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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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Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
• The timing of stories today got us all turned around, so Puck Headlines will return on Thursday. Expect the Crosby Golden Roar vote to begin on Friday, through the weekend. Any entries you think have to make the cut, make the case in the comments here.
Preview: New York Rangers at New Jersey Devils, 7 p.m. EST. For both teams, the stakes are rather obvious: They either build momentum with a huge win over a hated rival, or they get pushed into a deeper depression with a loss. The Devils are in a 6-12-2 funk that’s seen them tumble out of the division lead. The Rangers are in a three-game winless streak as they try and climb back into the eighth seed. Blueshirt Banter has a good across-the-Hudson preview.
Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30 p.m. EST. Game of the night, as the Blackhawks look to bounce back from an awful loss to Detroit and the Kings look to ride high after a 6-0 dismantling of the Blue Jackets. Antti Niemi(notes) gets the nod for Chicago, but the big news for the ‘Hawks is the return of Adam Burish to the lineup to cause havoc and make women swoon.
Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Phoenix Coyotes, 10 p.m. EST. The nightmare road trip from hell comes to an end! The Coyotes fans see this game as a measuring stick. The Canucks, 8-5-0 in the NRTFH, see it as their last road game until Feb. March 23.
Check out previews and updated scores for all of today’s games (like the ones in progress) on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page.
Evening Reading
• Call off the dogs, tell the national guard to stand down and bring us all the way down to DEFCON 2: Sidney Crosby’s(notes) stick and glove have been located. His stick? It was headed, by mistake, to the International Ice Hockey Federation Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg, Russia where it would be turned into Official Ovechkin Great 8 designer toothpicks. The glove? Inside Team Canada teammate Patrice Bergeron’s(notes) bag, who can’t carry Crosby’s jock but apparently can carry his other equipment. So does Bergeron get any Reebok bounty for this? [Kurtenblog, and check out some awesome inside the locker room shots]
• Sid is donating his $20,000 gold medal bonus to charity. [THN]
• "A New York jury has awarded $2.25 million in damages to three members of the all-girls Windsor Wildcats team involved in a fatal bus crash in 2005." [CP]
• As Puck Buddy Rhett said: "That cult that is the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament begins today."
• Touching story about the hockey community rallying around former NHL-er Jeff Christian, whose daughter is fighting for her life. [FanHouse]
• From Puck Buddy Jenn D.: "The Gwinnett Gladiators are proud to announce that they will sign two-time Cy Young Award winner Tom Glavine to be an honorary member of the team for their Saturday, March 20th home game vs. the Trenton Devils. As a member of the team, Glavine will don the familiar black, garnet and gold uniform of the Glads and will skate with the team for player introductions and for pre-game ceremonies."
• Good piece on Brian Pothier(notes) returning to DC to face the Capitals as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes. [DC Sports Bog]
• Have you ever wondered what the aftermath of a failed radio bit looks like in an NHL locker room? Wonder no more as Sportsradio 1310, The Ticket’s "Scoops Callahan" tries to speak to Alex Ovechkin(notes) and gets tossed from the Washington Capitals press area (via Bob Sturm’s blog). Check out a full compilation; still disappointed he doesn’t dress the part.
• The other rules changes suggested by the NHL GMs: Two-ref system in the AHL and tie-breaker that would subtract shootout wins from regulation wins, which is great. [NHL.com]
• Chris Pronger(notes) of the Philadelphia Flyers on head-shot rules: "So, you’re going to let up when a guy has his head down, so then he beats you to the net and scores a goal in a big playoff game or a crucial game towards the tail end of the regular season? Then, you’re getting critiqued by the media and the fans: why didn’t you hit him? … It’s a lose-lose if a player lets up on somebody and something bad happens against his team like a goal or penalty. You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t. It’s a fine line. I haven’t seen the rule and I don’t know what they want to institute, but any rule is going to have its ups and its downsides." [Flyers]
• Fans will have a chance to boo, er, see Rick Nash’s(notes) Team Canada jersey and gold medal at an upcoming home game. [Blue Jackets]
• Chris Chelios(notes) drags his old ass back to the NHL and the Atlanta Thrashers blue line. [CP]
• Finally, you may have heard the Hershey created a giant chocolate Stanley Cup. You’ll want to avoid it after seeing this. [The Cheap Seats]
Puck Buddy Comment of the Day:
Sven M. has a plan for expanding the playoffs.
I’ve been an advocate of the play-in idea for a while, but with this setup -
1. Top two teams from each division automatically qualify for the playoffs.
2. The remaining teams are ranked as they are today.
3. Ten plays at seven, Nine plays at eight, winners make the playoffs.
4. The two survivors are inserted into the playoff bracket and things are re-seeded as normal.
[NOTE - odds are very good that the re-bracketing does not effect the league's ability to plan the playoff schedule, as the three division winners and the best second-place team already know they'll be hosting their first round game before the play-ins. The only issue would be where the bottom four teams are going.]
Results -
1. Divisional play is truly emphasized for the first time since the league moved to the current 1-8 conference seeding, goofiness involving the Southeast division notwithstanding.
2. Four high-stakes games added to the schedule without the dilution of the playoffs caused by the proposed full tournament.
3. Season only prolonged by two days’ worth of games at the most [as opposed to the full week that a tournament would likely require when travel is built in].
4. Number of playoff ‘races’ increased dramatically, with at least three of import in each conference [the second / third divide within the division] that did not exist before.
5. Every team outside the three division leaders would be in a fight, to either avoid having to play a play-in game or qualify for the play-in games.
6. Small rest periods granted to the top six teams as a reward for being better than the other teams in their division.
I acknowledge the downside of this proposal is that occasionally a team like Atlanta this year would get the bye in spite of being 30 points adrift of the division leader [and that my personal favourite team, the Kings, might get screwed by this idea if it was in place this year], but I think the advantages of the proposal override such a statistical quirk.
Okay, someone else play devil’s advocate on this.
Wait, we were supposed to read that whole thing?
Bold Prediction: Rangers over Devils, and Sean Avery(notes) scores.
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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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Marc Delphine was fond of the logo a volunteer had designed for his campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Oregon: a silver star wrapped in a star-spangled banner that his designer told him evoked the letter ‘D’ for branding purposes.
It certainly was a memorable symbol. In fact, it was already being used by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, as Delphine was stunned to discover on Wednesday.
The Blue Jackets PR staff was alerted by fans over Twitter of the trademark infringement, and passed the matter along to their legal department and then to the NHL. Delphine said he received a phone call from The Oregonian newspaper about misuse of the logo, followed by "30 consecutive emails" from around the country about it.
"They were all like, ‘What are you doing with their logo?’ and I was like, ‘I didn’t make the logo!’ and we pulled it immediately," said Delphine, a Libertarian candidate making history as the first openly homosexual man to run for the U.S. Senate in Oregon. "I’m not interested in any kind of infringement. We don’t even need a logo."
He said a volunteer associated with his Web site developer created the logo and donated it to the campaign. As you can see, the Blue Jackets’ current logo (right) was simply flipped from left to right and the red circle synonymous with the Ohio state flag was removed. Instead of a ‘D’ the logo actually makes a ‘C’ for Columbus.
Sometimes you get what you pay for, according to Delphine. "I don’t know if you know anything about Libertarian candidates, but they typically don’t have a lot of money coming in. I was thinking this was so nice, but it was too good to be true," said Delphine, a self-professed "huge sports fan" but not a hockey fan. "It’s not very original."
The logo was removed from the candidate’s official Web site, though it remained on Delphine’s Facebook page as of Wednesday afternoon.
He said he hoped his candidacy wouldn’t become synonymous with this logo foul-up. "If anything, I hope this raises awareness for the Columbus Blue Jackets," said Delphine.
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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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Boston Bruins announcer Jack Edwards threw a fit on Tuesday over the NHL’s delay in doling out discipline to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke(notes) for his hit on Marc Savard(notes). But now that the League has announced there’ll be no suspension for the blindside hit that may have ended Savard’s season, we all know why they implemented stall tactics.
On Wednesday morning, hours before the announcement, the NHL’s GMs made Cookie’s hit illegal and suspension-worthy … starting next season (and pending further approval). The NHL can claim consistency in not having taken any action against Mike Richards(notes) for his blindside hit against David Booth(notes) or on this Cooke hit, while promising fans that the loophole has been closed and these stretcher-ride head-checks are being legislated out the games.
You know … next season.
NHL VP Colin Campbell tipped his hand on Cooke when discussing the hit on Fan 590 in Toronto, vehemently claiming no elbow was involved and that it was "shoulder-to-head" contact. He wasn’t framing the following his as a cheap shot, and clearly the NHL’s ruling is in sync with that belief:
We disagreed at the time of the hit, and disagree now. The hit came after Savard had fired the puck on net and there was intent to injure on the part of Cooke, who doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt as a repeat offender. Again: Richards hit Booth after Booth made a backhand pass while skating at Richards; Cooke hit Savard after Savard shot the puck.
Cooke earned himself another suspension in our eyes, but obviously not those of the NHL. The situation will be rectified in 2010-11, but try telling that to Marc Savard. No, seriously, try to: He’ll nod off in the middle of the word "rectified" thanks to Cooke.
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Familiar Faces
The Caps and Canes will square off 3 times in the next 15 days, beginning tonight with their first meeting since swapping a few players at the trade deadline.
Once team-mates, now opponents, the Caps will be welcoming back Brian Pothier and, once-Cap hopeful, Oskar Osala to the Verizon Center while former âCanes, Scott Walker and Joe Corvo, will seek to exploit their f…
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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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There is an amazing stat this year in the NHL. We have talked about how close these teams are to one another before. Parody has made it to the NHL in a big way…except…this season we are seeing another shift. There are many teams tight in the middle, but there…
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Aaron Musick: Do the Avs learn or languish?
10, Mar 2010Last night’s choke job by the Avs has brought them an opportunity to learn.
Last night, with the division on the line, the Avs came out fast and hard and knocked the Canucks down to the mat. Then, they them up.
They backed off, stopped forechecking and stopped using their speed. The result? A 6-4 loss and with it, the Northwest division probably slipped away. That is all done but now, do the…
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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 Puck Daddy Hockey Live Chat Returns!
10, Mar 2010Lyle "Spector" Richardson of Fox Sports? Check. Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period? Check, we think. Must be the return of the Puck Daddy Hockey Live Chat, in which we drop the word "rumors" after the trade deadline but are hesitant to use the word "playoffs" with about 18 games left.
Join us at 1 p.m. EST for playoff race talk, GM meetings banter, tales of Olympic debauchery and hamburger women. Bring your questions, bring your speculation and, above all, bring the funny. We’ll supply the cynical answers and abrupt shifts in tone.
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Pending a rubber stamp from the competition committee and the Board of Governors, the Mike Richards(notes) hit on David Booth(notes) will be an illegal hit next season. But according to a proposed rule change, so would Doug Weight’s hit on Brandon Sutter from 2008.
The annual GM meetings in lovely Boca Raton ended with the suits proposing a rule change for hits to the head. From NHL.com:
The following language was agreed to unanimously by the group: "A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted.
A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline."
The rule goes to the competition committee of players and GMs, and then to the NHL Board of Governors if it’s approved. Which, one imagines, it will be for the 2010-11 season. While the Matt Cooke(notes)/Marc Savard hit was the hot topic before the meetings — and don’t you just love this rule being approved before Colin Campbell gets around to making a decision on Cooke’s mugging of Savard? — it was Richards/Booth that inspired this rule. From NHL.com and Dallas Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk:
"We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel though. We have a great game. The David Booth hit is kind of the alarming one that everyone kind of took notice of, so I think it’ll be for the good of the game if we can straighten this out."
Again, this is a good step toward "straightening out" hits to the head: We were in favor of this type of incremental rule change, rather than banning all contact with the head on checks. One of our arguments against a total head-shot ban was that it creates more questions than it’ll answer, because the NHL’s officials and League disciplinarians are hardly arbiters of consistency or fairness. Think Ovechkin on Jagr in Vancouver: Brilliant hockey hit, technically illegal via the IIHF rules. You think that gets penalized in the NHL, even with a head-shot ban?
Yet even this blindside rule is too vague. "Minor or major penalty … shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline?" Grow a pair and set a standard. Blindside hit, five-minute major and a mandatory one-game suspension. Boom: Culture changed.
Otherwise, we’re still all going to be writing and reading about controversial hits/"where’s the penalty?!"/ NHL Wheel of Discipline nonsense, amplified by now having a vague standard of enforcement.
But in the end: Round of applause to the NHL GMs for finally taking action on this issue, and doing so without giving Mike Milbury the chance to use the term "pansificaiton" again.
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For all the facts, figures and revelations that have emerged from the 2010 Winter Olympic hockey tournament, none can equal the hilarious confirmation that Canadians fans were more dedicated to watching the gold medal game than answering nature’s call.
From Pat’s Papers comes this graph from EPCOR, the water utility in Edmonton, which tracked the local water consumption during the Feb. 28 gold medal game between the U.S. and Canada. EPCOR told the Globe & Mail that it saw a similar pattern during 2006 Stanley Cup final games between the Edmonton Oilers and the Carolina Hurricanes.
As you can see, consumption reached its lowest point during the medal ceremony, just edging out Sidney Crosby’s(notes) game-winning goal.* It reached its highest point after the gold medal ceremony, when Canadian fans were on Cloud 9 at the same time their back teeth were apparently floating.
We imagine the inverse of this chart could be published as an accurate depiction of beer consumption in Edmonton on that day as well. Meanwhile, in other gold medal aftermath news:
• Canwest reported on Wednesday that an Air Canada flight out of Vancouver was delayed when passengers ignored calls to board while they watched the gold medal game on airport TVs. Air Canada chief executive Calin Rovinescu: "We incurred a flight delay for a reason Air Canada had not yet encountered in over 72 years of existence."
• XP Events, which handled concessions for the Vancouver Games, gambled and won: They didn’t order a single item depicting a U.S. gold medal in men’s hockey, but invested in gold medal hats and T-shirts from Nike in case Canada won. XP President Alan Few told Sports Business Journal (reg. required) that "a few thousand units" were sold immediately after the gold medal ceremony, and no doubt continue to move.
• Finally, a man robbed a pretzel shop in suburban Buffalo this week in a shoplifted Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins jersey. As if someone wearing No. 87 hadn’t already ripped something precious from the hands of a Buffalo employee …
Thanks to Dave C. for the pretzel bit; and roughly two dozen readers for the Edmonton water usage tips.
* Ed. Note: Story originally, and incorrectly, had lowest level of use at the end of the third period.
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