MAN controller fits with his 2nd consecutive road hat trick. Glen Cochrane would win a couple fights with Pat Boutette; but that was all the fight Philly had in this one. A convincing win for the Penguins, despite only connecting on 14 of 30 passes.

NY Rangers 3 at Washington 3: Capitals' Doug Jarvis went 12-0 in faceoffs against Robbie Ftorek; but his biggest contribution was a game-tying goal, as the Capitals rally to tie the Rangers. It's a familiar result for New York, as this is their 6th tie of the season, and it's enough to move them into 4th place heading into the final week.

Norris Division:

Winless Atlanta couldn't battle back from this crushing goal

St. Louis 2 at Atlanta 1: The 0-10 Firebirds didn't figure to be in good position for their first points of the year against 1st place St. Louis, but they'd put up a pretty good fight in this one. They dominanted the play in the 1st period - as evidenced by the Blues only attempting 1 pass in the period. However the meagre Atlanta attack couldn't find the back of the net until midway through the 3rd - on a surprising Ed Kea breakaway.
Larry Patey scored with 1 second left in the 2nd to give the Blues a 2-0 lead - a crusher of a goal for the low flying Firebirds.

Toronto 2 at Detroit 4: Danny Gare set the tone in this one, knocking Rick Vaive out of the 1st period with a vicious bodycheck, and then hammering home 2 goals past Mike Palmateer. The Leafs would manage to tie the game at 2 apiece midway through the 2nd. - but barely crossed center ice the rest of the way as the Red Wings secure 3rd place in the Norris Division with the win. The Leafs still clinch the 4th and final playoff spot in the Norris Division thanks to the Black Hawks loss in Minnesota.

Chicago 3 at Minnesota 4: The Hawks have been a much better team in the 2nd half of the season, and they gave the North Stars fits early in this one, leading 3-1 after the 1st - courtesy 2 goals by Steve Larmer and another by Steve Ludzik on a nifty feed from Darryl Sutter. Minnesota would clamp down though the rest of the way, finally taking the lead on another last minute Keith Acton breakaway goal.

Smythe Division:

Winnipeg 2 at Edmonton 5: Home and cooled atop the Smythe Division, the Jets were slowed down a bit by the Oilers, who secure 2nd place in the division with the victory. It took 3:09 of attack zone before the Oilers finally found the twine late in the 2nd on a Pat Hughes goal. They'd start converting from then on out, as Hughes would add another in the 3rd and Paul Coffey would follow with a pair late to seal the win for Edmonton. The Oilers are undefeated at home under MAN control; but winless on the road under CPU control.

Double-digits reached for 1st time as Flames torch Kings

Calgary 14 at Los Angeles 2: No this is not a mis-print. The Flames top the previous high for goals in a game by 6 as they score 14 consecutive goals after actually falling behind 2-0. A nightmare for the light-weight Kings, as the Flames took possession off most of the draws and quickly found a path to the empty net. Doug Risebrough and Lanny McDonald scored 5 goals each for the visitors. The opposite of their Alberta rivals; the Flames are tough on the road under CPU control but are winless at the Saddledome under MAN control. Both the Jets and Oilers want to avoid the charging Flames in the 1st round.... and yes the MAN controller did try in this game......

Colorado 2 at Vancouver 2:  As goal differential is the first tiebreaker for division standing, the romp the Kings suffered has really opened the door in the final week for both the Rockies and Canucks. Especially Vancouver who can now vault ahead of the Kings with a win versus them at Pacific Coliseum in Week 12. Whether that earns them a playoff spot would depend on the Rockies result in Denver versus the Oilers. John van Boxmeer tied this game midway through the 3rd for Colorado, and Doug Favell held on to the pivotal point, robbing Moe Lemay in tight in the game's waning moments.


Only 1 Week to Go -- Updated Standings Here

Week 9 & Week 10 Recap

Ray Neufeld knows the way to try and beat Buffalo is to
beat up Mike Ramsey

Week 9: Hartford 4 at Buffalo 4 - Down 2-1 in the 3rd Ray Neufeld knocked out Mike Ramsey in a fight, severely weakening the Sabres defence, enabling the Whalers to tally 3 in the 3rd. Real Cloutier would score late to salvage the draw for 1st place Buffalo

Week 9: Quebec 0 at Cleveland 3 - No Stastny's = No problem for the Barons. Despite strong goaltending by Clint Malarchuk (17 saves on 19 shots) and Louis Sleigher knocking Dennis Maruk out of the game in a 2nd period fight; Cleveland easily handles Quebec to tighten the race for the 4th and final playoff spot in the division.

Week 9: Boston 0 at Montreal 3 - The Bruins were giving the MAN controller fits, outscoring the Flyers and Nordiques 14-4 in the first 2 games of a 3 game road trip. However the defensively strong Habs caught a break as the three Bruins on the bench for this one were Rick Middleton, Barry Pederson and Ray Bourque. The remaining good - but not great - Bruins lineup was no match for the stingy Canadiens.

Week 10: Hartford 1 at Boston 6 -  Doug Sulliman opened the scoring for the visitors in the inaugural Battle of New England - but it was all Bruins the rest of the way. Mike Milbury knocked Ray Neufeld out of the game, and Terry O'Reilly later took on Neufeld's replacement Torrie Robertson, as the game got chippy in the 3rd.

Week 10: Montreal 3 at Cleveland 6: Even the stingy Habs couldn't corral the speedy Dennis Maruk, who scored 4 goals on an astounding 12 shots as the Barons move into 4th place in the Adams Division.

Week 10: Buffalo 5 at Quebec 3:  Winless in their previous 3, the 1st place Sabres stop the bleeding with a 4-goal 1st on route to an easy win at struggling Quebec. The Nords are 0-3 and have been outscored 16-5 against divisional foes.

Bobby Clarke's K.O of Mel Bridgman
wasn't enough for Philly

 Week 9: Philadelphia 2 at New Jersey 4:  A familiar theme in Week 9 was the trailing team knocking out the other team's top player. It worked for the Whalers in Buffalo as they fought back for a draw; but it was too late for the Nordiques in Cleveland and for the Flyers here in New Jersey - as Bobby Clarke takes Mel Bridman out of the game in a fight. Bridgman factored into all 4 goals for the Devils who vault ahead of the Flyers into playoff positioning in the Patrick.

Week 9: Washington 5 at NY Islanders 7: The Capitals had been lethal on the road under CPU control,. but Al Jensen had no answer for Bryan Trottier and Bob Nystrom in this one, as each had a 5 point night. The Isles added an empty netter after Jensen surrendered 6 goals on 16 shots.

Week 9: Pittsburgh 6 at NY Rangers 3:  The Penguins just keep on surprising folks as they take over 1st place in the Patrick Division with a convincing victory at MSG. This was the game heading into the Patrick' slate that figured to favour the home-side; but Dave Hannan and Doug Shedden gave fits to the Ranger defensive pair of Reijo Ruotsalainen and Scot Kleinendorst.

Week 10: NY Rangers 4 at New Jersey 4: The 5th place Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but couldn't jump ahead of the Devils in the standings, as New Jersey rallies for the draw. Steve Weeks robbed Joe Cirella in the final moments to preserve the point for New York.

Week 10: NY Islanders 4 at Philadelphia 2: The physical defensive tandem of Glen Cochrane and Frank Bathe, managed to allow 2 early goals to light-weight Mats Hallin; as the Islanders jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Billy Smith stopped 14 of 16 shots; including several big stops in a scoreless 3rd period.

Week 10: Washington 3 at Pittsburgh 3: A battle for 1st place in the Patrick Division results in the status quo, as the Penguins maintain their 1-point advantage thanks to Andre St. Laurent's marker with 4 seconds remaining. This was a tight-checking game that was only 1-1 after 2 periods.

Week 9: Atlanta 4 at Chicago 5 - In a matchup of the only two winless teams remaining, the Hawks rally from 3-1 down to keep the Firebirds pointless on the season. Steve Larmer scored his usual hat trick, and Tim Higgins potted the winner with 45 seconds left.

Week 9: Detroit 4 at Minnesota 5 - Injury replacement Ted Nolan scored his 1st career goal, and Murray Craven scored 2 in the 2nd as the Wings took a 4-2 lead into the 3rd. However the high-powered home-side responded, eventually winning it on a late Keith Acton breakaway.

Week 9: St. Louis 5 at Toronto 4 - The Blues are a perfect 5-0 under CPU control, with only 1 road game remaining at lowly Atlanta. They were strong in the 1st, actually posting a 0:43-0:37 attack zone advantage on MAN controlled Toronto; but trailed 2-1 as Rick Heinz failed to stop both shots he faced. St.Louis would not lead until Blake Dunlop converted on a brilliant Jorgen Pettersson feed with 28 seconds to go.

Week 10: Toronto 3 at Atlanta 1 - An absolute bloodbath at the Omni as this game had 4 fights and 3

Flying fists ignite an otherwise dejected Firebirds' crowd

injuries. 2 of the injuries were to Greg Terrion, but he was still able to score twice for victorius Toronto. Willi Plett couldn't find the net on several glorious opportunities, but he did connect on several punches, as he took on Gary Nylund once and Jim Korn twice. The only goal by listless Atlanta came courtesy a Mike Palmateer pass off a defenceman's skate. This one was ugly on many levels.

Week 10: Detroit 4 at Chicago 4 - The Black Hawks are showing life in the 2nd half of the season, as another Steve Larmer hat trick enables them to draw with Detroit. The Red Wings clinched a playoff spot with the point. Larmer had a chance for a 4th goal to prevail late, but he was stoned in tight by Corrado Micalef. The Wings 4 goals in only 0:47 of attack zone shows they capitalized on all their chances in this one.

Week 10: Minnesota 6 at St. Louis 6 - The battle for 1st place in the Norris Division did not disappoint as the North Stars score twice late to salvage a tie. Neal Broten came off the bench as the extra attacker and fed Dino Ciccarelli to make it 6-5, and Steve Payne would outmuscle Andre Dore to tie it with 11 seconds left for Minnesota. The Blues led 3-1, 4-2 and 6-4 but could just not put away the talented visitors. St. Louis does however maintain 1st place in the division.

Week 9: Colorado 3 at Calgary 3 - For some reason Lanny McDonald and Paul Reinhart are just not clicking under MAN control as the Flames continue to struggle at the Saddledome. The Rockies defence of Bill Baker and John van Boxmeer clogged up the middle all game and Wilf Paiemant tallied a pair of goals - and a pair of fight victories over Jamie Macoun and Doug Risebrough.

Week 9: Vancouver 2 at Edmonton 8 - All three games on the Smythe slate looked like potential routs for the home team, but this is the only one that materialized. Harold Snepsts did score an end-to-end goal to start the scoring, but that was the lone highlight for the Canucks. The Oilers Pat Hughes scored 3 and fired 8 shots at Richard Brodeur.

Week 9: Los Angeles 4 at Winnipeg 5 - The 1st place Jets struggled with a Kings lineup that was depleted by the absence of Bernie Nicholls. Steve Christoff scored 3 for L.A., but goaltending let them down in the end as Gary Laskoski allowed 8 goals on 13 shots. None of those to Dale Hawerchuk surprisingly, who was held to a lone assist in this one.

Boschman wins a fight - and the game for Winnipeg

Week 10: Winnipeg 4 at Colorado 3 - Another difficult game for the Jets against a division lesser-lite but they manage to get the 2 points again. Yvon Vautour staked the Rockies to a 2-0 advantage with a pair of 1st period goals. The 2nd wasn't nearly as kind to Vautour, as he lost a fight to Laurie Boschman. Boschman would follow that up with the go-ahead goal as the Jets rally to clinch 1st place in the Smythe Division.


Week 10: Edmonton 3 at Los Angeles 4 - The Oilers continue to lose close ones away from Northlands Coliseum. Bernie Nicholls made his presence felt as always with a hat trick, as the Kings led 4-0 and held on for the pivotal 2 points.

Week 10: Calgary 4 at Vancouver 3 - Unlike their Alberta rival, the Flames are proving to be a much stronger team on the road under CPU control. Rejean Lemelin stoned Rick Lanz late as the Flames move into playoff position in the Smythe.

See Updated Standings Here - Only 2 Weeks to go in the Regular Season

Wk 8 - Blackhawks at Maple Leafs

This week's feature matchup takes us to the lower half of the Norris Division as the winless Chicago Blackhawks (0-6-1) - or is it Black Hawks in '83? - visit the Toronto Maple Leafs (3-4-0). The best player on each team is on the bench in this one, as Steve Larmer and Rick Vaive ride the pines for their respective clubs. The Hawks need a win to move within 3 points of 4th place Toronto for the final playoff spot in the Norris. The Leafs can put away their dim hopes if they can post their 3rd consecutive victory.

Out of Town Scoreboard:

Cleveland 2 at Buffalo 2: The Sabres looked to be bouncing back from their 1st defeat of the season when they took a 2-0 lead on Gilbert Perrault's marker in the 2nd which followed an injury to Cleveland's best defenceman Greg Smith. But the Barons would hang around against the Sabres best possible lineup, as Walt McKechnie and Rick Hampton would net last minute goals to salvage a point - and their teams playoff hopes. Gilles Meloche made several big saves to keep the Barons in the game.

Montreal 4 at Hartford 1: Suffocating defence by Larry Robinson and Rick Green kept the Whalers off the score sheet until Blaine Stoughton scored - off Green's head! - with 4 seconds remaining. The Whalers had a chance to tighten the playoff race; but were no match here for Montreal, only mustering 9 shots against Rick Wamsley.

Boston 8 at Quebec 2:  Anton Stastny opened the scoring for the Nordiques in the game's opening shift but it was all Bruins the rest of the way. Barry Pederson and Rick Middleton each scored 3 and assisted on 2, while Ray Bourque netted a rare CPU controlled 2-goal game by a defenceman. After a sluggish start, the preseason favourites are rolling; winning the first 2 games of a 3 game road trip by a combined 14-4. ...Next up the Forum in Montreal!


Philadelphia 4 at NY Rangers 4:  The Flyers best possible forward trio of Bill Barber, Bobby Clarke and Ron Sutter gave the Rangers fits in the opening period, pacing Philly to a 3-0 advantage. The Rangers though would clamp down, and eventually take a 4-3 lead. The Flyers would tie it - and could've won it - but Clarke took a possible game-winning breakaway away from Sutter when he dropped the gloves with Tom Laidlaw to settle a score from several earlier checks by the imposing Rangers' blueliner. See footage --- Sutter would've likely scored as only light-weight Robbie Ftorek had a remote chance of catching him,

Boutette takes one for the team

NY Islanders 4 at Pittsburgh 4:  Bob Nystrom manages to top Clarke, by deciding to slug it out with Pat Boutette just as Anders Kallur's possible game-winner was about to cross the line. Nystrom would leave Boutette's face bloody - but may have left his team's playoff chances a little injured as well. Also in the footage.

New Jersey 4 at Washington 4:  The Patrick Division was expected to be the tightest this season, and that is coming to fruition as the first 3 divisional matches in the circuit end in 4-4 draws. A key turning point in the game was when Randy Holt - a defensive liability for the Capitals - made himself valuable by knocking top Devil forward Mel Bridgman out of the game in a 3rd period fight. The first place Caps took advantage, rallying from a 4-2 deficit to earn the point. Could have been 2, but Mike Gartner and Bobby Gould were both robbed by Chico Resch in the final seconds.

St. Louis 4 at Detroit 2: The Blues go into Detroit and handle the Wings in this battle for 1st in the Norris Division. Dwight Foster had the game tying goal on his stick with Rick Heinz down and out, but  would clang one off the post in the game's final minute. Wayne Babych would put the game on ice moments later, outmuscling Reed Larson for his 4th of the game.

Atlanta 3 at Minnesota 8  - The North Stars offence continues to soar, as they hang an 8-spot on another visitor to The Met Centre. Unlike last week's thriller with the Oilers, this week's opponent couldn't dream of keeping up with them. 8's are wild for the Firebirds - and not in a good away - 8 goals against and an 0-8 record. Both Minnesota and St. Louis clinch a playoff spot with a 1/3 of the season remaining - thanks in large part to the futility of Atlanta and Chicago.

Babych was too much for the Canucks

Vancouver 1 at Winnipeg 6 - Very similar result north of the border in Manitoba, as Dave Babych dominated
at both ends of the rink, propelling the 1st place Jets to a commanding victory over visiting Vancouver.  This was among the most dominating performances of the season.

Calgary 4 at Edmonton 4 - The Flames may be coming to life as Lanny McDonald scored a pair and the defensive tandem of Jamie Macoun and Steve Konroyd - plus defensively aware forward Doug Risebrough - kept the Oilers attack largely at bay in this one. Jari Kurri would eventually breakthrough for a hat trick, to salvage a draw for the home side in the inaugural Battle of Alberta.

Los Angeles 3 at Colorado 6 - The Rockies were clicking this week, connecting on 22 of 25 passes (89%) and firing 22 shots at Gary Laskoski, easily disposing of the Kings 6-3. Both Anders Hakansson and Brian MacClellan were knocked out of the 1st period as Colorado set the tone physically before taking care of the Kings on the scoreboard. The game was 4-0 after 2 periods.

Feature Game: Chicago (0-6-1) at Toronto (3-4-0)
A very good example of Empty Net hockey. The Leafs controlled this game nearly throughout, but got too cute in their own end on the Hawks 1st goal. As can happen this triggered a flurry for the Hawks as they score all 3 of their goals within 23 seconds - and should've had 4 in 40 had Curt Fraser found the empty net. Both the CPU and HUM can fire goals in quick succession off the faceoff; but can go into long droughts as well. The Leafs help their cause in this one by injuring 2 Hawks forwards, meaning their all-33 rating injury replacements come in; and Greg Terrion capitalizes on a terrible Dave Feamster giveaway to tie it. Still this should've been the 1st win of the year for the visitors; but oh do the Leafs catch a break in the end...

Week 7 - Sabres at Capitals

The Sabres perfect 6-0 record is on the line at the Capital Centre
in a battle of 1st place teams

This week's feature matchup is one of two battles of 1st place teams this week as the undefeated Buffalo Sabres (6-0-0) visit the Washington Capitals (4-1-1). Campbell Conference front runners the Jets and Blues are also squaring off this week in St. Louis. The Sabres have won their 6 games by a total of 8 goals, winning 4 one-goal games. The Caps meanwhile have a greater goal differential thanks to routs in L.A. (8-4) and Cleveland (8-1). They are however coming off their 1st loss of the season in Boston last week. The Sabres would appear to hold the lineup advantage based on ratings, but keep in mind that defensive stalwart Mike Ramsey is on the bench - and size and defensive awareness are not the strengths of Housley and Fenvyes. - which could pose a challenge against the speedy Mike Gartner.

Out of Town Scoreboard:

Hartford 3 at New Jersey 6 - Already weary from a physical game in Philadelphia, the Whalers were battered around by a Devils squad who are better than their last place standing may indicate. Both Marty Howe and Michel Galarneau were sidelined by ferocious body checks, and goalie Greg Millen was peppered with 21 New Jersey shots as the Devils prevailed 6-3.

Montreal 4 at NY Islanders 5 - The Islanders were limited to only 10 shots on goal by a strong defensive lineup of the Habs featuring Guy Carbonneau, Rick Green and Chris Chelios. Unforunately Rick Wamsley could only stop 50% of what he faced - including a weak one by Bob Nystrom in the 1st - as the Islanders built a 5-1 lead and hung on for a much needed victory.

Quebec 4 at NY Rangers 4  - Looking for a sweep of New York, the Nordiques held a 4-2 lead late despite only connecting on 11 of their 30 attempted passes. The game looked to be over when Mark Pavelich rang one off the crossbar with 30 seconds left. However Don Maloney would rescue the Rangers by tallying with 16 and 2 seconds left to salvage the tie for New York. Brother's Anton and Marian Stastny each scored a pair for the visitors.

Boston 6 at Philadelphia 2 - The Flyers were only allowing 2.17 goals per game entering the week, but were no match for a Bruins lineup led my Rick Middleton, Ray Bourque and Tom Fergus. Boston played an impressive road game; only trailing in attack zone 2:10-1:45 after 2 periods. The Flyers forwards could not penetrate the tenacious Bruins D' of Bourque and Gord Kluzak, only scoring on two point shots by defenceman Miroslav Dvorak.

Shedden celebrates game winner
away from his teammates

Cleveland 4 at Pittsburgh 5 - An entertaining game at the Igloo as the Penguins led 3-1 after the 1st, and then fired a barrage of shots at Gilles Meloche in the 2nd and early 3rd but could not extend their lead. It was only a matter of time before Barons' Dennis Maruk woke up - as he'd score 2 and add an assist in a 32 second 3-goal flurry midway in the 3rd. But the Penguins are a resilient bunch this year, as Doug Shedden would vault the Pens' back in the lead for good potting his 3rd and 4th goals of the game in the final minute.

Los Angeles 4 at Atlanta 1 - The Firebirds may never win a game. Facing a beleaguered Kings squad minus Bernie Nicholls, they would fall flat at The Omni once again. The light-weight forward trio of Anders Hakansson, Doug Smith and Steve Christoff was a favourable matchup for the defensive tandem of Brad Marsh and Ed Kea - but pivotal errors (an errant pass into their own net) and some bad luck (two goals scored when Kings were bodychecked but the loose puck slid into the empty net) were too much to overcome for the inept Firebirds' attack.

Colorado 2 at Detroit 3 - Despite icing a lineup including Steve Yzerman, Brad Park and Reed Larson, the Red Wings struggled mightily against the woeful Rockies, and trailed 2-1 in the 3rd. However Murray Craven tied it on a goal-mouth scramble and Larson would hit a streaking Ron Duguay in the game's final minute for the breakaway winner. Surprisingly the Rockies held both Yzerman and Park off the score sheet in this surprisingly tight game at the Joe.

Vancouver 1 at Toronto 2 - Toronto was in the attack zone for 5:12 of the 9:00 game but couldn't beat King Richard Brodeur until the game's final minute as Greg Terrion and Rick Vaive scored late to earn the Leafs a hard-fought victory at Maple Leaf Gardens. The Thomas Gradin'less Canucks posed no offensive threat as their only goal was scored when Mark Kirton was flattened by Gary Nylund in the goal-mouth but the loose puck slid into the empty net.

Calgary 5 at Chicago 4 - Paul Reinhart finally came to life with a CPU controlled end to end rush in the final minute to earn the Flames a victory in this matchup of previously winless teams. The Black Hawks only managed to fire 10 shots on Rejean Lemelin; 3 of which were goals by Steve Larmer. The low -flying Hawks and Firebirds are the lone winless teams in the league.

Maxwell blasted home a hat
trick in a wild  8-7 triumph

Edmonton 7 at Minnesota 8 - An absolute barn burner in Bloomington as North Stars defenceman Brad Maxwell netted a hat trick and still wasn't included in the game's 3 Star selection. Both teams squandered 3 goal leads (3-0 Oilers & 7-4 North Stars) before Tom McCarthy finished a tic-tac-toe play with Neal Broten and Dino Ciccarelli for the 8th and decisive goal by the home side. Despite allowing 8 goals on 17 shots, Grant Fuhr made several brilliant saves in the final minutes of a 2nd period that was owned by Minnesota.

Winnipeg 2 at St. Louis 3 - In the week's other matchup of 1st place clubs the Blues dealt the Jets their 1st loss of the season, leaving Buffalo as the league's only undefeated team pending their result in Washington. The Blues looked to be cruising when they scored 2 goals early in the 1st against a Jets lineup that was missing Dave Babych and Dale Hawerchuk. However the Jets would hang around, eventually tying the game on a Laurie Boschman 3rd period goal. Jorgen Pettersson though would counter with his 2nd of the game to earn the win for St. Louis

Feature Game: Buffalo Sabres (6-0-0) at Washington Capitals (4-1-1)

Week 6 - Canucks at Firebirds

This weeks' feature matchup takes us to the sunbelt as the Vancouver Canucks (1-3-1) take on the Atlanta Firebirds (0-5-0). The Firebirds are coming off a fight-filled 5-3 defeat in Edmonton, while the Canucks are undefeated in two following an 0-3 start. Atlanta blew a 2-goal lead last week and would find themselves up 2 again versus Vancouver - could they slow down Thomas Gradin enough to hang on to their elusive first victory? Video below...


Out of Town Scoreboard:

Washington 4 at Boston 5 - The Bruins lived up to their preseason promise by peppering Al Jensen with 19 shots and 5 goals in the opening two frames. The previously undefeated Capitals would prove resilient in the 3rd, scoring 3 times and holding the Bruins to just 1 shot, but the comeback would fall short.

NY Rangers 2 at Cleveland 2 - The Barons rebounded from last week's shellacking, skating to a 2-2 tie with the Rangers. The Barons lost 8-1 to the Capitals last week, but have allowed only 5 goals into their empty net in their 3 other games at Richfield Coliseum. Mark Pavelich scored the equalizer for the Rangers midway through the 3rd, while goalie Steve Weeks and defencemen Tom Laidlaw and Scot Kleiendorst kept the Barons' Dennis Maruk off the score sheet.

Pittsburgh 2 at Montreal 4 - For the second week in a row the Canadiens open up a 4-0 lead at the Forum versus a Pennsylvania squad. Any hopes of a Penguins comeback were put to rest by Guy Carbonneau early in the 3rd when his open-ice check knocked Rick Kehoe out of the game with an injury. The loss snapped the Penguins 4-game winning streak.

Glen Cochrane knocks out Ray Neufeld

Hartford 1 at Philadelphia 1  - The Cooperall Cup saw as many fights as goals - a familiar sight for the Spectrum crowd. Ron Sutter and Ray Neufeld exchanged goals midway through the 1st, and that was all either team could muster. Greg Millen stopped 17 of 18 shots, while the Whalers forwards were knocked down - and in Neufeld's case - knocked out by the slow but bruising defensive tandem of Glen Cochrane and Frank Bathe. The loss of Neufeld crippled a Whaler' attack already weakened by the absence of Blaine Stoughton in tonight's lineup. Bobby Clarke would also square off against injury replacement Paul MacDermid late in the 3rd, much to the delight of the blood-thirsty crowd in Philadelphia.

Quebec 6 at NY Islanders 3  - The Nordiques scored 3 in the 1st and 3 in the 3rd, but may have struck the biggest blow in the scoreless 2nd when Blake Wesley punched Bob Nystrom out for the game. The 6 goals allowed against a Quebec lineup that was missing Anton Stastny should not sit well with the Islanders. Anton's brother Marian and Bo Berglund each netted hat trick's for the visitors.

Buffalo 4 at New Jersey 3 - The 6-0 Sabres gutted out their 4th consecutive 1-goal victory. Defencemen Phil Housley erased a 2-1 deficit with two early 3rd period goals and Sean McKenna's insurance marker proved to be enough for Tom Barrasso to secure another win for league leading Buffalo.

Colorado 2 at Chicago 2 - The Black Hawks dominate the Rockies but can only earn a 2-2 tie thanks to a lack of finish around the net. With Steve Larmer on the bench, the Hawks' failed to capitalize on several golden opportunities, including Tim Higgins ringing one off the cross bar in the final seconds with Doug Favell down and out in the Rockies' goal.

Edmonton 5 at St. Louis 5  - No shortage of finishers in this exciting tilt as the Blues opened up a quick 3-0 lead in the game's opening minute. An undeterred Ken Linseman would lead the Oilers back, as the visitors would eventually hold a 5-4 advantage late in the 3rd before Joe Mullen's 4th of the game earned a point for Norris leading' St. Louis.

Minnesota 3 at Winnipeg 3 - The Jets elect to start Thomas Steen at Center and Dale Hawerchuk on Left Wing. Perhaps they should've reconsidered as Hawerchuk took awhile to adjust to the flanker position, ringing a remarkable 4 shots off the post in the 1st period alone. Bengt Lundholm would later hit 2 posts of his own. So the Jets put 9 past Don Beaupre, but only 3 of which would bulge the twine - which was just enough to even the score with their regional rivals from Minnesota.

Toronto 5 at Calgary 4  - The winless Flames are firmly establishing themselves as the league's major disappointment in Season 1. Calgary fell behind 5-2 early in the 3rd, and that was a hole that proved to be too deep to dig out of with Lanny McDonald out of the lineup. Mike Palmateer stoned Richard Kromm on a breakaway late to secure the win for the Leafs.

Detroit 4 at Los Angeles 3 - One-man team Bernie Nicholls scored with 18 seconds left to tie it, but the Kings defence couldn't hold off the visitors, as Danny Gare scored with 4 seconds left to push the Red Wings into a 1st place tie in the Norris with the Blues. The Kings were only successful on 13 of their 32 attempted passes in the game.

Feature Game - Vancouver Canucks (1-3-1) at Atlanta Firebirds (0-5-0)

Week 5 - Rangers at Bruins

This weeks' feature matchup pits the New York Rangers (2-1-1) at the Boston Bruins (2-2-0). The Bruins are coming off a stunning defeat in Colorado, while the Rangers are feeling strong following a 5-1 drubbing at the North Stars. Many experts were calling for a Bruins-North Stars final prior to the season, so a road sweep of the two would be an impressive feat by the Broadway' Blueshirts.

Out of Town Scoreboard:

NY Islanders 3 at Buffalo 4 - Despite icing their weakest possible lineup the Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 1st period lead at the Aud. Undaunted - and still undefeated - the Sabres shut down NYI the rest of the way, with Gilbert Perrault's marker midway through the 3rd capping the Sabres 4-goal rally.

Washington 8 at Cleveland 1 - Mike Gartner netted a 1st period hat-trick, and the Dennis Maruk'less Barons had no answer. Cleveland's inability to bodycheck was exposed by the Patrick Division leading Capitals.

Kehoe lifts surprising' Pens

Pittsburgh 3 at Hartford 2 - Rick Kehoe provided all the Penguins offence as the Whalers fell to 0-3 at home on the season. Denis Herron robbed Blaine Stoughton in the final seconds to preserve the surprising Penguins 4th win of the season.

Philadelphia 3 at Montreal 6 - Larry Robinson scored 3, and body checked about 30, as the Habs dominated the Flyers, holding a 5-0 lead after the 2nd. The Flyers' Paul Guay & Lindsay Carson and the Canadiens' John Chabot & Guy Charbonneau all shed some blood on the Forum ice in this hard-hitting affair.

New Jersey 5 at Quebec 5  - A see-saw game as Anton Stastny and Mel Bridgman traded markers twice in the late stages of the 3rd. No team had more than a 1-goal lead the entire game.

Chicago 4 at Winnipeg 7 - The high-powered Jets took a 2-0 lead in the 1st, but found themselves behind after the 2nd as Steve Larmer netted a 2nd period hat trick for the winless Hawks. Dave Babych, Thomas Steen and Dale Hawerchuk though would reinforce their dominance in the 3rd, as the Jets scored 4 in the frame to dump 0-5 Chicago.

Minnesota 5 at Calgary 2  - Coming off three straight one-goal defeats, the Flames found themselves down 3-2 for a long stretch in this one, before Dino Ciccarelli broke it open with two goals late in the 3rd. The line of Ciccarelli-Broten-Acton was too much for winless Calgary.

St. Louis 8 at Colorado 2  - The Blues jumped on the Rockies early and often; actually winning the attack zone battle in the 1st - a rare feat for the visiting CPU. Two 3rd period Wilf Paiement goals did little to secure any dignity for the Rockies. How did they beat Boston?

Atlanta 3 at Edmonton 5 - The Firebirds blew a 2-0 lead and a golden opportunity for their 1st win of the

Three rounds of Plett v Semenko incite
Northlands Coliseum crowd

season. With stars Ken Linseman and Paul Coffey on the bench, and Jari Kurri relegated to the less-lethal Extra Attacker position, the Oilers were icing their weakest possible lineup. A sleepy game was ignited by three consecutive Willi Plett-Dave Semenko fights in the 2nd period - inciting the Northlands Coliseum crowd to a deafening roar - and igniting Jari Kurri to score 4-consecutive goals as the Oilers keep pace with the 1st place Jets in the Smythe.

Toronto 3 at Los Angeles 5  - The Kings had an early scare in this one as Bernie Nicholls - by far the best player in their lineup - risked injury in the 1st when he decided to drop the gloves against Gary Nylund. Knocked down, but not out, Nicholls sparked a 4-goal 1st as the Kings held off a late surge by Rick Vaive and company, winning their 2nd game of the season.

Detroit 4 at Vancouver 4  - The Canucks scored two early and two late to earn a draw with the visiting Red Wings - a point they're happy to get without Thomas Gradin and Harold Snepsts in the lineup. Steve Yzerman had a chance to ice the game in the final minute, but rang one off the post, seconds later Gary Lupul tied the game, deking Corrado Micalef with 8 seconds left to tie the game.

Feature Game - New York Rangers (2-1-1) at Boston Bruins (2-2-0)

 

Wales Conference Dominates Opening Weeks

Season 1 of Empty Net'83 began with the Wales Conference posting a 29-15-4 record against their Campbell Conference foes in inter-conference play. All Visiting teams are controlled by the CPU while the Home teams are manned by me with an empty net and an extra attacker.

Here is a breakdown of how each division faired against the other:

Week 1

-Adams at Norris (Adams 4-1-1) North Stars 6-4 win versus Cleveland the lone Norris victory

-Patrick at Smythe (Patrick 3-1-2)  The Oilers edged the Penguins 6-5 for the lone Smythe W

Week 2

-Norris at Adams (Split 3-3) Blues upset the supposedly powerful Bruins in Boston 4-3

-Smythe at Patrick (Patrick 4-2) The Canucks (at PHI) and Rockies (at NYR) fail to score into the empty net

Week 3

-Smythe at Adams (Adams 5-1) The Jets earn the lone Smythe win, harpooning the Whalers 6-1

-Norris at Patrick (Split 3-3) The Norris faired well at the Wales going 6-6 overall

Week 4

-Patrick at Norris (Patrick 5-0-1) Norris' meltdown including North Stars stunning 5-1 defeat vs the Rangers

-Adams at Smythe (Smythe 4-2) The Canucks 4-0 shutout vs the Nordiques capped a good week for the Smythe

Empty Net Home Teams versus CPU Visitors

CPU Visitors 23 - Empty Net' Home 21 Ties 4

Games of Note:

Wk 1 - Buffalo 5 at Atlanta 3

- The Sabres took control of the first game in league history with three early 3rd period goals to take a 5-1 lead. The Firebirds potted two late ones to make the score respectable. Tom Barrasso stopped 17 of the first 18 shots he faced before letting in the final two when the game was no longer in doubt

Hawerchuk' Heroics Bail
Out Blueline

Wk 1 - NY Rangers 6 at Winnipeg 6

- Dale Hawerchuk's 4th goal of the game with 12 seconds left forced a 6-6 tie. The Jets were happy to get a point with Dave Babych (85 rating) out of the lineup and Wade Campbell & Bobby Dollas (38 rating combined) manning their blue-line.

Wk 2 - Toronto 4 at Buffalo 5

- Toronto fans were excited that they drew rivals Montreal and Buffalo as their two Adams opponents in Season 1. Be careful what you wish for - as the short trek home up the QEW will seem mighty long after Gilbert Perrault's goal with 1 second left lifted the Sabres to a 2-0 start. The Leafs also lost at home to the Habs 4-1 in Week 1.

Wk 2 - Colorado 0 at NY Rangers 7

- The biggest rout of weeks 1-4 was perpetrated by the Rangers over the visiting Rockies. Colorado only eeked out 0:25 seconds of attack zone, and Mark Pavelich scored a highlight reel goal among the bludgeoning. Unfortunately Pavelich's goal came in a non--televised game...

Entertaining Palmateer blanks Devils

Wk 3 - Toronto 5 at New Jersey 0

- The acrobatic stylings of Mike Palmateer mesmerized the Mel Bridgman-less Devils as the Leafs rebounded from their crushing defeat in Buffalo. Palmateer posted the lone goalie shutout of the opening weeks.

Wk 3 - Atlanta 2 at Pittsburgh 4

- The Penguins handed the Firebirds their 3rd consecutive defeat. Marty McSorley dished out three defeats of his own - knocking down Harold Phillipoff, Brad Marsh in fights before knocking out Phillipoff -who's cognitive decision making processes were clearly effected by the first fight  - in their second bout of the game. The Penguins moved to 2-0 in front of their frenzied crowd (164 peak crowd meter); also edging the Calgary Flames at the Igloo in Week 2

Wk 4 - Boston 3 at Colorado 4

- The Stanley Cup favourite Bruins fell to 2-2 as they were stunned in the Mile High City by a Rockies squad that had been outscored 20-4 so far this season after falling behind the Bruins 2-0 in the 1st period.

Wk 4- Cleveland 5 at Edmonton 4 - 2nd Intermission

- We will now take you live to 3rd period action between the Cleveland Barons and Edmonton Oilers. The home team has won every game in games involving the two clubs - though that may have to do with the competition. The Barons losing at Minnesota before handing Atlanta and Colorado defeats at Richfield Coliseum. Meanwhile the Oilers were edged by a goal at Washington and Boston following their opening week win at Northlands Coliseum versus Pittsburgh.

Campbell Cnf Preview

See What is Empty Net '83 ? for more details

NORRIS DIVISION

The Minnesota North Stars are the odds on favourites to top the Norris in the opening campaign. Their forwards are comprised of five of their top six potential skaters, keyed by the speedy Dino Ciccarelli and shrewd playmaker Neal Broten. Depending on which defencemen were chosen among the North Stars options, they could be very strong or very weak - in Season 1 they appear to be steady with offensive weapon Brad Maxwell and the reliable Curt Giles capably filling two of the three spots. The most likely challengers to Minnesota are the Blues and Red Wings. The Blues will be suiting up Rick Heinz in net instead of star Mike Liut, but appear to be well heeled in the more important winger positions with Joe Mullen and Jorgen Pettersson. The Blues are without their two stars (Federko & Ramage) in Season 1, a reality that's much different than the Red Wings who are icing all three of theirs in Reed Larson, Brad Park and a young Steve Yzerman. Notably absent in the contenders discussion are the Chicago Black Hawks; with an average looking forward unit and a backend that will be all but hopeless when Bob Murray's not in the lineup. Rounding out the Norris are the Leafs - who could surprise with the acrobatic goaltending of Mike Palmateer and the heavy shots of Rick Vaive and Walt Poddubny, and the Atlanta Firebirds who should find it too difficult to score goals to have much of a say in this playoff race.

SMYTHE DIVISION

Though not void of offensive firepower the Edmonton Oilers have more of an intimidating look than expected in Season 1. Expect a lot of fistacuffs with both Dave Semenko and John Blum taking turns in the lineup. Speed and offensive savvy however will never be fully absent from the Oilers, with Jari Kurri, Ken Linseman and Paul Coffey leading the way this campaign. Another speedy team could surprise as the class of the division this year - the Winnipeg Jets. Like their neighbours to the south in Minnesota, the Jets are loaded with many of their top offensive weapons in particular star Dale Hawerchuk and the quick Thomas Steen. Dave Babych should be an absolute force in the back-end, but the Jets will be extremely vulnerable on his nights off, with the achilles heel of Wade Campbell and Bobby Dollas rounding out their trio. Calgary and Los Angeles each have a pair of stars on their roster in Lanny McDonald, Paul Reinhart, Bernie Nicholls and Larry Murphy - but could struggle mightily on nights one or both are sitting - in particular the Kings who employ the ultimate all-or-nothing lineup in the NHL this season. Rounding out the circuit are the Canucks - a light-weight group who figure to be completely inept offensively when Thomas Gradin is not in the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies who will need big campaigns from Wilf Paiement, Tapio Levo and John van Boxmeer if they are to crack the Top 4 in the Smythe this year. It's difficult to imagine the Kings, Canucks or Rockies advancing past the first round of the playoffs this season.