Bruins’ choke is bad news for Ducks.

The Boston Bruins have completed the rare Double 4-3 Choke Job.

They led the Phildelphia Flyers 3 games to 0 in the series, but lost three straight to force a Game 7 Friday night in Boston. Leading 3-0 in the game, Philadelphia scored the next four goals to win the game — and the series — 4-3.

It’s just the third time that an NHL team has lost the first three games of the series and still won.

It’s bad news for the Ducks, who are in line to receive Philadelphia’s first-round draft pick in June. By virtue of the Flyers’ win, that pick cannot be higher than 27th. The Ducks already own the 12th selection in the draft.

Carter’s view of the carnage.

Ryan Carter, writing his second blog from the IIHF World Championships on the Ducks’ Web site, offers a few insights into why the U.S. is facing relegation after losing all three of its pool-play games.

Turns out they’re allowed to smoke inside the arena, which, if you’ve ever been to Europe, shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Carter and his teammates might just want to burn the place down after this tournament.

Blackhawks-Sharks odds released.

Some odds on the Western Conference Final series, which begins Sunday, courtesy of Bodog.com:

NHL
CONFERENCE FINALS SERIES PRICES

Chicago
Blackhawks                  Even
San
Jose Sharks                       -130

2010
Stanley Cup Playoffs – Exact Series Result

San
Jose Sharks 4-0                  12/1
San
Jose Sharks 4-1                  11/2
San
Jose Sharks 4-2                  5/1
San
Jose Sharks 4-3                  4/1
Chicago
Blackhawks 4-0            11/1
Chicago
Blackhawks 4-1            6/1
Chicago
Blackhawks 4-2            4/1
Chicago
Blackhawks 4-3            5/1

 

Total
Game in Series

Over      5.5
                                -205
Under    5.5
                               +165

Exact
Number of Games in Series

4
                                             6/1
5
                                             11/4
6
                                             9/5
7
                                             9/5

Where
will the Series be Decided

HP
Pavilion, San Jose                -150
United
Center, Chicago               +120

Series
Game Spread

San
Jose Sharks           -1.5      +185
Chicago
Blackhawks      +1.5      -225

Joe
Thornton 3rd Round Points vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Over
/ Under                  6.5

Patrick
Marleau 3rd Round Points vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Over
/ Under                  5.5

Dany
Heatley 3rd Round Points vs. Chicago Blackhawks

Over
/ Under                  5.5

Patrick
Kane 3rd Round Points vs. San Jose Sharks

Over
/ Under                  6.5

Jonathan
Toews 3rd Round Points vs. San Jose Sharks

Over
/ Under                  6

Marian
Hossa 3rd Round Points vs. San Jose Sharks

Over
/ Under                  5

Canada, U.S. both lose at Worlds.

Wednesday was not a good day for the Olympic gold and silver-medal winning nations at the IIHF World Championships.

Playing with first place in Group B on the line, Canada lost 4-1 to Switzerland in Mannheim, Germany. The result bucked a fairly longstanding historical trend

Before tonight the teams had played 24 times in the World Championships,
Canada winning 22 to go with two ties. The aggregate score was 143-29.
Never has Switzerland scored as many as four goals against Canada at the
Worlds or Olympics in 90 years of senior international hockey. In 16 of
those 24 games Switzerland was held to one goal or was shut out
altogether.

Ducks right wing Corey Perry was held without a point for the first time in pool play, leaving him with four points (goal, three assists) through three games.

Meanwhile, Team USA was bounced from the tournament after losing 3-2 to Finland. Goaltender Scott Clemmensen stopped 40 of 43 shots, and was outdueled by Petri Vehanen, who allowed goals to T.J. Oshie and David Moss in the victory.

Ducks center Ryan Carter was held without a point in 17:54 time on ice. After finishing last in group D, the U.S. (0-3) heads to the relegation round for the first time since 2003. The two lowest-finishing teams in the relegation round will not be eligible to compete in the 2011 tournament.

Deschamps MIA as junior team advances.

The Moncton Wildcats will compete for the Memorial Cup after clinching the QMJHL title Monday, but will do so without Ducks prospect Nicolas Deschamps.

Deschamps, a second-round draft pick in 2008, has just begun to walk without crutches in his recovery from a leg injury April 23. Wildcats head coach Danny Flynn told the Moncton (New Brunswick) Times and Transcript that Deschamps is “participating in off-ice workouts and steadily improving, but he’s not at the point where he can play yet.”

The Ducks signed Deschamps to a three-year, entry level contract last summer.

Big day for Perry, bad day for U.S. at Worlds.

Corey Perry had three assists in Team Canada’s 6-1 win over Latvia at the IIHF World Championships in Manheim, Germany on Monday.

At 2-0, Canada is tied with Switzerland atop the Group B standings; the two teams play each other on Wednesday. Latvia and Italy are both 0-2 in Group B.

Earlier Monday, Team USA lost in an upset, 2-1 to Denmark, its second straight overtime loss to start the tournament. Stefan Lassen scored 2:04 into the extra period past Scott Clemmensen to drop the U.S. to 0-2 in a World Championship for the first time since 2003.

Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle scored the lone goal for Team USA. Ducks forward Ryan Carter was held without a point in just over nine minutes of ice time.

The U.S. is tied with Germany – which has lost once in overtime and also in regulation – with two points in the Group D standings. Denmark is leading the group with five points and Finland is second with three points.

Canada beats Italy 5-1, Perry scores.

Corey Perry opened a five-goal deluge for Team Canada in their opener at the IIHF World Championships on Saturday, a 5-1 win over Italy.

The Ducks forward scored his first goal of the tournament, after scoring twice in an exhibition game Tuesday, as five different players scored for Canada. Matt Duchene, a forward for the Colorado Avalanche and nephew of Ducks assistant coach Newell Brown, had a goal and an assist.

Canada’s next game is Monday night against Latvia.

Carter scores, U.S. loses in opener at Worlds. Updates with video.

Ducks forward Ryan Carter scored, but that was it for Team USA in a tournament-opening, 2-1 overtime loss to Germany at the IIHF World Championships on Friday.

Before an announced crowd of 77,823 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany – a world record, according to the IIHF Web site – Felix Schutz scored past Scott Clemmensen 21 seconds into overtime to lift the host team to victory.

At 8:28 of the third period, writes Alan Adams on iihf.com,

Carter banged at a loose puck in the crease and it came to a stop across the goal line after the puck deflected off the goalie’s right pad.

 

Click here for video of the goal, with Ducks play-by-play man John Ahlers (along with Kings analyst Jim Fox) on the call.

The tournament format is similar to the 2010 Winter Olympics in that the top three teams in each of four groups advance out of round-robin play, and remain eligible for the championship. However, the second round (the “Qualification Round”) is also a round-robin format, while the fourth-place team in each group continues play in a Relegation Round.

Finland, Germany and Denmark are in Group D along with the United States.

Also Friday, Ducks forward Corey Perry was named one of four alternate captains at the tournament for Team Canada. Former Ducks defenseman Francois Beauchemin, and forwards Ray Whitney and Steven Stamkos, will be the other alternates behind captain Ryan Smyth.

Team Canada plays Italy in its first tournament game Saturday, with a scheduled start time of 7:15 a.m. Pacific.