From Russia With Love

The last couple of days have been very exciting for Russian sports fans, a country that has been quiet in recent memory when it comes to big feats on the world stage. This all changed on Wednesday night when FC Zenit St. Petersburg defeated Rangers FC of Scotland in the UEFA Cup with the score of 2-0. The club came to Manchester for the final after disposing of heavily favored Bayern Munich with an aggregate of 5-1. The team found themselves destined for their first ever trip to a major European final. Meanwhile their Scottish opposition had the pleasure of disposing of Italian side Fiorintina after winning 4-2 on penalties after failing to score in regular time in both home and way legs.

As fans flocked to Manchester much of the favoritism went in the way of Rangers simply because little was known of Zenit. However, those familiar with the Russian Primer League knew that beating the club would be difficult, as they had come off their first league title this past season. The first half at the City of Manchester Stadium saw a relentless Zenit attack as they fired away on what looked to be a helpless and unprepared Rangers defense. The two teams went into the interval scoreless and it was evident those traveling fans of Rangers grew irritated early on. The second half was much like the first except this time Rangers began to penetrate the Russian side testing keeper Vyacheslav Malafeev repeatedly. However any sign of life shown by Gers was abruptly ended by Igor Denisov who received a perfect pass from Andrei Arshavin to slip the ball past keeper Neil Alexander to give the Russians the lead. Rangers did all they could to push level but failed to do so as Zenit added the dagger through the heart with a injury time goal by Konstantin Zyrianov to ensure themselves their first European trophy. With the win, they became the second Russian team to ever win the UEFA cup, the first being CSKA Moscow in 2004/05. The match was overshadowed by fan violence outside the stadium as both groups of fans clashed with one another resulting in dozens of arrests and even a stabbing. Back in St. Petersburg, fans stormed the city through the night as newly crowned UEFA Cup Champions.

While the final was being staged in England, the Russian national team was participating in the IIHF Mens World Championship in Nova Scotia and Quebec City, Canada. The team, led by Washington Capitals trio of Alexander Semin, Sergei Fedorov, and Alexander Ovechkin went undefeated in the group stages defeating the high powered Czech Republic and Sweden along the way. They disposed of Switzerland in the quarterfinal with a resounding 6-0 win and then continued their defensive mastery with a 4-0 win over Finland. Led by Evgeni Nabokov's stellar goal tending those wins allowed Russia to advance to final vs host country Canada on Sunday afternoon. The two teams had not met in the final since 1958 and Russia had to bring their A-game to help prevent the Canadians from winning their second straight gold medal. The Canadians too went undefeated and beat both Norway and Sweden in the playoffs for the right to defend their medal.

The first period saw Russia get the early lead with a goal by Alexander Semin just under two minutes. Defensemen Brent Burns tied the score at 1-1 and Chris Kunitz added one more to give Canada the lead. Burns then added his second goal of the game on a 5 on 3 powerplay giving Canada a 2 goal advantage going into the first intermission. The start of the second period was exactly like the first with Semin adding his second goal of the game to bring the Russians within one. Leading scorer Dany Heatley added to the lead by scoring his 12th goal of the tournament passing Eric Lindros's mark for most goals in one World Championship for Canada. The Russians entered the third period down 2 goals and came close to beating goalie Cam Ward who at times looked unstoppable. Alexei Tereschenko finally rewarded them with a goal with under 10 minutes to go. The impossible happened with Ilya Kovalchuk scored his first goal of the tournament after returning to the lineup after a one-game suspension tying the affair at 4-4. As the game headed off to overtime, the momentum was clearly in favor of the Russians who managed to erase a 2 goal lead against a very sound defense. The overtime saw Rick Nash get a penalty for delay of game and put Russia on the powerplay. With the man advantage Kovalchuk ripped a shot past Ward sending the Russian bench and fans into euphoria. The comeback was complete and it gave Russia their first gold medal since 1993. Just like the fans in St. Petersburg days earlier, all of Moscow celebrated through the night as the World Champions.

The focus on the country is not yet over, as Moscow will play host to the Champions League Final on Wednesday with an all English final between Chelsea FC and Manchester United. This will be the first time Moscow has held a Champions League Final already holding a UEFA Cup Final in 1998/99. The match will also be the first time an all English final has occurred in the competitions 53 year history. All 69,000 + seats are expected to be sold out as Europe's biggest match comes to one of Europe's most historic city's.

Rangers oust Devils in first round of 2008 playoffs

The first round of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs saw the New York Rangers upset the New Jersey Devils in 5 quick games. The series featured everything from close calls, big hits, and even a new rule implemented by the NHL mid-series. Having clinched the 4th place seed against the Rangers just days earlier the Devils looked to cash in the home ice advantage provided at the Prudential Center.
Game 1 saw the two teams battle to a scoreless first period until Brendan Shanahan beat Martin Brodeur just under 2 minutes. The Devils responded later in the period with a goal by Paul Martin to send the two teams tied at 1 goal apiece into the final period. The Devils tight play quickly unraveled on the powerplay when Brodeur was too slow to cover the puck as Ryan Callahan beat him to it and put the blue shirts up 2-1. 10 minutes later Sean Avery added a third goal and what had been a tightly played game by both teams quickly turned into a sure win as Nigel Dawes added a 4th goal on an empty net to assure the first game belonged to the Rangers.
Game 2 saw essesntialy the same first period the two teams played in the previous game as they headed into the locker rooms scoreless. The goals didnt come in the second period either as both teams headed into the third with the Devils leading the shot total 15-13. The second period did see plenty of action in the penalty box as the teams racked a combined 28 minutes between them. The Rangers finally got on the board just 4:26 into the third period when Devils defenseman Colin White nudged Brodeur while coming out from behind the net, giving Jaromir Jagr the space to put the puck into the net off the goalie's back. 23 seconds later Sean Avery would get his 2nd goal of the series beating Brodeur top shelf and causing the Devils to look for the panic button. Rangers Keeper Henrik Lundqvist did almost everything in his power to keep the Devils off the score sheet but couldnt do enough as John Madden brought the Devils within one with under a 1:30 to go. The Devils were denied any shot of a comeback as Lundqvist shut the door and ensured the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the series.
The attention shifted to Madison Square Garden where the Devils desperately needed to get their offense flowing if they wanted to continue their quest for Lord Stanley's Cup and game 3 certainly did not disappoint. It took the Devils just 3 minutes to grab their first lead of the series as Sergei Brylin had scored a goal that was initially waved off by the linesmen. However after reviewing the play the video showed that the puck wasn't kicked in and the Devils had their 3rd goal in 3 games. The lead didnt last long as Brandon Dubinsky leveled things at 1 just 9 minutes later. The Rangers took the lead as Sean Avery tallied on the powerplay but not before causing a little drama in front of his beloved foe Martin Brodeur. As the Rangers worked the 5 on 3 advantage Avery turned his back to the play and stood practically face to face with the Hall of Fame keeper and waved his hands and stick in his face. While no call was made by the referees the following day, the NHL issued an interpretation of the league's unsportsmanlike conduct rule to cover actions such as the one employed by Avery. The Devils used the powerplay to their advantage as goals by Patrick Elias and Zach Parise allowed them to take a 3-2 lead into the third period. The lead quickly vanished as Dubinsky added his second of the game and the two teams went into overtime deadlocked at 3. The Devils came out firing and almost sealed the game when Brian Gionta rang one of the post just two minutes in. Not too much later after that John Madden lost a faceoff to the right of Lunqvist, but got to the loose puck in the corner. His centering pass clipped the right skate of rookie defenseman Marc Staal and caromed in. The win seemed to give the Devils a new life and the series finally seemed to be rolling.
Game 4 brought a chance for the Devils to pull even but all that game 3 momentum was quickly earased as ex-Devil Scott Gomez beat his former keeper in the first period to give the blue shirts the lead heading into the second period. The Devils didnt take long to respond as Patrick Elias tied things up 30 seconds into the second. The Rangers answered back with a goal by Martin Stratka but Elias added another to bring things level again. However it would be the Rangers who would go into intermission with the lead as Chris Drury got his first goal of the series to make it 3-2 Rangers. The Devils came out and got the tying goal from an unlikely source in Mike Mottau who notched his first career playoff goal to bring it all even yet again. As the momentum shifted back and forth the goat of game 3 became the hero as Marc Staal fired the winning goal past Brodeur with 3 minutes in regulation. Scott Gomez added the empty netter as Rangers took a commanding 3-1 lead in the series putting the Devils with their backs to the wall.
The series returned to Prudential with the Devils playing for their playoff lives as they needed a win to continue on. Brian Gionta got the Devils off in the right direction as he beat Lundqvist to send The Rock into a frenzy. But by the time the goal was announced the score was already knotted at 1 after Michal Rozival slipped past 2 defensemen and received a great pass from Jaromir Jagr to stop any momentum the Devils had just gained. Jagr would add one of his own as would Scott Gomez as the Rangers took a strong 3-1 lead into the intermission. They added a fourth goal when Chris Drury beat Brodeur to send the Ranger fans in attendance into a frenzy. When it looked like the Devils had no fight left they got a little boost from an odd goal by Bryce Salvador. Salvador wound up for a drive between the blue-line and center ice circle. Dubinsky raised his arm to shield his face, and was struck by the puck. It then took a hop and hit the post before caroming into the net off Lundqvist. The Devils got within one when Patrick Elias scored on the power play. The teams battled neck and neck in the third but no goals prevailed until John Madden the hero of game 3 was awarded a penalty shot. His attempt on Lundqvist wasnt thought out too well and it hardly bothered the Swede who kept out the rest of the shots he faced that period. The Rangers would add a 5th goal on the empty net and clinched the series against their cross-river rivals. The Devils head into the off season with a question of what might have been if they used their powerplay and playmakers more effectively. It is almost guaranteed that there will be new faces in the locker room as the team tries to get back into the finals for the first time since 2003.

Devils Capitals 2/29 preview

The New Jersey Devils host the Washington Capitals on Friday for what will be the final meeting between the two teams of the regular season. The two squads met earlier this week in Washington where the Devils squeezed out an overtime win with a goal by John Madden with under a minute to go. The win marked the first time the Devils were atop the Eastern Conference since 2001. Tuesday's trade deadline saw both teams make a few noteworthy moves. The Devils, who made the first official trade of the day, sent enforce Cam Janssen to St.Louis in exchange for defenseman Bryce Salvador. Meanwhile Capitals GM George McPhee found himself rather busy as he brought in the likes of LW Alex Giroux, RW Matt Cooke, C Sergei Fedorov, and G Cristobal Huet. The arrival of Huet makes the goaltending situation in Washington tricky as Olaf Kolzig and Brent Johnson have been vying for the starting position all season. Huet comes in with 21 wins and a 2.56 GAA and it would not be surprising seeing him get the nod in his first game on Friday. Also likely to make his debut is Sergei Fedorov. The 38-year old veteran comes to a fairly young squad with a little or no playoff experience. The Pskov native who has hoisted Lord Stanley's cup 3 times will most likely be paired with fellow Russians Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semim if not on a full line that almost certainly the power play. Ovechkin has failed to register a point in his last two games but still leads the NHL in goals with 48 and is only 2 points behind fellow Russian Evegeni Malkin who has 84 on the season. The Devils lead the season series 2-1 and hope to capitalize on mistakes made this earlier this week in Carolina to increase their lead in the conference and division. Going into tomorrow night the Devils are 1 point in front of Pittsburgh in the Atlantic and 2 ahead of Ottawa in the conference, both of whom lost on Thursday night. Meanwhile the Capitals hope that their newest acquisitions will help give them their first playoff berth since 2002. Despite being second in their division, the Capitals are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the final playoff spot. The Devils expect Salvador to make his debut as well on Friday marking the first time the 7 year player has suited up for an Eastern Conference team.