Your Bartender Works for Tips

When the bartender here at the Lounge offers you a tip, you should take it. You have to know that when you offer the man behind the bar here at the Lounge a tip, you will be rewarded.

That's how we work here. And if you were near the taps yesterday, you might remember that I told you that there was a goaltending challenge in Ottawa, as both the Flyers and Senators were playing a game if who can allow more goals. I said the Flyers would melt down in the end.

Thanks to Ottawa's Alex Kovalev, your bartender stands richer today.

The Flyers may be buying into what Peter Laviolette is selling behind the bench, but this team is not playing well, and the squad has to be happy that much of the Eastern Conference is stuck in rut. Philadelphia is on my watch list. No sponsored beverages for the Flyers until they earn them.

Now if they were old enough, the United States junior squad would earn a few rounds after coming back on Sunday night to defeat Sweden, 5-2, in the World Junior Championship tournament in Saskatoon. It's the Sugar Mountain tournament (you can't be 20, Mr. Neil Young would sing), and the youngsters 19 and under show that their youthful enthusiasm can work both ways.



The Americans survived a few mistakes and penalties late in the game to earn a rematch with the Canadians, whose only real challenge has come against the Americans in the preliminary round. The recaps and notes of all the WJC action is below in the scoreboard. The USA/Sweden highlights are here, and the Canada/Switzerland clips are here. As a bonus, here is a preview of the gold medal game by Bob McKenzie of TSN.

The game will be on the NHL Network on Tuesday night, for those who want to watch. Call your local adult beverage huts to see if they get the game, or see if your local cable provider has the channel. You know that the Lounge will have the game on.

Afternoon Bonus: The Lounge does not have a standard wine list, but Stan Fischler, who frequents some classier joints around Manhattan, offers these video tips about what to look for in a basic Whiner List.



THE SCOREBOARD
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Ottawa 7, Philadelphia 4
Buffalo 1, at Montreal 0
At Florida 6, Pittsburgh 2
At Chicago 5, Anaheim 2
The standings are here.
Recap from Sportsnet.
Three stars from Puck Daddy.

AMERICAN HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Hartford 2, Syracuse 1 SO
At Worcester 4, Bridgeport 3
Lake Erie 7, at Grand Rapids 2
At Hamilton 6, Milwaukee 4
At Lowell 5, Springfield 2
Portland 4, at Providence 0
At Hershey 4, Adirondack 1
Abbotsford 4, at Houston 3 OT
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Charlotte 5, Gwinnett 2
At Las Vegas 5, Utah 3
Victoria 3, at Alaska 2 SO
The standings are here.

QUEBEC MAJOR JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Moncton 2, Cape Breton 1
At Baie-Comeau 3, Drummondville 2
At Prince Edward Island 4, Halifax 1
At Chicoutimi 4, Quebec 1
At Gatineau 5, Val-d'Or 4
Victoriaville 5, at Rimouski 4 OT
Rouyn-Noranda 5, at Montreal 3
Acadie-Bathurst at Saint John PPD
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

ONTARIO HOCKEY LEAGUE
Guelph 2, at Brampton 1 OT
Saginaw 6, at London 3
At Mississauga 5, Ottawa 4
Belleville 8, at Oshawa 2
Kitchener 7, at Sault Ste. Marie 5
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Red Deer 3, at Edmonton 0
Kamloops 5, at Prince George 2
Lethbridge 4, at Calgary 2
At Moose Jaw 6, Prince Albert 2
Everett 2, at Portland 1
At Vancouver 6, Kelowna 3
Spokane 3, at Seattle 2
Saskatoon 6, at Tri-City 4
The standings are here.
The roundup is here.

UNITED STATES HOCKEY LEAGUE
At Green Bay 2, Youngstown 1
Omaha 1, at Cedar Rapids 0
Fargo 6, at Sioux Falls 5
The standings are here.

WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
(at Saskatoon)
Relegation Round
Czech Republic 10, Latvia 2
Semifinals
Canada 6, Switzerland 1
United States 5, Sweden 2
Standings and statistics (PDF) are here.
Three stars by Puck Daddy.