Bleacher Report - Hockey

Red Wings Blanked For 2nd Straight Game, Kiprusoff Stops 40 Shots

Isaac Smith — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:16:53 -0500

Detroit fans shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

This season alone, the Tigers blew a seven game division lead in the AL Central race and then lost in the play-in game. Then the Wolverines and their second straight season not going to a bowl game.

But back-to-back shutout losses for the Detroit Red Wings? What is going on? What is this world coming to these days?

Yes, the very same Detroit Red Wings who led the league last year with 3.52 goals per game now have a goal-scoring problem. This year, they sit 17th in the league with 2.75 goals a game. Even in 2007-08 with 3.07 goals against, they were still only allowing 2.18 goals per game.

Alright I will admit it, those two waved off goals should have been goals. But regardless, the Wings need goals, not just shots. 40 shots is not going to do the job when none light the lamp.

Now, suddenly out of the blue, the Red Wings are looking for players to step up and score. Scoring problems have been rare among the Red Wing teams in years past, but for some reason the last three games have been a stretch. After a 3-1 loss to Nashville last week, the Red Wings were shut out by Atlanta and Calgary at home.

What is most puzzling is that Detroit has been phenomenally good at home over the past decade. Posting a 27-9-5 record at home last year, 29-9-3 in 2007-08 and 29-4-8 in 2006-07, the Red Wings have been almost unbeatable at the Joe over the past few years.

Now with back-to-back home shutout losses, this team is in trouble.

Sitting at fourth in the Central Division with a 7-4-2 record at home, the Wings are in desperate need of a winning streak.

But hold on—forget the win streak. Forget the wins. How about some goals that count!

Put the puck in the other team's net where it belongs.

The Wings have not been shut out twice in a row at home since 1977. That streak is gone. They had not been shut out in consecutive games since 2001. That streak is gone as well.

Break the streak of 153 minutes and 22 seconds without a goal.

Win a game or two; but start by turning on the red light. No excuses whether it be injuries or referees. Just score.

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Stat Trick: Isles 3, Penguins 2. Tavares Notches First Career Game-Winner

Eric Hornick — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:03:33 -0500

Sean Bergeheim and John Tavares scored third period goals as the Isles rallied to defeat the Penguins 3-2. On to the trick:

1. Josh Bailey and Evgeny Malkin traded first period goals. Bailey's goal gave the Islanders four players with at least seven goals before Malkin became just the second Penguin to reach the 10 goal mark. Mark Streit and Freddy Meyer assisted on the Bailey goal. Streit has an assist in three straight games while Meyer tied a career high with two assists in the game.

2. Matt Cooke scored on a rebound 7:12 into the second period to give the Penguins the lead, but the game changed later in the session when the Penguins failed to capitalize on 5:05 of consecutive power play, including a 55 second 5-on-3. The Pens went 0-5 on the power-play, and are 4-55 in their last 14 games; they're also 0-8 against the Islanders this season. The Isles have killed 23-of-25 over the last six games.

3. Sean Bergenheim evened the score just 84 seconds into the third period, setting the stage for John Tavares. Taveres, who had recorded the first goal, assist and point of his career against the Penguins on Oct. 3, scored the winner with 6:12 to play. He leads all rookies with 10 goals and 21 points. The Isles outscored the Pens 2-0 after having been outscored 28-15 in the third period so far this season.

...a few more...

4. Dwayne Roloson improved to 8-2-5, facing only 21 shots one game after facing 61. The Isles bombarded Brent Johnson with 37 shots, including 18 in the third period.

5. Trent Hunter extended his point streak to nine games. He has a single point in each game. Kyle Okposo broke a five-game drought with an assist on the winning goal.

6. Talk about a reversal of fortune—the Pens were 11-1 when leading after two periods, while the Isles were 0-7-3 when trailing after two. It was only the second time all season that the Penguins dropped a one-goal game.

7. Nate Thompson had another strong game, even though four of his five shots missed the net. He also was involved in an altercation with Jordan Staal that landed the Penguin 17 penalty minutes early in the third period. Seven of the last nine Isles games have been decided by one goal.

8. The Islanders ended the month 3-1-0 at home. They are 6-1-1 in their last eight at home, and 6-3-2 for the season on home ice. Only twice in the last 21 seasons have the Isles recorded more points in their first 11 home games than the 14 that they have this season. They had 17 in 2001-02, and 16 two seasons ago.

9. The Isles contained Sidney Crosby as he has only one shot on goal and was minus-two. Crosby did do well on draws, winning 14-of-23.

10. The Isles lead the season series three points to two after earning a loser point on Opening Night; the series is tied at a game each. It was the Isles first regulation win over he Penguins since March 24, 2008. The next three meetings will be in Pittsburgh before the teams close the regular season against each other on April 11.

Up next: The Isles play the back end of the back-to-backs on Saturday afternoon in New Jersey. The Devils lead the series 1-0 and have beaten the Isles four stragiht times in Newark, with the Isles scoring a total of six goals.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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These Toronto Maple Leafs Need Your Patience

dave hall — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:43:26 -0500

In the 1980’s the Toronto Maple Leafs apparently hired a new coach whose name was Win Sumsoon. Many figured, as they were unsure of the spelling, that perhaps the Leafs had hired an unknown.

Those adept at puzzles, however, got the joke and spread the news. In 2009 the Leafs are the punch line of jokes again, but this time around “Win some soon” is the sentiment, not the coach.

Despite sporting the NHL’s worst point total, a sense of optimism should still be felt as the team slowly becomes better competition, and is able to keep games closer. Already out of the playoffs for longer than the team would want to admit, continued patience this season is called for once again.

With the much anticipated and heralded signing of GM Brian Burke, many assumed the team would change immediately and begin a new culture of winning. This culture of winning takes time and requires the management to make pragmatic decisions and build where and when the opportunity arises.

Phil Kessel comes to Toronto with a high price attached to his arrival, surrendering two first round picks and a second round pick. Kessel’s contribution must prove to outweigh that of the potential picks, and put the team in a position to sign the right people to compliment his skill set.

Burke inherited a team heavy on passengers. He has added pieces to the puzzle though, and as the passengers move on, that strategy will prove to pay dividends.

The defensive signings of Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin will give the solid foundation a young defender like Luke Schenn needs to learn how to play his game to the fullest. This top three gives the Leafs the chance, once the forward ranks have been resolved, to keep the opposition’s best from shining.

With Toronto’s forward lines, large changes are needed to allow those players with upside to flourish. Kessel will undoubtedly show his worth given the opportunity to play with line mates who possess significant and specific skills. At present, players with skill are playing stiff and making mistakes because they play like a team trying to not make mistakes, which gives players less flexibility to be creative and interesting.

This incarnation of the Leafs is young; under previous regimes the Leafs have often resembled an all-star team—albeit one from ten years prior. Management is no longer looking to sign or trade for sure fire Hall of Famers on the downside of their careers like Gilmour, Housley, and Ron Francis.

They are finally looking to promote from within and build their own players through the college ranks and minors.

Following the completion of this season, the Leafs look forward to shedding roughly 30 million in salary cap space. This will allow for the signings of forwards who can play the team game that coach Ron Wilson and Burke are attempting to create.

The trade for and signing of Kessel led many to point out that he is hardly a player that makes those around him better. However, the fact that Kessel is there and putting up good numbers may lead others to see Toronto is making the necessary moves to compete.

The free agent crop among the forwards next year is very impressive, and Toronto could choose to look at Kovalchuk, Marleau, Savard, and veterans like Hejduk, Selanne, and Holmstrom. It would be irresponsible to look to any of these players as solutions, but in conjunction with the defensive signings last year and the mysterious emergence of rookie defenseman Carl Gunnarsson, the defensive core is in place. All that is required is getting the right fit on the forward lines.

At present the top Leaf combos are populated by third-liners and fourth line bumpers and grinders aside from Kessel and Hagman. John Mitchell, Jamal Mayers, and Colton Orr make it tough for the opposition to overwhelm this current Leafs team with physicality, which is the identity that Burke has wanted to create, though the team is still overwhelmed by the teams that have more talent offensively.

This particular experiment by the Leafs is taking time to bear results that please all fans, but the future can be seen as bright if the current philosophy of adding quality players is continued.

Without sounding cold, Leaf fans have been waiting since 1967 for the Stanley Cup. Many have tried, and all have failed.

What harm does it cause to wait for this management team to succeed?

Any good thing is worth waiting for, and with some positive moves made already, the road is taking the Leafs in the right direction.

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Brian Burke, Carl Gunnarsson Help the Toronto Maple Leafs Shine Down South

Eric Warren — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:55:59 -0500

What a beautiful day. The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the Toronto Maple Leafs are first in the east, my beautiful wife is modeling for Playboy again, and I have a set of six-pack abs...BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP...what is that annoying noise?

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!

Oh crap, it's my alarm clock!

Amazingly enough, all it took for Brian Burke to momentarily escape the doghouse in Leafs Land was for his son Brendon to "come out ". Good for him for having the courage to do so, and hats off to Brian for having the love and compassion to be supportive.

Ron Wilson said after practice yesterday that if Carl Gunnarsson continued to play the way he is, he need not worry about being shipped down to the minors when Mike Komisarek returned around Christmas. While he wouldn't go so far as to say who would be a healthy scratch, it will likely be Beauchemin , who has picked up his play as well lately.

Luke Schenn has been playing better as of late too, but it would appear that Wilson wouldn't scratch him even if he weren't.

Coming off an impressive win in Tampa , look for the Leafs to dominate captain Bryan McCabe and the Panthers who currently sit in the 24th spot in the league and are seven points above the Leafs in the overall standings.

The Panthers are a league worst 12.36 percent on the power play and have the second worst PK in league at 74.16 percent.

Gustavsson will likely get the start again tonight, and he hopes to build on a solid performance against a potentially dangerous Tampa Bay squad.

With no weekend games scheduled in Leafs Land this week, look for there to be a mini baby boom in Leaf Land.

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The New York Week That Was (Thanksgiving Edition)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:54:46 -0500

Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays. There’s football all day long, eating all day long, and drinking all day long (actually that sounds like most Sundays during football season). I think there’s something in there about Pilgrims and Indians, too, but I can’t remember what it is. A Chiefs-Patriots game maybe? Did they have muskets and kill turkeys in the old AFL? Or was it Redskins-Cowboys?

The Knicks won a game this week, but it was against the Nets so I’m not sure if that really counts (those teams are a combined 3-27 so far this season), the hockey teams all won some and lost some, the Jets were trounced by the hated Patriots, the Giants went 1-1, and the Mets and Yankees started looking at possible free agents and trades, but they all have something to be thankful for during the holiday season. So here we go:

The Knicks are thankful that the Nets are worse than they are.

The Knicks are also thankful for 1970 and 1973 because that may be it for another 30 years or so.

The Nets players are thankful that they get paid the same amount of money whether they win or lose.

The Yankees are thankful for being the Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is thankful for Alex Rodriguez.

Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, Jeff Wilpon, and James Dolan are thankful that their dads gave them a team to run for Christmas a few years ago.

Omar Minaya is thankful that he inexplicably gets another chance to save and/or ruin the Mets.

Glen Sather is thankful for James Dolan, who has given him tenure and carte blanche to come up with any crazy plan he can think of for the Rangers, year after year.

The Rangers are thankful for Marian Gaborik. He, in turn, is not so thankful for the support he’s getting from the rest of the team (except for Monday’s game).

The Islanders are thankful they were so bad last year that they got to pick John Tavares in the draft.

The Devils are thankful for Lou Lamoriello, because no matter whom he gets to play on the team, they always win.

The Jets are thankful that Brett Favre has turned back the clock to have one of his best seasons. Oh, wait a minute...where was this last year? Must be the dome.

Fred Robbins is thankful for turducken; why just have turkey when you can have turkey, duck, and chicken?

The Giants are thankful for winning the Super Bowl in 2007 because they’ve been living off of that the last two seasons now.

Player of the Week: Marian Gaborik

The countdown is on for Gaborik. Not the one to break any Rangers scoring records, but can he pass by last year’s goal-scoring leader, Markus Naslund, with 24 in only 30 games? In three games this week, he scored four goals and assisted on two others, leading the Rangers to two wins.

Other Notables

Darrelle Revis

The best corner in the NFL shut down Randy Moss yet again. Now if he can do something about Bill Belichick. Sure, the Pats’ coach is smarter than all of us put together, but how many times will he go out of his way to prove what a classless, unsportsmanlike, petty person he his?

Josh Bailey

The second-year center scored the game-winner in OT on Monday vs. Toronto, and added two other goals during the week.

Dwayne Roloson

The Islanders goalie earns his way onto this list for making 58 saves on Monday against the Leafs.

Eli Manning (Sunday’s Version)

He threw for a career-high 384 yards, three TDs, and put the team on his back in a must-win game and won (and after last night, they’re all must-win games now).

Kevin Boss (Sunday’s Version)

The tough tight end hauled in two touchdown passes against the Falcons.

Mario Manningham (Sunday’s Version)

The second-year receiver led the Giants with six catches for 126 yards on Sunday.

Schmucks of the Week: The Giants (Thanksgiving Night Version)

They were horrible on offense. They were horrible on defense. They were horrible in the first half. They were horrible in the second half. They embarrassed themselves all night long. (No, I’m not bitter.)

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Philadelphia Flyers: Why They Are Thankful This Thanksgiving

Mark Ritter — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:06:35 -0500

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

Admittedly, the Philadelphia Flyers’ first quarter of the 2009-10 season has not been without flaws. There was the miserable 4-2 loss to the Florida Panthers back in October and, more recently, the horrific 6-3 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

Yet, for the most part, the Flyers have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend, as do many NHL teams.

For starters, if the season was to end today, the Flyers would be in the playoffs. Ideally, the Flyers would like to be seeded better than sixth in the Eastern Conference, but there are nine other Eastern Conference teams that would switch places with the Flyers in a heartbeat.

Next up, goaltending.

Coming off a year in the KHL, there were a lot of questions about Ray Emery. To date, he has performed admirably and, suffice to say, the Flyers are thrilled that Emery has managed to keep his once detrimental off-ice antics out of the headlines. Emery has been everything the Flyers thought he could be and more. He is a number one goalie and a huge reason why the Flyers are where they are in the standings.

Mike Richards. Every team needs a leader and, unlike many captains in the NHL, Richards is the epitome of the word “leader”. Ask any Flyers fan and they will tell you, “Richards is the Flyers”, there is no argument here, Richards is the perfect fit for this hockey club.

Watch Richards lead his team with a hat trick earlier this season.

The Flyers payed a very steep price for defenseman Chris Pronger. Thus far, they have been rewarded handsomely as Pronger has transformed a Flyers defense that was once shaky and has now instilled some much needed toughness and moxy, re-establishing the Flyers defense as one of the NHL’s best.

James Van Riemsdyk, affectionately known as “JVR”, has been one of the seasons biggest surprises. JVR has quickly established himself as a front runner for the coveted Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year and his offensive contributions are a welcome addition to the Flyers lineup.

There was some concern about defenseman Matt Carle’s play last season. Well, any doubts the fans and coaches had are a thing of the past as Carle leads the Flyers with a plus-18 rating and, alongside Pronger, is one half of arguably the best defensive combo in the NHL.

Check out this feature on the emerging defenseman.

While some Flyers supporters out there may disagree with me, I still feel Scott Hartnell is the Glue that keeps the Flyers offense on track. He’s not the flashiest player on the ice, nor the most talented, but he does the Flyers dirty work and for that, the Flyers should be thankful.

Danny Briere has taken a considerable amount of heat since he joined the Flyers. After dealing with countless injuries and questions about his desire to play, Briere has looked solid this year and with ten goals on the season, he is tied for the team lead in goals scored.

Last but not least, the Flyers organization should be thankful for their fans, who are amongst the league's most loyal and rabid. Sure, they are sometimes quick to react and they often go too far with their criticisms of players that are not meeting expectations, but they mean well and, in the end, their passion is often mistaken for anger.

On a personal note, I must say it has be a thrill to cover the Flyers this season. The Orange and Black offer up some very unique story lines and on the ice they have been very entertaining to watch. Thanks for the memories Flyers, and of course, thanks for your support Flyers’ fans.

Until next time,

Peace!

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The Top 10 Greatest Phoenix Coyotes of All Time

Cameron Paul — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:26:55 -0500

The Phoenix Coyotes may not have a storied history like a lot of NHL franchises but they have been around for over a decade not, including the Winnipeg Jet days. A lot of players have come and gone from Phoenix through the years but there are definitely some players who made their mark with Phoenix. Here are the Top 10 Phoenix Coyotes of all time.

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Buffalo Sabres at the Quarter Mark

Steve Bukowski — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:22:48 -0500

After dropping four straight games to Florida, Boston, Ottawa, and Washington, the Buffalo Sabres have finally lost their lead in the Northeast Division, and now sit 3rd behind Ottawa and Boston.

Buffalo surprised most critics and opponents by racing out of the gate and being one of the last teams to be unbeaten in regulation before falling in Atlanta. Ryan Miller has been the center of the team’s success thus far, and continues to be the star of the franchise. Through 21 games, he has a league-leading 1.98GAA, a .930 save percentage and 12 wins.

The Sabres are currently 12-7-2, with 26 points and are sitting third in the Eastern Conference. The first 21 games have included matchups where the Sabres have played with stellar efforts, as well as matches in which Buffalo has fallen flat. Here are some of the more memorable and forgettable games of the first quarter of the '09-'10 NHL season:

Buffalo 1, Nashville 0: In an intense goalie’s duel, the Sabres outlasted the Predators in Nashville and won on a third-period tally by Mike Grier. Miller and Rinne (NSH) both had great games.

Buffalo 6, Detroit 2: The Sabres stunned the defending Western Conference champions in Buffalo during a game that was televised by Versus. Buffalo was firing on all cylinders as the Red Wings failed to show up in Western New York. This was the game that many people began to follow the Sabres after.

Atlanta 4, Buffalo 2: The defense failed to show up to the game in Patrick Lalime’s 2009 debut between Buffalo’s pipes. The offense outshot the Thrashers 42-27, but Atlanta’s Hedberg continuously denied Buffalo goals. Former Sabres Max Afinogenov also scored against Lalime.

Buffalo 5, Florida 2: Buffalo scored five times in the first period to put the Panthers away. Three of those five occurred in the first five minutes of the game.

Buffalo 2, Tampa Bay 1 (SO): The Sabres rallied back in the third period to score with 17 seconds left, and stun the Lightning after six rounds of the shoot out. Drew Stafford tied the game, and rookie sensation Tyler Myers won the game in the SO.

New York Islanders 5, Buffalo 0: New York dominated the Sabres all 60 minutes, and won with a stellar showing in net by Martin Biron and Tambellini’s hat trick. Biron won his 200th game against his old team and Buffalo went 0-5 on the power play.

Boston 4, Buffalo 2: The Sabres defense hung rookie goaltender Jhonas Enroth out to dry in his NHL debut, falling 4-2 in Boston.

Buffalo 3, Edmonton 1 and Buffalo 2, Calgary 1: Buffalo beat Western Conference teams back-to-back in one week, proving again that this Sabres squad has the mettle necessary to be a post-season contender. Dousing the Flames in a SO capped off a fantastic netminder battle between Buffalo’s Miller and Calgary’s Kiprusoff.

Florida 6, Buffalo 2…Boston 2, Buffalo 1 (OT)…Ottawa 5, Buffalo 3: All three of these games were lost because of a few fundamental errors, including lack of focus and physicality. The Sabres started with good effort then continued to slide going into the second and third periods of each game. What should have been six points for Buffalo quickly dwindled to a measly one.

In my opinion, the Sabres’ overall grade for right now is a B-. Their defense, despite not showing up for some games, remains one of the league’s best and goalie Ryan Miller continues to be a league leader in his position.

My only concern about the defense is Craig Rivet—Buffalo signed him for defensive prowess and veteran leadership, and may be lacking in both categories. He is also the captain, and might not be the best person on the squad for it. My pick for Sabres captain is Paul Gaustad. He’s the workhorse of the team, a good leader and an experienced player- he always gives his all.

The Buffalo offense has been even on scoring among players, with Clarke MacArthur and Drew Stafford both scoring six, and Thomas Vanek leading with seven. A few players also have five and four goals so far.

The Sabres are waiting on Vanek to ignite offensively and start to light the lamp more consistently—he needs to do better than last season, or at least as well, to help Buffalo score as many goals as possible.

Through 20 games, the Sabres have only scored 52 goals—22nd in the league. Buffalo is not looking for these kinds of numbers- the Sabres need power forwards that consistently light the lamp and give the defense some breathing room.

Buffalo's rookies have been invaluable this year, especially defenseman Tyler Myers. He's proven his case time and time again that he belongs in the NHL, and being paired up with Buffalo's veteran defense is helping him immensely. I'm that Tyler Ennis, who tallied his first NHL goal in his first NHL game in Philadelphia, will see some more time in Buffalo if needed.

The Sabres need to regain their focus and work hard the next 20 games. Within the next quarter, Buffalo faces very tough opponents in Pittsburgh, Washington, and New Jersey, as well as Chicago in a rare Blackhawks visit to HSBC Arena.

I do have faith that right now the Sabres are slumping and that they will find the fire to propel this squad in the standings. I also believe that they are playoff-bound, as long as the team remains healthy. Buffalo has a lot of work to do this upcoming week, with games against Philadelphia, Carolina, and Toronto.

Buffalo’s GM needs to start scouting around for a reliable backup goaltender. The Sabres’ current success lies solely on the play of Ryan Miller, and might even give a false impression of the team’s ability. I’ve said it before, and I reiterate: if Ryan Miller is unable to play, this team will quickly fall apart.

I'm all for the return of Martin Biron to Buffalo.

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What Is the Tipping Point for the Edmonton Falcons... Er... Oilers?

Antony Ta — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 23:42:23 -0500

News came in today that the Los Angeles Kings, hit with a mere 39 man games lost to injury this season, called up Brayden Schenn on an emergency basis after Andrei Loktionov injured his shoulder in the Wednesday match against the Oilers.

Now I understand it's a matter of perspective, but with the Oilers losing 146 man games to injury this season, it's interesting that the Oilers wouldn't have tried anything similar by giving some guys one-game tryouts with the kind of injuries we have seen.

If anybody qualified for this kind of thing, I would think it would be the Oilers.

Think of all the unsigned prospects in the Oilers system that we can finally test out with such an opportunity.

Sure, there was the Torrie Jung emergency scare against the Blackhawks. But with three days between the Kings game and the time the San Jose Sharks came to town, the Oilers had more options than more Falcons callups.

We could pull Linus Omark over for a one-game tryout. Yeah he's under contract to the Moscow Dynamo, but it's just one game and I'm sure the IIHF wouldn't fret over that.

How about Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson? Just to see him in one game would help Oilers fans forget how bad of a losing funk we're mired in. Would the Timra Eagles care?

Now I realize it's unrealistic to expect a bunch of professional European leagues to loan the Oilers their top players even for a couple of games, so I can forget about the Anton Landers and the Teemu Hartikainens, even if it is for one game only .

There are also more options in North American, though:

We could get a few games out of Jordan Eberle, Toni Rajala, or even Riley Nash.

Perhaps we could give Chris Vandevelde, Milan Kytnar, or even Jeff Petry a spin.

I believe the main reason the Oilers have neglected to go the route of calling guys up on an emergency basis (nine games is the limit for guys playing in junior) is that they finally have a way of evaluating some of their enigmatic AHL contract-holders in Ryan Potulny, Ryan O'Marra, and Colin McDonald.

I remember when the Oilers first drafted McDonald and the first thing I noticed was his wicked wristshot.

But he, O'Marra, and a few others haven't quite developed according to plan, though O'Marra and McDonald are starting to come around this season under new leadership in Springfield.

It's good from an organizational standpoint to get all this experimentation in now (surely we're all wondering about the progress of William Quist, Alexei Miknov or Alexander Bumagin by now... or are we?).

But how much sleep is Pat Quinn and Tom Renney losing from having half a team here and half a team there? The playoffs are looking more and more like a distant dream and lottery contention a more tangible reality—and that's a scary realization in November of any season.

I just wonder how long before the Oilers clue in that the fans need something to cheer about?

Yeah, super-hockey-nerds (such as myself) will appreciate a chance to see O'Marra and McDonald in action.

But your average Joe would LOVE to see Eberle or Rajala in action, especially when Eberle is touted to be the next Devin Setoguchi and Rajala is supposed to be the next Pavel Bure.

The fans need something to believe in right now.

It's just good P.R.

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Nashville Predators: One of the Hottest Teams in the NHL

Mark Willoughby — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:06:36 -0500

A team that had once been written off, the Nashville Predators came back to defeat Colorado 4-3 in overtime in the Pepsi Center for their seventh consecutive victory and 12th win in their last 15 games. A team that was dead last in the NHL after a 3-6-1 start is now sixth in the Western Conference on the strength of this run and now are 7-2 in the month of November.

This streak has occurred because the team has bought in to the philosophy of Head Coach Barry Trotz. Being well-prepared to play is a trait that Trotz and his staff have executed well over the years and have emphasized this season. Not having marquee talent means that this team has to be well prepared each night to be competitive.

He has set this team up to play to its strengths—tough defense, solid goal tending, and opportunistic scoring. Shoot the puck, crash the net, create opportunities—nothing fancy, but when played as coached will lead to wins. And this team is winning because they are executing this strategy to perfection.

This team is winning because the power play is starting to click. The Predators are 12-0 when they score a PP goal. After a pathetic start, the power play is getting traffic in front of the net, good movement, and good shots. Last night, J. P. Dumont put the Predators on the board first after driving the net and taking a nice feed from Shea Weber to beat a defenseless Craig Anderson.

This team is winning because players that were counted on to produce are starting to consistently do so. Marcel Goc scored the Predators' second goal when Martin Erat drove the net and drew the defense to him. Anderson was forced to play Erat's drive to the net, and he slid a pass to Goc, who fired it in to an open net.

This team is winning because the big guns on the team are producing. Shea Weber tied the game at three in the third with another blast from the blue line that beat Anderson for his sixth goal of the season.

Weber has a booming shot, and when he puts it on net, he creates havoc for the opponent. Jason Arnott had two assists for the night for his fifth point in four games, and the Captain continues to be a force on the ice for the Predators.

The guys that were expected to produce offensively are producing—consistently—and this is leading to goals and wins.

This team is winning because of heart. David Legwand, he of the invisible start this season, has arrived with a vengeance and scored the game winner last night. Legwand has bounced back from a horrific start to the season and has played like he is capable.

It would have been easy for him to hang his head and call the season a bust, but he didn't. He fought through his slump and has been arguably the best player on the ice over the last five games. His defensive play has been stellar, and now his offensive play has caught up to the rest of his game.

This team is winning because they are resilient. Resiliency is a quality that Trotz and his coaching staff constantly preach. There will be times when what happens on the ice doesn't go your way, but it is imperative to believe in your system, believe in your team mates, and believe you can win the game.

The Predators fell behind the Avalanche 3-2 in the second period after beginning the period up 2-0. They never wavered in their effort and tied the game late in the third. They stormed the Avalanche net in overtime, and the effort resulted in a win. This team believes that whatever happens, they can win the game. That is a great attitude that has translated in to confident play on the ice.

This is not the most talented team in the NHL by any stretch. This is, however, a team that believes in itself as a whole; that believes in each man wearing the Predator sweater that takes the ice; and believes in the coaches that have prepared them for each game.

This team is now coming to the ice confident and ready to play every night, believing they can win against anyone. And that belief is translating in to wins.

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Top 10 Most Annoying NHL Play-By-Play Announcers

Michael The Amazing — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 21:20:25 -0500

When the greatest sports teams on the planet play each other, there has to be exposure. When I say exposure, I mean that the greatest news teams around the world are covering this one event of epic servings. When said event finally takes place, the game must be televised with the best broadcast teams possible covering that immaculate event.

However, sometimes things don’t go as well as planned, and the broadcasters picked for this game aren’t the world’s best.

Ladies and Gents, I give you the Top 10 Most Annoying NHL Play-by-Play Announcers in the game today!

10. Paul Steigerwald

We’ll kick things off with the dullest person to ever call a hockey game. Some commentators will go home after a game with laryngitis. This is not the case with this FSN Pittsburgh staff member. Nope, he is more of an “I’ll save my voice for tomorrow” kind of guy. The thing is, he doesn’t use his voice tomorrow, or ever.

Here is a video of Paul Steigerwald in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_Cd01UWfaE

9. Pierre Houde

Anyone who can understand French knows that Mr. Houde is very biased toward the Montreal Canadiens. A recent Canadiens game against the Nashville Predators gives me a good example.

A Predator player had a breakaway on Canadiens' goaltender Carey Price, but the player decided to shoot the puck too soon. The puck was shot right into Price. Even though the Preds’ forward visibly shot the puck at Carey Price, it didn’t stop our good friend, Pierre, from exclaiming, in French, “Oh! What a save by Price!!!”

Did he see that Price didn’t make the save?

Here is a video of Pierre Houde in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF8uctkouZ0

8. Mike Emrick

Since many people call him the greatest ever, I’ll probably get a lot of disagreement for putting Doc on this list. But, this is my opinion, and I think he's th eighth-worst around.

A few things contribute to me putting Doc here. A short list includes that he works for NBC—which I really hate—that he is pro-America in his national broadcasts—even though the NBC feed also goes to Canada—and his broadcasting style is annoying.

You don’t believe me? Here’s an example of a goal called by a regular commentator, “He shoots! He scores !” Here is a Doc Emrick call, “DRIIIIIIIVE...SKAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!”

That is pretty annoying.

Here is a video of Mike Emrick in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhJkBKuBKYM

7. Joe Bowen

Holy Macona! When will this guy retire? While I look at the daunting, squiggly red line under the Leafs’ broadcaster’s catchphrase, I will attempt to write a description of him…hmm…Sorry, I just can’t.

Here is a video of Joe Bowen in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRXWHGBykDQ

6. John Ahlers

This man is the cockiest announcer in the game. He always sounds unbelievably shocked when the Anaheim Ducks get scored against.

Whenever Jonas Hiller makes a nice save, he sounds like he was expecting it the entire game. When the Ducks’ score, he is basically shouting, “You suck, we just scored against you, again ”.

Another thing he does is focus on the positive for the Ducks, and the negative for the team that they’re playing against. Example: “Well, the Ducks are 15th in the west, but the Penguins' power play is only at 14 percent”. My eardrums rattle just writing about him.

Here is a video of John Ahlers in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owKlhdXufGI

5. Peter Loubardias

If you don’t recognize this unique name, it’s OK. Even I had to double check to make sure that I got the name right.

Peter Loubardias is the Jim Hughson of junior hockey. He calls all the big CHL games and the Memorial Cup for Rogers Sportsnet. He also occasionally calls Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames games.

I’m not going to lie, when I first heard his voice, I thought it was a joke. His voice is twice as unique as his name, and if that was a good thing, we wouldn’t be talking about him right now. To get where I’m coming from, take a look at his video.

Here is a video of Peter Loubardias in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRwMRcP3BvE

4. Ken Daniels

This former CBC employee doesn’t know when to stop talking. He's just incredibly annoying, and he constantly cuts off his broadcasting partner, Mikey Redmond. He yells when he doesn’t have to, is too biased toward Detroit, and unintentionally impersonates Pierre McGuire.

Here is a video of Ken Daniels in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6KtT334M_4

3. Bob Cole

What isn’t there to say against Bob Cole. This aging CBC commentator misses calls, botches names, noticeably favours Toronto, and has the absolute furthest thing from a broadcasting voice.

Up until the lockout, he was acceptable, but the 2005-06 season brought problems to his broadcasting style, and he has never been the same.

One thing that ropes many people into agreeing that he is not good at all, is the overwhelming fake enthusiasm he brings into the game when two teams besides Toronto are playing.

He is also showing that his memory isn’t as good as it used to be.This is the way that Mr. Cole would call a game—one without the Maple Leafs taking part, anyway.

“Here comes the center, and it’s picked off byyy...the left winger on New York, back to the line to the defenseman…” and so on, and so forth.

He not only misses names, but he forgets them too. It is a lethal combo.

Here is a video of Bob Cole in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhQtzuWW_uc

2. Dave Mishkin

Mr. Dave Mishkin, is the only radio commentator on this list. However, the reason he is here is a good one.

It’s hard to believe a human is making the deafening shriek that comes out of his mouth when his Tampa Bay Lightning score. Even though I have a tendency to over-exaggerate, that is not the case here.

Goals, saves, hits, the only way to describe him is irritating.

However, I will add that, no matter how much his calls irritate me, I have a huge amount of respect for him. The vocal capabilities that he expresses are amazing.

Since you’re probably dying to hear him, let‘s get to the video, shall we?

Here is a video of Dave Mishkin in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z45n6Ttvog

1. Rick Jeanneret

Out of every single annoying and bad commentator out there, this long time Buffalo Sabres commentator takes the cake for the absolute worst commentator in the NHL.

This could, quite possibly, be his last year as commentator, since he is getting older and his contract ends near the end of this season.

However, one thing that I enjoy about him is that he gets every call right, no matter what team Buffalo plays against and no matter how old he is. He is a good commentator, but the way that he explodes out of his seat when Ryan Miller makes a mediocre save and holding the word “score” for six or seven seconds when the Sabres score, is a very annoying way to call sports.

Here is a video of Rick Jeanneret in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGhNw5g6KD4

I hope you enjoyed this read, and if you disagree with my picks, or want to add your own, feel free to do so in the comment section.

*This article was originally a blog post by Michael, at the website Hockey Fan Zone www.hockeyfanzone.com

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A “Force United” No More, Jason Spezza Is Paying the Price

Mark Ritter — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:33:19 -0500

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

When you visited the Ottawa Senators website last season the Senators slogan, “A Force United,” was very prevalent. This season, the slogan has disappeared from the site and with it has gone Dany Heatley’s scoring and Jason Spezza’s status as an elite NHL player.

Through 20 games, Spezza has an alarming one goal to show for his efforts. To be fair, Spezza has always been more of an assists guy, but, having scored 32 goals in 2008-09, 34 goals in 2007-08, and 34 goals in 2006-07, Spezza is far off his usual 30-goal pace.

When Dany Heatley departed for San Jose this summer, there were two schools of thought on Jason Spezza. First, he would find a renewed passion for the game and instant chemistry with free agent acquisition Alex Kovalev, re-establishing himself as one of the NHL’s best puck distributors, keeping the nay-sayers at bay.

The flip-side was less than complimentary. Many prognosticators felt that the departure of Heatley would spell doom for Spezza, citing Heatley’s ability to deposit the puck as the true reason for Spezza’s success, and not Spezza’s passing skills.

When you look at the numbers, it would appear as if those that sided with Heatley’s scoring abilities outweighing Spezza’s passing were correct.

Sure, through 20 games, Spezza has 12 assists, which puts him on pace to register 40 plus assists on the season. That is well in line with his 41 assist performance in 2008-09, but well off his 58 assists in 2007-08 and 53 assists in 2006-07, not to mention his 73 assists in 2005-06.

For many Senator fans, it is not the depletion of points that has them concerned, it is the lack of creativity with the puck, and the lack of cohesion with his teammates that is most troubling.

Spezza and Heatley were household names for the better part of six seasons with the Senators, and were regarded within NHL circles as one of the League's fieriest combinations.

Now, with Heatley gone, Spezza has failed to rediscover the magic that he once shared with Heatley. And with Heatley not missing a beat alongside San Jose’s Joe Thornton, Spezza’s lack of scoring has been exposed.

Chemistry is a funny thing. At the best of times a combination such as Heatley and Spezza seems invincible. That said, when you take one or the other out of their comfort zone with new teammates, it has the potential for disaster.

The Senators are in a tough spot with Spezza. His inability to gel with his current linemates makes him a target to be traded. But Spezza’s lofty $8 million cap hit in 2009-10 through 2012-13 ($5 million in 2013-14) makes him almost untradeable.

Lack of performance and a massive salary will likely cost the Senators for years to come. The current landscape of the NHL’s salary cap does not allow teams to absorb deals of Spezza’s magnitude and, based on his performance to date, why would any team want to take such a big risk on Spezza?

For Jason Spezza and the Ottawa Senators, the only friend they have right now is time. Time to find Spezza’s game, time to find some chemistry with his linemates, and time for his contract to expire, which, admittedly, is a lot of time!

Spezza’s lack of results is not solely his fault. A good portion of the blame has to go to his linemates, who, for the most part, have let Spezza down. Alex Kovalev, who was expected to make sweet music with Spezza, has four goals and ten points in 19 games played, a poor showing for a player of Kovalev’s ilk and skills.

With an average of 19:58 in ice-time per game, Spezza is getting premium ice-time with the Sens. Head Coach Cory Clouston has been very patient with Spezza. That said, Spezza’s leash is getting shorter, the collar tighter, and by all accounts, Clouston’s patience, much like Senators general manager Bryan Murray’s, is wearing thin.

With their hands seemingly tied, Sens management will have little choice but to stay the course with their struggling veteran. After all, despite the slogan’s absence, the Senators must remain “a force united.”

Until next time,

Peace!

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San Jose Sharks: 7-2 Loss Reminds Fans of April Showers

Andy Bensch — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:55:13 -0500

When a club scores three short-handed goals in a single game, the opposing team isn't going to win.

But when the three "shorties" build a 3-0 lead and the second two come on the same power-play, the morale of the opposing team can sink no lower.

However, in any sport, overcoming adversity is a must if a team has dreams of winning a league championship.

In Wednesday night's 7-2 loss, the San Jose Sharks stopped playing for a period of nearly 30 minutes.

For exactly 29:35, from the 5:25 mark of the second period to the 15:00 minute mark of the third period the Sharks gave up, packed it in, and just started going through the motions.

Despite being out-shot by at least a 2:1 ratio by the time Chicago winger Patrick Sharp made the score 3-0 at little over five minutes into the second period, the Sharks weren't playing as bad as it seemed.

Neither of the three short-handed goals were due to overall poor performance by the entire power play unit.

As Dan Boyle said in the post-game interviews, the first goal of the game is a shot Nabokov stops "99 times out of 100."

When Joe Thornton accidentally slowed down a Chicago clearing attempt and therefore allowed the puck to slide perfectly towards a full-speed Troy Brouwer, the Sharks looked to be in trouble.

However, johnny on the spot Dan Boyle forced Brouwer to shoot from an angle and from well-outside the face-off circle. Unfortunately, Nabokov just fanned on the glove save and the puck beat him into the top corner of the net.

The second short-handed goal was solely the fault of Kent Huskins, who has no business being on the power play in the first-place.

With complete control of the puck, Huskins somehow didn't realize how close the penalty-killer was, and instead of getting rid of the puck quickly via wrist shot or pass, he inexplicably wound up for a slap shot.

Marian Hossa then essentially took candy from a baby by deflecting the puck away, and teammate Jonathan Toews picked up the loose puck and fed Hossa for a breakaway pass.

The superstar did no wrong by burying the puck past Nabokov for a 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately the Sharks would give up another short-handed tally just 28 seconds later.

Similarly to the first goal, the Sharks had a step on the onrushing Chicago forward, but this time rookie Jason Demers completely falls for no apparent reason. According to Demers he "hit a rut in the ice," but regardless of the surface, a play like that cannot happen.

Not only did Demers look like a Jonathan Cheechoo trying to play defense but all game long he failed to keep pucks inside the offensive zone on the power play.

The love affair from coaches to broadcasters to fans with this rookie defenseman needs to end. San Jose will not succeed in the playoffs without picking up some defensive help at the trade deadline.

By falling to the ice, Demers allowed Blackhawk forward Patrick Sharp to walk in all alone on Nabokov and increase the score to 3-0.

Despite their being still nearly 35 minutes remaining in the game, the Sharks gave up. Even after their head coach called a timeout after the third goal, San Jose didn't respond.

They weren't necessarily playing horribly yet, as the three goals allowed were fluke mistakes by individual players. However after the third goal, they began to play some of the worst hockey ever seen at the HP Pavilion.

The Sharks would go onto allow a fourth goal in the second period on a play where defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic looked dazed and confused, failing to tie up the only Chicago player near the front of the net. That player, Dustin Byfuglien, had all day to tap in a rebound that was lying in the crease.

For the second period, the Sharks were out-shot 21-6 and simply appeared to give up, showing a mentality that their fan base cannot stand to witness.

San Jose's fan base was finally starting to put last season's playoff demise behind them, but Wednesday's game against Chicago reminded them why their team fails to perform during April and May.

Whenever anything gets tough, or things don't go their way, the Sharks seem to fold and pack it in.

Last playoffs against the Ducks, games four and six were games San Jose absolutely had to have after going down two games to none and then facing elimination in game six.

But when momentum was on the other side, the Sharks couldn't manage to get anything going.

On Wednesday against Chicago, it was only until after the game was completely out of reach at 7-0 before the Sharks woke up and started playing.

Energy man and third line center Scott Nichol's line got some power play time and even drew another penalty, which led to the Sharks ruining Chicago net-minder Cristobal Huet's attempt at a shutout.

In the last four minutes, the Sharks scored twice on goals by Dan Boyle and Joe Paveski.

By going 100 percent at all times, players like Nichol, Boyle, and Ryane Clowe managed to get the game back in their momentum and created a couple of goals because of it.

The fact that the Sharks didn't start playing again till the last five minutes is embarrassing as a fan and confusing as a student of the game.

It appears head coach Todd McLellan needs to take a page out of Coach Orion's book. The third movie of Disney's The Mighty Ducks series has a change in coaches, and after a game their new coach rips the team by yelling "how long does it take to score a goal!!!!???!!!!" He then proceeds to chuck a puck across the locker room making a dent into a cork board hanging on the wall. After doing so, he answers his own question, responding with "less than a second!!!!"

Simply said, you are never out of a game no matter what the score. Multiple goals can come in succession even before certain slow fans have reached their seats after refilling on beer.

When there is still over half the game to play, even if the score is 7-0 at that point, the game isn't over.

If this is how the Sharks show up for games against the top teams in the league, the same story will be written come April.

The Sharks will be extinct from the playoff waters and be hitting the golf courses in mid-to-late April like they do every year.

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Put Me In, Coach: Francois Beauchemin Flourishing As Shut-Down Defender

Jon Neely — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:22:08 -0500

The stage doesn't get much bigger than CBC's Hockey Night in Canada in Toronto on Saturday night. Add in a matchup against the game's most explosive player, Alexander Ovechkin, and you've got yourself a recipe for a nationally viewed disaster for a struggling team.

It's one thing to be the player a coach asks to have the dubious duty of attempting to shut down Ovechkin.

It's another thing to tell the coach you want to be on the ice every time Ovechkin is; to tell him that you can shut down the league's best player.

A strong statement, indeed, and one that Francois Beauchemin of the Toronto Maple Leafs made last Saturday night prior to their game against the Washington Capitals.

The Leafs were struggling mightily, last place in the Eastern Conference and coming home after a heart-wrenching shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Not exactly a perfect start coming into a game against the best team in the East.

Before the puck dropped, before the cameras were rolling and the bright lights were shining, and before millions of eyes were focused directly on him, Beauchemin went to coach Ron Wilson and told him that he wanted to go head-to-head against Alex Ovechkin every single shift.

A wish that was granted by the coach, but one that may have been puzzling to fans and media alike had they heard about it before the game.

Coming into his first season with the Leafs, Beauchemin was regarded as a solid defender capable of shutting down opposing players, with a Stanley Cup ring to prove it. But much has been said about Beauchemin's success largely coming from playing alongside Scott Niedermayer, the future Hall-of-Famer of the Anaheim Ducks.

It didn't start out well for the 29-year-old, either. Through the first 20 games or so, Beauchemin looked out of place while seemingly trying too hard to make plays that Niedermayer himself wouldn't even try.

The criticism came early and often and it looked as if the heat was getting to him. Fans feared the worst; could this be yet another overpaid player not able to perform up to expectations?

It certainly seemed that way, but that all changed Saturday night when Beauchemin decided to not only prove his worth to the team, but do it while attempting to shut down the best player in the league in a nationally televised game.

Ovechkin scored early in the game and it looked to be the same old story for the Leafs, who have repeatedly been unable to stop opposing teams' best players.

Then something strange happened; it was if Ovechkin simply disappeared from the game. Sure, he was on the ice for over 26 minutes and recorded six shots on net, but watching the game you certainly wouldn't know it.

Ovechkin had been struggling—by his standards—coming into the game, and that could have been a reason for the disappearing act, but when you check the tape you'll see that it most certainly wasn't simply an off-game.

Francois Beauchemin was shadowing the Great 8 so tightly you'd think the guy owed him money.

Not only did he keep him from breaking free and getting scoring chances around the net, but he rarely allowed Ovechkin to even gain possession of the puck. An extremely impressive performance by the new Leaf, and one the fans had been waiting for since the season began.

But Beauchemin's shut-down play didn't stop there; next up was the New York Islanders and their wonder kid, John Tavares. The coming-home party for the first overall pick in this year's draft was hoping to impress, coming back to the place where his hockey career began.

But with over 50 friends and family members in the crowd, Tavares did not put on the display they were hoping for. In fact, the kid was essentially invisible for his 17:42 minutes of ice time, thanks to Beauchemin, who kept him in check all night. Tavares had one shot and spent most of his time on the ice in front of the net, as he was swarmed by the new-and-improved Leaf defender.

Then came Monday night in Tampa, against the star-studded cast of the Lightning; the best of which is last year's first overall pick and budding superstar, Steve Stamkos.

Stamkos did register two assists in the game, but was matched stride-for-stride on each of his 28 shifts—by none other than Beauchemin, once again.

Three straight games against three first overall picks all looking to punish a Leafs defense that has been weak all season, and instead it was like stick-handling in a match box thanks to a man who knew he needed to step up his game; and there's no better way to test yourself than against the best players in the NHL.

He averaged over 28 minutes of ice time in those three games and was one of, if not the most integral part of the team's success, and why they secured six of a possible eight points.

It could have failed miserably for Beauchemin and no one would have blinked an eye, because that's how he's been playing all season. But instead, the Quebec native challenged himself to be better and not only has he answered the call, but his teammates seem to be following him.

There are plenty of people who can lead in the dressing room, voice their opinion and say all the right things, but a true leader is one who leads by example every night; no matter who they're up against.

For a man who's name rolls of the tongue like a butterfly fluttering eloquently through the air, Francois Beauchemin has proved in the last three games that he is a legitimate shut-down defender.

It wasn't the coach who demanded him to play better, but the player who demanded better play out of himself. That's what makes a true leader, and that's what this Leafs team needs if their improved play is to continue.

It's now up to the rest of the team to take a look in the mirror, too.

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Takin' a T/O with BT: Anton Stralman's Success Against the Numbers Game

Bryan Thiel — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:08:52 -0500

Simply put: Numbers games suck.

Granted, "suck" isn’t the most gracious word to use for that, but it fits doesn’t it?

The word "suck" is ugly and harsh—exactly what numbers games are. It’s harsh because those who win in the numbers games don’t always necessarily have the most talent or the attributes a team needs to complete a well-balanced roster, but it sometimes comes down to contract status and reputation.

A newly signed free agent isn’t going to lose their spot. Barring a complete collapse in their physical abilities, to sign someone to a big-money contract and then decide they aren’t who you wanted four months later is terrible management. That’s how teams get into cap trouble.

Then you get into a situation where players' reputations engulf themselves and their abilities. A player who has given a team a ton of great years is going to be supported by the staff, his teammates, and the fans no matter his struggles thanks to his years of service.

Again, for a player who could earn himself a spot, the numbers game is terrible.

Anton Stralman was a victim of one of those numbers games.

There was a point when Stralman was still a Toronto Maple Leaf that he was supposed to be the next great puck-moving defenseman. He came over from Timra of the Swedish Elite League after producing fairly well (11 goals, 15 assists in 98 games) at the top level with big expectations.

In his two years in Toronto, while his performances went up-and-down on the ice, Stralman’s final lines showed some promise. There were times when he was inconsistent and fans had passed the buck on his defensive capabilities, but by no means was he a bust: 16 points over 36 AHL games last season, and 13 points in 38 NHL games last year seemed to prove that the 23-year-old was developing at the highest North American level.

Then the offseason happened. Before Brian Burke and company signed any free agents, Pavel Kubina was shipped over to Atlanta in a team that brought toughness to the picture in the guise of Garnet Exelby.

Granted, Exelby is a defenseman like Stralman, so there was no extra space on the blueline when Kubina was dealt, but the Leafs had lost a puck-mover coming off of back-to-back 40-point season with the Blue and White, so there was room for competition between Stralman and Ian White for a bigger offensive role.

But then the numbers game came into effect. On the first day of free agency, Mike Komisarek landed a five-year deal with the Leafs to play a shutdown role. Despite owning no break-through offensive ability, Komisarek’s deal not only took up cap space, but space on the blueline as well.

Then things got even more complex. A favorite of Brian Burke's in Anaheim with the Ducks, Francois Beauchemin landed in Toronto after inking a three-year deal, bringing his big shot for the power play along with him.

So if we're playing by the rules that "any recent free agent signing is almost guaranteed a spot unless they've deteriorated physically in just three months", then Komisarek and Beauchemin landed two of the four spots on Toronto's defense.

Then factor in All-Star Tomas Kaberle and rookie holdover Luke Schenn, and things weren't looking so rosy at the top for the Leafs other defenders.

Speaking of those other defenders, there were a lot of them: Stralman and Exelby had to contend with Jeff Finger, Ian White, Jonas Frogren, Mike van Ryn (at that time), and possibly Phil Orsekovic and Carl Gunnarsson of the Toronto Marlies.

Not great odds.

As it turned out, the odds were less than great. They were terrible. Not even a month after Beauchemin had signed, Stralman was one his way out of Toronto to another crowded blue line in Calgary. The defenseman with a mound of offensive skill who wasn’t even afforded a chance to crack a revamped lineup had to crack an even deeper (and better) defense with the Flames.

Until he was traded. Again.

This time to a team that needed an offensive presence, and almost found it in their first round pick from 2009 John Moore.

Much like Andrew Ebbet, who has suited up for three different teams this season (Anaheim, Chicago, and Minnesota) Stralman had bounced between three different teams in a matter of months, but the season had yet to start. When his new team, the Columbus Blue Jackets, opened the season, you'd have to assume that Stralman was ready to throw away the keys to the U-Haul and get back to hockey.

But then a funny thing happened. As has occurred so many times before, Stralman started to take off for the Blue Jackets—another former Leaf reaching his apparent potential somewhere else.

Like Carlo Colaiacovo and Brad Boyes before him (ironically both did it in St Louis), Stralman performed like a top-pairing defenseman. At least, offensively.

He started off slowly with four points in his first ten games, but it then started to pick up. His first two-point game of the season came against San Jose on Nov. 4th, and with an assist the game before that against Washington, Stralman has tallied 11 points over his past 11 games.

That stat alone would almost be good enough to set a new career-high for the Swede, but he's already done that anyhow. With four goals and 15 points in his first 21 games, Stralman's surpassed his career highs in goals and points, and it's a safe assumption he'll beat his assists mark (12—he’s currently got 11).

While his negative eight isn't great, and 10 of those 15 points have come on the power play this year, Anton Stralman seems to have found a home with the Columbus Blue Jackets and meeting his offensive potential.

For Leafs fans, it's a shame he couldn't do it in a different shade of Blue.

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with him you can do so through his profile , and you can also reach him via email at bryanthiel74@hotmail.com. Also, check out all of his previous work in his archives and on Hockey 54—The Face of the Game!

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Panthers' Ville Koistinen Clears Waivers; Is Trade With Toronto on the Horizon?

Robert Young — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:09:16 -0500

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and especially to Ville Koistinen that just cleared waivers...

Despite being waived, he’s going to be spending Thanksgiving here in South Florida rather than in Rochester of the AHL, for the time being anyway.

However, the question is if the Panthers won’t be putting him on re-entry waivers soon—so that another NHL team can pick him up on a Black Friday sale perhaps.

Poor Ville...

You have to feel sorry for the guy. Despite signing a two-year $2 million deal with the Cats in July, he was never really given a fair chance. After all, we must keep in mind that he played all of his 17 games for the Cats out of position. And playing as a forward is not easy for a defenseman, with a few rare exceptions.

However, life is tough sometimes and coach Peter DeBoer was not happy with Ville and his contributions to the team. And if you don’t have the confidence of the head coach, for whatever reason, then it’s probably better to move on anyway.

We’ll see what the fate of Koistinen will be. One can’t help but wonder if this move was not only made to make room for the big enforcer Steve MacIntyre to be recalled, but perhaps also to accommodate some valuable cap space for a trade?

I know the Panthers have been mentioned in connection with our next opponents on Friday: The Toronto Maple Leafs.

We have previously seen teams come to town and make trades just prior to or after the game. The Leafs are, according to several reports, looking for a trading partner and perhaps Florida holds the bait for a deal to be hashed out?

I don’t want to fume the trade talk more than necessary, but if I were GM—and we are all no doubt blessing the fact that I’m not—I’d be one of the five teams or so reportedly looking at LW Niklas Hagman right now.

We know the former Panthers draft pick from 1999 well, he knows South Florida, and seeing as our regular top three left wingers—Booth, Stillman, and Campbell—are all out with injuries, it might make some sense in acquiring another left winger that could play on the top lines.

Hagman has already 15 points on the season for the struggling Maple Leafs. That would make him tied for third in scoring with the Cats, who could certainly use that kind of help in the scoring department.

The Leafs would be loathed to lose one of the few players they have that is playing well, but throw in a draft pick or two, perhaps a medium-range prospect to sweeten the deal, and Toronto’s GM Brian Burke might be willing to consider the offer.

I might add there is no current rumor out there suggesting this or any other trade is possibly in the offing, however, I do find this idea intriguing and would be interested in hearing what people have to say about it.

I know Hagman wasn’t a big hit when he was here in South Florida a few years ago, but, like many other players, he has developed into a solid NHL player after leaving the club.

With Toronto being in a problematic situation, perhaps this is the perfect opportunity to get Niklas back here to show what he can do for us now that he’s matured.

What do you think, deal or no deal, what would you do?

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Come to Think of It: A Chicago Sports Thanksgiving Poem

Bob Warja — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:24:05 -0500

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Thanks to Tom Ricketts, who purchased the team,

Here’s to someday achieving our World Series dream.

Thanks go to the Blackhawks, wearing the Indian so proud,

With their ambassadors in tow and the roar of the crowd

Here’s to the hope of a change for the Bears,

The fans are not lovie-ing his passionless stares

Thanks to the Bulls for at least making a run,

This season may not impress, but the Celts series sure was fun

The Fightin’ Illini were a wreck and a mess,

At least the Wildcats gave us some upsets to witness

Thanks to Marian Hossa, who made a triumphant debut,

Eight in a row lookin’ ‘Buf as they do

Kenny is thanking his San Diego treat,

Hoping that Jake brings ‘em back from defeat

Thanks to the youngsters who make up our teams

Names like Toews, Kane, Rose, and Beckham filling our dreams

Here’s to the final curtain for all-too-sweet Lou

Retiring to Tampa after the season is through

Thanks to the honesty spewing from the Blizzard of Oz,

A refreshing alternative to the Lovie façade

Thanks to the Fire and Wolves, you thought I forgot

In a crowded landscape there's always a spot

And here’s one final "Thanks" to you "Creatures" out there,

With Thanksgiving wishes filling the air.

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NHL Power Rankings (Nov. 26): 'Hawks, 'Preds, Bruins Are Hot As An Oven

Mark Jones — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:57:51 -0500

NOTE: All teams are listed with their current points in the standings (as of Thursday, November 26). The upper half (top 16) as well as the focus of my coverage, the Carolina Hurricanes, also have additional commentary and insight, which is completely original and reflects only the opinion of Mark Jones. Any comments, corrections, or questions are welcomed in the section at the conclusion of this article.

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Just when you thought that the NHL would finally settle into a trend, off go the firecrackers again.

Just when it looked like the standings were settling into order, the streaks began.

Currently, some of the most impressive are in the wins column, where teams like Chicago, Nashville, Boston, and New Jersey are going on winning runs as hot as your Thanksgiving oven.

The Blackhawks have now earned the full two points in eight straight contests, but Nashville is right behind with seven consecutive wins.

But, as always, there's also the lower part of the standings...which will be covered in the, err, lower part of this article.

1. Chicago Blackhawks (34 pts)

We knew the Hawks were good, but the past two weeks have been remarkable for this young squad. The eight-straight win streak just tells it all, and it's been enough to pull them into first place in the rankings.

2. San Jose Sharks (36 pts)

The Sharks are still looking like one of the NHL's elite teams for this season, but they just can't keep up with Chicago right now, as was seen Wednesday night.

San Jose's point production has also slowed down recently, a stat that appears to change based on how their upper lines' chemistry is going.

3. Washington Capitals (34 pts)

Ovechkin just can't manage to be silent, but the Caps win either way. He returned from injury to score a few times and then got kicked out again...but no one cares in Washington if they just keep on winning, which has worked recently as the Caps have 14 points in 10 games.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins (34 pts)

The Pens came over the bump on a slow first half of November to win three straight heading into Thanksgiving.

Marc-Andre Fleury is taking the role he had in their Cup run last season into his everyday regular-season play, giving Pittsburgh better support than in past years in the net.

5. Calgary Flames (31 pts)

The Flames are using their success on the road this season to give themselves a major boost in the standings. Calgary is a solid 6-2-2 in their L10, and it looks like the Sutter winning formula is getting the Flames into a successful routine.

6. New Jersey Devils (31 pts)

The Devils finally slowed down a bit, and they still haven't reached double-digit road wins after having three opportunities this week (New Jersey started 9-0-0 on the road, now 9-2-1).

However, the Devils are still a solid team in the conference standings every year, no matter who the coach.

7. Boston Bruins (28 pts)

The Bruins didn't look that good for seven weeks, but are finally starting to get back into it. They have just one loss in ten games and a four-game winning streak. Still, they are exactly even in team +/-, which is not a good trait to have in a top-fourth team.

8. Nashville Predators (29 pts)

The Preds have an incredible seven-game winning streak going, and it's brought the Predators well into contention after struggling near the bottom for much of the year. They had 15 points in the first 15 games of the season before getting 14 points in seven games on their recent run.

9. Ottawa Senators (27 pts)

The Senators continue to remain hot despite untimely losses at several points, as Ottawa hasn't looked this good since the autumn of '07. Success at home has been key for the Sens, who have nine of 12 wins at the Scotiabank Center.

10. Philadelphia Flyers (27 pts)

Like the Senators above, the Flyers' success in Philly has been crucial to a top 10 ranking. If the Flyers finally turn the corner and go far into the postseason in 2010, it will be because of the lower-line support they are finally getting this season.

11. Colorado Avalanche (32 pts)

The Avalanche are fifth in the league in points but 11th in my rankings, which is the result of an excess of games played.

Anyhow, the Avs might not be able to hold on to a top-six conference playoff bid this season, but with young gems like Ryan O'Reilly lurking, they could turn into the NHL's next dynasty if they find a long-term solution at goalie.

12. Buffalo Sabres (26 pts)

The Sabres are below .500 in L10 and have cooled off very significantly in the past ten days, but Ryan Miller and Buffalo are still loaded with surprise potential.

I have a good feeling that the Sabres may return to the elite this season with a solid, 100-point effort in the standings by April.

13. Dallas Stars (29 pts)

First the Stars competed, now the Stars are winning. Turco is finding his groove in the net, and Dallas has gotten hold of an early-season playoff spot to hold on to.

14. Los Angeles Kings (30 pts)

The Kings just aren't going away any time soon, and the Western Conference better get used to a switch in the power of the greater Los Angeles area (from Anaheim to LA).

The Kings' power play, as well as their road success, are getting Los Angeles wins in close games they couldn't earn in 2008.

15. Columbus Blue Jackets (27 pts)

The Jackets have just 72 goals for while surrendering 84, but the difference between this and the struggling team we saw a couple years ago is that Columbus finally has a solid roster, and, in turn, has confidence.

Still, it could be a repeat of last year's spring unless Steve Mason returns to form, because he isn't allowing a very competent scoring attack enough time with the lead.

16. Detroit Red Wings (26 pts)

The Wings have dropped back-to-back contests and are a far cry from the dynasty we saw in the regular season last year, but you just know that Detroit is going to keep hanging around until they strike and, once again, rise to the top.

17. New York Rangers (27 pts)

18. Montreal Canadiens (25 pts)

19. Vancouver Canucks (24 pts)

20. Atlanta Thrashers (25 pts)

21. Phoenix Coyotes (27 pts)

22. Tampa Bay Lightning (25 pts)

23. Florida Panthers (24 pts)

24. Anaheim Ducks (21 pts)

25. St. Louis Blues (22 pts)

26. Edmonton Oilers (23 pts)

27. New York Islanders (25 pts)

28. Minnesota Wild (19 pts)

29. Carolina Hurricanes (15 pts)

After their best streak of the season (a 3-0-1 week), Carolina has once again dropped two straight on the road and are still looking from their first win away from the RBC Center.

However, Ward will be back in a week, Staal has returned, and the defense is finally starting to come together. Kostopoulus, Yelle, and Ruutu, all players who had nothing going for them in the first six weeks, have picked up plenty of points recently, and it looks like the 'Canes may have finally righted the ship a bit.

But it's still up for grabs if they deserve the 29th spot.

30. Toronto Maple Leafs (17 points)

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Toronto Maple Leafs Are Looking To Get Their Roll On

Louis Pisano — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 10:56:47 -0500

By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano

After getting 61 shots on Dwayne Roloson and the Islanders though losing 4-3, the Leafs continued getting pucks to the net against Antero Nittymaki and Lightening. This time 35 was enough to find success in a 4-3 win of their own.

The Leafs got their first win of the year on the road in Anaheim and that began a streak of seven games of at least one point, unfortunately for Leafs Nation mostly one point.

The Leafs now have points in four straight games, including two wins. In 23 total games, they have points in six of 12 on road game while at home they have points in only four of 11.

Four of the next five games are on the road, three of those five are against divisional opponents and should prove to be feisty games.

First Toronto will finish the two-game Florida tour with a matchup against the Panthers Friday before then making a quick stop at home against Buffalo Monday.

Florida has been better on the road this year and is only 3-5-2 at home, though they have points in their last four games at the BankAtlantic Center, only one was a win. They do, however, have points in eight straight games and have seemingly gotten the right motivation from second year head coach Peter DeBoer after a slow start.

Buffalo sits in third and just two points off the Northeast division lead, though were on top for most of the first quarter of the season. They got off to one of the hottest starts in the league which has since cooled as many predicted. They have lost two in a row and are just 4-5-1 in their last ten, but they have games in hand, and have only played 21 thus far.

They then get back on the road for three, starting in Montreal.

I am sure the Leafs will want some revenge for the two losses the Habs have handed them this year. The last of which the Leafs lost in a shootout at the Bell Centre, the very building they will do battle in on Tuesday Dec. 1.

The inconsistent goal scoring and keeping for the Canadians has them sitting right at .500 on the year at 12-12-1 with a 7-5-1 record at home. I expect a physical game played much in Montreal’s zone as most of the past two meetings were, yet this time the results may be different.

With a day of rest and travel the Leafs land in Columbus Ohio to take on the Blue Jackets on Dec 3. Columbus can’t seem to hold a lead as of late and have blown three straight game when having the early lead though still hold a record of 12-8-3.

Recently, their young Russian sniper Nikita Filatov must have missed his mother’s goulash enough to go back to Russia and play in the KHL, on loan for the time being. This could possibly a good spot to catch a team that is reeling from some bad losses if that trend continues for the Blue Jackets.

Finally with another day of rest and travel, the Leafs finish this little five-game stint against the now Northeast division leading Bruins. Boston, who has been surging as of late going 6-1-3 in their last ten has won four in a row as well. This will be in my mind the biggest test of all as the Bruins play a very structured game and beat the Leafs soundly in two of their three meetings in Boston last year.

Given, there is time between now and the end of this five game stretch for many things to happen too all teams involved that may or may not drastically affect the Leafs chances of winning or losing these game.

Thankfully, 2012 is still a few years off, and I haven’t heard of any comets nearing the earth, at least at this point.

Toronto, at times seems to have the right parts and then all of a sudden someone at Ikea put half the pieces of two shelving units into the box just to screw with you, and nothing seems to work.

The Leafs are playing well though, as of late, and if the defensive side of their game with the Monster looking over the lair can find a groove and the offence bulges the twine instead of just leading the league in shots, the Leafs could add some notches to the win column and certainly get their roll on.

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Montreal Canadiens Harvest Seven Points Out of 10 in Last Five Games

Francois Gendron — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:18:36 -0500

The Montreal Canadiens did a little better than expected during the last five games. When we look at the opposition the team faced, (Carolina, Washington, Detroit, Columbus, and Pittsburgh) seven points out of a possible 10 is a great harvest.

A couple of players have played very well during this successful string: goaltender Carey Price, Tomas Plekanec, Marc-Andre Bergeron and Matt D'Agostini. With the important number of injured players, those players took the extra work load and delivered. I am giving them all a 7 out of 10.

Only Mike Cammalleri deserves a higher note. The Canadiens' fans are discovering Mike's explosive and accurate shot. After a slow start, he now has 12 goals, leading the team in this department. I am giving him a 9 out of 10.

After spending the whole month of November under the .500 mark, the Habs are currently at 12-12-1. The team should be in a lot more trouble but have found a way to keep themselves in the playoff hunt.

Also, general manager Bob Gainey has traded Guillaume Latendresse to the Minnesota Wild for Benoit Pouliot earlier this week. Latendresse's work ethic and on-ice production did not please the organization and are the main reasons for his departure.

The Canadiens has thrown the towel on yet another 22-year-old player. Latendresse saw his ice-time drop dramatically this season and was aware that his time with the club was counted. We can only be concerned about the team's ability to fully develop their young talent.

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Five Things the Anaheim Ducks Can Be Thankful for This Holiday

SK — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 05:19:13 -0500

Hockey fans have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. If you're a San Jose Sharks fan, you're thankful to be at the top of the standings. If you're a Blackhawks fan, you're thankful to to finally see what that Marian Hossa contract will bring you. If you're a Maple Leafs fan, you're grateful for the Carolina Hurricanes. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, and recent wins, I've decided to go with a list of what the Anaheim Ducks should be thankful for this year.

Begin Slideshow

Havlat Who? Marian Hossa Scary Good In Blackhawks' Debut

Michael Wagner — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:21:05 -0500

Chicago Blackhawks fans have been waiting since July 1st for the debut of Marian Hossa. He did not disappoint the fan base, scoring two goals and leading the 'Hawks to a 7-2 rout of the San Jose Sharks.

Hossa looked great in his first game doing all the little things—back checking, killing penalties and of course chipping in the two goals to boot.

However, what was most impressive about Hossa's debut, in my opinion, was Hossa's ability with his stick.

It was quite amazing.

I can think of several instances where Hossa used his stick to make wonderful plays.

The play I think sticks out in everyone's mind is when Hossa scored his shorthanded goal, in which Hossa would poke check the San Jose point man right to linemate Jonathan Toews, who would then spring Hossa to a breakaway goal.

This is the player that many 'Hawks fans envisioned they were getting when he was signed to his 12 year, $62.8 million deal this summer. At the time though, many didn't think he would have to miss the first two months of season.

It seems as though the wait was well worth it. Hossa looks like he is returning to the superstar he was before last season's playoffs.

After Wednesday night's game, Hossa is now tied with Martin Havlat, the player he replaced, in goals and has only played one game. But we're not here to dwell on the past.

What does matter is that Hossa is now healthy and looks like he fits in perfectly into this group of young players.

Now many may mention that Hossa has his best stuff in the regular season and fizzles in the playoffs, or will say the 'Hawks are destined to lose in the Stanley Cup finals but really as a 'Hawks fan making it to the Cup finals would show their continuous improvement.

And if tonight was any indication of what's to come from the Slovakian sniper, it will be quite a fun rest of the season and hopefully an extended playoff run once again.

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Marian Hossa's Debut Puts Chicago Blackhawks Into NHL's Driver Seat

Forrest W. Kobayashi — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 02:05:15 -0500

Coming into their game with the San Jose Sharks, the Chicago Blackhawks were considered one of the favorites in the Western Conference.

Now, they may have become the team to beat.

Marian Hossa made his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks after missing the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury. Needless to say, he made quite a statement.

Hossa tallied two goals on four shots, with a +1 rating—good enough for the first star in the game.

Hossa's return is huge for the Blackhawks, who signed him to a 12-year, $62.8 million deal this past July.

The team is in line for a massive offensive upgrade, and it showed tonight against a tough Sharks team. San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov came into the game with a .926 save percentage and a 2.19 GAA, but it clearly did not faze Hossa.

After tonight's game, the Blackhawks are fifth in the league with 3.26 goals per game. Expect that to rise as Hossa continues to familiarize himself with his teammates and his surroundings.

Hossa is surrounded by a plethora of offensive talent—Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp will help Hossa maximize his scoring potential.

While projecting his line on any given night could be a difficult task, Hossa will undoubtedly get enough ice time to keep the Blackhawks scoring, night in and night out.

The Blackhawks look to continue their stellar play in California, with away games against the Anaheim Ducks and the Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Saturday.

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Cutler Who? Chicago Blackhawks Put a Touchdown on San Jose, Put NHL on Notice

TAB BAMFORD — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:23:10 -0500

There were times during the later parts of the last decade the beginning of this decade, during the Bob Pulford Era (aka "The Dark Ages") when the Detroit Red Wings toyed with the Chicago Blackhawks .

Those Hawks teams didn't have as much talent (or salary) as the minor league affiliates of the Red Wings, and it was obvious. Detroit looked like a group of big brothers practicing at the expense of their much younger siblings.

On Wednesday night in San Jose, it was the Blackhawks treating the Sharks in that same manner.

What's striking about that statement, indeed even that thought, is that the Sharks aren't an underpaid, overwhelmed group of losers like many of those Hawks teams were that Detroit handled so easily. The Sharks team that the Blackhawks utterly destroyed on Wednesday night had the best record in the Western Conference coming into the game.

In fact, San Jose came into the game 7-0-2 at home, and had scored the most power play goals in hockey.

Which is why really the only reaction to the second period on Wednesday night is "Wow."

Earlier on Wednesday, I cautioned Blackhawks fans to temper their optimism over the insertion of Marian Hossa into arguably the best team in the NHL. I didn't want to jump all over the "Nobody Can Stop Chicago" Bandwagon that so many fans and media members were willing to join.

I was wrong .

The way the Blackhawks played on Wednesday night not only is worthy of any and every bandwagon imagineable, but it undoubtedly puts the rest of the NHL on notice that one of the youngest teams in the league might now be the best.

The Blackhawks defense has been special all year, and their penalty killing unit was the best in the league. On Wednesday night, the PK became an offensive weapon for the Blackhawks as they blitzed the Sharks out of their own building.

The top line for the Sharks, consisting of Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Joe Thornton, was supposed to be the marquee matchup with the Hawks never-before-seen line of Hossa, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane. By the middle of the second period, the Sharks were scrambling and their three stars were no longer skating together.

In the first period, Troy Brouwer cracked the scoring column with a short handed goal. Duncan Keith made a great pass to a streaking Brouwer who put a missile into the back of the net.

That wasn't the only shortie of the night.

In the second period, within 28 seconds of each other, Hossa and Patrick Sharp both scored short handed goals on breakaways to extend the Hawks' lead to 3-0. By the time the dust settled from San Jose's timeout after the third goal, the momentum was fully in possession of the Hawks and the crowd was stunned.

In an arena that sat in numb silence, the second period ended after Dustin Byfuglien put a rebound back to make it 4-0 Hawks.

What was even more incredible than the score was how the statistics backed up the domination on the ice. The Blackhawks outshot the Sharks 29-11 through two periods, and San Jose had really only managed one solid rush at Cristobal Huet. On a couple occasions, Pat Foley referred to the Hossa-Toews-Kane line as the Harlem Globetrotters; the Sharks couldn't even touch the puck for much of the time that line was on the ice.

Through two periods, the puck control was remarkable from the Hawks. Their defense had completely demolished one of the top scoring teams in hockey, and they made one of the best goaltenders in hockey look like he was headed for the AHL before the zamboni left the ice.

Evgeni Nabokov hadn't lost in a month, but didn't play the third period Wednesday night. He came in 14-3-4 and only allowing 2.19 goals per night; the Hawks scored four on 29 shots and ran him out the door.

The crowd in San Jose continued to give their team the business throughout a third period that could have seen the Hawks put it in neutral. After all, they were playing their fourth consecutive game on the road in the middle of a long trip and were up by enough to ease off the gas peddle.

Nope.

Just over five minutes into the third, Brent Seabrook scored an even-strength goal just to mix it up a little; Wednesday night was just the fifth time in franchise history that the Hawks scored three short handed goals in one game.

Exactly 60 seconds later, Hossa scored his second goal of the night on a great pass from Brent "Where Am I Headed Today?" Sopel. Sopel's been the most popular trade rumor victim on the roster over the past couple weeks, but has continued to play well despite the whispers.

A little more than five minutes after Hossa's second goal, John Madden was feeling down on his luck; he hadn't scored a goal yet and the new guy had already scored two. So he put in his fifth goal of the season, the seventh of the night for the Blackhawks, and the disgust from the fans in northern California was moving for the exits.

In the four games to begin to begin a trip that used to kill the Blackhawks, they have outscored some of the top teams in the Western Conference 20-5.

The Sharks broke the shutout with a two-man advantage late in the third, and then Huet allowed a lazy goal from the point make the score 7-2. The win was the Hawks' eighth in a row, during which they have only allowed 13 goals.

The Hawks were led by three assists from Keith and Hossa's two goals. Keith was also +4 on the night. Huet stopped 22 of 24 shots to earn the win. The Blackhawks outshot the Sharks 41-24 on the night, with four of those shots coming from Hossa.

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Washington Capitals' Semyon Varlamov Growing Into No.1 Role, Shuts Out Sabres

Dave Nichols — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:12:45 -0500

Washington, D.C.: Semyon Varlamov made the saves, Alex Ovechkin and Eric Fehr scored the goals, and the Caps' penalty killers put the clamps on in the third period, as the Washington Capitals shut out the Buffalo Sabres 2-0 before a capacity crowd at the house that Abe Pollin built, in the first hockey game since the Capitals' original owner passed away Tuesday.

The young goaltender made 25 saves for his first career regular season shutout, many in spectacular fashion, especially in the third period.

Varlamov needed to be on his game, as did the Caps penalty killers, in the final frame. Their leader, Alex Ovechkin, drew a five minute boarding major, with the accompanying game misconduct that went along with it.

Ovechkin ran into Patrick Kaleta just 3:38 into the third period from behind, sending the Sabre into the boards face-first. The replay showed that Ovechkin hit Kaleta in the shoulder, but the hit was hard enough at full-speed to earn the call, much to the chagrin of the Verizon Center faithful.

"I just go take a hit and [Kaleta] just fell in the boards. ... Max, it's got to be two minutes," Ovechkin said.

"We just watched it a half a dozen times...Kaleta saw him coming," coach Bruce Boudreau explained after the game. "It might have warranted a two-minute minor, but I don't think it warranted anything more than that."

Regardless, Ovechkin would watch the rest of this one from the locker room.

The Caps killed the five-minute major, and was given a brief reprieve as Craig Rivet took a two-minute tripping penalty in the middle of it.

"You lose the most prolific scorer on the planet Earth, which is tough," defenseman Brian Pothier said. "But you have to kill a five-minute penalty. As Ovie's skating off the ice, we're telling him, 'We've got this one for you.' He does so much for our team. Every night, he bails us out. We could sure do it for him."

They also killed a two-minute delay of game penalty on an especially lazy play by Mike Green behind his own net, as he lofted the puck off the ice.

Behind the killers, though, Varlamov was rock solid. He was tight on the posts and even made a couple of nice glove saves as the time ticked away.

"Varly was solid," Boudreau said. "It was like he was saying, 'I'm not going to let this happen to me again in the third period.'"

Ovechkin opened the scoring in the first period, taking a puck between the Caps' circles, carried into the offensive zone, skated across the high slot, and flung a wrist shot past Sabres goalie Ryan Miler (22 saves). It was his 17th of this campaign.

Eric Fehr got the insurance goal at 13:38 of the third. Brendan Morrison won an offensive zone draw back to Mike Green, who slapped a pass to the end boards, where Morrison gained control.

The pivot then skated the puck behind the net and found Fehr standing on the doorstep, unmolested by Sabres defense.

Fehr banged the puck past Miller for his fourth goal of the season.

But the 21-year old netminder was the biggest story of the game. He is 4-0-2 in his last six games with a goals against under 1.50.

He seems to have wrested the mantel of No. 1 goalie from Jose Theodore, who was not playing at the top of his game even before his recent sabbatical.

Varlamov, through an interpreter, was succinct in his assessment of his performance, "I've gotten over being nervous."

Music to Caps fans' ears.

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Stat Trick: Philadelphia Flyers 2, New York Isles 1

Eric Hornick — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 00:14:50 -0500

When the Islanders are able to maintain the same intensity for 60 minutes, they may very well become a good team. They are not there just yet, as they once again could not hold a lead, and dropped a 2-1 decision to the Flyers. On to the trick:

1. Trent Hunter scored to give the Isles the lead on a first period power play and stop an 0-16 drought on the power play over the past four games. The goal extended his point streak to eight straight games; only Cory Perry of Anaheim has a longer current streak.

John Tavares and Mark Streit assisted on the goal; it was Tavares' first point in five games and gave him his 20th point—tops among NHL rookies. Eleven of Tavares' points have come on the power-play; he has a point on 11 of the Isles' 17 power-play goals this season.

2. Mike Richards got the Flyers even on the power play late in the second period; Scott Hartnell added the winner with just 5:27 to play.

Richards' goal came on the Flyers' only power play; it's the second time in the last three home games that the Isles have not had a successful penalty kill (Edmonton did not have a power play in the November 2 game).

3. Martin Biron made 26 saves but suffered his 9th loss in 11 decisions (2-7-2). The Isles have scored two goals or less in all but two of his starts.

...a few more...

4. The Isles dominated territorily throughout the game and the face-off circle through two periods. Overall, there were 33 face-offs in the Flyers zone and only 19 in the Isles' zone. The Isles won 37 of 62 faceoffs; John Tavares had a strong game in the circle, winning nine of 12.

5. Brian Boucher made 28 saves for the Flyers, who have now won eleven straight over the Isles, including three in overtime/shootouts. Six of those games were at the Coliseum, equalling the Isles' longest home winless streak against Philadelphia, set between 1973 and 1975.

6. The Isles have lost three straight Thanksgiving Eve games. The Isles have had the lead at some point in every game this month except their shutout loss in Buffalo, yet they are only 5-5-2 this month.

7. The loss ends a four-game home winning streak and a six-game home point streak (5-0-1). The Isles drop to 4-3-3 on the season at home; they have scored only three goals in their three regulation losses at home. They have led at some point in nine of the ten games (all except the 2-1 loss on Columbus Day to Los Angeles).

8. The Isles have won only half of the games that they have scored first (7-4-3); they have lost 11 of their 15 one-goal games (4-4-7). The Isles are also now 5-3-3 when they lead after one period. The Leafs are the only team that has won a smaller percentage of the games that they have led after one period and of games decided by a single goal.

9. The Isles have now been outscored 28-15 in the third period, and have been outshot 282-204. The -13 goal differential in the period equals Columbus for the worst in the NHL. The Isles had only one shot in the third period, after having ony four in Toronto in the third period on Monday. They have been outshot by a combined 34-5 over the two games.

10. The Flyers lead the season series one game to 0. This was the first of six meetings on the season and the first of three meetings between the teams in 33 days.

Up next: The Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins visit Long Island on Friday afternoon at 2:00. Pittsburgh leads the season series one game to 0 and two points to one, having defeated the Isles in the Islanders' opener in a shootout. The Isles are 7-3-3 in their last 13 home games against the Pens.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

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Gunnarsson Blazes Onto Maple Leafs' Lineup

Mark Ritter — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:12:09 -0500

Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter

At 6’2” and 196 pounds, Carl Gunnarsson is hard to miss. Thank goodness the Toronto Maple Leafs spotted him in the seventh round (194th overall) in the 2007 NHL entry draft, because the 23 year-old has “got’s skillz”.

In case you missed it, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Tampa Bay Lightning Wednesday night by a score of 4-3. A big part of that win was none other than the aforementioned Gunnarsson, who had three assists on the night and posted a plus-three to boot.

Gunnarsson, who had registered two assists with two penalty minutes in 12 games with the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate Toronto Marlies this season, made his NHL debut with the Leafs on November 14th versus the Calgary Flames, a game that saw him take 27 shifts for a total of 21:18 of ice time.

To date, Gunnarsson has played a total of six NHL games, only one of which has he been a minus player (-1 against the Carolina Hurricanes). For the most part, Gunarsson has been a solid addition to the Leafs. He is considered an all-round defenseman, with strong passing skills and, more recently has exhibited a penchant for shooting the puck.

“Ouzi”, as I am calling Gunnarsson due to his “oozing” talent, is a smart player, one that exhibits an uncanny calmness for a player of his age and experience. Despite being off the radar at the beginning of training camp, Gunnarsson has defied the odds and cracked an already deep defensive lineup that seemingly was written in stone at the beginning of the season.

Now, six career NHL games does not make a career. That said, if Gunnarsson manages to stick with the big club long enough to make an even bigger splash it may open up an opportunity for the Leafs to contemplate trading one of their top tier defenseman.

I am a believer that you have to give something up to get quality back in return. With that in mind, I am not talking about moving a Garnet Exelby or a Jeff Finger, two players that would see the Leafs get very little in return. I am suggesting the Leafs look at making a deal which may include the likes of Tomas Kaberle or Francois Beauchemin.

The reality is, barring some big off-season acquisitions, the Leafs are at least two full seasons away from being a legitimate playoff contender—and I am not talking about sneaking in with the 16th overall spot.

Entertaining the idea of trading Kaberle, who despite his no-trade clause may be open to a move, or Beauchemin just makes sense. What comes back the other way would likely be a collection of draft picks and/or one or more legitimate NHL players, preferably a centre that could dish the puck to Phil Kessel.

To be fair, my foreshadowing is very premature. As I mentioned earlier, six NHL games is not enough to make a solid assessment on a rookie player, and it is very unlikely that Gunnarsson could fill the shoes of Kaberle or Beauchemin. In today’s NHL you must look to the future in order to get better, you have to try to play from a position of strength and, to use a poker reference, when a premium hand presents itself, you gotta go all in. Gunnarsson may be that hand.

Brian Burke has a lot of work to do. The emergence of Gunnarsson would go a long way in giving Burke some good cards to play with, but what the flop brings is anyone’s guess.

Until next time,

Peace!

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Calgary Flames Upcoming Stretch: Rule the Roost, Then the Road Ahead

M MacDonald Hall — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:50:12 -0500

The Calgary Flames will need to continue crushing road competition through their upcoming away stretch, and avoid succumbing to pressure themselves. The team currently holds a gleaming 7-1-2 record when playing away from the Pengrowth Saddledome, but own a surprisingly-sloppy 6-5-0 at home.

With two weeks between tonight’s contest against the Phoenix Coyotes in Calgary and their next home game, the Flames will need to pick up all the wins they can—and keep their road numbers sparkling— to maintain decent overall numbers through their next ten tilts.

Tonight, at around 5p.m. MST, the Phoenix Coyotes would have hit the team bus, headed to the Pengrowth Saddledome for their Wednesday night tilt against the Calgary Flames.

Local players, on the other hand, would’ve made their way to the rink from various parts of the city. Perhaps inspired by the road asphalt flowing beneath, driving separately but thinking one thought:

Bring this one home.

The Calgary Flames play their last home game of November tonight, not returning to the C of Red until the 9th of December, when they take on the Atlanta Thrashers. The club is then slated to stay in the city until their December 11 date with the Minnesota Wild, before shipping back out for two more road riots, matching against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver and the Blues in St Louis.

December’s rear-loaded schedule eventually sends the Flames back to their own barn for six of the seven remaining contests that month. The teeter-totter pitch caused by home/away imbalance over the next few weeks adds extra pressure now , on a team already grasping for consistency.

Heading into the game against the Coyotes, Calgary held a by-the-skin-of-their-teeth 6-5-0 record at the ‘Dome. After that tilt, the Flames calendar sets eight of their next 10 meetings on the road, leaving their currently-pristine 7-1-3 away numbers wide-open.

If they continue their winning ways, the Flames could return to Alberta in mid-December with incredible travel stats. On the other hand, considering their just-over-.500 status at their own arena, if they drop too many in the coming weeks, they’ll expose their already-criticised flaws through an only-just-average record.

There’s nothing terribly worrying about Calgary’s competition over the next few weeks, the most difficult opponents arguably being the League-leading San Jose Sharks and the Northwest-topping Avs. However, the Flames are a team who have faltered at the most unexpected times.

Scouting the opposition and buckling down should give the club few excuses as they embark on this cross-continental jaunt. With the right tools at their disposal, if the Calgary Flames flounder this stretch, head coach Brent Sutter will demand to know the reason why.

Stating the Obvious—Calgary’s Resources Known To All

Jarome Iginla has kept his November fire burning bright, personifying his trademark method of lifting his team by raising his game. One of the NHL’s best players this month, Iginla has also been his club’s most noticeable skater, tagging 12 goals and 14 points in ten November games. It’s not exactly a newsflash: the Flames will continue to sizzle as long as their captain stays hot.

Iginla now leads his team in points, surpassing Rene Bourque, who had sat atop the stats until last Saturday's game in LA versus the Kings, where Jarome grabbed a hat trick and the roster lead. Bourque, a consistent threat to become a break-out player, was placed on the IR with an undisclosed injury last week after the 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks. Fans wait with bated breath for his return.

Luckily for all concerned, local media sources reported Bourque’s presence at Wednesday’s pregame practice; though he didn’t take part in more intense aspects of the workout, his efforts indicate a desire to get back out there as soon as possible.

No one wants to see a repeat of the season-busting interruptions he’s suffered in years past, and in wake of the scoring streak he was on before this most recent bump, Bourque will be gnawing eagerly at his day-to-day status. Set to return by early December, he’ll work to boost team production by hiking his personal data up even further.

Olli Jokinen will have to make the most of the friendly terrain that has been the Flames highway. The Joker’s point-totals are good enough for third overall on the Flames, but include just three goals—the only markers he's recorded in his past 35 regular-season matches, reaching back into last year.

Appreciated assist totals aside, the Finnish centreman will be expected to even out his game on what has so far been steeply-slanted road ice. For the moment, Daymond Langkow has taken up some of the slack, tied with Bourque for second in team goal-scoring, with seven markers and 13 points.

Tying things together, Calgary’s supporting cast remains strong, and as demonstrated early this season, when Flames star names aren’t producing, these guys are ready to play stand-in.

Nigel Dawes, Curtis Glencross, David Moss, Eric Nystrom, Dustin Boyd, and others have filled in the gaps so far, and are relied upon to keep Calgary’s play even as the season goes along. Role-players step up for their specialised ice time, and call-ups are available for depth and substitution.

Calgary’s blueline has also steadied out, and none of the defensemen on the current roster have a negative rating in the plus-minus column—a blinding contrast compared to last year‘s dismal defensive rankings.

It may seem out of place to praise the defensive responsibility of a roster which has allowed so many shots-against, double 3-2 losses to Colorado, plus the 6-5 and 7-1 flub-fests at the hands of Chicago. However, those deflating defeats create a misleading impression, remembering that the two iffy November tilts versus the Avs and the 'Hawks were the only times this month in which the Flames allowed more than two goals-against in regulation.

After a nasty minus-11 recorded last year by Dion Phaneuf, the Flames 2003 first-round choice has pulled back up to a respectable plus-two, matching stalwart Robyn Regehr and risk-taker Mark Giordano ’s current ratings.

Adam Pardy clocks in with a plus-three, while Jay Bouwmeester —whose 12 points to-date put the rearguard on pace to match career highs—sits pretty at plus-eight, second on the team only to forward Curtis Glencross, plus-9.

Calgary’s rearguards must work with their forward ranks to help lower the shot-count against the Flames net, an area easily improved by cranking up fore- and back-checking efforts, especially from offensive skaters.

Goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff has been admirable in net recently and has improved his GAA to a respectable 2.57, down from earlier numbers which rocketed well over 3.00. Back-up Curtis McElhinney earned a morale boost with his win against the Dallas Stars earlier this month, but will need to keep his performances solid if he wants the team to feel confident in relying on his play.

Find the balance

It is two weeks to the day between Wednesday night’s game and their next match-up on home ice. Despite Calgary’s prior reputation as a home-barn team with troubles on the road, this year has been a flip. Working with the schedule they’re playing through right now, they must improve their Saddledome record as the chances arise, and work hard to maintain their newfound stability away.

If the Flames can reassert their home-ice dominance while continuing to roll on the road, they will have finally found the balance they‘ve been building towards—at last, allowing the team to fully utilise the increased production and bolstered bench which GM Darryl Sutter has spent the past few years developing.

If not, they may have to deal with a mirror-opposite season with similar results: wins on the road plus losses at home equals another average overall outcome—not to mention increasingly tired, frustrated Flames personnel.

At least when the team struggled through travel sessions in the past, the Flames gave their local crowd something to cheer for. Despite road woes, it helps keep fans happy when they actually get to see their team rule their own roost. Obviously, it’s time for the Calgary Flames to bring their game home.

Keep your bags packed, boys, but bring back a souvenir.

Other games and scores Flames fans should keep tabs on tonight

What some of the competition is up to:

Flames fans will hope these games are decided in regulation, avoiding extra points being spread around the sardine tin which is the Western Conference.

Edmonton Oilers vs. LA Kings, 7:30 p.m. — It’s natural for Flames fans to want Calgary’s Northwest Division rival Oilers to lose whenever possible. Tonight, however, Edmonton takes on the LA Kings, a team trailing the Flames by just one point in the tight Western Conference race for playoff seeding. With the Oilers just six points distant of Calgary, this one will end with one or the other a bit closer to the erratic Flames.

Nashville Predators vs. Colorado Avalanche, 7:00 p.m. — Similar to the LAK-EDM match, this game features a pair of Western competitors; also, a win for either is bad news for Calgary. But someone has to win. The Avs sit just one place and three points above the Flames, while the Preds chase for Calgary’s current fourth-place position, just two points behind.

Chicago Blackhawks @ San Jose Sharks, 8:30 p.m. — The Flames may not be able to catch the much-hated ‘Hawks tonight, dancing three points behind the Central Division leaders. But keeping tabs on this clash of the titans will be worth while to all Western watchers, as first-place overall battles second.

Chicago is on a seven-game winning streak, while the NHL-topping Sharks have yet to lose at home in regulation this season. Will HP Pavilion be enough to topple the high-flying Blackhawks?

If so, the Flames could find themselves that much closer to catching up with their 2009 playoff rivals, who have already scored an embarrassing 13 goals at the expense of the Calgary club. Next to the Division-rival Avs, the Flames are most interested in pulling even with the Windy City’s certified fire-dousers.

Also, Flames fans will recognise Matthew Lombardi, playing in Calgary as a Phoenix Coyote tonight, for the first time against his former Flames team mates.

See Comments section below for post game updates from Calgary vs Phoenix, November 25, 2009

Calgary Flames Next 10 Games (all start-times listed in MST, home games italicised )

November
Fri, 27 Nov 2009    Calgary Flames @ Detroit Red Wings — 5:00 p.m., RDS, SNET-W
Sat, 28 Nov 2009    Calgary Flames @ Columbus Blue Jackets — 5:00 p.m., CBC
Mon, 30 Nov 2009    Calgary Flames @ Nashville Predators — 6:00 p.m., SNET-W

December
Thu, 3 Dec 2009     Calgary Flames @ Phoenix Coyotes — 7:30 p.m., Flames PPV
Sat, 5 Dec 2009    Calgary Flames @ San Jose Sharks — 8:00 p.m., CBC
Mon, 7 Dec 2009    Calgary Flames @ Los Angeles Kings — 8:30 p.m., SNET-W
Wed, 9 Dec 2009    Atlanta Thrashers @ Calgary Flames — 7:30 p.m., SNET-W
Fri, 11 Dec 2009    Minnesota Wild @ Calgary Flames — 7:00 p.m., Flames PPV
Sun, 13 Dec 2009    Calgary Flames @ Colorado Avalanche — 6:00 p.m., SNET-W
Tue, 15 Dec 2009    Calgary Flames @ St Louis Blues — 6:00 p.m., Flames PPV

M MacDonald Hall is a Calgary Flames Featured Columnist, covering hockey ins-and-outs for B|R and syndication.

Enquiries regarding NHL writing or other subjects may be directed to Mac's Bleacher Report profile or email .

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Canadiens-Penguins: Pens Stifle Undermanned Habs

Rocket All Habs — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:38:00 -0500

Posted by Rocket All Habs .

Montreal 1, Pittsburgh 3 (Mellon Arena)

Tonight, the defending Stanley Cup champions were too much for the Calder Cup contenders.

The members of the Canadiens injury-depleted lineup, playing in their second game in as many nights, could not compete with Pittsburgh, one of the league's elite teams. The Penguins now lead the NHL with 17 wins.

While the Pens have their own injury concerns, the Canadiens still had to face the likes of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Sergei Gonchar.

The Habs injury list continued to grow with Andrei Kostitsyn being sidelined with a foot injury after blocking a shot near the conclusion of the Columbus game on Tuesday.

The Canadiens stayed with the Penguins in the first period. Shots on goal were eight-to-eight. Hits were 19-to-11 for the Pens. Sidney Crosby opened the scoring by firing a perfect shot into the net's top corner while using Paul Mara as a screen.

Pittsburgh took control of the game in the second period. The Pens took 16 shots to the Canadiens' seven, and a slow whistle allowed Bill Guerin to dislodge the puck from between Carey Price's pads and into the net.

Later in the period, Crosby spotted Gonchar gliding all alone in the slot and sent in a perfect backhand pass. Gonchar finished, and the Penguins led 3-0, as JT Wyman looked lost on the play for Montreal.

One must wonder why coach Jacques Martin would have Wyman, David Desharnais, Marc-Andre Bergeron, and Jay Leach out against Crosby, Staal, and Gonchar anyway.

The Canadiens did have scoring chances.

Facing an open side of the net, Michael Cammalleri simply missed the puck as it rebounded off Marc-Andre Fleury's pads from a shot off the stick of Tomas Plekanec. Max Pacioretty put a shot past Fleury, but rang it off the crossbar. Ryan O'Byrne had a short-handed chance from the slot after a rush behind the net by Plekanec, but Fleury made a good glove save.

The Canadiens tried to mount another third period comeback. Pacioretty scored on a nice setup from Sergei Kostitsyn, but fatigue and facing a superior opponent meant that it wasn't happening Wednesday night.

With back-to-back games and punishing hitting by Pittsburgh, the Canadiens just looked tired. It was an admirable effort by Pacioretty, Kostitsyn, Paul Mara, and Ryan White.

Wyman and Desharnais, each called up in the last few days from the AHL Hamilton Bulldogs, looked out of place at times. One wonders if Brock Trotter and Mike Glumac might have been better options.

It was another 30-shot game for Carey Price. While he wasn't otherworldly, he made some big saves with Penguins left alone on his doorstep all night.

Pacioretty was injured as a result of a blindside hit from Michael Rupp with seven minutes remaining and did not return to the game. While he was a little dizzy, Pacioretty expects to be available for the game on Saturday.

Rocket's Three Stars

1. Sidney Crosby
2. Sergei Gonchar
3. Max Pacioretty

Special mentions: Paul Mara, Ryan White

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Scouts Honour: New York Rangers Scouts Saved Season

Daniel Sallows — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:14:56 -0500

In the grand scheme of things NHL scouts are the forgotten man when it comes to a teams success.

But in the case of the New York Rangers this season, the scouting staff did their best David Copperfield impression and made magic happen in the Big Apple.

Going into training camp the Blueshirts had four NHL defensemen under contract with Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, Marc Staal, and Dan Girardi; whom was a superb find in 2006 as an undrafted free agent signing.

To make matters worse GM Glen Sather had little cap room after signing free agent sniper Marian Gaborik to a $37.5 million contract over five years.

It seemed as though nothing short of a miracle was going to make the Rangers a playoff contender this season.

Even if Henrik Lundqvist was the second coming of Jacques Plante, Sean Avery played like Mark Messier, and Gaborik suddenly transformed into Pavel Bure, the Rangers had way too many holes on the blue line to be taken seriously.

But then came the emergence of 25-year-old free agent signing Matt Gilroy out of Boston University, and the 19-year-old phenom Michael Del Zotto; who was drafted 20th overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

The scouts knew Gilroy was capable of being an NHL defenseman, and he was highly pursued by numerous clubs including the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs, but inevitably decided his star would shine brighter on Broadway.

So far it has, as he has been rock solid through the first two months of the season.

In the case of Del Zotto, the Rangers scouts knew he could step in and play offensively at an elite level even at 19, and he has not disappointed, leading the back end with 5 goals and 11 assists in 23 games.

Where he has surprised many is in his calm demeanor and smart defensive play as well.

But it doesn't stop there, as the scouts of the Blueshirts have also seen their 54th overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft pay huge dividends.

Artem Anisimov has provided an offensive spark to go with his size at 6'4" and 200lb frame.

When you throw these players into the mix of other good finds like Brandon Dubinsky (60th overall in 2004), Ryan Callahan (127th overall in 2004), and of course Marc Staal (12th overall in 2005), well you have to give credit to an underrated scouting staff in the Big Apple.

They may just be the Simon Cowell's of the hockey world when it comes to finding talent.

One has to wonder just how good this team could be if they didn't have $17 million a year tied up in the questionable contracts to Chris Drury, Wade Redden and Sean Avery.

But that might just make the amateur scouting staff of the Rangers about as important to the team as Kramer was to Seinfeld.

The fact is, they just wouldn't be this good without them.

The New York Rangers may or may not challenge for a Stanley Cup this season, but the fact there is even mention of it is due to the guys that spend numerous nights away from their families in a cold arena somewhere trying to find the next big thing.

Or in the Rangers case, trying to find a player to fill a void left by the almighty salary cap.

And for that, fans of the Blueshirts are blessed.

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