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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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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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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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Which NHL Players Have a Shot at 50 Goals?
9, Mar 2010Written By: Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter
Last season Washington Capitals super star Alexander Ovechkin led the NHL with a total of 56 goals. Ovechkin was the only player to reach the coveted fifty goal mark with the likes of Philadelphia Flyers sniper Jeff Carter (46), New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise (45) and former Atlanta Thrashers star Ilya Kovalchuk (43) hot on his heals.
This season Ovechkin finds himself in his usual spot on top of the scoring leader board, that said, the landscape has changed dramatically when you consider those players that are in the running to score fifty goals and, of course, to earn the coveted Rocket Richard Trophy as the NHL’s most proficient goal scoring machine.
Looking at the NHL stats sheet, there are only four players that have a legitimate chance at scoring fifty this season.
Occupying the bottom ten spots in goals against are the Edmonton Oilers at 3.34 goals against per game, Toronto Maple Leafs at 3.33 GAPG, Atlanta Thrashers at 3.17 GAPG, Columbus Blue Jackets at 3.12 GAPG, New York Islanders at 3.09 GAPG, Dallas Stars at 3.05 GAPG, Carolina Hurricanes at 3.02 GAPG, Anaheim Ducks at 3.02 GAPG, Tampa Bay Lightning at 2.95 GAPG, Pittsburgh Penguins at 2.85 GAPG and the Minnesota Wild at 2.81 GAPG.
Players that will face these teams often down the stretch will afford their respective players a greater chance of hitting the coveted fifty goal mark.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at each player how often they will face the bottom ten and evaluate their chances of scoring fifty and/or winning the Rocket Richard Trophy.
***For more NHL coverage visit my website at www.theslapshot.com
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Although far from summertime, and the thought of the offseason is in nobody’s mind for anyone in the NHL, it might for a few Wild players who may not be in Minnesota after this season.
We have already seen some moves so far from the Wild front office both in extensions, and parting ways.
Minnesota has already re-signed Cal Clutterbuck and Marek Zidlicky to extensions, both which have pleased both the players and fans.
On the other hand, the Wild have already parted ways with Eric Belanger in a trade to Washington for a second round draft pick this spring.
Even with these deals some big question marks remain for some Wild players as to their future here in Minnesota.
Derek Boogaard is a un-restricted free agent, although not much has been said about him i expect the Wild to re-sign him during the offseason because every team needs an enforcer, and the “Boogey Man” is our guy.
Owen Nolan is near the end of an all-star career and his future here may also becoming to an end.
Minnesota should re-sign him because although Nolan may not be the offensive gun-slinger he once was, he provides quality veteran leadership both on and off the ice and the Wild should cherish that.
Guillame Latandresse is a restricted free agent at the end of the year, however I would be very shocked as so the rest of the state of hockey if he was not re-signed with an extension after a career performance this year.
The next two players are the ones i believe will be on the move this summer.
Josh Harding is an unbelievable goaltender, and he has been a solid back-up for Minnesota. However I believe that he has earned a starting spot and many teams have expressed interest in Harding.
The Wild can feel safe dealing Harding after the debut of Anton Khudobin against Philadelphia where he won a 2-1 contest and looked very sharp.
According to Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, he has also has expressed that Backstrom is the goalie for now and the future.
He has also confirmed that talks may have taken place about a potential move with Josh Harding.
I believe he will go, and Wild fans can be sure that Backstrom and Khudobin are a deadly pair of goaltenders.
James Sheppard I believe is an easy out. Unless he makes are startling impression on the coaching staff and the front office, Sheppard’s days in Minnesota are numbered.
He was sold as the next big talent from the previous management team and although Sheppard has size, speed and talent he has not shown much of his full talent here in Minnesota.
As with Latandresse, a change of scenery may be exactly what Sheppard needs. He is a young kid, and with the way trades have been as of late he should appeal to some team in the NHL and hopefully find a new home to learn and grow as a player.
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Pittsburgh Penguins Are Firing on All Cylinders
9, Mar 2010It’s all about timing when it comes to entering the playoffs on the right foot.
With only 16 games left in the regular season, the Pittsburgh Penguins are picking a good time to elevate their game and make them—yet again—a force to be reckoned with as the second season approaches.
Sure, the Pens have the best group of centers in the game—but while Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal are hitting the top of their game, the rest of the team is right behind them.
With every new season comes a set of battles that will test every team. To win the Stanley Cup, a team needs to find a way to win despite plaguing troubles that will test players’ character.
For the Pens, they started the season strong and were fighting for the top spot in the league. Analysts threw away any notions that the team could be faced with a Stanley Cup hangover.
But then, like any team, the Pens were faced with injury problems and individual and team slumps as the season progressed.
However, like the championship team they are, the Pens have fought through the bumps and are well on their way to another deep run in the playoffs.
They did this by slowly returning to beginning-of-the-season form.
First, this meant the Pens regained their health.
The beginning of the season meant a team full of healthy bodies—excluding Max Talbot, who was still rehabbing after surgery on a torn labrum in his left shoulder. As the season progressed, it seemed as if the Pens roster had been replaced by call-ups from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
With the help of the Olympic break, players nursing injuries—like Marc-Andre Fleury (fractured finger) and Talbot (groin)—were able to heal, and the Pens were finally able to submit a roster of healthy players.
Obviously, a team that is healthy is crucial to start the playoffs. A healthy team has a better chance at winning games—which was exactly what the Pens were doing at the beginning of the season.
Things went a little bad after that, and the entire team went into an almost lulled state. The hockey was sloppy—and wins weren’t coming at a consistent rate from November through February.
That has completely changed following the Olympic break. Maybe the Pens really needed that break, but the team has been playing nothing but solid hockey since. It was like the hiring of Dan Bylsma all over again.
The Pens have been dominating all three zones in the rink. The penalty kill has been stellar, and the power play—once the weakest in the NHL—is now 20th. Overall, every aspect of the Pens game has shown solidity I hadn’t seen in a long time.
They’re truly playing beginning-of-season hockey—when they played like they had something to prove to the NHL world.
This had to do with the fact that the Pens did have something to prove to the NHL world. They were fresh off a Stanley Cup win.
That winning desire began to wear off after a while—and it looked like the Pens didn’t show up on certain game days. Their play overall was simply too inconsistent to feel comfortable with the team’s chances in the playoffs.
Not anymore.
They are now playing with a hungry stomach, ready to taste the champagne from Lord Stanley’s Cup for a second year. They are finally proving not only to every team—but to us, the fans—that they want to win again.
Most recently, the Pens have been able to conquer their biggest problem—the individual slumps.
Everyone was contributing at the beginning of the season in some form, but it didn’t take long before some players started going cold. Those players include Ruslan Fedotenko, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski, and Pascal Dupuis. I mentioned in a previous article that while the team was sitting in fourth in the East, it couldn’t rely on the production of the big guns come playoff time.
Then something clicked in the rest of the team. Again, maybe the team was battered from the injury problems earlier in the season, but the entire team has finally come alive.
Fedotenko has found his playoff form, Letang is skating with more confidence than ever—despite not finding the net with his team defense-leading 133 shots on goal— Goligoski killed his scoreless streak, and Dupuis is filling the net at alarming rates.
One concern that has been brought up is the health of the Olympians. All I can say is Crosby, Malkin, and Sergei Gonchar have not seemed to lose their form and have kept on track. Brooks Orpik, however, has played with an extra something that I know came from his experiences in Vancouver.
The biggest worry was Fleury, who went cold after not getting a good practice for two weeks. He has since proven that he can still bounce back.
Now with the acquisition of Jordan Leopold and Alex Ponikarovsky—players who will only help the team on its quest as repeat contenders for the Cup—the Pens are finding their groove.
And it couldn’t be at a better time.
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While watching the Toronto Maple Leafs game against Boston, my roommate, David West , and I started talking about Rickard Wallin, the player who does not have a role on the Toronto Maple Leafs…at least not anymore.
Rickard Wallin has put up 6 points, only one of them being a goal, in 44 games, which is not enough. Admittedly, Wallin is now a defensive forward, but last season in the Swedish Elite League, he did put up 55 points and 18 goals, which he apparently left in Farjestad.
Wallin, ideally, would be a third line forward putting up relatively low offensive numbers but making up for his lack of production on the defensive end. However, one goal is vastly below any minimal production expected. Therefore we arrived at the conclusion that Wallin should not be in the starting lineup, perhaps up for replacement by agitator Jay Rosehill or Andre Deveaux.
Curious, I brought up the question that perhaps part of getting Wallin to the NHL was a guarantee by Burke that Wallin would see action in a majority of games played in the regular season. David correctly countered that not only would Burke not be the type of general manager to award such a guarantee but that Wallin and his agent contacted Burke while he was in Sweden pursuing Jonas Gustavsson.
Essentially, Wallin and his agent managed to convince Brian Burke this off season that Rickard was ready for another shot at the NHL, apparently they were wrong.
This incorrect assumption led Wallin to be, for all intents and purposes, demoted to the fourth line. However, Rickard Wallin is not an effective fourth-line player.
A fourth-line player should be a player with a defensive mind set, an agitator, or an energetic player; he should not be afraid to lay the body. Wallin is the exact opposite. He rarely finishes checks with any authority, is not an energetic player and does not fight—or even face wash for that matter. Wallin is however a defensive player, which is allowing him to survive on the 4th line.
Simply, Rickard Wallin in no way embodies the truculence and belligerence that Burke wanted from his team, or even the third line forward Burke hoped he would become. Thankfully for Burke and the Leafs, Wallin is under a one-year deal and will, almost assuredly, not be back with the organization next year.
As for the meantime, the glut of defensive-minded forwards at the bottom of the Leafs lineup continues, Wallin included. And on a one-way contract Wallin may just have to make a home on the fourth line, albeit extremely temporary.
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Success Begins With Accountability
9, Mar 2010Maybe it’s because the Islanders are a relatively young and inexperienced team. Maybe it’s because the team is amidst a rebuilding period. Or, maybe it’s because the veteran leadership doesn’t know how to cope with a rebuild situation of this length or magnitude. Whatever the case, the struggling Islanders lack accountability where it matters most, as a team.
Times are tough in Islanders country these days, there is no getting around that fact. But as someone who follows the team on a media level, and pays for full season tickets, I often find myself scratching my head or biting my tongue when I hear what comes out of some players’ mouths, or well you know—anonymously in print.
Just one week ago, as the Islanders were returning from their Olympic break—the team played a gem of a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. It was such a good game that players like Patrick Cane and Jonathan Toews payed the organization great compliments noting their youth and the core group of talent growing together. The pair of Chicago players knows all too well what the Islanders are going through, the Blackhawks weren’t always chock full of talent and firepower and endured countless losing seasons to get where they are.
Two days later, on the heels of a less than active trade deadline for the Islanders anonymous sources (players) were quoted in New York’s Newsday in an article by Katie Strang, citing unrest in the locker room due to a three goalie rotation:
“It doesn’t play out well at all for anybody,” a source said. “It’s not in the best interest of anyone on the team, whether it be the players involved, other players or the coaching staff. It’s a tough situation for everyone.”
The source then goes onto say (with another chiming in):
“Look at where we were at, we had a playoff spot,” said a player who requested anonymity. “Then we went on a losing streak and now we’re on the outside looking in.”
“You just can’t have three goaltenders,” another player said. “It’s not great for anyone.”
It’s understandable for a goaltender to be somewhat frustrated by this situation, it’s hard to get on a good roll when you’re not getting a regular spot—or you’re not getting consecutive starts. But for anyone to use it as an excuse for vast periods of ineptitude is just unacceptable.
The Islanders are consistently out-played, out-muscled, out-shot, out-scored and often appear lethargic and tired. Are these same anonymous players blaming all of the above on a three goalie rotation, where their hot goaltender played MOST of the games during the streak?
I don’t buy it and that’s where my call for accountability comes into play.
If you’re not playing well, own up to it. Don’t hide and cower behind anonymous words—use that energy to rally your team and work with the players that need to be worked with. I guess that is what separates the leaders from the rest of the team, and there are leaders on the Islanders.
In what appears to be a direct response to the quotes above, Islanders alternate captain Mark Streit moves to the front lines and takes ACCOUNTABILITY for his team’s actions in a conversation with Chris Botta of Islanders Point Blank following a 6-3 loss in Atlanta last week:
“I don’t know if a lot of guys understand what kind of situation we are in,” he said. “We were six points out of the playoffs before tonight, playing Atlanta, which is just ahead of us. The effort was not there. We had shots on net but we had a lot of turnovers and they took advantage of it. We just didn’t play our game.”
Botta then asked how the team can rebound after those types of losses:
“You go home, you check your computer and you check the Eastern Conference standings,” said Streit. “If you don’t realize it, then I can’t understand it and you shouldn’t be here. That’s all I can say.”
And there you have it, ACCOUNTABILITY.
It’s tough to be a fan during situations and seasons such as these; you never really see a team’s leaders leading all of the time. I am sure that Weight, Okposo, Park, and Streit have all stood in front of the room and been vocal when the time called for it. I am not calling for soap opera drama to reach the media on a daily basis by any stretch, that stuff belongs with the team. However, when it does come out like it sometimes does, it’s good to see a leader come out and make a statement for his teammates.
To me, that’s reality and a sign the team is in good hands.
Here is to hoping that the younger players are being taught to own up to their mistakes and not place blame on something else that is going on. Without accountability, a team will have a problem finding success in the future.
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Elliott Friedman of CBC has an intriguing couple bullet points in his latest blog . He says:
“… Strongly believe there was one, possibly two teams who were willing to take Cristobal Huet from Chicago. (Should clarify: I’m more certain about one than the other.) But the Blackhawks decided to stand pat, much to the surprise of other GMs. Unloading Huet’s contract (two years remaining, $5.625 million cap hit) would have cost at least a first-rounder and an established player. (I know you’re going to ask, but I’d be guessing on whom. The source wouldn’t tell me.)…
Why did Chicago decline? Scotty Bowman believes strongly in the Detroit model: If you don’t have a top-three goalie, you protect him with great team defence and puck possession. The Blackhawks – disciplined and talented – have a shot. But, to duplicate the Red Wings’ success, they will have to show two things: their forwards are as committed to back pressure as Detroit’s and their defensive corps is as good. As great as the Blackhawks look, we’re talking Lidstrom/Rafalski/Kronwall/Stuart here. What a tough, tough call to make.”
This will raise red flags all over Chicago. “You mean to tell me the Hawks could have dumped that piece of garbage at the deadline and didn’t ?” Let’s hold that emotional response for a moment…
Note that Friedman says the Hawks would have to part ways with “at least a first-rounder and an established player” to make the deal happen. The gamble of GM Stan Bowman is not only dealing with Huet’s contract moving forward, but those two other crucial pieces to the deal.
The reality for Blackhawks fans is that there are players on the NHL roster right now that won’t be in Chicago next year. We’ve discussed it; Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Dustin Byfuglien and others might be wearing a different sweater on Opening Night next year. If the Hawks are going to be in a tight financial situation next year and in the future, the replacements for players like Versteeg, Sharp and Byfuglien are going to need to come from within the organization. But players like these don’t magically show up in August with a gym bag looking for a contract; draft picks, especially high ones, are critical to the Hawks sustaining any success.
The second piece of this gamble is the on-ice cost of dumping Huet. Friedman doesn’t speculate what the Hawks would have received in return for Huet, but what if they weren’t receiving an NHL player in return? If the Hawks’ current playoff outlook is questionable with Huet and Antti Niemi, how much more/less comfortable would you be with Niemi and Corey Crawford as the only netminders ont he roster?
Furthermore, what if the roster player had to be Sharp? Versteeg has struggled with consistency this year, and Byfuglien as hot/cold as anyone on the roster. While Byfuglien’s presence in front of the net was a big part of last year’s success, it’s clear that the player of these three that the Hawks could least afford to be without moving forward is Sharp. Whether it’s his ability to be an effective center or quality play at the point on the power play, Sharp has a big role in the Hawks’ rotation.
Moving Sharp and Huet would have actually hurt the Hawks’ depth.
The other consideration to make is that, if a team were willing to take Huet’s contract now, what are the odds that there will be an available partner to move his contract this summer? As the draft draws near, the Hawks will have to make decisions about current NHL players that will be restricted free agents (Andrew Ladd ) and will also have a better grasp of the value of their first round pick. There is still potential for a move to happen that clears the cap space.
This is an interesting piece of information from Friedman, but it needs to be digested with a grain of salt.
For more great coverage of the Chicago Blackhawks, check out Tab’s blog: CommittedIndians.com!
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It’s amazing how far the Carolina Hurricanes have come this season.
Heading into the New Year, the ‘Canes were last by far in the conference and looking like an utter disaster just one year removed from their conference finals run in 2009.
After a decently successful January in which the Hurricanes went 9-5, they had pulled themselves up a bit but were no longer in position to “earn” the num. 1 overall draft pick, which was about the only prize that appeared within reach at that point.
However, the Hurricanes have now become one of the hottest teams in the NHL since, and still have kept both mathematical and realistic hope that the playoffs are within their reach. Carolina has now won eight of their last nine (as well as 12 of their last 15) in a streak that began Friday, February 5, in Buffalo.
Since that win, the ‘Canes have roared only eight points out of the postseason cut-off line with 17 games remaining in the regular season. However, the top eight is still quite a way off for 13th-place Carolina, and it will take a very hot four-week stretch to qualify. To do that, they’re going to need teamwork, hope, and, most importantly, the ability to keep up the pace they’ve been on for the last nine games over an even longer period.
So, with that said, if the Carolina Hurricanes want to make a playoff push, here are five things that are going to need to keep clicking that have been driving their latest hot streak at the moment.
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As we await tonight’s Habs vs. Tampa game, a thought occurred to me about the Montreal Canadiens: Maxim Lapierre was out of the lineup for the last two games, and I didn’t even notice.
Did you? Did anyone except for Max?
In case you didn’t know, Maxim Lapierre was suspended for four games for a ‘dirty’ hit on San Jose’s Scott Nichol this week.
Sunday’s game against the Ducks, was the second game of Lapierre’s suspension and I for one didn’t even notice that he was out of the lineup?
While Lapierre made a name and carved out a niche for himself last year, this year he has been a ghost. With the exception of a handful of games, Lapierre has been a non-factor on the 2010 edition of the Montreal Canadiens.
Now that he is suspended, I think it has become even clearer how irrelevant Lapierre has become to the Habs lineup.
Looking at the Habs roster, there are basically four players vying for the last two center spots on the team: Maxim Lapierre, Glen Metropolit, Dominic Moore and Ben Maxwell.
Maxwell is generally considered to be last on that depth chart, for now, going forward—and looking towards next season—it will be interesting to see where he fits and who else gets re-signed or gets the axe.
Where last year Lapierre seemed to be reaching his potential, this year he has beaten out by the surprising skill, speed and grit of Glen Metropolit.
Metro is no slouch, but at 35 years of age and a UFA at season’s end, will GM Gauthier extend his contact with the Habs? There is no question that he is an excellent team guy and a very useful, versatile player but given that Gauthier just traded for Dominic Moore— who is six years younger than Metro—you’d have to think that he wants to give him a shot next year instead.
As for Maxwell, the conventional thinking is that as an offensive player, he needs to play on one of the top two lines. With Plekanec and Gomez already holding down those spots—assuming they both stay with the team next year—maybe Maxwell will get a chance to take the reins of the third line during his first year before getting a shot at one of the top two spots.
That would mean that either Metro, Lapierre or Moore should be the fourth-line pivot and depending on who stays and who goes, my money is on Moore.
Whatever happens in the off season, there is no question that Lapierre has done himself no favors this year. Lapierre’s absence from the Habs lineup this week is glaring by its lack of effect.
It means nothing. It makes no difference. His presence is not missed.
Given how well he played last year, I find his 2010 stumble to be unfortunate. Furthermore, it would be even more unfortunate if he were to leave the team and rediscover his form in another city.
All things being equal, the way things are going for Lapierre and in light of his RFA status this summer, I would not be surprised to see Gauthier move him at the draft.
Let’s see what the offseason brings!
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