Flames ink Czech center Cervenka

Roman Cervenka suited up for the Czech Repulic at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He was featured on a scoring line with Jaromir Jagr. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Calgary Flames made some noise today when they signed Czech center Roman Cervenka out of the Kontinental League.

According to the Flames twitter account the deal it’s a one-year deal worth 3.775 million (US).

Cervenka had played the last two seasons with Avangard Omsk in the KHL.

The 5-foot-11, 201-pound center has been described as an offensive forward with good skating, passing and an excellent shot. He is able to read the play well and over his past few season in Europe has become a reliable goal-scorer.

In his is pas two seasons Cervenka was just under a point per game player – racking up 54 goals and 100 points in 105 games.

Given that the KHL is different from the NHL in terms of style of play and skill level, many people don’t know what to think of those numbers.

Here are a few player’s stats over the past two season in the KHL that can (sort of) be used as a comparative when looking at Cervenka’s numbers.

 

Alexander Radulov – Salavat Yulaev Ufa

45 goals and 143 points in 104 games (1.38 PPG)

Nikolai Zherdev – Atlant Moscow

29 goals and 79 points in 105 games (0.75 PPG)

Brandon Bochenski – Barys Astana

49 goals and 104 points in 89 games (1.17 PPG)

Patrick Thoresen – SKA St. Petersburg

44 goals and 107 points in 99 games (1.08 PPG).

 

Cervenka has a World Junior Bronze medal to his credit, which he won back in 2005 with the Czech Republic. His play in the tournament didn’t impress many as he only scored one goal (his lone point) in seven games.

There is a chance that Cervenka may just be a late bloomer. He never really started putting up numbers until the 2008-09 season when he notched 59 points in 51 games. He then followed that up with 73 points in 50 games the next season (Both with HC Slavia Praha in the Czech League).

The Flames feel that he can be a top six forward and his steadily increasing stats give them reason to believe just that.

 

 

Rangers, Senators set to clash in Game 7

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The second of three first round Game 7′s goes tonight at 7 pm when the Ottawa Senators travel into MSG to take on the New York Rangers.

As you may already know, the Senators have yet to win a Game 7 in the team’s history going 0-4. There last Game 7 loss came in 2004 against the Maple Leafs when Joe Nieuwendyk embarrassed Patrick Lalime.

On the other hand, the Rangers are 3-5 lifetime in Game 7’s and have won three of the last four they have played in. Their most recent Game 7 was a loss in 2009 to the first place Washington Capitals.

If you are going to look at both teams history in Game 7’s then you should look at the matchups history as well. Six times has the 1 vs. 8 matchup needed a 7^th game and four of those times the lower seed (away team) has come out on top.

History aside, all of the pressure going into this game has been place heavily on the shoulders of the New York Rangers. After all, they are the number one ranked team in the Eastern Conference and people have expected big things form them ever since they signed Brad Richards in the offseason. They will be at home playing in a seventh game against a team that many expected them to walk over.

The Senators weren’t projected to do much going into the 2011-12 NHL season – in fact many people, including myself, expected them to finish near the bottom of the league. The fact that they are in this seventh game is great for the franchise. The team will enter this game will little to no pressure to succeed – and I think they will.

The Senators have surprised us all season with their consistent offense and never-say-die attitude, so why should they stop now.

Road teams have gone 29-17 in these playoffs to date. I think Ottawa continue the trend and come out on top in this one. Especially if it goes to overtime as the Rangers haven’t had too much success in the extra frame.

Seven facts for Game 7: Bruins vs. Caps

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• Even though he has allowed 14 goals against in this series, Braden Holtby has held Boston to just a single goal in three of the six games.

• After being held scoreless in Game 1, the Capitals have 14 goals in the last five games. Which averages out to almost three goals per game.

• Almost half – 12 of 28 – of the goals scored in this series have come in the third period or later. Boston has seven of them and Washington has five.

• In the three games played in the Boston Garden this series – where the Capitals have gone 2-1 – Ovechkin has been held to a single assist, just nine shots and even plus-minus rating. He has two goals and four points with 17 shots and a plus-one rating at home in the series.

• The Bruins have averaged 36 shot per game on Holtby in the six games to date, compared to the Caps who have only averaged 30 shots per game. Even though Washington has been outshot in four of the six games so far they are 3-1 in those games – with the lone loss coming in overtime in Game 1.

• Semin is stepping it up! Known to have disappeared in the playoffs of past, Semin leads the Capitals with three goals in six games. His goal output alone is tied with the combined output of the Bruins top five regular season scorers.

• Those top five scorers – referred to above – were: Seguin, Bergeron, Krejci, Lucic and Marchand. The group combined for 128 goals in the regular season or 49% of Boston’s offense. In the playoffs they have only mustered a combine three goals, or 21% of the Bruin’s offense. No wonder the #1 seeded Bruins are facing elimination.

 

 

Canucks looking to fend off elimination

The Vancouver Canucks head into Game 4 in Los Angeles down 3-0 to the Kings. Here are a few keys to the series and reasons why the top-seeded Canucks find themselves with their backs against the wall.

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Vancouver

• The Canucks have to be better with the man advantage! Their powerplay was tops in the league clicking at 19.8% during the regular season. So far through three playoff games they have nothing, going 0-for-14.

• Not only has their PP produced a goose egg, its hurt them too. Dustin Brown got them twice, short-handed in Game 2 – against a ‘Nucks team that only allowed four SHG’s all season.