For anyone who missed it, Kurtis Foster suffered a scary injury last night that was, for all intents and purposes, entirely avoidable and would surely spark some discussion around the league today. Foster was racing Torrey Mitchell of the San Jose Sharks back to touch the puck for an icing when Foster seemed to lose an edge, or get pushed by Mitchell depending on how you view the video, sending Foster into the boards at full speed. He was carried off the ice on a stretcher and it was later learned that he’d suffered a broken leg. The play reminds me of watching Mark Tinordi, a defenseman for the Dallas Stars, break his femur on an eerily similar play. Mark was never quite the same after that play and it’s exactly the kind of injury you don’t see in most other hockey leagues due to a rule called “no touch icing.”
See the incident for yourself:
The no touch icing rule is a way that leagues avoid having players race each other back to the end boards in that kamikaze style fashion that the NHL currently demands. When the puck is iced, meaning shot from the guilty team’s side of the redline to the other zone and beyond the goal line without being touched by another player, the play is immediately blown dead and icing is called. The defending team does not have to touch the puck to earn the icing call, as they do in the NHL right now, it’s simply automatic as soon as the puck crosses the goal line. This does, of course, eliminate those few situations where the team who iced the puck beats the defending team back to be the first ones to touch the puck, thereby negating the icing call. Those moments are generally few and far between while the majority of icing plays actually reduce the intensity of the game, slow down the play and obviously put players at risk.
The debate has gone on for quite some time in the NHL as it seems like we hear about it every year. For me, the pros of no touch icing outweigh the cons in a pretty obvious manner. I think it kills some of the down time when the puck is iced and could actually produce more late game goals in situations where one team is trying to tie the game in the last minute and the defensive team is satisfied with just icing the puck. In those scenarios, the team that’s trying to tie the game actually loses valuable seconds off the clock while they push to get back and touch the puck. With no touch icing, the clock would stop the instant the puck crossed the goal line giving that team more time to create opportunities and provide those exciting finishes that we love so much. In other game situations, it gives the team that iced the puck a little less rest, which fits with the current rule that you can’t change lines when you ice the puck, and avoids that downtime where the audience is just watching a player leisurely skate back to touch up. The con is obviously that rare situation where a player is able to negate the icing and create a scoring chance by beating the defending team back to the puck. It seems to me that the no touch rule actually fits with the current direction of the NHL and I’ll be surprised if it’s not adopted in the near future. Hopefully for them, this will be the last serious injury to stem from their indecisiveness.
John Tavares is possibly the most highly touted and anticipated player not currently in the NHL. He’s been dubbed the next Sidney Crosby, an iron lock for first pick overall and the kind of player that can immediately change the fortunes of a team. The catch? He’s only 17 years old which wouldn’t be a problem if he had been born 5 days too late.
Tavares is the rare breed of athlete who’s been scouted since he was in his pre-teens. He’s spent most of his “career” playing against opponents who were at least one year older than him at every level. In fact, the OHL constructed a clause in their rules specifically for John Tavares. At age 14, Tavares was much younger than the 16 year old age limit enforced by the league. However, he’d proven that he could not only play at that level but succeed so the OHL added a new rule that allowed them to grant “exceptional player status” to anyone they deemed was too young by years but too remarkable to hold out of the draft. Tavares was obviously the first player to receive this honor and was drafted first overall a couple of months before his 15th birthday in 2005.
John Tavares did not disappoint as he put up 77 points, including 45 goals, in his first OHL season where he earned the Rookie of the Year honors. The best, of course, was yet to come as the following year he would set a new record previously held by the great Wayne Gretzky when he scored 72 goals in only 67 games. He also added 62 assists that season and was given the Player of the Year award for his efforts. He followed that up by competing in the 2008 World Junior Championships and helping lead team Canada to their fourth straight gold medal.
So now Tavares is looking towards his next challenge the NHL. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to wait a little longer as the NHL rules state that a player must be 18 as of September 15th, five days prior to when Tavares’ 18th birthday. Tavares and his team of agents have pleaded with the NHL to modify the rule or do something similar to that of the OHL. The NHL hasn’t budged and it appears that we’ll have to wait another year before we see Tavares in a NHL uniform. That, of course, hasn’t stopped some clever GMs from trying to get the inside track on the young superstar-to-be. John Ferguson of the Toronto Maple Leafs went as far as offering Tavares a contract to play for the Leafs’ AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. The idea would be that Tavares could sign a one year deal and then enter the draft, or possibly sign a longer term contract with the team, bypass the draft and be an unrestricted free agent when it expired. Either path might give the Leafs an advantage when it comes to securing the rights to Tavares but it’s a long shot at best. The primary issue is that the AHL has the exact same rule regarding age so unless they intend to modify that rule, unlike their NHL counterpart, it seems unlikely that anything will come of this and Tavares will be taken first overall in the 2009 entry draft.
The truth of the matter is that a guy like John Tavares is ready to move forward and face tougher competition. In fact, he probably needs it in order to continue developing but in retrospect it seems that the exceptional player rule for the OHL may have done him a disservice. Allowing him to enter early assures that he’ll spend 4 years in the OHL as opposed to the usual 2. A long stay like that is great for the OHL but it’s not so great for the player who’s eager to move on. My instincts tell me that we still haven’t quite heard the end of this and it’ll flare up again as we near the draft but in the meantime, it’s an interesting and yet quiet story for a league that is desperately in need some headline drama that doesn’t revolve around players trying to kill each other.
The Buffalo Sabres are only 3 points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand over the Philadelphia Flyers who currently occupy that coveted 8th position. The Sabres have scored 13 goals in their last two games, consequently winning both easily, but failed to register a win in the four previous. The team has talent, admiteddly less of it after losing Brian Campbell at the trade deadline, and they've shown flashes of heart but have yet to find any kind of consistent momentum. Now's the time with only 9 games left. Buffalo is the kind of team that would be scary to face in the first round, but they've got to get their first. In many ways they control their own destiny with that game in hand, but that game in hand is gone after tonight and they absolutely can not afford to lose against the cellar dwelling Tampa Bay Lightning.
Tampa, on the other hand, is trying to play the role of a spoiler while holding tryouts for next season. During this last handful of games both the newly acquired Mike Smith and the young prospect Karri Rammo will get starts in net as they compete for the starting position. Tampa has desperately been searching for a guy who could step up and provide some consistency in that regard and, as the Dallas Stars realized after his disastrous debut for the club where he was yanked in the 1st intermission after allowing 3 goals on 12 shots, Johan Holmqvist was just not the guy.
Jeff Halpern, also acquired from the Dallas Stars in the trade that sent Brad Richards to the lonestar state and gave the Lightning Mike Smith, scored only a few minutes into the game off a turnover on a shortside slapshot. Tough way to start the night.
The Sabres earned a powerplay and nearly scored, but the scrum afterwards produced an unjust powerplay for the Lightning. Jeff Halpern smashes Maxim Afinogenov from behind at the side of the net after the puck was frozen, then delivered a cross check to Maxim's back before the fiesty winger jumped up and put him in a serious headlock. Buffalo ultimately received the extra penalty and it allowed Martin St Louis to deflect a point shot passed Ryan Miller and put the Lightning up 2-0. Jason Pominville responded 3 minutes later burying his 25th of the season on a slapshot from a bad angle. Buffalo seems to have life going into the first intermission.
Buffalo came out a bit flat to start the second, got caught running around in their own zone and ultimately the puck found its way to a wide open Vincent Lecavalier in front of the net to regain the 2 goal lead for Tampa. Thus far, the shots are 15 to 10 Buffalo, but aside from the first Halpern goal on the short side Ryan Miller can't be faulted. Thus far, the Lightning are just getting higher quality chances and Rammo has made a few big saves to maintain momentum for his team. Still a lot of hockey left to be play and thus far it's been relatively even minus Buffalo's blunders in their own zone. Lecavalier closed out the second period with another goal to put Tampa up 4-1.
Buffalo only managed 2 shots on goal in the second and it seemed that the Sabres might be done. That was, of course, until they proved why they have more goals on the season than any other team in the league. It started with Jason Pominville's 26th of the season and second of the game followed by Jochen Hecht only 16 seconds later. A little over 3 minutes later Thomas Vanek scored the tying goal from Derek Roy and Drew Stafford. Buffalo managed 3 goals in three minutes and 22 seconds to get it all knotted up at 4. Vanek and the Sabres weren't done as Vanek scored two more goals back to back, with Roy and Stafford assisting on both, to complete the natural hat trick and put the Sabres up 2. This capped off a run of 6 goals in 11 minutes and 4 seconds. Hecht added an empty netter as the surging Sabres finished an incredible period of hockey to capture a critical 7-4 win and make their playoff hopes that much brighter. Pominville had 2 goals and 2 assists, including 3 points in the third, while the line of Vanek, Roy and Stafford combined for 9 points in the final stanza. Ryan Miller did, however, allow 4 goals on only 19 shots but it didn't matter as the offense was just flat out too much handle in a third period where they scored 6 goals on 16 shots. An incredible night for the Sabres and an improbable, yet remarkable win that should give them plenty of momentum moving forward. Hopefully they'll capture it as I think they can do damage in the playoffs, especially if Miller gets his game together.
The Washington Capitals are only 10 minutes into the first period of their tilt against the Nashville Predators but Alexander Ovechkin has already hit a milestone. He registered assists on goals by both Alexander Semin and Nicklas Backstrom which were points number 100 and number 101. Could tonight be the night where he hits the 60 goal mark?
After a disappointing first period that sent the Penguins into the dressing room trailing 2-0, Pittsburgh was able to quickly come back and tie the game on goals from Ruutu and Staal to start the second. Pittsburgh had all of the momentum, the Rangers had burned their timeout and Ryan Whitney managed to rip it all away from them. The Rangers were in deep on what appeared to be a 1-2-2 forecheck and were applying pressure to both Ryan Whitney and Darryl Sydor. Whitney and Sydor were lined up on opposite sides of their own net and exchanged the puck multiple times around behind the goal in an attempt to relieve the pressure and setup an breakout play. Sydor threw the puck back to Whitney and the Ranger left wing immediately moved in to throw a hit. Instead of eating the puck and taking the hit, turning his body to protect the puck or throwing the puck up the boards, Whitney one timed the puck up the middle of the zone in a panic and sent it perfectly to Fredrik Sjostrom. Sjostrom was in text book forechecking position where the forward, usually the center, hovers around in front of the net to force the opposing team to go up the boards. He was able to collect the puck and score his 12th of the season on a breakaway that started between the face-off circles. I wonder how long we're going to have to suffer through Whitney's blunders in his own zone. That kind of play is inexcusable. It's not only a stupid play but it's a soft one. He wanted to avoid getting hit so he gave the other team a goal. He should be benched for the rest of the game and his minutes need to be reduced.
However, then there'd be little to no chance of him getting injured and missing the playoffs. Perhaps he should be kept in after all.
Okay okay, so maybe the word "star" is a bit premature as Kyle Okposo prepares to make his NHL debut tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs but it's apparently something the New York Islanders expect after taking him with the 7th overall pick 2006. Much of that expectation may revolve around the fact that the team needs something to look forward to after a tough season.
Hockey scouting is an interesting business since it often starts while young prospects are still physically growing as well as mentally. At the ripe age of 19, Okposo is actually more filled out than most prospects standing 6' tall and weighing a solid 195 lbs. For the sake of comparison, Kyle Turris was drafted third overall last year and while he's an inch taller than Okposo he only weighs 170lbs which is something that will need to change for him to survive the enduring nature of the National Hockey League. Hockey tends to get faster and more physical with each step up the ladder so Okposo's size could enable him to play a more tenacious game and immediately have success in the NHL.
Much like other highly touted prospects he has a list of awards from the lower levels including Rookie of the Year, Clark Cup Playoff MVP, First Team All Star and All Rookie team in the USHL in 2005-2006 which put him on the list of must see prospects going into the draft. He spent less than 2 seasons as a Minnesota Gopher, his hometown college, where he scored 26 goals and 25 assists in 58 games before signing a three-year entry level contract worth $850,00 a year with the Islanders. He then played in the World Juniors Tournament for USA where he had one goal and five assists in seven games before officially turning pro and heading to the Islander's AHL affiliate the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He's played 29 games for the Sound Tigers where he's scored eight goals and 16 assists including this beauty:
Okposo can play either wing but his natural position is on the right side. He's shown the potential to play with tremendous intensity throughout his young career at all levels but it's difficult to know exactly how a player will handle a defenseman like, say, Dion Phaneuf until he's forced to do so. Like most young offensive prospects his defensive play will need some work in order to be trusted in every zone, but the youngster has great potential and it should be exciting to see how he does on his first night in the show. This is the kind of thing that the Islanders need for the young players on their team and their fans. The beauty of this is that with only 2 and a half weeks left, Okposo won't be able to play enough games for this year to count as the first year of his contract. It's a beautifully timed experiment that will help him get some games under his belt while delaying the financial difficulties of re-signing a young, talented restricted free agent.
The NHL stands to get a nice infusion of young talent at the end of this season with Kyle Turris nearing his debut as well and a few others being considered. The number of 17-19 year olds playing in the league continues to climb and it'll be interesting to see if more NHL teams handle it like the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins have a system where young rookies live with veterans who show them how to survive in the spotlight and how to be a true professional in the NHL. Mario Lemieux did it for Sidney Crosby, Sergei Gonchar did it for Evgeni Malkin and Mark Recchi did it for Jordan Staal, so will anyone do the same for Okposo or Turris? I've only read positive things about the system but it's tough to know with any certainly. The only thing that we do know for certain is that the NHL is healthy in young talent and it appears to getting healthier financially, so now if we could just get that whole NHL on real TV thing figured out we might be getting somewhere....
If you did not catch the Sharks/Oilers game last night then you missed probably the best game of the season that demonstrates how incredibly important the goalie is to a teams success. San Jose out shot Edmonton 49-23 ... as impressive as that sounds nothing was getting past Roloson on Sunday night - certainly not the Sharks' shots, and not their 11-game winning streak, either. Roloson made 48 saves and was able to turn aside three more pucks in the shootout. Oilers coach Craig MacTavish said "I think I've seen him at that level before, but I've never seen him better than he was tonight, I'm really happy for him." MacTavish and the Oilers are still in the playoff race sitting in 11th place, five points behind eighth-place Vancouver.
Captain Patrick Marleau was able to net the Sharks only goal (out of 4 tries). One incredible play was when Brian Campbell was able to strip the puck away in the neutral zone and found himself with wide open ice and one Dwayne Roloson standing poised for action. Campbell took a couple strides, cocked back and fired his cannon ... right into the glove of Roloson as if he knew exactly where that puck was going. Brian Campbell flipped his stick away in disgust and skated away. "We had probably more chances than I can remember, and he made a ton of saves," Sharks coach Ron Wilson said. "Glove saves, stretch saves, split saves. He just had one of those nights. You thought he might be a little tired, but he hasn't played in about a month. We did a lot of things, but he robbed us." When asked Jonathan Cheechoo said "We played well, and we created a lot of chances, We just didn't create enough traffic in front of him, and I know I didn't convert a couple of good rebounds. Any goalie that sees the puck is going to stop it." Jonathan finished the games with 7 shots on goal.
As if we had to further reinforce this point, Detroit out shot Columbus 46-17, yet the Blue Jackets had a different plan in mind for the outcome of the game. Columbus' second-string goalie Fredrik Norrena got the starting nod and had barely seven minutes to prepare for what became the best performance of his career. Norrena made a career-high 43 saves in place of No. 1 goalie Pascal Leclaire, who sat out with flu symptoms. "I would prefer to know the day before, but those are the things you have to get used to as a backup goalie," said Norrena, who won for the first time since Feb. 7. Dominick Hasek was pulled from the crease when he allowed 4 out of 10 pucks find the back of the net and was replaced by Chris Osgood. Detroit is having to reinvent themselves every time they take the ice, I am not sure what is going down in motor city. Maybe its in the water?
Chris Pronger will miss 8 of the last 9 regular season games for the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks. The league re-evaluated the stomping incident when new footage surfaced that gave a clearer view of his actions and over-ruled the original decision that Pronger wouldn't receive any kind of punishment. Honestly, the new footage doesn't show anything the original didn't but it made it impossible for the league to hide from the event and avoid handing down a suspension. Of course, it's not a surprise that he won't miss a single playoff game as eight games was about the safest number they could possibly impose.
When the NHL would not discipline Chris Pronger for his actions toward Ryan Kesler ... We at Ice Junkies were surprised, Vancouver fans were surprised and Bob McKenzie thought we were all just silly and needed "more evidence!" In his first story - "More evidence needed to suspend Pronger" Mr McKenzie goes on to say "whether it had malicious intent or was just part of Pronger trying to break free, well, the Zapruder film was better quality than this video." I am not sure how far away from the screen Bob was sitting, but on my tv - I saw it clear as day ... Chris Pronger made a "stomping" motion on Ryan Kesler's leg.
That story from Bob McKenzie broke on March 13th at 7:05pm ... fast forward to March 14th, at 8:50am (yes - 13 hours and 45 minutes later) and Bobby is back with his - "Upon Further Review" post on his blog (not where his original story was posted). Now he is saying "the same thing cannot be said after watching Pronger deliver a "stomp" on Kesler that is much clearer on the second generation of video that became available." I watched both videos, in both videos I saw the same thing - the same thing we all saw! Then McKenzie goes on to say "This wasn't nearly as flagrant or obvious or malicious as Chris Simon's stomp on Jarko Ruutu..." - Wait ... so if he was not obvious or malicious it would be ok? This makes no sense - if you purposely step on a mans leg while wearing a razor sharp blade on your foot ... Its Malicious!
Lets take this another direction ... What If Ryan sustained an injury to his leg? What If Prongers skate cut into his skin? How many games would he be suspended then? It is sad to watch the NHL pass down their suspensions based on the outcome of the event rather than on the actual infraction. Forget motivation, forget "the rap-sheet" as Bob McKenzie likes to call Prongers history ... Chris Simon is out for 30 games because he made a "stomping" motion onto the leg of Jarkko Ruutu, the same exact "stomping" motion made by Chris Pronger! This inconsistency in discipline should not be tolerated. Greg Wyshynski did a piece on this issue ... "Revealing the Secrets of Suspensions" ... I personally like how the NHL keeps its Standards, Practices and Politics of Suspensions a SECRET! Check out Mike Heika's piece on that - "Fans Left In The Dark"
It appears that the NHL is going to re-review their review of the Pronger stomp ... Chris has waived his "in person" review and has accepted the "on the phone" review with the league. With Chris being the Super Player that he is ... I am guessing he will be handed a hot steaming bowl of "no more than a 5 game suspension!"
In case you have not seen it and would like to see "The Original" - Check out the 19 second mark ... and Bob McKenzie needed MORE evidence? You can also read Clint's take on the whole matter by scrolling down 4 posts to his "Pronger Stomp" post - there you'll find a nice collection of video's to compare.
Alexander Ovechkin is now only four goals away from being the first player to eclipse the 60 goal mark since Mario Lemieux scored 69 more than a decade ago. In fact, tonight's game between the Washington Capitals and the Atlanta Thrashers features two of the most dangerous, young goal scorers in the league with Ilya Kovalchuk on one side and Alexander The Great on the other. Kovalchuk is only two goals away from 50, which would be the second time he's hit that plateau in his 6 year career. Ovechkin, on the other hand, had 52 two years ago in his rookie campaign where he secured the Calder Trophy and narrowly missed the 50 goal mark last year with 46. However, However, it's important to point out that Kovalchuk has always been surrounded by other scorers and elite players such as Marian Hossa and Marc Savard while Ovechkin has had to learn to create his own offense. That was, of course, until this year where the talent level of the Caps has elevated them into a position where they are genuinely competing for a playoff spot. Kovalchuk has also never finished a season with anything but a negative plus/minus rating with his worst coming in 02-03 where he had a -24. Ovechkin, on the other hand, was the member of a dreadful team up until this year and was still a +2 in his rookie season. Of course, he had a dreadful -19 last year but the team's turnaround has elevated him to a career best +16 this year. Overall, there is no better pure goal scorer in the league and, in my opinion, no more dominant offensive player than Ovie.
The debate rages on regarding who the better player is between Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin just as it still does between Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. For the former debate, I actually think it depends on what you need for your team. I like that Ovechkin can play a physical style and can take over a game all by himself. The argument that he doesn't make his teammates better doesn't really hold water with me. The defense has to pay so much attention to him when he's on the ice that it creates space and Alexander is one of the most underrated passers in the league. Of course, no one can touch Crosby's vision and passing ability but Crosby has an underrated shot and would score a lot more goals if he were to change his mentality a bit. You can't go wrong with either, but I'd love to see what happens when Ovechkin ends up surrounded by the same level of talent with which Crosby has been blessed. Overall, I'd take Crosby simply because we know what he can do but I think Ovechkin may ultimately have more career points that Sid The kid.
Oh, and for that latter debate regarding Lemieux and The Great One. I'd take Lemieux and I truly believe that had Mario stayed healthy and played the same number of games as Gretz at the same level of health, the numbers would be considerably different.
Ottawa was flat out the better team last night at the Bell Centre. The Montreal Canadiens had a difficult time handling Ottawa's speed and ferocious forecheck, while the Sens were able to break out the Habs transition game in the neutral zone essentially hamstringing their ability to produce opportunities off the rush. Anytime Ottawa failed to accomplish that objective, Martin Gerber was there to back them up. It's a winning formula and it's the exact formula that resulted in Ottawa's astounding start to the season.
In fact, this game reminded me quite a bit of the Pittsburgh Penguins - Ottawa Senators first round match up last year. Ottawa was perfectly content with softly chipping the puck into the corners and either out-skating the Habs to the puck or simply out working them in the corners. They wore down Montreal's defense, forced turnovers in the offensive zone and ultimately controlled the pace of the game as a result.
Montreal was much better in the third as they were more decisive and quick to move the puck in their own zone but Gerber held his ground on 11 third period shots. This was one of those games where the shots on goal don't give an accurate picture of what transpired. Montreal was able to actually out-shoot the Senators 28-24, mainly due to an 11-5 shot differential in the third, but the game never seemed in doubt. Carey Price was solid and can't be faulted for any of the goals allowed and Montreal struggled to get quality scoring chances through most of the game. Many of the attempts on Gerber were unscreened and from the outside as Montreal had a difficult time establishing possession in Ottawa's end and setting up any kind of consistent offense. Ultimately the Sen's powerplay and Jason Spezza's two goal night were too much for Montreal to handle as the Habs fell to the Senators 3-0. Perhaps Ottawa is finding their stride at the right time as they've now moved into second in the East and are one point behind the conference leading New Jersey Devils.
After 3 years in the NHL, Calgary Flames Defenseman Dion Phaneuf sure has made a name for himself. Dion was named to the CHL First All-Star team for the 03-04 and 04-05 seasons, in 2004 he picked up the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy for Top Defenseman and was named to WHL East First All-Star Team. In February of 2005 The Hockey News publication named him the number two prospect in the world behind Russian Alexander Ovechkin. Dion went and represented Canada at the 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Helsinki, Finland. The following year he returned to the 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he helped the Canadians take the gold for the first time in eight years. Dion Phaneuf was again awarded a spot on the Tournament All-Star Team, and was named Top Defenseman of the tournament … THEN he was drafted into the NHL!!!
Dion made his NHL debut on Oct 5th 2005 … 5 days later he recorded his first goal, assist and point. Phaneuf was recognized as Rookie of the Month November 2005 by the NHL and was listed #3 behind Ovechkin and Crosby by Hockey Futures – who also said that Dion would someday win the James Norris Memorial Trophy (this award is given to the player who demonstrates throughout the season the greatest all-round ability in the position). He became only the third rookie defenseman (along with Brian Leetch and Barry Beck) to score 20 goals in a season. As well, he broke the Calgary Flames' team record for goals by a rookie defenseman, which was 18 by Gary Suter (1985/86). During the All-Star break of the 2006-07 season, an informal poll of 141 NHL players conducted by ESPN named Phaneuf the hardest hitter in the NHL. On January 24, 2007, Phaneuf played in the 2007 NHL All-Star Game and scored the longest empty-net goal in All-Star history (200 ft.) when he banked a shot off the boards from behind his own net and the puck rolled into the vacated Eastern net.
If your lucky enough to have him on your Fantasy Hockey team – there is no other defensive player that compares to his whole package. As a strong D who likes to play fast, hard and aggressive … Dion’s stats show in his PIM’s and SOG’s. Below you will see the Fantasy Stats for the Top 10 Defensemen in the NHL (according to Yahoo! Sports)
Dion has shown his worth these past 3 years … I am looking forward to seeing what he will bring to Calgary over the next 6 years … since he recently signed a year contract worth around $6.5 Million a year with the Flames. Below are the stats for the Top 10 players (according to NHL.com)
I personally think that Dion is an amazing player with talent that will carry him deep into his hockey career and turn him into an amazing leader in whichever club he is playing for. As for how he ranks with the other Defensive players in the NHL … in Goals he is tied for 4th, in Assists he is tied for 8th and in Points he is tied for 4th. For only being in The Show for 3 years … you cant be anything but impressed.
In last night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Chris Pronger, an all star defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks, intentionally stomped on Ryan Kesler's leg. Today, in typical NHL fashion, it was announced that he will not face disciplinary action. Of course, Chris Pronger is no stranger to suspensions after receiving two seperate suspensions, one game each, during last year's run to the Stanley Cup. He is, however, a stranger to real suspensions that send a message to the player and the league. Instead, he's always received PR-style reprimands that are only designed to appease an irate audience. This time, however, it's actually quite shocking that not only will he not receive a lengthy suspension, but he won't receive any kind of disciplinary action at all. Frankly, it's absolutely ridiculous and I wonder how this situation might be different had Kesler been injured. Just a few months back Chris Simon was suspended for 30 games when he stomped on Jarko Ruutu's leg in a game between the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the incidents appeared to be very similar, if not identical, in nature so how can the NHL excuse one and not the other? While I agree that Pronger's was not as violent, I can't help but feel like you have to punish the act regardless. I think 5-10 games would have sufficed. I've included links to the videos below for your review.
Chris Pronger - No Suspension
Chris Simon - 30 games
To take this analysis a little further I present exhibit B:
Chris Pronger - Suspended one game
Steve Downie - Suspended 20 games
While these hits are not as similar to one another as "the stomps" the drastic difference in the length of the suspension seems a bit absurd. It's also important to note that Dean McAmmond either has the worst luck ever or did something very bad in a previous existence.
The game of the night is, without question, the Northeast Division battle between the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens. The teams are separated by 2 points in with Montreal leading the division and 2nd in the conference. A win by Ottawa tonight would have them swap spots in the East with Montreal, putting the Canadiens in fifth and the Senators in 2nd. Historically, the Senators have gotten the better of the Canadiens in these games but with Montreal winning 6 of their last eight behind the stellar play of Carey Price and Ottawa still struggling to regain the consistency and intensity that lead to a phenomenal start to the season, perhaps the tables will finally turn. Thus far, Montreal has only won one out of the five games against Ottawa this season with the last being an embarrassing 6-1 shellacking in Ottawa.
The top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley has give the Habs troubles all season long, notching a total of 33 points in the five previous meetings. However, one part of the Sens triangle of power will be missing as Alfredsson will sit for his fifth straight game with back spasms. Martin Gerber will make his seventh consecutive starts, the highest this season as Ottawa has clearly placed their season squarely on the shoulders of the 33 year old goaltender relegating Ray Emery to the backup role. Gerber has been good in his last three games where he's won twice and hasn't allowed more than 2 goals in a game and has a 1.35 GAA with .959 save percentage.
This will the first of the teams' three remaining games in the season. It should be playoff intensity with a tremendous amount of pressure on a young goaltender looking solidify his role, an aging goaltender looking to prove his critics wrong, and two teams battling for the coveted division title.
Update: Daniel Alfredsson will play after all which gives Ottawa a huge boost and shows just how important this game is to both teams. We're in for a good one.
Nathan Paetsch, who got caught in a bad position and launched backwards into the boards by Sean Avery on Monday, took another nasty shot tonight at the hands, or elbows I should say, if Georges Laraque. Paetsch had what appeared to be typical outlet play where he moved the puck up to the wing and only seconds later found himself waking up on the ice surrounded by medical staff. Laraque skated up to Paetsch well after the puck was gone, elbow ready to fly and tried to throw a late shot but he seemed to catch Paetsch right on the chin. Paetsch immediately fell to the ice and did not move for quite some time. It was clear that was he was completely unconscious and it was a scary scene as they wheeled out the stretcher. Luckily, just as they were preparing the stretcher Paetsch was able to stand up with the support of the staff. Laraque was given a 5 minute penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct, and it deserves a suspension from Colin Campbell. If Steve Ott's suspension for the shot to the head of Jordan Leopold is any indication, 3 games would be about right.
Update: Georges Laraque has been suspended three games for his elbow on Nathan Paetsch. Paetsch is out indefinitely with what was clearly a concussion.
On another front, an example of how much Pittsburgh loves Colby Armstrong was just shown in the form of a commercial featuring the tough winger, which I'd seen during previous game. This time, however, the car dealership acknowledged his trade to Atlanta and wished him the best. He will clearly be missed.
In tonight's tilt between the Calgary Flames and the Washington Capitals there will be a camera that is focused on Ovechkin at all times, dubbed OvechKam. It is available in the NHL Center Ice Online package and I'm sure it's available at home as well. I'll write more later about my opinions of it, but so far I like it.
Update:
So after watching most of the game via Center Ice Online in a two window split with the regular view on one quadrant and the OvechKam/smaller regular view on the other, I must admit that it worked okay. The only thing I'd like to see if a more dynamic camera focused on Ovechkin. I understand that they wanted to give a close up view of him, something they accomplished, but it was so close at all times that it made it difficult to see what he was reacting to and get a bigger picture of how he moves and positions himself. I would have rather them zoom in and out with the flow of the game. I know that this is somewhat accomplished with the normal game view, but not entirely. There are times where he was off-screen and I wanted to see him, but with a slightly better view of the ice surrounding him. I think it's a formula that has the potential to be successful, but needs some slight tweaking. I'm also not sure if we need to star at him when he's on the bench. I think I might go to a full-screen view of the regular game during the times where he is on the bench. I am, however, absolutely stoked that he was able to score two goals on his big night. Congrats to Alex and I truly hope he reaches 60 goals.
Pittsburgh faces a desperate team tonight in Buffalo as the Sabres are trying to claw their way into a playoff spot in these last few weeks. Their chances are looking pretty good today as it appears that Sidney Crosby, Maxime Talbot and Marian Hossa will all watch the game from the press box. They may also be joined by Petr Sykora who is suffering from back spasms. That's a tremendous amount of firepower watching the game for the Penguins so unless Marc-Andre Fleury can work his magic again it appears that tonight might be a rough one. You never know with this team as they've shown tremendous heart all year long, battled through adversity and have had the right players step up at the right time. As usual, Evgeni Malkin and Fleury will ultimately decide the fact of the team. If they only have good nights, Pittsburgh will most likely be in trouble.
Marian Hossa is practicing and may attempt to play his first full game in a Penguins uniform this weekend when Pittsburgh faces the Philadelphia Flyers, their arch-rival, on Sunday.
Update: I was absolutely, flat out wrong. First off, Ty Conklin started and was good through two periods and terrible in the third. However, it didn't seem to matter as I completely over-estimated the Buffalo Sabres. They were nothing short of a mess against the Penguins. They never stopped playing, which I appreciate, and were able to score three goals in the third but it wasn't nearly enough as the Penguins stomped all over them on their way to a 7-3 victory. Maxim Afinogenov, however, played a remarkable game. He ended up with an assist, 3 shots on goal and a +1 rating which is impressive considering the score. It appears that Buffalo is on their way to missing the playoffs unless a drastic turnaround happens in the next few days.
With only 10-13 games left in the season for each team we are on the verge of my favorite time of the year. While the playoff picture has gotten slightly more clear over the last few weeks, there are still a number of teams that are forced to play playoff style hockey right now, if they want an opportunity to play it come April.
Goaltending wins Stanley Cups. It's just that simple. The old adage is "defense wins championships" but while it certainly helps in the playoffs, goaltending is the ultimate X-factor and last night there were multiple goaltending performances worth mentioning, including the aforementioned Carey Price and his 38 shot shutout. The one that stood out the most to me was Martin Biron and the Philadelphia Flyers.
After being one of the best teams in the East this season the Flyers are now desperately hanging on to the 8th spot after free falling through the standings about 3-4 weeks ago. The Flyers faced the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are truly in a must-win situation every night from here on out. After failing to perform the large scale fire sale, which was intended to include their captain Mats Sundin, Toronto has suddenly come alive. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games and 7 points out of the 8th spot. I'm sure a number of Leafs fans are wondering why the team couldn't do this earlier, why they had to wait until the very end to start playing well, and why a team in desperate need of rebuilding wouldn't just throw in the towel and purposefully put them in a great position for the Steve Stamkos sweepstakes. The Maple Leafs are certainly in an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but they are also on the downhill slope to ruining their draft pick and I wonder how Leafs fans feel about this right now. Would you rather your team throw in the towel and look towards the future? Even if they make the playoffs, do you think they can do well? In some ways, it'll more heartbreaking if the Leafs just barely miss the playoffs as it'll take them out of the running for a prospect in next year's remarkably deep draft and Toronto went a long ways towards doing that last night.
Toronto flat outplayed the Flyers last night outshooting them 30 - 12 through the first two periods. However, goaltending was the ultimate equalizer as Martin Biron had a shutout going into the third while Vesa Toskala had allowed 2 goals on 12 shots. Unlike Montreal, who repaid their goaltender's efforts with a great third period, the Flyers fell apart. Daniel Briere scored first to make the game 3-0 but Mats Sundin scored 3 and a half minutes later to make it 3-1 and then the game seemed to change. With a little less than 7 minutes left in the game Pavel Kubina scored followed by Jeremy Williams 3 minutes later to tie the game. Toronto ended up with 21 shots on goal in the third and forced overtime, where with less than a minute left Pavel Kubina would score again. Martin Biron ultimately made 51 saves to Toskala's 22, but it wasn't enough to get the Flyers anything more than a single point. The two teams face each other again tonight and I can't imagine Biron being on goal. Not because he played poorly, obviously he was pretty amazing, but because after facing 55 shots he probably needs a few days off.
Corey Crawford, another young goaltender, also had a great performance in net last night keeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the game against the Detroit Detroit Red Wings by making 44 saves on 46 shots. It wasn't enough as the Red Wings buried an open net goal to win 3-1. However, it appears that Chicago may have a new starting goaltender next year as this kid is showing that he's ready. What does that mean for Nikolai Khabibulin and his bloated salary?
One other note, Darren Pang mentioned that Kyle Turris may be coming to the Phoenix Coyotes once his season at Wisconsin concludes. Kyle Turris was drafted third overall by the Coyotes and Gretzky was incredibly high on the young man going into the draft and many thought he would be picked 1st over Patrick Kane. Luckily for Phoenix, that didn't happen and they were able to secure the player they wanted most. Turris is only 18 years old, stands 6'1 and hasn't quite filled out yet at only 170lbs. Regardless, he has world class skill and led the Canadian World Junior team to the goal medal with four goals and eight assists. The college season ends in mid-March, so Phoenix could receive a big boost to their playoff hopes if the kid decides to turn pro. After beating Anaheim last night, Phoenix is clearly a talented team on the verge of great things.
Montreal Canadiens fans, myself included, and most hockey analysts around the world roared their disapproval when Bob Gainey traded Cristobal Huet at the deadline. It placed the season and the playoffs squarely on the shoulders of the highly touted, but inexperienced, phenom Carey Price. Thus far, it's Bob Gainey 1 and the rest of us 0 as Price continues to play an absolutely stunning game in net.
Tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils is huge for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that the Devils are competing with the Habs for the top seed, and Montreal should be losing. Overall, New Jersey has carried the play and out shot the Habs 33 to 18, but Montreal is up 3-0. The only reason the Canadiens are not only in a position to win this game but dominating on the scoreboard is the phenomenal play of the youngster in goal. I'll write more about Carey Price tomorrow, but if you get Versus it's worth tuning in to see the last period of the game. You're most likely watching the next great goaltender, possibly the next Patrick Roy, and it's something to remember. If you live in Montreal, I assume you're already watching and dreaming of what this kid might do if he can carry this confidence and momentum into the playoffs.
Update:
Montreal repaid their young goaltender's two periods of incredible play with a stellar third where they only allowed 5 shots on goal and registered 15 themselves. The much maligned Michael Ryder scored with less than 3 minutes left to close out the Devils 4-0. A huge win for Montreal as they move into the top seed of the East.
According to the New York Daily News, the NHL is in discussions to have the 2009 Winter Classic in New York at Yankee stadium. Yankee stadium will be demolished at the conclusion of the current baseball season so if it happens, the last event to take place at the famous ballpark will be a hockey game. New York seems like a logical choice for such an event. It has not one but two hockey teams and a relatively rabid fan base to support each. Yankee stadium first opened in 1923 with a capacity of 58,000. Multiple renovations over its 8 decade life span allowed capacity to climb up over 71,000 before ultimately resettling at the 57,545 mark. This is considerably smaller than Ralph Wilson Stadium, where the previous Winter Classic was held, but it still provides for a remarkable audience and another potentially important day for the growth of the sport.
The NHL claims that it's not a done deal and that other locations are being considered, but I'm starting to get the feeling that New York is the clear target. I was hoping for Chicago, simply because I live near the Windy City, but while the fan base is quickly returning to the Blackhawks they still have a little ways to go before truly emerging from what can only be described as the dark ages of Chicago hockey. A Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks game would have been classic seeing as how that rivalry is starting to build and the geographic relationship between the two teams guarantees a mixed and intensely loud audience. Regardless of my own personal, selfish desires it's looking more and more unlikely that I'll be taking the train to see the game.
The next big question, once the location is nailed down, is who will get to participate in the spectacle. Obviously the New York Rangers would be one team, but would we get a New York Islanders at New York Rangers match up? It's a classic rivalry, but it might not bring in too many fans outside of New York. I'd be surprised to see the Buffalo Sabres participate again since it makes sense to spread the game throughout the league, increasing the chances of snagging new viewers. I think we're more likely to see the Philadelphia Flyers out in the cold, battling the blueshirts. Both teams have the stars and fan base to carry the event and the natural snarl of a game between these division rivals makes for great entertainment. Would the NHL want to see Sean Avery or Colton Orr and Riley Cote go a few rounds on the closest hockey gets to prime-time television? I think they may quietly cringe, but a crowd of 50,000 plus would most certainly prove them wrong with approving roars should the gloves come off. More people love that side of hockey than stay away because of it, that's just a fact, and a hard hitting, fast-paced, gritty game on a mainstream cable channel might just be exactly what the NHL needs right now. That and, of course, the dissolution of the Versus deal.
Maxim Afinogenov was drafted in 1997 by the Buffalo Sabres in the third round, 69th overall. He spent his first couple of years in his native land of Russia before making the jump to the AHL in the 1999-2000 season playing for Rochester. He would only spend 15 games in the AHL before making it to the big show where he would play 65 games in the only NHL sweater he'd wear for the next decade. He put up 34 points, including 16 goals, in those 65 games and averaged a little over two shots on goal per game. Afinogenov is the definitive hockey athlete in many ways. At 6'0, 191 lbs he has a solid reach, decent frame and world class, defense crushing speed. He's as fast and as nimble as nearly any player in the NHL, can dangle the puck at will and, since he's a right winger, he has the ability to stretch defenses and create space for other players.
Maxim would hover around the 35-40 point range for the next handful of seasons. Nearly everyone could see the potential, but for some reason he struggled to truly capture it. That is until the 2005-2006 season where the speedy winger would finally put all of his skills together and produced 73 points in 77 games. He had 51 assists that year and averaged over 3 shots on goal per game. Buffalo suddenly felt like they had a potential star on their hands. The next season was on-pace to be even better but Afinogenov was slowed by injuries, especially a broken wrist that cost him 21 games. He would finish the season with 61 points in only 56 games but the playoffs were an entirely different season and he would quickly learn that speed and puck handling aren't everything.
The Buffalo Sabres had the best record in the NHL and were an obvious favorite to hoist the cup. They went into the playoffs with the highest of hopes, but ultimately found that post-season hockey is very different than regular season hockey. They opened the post season facing the New York Islanders and quickly ended the series in 5 games. Maxim had a goal and 3 assists in a series that the Sabres handled easily. Buffalo was on their way.
Buffalo would visit the other New York team in the second round and take both games at home before heading to Madison Square Garden up 2-0. Afinogenov failed to register a point in either game and was limited to only 12:00 minutes of ice time in game 2. It seemed that Lindsey Ruff, coach of the Buffalo Sabres, was seriously concerned with Afinogenov's tendency to turn the puck over, especially in Buffalo's end, and was slowly ratcheting down his time on the ice as a result. Hockey is a game of mistakes, a game where defensive systems are designed to incite chaos and create turnovers, so his play was becoming unacceptable considering the stakes.
New York was not kind to Buffalo as they dropped the first playoff game on the road in double overtime. Maxim's minutes went up, but it had no impact on his production as he failed to register a point. In the playoffs, "your best players have to be your best players" which seems obvious but just ask the San Jose Sharks how they feel about Patrick Marleau in the post-season. In the always pivotal third game of the series up 2 games to 1, Maxim Afinogenov was nowhere to be found. It appeared that Ruff had seen enough and had chosen to bench one of his best offensive players. It didn't seem to help as Buffalo went on to lose a close game 2 to 1 and the series headed back to Buffalo even at 2. Afinogenov would have to scratch his way back into the lineup if he wanted to help his team, a team that was desperately in need of offense.
Game 5 was one of the most exciting hockey games I've ever seen. Henrik Lundqvist was absolutely amazing in a game in which he faced 40 shots from a Sabres team that was hell bent on securing a one game advantage. Ryan Miller, on the other hand, faced only 23 but with 10 seconds left in the game the Rangers were up 1 with a face-off in their zone. Chris Drury and Daniel Briere, both lost to free agency only a few months later, were on the ice with Tim Connolly and all three would play a role in one of the biggest goals in Buffalo fans' recent memories. Chris Drury, known to score big goals throughout his career, did some great work in the corner to free up the puck before pulling himself off the ice and swinging around behind the net. The puck made its way to Drury, as it often does in critical times, and Chris secured it just below the faceoff circle and ripped a wrist shot by Lundqvist to tie the game with only 8 seconds left.
Maxim Afinogenov was allowed to play that game, only 13:33 including overtime mind you, but he would ultimately do something that would secure his place on the roster for the remainder of the playoffs. Less than 5 minutes into overtime, Maxim Afinogenov received a pass at the point and rocked a slapshot passed Lundqvist to give Buffalo the win and a 3-2 advantage in the series. Afinogenov immediately turned, took 3 or 4 strides towards center ice and laid out on his belly like a baserunner sliding into third. It was a classic image as the team toppled on top of him. It was clear that his teammates felt for him and were excited to be a part of his redemption. The Sabres took the next game and the series, and were ready to meet the Ottawa Senators in the conference finals. It seemed that Maxim might be back.
Maxim scored in the first game against the Senators, but Buffalo ultimately lost a tilt that was dominated by the Sens. In the second game, Afinogenov was given over 25 minutes of ice time, but the Sabres lost a heartbreaker in double overtime to start the series down 2-0. The Sabres would only manage to win 1 of the next 3 games as they simply could not keep up with the physical play of the Senators. Buffalo looked small against the Senators and they appeared to be shocked by the amount of hitting that saturated the series. It was the same bruising strategy that won Ottawa the first round against Sidney Crosby, broken ankle and all, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Interestingly enough, it was also the same strategy that would be used against them in the Stanley Cup finals after Buffalo fell to the Senators in overtime of game 5. The Senators moved on to face the Anaheim Ducks in the Stanley Cup Finals and Buffalo's season was over. Ultimately, Afinogenov finished the playoffs with 5 goals and 4 assists in 15 games. A decent amount of production, but big players put up points at big times and, other than the overtime goal, Maxim was never able to really get into a groove. However, a loss in the conference finals was only the beginning of the Buffalo Sabres' woes.
Only months later the team's leading scorer, Daniel Briere, and leader Chris Drury were lost to free agency. Briere wanted to remain a Sabre but Buffalo refused to negotiate his contract during the regular season. Briere would have stayed for $5 million in January, at least that's what's been reported, but after posting another remarkable season with 95 points in 81 games he was worth a lot more in July and it was apparently more than the Sabres were willing to pay. Chris Drury ultimately moved on to broadway while Briere landed in Philadelphia. The Sabres failed to make any significant additions in the off-season and entered the 07-08 season deseperately depending on a spark from their host of young players, including Thomas Vanek, who led the team in goals in the previous year with 43. The sudden loss of two all star centermen left players like Afinogenov in a tight spot. Derek Roy and Tim Connolly are great pivots, but they can't replace the two men that left and guys like Vanek, and Afinogenov to a lesser extent, feed off the creativity and skill of others. They can create on their own, but they are deadly when paired with a setup man. The Sabres would need Afinogenov to have another big season and help provide some of the offense that was lost with the two all stars.
Maxim registered an assist on the opening night of the 07-08 season, but would ultimately only put up 2 goals and 2 assists in the first 10 games of the season. It was a slow start and it wouldn't get any easier as he would only score one goal in the next 10 games. After 20, Afinogenov had 3 goals and 5 assists and the Sabres were below .500 for the first time in recent memory.
Afinogenov continued to bounce around between lines and struggled to earn ice time as his coach still questioned his ability to protect the puck, make good decisions and play defense. In January, he received terrible news as what was originally expected to be a groin pull was actually a tear and he would be out indefinitely. An injury like that keeps any player on the shelf for an extended period of time, but for a player who's game is based heavily on speed, it's nothing short of a disaster. While Buffalo struggled to keep their head above water, including a streak in January where the team lost 10 in a row and 13 out of 14 games, Maxim waited, for that's all one can do with such an injury, for the tear to heal. The Sabres went from being in a solid playoff position to being on the outside looking in and, afraid to lose another player for nothing in return, Buffalo was forced to trade their captain Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks for Steve Bernier. While the Sabres struggles actually didn't have too much to do with Maxim's lack of production, it certainly didn't help and after Campbell left town many assumed that this was the end of the season for them.
Ultimately, the injury cost him 26 games and, unfortunately for Buffalo, his return hasn't really sparked much of a comeback in the Sabres. As a player, however, he seems more determined than ever. In his second game back, he scored 2 goals and added an assist in a game in which Buffalo beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2. Since his return, he's averaging a point per game. Fast forward to tonight's game (3/10) against the Rangers and you can see flashes of changed player. Late in overtime, Maxim was caught deep in the Rangers zone as New York was able to move the puck up quickly, trapping the speedy forward. The Rangers came in 3 on 2, dropped the puck back to the trailing man who quickly tried to slide the puck to the left wing for a quick, and wide open, one timer when Maxim appeared out of nowhere to block the pass and throw the puck to the boards near his defenseman. He saw that his man was going to collect the puck so he instantly changed directions, turned on those world class wheels and scorched through the middle of the ice and received a perfect pass in stride. He went in 1-on-1 against Henrik Lundqvist, but was stopped on a nifty little backhand shot. While he wasn't able to win the game for them, he may have saved it. It's the kind of play they expect to see from a guy with his natural skating ability. It's the kind of play for which I wish he was known, the kind of play only a guy with his level of natural skill can make. Maybe his return will help the Sabres scratch out a playoff spot. Maybe he'll show his coach that he's not a defensive liability, which will in turn allow him more ice time in which to produce offensively. Or maybe he'll disappear from the Buffalo roster in the off season and land on a team like Detroit, play with a guy like Pavel Datsyuk and compete for the scoring title. He has the ability, he just needs to show the will.
I wrote this because he's one of my favorite players to watch and he's also a somewhat unknown player among casual fans, if there is such a thing in hockey. For me, he embodies what makes the game exciting. He is exactly the kind of player that anyone could watch and understand why there are people who love this sport above all else and why it's a part of the fabric that makes up the Canadian culture. I understand Lindsey Ruff's concerns over the defensive play and he needs to learn to be more consistent in his own zone, but he's the kind of player that can change a game. At 29, he's not a young kid anymore and he might have 5-6 years left so I hope he figures it out because I'd love to see him have success again and I'd love to see the Sabres in the playoffs.
Pierre-Marc had to show Brian Campbell that the fancy spin shots are anyones game. Here is the Minnesota Wild Center pulling off a sloppy yet effective 360 spin goal on Nabby. Enjoy it Mr Bouchard ... or should I say Monsieur Bouchard?
Just over 5 minutes has been played in tonight's tilt between Dallas and Colorado, but Dallas has already made it known that they intend to make up for blowing their one goal lead in the third period to the Aves just over 24 hours ago. Stu Barnes scored first at the 3:56 mark and he was followed by Stephane Robidas about a minute and a half later. The Aves have failed to register a shot on Marty Turco yet, while the Stars have 9 on Theodore. Dallas seems to be showing some anger over how they've played lately and it appears that they intend to take it out on the Avalanche tonight. Speaking of out, Peter Forsberg is not in the lineup tonight. He's played big minutes in each game thus far and perhaps he was given the night off after playing yesterday. Regardless, Colorado has a hill to climb and is down one man that could really help them do it.
Update (7:46 central): The Colorado Avalanche ended the first period having more fights than shots on goal as they only registered a single shot on Marty Turco while the Stars finished with two goals on 12 shots.
After it was all said and done, things wouldn't get much better for the Avalanche. Brad Richards, the newest Dallas Star, scored 7 minutes into the 2nd from Brenden Morrow and Mike Modano and that would end the scoring for both teams. Peter Budaj came out to start the third and only faced 5 shots in the period but it was too late. The shots ended up being relatively even, 26 for Dallas and 19 for Colorado, but the Avalanche were unable to beat Turco and fell 3-0. It turns out that Peter Forsberg sat out with a strained groin. Hopefully it won't keep him out of the lineup too long.
Montreal Canadiens at Anaheim Ducks
Meanwhile in Anaheim, the Ducks scored a fluke goal only 21 seconds into the 1st period but a reawakened Alexei Kovalev struck back 8 minutes later to score his 30th goal of what has clearly been a turnaround season for the veteran winger. Kovalev now has 73 points on the season, the most he's had in a Habs uniform, and is on-pace to have his best season since 2000-2001.
Anaheim ultimately dominated this game and had it not been for Carey Price this game would have been out of hand. Price made 34 saves on 37 shots while the Canadiens registered 21 shots on Jean Sebastian Giguere but were only able to beat him once. Chris Kunitz and Samuel Pahlsson scored only 33 seconds apart to put Anaheim up 3-1 and that's where the game would stay. Giggy went long stretches without seeing a shot but he managed to stay sharp and the Ducks ended a 2 game losing streak.
I figured I'd post my predictions after watching a few games this weekend. Note that this is not the result for which I hope but rather what I expect.
East
1. New Jersey Devils 2. Montreal Canadiens 3. Carolina Hurricanes 4. Pittsburgh Penguins 5. New York Rangers 6. Ottawa Senators 7. Boston Bruins 8. Philadelphia Flyers
I considered putting Pittsburgh at the top, but I don't think they can expect Fleury or Conklin to withstand 22 shots a period for the rest of the season without losing some games they should win. Montreal will be battling for that top spot and the rookie Carey Price is the key to where they'll fall. The Caps seem to be self-destructing after making a great second half run under a new coach. Cristobal Huet, acquired at the trade deadline, is a better goaltender than Olaf Kolzig and he's put them in position to win a number of games but the Caps have failed to take advantage. With Carolina going 7-2-1 in their last 10, it's hard to imagine Alexander Ovechkin making his playoff debut this year. Ottawa continues to tumble and I expect them to continue to do so. While they suffer from a variety of injuries right now, including Heatley and Alfredsson who are playing a two-man game of musical chairs, their problems seem to run deeper. They've at least selected a goalie and Martin Gerber has played well but his team hasn't done much to help him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the New York Rangers. After dipping deep into the free agent pool and signing both Chris Drury and Scot Gomez, the Rangers were surprisingly inconsistent throughout most of the season. Jaromir Jagr is having one his worst seasons in awhile but the team has found some passion as of late and Henrik Ludnqvist, fresh off of a 29 shot shutout, has his team currently in 6th and 8-0-3 in their last 11.
West
1. Detroit Red Wings 2. San Jose Sharks 3. Colorado Avalanche 4. Anaheim Ducks 5. Dallas Stars 6. Calgary Flames 7. Vancouver Canucks 8. Minnesota Wild
The Red Wings are starting to get healthy and it's showing as they've now won 3 in a row. Nicklas Lidstrom returned today and earned 2 assists in Detroit 4-3 win over Nashville. However, Detroit was up 4-0 and allowed Nashville to score 3 in the third on 13 shots. While a win is a win, Babcock, Detroit's coach, can't be happy. They've brought back heart and soul winger Darren McCarty and perhaps he'll re-introduce them to their heart. The Sharks, in my opinion, are probably the most dangerous team in the West. Acquiring a guy like Brian Campbell was absolutely monstrous for them. They needed a guy to run the powerplay, Campbell has 25 points with the advantage, and a guy who could move the puck quickly to the forwards and aid the transition game. They also have a workhorse in net and have only lost 2 out of their last 8. If they can continue to get second line scoring, especially from Patrick Marleau and Jonathan Cheechoo who've both recently their game again, they could finally secure that first round playoff victory they've been pursuing. The Avalanche are the hottest team in the West right now behind Jose Theodore who has been on fire as of late. Peter Forsberg got on the board yesterday with 2 assists and the Aves have shown the ability to beat the best teams in the league. The Ducks are still my pick to win the cup, but they'll only do it if Getzlaf can get it going offensively and they can learn to play their trademarked physical style without taking so many penalties. They're the most penalized team in the league and it continues to cost them games. Losing Corey Perry, who'd been struggling for awhile, still hurts but it should open a spot on the top line for Teemu Selanne which could reinvigorate an offense that's been anything but stellar lately. Dallas is starting to show cracks in the foundation and Brendan Morrow, their captain, challenged them in the media over the weekend after losing to Colorado. Tonight's game against the Avalanche will tell us quite a bit about the heart of the Stars and the fate of the West. The Flames, Canucks and Wild are all stuck in a battle for the Northwest division with the Avalanche. The Wild are a bit inconsistent and still need to find some offense but the Flames have been great lately and, as always, as goes Luongo so go the Canucks. All three are great defensively and have good goaltending so I would expect all of them to make the playoffs above the teams battling for that last spot.
If this turned out to be the final regular season standings the first round matchups would be:
East
Flyers at Devils Bruins at Canadiens Senators at Hurricanes Rangers at Penguins
West
Wild at Red Wings Canucks at Sharks Flames at Avalanche Stars at Ducks
I'm not sure any of this could be classified as "easy" matchups and there are a number of dark horse candidates scattered throughout the league. The biggest question is which of these teams is built for the high intensity, high impact nature of the playoffs. My answer is, and will be through the rest of the season barring a major injury, the Ducks.
After being pulled in the first intermission of his previous start against Florida, where he allowed 3 goals on 19 first period shots, Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury was right back between the pipes against the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin. The game was everything one would expect from a tilt that featured many of the greatest young stars this game has to offer, including Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin.
Ovechkin came out flying and took a huge run at Evgeni Malkin but ultimately got the worst of the hit as Malkin ducked at the last second, sending Alexander flying over top and into the boards bringing both players down to the ice. It was a slightly manic 1st period that frantically alternated between an incredibly physical and chippy game and a fast, counter-attack filled contest. In typical Pittsburgh style, they were grossly outshot in the 1st period 11 to 4 but Fleury held his ground and kept the game even at 0.
The second period didn't bring any rest for Fleury as yet again the Penguins were outshot this time by a whopping 22-9. Washington would be the first team to get on the board when Brooks Laich deflected Alexander Semin's shot on the powerplay. Ovechkin would get an assist giving him 92 points on the season. One minute and 19 seconds later, Evgeni Malkin, not to be outdone by his Russian competitor, blasted down the wing and made a beautiful cross ice pass to Petr Sykora who buried his 22nd of the season. Despite the overwhelming amount of shots and scoring chances, it would take 10 minutes before another goal was scored and it would be Sidney Crosby from Malkin and Sergei Gonchar just as a powerplay expired. Crosby was able to collect a rebound at the side of the net, perform a quick toe drag to open up the five-hole and throw the puck between Cristobal Huet's legs to put the Pens up 2-1. One minute and 38 seconds later Alexander Semin would get on the board with a play that looked somewhat similar to Crosby's where he grabbed the puck at the side of the net, dusted it off and slid it through the shortside as Fleury, expecting a pass to the slot, leaned off the post. Ovechkin collected his second assist of the night and the Russian trifecta of Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin would send the game into the third period tied at 2.
Pittsburgh finally came alive in the third period and would ultimately out shoot the Capitals 13 to 5 but with less than a minute left, the game was still tied. Washington appeared to turtle a bit as they were hoping to hold off the Penguins and get into overtime, securing an enormously important point especially after blowing a huge game only 24 hours earlier. Huet was great in net and seemed to have things under control before a puck was thrown to the front with 28 seconds left. The puck slid across the crease and Huet pushed it to the side where rookie-of-the-year candidate Nicklas Backstrom was standing. There was heavy traffic in the slot but Backstrom had time to quickly slid the puck behind the net, which is what he attempted to do. Instead, he fired it past Huet on the gloveside and into his own goal. Ovechkin immediately fell to his knees and put his forehead on the ice as the Caps seemed destined to lose yet another tilt in an incredibly painful fashion. The Caps would pull Huet shortly thereafter but Malkin would quickly put the game out of reach. A Washington defenseman was coming up the wing and Malkni blocked a pass attempt by sliding on his hip along the ice before immediately jumping up to his feet to form a 2-on-1 with Jordan Staal. Malkin unselfishly snapped the puck over to Staal who would score his 10th goal of the season in the empty net and send the Penguins to a 4-2 victory.
When it was all said and done, the Penguins had allowed 38 shots on goal, 10 of which from Ovechkin, while generating 25 themselves but Fleury was the difference yet again. Ryan Whitney had another typical disaster of a game as he seemed to singlehandedly provide the Caps with at least a quarter of their scoring chances. Of course, this is an exaggeration but there were at least 6 or 7 turnovers in Pittsburgh's zone who's fault falls directly on him. Somehow he ended up a +1 in the game, but that's mostly because Fleury bailed him out multiple times. He continues to be the player most likely to cost the Pittsburgh Penguins a game and, I'm willing to bet, a playoff series.
The Caps suffered their second disaster in as many days. They had their game in hand on Saturday against the Bruins but chose to continue to run four lines with 5 minutes left in a 1-0 game. The Caps were absolutely controlling the play until Donald Brashear made a crucial and typically idiotic mistake. He accidentally high sticked a Bruin and drew blood, which happens to everyone but the mistake came afterwards when a player skated up to him to say something and Brashear threw a big left hand haymaker knocking the opponent down. Ultimately, the Bruins came out of the situation with a 6 minute powerplay and a 2 minute two-man advantage. Just under 2 minutes later, Zdeno Chara would send a rocket of a slapshot past Huet to tie the game. Of course, the problem was that John Erskine took a hooking penalty just before that extending the two-man advantage. When Chara scored, Brashear's first penalty came off the board but the Caps were still two-men down. With nearly 3 minutes left, and still one man down, Tom Poti took another penalty for slashing which would lead to Marco Sturm putting Boston up 2-1 only 40 seconds later. The Capitals went from controlling the play, to down 1 goal in 2 minutes and 45 seconds. The Caps, in shock, were unable to generate any opportunities in the last minute of the game and would lose a game that was in-hand only minutes before. Donald Brasher only played 8 minutes and 9 seconds but ultimately managed to cost his team the game which begs the question, why is Donald allowed to play especially at the end of a game when you're only up by 1? That win should have moved the Caps into a tie with Buffalo for 9th, but instead leaves them 7 points back of the streaking Carolina Hurricanes with a playoff berth seriously in question.
