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You had a feeling it was coming.
Ryan Miller played fantastically all through the Olympics and pretty well in the Sabres’ last few games in the NHL. He had to have a bad one sooner or later.
Luckily Ryan Miller’s “bad one” amounted to one bad period. After giving up three goals (and two leads) in the first period, Miller locked it down in the second and third periods in the Sabres’ 5-3 win over the Stars Wednesday night.
It was the first game since the Olympics that the Sabres didn’t need Miller to carry a sputtering offense through a low-scoring game. The goals finally came and the Sabres pulled back into a two point lead in the Northeast Division.
It looks like it may take awhile for Miller to regain his Olympic form. The question remains: Will the offense be able to bail him out when he has his “bad one”?
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Heading into Wednesday night’s action, the Philadelphia Flyers sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. The odds of the Flyers catching the Pittsburgh Penguins for first place in the Atlantic Division, which would give the team home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, are slim to none and slim just left the building.
The good news for Flyers fans is that the Orange and Black are just a mere five points behind the fourth place New Jersey Devils and fifth place Ottawa Senators, two teams that, with a little luck, could be caught in the standings.
Thus far, Philadelphia has played 65 games, New Jersey 64, Buffalo 64 and Ottawa 67. What it all amounts to is if the Flyers want to get a favorable seeding in the East, they will have to do it the good old fashioned way; they’ll have to earn it.
Through the Flyers final 17 games they will play the Senators and Devils just once. Beating the Senators and Devils in their head-to-head tilt would go a long way in solidifying the Flyers playoff aspirations and, quite possibly, be the difference between the sixth and fourth seed.
By season’s end, the Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and one of the Senators or Sabres will likely occupy the first, second and third playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, meaning the Flyers will be left to fight it out with the Devils and the loser of the Northeast Division for the Fourth spot overall in the East.
Over the past 10 games the Flyers have put together one of their best stretches going 7-2-1 over that span. Comparatively, the Senators have gone a rather ordinary 5-4-1, the Devils have struggled, going a miserable 3-6-1, while Sabres have struggled, compiling a 3-5-2 record over that same 10-game stretch.
When we look at the numbers, you can clearly see that the Flyers have positioned themselves to take a run at all three of the Devils, Senators and Sabres. One might even say that the Flyers may, in fact, be the favorites to come out of the East with the fourth seed.
Of the aforementioned four teams, the Flyers boast the best goals for/goals against differential at +23, followed by the Devils at +15, the Sabres at +13 and the Senators at -5.
The Flyers sit sixth overall in goals for, the Senators 15th, the Sabres 16th, while the Devils are ranked 24th. Defensively the Flyers sit 12th overall, the Senators 18th, the Sabres fourth, with the Devils sitting at second overall.
When you add it all up, you have four teams that are very evenly matched, each with strengths and weaknesses. That said, the Flyers look to be the most well-balanced team, Michael Leighton haters be damned!
Over the past 10 games the Flyers have managed to balance the ledgers on both sides, scoring 35 goals while giving up just 25. Where the Flyers have been most successful is in the close games, winning four of their past ten by just one goal, with the only blemish being their 7-4 loss to the Florida Panthers on March 3.
The Devils have always relied on goaltender Martin Brodeur to come through in close games. Given Brodeur’s recent struggles, it’s safe to say that the Devils are in real jeopardy of falling in the Eastern Conference standings.
Comparatively, the Sabres have struggled to light the lamp of late. In fact, Buffalo has scored just 21 times in their past 10 games and have not scored four goals in a game since Feb. 1, a 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
When it comes to scoring goals, the Senators are either red hot or ice cold, rarely in the middle. Over their past 10 games, the Senators have been shut out once and kept to just one goal on four occasions. That said, the Sens have also posted six goals in a game, four goals twice and three goals on two other occasions.
When we add it all up, what we have is an inconsistent Senators squad whose inconsistency may cost them down the stretch.
For a team that was all but left for dead at the Christmas break, the Flyers have done well for themselves just to get back into playoff contention. The fact that they have a realistic chance of finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference is a testament to the Flyers’ willingness to embrace the hard working/tight checking game that Head Coach Peter Laviolette insists on, without which the Flyers would likely be on the outside looking in come playoff time.
Fourth place will not be easy, but it is there for the taking. To use the old cliché, the Flyers are going to have to take things one game at a time and hope that the teams ahead of them in the standings continue to play mediocre hockey.
Keep in mind, once the Flyers reach the end of the regular season, it will only be the beginning of what Flyers fans hope to be a long and prosperous playoff run, one that could be made a whole lot easier if they were to finish fourth.
***To read more NHL news and notes please visit my website @ www.theslapshot.com
Until next time,
Peace!
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With 17 games remaining, the San Jose Sharks currently hold down the top spot in the Western Conference.
After compiling a 42-14-9 record up until this point in the season, San Jose holds a slim two point lead over the second place Chicago Blackhawks and with 93 points the Sharks are nearly a lock to finish no worse than second in the conference.
Considering the Sharks have a nine point lead and a game in hand over the third place Vancouver Canucks, only a major collapse would prevent a top-2 seed for San Jose.
But with another impressive regular season coming to a close for the Sharks, fans are beginning to wonder whether this year’s team can match up with fellow Stanley Cup contenders.
While the Sharks clearly match up with any team in the league on paper, the on ice play of their defensive corps has not lived up to expectations.
Outside of Douglas Murray and Dan Boyle, the entire Sharks defensive corps is limited in their effectiveness.
The trio of veteran defensemen Kent Huskins, Niclas Wallin and Jay Leach all bring average defensive abilities to the table, but neither demonstrate impressive physical play or offensive punch.
However, all three of them could suffice as third pair quality defenseman. As such, their performances haven’t been the problem.
The real problem is that the play of both Rob Blake and Marc-Edouard Vlasic has been extremely mediocre this season.
In fact, the primary reason that the Sharks won’t be able to beat any of the fellow Cup contenders is because they have been playing the entire season with only two top-four quality defenseman.
In particular, it is the captain of this year’s Sharks squad that has been more of a detriment to this team than an asset. In his first year as the Sharks captain, Blake has underachieved at both ends of the ice.
One could even make the case that rookie Jason Demers (who has had his own defensive woes) has brought better all around play than the 19-year veteran.
Now without any fancy saber metrics available to rate the defensive abilities of a NHL defenseman, readers will just have to take my word for it that Blake has been downright awful defensively this season.
To what degree have both Blake and Demers struggled defensively?
Well, Blake has been caught for 16 obstruction penalties in 54 games while Demers has taken only four obstruction penalties in 44 games.
Therefore, one could assume that Blake has been playing worse overall because he has been more penalized.
On the contrary, that assumption can be proven wrong when you take into consideration that Blake plays a larger role and sees more ice time. When you factor in ice time, the discrepancy in amount of penalties each of them have taken is significantly reduced.
The only way to get a full grasp of how Demers and Blake have been playing defensively is to watch the tape.
Unfortunately, the average follower like you and me doesn’t have access to game tape or enough space on our tivo to save all the games.
But drawing from memory, both defensemen have played equally bad in their own zone. Obviously the more experienced Blake has done a great job of hiding his deficiencies and Demers’ mistakes have been much more noticeable.
However, those of us who have played and followed the game for years have realized that Blake’s incredibly slow style and lack of skating ability in his own zone has made him quite the liability.
There really is no way of getting around it, even though Blake disguises his decreased ability level quite well, he has been just as lousy defensively as Demers has this season.
What is the kicker you ask?
How can an argument be won in favor of playing Demers over Blake?
Simple, Demers has brought much more to the table on the offensive end.
On the season, Demers has four goals and 20 points in 44 games, while Blake has five goals and 21 points 54 games.
If both were to play 82 game seasons at their respective paces, Blake would finish with 32 points and Demers with 37 points.
To the naked eye, five points may not seem like a big difference but when you consider Demers averages five minutes and 37 seconds less ice time per game, his offensive production is elevated even higher.
In other words, Demers is averaging a point for every 35 minutes of ice time. Blake on the other hand only averages a point for every 55 minutes of ice time. At Demers’ current rate, if he were to have played the amount of minutes Blake has played this season, he would have 33 points on the season.
That is a 57 percent increase in offensive production Demers would bring to the table if he was given as much playing time as San Jose’s 39-year-old captain.
Yet the Sharks are going to head into the playoffs with Blake playing the part of a top-four defenseman who sees over 21 minutes of ice time per game?
It really is quite a joke that at this stage of his career Blake is being given this much ice time.
Now as it stands, if the entire roster is healthy, the Sharks won’t even end up having Demers in the postseason lineup.
But they certainly will have Blake in the playoff lineup despite the fact Demers has brought more on ice value this season.
What does this mean for the Sharks?
It means that their captain is less deserving of playoff action than their seventh defenseman.
Now when was the last time a team won the Stanley Cup with their captain being such a liability?
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The Multiple Personalities of the Vancouver Canucks
10, Mar 2010The Canucks this year is a study of a team with a multiple personality disorder. It has a first period where they suffer from confusion, lack of urgency; forgetful of responsibilities, carefree, lackadaisical and memory loss.
In the second period they are more conscious of their surroundings, responsible, attentive to details; play with meaning, coherent, and energetic.
The third period they play with passion, rise to the occasion, overcome adversity, flow with synchronicity, beat down the odds and pull a rabbit out of their collective hats or in this case helmets.
How else do you describe the events where the Nucks have come from behind 10 times now, when starting the third period to win?
Have they been watching the old Muhammad Ali/George Foreman fights and discovered the art of “rope a dope” for hockey?
Let the opposition wail away on the score sheet, expend their energy scoring, body checking, completely dominating and then in the third period when the opposition is completely exhausted, confident and convinced that the Nucks are done like dinner, the Canucks alter ego rises up to beat them.
Think about that for a moment. Ten times or 20 points in the standings, the Canucks have come back from a loss to record a win. That is phenomenal.
But just think if they had only won half of those games or 10 points worth towards the standings? They would be tied for ninth spot with the Detroit Red Wings!
With all the adversity and injuries the Nucks have gone through this season, is this just the “boot camp” training preparing them for a long run in the playoffs?
What has happened this season will never happen again, meaning the 14 game road trip and the 10 games and counting, come from behind wins.
Are the stars lining up for something special with a team of destiny? Look how many players are having career years in scoring and or points?
In no particular order: Henrik Sedin, Alex Burrows, Mikael Samuelsson, Ryan Kesler, Mason Raymond, Christian Ehrhoff and Jannik Hansen. Jannik Hansen had a total of six goals in two previous seasons and here he is with two winning goals on this road trip and eight this season to date!
Roberto Luongo may match or better his first season number of wins of 47.
The Canucks may end up with the most points ever, have reached and surpassed most points at the 66 game mark and are on course to have their best +/- differential.
Two of the top six defensemen go down with extended injuries and the depth at that position allows the team to continue on, even though they face the monster road trip.
Who would have ever thought, with a road record of barely .500 before they set out, that the Nucks would finish with a record of no less than 8W, 6L and could finish with 9-5 if they beat Phoenix tonight?
This has been one bizarre year right from the onset of the season, where it was mediocrity at best in the beginning, then the home winning record and then having Henrik Sedin rise to the occasion like never before sitting in first place in the NHL scoring race for several weeks.
When was the last time a Canuck, besides Markus Naslund (finished second in scoring in 2003), was in that lofty position?
In conclusion, I started out talking about this multiple personality that the team seems to have and that’s OK because this sure is interesting trying to figure them out.
Hey, what’s to figure out? This is most likely the best Canuck team that has been around since 1994 and we all remember what happened that year.
Maybe, just maybe, this time it turns out different.
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The Vancouver Canucks have been the epitome of being consistently inconsistent or inconsistently consistent. Whether it’s on the ice during the length, or a game, or on paper during the stretch of the season, this team has left us with question marks all over the place.
That is something that unfortunately won’t change come postseason time regardless of how many times you rub your rabbit’s foot.
The “Boys in Blue” are leading the league in comeback wins with 10, after pulling out a 6-4 win in Colorado on Monday. They posted three goals in the second, and three goals in the third.
As mentioned, it’s clearly not the first time the team has not utilized the first 20 minutes and still pulled off a win, and it probably won’t be the last.
That side note is all good, fine, and fun but when it comes to the postseason will they survive only playing two-thirds of the game(s)?
Most likely not, a perfect example of this was last year against Chicago in the Western semi-finals. They took off a period a game in most of their seven matches and on paper, the team also took the last half of the series off as well.
However, we’ll come back to that among other points.
WHY THE CANUCKS WILL MAKE A SPLASH IN THE PLAYOFFS
Second Line Production
The team’s problem dating back to the Naslund days was that only one line would show up. This not only happened in the season on most nights, but it was the team’s constant kryptonite in the playoffs as well.
This problem has been remedied.
The team now has solid second line production and on some nights when lucky, the third and fourth lines get in on the mix as well.
Mikael Samuelsson is putting up career numbers in every point category. Currently, he sits 16th in the league in goals with 27 and thanks to his hat-trick on Monday night in Colorado, he has eclipsed his season high in points as well with 47.
He, along with Olympic scoring leader Pavol Demitra, NHL 2011 cover boy and silver medalist Ryan Kesler, are gradually gaining confidence to the likes of Mason Raymond will help the Canucks cause drastically.
Quarterback
For the first time since Ed Jovanovski in 2006, the Vancouver Canucks have a quarterback on the blue line—someone who can lead the defense offensively.
He can pass, he can shoot but above all he can score. His name is Christian Ehrhoff, and if you live in San Jose, you can probably still see his photo on milk cartons because the Vancouver Canucks stole him from the Sharks.
It was one of the most lopsided trades of the offseason and if you live on this side of the 49th, you get to watch the Canucks reap the benefits game in and game out. His confidence with the puck, quick thinking, and quick hands are one of the main reasons the Canucks will put more points on the board come playoff time.
Confidence
Never has this team had a goalie who we know can handle the pressure and play in the clutch. The ‘Nucks net minder proved he has what it takes in February coming off the bench half way through the tourney to lead his team to Gold.
That kind of tenacity will payoff big time in the playoffs.
To add to that, Kesler helped lead his team to the Olympic silver medal.
Everyone says silver is the only medal you don’t win, but if you look at where the USA were slated to finish according to most though, it was a big win. To add to that, Pavol Demitra was the tournament’s leading scorer and he now has a chip on his shoulder.
Demitra did not get enough height on the puck in the dying seconds to tie Canada and force OT, so rest assured he wants redemption and a taste of glory.
WHY THE CANUCKS WON’T MAKE A SPLASH IN THE PLAYOFFS
Defensive Depth
General Manager Mike Gillis was not a winner on trade deadline day. The only players with big league experience he was able to acquire were Yan Stastny and Andrew Alberts.
Stastny isn’t as much of a pressing issue because he will sit behind a few guys in the press box anyway. However, the acquisition of Alberts is something Gillis should not be proud of.
The Canucks were in dire need of a defenseman who could log big minutes if needed and who could handle the back end in case of injuries. They did not get that in Alberts.
He’s big; he hits; he somewhat fights but he skates like he’s in a school zone. For a stay at home defenseman isn’t awful but in this day in age speed kills and with Aaron Rome, Willie Mitchell (eventually), Shane O’brien, and Alberts all on the depth chart, the Canucks blue line will not resemble the hare it will be rather reminiscent of the tortoise.
Size and Intimidation
For a team that is sixth in the league in fighting majors (53), you’d think they’d look mean.
Rick Rypien without question is one of the more underrated fly-middle weights in the league.
Tanner Glass likes to mix it up too but A) He’s not the biggest guy and b) He won’t scare anybody. Darcy Hordichuk is a moot point because he is usually tasting the appetizers in the press box and Willie Mitchell status is TBD for the post season.
That leaves four more big bodies in Andrew Alberts (6′5″), Steve Bernier (6′2″), Shane O’Brien (6′3″) and Kevin Bieksa (6′1″).
Alberts will scrap but his style is rather reminiscent to Jeff Cowan’s old drop ‘em and get dropped style.
Steve Bernier’s decision to constantly keep the gloves on in confrontations is as frustrating as listening to Americans say eh?
Kevin Bieksa drops the mitts every now and then but more often than not prefers to stay out of trouble.
Finally, Shane O’Brien will drop the mitts and will put up a good tilt but his problem is that he and Rick Rypien (the team’s two undisputed skilled scrappers) play third and fourth line minutes.
Confidence where it counts, IN NET
I know I said Roberto is confident but I also described the team as consistently inconsistent and vice versa, and by team I mean Roberto.
Who are we kidding? This team will never survive without a big performance between the pipes. Justice of that can be seen over the teams past 66 games.
When Roberto has a bad night, the Canucks have a bad night.
Also as mentioned, the team now has 10 come from behind wins.
If you look at each and every one of those games, more often than not it’s not the players that are letting in the softies, it’s the goalie. Then, when Bobby Lou turns it up in the later frames, so do the guys in front of him.
After the Olympics, Captain Lou proved that he can win when it counts. However, he also proved that softies are his weakness and when the going gets tough, Roberto gets going.
It’s not a fine line in the least, its a gigantic freighter anchor chain of line between the two and the ‘Nucks netminder needs to find his feet on the softies before his team has a chance of succeeding when it matters most.
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The Vancouver Canucks have been the epitome of being consistently inconsistent or inconsistently consistent. Whether it’s on the ice during the length, or a game, or on paper during the stretch of the season, this team has left us with question marks all over the place.
That is something that unfortunately won’t change come postseason time regardless of how many times you rub your rabbit’s foot.
The “Boys in Blue” are leading the league in comeback wins with 10, after pulling out a 6-4 win in Colorado on Monday. They posted three goals in the second, and three goals in the third.
As mentioned, it’s clearly not the first time the team has not utilized the first 20 minutes and still pulled off a win, and it probably won’t be the last.
That side note is all good, fine, and fun but when it comes to the postseason will they survive only playing two-thirds of the game(s)?
Most likely not, a perfect example of this was last year against Chicago in the Western semi-finals. They took off a period a game in most of their seven matches and on paper, the team also took the last half of the series off as well.
However, we’ll come back to that among other points.
WHY THE CANUCKS WILL MAKE A SPLASH IN THE PLAYOFFS
Second Line Production
The team’s problem dating back to the Naslund days was that only one line would show up. This not only happened in the season on most nights, but it was the team’s constant kryptonite in the playoffs as well.
This problem has been remedied.
The team now has solid second line production and on some nights when lucky, the third and fourth lines get in on the mix as well.
Mikael Samuelsson is putting up career numbers in every point category. Currently, he sits 16th in the league in goals with 27 and thanks to his hat-trick on Monday night in Colorado, he has eclipsed his season high in points as well with 47.
He, along with Olympic scoring leader Pavol Demitra, NHL 2011 cover boy and silver medalist Ryan Kesler, are gradually gaining confidence to the likes of Mason Raymond will help the Canucks cause drastically.
Quarterback
For the first time since Ed Jovanovski in 2006, the Vancouver Canucks have a quarterback on the blue line—someone who can lead the defense offensively.
He can pass, he can shoot but above all he can score. His name is Christian Ehrhoff, and if you live in San Jose, you can probably still see his photo on milk cartons because the Vancouver Canucks stole him from the Sharks.
It was one of the most lopsided trades of the offseason and if you live on this side of the 49th, you get to watch the Canucks reap the benefits game in and game out. His confidence with the puck, quick thinking, and quick hands are one of the main reasons the Canucks will put more points on the board come playoff time.
Confidence
Never has this team had a goalie who we know can handle the pressure and play in the clutch. The ‘Nucks net minder proved he has what it takes in February coming off the bench half way through the tourney to lead his team to Gold.
That kind of tenacity will payoff big time in the playoffs.
To add to that, Kesler helped lead his team to the Olympic silver medal.
Everyone says silver is the only medal you don’t win, but if you look at where the USA were slated to finish according to most though, it was a big win. To add to that, Pavol Demitra was the tournament’s leading scorer and he now has a chip on his shoulder.
Demitra did not get enough height on the puck in the dying seconds to tie Canada and force OT, so rest assured he wants redemption and a taste of glory.
WHY THE CANUCKS WON’T MAKE A SPLASH IN THE PLAYOFFS
Defensive Depth
General Manager Mike Gillis was not a winner on trade deadline day. The only players with big league experience he was able to acquire were Yan Stastny and Andrew Alberts.
Stastny isn’t as much of a pressing issue because he will sit behind a few guys in the press box anyway. However, the acquisition of Alberts is something Gillis should not be proud of.
The Canucks were in dire need of a defenseman who could log big minutes if needed and who could handle the back end in case of injuries. They did not get that in Alberts.
He’s big; he hits; he somewhat fights but he skates like he’s in a school zone. For a stay at home defenseman isn’t awful but in this day in age speed kills and with Aaron Rome, Willie Mitchell (eventually), Shane O’brien, and Alberts all on the depth chart, the Canucks blue line will not resemble the hare it will be rather reminiscent of the tortoise.
Size and Intimidation
For a team that is sixth in the league in fighting majors (53), you’d think they’d look mean.
Rick Rypien without question is one of the more underrated fly-middle weights in the league.
Tanner Glass likes to mix it up too but A) He’s not the biggest guy and b) He won’t scare anybody. Darcy Hordichuk is a moot point because he is usually tasting the appetizers in the press box and Willie Mitchell status is TBD for the post season.
That leaves four more big bodies in Andrew Alberts (6′5″), Steve Bernier (6′2″), Shane O’Brien (6′3″) and Kevin Bieksa (6′1″).
Alberts will scrap but his style is rather reminiscent to Jeff Cowan’s old drop ‘em and get dropped style.
Steve Bernier’s decision to constantly keep the gloves on in confrontations is as frustrating as listening to Americans say eh?
Kevin Bieksa drops the mitts every now and then but more often than not prefers to stay out of trouble.
Finally, Shane O’Brien will drop the mitts and will put up a good tilt but his problem is that he and Rick Rypien (the team’s two undisputed skilled scrappers) play third and fourth line minutes.
Confidence where it counts, IN NET
I know I said Roberto is confident but I also described the team as consistently inconsistent and vice versa, and by team I mean Roberto.
Who are we kidding? This team will never survive without a big performance between the pipes. Justice of that can be seen over the teams past 66 games.
When Roberto has a bad night, the Canucks have a bad night.
Also as mentioned, the team now has 10 come from behind wins.
If you look at each and every one of those games, more often than not it’s not the players that are letting in the softies, it’s the goalie. Then, when Bobby Lou turns it up in the later frames, so do the guys in front of him.
After the Olympics, Captain Lou proved that he can win when it counts. However, he also proved that softies are his weakness and when the going gets tough, Roberto gets going.
It’s not a fine line in the least, its a gigantic freighter anchor chain of line between the two and the ‘Nucks netminder needs to find his feet on the softies before his team has a chance of succeeding when it matters most.
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Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter
Reports have surfaced suggesting that the stick and glove that went missing soon after Sidney Crosby scored the winning goal in the Gold Medal game against the United States has been found.
Hockey Canada released a statement saying Crosby’s equipment was, in fact, misplaced and not stolen as originally suspected. As it turns out the stick was found in a shipment that was reportedly headed to the IIHF Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg, Russia, and that the glove was found in the possession of teammate Patrice Bergeron’s equipment bag.
Reebok had just last week put up a $10,000 reward for the return of the “priceless” items. No word on whether or not Bergeron will collect on the reward (of course I am joking).
The stick and gloves are now expected to be given back to Crosby who in all likelihood will donate the items to the Hockey Hall of Fame, where they can be appreciated by hockey fans.
For more hockey coverage and NHL notes please check out my website at: (use link below)
Until next time,
Peace!
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Get your headshots in while they are still legal.
That was the message Colin Campbell and the NHL declared to its players on Wednesday following the decision not to suspend Matt Cooke for his blindside hit on Marc Savard last Sunday.
You have got to be kidding.
Colin Campbell let Cooke, a repeat offender, off the hook?
And the Boston Bruins are left with its impact player recovering from a Grade Two concussion?
Unreal.
Following three days of general manager meetings, with the hot topic of illegal hits on everyone’s minds, Campbell seemed to declare the NHL’s intentions for the future.
“Oh, well we’ll just start caring about our players next year.”
Campbell based his decision on Cooke in relation to the suspension he handed Mike Richards for a similar hit delivered to David Booth .
Richards wasn’t suspended, so Cooke won’t be either?
What?
Rumor and sources say Campbell’s decision revolved around consistency.
Yes, Colin Campbell, you’ve been consistently dumb.
First of all, Cooke has been suspended twice since January of last year for similar incidents. So, all of a sudden, his blindside hits are deemed legal? Where is the consistency there?
Why didn’t Campbell observe the suspensions levied to Cooke in the past? What does Richards have anything to do with Cooke? That decision was a joke in the first place.
Failing to suspend Richards was a big mistake. Trying to be consistent can’t be achieved when Campbell made the wrong decision regarding Richards’ hit.
Matt Cooke should be worried March 18 when the Pittsburgh Penguins face the Bruins in Boston. As should Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin .
Savard’s injury will still be fresh in the minds of players and fans alike when the puck is dropped. Hockey is an emotional sport. Things can get out of control. On March 18, it just might.
Campbell’s decision today effectively stamped a bulls-eye on the face of every NHL player for the rest of the season.
Be worried, NHL fans.
It’s about to get ugly.
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The announcement came just a little earlier today.
Colin Campbell, the NHL’s senior vice president, announced that the Penguins’ Matt Cooke will not be suspended for his hit on Bruins’ Marc Savard. The hit, which occurred Sunday, gave Savard a Grade two concussion and will most likely put him out for the rest of the season.
In his ruling, Campbell stated that he was just being consistent since there was no suspension for Flyers’ Mike Richards’ hit on Panthers’ David Booth earlier in the year.
The hits were similar but one has to wonder what the league was thinking on this one.
Cooke is a repeat offender.
He has already been suspended twice before for hits on Scott Walker and Artem Anisimov for which he received two games each. The league says they want to crack down on these types of blindside hits but they don’t seem to be enforcing it much at all. They had their chance to make an example of a repeat offender and they fell flat on their faces.
Campbell did say that if this type of hit happens next season, that the league will do something about it but sadly that won’t bring back the Bruins best player. With the hit, Cooke all but ended the Bruins chances at doing anything in the playoffs.
Most of the thought was that Cooke would be suspended anywhere from three games to possibly even 10. The Bruins will just have to move on. They have 17 games remaining on the schedule and are fighting for a playoff spot.
The loss of Savard though has put a huge dent in their playoff chances.
Now the belief has to be that it is going to take a star player like Ovechkin or Crosby to get hurt for something to be done. Savard is a pretty darn good player but his star status just wasn’t high enough.
The Bruins and Penguins play again next week and what is to happen if somebody takes out Crosby or Malkin with a cheap shot?
Will the league come down hard because the face of the league is injured?
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MINNESOTA WILD RECALLS D JAIME SIFERS FROM HOUSTON AEROS
RW PETR KALUS REASSIGNED TO HOUSTON
SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. â Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has recalled defenseman Jaime Sifers from the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (AHL) and reassigned right wing Petr Kalus to Houston.
Sifers, 27…
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You read the title to this story correctly.
The Atlanta Thrashers are calling up 48-year-old defenseman Chris Chelios from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League.
Chelios, apparently going Reggie Dunlap (Slap Shot reference), has not played in the NHL since May 27, 2009, with the Detroit Red Wings against the Chicago Blackhawks.
“Chris has been an outstanding leader and mentor for our young players in Chicago and his level of play has made him deserving of this opportunity,” Thrashers GM Don Waddell said in a statement released by the team. “He’s a tremendous competitor who strengthens our group of defensemen and instantly adds a veteran presence to our locker room.”
I guess if you put the work in and contribute to the team it does not matter what your age—you can still get the call to the show.
Chelios, who has played 46 games for the Wolves in the AHL, has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) on the season in the minors, good enough to be the 12th-leading scorer on the team.
Look, I am all for players making comebacks and hanging on to the dream. But when is enough going to be enough with these guys?
Yes, I know he has the stats and productivity in the AHL to maybe merit a call-up, but do the Thrashers really think he is going to make an impact for their club?
Seriously, he will be going up against guys that were not even born yet when he first played in the NHL. How can that possibly be a good thing for your team?
I get the whole “leadership” role he may take on while in the ATL, but even die-hard Cheli and Thrashers fans can’t say this is going to be a long-term thing here.
After all, the guy is less than two years away from being 50 years old.
Now, I could be wrong with Chelios; he may come out and dump a few goals in or snag a few assists here and there. I just can’t wrap my head around the idea that a 48-year-old guy is going to be effective in the NHL.
But I will leave it to you, Thrashers fans. What do you think about Chelios coming to your club as the postseason approaches?
And, yes, Atlanta still has a shot to make the NHL playoffs, as they sit just four points back of the Bruins for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference.
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It’s been 10 days since the men’s hockey team of Canada woke up with a gold medal.
Looking back on the marquis tournament that took place in Vancouver over two weeks in February, players, coaches, general managers, and fans can take a few things away, in retrospect.
Let’s start with the current hotbed topic in the NHL coming back from the Olympic break.
A few days ago, diminutive Boston Bruin forward Marc Savard was taken from the ice on a stretcher after a questionable hit to the head by Penguins bad boy Matt Cooke. The most interesting thing was Patrice Bergeron watching from the Bruins bench. A similar hit almost ended Bergeron’s career. He struggled with post-concussion syndrome, and recovered. He now has a gold medal to prove it.
One thing that became apparent in the Olympic tournament is that entertaining hockey can be played, even in spite of rules that limit the kinds of hits that left Marc Savard limp against the Mellon Arena ice.
NHL general managers are beginning to take action themselves against these types of incidents. Eight GMs have been watching these shoulder-to-head checks very closely since November, and will report their findings to the board today. The group includes Lou Lamoreillo of New Jersey, Darcy Reiger in Buffalo, Jim Rutherford in Carolina, Joe Neiuwendyk of Calgary, Doug Wilson of San Jose, Paul Holmgren of Philadelphia, Brian Burke in Toronto, and Ken Holland in Detroit.
Their mission is simple. They have been charged with creating a set of rules to curb these dangerous types of blind side contact.
The good news is that it can be done. Fans still can see the huge hits and collisions that shake the boards. The Olympic tournament proves it, especially in the hockey put on display during the gold medal game.
One more thing that fans and executive alike can take away from these games is that the United States hockey program has arrived to the international table and is a force to be reckoned with. Brian Burke has been telling us for years that he is a genius. Maybe, his doubters, especially those with an address in the Canadian province of Ontario, should listen.
It has been discussed ad nauseum that the US silver medal was a surprise. Honestly, this writer has been confused as to why no one expected it. Instead of building a dream team, Burke and his subordinates built a team. Ron Wilson, who bought into Burke’s idea, gave everyone on that team a role. Those roles did not change.
It brings to mind the make up of a New Jersey Devils squad. Maybe John Tortorella, coach of the malfunctioning New York Rangers and assistant coach for the U.S. men’s hockey team, can take a page from Wilson’s success.
One more thing to take away from these Olympic games is that the KHL experiment may finally come to an end. Russia didn’t medal. The Czech Republic didn’t medal. Slovakia didn’t medal. Those three teams, specifically, drew on talent from the KHL and the NHL, and were internationally ranked higher than the three teams that did bring home medals. Maybe the KHL debate has finally come to an end.
Let this be a sign to Gary Bettman. More good came from these Olympic games than bad. Only one marquis player, Marian Gaborik, came home with an injury, and it wasn’t a season-ending one. The level of hockey in the NHL has been stirred to a frenzy by the players that came home energized by this extraordinary tournament.
And hockey fans still have the Stanley Cup playoffs to look forward to. What can professional hockey do for an encore? We shall see in the coming weeks.
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The magic man Ray Shero amazed us all once again by scouting and acquiring a player the Penguins were in desperate need of: a scoring, top-six forward. This deal came in the form of Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula for Alexei Ponikarovsky.
Pony made his Pens debut on Saturday in an energetic win over the Dallas Stars. The raw stats don’t speak to the impact of the power forward. It was truly inspiring watching a new player being welcomed at the Igloo as Pony was.
The fans did not have to wait long for his first goal as it came on a power play in the third period. After his name was announced on the intercom, the people began to chant “Pony” as loud as they typically cheer for Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. He also received a standing ovation at the end of the game as he was named the third star of the game.
The acquisition of a big, scoring forward will not be measured in goals and points, but also in intangibles. Pony has all ready had an effect on his teammates.
Before the Olympic break, any Penguins fan would have seen Ruslan Fedotenko as being one of the first players scratched due to lack of performance. Fed’s point production is still low and his +/- is a career low minus -16, but he is making up for it in other ways—heading to the net and checking. He appears to have a new zest for the game, perhaps realizing that a roster spot is not guaranteed.
Once Pony, Fed, and Geno get acquainted with each other, there is no limit to how well they can play.
Once this familiarity is attained, it spells bad news for every opposing defense. Before the Pony trade, opposing defensemen had to worry about the first line, Geno on the second, and Jordan Staal on the third.
With the acquisition of Pony, defensemen have to decide who to try and stop on the second line. Geno’s underrated passing ability makes the second line equal to most first lines in the NHL.
The Pens finally have the personnel to do what other teams have so effectively used against them: have a player sit in the crease and screen the goalie. The fans got a little taste of this last Saturday has Pony scored a PP goal, which is rather impressive as he only made one appearance on the power play late in the game.
The city of Pittsburgh can get behind a player like Pony. He is a blue-collar, physical player who reminds me of Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone. His stat line versus the Stars included four hits, one of which was a beautiful open-ice hit in the neutral zone separated the puck—and almost the helmet—of the Stars’ defender. With the departure of Malone, the Pens needed a power forward that could score in those dirty areas.
Ray Shero did what any good GM does: he went out and got what his team needed. He gave up a young player who could become a top six forward, but he got a current top six forward in return. No one knows what will happen with Pony after the season; will he be resigned or test free agency? It could be disheartening, but in the here and now, I know the Penguins will ride Sid, Geno, and Pony deep into the playoffs. Repeat? Anything can happen with studs like that…
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Don’t look now, but your Montreal Canadiens are on a mighty three-game winning streak! Not that a three-game streak is the end of the world or anything. What is more important than the wins is the manner in which they were won.
Don’t be fooled by the 5-3 final score or the 31-28 shot advantage that Tampa enjoyed, because the game wasn’t that close.
In fact, the game wasn’t close at all, as the Canadiens simply dismantled the usually tough-for-the-Habs -to-play-against Lightning.
With homeboys Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Alex Tanguay in town, things are usually difficult for the Habs as those guys tend to play the role of giant-killer against the Habs .
Not last night, however, as Montreal dominated Tampa in every aspect of the game from the opening faceoff .
The Habs got on the board early as Glen Metropolit fired in a brilliant Scott Gomez pass on the powerplay to make it 1-0.
Gomez was again in on the action, scoring an unassisted goal as he walked in alone off the half boards, to make it 2-0. After that, the floodgates opened up.
The Habs got a goal from Pouliot and two from Darche to respond to Tampa’s Steven Stamkos , Scott Walker, and St. Louis, in closing it out 5-3. But the thing that was amazing was how strongly the Habs controlled the play and how few scoring chances Tampa had.
Jaroslav Halak wasn’t really tested early in the game, but came up big in the third as Tampa came to life a little. The big story of the game, however, was that the Gomez line continued to be on fire and that the third and fourth line players continued to contribute for the Habs .
Now if only they could get line No. 1 going, they could become a force to contend with .
Final score: Habs 5 – Lightning 3
Game Notes
1. Halak did his job. After receiving the Habs’ Molson Cup for January and February before the game started—based on leading the three star selections for the Habs—Halak was treated to a relatively easy night.
For a rare time this season, Halak didn’t have to stand on his head in order for his team to win. What he did do, however, was make the key saves that he needed to, in the third, to keep Tampa at bay despite having a sleepy first two periods.
I have said it before and will say it again: Elite goaltenders make key saves at key times and that is what sets them apart from the pack. Now, I am not saying that Halak is necessarily an elite goaltender yet, but he certainly seems to be heading that direction.
Jacques Martin needs to ride him until he loses or has a bad game. Carey Price’s time will come, but it will not be this year.
2. Hello, Scott Gomez and welcome to the party! While Gomez spent the first two thirds of the season giving fans every reason to complain about his ridiculous eight million dollar salary, he has spent the last two weeks making them forget all about it.
I find it amazing how a player’s salary can become so important when they are not producing and so irrelevant when they are. That is definitely the microscope that Gomez has been under this season.
Since the Olympic break, however, Gomez has been one of it not the best player on the team and is acting as the offensive spark plug for the Habs’ first line.
With one goal and two assists last night, Gomez is now in second place in Habs scoring with 50 points (12G, 38A) in 64 games. In addition, he has 15 points (5G, 10A) over his last 11 games and is the glue that makes that first line stick.
In case you were wondering, Gomez’s linemates are ripping it up over that same span too. Brian Gionta (20G, 16A) has 10 points (6G, 4A) over the same 11 games while Pouliot (14G, 5A) has 19 points over the 25 games he has played with the Habs—all on Gomez’s wing.
The trade of Guillaume Latendresse for Pouliot is starting to look like the turning point for the Habs season; he is clearly the missing ingredient from that line.
With the third and fourth lines scoring, all the Habs need is for the Plekanec line, and specifically Andrei Kostitsyn, to wake up, and they could become a dangerous foe.
3. The third and fourth lines are pulling their weight. With Darche scoring two goals last night and Metropolit getting a goal and an assist, the Habs offense looks balanced and this has been the case since the Olympic break.
Last night, playing in his 400th career game, Glen Metropolit scored his 15th goal of the season, a career high for him. His 15 goals are making up, in a big way, for the lack of production from Maxim Lapierre—who only has six goals this season.
4. No Paul Mara, no Lapierre , no Price, no problem. Last night was the third game in a newly founded winning streak for the Habs and the third game where Mara, Lapierre, and Price were out of the lineup.
Now, you can also add Michael Cammalleri and Marc-Andre Bergeron to that list, but I look at those two a little differently since they are integral to the Habs lineup.
For Mara, Price, and Lapierre, however, the coaching staff has been trying to find the right place for them all season long. Out of the three, Price is the one who is in a slightly different situation because the coach keeps throwing him the ball, hoping that he’ll catch it.
For most of the season, Price has been about 50/50 in that department. Now, however, with 14 games left in the season, I would not be surprised if Coach Martin rides Halak as much as possible.
When it comes to Paul Mara, he has struggled all season long. Mara has been in the press box as a healthy scratch since the Olympic break and the Habs defense looks much more stable as a result.
You just have to look at Mara’s atrocious minus-16 rating to see how he hurts the Habs five-on-five play. Here’s hoping that, barring injury, Martin does not reinsert him in the lineup as the current defensive pairing are working.
You’ve got to think the Habs tried to move Mara at the deadline but were unsuccessful. Good thing he’s on a one-year contract that is sure not to be renewed in the offseason.
Lapierre represents a different situation all together. Coming off of a career year, he has looked flat, tentative, and heartless all season long. Try as he may, Coach Martin has not been able to find the right linemates or ice time to turn Lapierre back into an effective player.
The four-game suspension that Lapierre received for his dirty hit on Scott Nichol last week is only showing how unimportant he has become to the Habs. If I were Lapierre, the sight of the third and fourth lines thriving without me would have me shaking in my boots.
5. Would someone, anyone, named Kostitsyn score a goal please? Despite the winning streak and the positive vibes surrounding the team, there is still the glaring hole that is the Plekanec line. While Pleky is doing his best, having AK46 firing blanks and Tom Pyatt as his other winger just isn’t cutting it.
Andrei again looks lost out there and needs to get that scoring monkey off of his back. A lucky bounce, an empty net goal, or anything to get him going!
6. Ben Maxwell is not ready for the NHL. Maxwell looks like he needs to go through the Steven Stamkos school of hard knocks by hitting the gym to gain weight and muscle. He gets knocked off of the puck way too easy and looks completely ineffective on the ice.
Send him back to Hamilton and bring up Ryan White.
7. Not only are the Habs on a three-game winning streak, but they have won four out of five games since the Olympic break. With 14 games left in their season and the majority of them against opponents below them in the standings, the Habs could be poised to go on a bit of a run here.
In addition, the Habs should be receiving Michael Cammalleri and Bergeron back in the lineup sometime over the next two weeks. Is this a team that is about to start peaking going into the playoffs?
If you’ve never watched any playoff hockey before in your life, winning is about peaking at the right time. In addition, there is nothing more dangerous than a team who is peaking headed into the playoffs as many first seeds have been toppled by streaking eighth seeds over the years.
Now, a three-game winning streak does not mean that the Habs are going to blow over the competition but maybe, just maybe, the stars are aligning at the right time. We’ll see what the final few weeks of the season bring.
Standings and Next Game
With 72 points in 68 games, the Habs are firmly ensconced in seventh overall in the East. Just ahead of the Canadiens in the standings are the Flyers with 74 points and three games in hand.
Behind the Habs there is the usual logjam with Boston (70 points, three games in hand), the Rangers (67 points, two games in hand), Atlanta (66 points, three games in hand), and Tampa (65 points, three games in hand).
While the games in hand make it difficult for the Habs to create much separation in the standings, all they can do is keep winning. A game in hand doesn’t mean much if you lose it and the Habs winning streak just keeps putting pressure on their competition.
The Canadiens enjoy a day off today before taking on the Edmonton Oilers tomorrow night in Montreal.
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The NHL’s Top Five Best Contracts
10, Mar 2010The other day I wrote a little article about the NHL’s five worst contracts. Here, have a read:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/358852-the-top-five-worst-contracts-in-the-nhl
And while there are so many contracts in the NHL that make me cringe in pain when I think about them, there are contracts that also make me believe that there is still some logic left in the NHL.
So here are some of the best contracts in the league.
For those of you who look at these contracts and think these guys are overpaid, take a look at some of contracts in the MLB, NBA, and NFL first.
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As the number of games remaining on the schedule continues to shrink, teams will emerge with a great chance to raise their own banner. Other teams will sneak in the back door and steal a playoff spot at the expense of another team.
Not every team has a shot at the Cup, and not every team will even sniff the postseason. But there are some teams we would love to see make it into late April.
Here are the top five teams we would love to see get a shot at playoff glory this year.
(*teams on this list were, as of the end of action on March 9, not in the top eight teams in either conference)
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Looking Ahead: Five Probable NHL Playoff Matchups
10, Mar 2010Every year around the middle of April, millions of NHL hockey fans sit transfixed before the television cheering their favorite teams towards the ultimate goal of every NHL hockey player and fan alike, the Stanley Cup.
For the fan who cheers on a playoff contender, it is often a period of time filled with emotions like joy and sorrow, love and hate, and sometimes just plain old anger.
The fan of non playoff teams however, only experience one emotion, and it’s usually not what you might think.
One would think that a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs for example would be full of sorrow and frustration, but that generally isn’t the case. No, we’re a hearty bunch us Leaf’s fans.
We cheer for someone else.
Every year boasts it’s share of surprises, there’s almost always a Cinderella story, a team that just makes it in, and makes it past the first round to everyone’s surprise, finally, almost inevitably, they fall to a better team.
While this isn’t always the case, it usually happens.
There are of course other surprises, for example. Once power houses in the Western Conference, it appears as though the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks may not be even be invited to the dance, let alone be crowned Prom King. The Detroit Red Wings have gotten hot of late, but one injury to a suddenly old looking roster culd mean the end of a team who is barely in the eighth and final spot now.
With that in mind, lets take a look at some of the potential playoff match ups that we could see given the current standings.
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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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Think about driving to a destination that is far from home. There are lulls during the drive; points where the very last thing you want to do is the only thing that is currently occupying you: driving.
That’s what a hockey season is: a long trip. Filled with highs, lows, and inbetweens. Some dull moments, sure. Just as in a long car ride, there are certain games that are just a killer to sit and take in, but being a die-hard Devils fan and aspiring sports journalist, I know it’s in my best interest to sit and continue to watch.
But then, some you-know-what starts to tailgate you while flashing his high-beams right into your rear-view mirror. Or some inconsiderate mongrel decides to cut into your lane without a blinker, or cut you off without a turn signal. It’s happened to all of us. And it sure wakes you up and grabs your attention, doesn’t it?
Enter the New York Rangers. Hockey’s equivalent to scumbag drivers.
No introduction is needed for the rivalry between the Rangers and the Devils. You know the names, you know the faces, and you know the storylines, even if you’re a fringe fan that only pays attention when it’s convenient.
In case you haven’t paid attention over the past two months or so, the Devils are 6-12-2 in their last twenty games. Ilya Kovalchuk hasn’t helped. A rested Martin Brodeur hasn’t helped. Players such as David Clarkson returning from injury hasn’t helped.
But seeing that disgusting mix of red and blue could sure help out a little.
One word can describe the Devils’ play over the past two dozen games or so, and that word is uninspiring . In the six games they did win, they gave you a lot of reasons to be optimistic. But in the 14 they lost, they gave you little reason to even want to watch the next game.
It’s hard to not get up for a Rangers-Devils game. The close proximity of the arenas, the recent playoff history with Sean Avery and Martin Brodeur, along with the stadiums being packed with supporters of both teams creates an atmosphere that is impossible not to get sucked into. It’s a playoff-type atmosphere, for both the players and the fans.
The Devils will be hitting the ice Wednesday night fresh off a team meeting where head coach Jacques Lemaire ripped into the team, and then left the room to allow the players to air out their own problems. They’re also fresh off a 2-0 shutout to the worst team in the NHL, the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s a meeting we as a team should’ve had a while ago,” forward Zach Parise told the Devils’ official website. Can’t say I disagree with him. This meeting should’ve happened earlier, but with the Olympic break creating a disturbance in the season, I can somewhat understand why it wasn’t.
I don’t think conducting a meeting like this with a game or two left before a two-week break would’ve done much good, as usually a team that got the message from a negative meeting such as this will come out playing hard in the next game, trying to send a signal to their coach that they got the message.
With 18 games left, and two crucial games with Pittsburgh coming up, along with the Devils biggest rival coming to the Rock Wednesday night, this may have been the perfect timing to fire the guys up.
So far in the 2009-2010 campaign, the Devils are 2-2 against the Rangers, defeating the Rangers at MSG twice by the scores of 4-2 and 1-0 in a shootout, and being defeated twice, once at home 3-2, and once at the Garden by the score of 3-1 in the most recent game.
The Rangers will be just as, if not more hungry than the Devils coming into this contest. The Rangers currently find themselves three points out of a playoff spot, with one less game to play than the Boston Bruins, who currently hold the eighth playoff seed. Every game from here on out is a must-win for the Rangers, which isn’t necessarily the case for the Devils.
The dull part of this season-long trip is now over, and Jersey’s Team is coming down the home stretch. We just need to hope they don’t fall asleep at the wheel and ruin what was turning into a special year early on.
Hopefully the team across the Hudson will help wake them up.
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It’s common when interviewing for a new job to be asked a question that can say a lot about who a person is and where he or she wants to be in the future: “Where do you see yourself in five years?”
A tough question, to be sure, but as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it’s a question Brian Burke probably has a lengthy answer for. He certainly has a vision of where he’d like to see his team in such time.
Whether he could form a reasonably realistic response out of it is another thing.
But there is no question that a GM has a plan for the future—that’s why they spend countless hours talking with scouts and others, who spend even more countless hours figuring out who would be best to draft in the upcoming year.
The future is bright when you plan for it now.
The difference for the Leafs from many other teams is that much of what their future holds is playing a full-time role on the team right now—especially up-front.
There’s no question about Phil Kessel and what he’s going to be worth to the club in the coming years—although many will question whether the trade that included two first-round picks was too much for just as long.
Although many players appearing in their first season in the league are older than Kessel, it is clear that they have some catching up to do if they’re going to crack the lineup next season.
Maybe the most NHL-ready-looking rookie for the Leafs thus far has been Tyler Bozak— who has been thrust into the starting center role on a line with Kessel, and he has done a respectable job. His face-off efficiency is on the rise every game—and Ron Wilson has been able to count on him to win key face-offs in both zones.
His speed is another aspect of his game that has been a pleasant surprise so far. With the 13 points in 21 games that he has tallied, there is no question that a spot on the roster next season is his for the taking—probably not as a first-line center, but one of the top three, for sure.
Another guy who has shown his impressive skill level while only appearing in 24 games this season is Viktor Stalberg. His minutes have been limited on some nights—when he is used on the fourth line—but there is no question that the Swede is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL, never mind just the Leafs.
He has become known for his quickness breaking in toward the net off the wing and has had no trouble crashing the net with determination in hopes of creating a chance.
With just three goals and five points, he hasn’t put up the type of numbers that a player of his kind would like to—but there is no doubting the potential he has shown if given more time to mature and grow as a forward in the NHL. He may have played his way into the lineup for next season as well, especially with his play of late.
Luca Caputi, the newest member of the team coming over in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins, has already shown his skill in just four games with the team. The hometown kid has shown he can play a gritty, in-your-face-type game while being a menace in front of the net. He’s only 21 years old, but he has a goal and an assist so far in blue and white.
It’s not only up-front that the team looks to have some potential brewing—because the arrival of defenseman Carl Gunnarsson to the Leafs lineup has been nothing but positive. Sure, he’s had his tough nights—as any rookie defender would—but the 23-year-old has been extremely confident and shown great poise while dealing with injury and the rigors of an NHL season.
As for the goaltending situation, Jonas Gustavsson has looked good of late, but the glaring aspect of his game that needs work is rebounding. There have been various occasions when his rebound control issues have cost the team a goal. If he can improve in that area—as well as his stick handling—it will only mean great things to come for the Leafs in the future.
Even though the playoffs are well out of reach at this point for a Leaf team that has had one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory, there is no question that the young players getting a chance to play with the big club will only benefit from the experience.
Starting next season, it will be interesting to see how many of them—if not all—make the team and how they can contribute to a club that’s hopefully in a playoff race.
It’s a tough call to make right now, but by the looks of things so far, it will be a bright future in Toronto—unlike the disappointment from so many up-and-coming players in the past.
With these players and the additions of others, the NHL’s youngest team should be able to steadily improve. And when asked where the team will be in five years, Leaf fans should only reply with a smile in anticipation.
Although, they’re hoping it’s more like two.
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