« September 2006 |
Main
| November 2006 »
 The Atlanta Thrashers perhaps still flying after their victory over undefeated Buffalo Sabres Saturday night, came crashing back down to earth, in a special teams showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. A penalty filled first period, saw Atlanta quickly gain the advantage from a 5 on 3 powerplay goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, but then give it away to the Leafs by rewarding them with a 5 on 3 powerplay of their own. The Leafs capitalized on that opportunity with a goal by Darcy Tucker, then in consesecutive power plays they scored two more in less thatn a minute on goals by Tomas Kaberle, and again by Darcy Tucker. Mats Sundin assisted on all three power play goals, tying a Toronto Maple Leaf record.
Quick Shave:
Good news for Pittsburgh Penguins fans, Jordan Staal has earned his spot on the team, and will not be returned to the OHL, as originally expected by many. This is a great move by the Penguins organization as Staal has certainly shown that he can compete in the league, and has been invaluable as a penalty killer for the club, already tallying 3 short handers. Peter Forsberg is determined to lift the Philadelphia Flyers out of the cellar, and last night recorded two goals for his team against the Chicago Blackhawks. Robert Esche made 26 saves to record his first win of the season by way of 3-0 shutout. Richard Zednik scored 2 goals, and once again Olaf Kolzig faced his 30+ shots (38 to be exact) to help defeat the Calgary Flames 4-2 last night. Calgary has dropped 2 of their last 3 games, and have already lost 3 games now at home.....last season they only lost 7 (according to the announcers, which is really impressive). The Anaheim Ducks still remain unbeaten in regulation as they defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-5 in the shootout on goals by Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf. TSN.ca just released their latest Power Rankings, and the list is loaded with some surprise teams....most notably Pittsburgh at 8th, and Washington at 15th. Bet no one thought they'd be hanging tough at this point. To check out the complete list click here. The Los Angeles Kings embarassed and completely outworked the New York Rangers 4-1 last night. Defenceman Brent Sopel had 2 goals on the evening, and goaltender Mathieu Garon was stellar in net, stopping all but 1 of the shots the Rangers threw at him.
Game of the Night:
Ottawa at Montreal 7:30 PM
All Canadian action tonight! Can Ottawa sustain the offence it's been putting up lately, and can whoever gets the call for the Habs (Aebischer, or Huet) handle the attack if the Senators provide it? I guess we'll find out my bearded friends! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The power of the beard is with you young Thornton.....but you are not in the playoffs yet.
Joe Thornton, while assisting on just about every goal the San Jose Sharks have scored this season, had yet to drop one in the net himself. That is until last night. Joey T. apparently looking to end his goaless drought, began cultivating a playoff beard late last week, and the results of his facial mullet have already payed off. Joe Thornton scored his first goal on the power play last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and helped the Sharks to victory 4-2. May the beard be with you Joe....always. The Phoenix Coyotes have finally agreed to a one year deal with unrestricted free agent center Yanic Perreault worth $700,000. Hopefully his addition will spark some life into the Coyotes who are rapidly collapsing.
Quick Shave:
Coming off the bench seems to have done Jose Theodore some good. The Colorado Avalanche goaltender showed signs of his former self making 20 saves and helping his team defeat the recently unstoppable Minnesota Wild. Milan Hejduk has been on fire lately, scored 2 of the goals for the Avs, and forward Ian Laperriere recorded his 100th career goal late in the third to round out the scoring.
Game of the Night:
Washington at Calgary 9:00 PM
Calder Trophy Winner Alexander Ovechkin goes up against Calder Trophy Runner-Up Dion Phaneuf as the Capitals continue their tour of Canada. Olaf Kolzig has been playing some great hockey lately, and has managed to give his team a chance in most of their games this season. It will be interesting to see if the Flames can muster any offense against him. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The Buffalo Sabres win streak finally came to an end last night, and their bid to be the only team to start the season with 11 straight victories did as well. The Atlanta Thrashers, a team that in many ways resembles the Sabres were the first team to stop the juggernaut from Buffalo, but it took them the entire game, and overtime, and a shootout to do so.
Atlanta Thrashers forward Bobby Holik, had a goal and an assist on the night as did Scott Mellanby. Ilya Kovalchuk and Niko Kapanen also recorded tallies for the the Thrashers. Kari Lehtonen stopped 32 shots, and then stoned the Sabres in the shootout, to help lift his team over the undefeated Sabres 5-4.
The Thrashers have shared similiar success with the Sabres by using the same formula....great goaltending, stingy defence, and speed, speed, speed. It's not really a surprise that the Thrashers were the team to end Buffalo's win streak, and the game exemplified how evenly matched they were, as the teams traded goals back and forth until the end of regulation.
 Quick Shave:
I have to thank Stache, for pointing out that my Game of the Night pick should have been the game above, but perhaps my selection of the young guns of Pittsburgh facing off against the Flyers wasn't such a bad call. The Pittsburgh Penguins hammered the Flyers last night 8-2, and Sidney Crosby joined the NHL Hat Trick club with his first ever career three goal game. Rookie forward and phenom (yeah he's that, and already making his bid for the Calder Trophy) scored his 5th goal in as many games. It seems the Flyers house cleaning has done little to address their real problems, namely, goaltending and slow defenders. Derian Hatcher has put up a goose egg so far this season, is a -11 rating and also got his face rearranged last night (i believe by Talbot). Zdeno Chara scored the game winner for the Boston Bruins to help them defeat his old team the Ottawa Senators 2-1. The New York Rangers got their road trip off to a good start by beating the powerhouse of the West, Phoenix Coyotes 7-3. Brendan Shanahan scored his 9th goal in 10 games with the Rangers. Yannic Perreault is apparently close to signing with Coyotes for a one year deal. Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils recorded his second straight shutout stopping 22 shots and helping his team defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0. The Red Wings are still flying, winning their third straight last night over the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Carolina Hurricanes scored 3 goals in 43 seconds against the Tampa Bay Lightning and never looked back, defeating the Bolts 6-4. Ilya Bryzgalov earned a shutout for the Anaheim Ducks as the beat the injury riddled Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. Tomas Kaberle joined the NHL Hat Trick club with his three goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat the Montreal Canadiens by way of shootout 5-4. Dwayne Roloson blanked the Washington Capitals for a 4-0 shutout win for the Edmonton Oilers.
Game of the Night:
Minnesota at Colorado 8:00 PM
Here's your chance to watch the Minnesota Wild in action. They thunder into the Pepsi Center tonight to face the Avalanche who have received shaky goaltending lately from Jose Theodore, who has had difficulty refinding his MVP form from several seasons ago. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 After losing three straight on the road, the Red Wings have bounced back hard. Ending their losing streak by defeating Western powerhouse San Jose, the Red Wings continued to reaffirm they are team to be reckoned with by defeating another conference giant in the Dallas Stars 4-3.
Captain Niklas Lidstrom recorded his first two goals of the season, and Jiri Hudler and Pavel Datsyuk also scored to help the Wings to the win over Dallas. Goalie Dominik Hasek stopped 17 shots on the night, while counterpart Marty Turco saved 29 of the 33 he faced. The Detroit victory was Dallas' first home loss of the season. Certainly a punctuation mark that the Wings aren't done, and are perhaps beginning to round into form, like many of the other teams that got off to a bad start.
Quick Shave:
I think I figured out part of the problem in Columbus. The Columbus Blue Jackets take a lot of really bad penalties, and seem to give away 5-3 powerplays to their opponents like it's 'dozen egg night' at Beers Stadium. Luckily for the Blue Jackets, the L.A. Kings were unable to capitalize on any of their power play opportunities in large part due to the amazing goaltending of Pascal Leclaire. Leclaire stopped all 38 shots he faced last night. The Minnesota Wild's latest victim was the Anaheim Ducks whom they defeated 3-2 by way of shootout last night. Brian Rolston is a scoring machine this season, potting his 9th of the season, and helping the Wild remain undefeated on home ice. The fun part about watching the Wild is how they generate their offence. The team often starts by collecting a turnover in their own end, and a wall of green jersey's then rush the ice. They seem to swarm their opponents, and don't really look like the typical Jacque Lemaire trapping team anymore. Olaf Kolzig stopped 42 shots last night but it still wasn't enough to help the Washington Capitals defeat the Vancouver Canucks last night. Vancouver beat the Caps 3-2 in the shootout. Kolzig has been impressive this season, almost always facing over 30 shots a game....and in many cases 40+. Sergei Samsonov.....oh boy. A week after I dropped him from my fantasy lineup, the Habs followed suit, by demoting the thus far useless free agent acquisition to the fourth line. It appears he may soon be seeking a trade.....but who'd be willing to pony the salary cap room for him? Yanic Perrault may be close to rejoining the NHL. Three teams have expressed interest in the face-off specialist.
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Nashville at Calgary 10:00 PM
I love watching the Penguins, and if you haven't seen them yet, now's the time. This is the team of the future, but they are playing like that future is now. Philadelphia, which got spanked by the Pens in their first meeting 4-0, are still listing, but showed some signs of life against the Thrashers a few nights ago in capturing their second win. Crosby has owned the Flyers in his young career, so look for him to light them up tonight, along side his new linemate Evgeni Malkin. The Preds / Flames game looks like it could be fun on paper, and because it's a late game, you should have little excuse not to watch both GOTN's! Enjoy the games my bearded friends!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The NHL Hat Trick Club added two new members last night. The first coming from Tampa Bay Lightning forward and former NHL MVP Martin St. Louis. St. Louis broke the team record (which he set) for the fastest hat trick scored. St. Louis scored the three goals during the second period in 6 minutes and 17 seconds, and helped his team defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 (which look like they are having some troubles....and Cam Ward is looking very ordinary.....). The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a team under the rumor focus as of late, especially with the Great Purge in Philly.....could John Tortorella be on his way out if the Lightning don't start getting it done? For more on these rumors check out Spector's Hockey.
 Our second addition to the NHLHTC (nice right?) is young Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators. Another team who's awful start was overshadowed by the play of the Philadelphia Flyer, has certainly seemed to turn the corner for good. Since blowing out the Devils 8-1 last Saturday, the Senators offence is on fire. The Ottawa Senators crushed the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second game in a row 7-2. Dany Heatley scored three goals for the hat trick, and Jason Spezza who has also left his scoring slump behind had 5 points on the match. Coach Bryan Murray, and GM John Muckler are certainly breathing a little easier after this week, for if the Sens hadn't straightened out their play, they could be playing golf with Hitch and Clarke by now.
Quick Shave:
The Buffalo Sabres have tied the record for most wins in a row to start a season, set by the Leafs in 1994 with 10. While their 10th win came against the punchless Islanders (perhaps Dunham should return to the crease), the Sabres show no sign of letting up. They can break the record with their 11th win, on Saturday night if they can defeat the Atlanta Thrashers....a team that is beginning to look and play alot like the Sabres. Game of the Night all over that one! After a couple of rough outtings, New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur responded with 29 save performance and helped his team shutout the Florida Panthers 3-0. The shutout was Brodeur's 82nd, which ties him with Jacques Plante for fourth overall on the shutout list. Peter Forsberg and Simone Gagne helped the Philadelphia Flyers to their second win of the season, and perhaps the turning point of the club under new head coach John Stevens. The Flyers defeated the Thrashers 3-2 in the shootout. Coach Hartley of the Thrashers pulled netminder Hedberg in favor of Lehtonen for the shootout (Kari Lehtonen, prior to last night was 6-1 on the shootout....but I believe he was the goalie in net during the game, not in relief), while on paper it may have looked like a good move, Lehtonen appeared cold, and was only able to stop one goal. It appears the sleeping giant in the desert has awakened! The unstoppable, playoff bound, Stanley Cup Contending Phoenix Coyotes mauled the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 last night. Most of the last sentence was nonsense....other than the score....the Oilers actually did lose to the Yotes. San Jose Shark's goalie Vesa Toskala lost his first game of the season to the Nashville Predators last night 4-3. Predators rookie Alexander Radulov scored his first career NHL goal....is it fantasy pick up time yet.....no not yet, but I'd put him on your watch list.
Game of the Night:
Anaheim at Minnesota 8:00 PM
Two powerhouses do battle in the West. Minnesota looks stellar so far, and playing the Ducks should be a solid bench test for them. Enjoy the beard!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Icing a team that was without their top stars Martin Havlat, Michal Handzus, Tuomo Ruutu and goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, the Chicago Blackhawks stood little chance against the offensive onslaught that the Vancouver Canucks through at them(Michal Handzus is apparently getting a second opinion regarding his knee before having the season ending surgery...his teammates are all at least 2 weeks away from playing).
The Sedin twins had a 6 point evening for the Canucks. Henrik Sedin scored 2 goals, and an assist, while brother Daniel added three helpers. Matt Cooke, Brendan Morrison, and Taylor Pyatt also scored for the Canucks. Henrik's goals were his first of the season, but had 11 assists on the year prior to last night's match.
Roberto Luongo, got his first shutout of the year, and for his new team, stopping all 32 shots he faced, and helping the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-0 victory. The win puts Vancouver in second place in the Northwest Division, behind rival Minnesota.
Quick Shave:
Congratulations to Colorado Avalanche captain Joe Sakic on getting his 1,500, and 1,501 points last night against the Washington Capitals. Sakic recorded a goal and an assist on the evening, but his accomplishment was overshadowed by Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig's 48 save performance that lifted his team to a 5-3 win. Alexander Ovechkin scored his 5th goal of the season and gave the Caps a scare after taking a slapshot to the leg near the end of the game. Ovechkin walked it off.....that kid is a bear. The New York Rangers continue to not play any defense. After scoring Petr Prucha scored to tie the game, the Rangers continued to celebrate so much, that the Panthers took advantage and quickly regained the lead. Josef Stumpel had a pair of goals on the evening. The Minnesota Wild remained unbeaten at home by defeating the L.A. Kings 3-1 last night. Brian Rolston scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season, and Manny Fernandez made 35 saves on the night. Chris Pronger welcomed his old team to his new home last night, and helped the Anaheim Ducks defeat the Endmonton Oilers 6-2. Pronger had three assists against his old team. The Detroit Red Wings ended their three game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks. Defenceman Matthieu Schneider scored a goal and an assist while Dominik Hasek stopped 22 shots.
Game of the Night:
Buffalo at NY Islanders 7:30 PM
Can the 15 year man on the Island stop the Buffalo Juggernaut??? Probably not, but man what a huge statement it would be if DiPietro and the Isles handed the Sabres their first loss. Now you gotta watch! Enjoy the games my furry-chinned friends!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Martin Brodeur is still recovering from that deke Evgeni Malkin landed on him last night. Wow! 4 games, 4 goals. Evgeni Malkin has lived up to his billing, and tonight scored perhaps his best goal of the season, taking a long lead pass from Crosby, splitting the Devils two defender, and completing the feat with a spin and backhander that completely pants-ed Brodeur. A punch to the glass and a roar was all Malkin needed punctuate a goal which will undoubtedly be the play of the week.
The Pittsburgh Penguins young stars shined brightest last night against the Devils, with Malkin, and Crosby eaching scoring a goal and an assist, and Staal the Younger scoring his first even strength tally of the year, to help their club to a 4-2 victory. The Penguins have now won three in a row (something they haven't done since 2004), and sit atop the Atlantic Division in first place.
Quick Shave:
It looks like Saturday night wasn't a fluke for the Ottawa Senators. Last year's Stanley Cup Favorite, has regained it's form, and is beginning to score in chunks again. Ottawa's latest victim, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who they beat decidely 6-2. Mats Sundin scored his 366th goal on a wrister past Ottawa's Martin Gerber glove hand. Sundin passed Dave Keon on the Leaf's all time scoring list and trails only Darryl Sittler.
Game of the Night:
Edmonton at Anaheim 10:00 PM
The first meeting between Chris Pronger and his old team the Edmonton Oilers. While this game probably won't be as heated or widely hyped as when Pronger returns to Edmonton, it should have some fireworks. The Oilers have been playing some outstanding hockey of late, and their newest forward Petr Sykora is lighting the lamp with regularity. How will they matchup against the blue line of Anaheim? Watch the game and find out! Enjoy the games and may the beard be with you!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Janne Niinimaa predicted a win tonight. Chris Drury and the Buffalo Sabres gave him one. Niinimaa's prediction that the Sabres undefeated streak would end in Montreal last night fell apart when Buffalo continued to show why they have dominated so far through speed, stingy defense, and great goaltending.
Chirs Drury's NHL leading 10th goal, a short-handed tally, gave the Sabres a 2-0 lead and they never looked back, finishing off the Montreal Canadiens 4-1. Goaltender Ryan Miller stopped all but one of the 28 shots he faced and is tied for the NHL lead with 6 wins, but is the only keeper in that group not in the Loss column. The Buffalo Sabres have now started the season 9-0 and are just one victory away from tying the record for undefeated starts with 10 set by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1994. The Buffalo Sabres carry their win streak to Long Island where they will face the Islanders on Thursday night.
Not surprisingly, the Sabres players are topping the NHL leader board. The top three scorers in the NHL are Maxim Afinogenov(5 goals, 9 assists) and Chris Drury(10 goals, 4 assists) with 14 points, and Thomas Vanek(6 goals, 7 assists) with 13 points. Captain Daniel Briere has 12 points (2 goals, 10 assists).
Quick Shave:
Vesa Toskala of the San Jose Sharks is making a strong bid that he should be the number one keeper. The Sharks have been platooning (I love that term) goalies Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov since the season's start, and Toskala has yet to yield a loss for his team. Last night he shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets enroute to a 3-0 victory. Atlanta Thrashers star forward Ilya Kovalchuk has bounced back from a slow start and is starting to put the puck in the net. Kovalchuk was the latest player to join the NHL Hat Trick club as his three scores helped his team to a 6-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. The Colorado Avalanche rebounded from a rough showing in Montreal Saturday night and the L.A. Kings payed the price. Milan Hejduk scored 2 goals, and Peter Budaj, in relief of the recently shelled Jose Theodore backstopped the Avs to a 6-1 victory, making 27 saves in the match. Joe Sakic had two assists and is one point away from joining the 1,500 club.
Game of the Night:
New Jersey at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Toronto 7:30 PM
I'm a little torn here. The Penguins are just so much fun to watch, and Malkin so far has answered the hype, scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games. Martin Broduer will be looking to return to form after being yanked Saturday night against the Senators. Speaking of the Senators, was their goal outburst Saturday a fluke, or a return to normalcy? I guess we'll find out agains the Maple Leafs tonight. Canadian broadcasts are the best.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The injury bug has hit the Chicago Blackhawks hard over the last few days, and now casts a shadow over a great start that has propelled the club to 2nd place in the Central Division. After losing star forward, and then leading scorer Martin Havlat to an ankle sprain, which will keep him from the lineup for a few weeks, the Blackhawks have now lost goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and Michal Handzus to injury.
Khabibulin suffered a broken finger on his blocker hand during the pre-skate on Saturday, and is expected to miss up to two weeks. The biggest blow to the team is the loss of Michal Handzus. The newly acquired center tore a ligament in his knee (the ole ACL) against the St. Louis Blues Saturday night and will miss the remainder of the season.
Havlat and Handzus have been a solid addition to the Blackhawks who have floundered in mediocrity for several seasons, and while their acquisitions were widely panned by critics the two were the leading scorers on the club prior to their injuries. Havlat has often been criticized because of his injury history, and I guess this is doing little to change the minds of said critics.
Quick Shave:
Anyone catch that sweet move Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf pulled on the shootout last night to give his team the win? Talk about a deke! Garon was on the wrong side of the stadium after Getzlaf was finished burying the puck.
Game of the Night:
Buffalo at Montreal 7:00 PM
If you haven't watched the Sabres thus far, turn this game on, and find out why they are destroying every team they face. Habs defenceman Janne Niinimaa has apparently called down the thunder and predicted a win for his team over the undefeated team from Buffalo. At least he will get the Sabres 'A' game tonight. Good Luck Janne! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 It's been a rough season for the Philadelphia Flyers this season. Having won just one game in their first seven, and falling to the Florida Panthers Friday night 3-2, I guess owner Ed Snider had seen enough.
Early this morning, Snider accepted Philadelphia Flyers GM Bob Clarke's resignation and continued the front office purge by firing Head Coach Ken Hitchcock. The writing was on the wall, but this move still surprised me. The Flyers tryed to shake up the roster after a humiliating 9-1 defeat to the Sabres earler this week, by waiving forwards Petr Nedved and Niko Dimitrakos, and defenceman Nolan Baumgartner to the AHL. The move did little to inspire the team, as they lost two more games.
Clarke had been the GM of the Flyers for 13 seasons, and to his credit has kept the Flyers consistently on top. Although never able to bring a Stanley Cup Championship to Philadelphia, his teams could always be considered contenders. However, the post-lockout NHL has seen the Flyers fail to adapt to the new wide open, faster style of play that the game has become. The Flyers have always been a big, bruising team, but that mold no longer works in the NHL, and it is very apparent that hulking defencemen like Derian Hatcher, and Mike Rathje will become a liability rather than a foundation on a defence corps. Speed kills, and so far this season, it has murdered the Flyers.
Ken Hitchcock also relieved of his position found out early this morning that he would no longer be the Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. Owner Ed Snider was apparently seeking a coaching change after the 9-1 loss to Buffalo. Hitchcock had recently signed a new contract for three years during training camp and had coaced the team for 4 years.
Assistant Coach John Steven will assume Ken Hitchcock's head coaching duties while Paul Holgrem will replace Bob Clarke as the GM of the Philadelphia Flyers. For more on this story, check out TSN.ca.
 Quick Shave:
The Ottawa Senators are back in session! After losing 4 straight (it may have been 5), and seemingly unable to buy a goal, the Senators exploded on the New Jersey Devils and for an 8-1 victory, their first at home this season. Jason Spezza had a goal and two assists, and linemate Dany Heatley scored. Perhaps this is what the team needed, because if not, they were headed down the same path as the Flyers, and Muckler and Murray could be on the hot seat. Will someone please protect Jaromir Jagr? Last night the New York Rangers beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4 in the shootout, however, victories like this one will prove costly if they continue to let Jagr get run by the other team. Last night is was Darcy Tucker's turn, and he continuously pummelled Jagr throughout the game, and faced little adversity because of it. Rangers, if you don't protect Jagr, you are going to have a very long season. Oh Jose! The Montreal Canadiens pounded their old goaltender with 5 third period goals and defeated the Colorado Avalanche 8-5. David Aebischer the former netminder of the Avs, had a rough first period, but got the win. Guess what? The Buffalo Sabres are still undefeated. They trashed another team last night in the Boston Bruins 6-2. At this point, the Sabres are actually scoring more points than the Buffalo Bills. Rick DiPietro returned to the New York Islanders line up last night and help them to a 4-3 overtime victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes.
The Detroit Red Wings fell to the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 last night and dropped the third straight game of their road trip. Panic time yet?
Game of the Night:
Anaheim at Los Angeles 6:00 PM
Only one game on the night, so it wins Game of the Night honors by default. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The answer right now. No. Nothing short of conventional weapons will stop this hockey club. The defending Stanley Cup Champs, the Carolina Hurricanes tried for the second time, and missed again by a goal. Buffalo Sabre's goalie wasn't as solid as he has been, and the Hurricanes were able to put 4 pucks past him. However, Carolina's goalie Cam Ward let 5 go by.....so they lost (that is commentary!)....5-4.
Maxim Afinogenov continues to be a threat on the ice, and is finally becoming the superstar forward everyone thought he would be. His finishing skills are now catching up to his super hero like speed. Afinogenov had a goal and two assists against the Hurricanes last night, and is 2nd overall in the NHL in scoring with 12 points (4 goals, and 8 assists).
Quick Shave:
The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are the first to solve the Minnesota Wild! The Minnesota Wild were the only other undefeated in the NHL, off to a franchise record 6-0 start. Anaheim goaltender J.S. Giguere made 27 saves to help the Ducks drop the Wild 2-1. The Chicago Blackhawks may have lost more than a game to Dallas last night. Martin Havlat, the leading NHL scorer injured an ankle during the game and will be evaluated today. No break was visible following an MRI, so that's good....this is where the nay-sayers start singing the 'I told you' so about Havlat's injury history. Perhaps it's true, but I bet everyone in Ottawa still wishes he was a Senator.
Game of the Night:
Colorado at Montreal 7:00 PM
Detroit at Edmonton 10:00 PM
Jose Theodore returns to Montreal? Could be interesting, although I can't imagine the Habs fans giving him to much of hard time. But who knows. Either way, he will probably be on top of his game trying to shove it in Gainey's face this evening. Detroit gets a small opportunity to give Edmonton a little payback in this round 1 rematch from last year's playoffs. Detroit has had a rough road trip so far, and could use a game like this to ignite the engines again. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Hello there. We meet again. And yes, that is a ferret on my lip. Thank you for noticing. But let’s not waste any more time with simple pleasantries. Let’s get right to it, because as C and C told their Music Factory, “It’s getting’, it’s gettin’, it’s getting’ kind of hectic!” The newborn of a season is starting to grow some hair (though not where it counts) and as the puck drops night in and night out some interesting trends are beginning to develop amongst our 29 jersey-emblazoned groups of warriors. Oh, crap. Forgot about Phoenix. That should read “…amongst our 30 jersey-emblazoned groups of warriors.” Sorry, J.R. Let’s blame the media instead of the fact you guys were shut out by the Kings last night. No, I know Gretzky is your coach! I know! Greatest player of all time not named Mario! But you might want to ask him why there is steam coming out of all twelve of his orifices and let me do my job. Of ignoring Phoenix.
Anyway, let’s get this thing rolling fuzz freaks. Because I just feel like shouting it: I’VE GOT THE POWER!!!
Power play, that is. As we fans learned early last year (and the Penguins sometime around March), special teams can decide games like never before in the history of the great game of hockey. Not even back in 1919 when the Portsmouth Zeppelins lost the coveted Sears Roebuck Bronzed Tobacco Pipe to the Doolie Town Union Busters after P.D. Barnaclacken took a twenty-five minute penalty for back-sassing. Man, were they strict back in ought-nineteen! And the games were only twenty minutes long to begin with! Times have changed, but the focus a team has to place on their respective power play and penalty kill units is nearly as sharp as it was back in Barnaclacken’s day.
Let’s start our special teams class with a little quiz (won’t be graded, but still – no cheating). Question number one: which NHL team currently has the league’s best power play? Which team currently has the worst? Whose penalty kill is firing above 92 percent and whose penalty kill is merely adequate?
Well, if you answered Florida, Ottawa, Montreal, and the New York Rangers then congratulations! You passed with flying colors! And speaking of flying, after their humiliating 9-1 loss to Buffalo this week it will probably come as no surprise that the Flyers are posting a power play success rate of only 8.2%. But what is surprising is that they’re not even 2nd to last in this category. Tampa Bay, Detroit, and Calgary are each scoring on less than 10% of their power play chances. Ottawa, who supposedly employs Jason Spezza, Danny Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson, has a lip-numbing 2.9% success rate on the power play. Actually, I shouldn’t have used the word “success” anywhere in that sentence because this unit has been nothing but a catastrophic failure thus far. The Senators went 0 for 4 last night against the Avalanche and have now failed to score in 32 consecutive power play opportunities. To date they have but one lone goal in 34 chances with the man advantage. I’d call that a man disadvantage. Get it? Eh? Eh? Seriously, did you get it? Good.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Florida Panthers have a somewhat astonishing success rate of 31.3% when graced with the extra skater. Whether newly acquired Todd Bertuzzi is having a direct impact on this number can be debated, but what can’t be argued is that without him the Vancouver Canucks have managed only a 14.3% rate while on the power play. Guess it’s a good thing they got Luongo, huh? On the other hand, what did Luongo ever do for Florida? Did he lead them to a 31.3% power play success rate? I doubt it. In fact, sources in Florida tell me that as a team, the Panthers are an exact 31.3% happier without him. Go figure.
On the shorthanded side, Montreal has set the mark to beat at 92.3%, excellent numbers for a team that appears to have somewhat of a goaltending controversy on their hands. Second in the league is the Atlanta Thrashers at 90.9%, whose only controversy at the moment is the indecision displayed in the horribly designed sleeves of their home jerseys. (“Atlanta” written on one arm and nothing on the other. Word in the dirty south is if the Thrashers don’t make the playoffs this year, the empty sleeve next year will be replaced with the words “Still Sucks.”). And what about the Senators, or the woeful Flyers, whose PP (hehehe) numbers are so poor? Well, their miseries haven’t extended yet to their shorty units, but the promising Predators have promised to only prevent a power play goal 74.3% of the time which has them sitting in the cellar looking up in this particular category. Also interesting is that Preds coach Barry Trotz looks 74.3% like a 1920’s era gangster. Word to the wise: don’t give Trotz the high-hat, sonny. You might find yourself digging a grave-sized hole in the middle of nowhere Tennessee. On a positive note, you’ll be buried within viewing distance of Dolly Wood.
And like Dolly Parton’s bust size, we as critical hockey fans have to take these numbers with a grain of salt. It isn’t always the most efficient team that wins the game, and even the best teams suffer bad nights every now and then which can inflate (or implant) these specialty numbers (or NUM3RS). What matters most are cohesiveness, determination, effort, and desire. With these core elements in place, even the lowliest of clubs can make an unlikely run that will take them all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Where they will lose to the team that was good all year long.
Until they make the tiny comb even tinier,
-Stache
 The San Jose Sharks are beginning to realize their potential this season, and are lining up the giants of the West and knocking them down one by one. Just two nights removed from shutting out the undefeated Dallas Stars, 2-0, the Sharks took advantage of a penalty filled game to score 5 power play goals, and win their sixth game over the Detroit Red wings 5-1.
Joe Thornton who had been quiet for a few games finally hit paydirt (thank you! he's my first rounder in one league!) by setting up winger Jonathan Cheechoo on the powerplay, and assisting on another. Patrick Marleau had two goals on the night (and seems to be blossoming in his second line center position), as did Milan Michalek, Mark Bell, and the aforementioned Cheechoo.
The Sharks have been platooning the goaltending between Vesa Toskala and Evgeni Nabokov since the start of the season. Both have responded well to the every other game starts. Nabokov has already pitched to shutouts, and Toskala responded last night by making 21 saves against the Red Wings.
Quick Shave:
As if things couldn't get worse for the Philadelphia Flyers. After watching 13 goals go by them in the last two games, and three of their own get sent down to the farm, they lost captain Peter Forsberg to a wrist injury for at least the next game. This was bound to happen sooner or later. Or sooner than later. The Flyers were dismantled by the Lightning 4-1 last night and don't appear to show any signs of life. The Pittsburgh Penguins and their young guns Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin stole a game from the Islanders in OT last night 4-3. Malkin scored his second goal of the season, in his second game of the season and just looks special out there. Crosby had three assists on the night. The New York Islanders have looked solid with Mike Dunham in net and for the fourth straight game have managed to secure a point in the standings. I think these guys are gonna be alright.....but what happens when DiPietro returns? Whats up with the Ottawa Senators? This is the biggest shock that has been quietly swept under the carpet....until now!!! BOSH is draggin' it back out. The Senators have lost 4 straight, and what's worse....they can't score. Dany Heatley got his first goal last night. First goal? He, Daniel Alfreddson, and Jason Spezza have been scarily quiet. There are rumors that GM John Muckler is looking into acquiring Yanic Perrault (from Hockey Night in Canada, and Spector on the Face Off Hockey Show), but I'm not sure that he will be the panacea for this team. Another team up north, the Calgary Flames are having a rough start too. Still unable to find the offence they long for, they are now having trouble getting the same goaltending they got a season ago from Vezina winner Miikka Kiprusoff.
Game of the Night:
Carolina at Buffalo 8:00 PM
Oh hell yeah! Rematch of the season opener and I think the Hurricanes will be ready. If anyone can topple the monsters from West New York its the boys from Raleigh! Enjoy the games!!!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 It seems almost appropriate that the future stars of the NHL cut their teeth against probably the greatest goalie the NHL has ever seen. A season ago, young Sidney Crosby (as if he's old now), began his NHL career with the Penguins against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. Crosby did manage an assist in the game, but the Devils proved too much for his team. Last night saw Brodeur initiate the Penguins latest franchise addition in rookie forward Evgeni Malkin. Malkin's debut was delayed due to a separated shoulder which occurred during the pre-season, but the effects of the month old injury did little to prevent him from making everyone aware of his potential greatness.
Malkin scored his first ever NHL goal, by slipping a loose puck past the veteran Brodeur during the second period of the game. He looked smooth and confident on the ice and even broke the glass behind Brodeur with his slapshot! It may have been me, but Malkin at 6 foot 4 inches looked eerily similiar to Mario Lemieux at times. Never really impressing with speed, but more with a casual grace and total puck control that helped him skate the Devils defence on more than one occassion. However, the night was not for him alone. Never to be outdone, Martin Brodeur closed the door on the Penguins stopping 37 of the 38 shots he faced and helped the New Jersey Devils to a 2-1 victory. The win was the 450th of his career, and Broduer now only trails Ed Belfour with 457, and Patrick Roy with 551. There is little doubt that he will one day surpass them both. Congratulations Marty.
Quick Shave:
The Philadelphia Flyers still reeling from their pummelling at the hands of the Sabres two nights ago, placed three players on waivers yesterday in an effort to inject some youth, and perhaps enthusiasm into the roster. Petr Nedved was the notable of the three being sent down, and if he isn't picked up his playing days could well be over. Nedved had been demoted to 4th line duty and penalty killing with the Flyers this year, a far cry from his first line center spot of just a few seasons ago. The New York Rangers were shut down by the Nashville Predators and Tomas Vokoun last night 3-0. Vokoun who was awful to start the season (so much so I traded him after week one) is beginning to find his game again (damn). Martin Havlat just keeps on scoring! Havlat and his Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Habs 2-1 last night!
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at NY Islanders 7:30 PM
Detroit at San Jose 10:30 PM
Let's watch Malkin again tonight! Mike Dunham has resurrected his career on the Island, and has helped them get 5 out of 6 points in the last 3 games. The Red Wings continue their west coast road trip and land in San Jose to face off agains the Sharks! The Sharks have been a lot of fun to watch, even though most teams have been shutting down Thornton lately the rest of the team has been providing offence in his absence. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Tonight's Show:
October 18th Show
Lyle Richardson from Spector's Hockey.
TONIGHT AT 9PM EST!!
Click here to listen.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Can anything stop the Buffalo Sabres? Not even mother nature! After a surprising weather front dumped over a foot of snow on the Western New York community, the Sabres responded by dumping 16 goals in the net against the Rangers and Flyers! Right now the Sabres look like they are playing against high school teams. I'm not even close to exaggerating. Last night, in what was their sixth consecutive victory, the Buffalo Sabres embarrassed the Philadelphia Flyers 9-1 (the score got so high that in an effort to not run the score up, Coach Lindy Ruff mandated that his forwards only score on headers).
Flyers goaltender Robert Esche who was left in net to fend for himself, actually kept his team in the game for the first period, making a couple of beautiful saves, including a Maxim Afinogenov shot from the door step. The wheels came flying off in the second, and he was eventually pounded for the 9 goals on the 37 shots he faced (I actually can't remember a goalie being left in after being lit up like that since Patty Roy was with the Habs....who coincidentally demanded a trade from Montreal following the game). While the entire Sabres lineup chipped in, team scoring leader from last year, Maxim Afinogenov continues his crusade this season, and contributed a goal and four assists in the game. His goal exemplified why the Flyers are falling apart right now, as he skated the entire team, including splitting the defensemen and finished by walking in on Esche untouched and completely pantsing him.
The Flyers who have won only one game so far, have a lot of work to do. Their power play sucks. They can't set it up, and can barely gain the zone (granted they were playing the Sabres who are just on top of their game right now, but the Flyers stats on special teams were dreadful prior to this game). The new 'slimmed down' Derian Hatcher should keep on slimming, because his 12 pounds of lost weight did little to help him keep up with the speed of the Sabres forward corps. Much work to do in Philly.
Quick Shave:
Vive le Habs! Everyonce in a while NHL Center Ice tosses us the French broadcast of the Montreal Canadiens games, and last night was just such an evening. It's very cool listening to the game in another language and really only takes a minute to adjust before you understand what they are saying. The Habs and Flames provided a barn burner last night, which saw the Canadiens win 5-4. The Calgary Flames did find some scoring in the game, but once again fell short. What I find odd is that when the game is tight and the Flames can't buy a goal, Kipprusoff shuts the door on their opponents, but when they do light the lamp, Kipprusoff is average at best. I think their is a mathematical formula for that (similiar to the equation which compares Pierre MacGuire's anger to the size of his mini-sin bin between the benches on Hockey Night in Canada). The Phoenix Coyotes made thier second appearance in the win column last night.....they beat the St. Louis Blues....yeah. The Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers traded home and home wins by identical scores this week.
Game of the Night:
New Jersey at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Malkin returns tonight! Come on, you have to watch this game! The much travelled son of the Penguins makes his NHL debut this evening against the New Jersey Devils. As my boy Stache said the other day, its up to Marty Brodeur to break in another young Penguin superstar. Good Luck Marty! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The New York Rangers hoped for big things from Brendan Shanahan, and he has failed to dissapoint thus far. Shanahan has been the bright spot on a team that is still trying to recover from last seasons free fall and total playoff collapse. In his sixth game as a blue shirt, Brendan Shanahan delivered his league leading seventh goal, and helped the Rangers break free from their 3 game losing streak, and hopefully right the ship.
The Rangers defeated their cross river rival the New Jersey Devils 4-2 last night. In what is usually a game that helps to jump start the Devils, this time the Rangers may have found the launch pad needed to re-discover the discipline that propelled them last year. They face a big test against the re-tooled Nashville Predators who have shown signs of improvement following their sluggish start on Wednesday night. Henrik Lundqvist also found his game last night stopping 34 Devil shots and being named the first star of the game.
Quick Shave:
 The Stanley Cup Champs are playing like Stanley Cup Champs again. The Carolina Hurricanes playing off another solid outing by goaltender Cam Ward, who made 34 stops, pounded the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-1 last night. Justin Williams joined the ever growing NHL Hat Trick club by putting the lotion in the basket three times. Yes another hat trick! What the heck is going on with Mike Dunham? I have to give this guy credit. After a couple of average season's with the Rangers, and a lackluster year with the Atlanta Thrashers (including the game that he collapsed against the Caps last year that saw the Thrashers miss their first playoff appearance by 2 points), Dunham was floating in limbo uncertain that he would be playing again. After being offered at tryout with the Islanders, making the roster, and taking over for Rick DiPietro with a groin injury, Dunham has shined. In three starts, the New York Islanders remain unbeaten in regulation, 2 wins, and last nights shootout loss to the Preds. Mike Dunham stopped 32 shots, and ensured the Islanders get a point in the standings for their effort. The Chicago Blackhawks look pretty good so far....don't they realize they are supposed to suck? Perhaps Martin Havlat didn't get that memo, because he's leading the league in scoring with 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists).
Game of the Night:
Philadelphia at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Dallas at San Jose 10:30 PM
An early game and a late game, so you can watch both...that is how generous the Bosher is. Philadelphia is off to a very slow start with only 1 win so far, and Buffalo is well....in the words of Ivan Drago's manager from Rocky IV..."whatever they hit....they destroy!" Buffalo took care of the Flyers in the first round of the playoffs last year, and I bet R.J. Umberger is still shuddering from the skull crushing hit he recieved from Brian Campbell. How much you wanna bet his head will be up when enters the neutral zone? This should be a great test for the Flyers, and another chance for the Sabres to show everyone they are the real deal. Dallas and San Jose? Do I really need to explain why this game should be accompanied by a large cooler full of ice cold Labatt Blues? Enjoy the games my razor hating friends!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The Dallas Stars are still unbeaten, and in the history of the shootout era have only lost one time. Marty Turco had another great night, and even though he and the Stars gave up the tying goal seconds before regulation ended, they were still able to finish the game. Dallas went on to beat the 4-3 by way of shootout.
Turco had 36 saves on the night, and is off to another great start, but he and everyone else knows, that his regular season performance will have little effect on whether or not he remains in Dallas next year. Turco has to shed his playoff curse and carry the Stars to the promise land. A place they have not been since Turco replaced then number one goalie Ed Belfour in 2000. If he crashes and burns in the post season this year, he will certainly recieve the old 'Manny Legace Treatment', and be chased out of town.
My suggestion to Turco to improve his playoff chances....grow a playoff beard! Granted round one playoff beards tend to be scruff (unless you are Scott Niedermayer, who looks like ZZ Top after game 2), but you need all the help you can get my friend.
Game of the Night:
Edmonton at Vancouver 10:00 PM
Let's head West. The surging Edmonton Oilers face off against the retooled Vancouver Canucks. This should be a nice bench test for Luongo to see if he can handle the swarm of Oilers forwards. The top line of Naslund and the Sedin twins was impressive the other night in San Jose, keeping the Thornton and Cheechoo line off the scoreboard while they themselves put up 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists).....they still lost, but it's nice to see Naslund playing defence this year....something he didn't really try last season, as his -19 would indicate. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 This will probably go down in history as a week that most goaltenders would like to forget. Yes folks, it's Hat Trick Week in the NHL! After Detroit's Matthieu Schneider kicked it off on Wednesday with the first 3 goal game of the week, Thursday saw, New Jersey's Brian Gionta, Edmonton's Ryan Smyth, and San Jose's Jonathan Cheechoo all record hat tricks. So why stop there? Buffalo Sabre's forward Chris Drury did his part in a 7-4 drubbing of the New York Rangers, which leads us up to our man of the hour. Mats Sundin.
The Toronto Maple Leaf Captain, Mats Sundin scored 3 goals this evening against the usually very stingy Calgary Flames. His third goal and game winner was less than a minute into extra time which lifted the Leafs to a 5-4 win. The icing on the evening, was that not only was it the game winner, or in overtime, or even that it was a short handed opportunity, it was that the final tallie of the hat trick was Mats Sundin's 500th career goal.
While Mikka Kipprusoff let in more than his usual 1 goal, the Calgary Flames did find some offence tonight. Although it was against a defensively soft Leafs team, and an off night for goaltender Raycroft, the Flames got goals from Giordano, Lombardi and Langkow. Perhaps this is a step towards something positive?
Quick Shave:
As I said above, the Buffalo Sabres crushed the New York Rangers 7-4, who really look like a team that forgot about it's defense first philosophy that brought them out of the cellar a year ago. Chris Drury celebrated a hat trick in the win. Brian Gionta of the New Jersey Devils is on a tear again. He scored the game winner in the 3-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. So much for my Game of the Night! Minnesota remained undefeated by hammering the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-0. The New York Islanders have lost their 15 year man to a groin injury for an undetermined amount of time........but no problem there, because backup Mike Dunham has won two straight for the Isles.
Game of the Night:
Dallas at Anaheim 8:00 PM
Only one game on the card tonight, but man is it a good one! The Ducks vs. the Stars! Two power-house teams in the West face off (man am I laying it on thick!!). Enjoy the game!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 It had to happen sooner or later. The Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes finally got their first win last night against the red hot Atlanta Thrashers. Thrasher's netminder Kari Lehtonen prior to meeting the Hurricanes had only allowed 3 goals in 3 games. Carolina came out and solved him early on a pair of goals by Craig Adams, and made the score 3-0 late in the first on a score by Eric Staal.
The Thrashes came back to tie, and looked as though they might deny the 'Canes their first victory, until Ray Whitney buried the game winner with less than a second remaining in the third. The Hurricanes won the match 4-3. Captain Rod Brind'Amour got his first points of the season, assisting on 3 of the Hurricane goals.
The Hurricanes have allowed 18 goals prior to this meeting, and really need to shore up their defensive play. Sophomore keeper Cam Ward needs to find the game that earned him the Conn Smythe Tropy during the playoffs last year. Ward stopped 31 of the Thrashers shots last night, so he appears to be off the skids.
Quick Shave
The Tampa Bay Lightning need to find their spark (nice right?) as well. The lost their third straight last night to their cross state rivals the Florida Panthers 3-2. Lecavalier got his first goal of the season, but it did little to help his team's effort. Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin has been practicing with his team for the past few days, and yesterday took part in contact drills. The young forward could make his debut for the Pens next week. Great news. The Penguins by the way, look outstanding. They need to tighten up their defense more, but their offence looks like it can compete with anyone. They are making Captain Bosh look pretty smart right now! The Sabres look outstanding (they actually looked awful in this one, but rallied back)! They appear to be this season's Dallas Stars....meaning, if you can't beat them in regulation, you are going to lose to them in the shootout. They beat the Red Wings 3-2 for their third shootout of win of the season, and remain undefeated.
Game of the Night:
Columbus at Minnesota 8:00 PM
There are a ton to watch tonight, including a great one between the Sabres and Rangers, and the Flyers meeting the Devils. Montreal is also hosting the Senators for their home opener. So why choose Minnesota and Columbus? Two reasons. Neither really gets the respect they deserve, and secondly, both are quietly making waves and joining playoff calibre teams. The Wild and Blue Jackets should both make the playoffs this year, and can no longer be taken for granted by their opponents. Both are also loaded with some of the best young talent in the league. Oh yeah, neither has lost in regulation. Time to get familiar I think, because I will be mentioning them alot this season. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Hello there, stubbles. Hope everyone is enjoying week two of the 06-07 season. If not, then boy are you going to love this week’s column! I’ve got more links for you than the Legend of Zelda. You see, last Sunday I pressed the power button on my television remote and was greeted with a soul-rattling silence. No picture, no sound, nothing. In fact, by all appearances, no power at all (and, yes, I’ve plugged, unplugged, and re-plugged to no avail). So, being unable to watch hockey on television I thought I’d try to watch hockey on the internet. This of course leads me to YouTube and the wealth of homemade highlight clips spun together in a grainy montage sonically backed by the pounding rhythm of the latest Puddle of Mud song. Not exactly my cup of shaving cream. There is, however, a world of hockey off the ice that needs no Linkin Park soundtrack. And this is where we will begin.
Let’s start with a quick cheer. Shout it with me now: “Steve’s got spirit, oh yes he do. Stephen Colbert’s got hockey spirit, how ‘bout you???”
Speaking of spirit, no current player has more than Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals. If I had to pick one, and only one, current player to spend a weekend in Reno with, Ovechkin would be my immediate and obvious choice. (A close second would be Blackhawk Lasse Kukkonen, for those who are curious. God, I love that name! Lasse, come home!) Why Ovechkin, you ask? Let me count the ways, and let me tell you: you’re in for a treat. Reason #1 also shows you why Bill Clement is my least favorite stand-up (okay, sit-down) comedian.
Reason #2: the “countdown” reason.
Reason #3: the “I swear God! I swear my mom!” reason.
Moving on, have you ever thought to yourself: “Gee, I wonder what an episode of MTV’s Cribs would look like if it involved AHL hockey players?” Of course you have. Well, good news! Take a look at the fabulous life of then Baby Penguins’ Colby Armstrong and Shane Endicott. This video also goes a long way in explaining perhaps why Endicott was sent to Nashville. Also telling was his inability to do anything on the ice while in Pittsburgh whatsoever. And here’s hoping Colby’s moved on up to the east side this year. To a deluxe apartment in the sky. With a view of the construction site for Crosby’s mansion.
Time for an EXCLUSIVE!!! Playoffbeard.com’s own Captain Bosh sinks the game winner for his team the Dragons!! Or does he? Hmm. You make the call!
Now, I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking Calgary’s Dion Phaneuf is set to be one of the most dominant defensemen in the league very soon. This kid’s got it all. But like Ovechkin, Phaneuf is still very young and there are plenty of things he still needs to learn. First on that list, is to NEVER mess with Jarkko Ruutu.
Speaking of the almighty Ruutu and my adorable little Penguins, I’d like to take a quick moment to point out three of the goal scorers in their victory over the Rangers last night: Jordan Staal, Kristopher Letang, and Sidney Crosby. They have something else in common besides the crest on their jersey. That’s right, they all love playoffbeard.com. Actually, they’re all teenagers. Three goals by three different teenagers. In one game. All for the same team. Has that ever happened before? Will it happen again?
While on the topic of goals, after one full season and two weeks of another has there been a better shootout goal than this one?
If so, it’s probably this one.
Nonetheless, I’m ready for more. If you’ve seen some great ones this season (Briere’s backhander against the Hurricanes comes to mind) and can find a link for the vid, throw it up in the talkback.
Last, and certainly least, I’ll give you a link that asks you to do something else I’ve done while my TV has been on the I.R.: read. I know words will never replace the power of a sixty second clip of a woman butchering the national anthem at a hockey game. But I’ve also come to respect the fact that sometimes what happens off the ice is as important as a person slipping and falling all over it. This article loses major credibility for failing to mention playoffbeard.com, but I applaud Newsweek for at least examining what we already know: that hockey fans are the best sports fans in the world and crave information on the teams, games, players, and even Darren Pang. The hockey blog explosion is a reflection and extension of this fervor. If the American newspapers want to eliminate hockey from their pages, then screw them. We’ve got YouTube.
Bald from the bottom lip down,
-Stache
 The reigning Rocket Richard Trophy winner was on his way to making the Edmonton Oilers pay early this morning. Jonathan Cheechoo lit the lamp three times for his first hat trick of the young season. Down 4-2, the Oilers mounted an unlikely comeback in the third period. Powered by Ryan Smyth, and his hat trick, the Oilers scored 4 unanswered goals to beat the San Jose Sharks 6-4.
Ryan Smyth broke Wayne Gretzky's record (set in '88 if I heard correctly), for the fastest three goals by an Edmonton Oilers player. Smyth potted the first two on the power play 14 seconds apart, and nabbed the third less than a minute later.
 What a hockey game! It really looked as though the Sharks had this one in the bag, and apparently they did too, and came out way too complacent in the third. The Oilers stormed Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov who faced multiple breakaways (one of which Ales Hemsky finished the scoring on) and odd man opportunites, and looked as though he was left to fend for himself. Edmonton looked like the same refuse to die team we all witnessed in last years playoffs. Dwayne Roloson looked like the playoff version of himself, weathering the Sharks attack for the final period with little difficulty. Two Hat Tricks in one game! That's nice.
Quick Shave
Not to be out done, Brian Gionta of the New Jersey Devils joined Mattheiu Schneider, Jonathan Cheechoo, and Ryan Smyth in this week's Hat Trick Club by helping his team climb back into the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. Gionta, just re-signed by the Devils last week, potted three goals in the third to tie the game 6-6, and force overtime, and the eventual shootout where New Jersey won 7-6. The Calgary Flames still can't find the offence they long for, but their opponents aren't able to find any when facing Miikka Kiprusoff. Jarome Iginla scored the only goal of the game, and that was all the Flames needed as Kiprusoff shut the door on the Ottawa Senator, stopping all 33 shots he faced for the 1-0 win. The Pittsburgh Penguins are showing signs of the juggernaut they are destined to become. The Penguins had a back and forth matchup against the New York Rangers that saw Sidney Crosby have a 4 point evening including the game winning power play goal with seconds remaining to give his team the 6-5 win. Jordan Staal, the younger brother of Hurricanes forward Eric Staal potted his first ever NHL goal on a beautiful shorthanded breakway against Rangers keeper Henrik Lundqvist. The second overall pick in this years Entry Draft, had a terrific game and is giving the Penguins all the reason in the world to keep him on the team. The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators for the second time in two weeks, and kept them from finding their first win. Martin Havlat, whom the Blackhawks picked up in a trade from Ottawa, and signed for the long term has really answered the bell. Havlat had a goal last night against the Predators and in 3 games has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists). The Minnesota Wild are still unbeaten after taking it to the Washington Capitals in a shootout victory 3-2. UFA acquisition defenceman Kim Johnsson potted both goals in regualtion on the powerplay.
Game of the Night:
Buffalo at Detroit 7:00 PM
A Friday the 13th matchup! This one is for you Jeff! The unbeaten Buffalo Sabres storm in to Detroit tonight to face off agains the Red Wings. This is a great test for both teams. The Red Wings have the opportunity to answer the critics against one of the hottest teams in the league. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The Phoenix Coyotes still don't know what hit them last night. Meeting the Detroit Red Wings at home in Joe Louis Arena, the Coyotes were dismantled by defenceman Mathieu Schneider who exploded for 3 goals and a assist.
The Wings also recorded goals from Mikael Samuelsson, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Jason Williams, and Tomas Holmstrom (i think i got a goal too). The Red Wings defeated the Coyotes (who have looked horrible since their opening night win over the Islanders), by the final score of 9-2.
Quick Shave:
As predicted in the Game of the Night, the Atlanta Thrashers, and their fans welcomed Marc Savard and his new club, the Bruins home in style. The Thrashers who have been anchored by superb goaltending from Kari Lehtonen, went on to beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 last night. Whats going on with the Champs? The Carolina Hurricanes can't buy a win this year. Relieving goalie Cam Ward, John Grahame (transplanted from Tampa Bay) was lit up by the Florida Panthers who went on to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup Champs 6-3. Is Aebischer the Habs new #1? I really hope not, because I've banked on Huet in a few fantasy leagues....however, it's hard not to give this guy credit. David Aebischer shut down the Philadelphia Flyers stopping 27 shots and helping the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-1 win. Rough road trip for the Islanders to open the season. Rick DiPietro recieved a break after being shelled in his first three games in favor of backup Mike Dunham.....who likewise was shelled last night by over 50 Anaheim shots. However Dunham, was able to stifle the Ducks in the shootout where the Isles took to the game 5-4 on a goal by Mike York. This is one team that can't wait to get home.
Game of the Night:
Calgary at Ottawa 7:30 PM
San Jose at Edmonton 10:00 PM
Thursday night in the NHL is almost as good as Saturday! We have a buffet of hockey tonight, but I recommend both of these games! Calgary, who still can't score, goes up against Ottawa who is still trying to prove they are last years juggernaut. High powered offence, versus stifling defense. The second game is another playoff rematch. The Sharks look solid this year, and are still unbeaten. I heard they are the largest team in the league, by and average of 10 pounds. That is impressive when you consider how fast they are. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Tonight's Show:
October 11th Show
The first week in the season is done and we have quite a few surprises on who's on top. Granted, it's just seven days, but we'll look at who's up, who's down, and who doesn't know what hit them. Lyle Richardson from Spector's Hockey will join us to talk about who is looking at Brian Leetch and what could happen to M-A Fleury. Derick Murray from Making The Cut will join us to talk about the hockey reality series and what could happen with the future of the project. We'll give you the ups and downs of the FOHSHL, as well as dish the dirt on other injuries and news.
TONIGHT AT 9PM EST!!
Click here to listen.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
...because I wrap it around your heart....and squeeze off hope.
Peter Forsberg and the Philadelphia Flyers got their revenge last night, after Saturday's 13 round shootout loss. Forsberg had a goal and set up Mike Knuble and Simone Gagne enroute to the Flyers first win of the season. Geoff Sanderson also scored and Antero Nittymaki stopped 25 shots and helped the Flyers defeat the New York Rangers 4-2.
The Flyers forecheck stifled the Rangers and prevented them from creating any sustained attack. The Rangers consistently coughed up the puck in the neutral zone and looked as though they were fighting the puck most of the night. Henrik Lundqvist uncharacteristically let a few soft goals go by and the Rangers weren't able to get back into the game. Thomas Pock and Brendan Shanahan recorded the tallies for the Rangers.
Quick Shave
The new look Minnesota Wild gave Roberto Luongo of the Vancouver Canucks his first introduction to their squad. According to the announcers, Luongo had never faced the Wild before, and he made 34 saves only allowing a Brian Rolston goal during regulation. Minnesota went on to win the game during the shootout on scores by Mikko Koivu and Petteri Nummelin. The Wild are of to a 3-0-0 start, the best in their franchise's history. The Canadiens have announced that David Aebischer will be starting over Cristobal Huet against the Flyers tonight, after a strong outting over the weekend. The Toronto Maple Leafs UFA acquisition Pavel Kubina will be lost to them after spraining an MCL suffered during a collision with Florida's Todd Bertuzzi Monday night. Perhaps this will spur Brian Leetch to the Leafs rumors? Speaking of Leetch, apparently he is weighing choices between playing in the NHL, or becoming a road game broadcaster for the MSG Network. Brian Leetch is an amazing defenceman, but he is one the most wooden interviews I have ever witnessed. I can't imagine him behind a mic and really hope he opts for returning to play, or officially retiring.
Game of the Night:
Boston at Atlanta 7:00 PM
Not much in the way of excitement tonight, so I figured I would go with the return of Marc Savard to Atlanta. It's always fun to watch Ilya Kovalchuk, and perhaps he may put on a show to welcome him his old center. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Kari Lehtonen is finally providing the goaltending the Atlanta Thrashers sorely missed last season. In three games this season, Lehtonen has allowed only two goals, and since opening night has kept both the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning off the score board. Last night facing the Lightning, Lehtonen stopped all 34 shots he faced and helped the Atlanta Thrashers to a 1-0 shutout win. If he can remain off of the IR list and continue playing the way he is now, the Thrashers should have little difficulty achieving their club's first ever post season berth.
Quick Shave
Even Alex Tanguay can't help the Calgary Flames find the back of the net. In their first three games the Flames have only managed 4 goals. A far cry from the amount needed to win games, especially when Kiprusoff is overwhelmed like last night where they fell to the San Jose Sharks 4-1. Alex Auld is making the most of replacing Roberto Luongo in Florida. Auld stopped 47 Maple Leafs shots for the Panthers but they lost the game 2-1 in the shootout. If the Panthers can provide him some more offensive support (and perhaps block a few shots), Auld may prove to be as important a pickup as Bertuzzi in this summers biggest trade (or second biggest depending on how you view the Pronger delivery to Anaheim via Edmonton). The Philadelphia Flyers are trying to coax Leetch into coming out of limbo (nod to Stache for the heads up). After losing blueliner Mike Rathje to a back problem, the Flyers hope to bring some balance to their defence corps and an added punch on the power play by signing Brian Leetch. Leetch a Flyer? That could really up the heat in the rivalry with the Rangers! Almost holdout Nikolia Zherdev and the Columbus Blue Jackets crushed the Phoenix Coyotes 5-1 last night. Zherdev netted two goals in the rout, and appears to have shed what little rust he may have had.
Game of the Night:
Philadelphia at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Yeah I'm going homer again here, but come on! This is a rematch of the 13 round shootout that saw Marcel Hossa bury the winner for the Rangers Saturday night. The bad blood should be boiling already....and the chances of Kasparitis returning are much better. If you're not into this one you can stay up late and watch the Kings kick the crap out of the Isles! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Marek Svatos has returned with a vengeance for the Colorado Avalanche after an injury shortened season that still had him challenging for the Calder Trophy. In only 61 games last season the rookie scored 50 points (32 goals, 18 assists), and has shrugged off last season's shoulder injury (literally) to begin his 2006-2007 already at a torrid pace.
Facing the unbeaten Vancouver Canucks and their new mainstay in net Roberto Luongo, the Avs rallied from a 1 goal deficit, to take a 2 -1 lead, on goals by Wojtek Wolski (another fantasy player to watch) and Marek Svatos (it's doubtful he's available in most leagues, but if he is grab this guy). The Canucks new top line of Naslund and the Sedin twins pressured to tie the game 2-2 late in the second. The goalies took over in the third till Marek Svatos once again scored the eventual game winner late in the third on the power play and give the Avs the 3-2 victory.
Svatos is an impressive player, especially for his size. He brings everything you'd expect, speed, skill, an uncanny ability to get open (his first goal personified this), and is an excellent finisher. What you don't expect, is that he relishes the physical aspect of the game and enjoys dishing it out as often as he recieves it. His tenacity tested the patience of Canucks defenceman Willie Mitchell early in the first, and the small forward refused to yield. This guy is fun to watch, and is really a testament to the farm system and scouts of the Colorado Avalanche organization. It's amazing how this club can continue to lose players like Forsberg, and Tanguay and still remain potent offensively. Their platoon of youngsters on offence to keep an eye on include, Svatos, the above mentioned Wolski, Stastny, and Brad Richardson who is an extremely fast skater and already has 2 goals on the season.
Game of the Night:
San Jose at Calgary 8:00 PM
This looks like the tastiest dish on the menu tonight. Kipprusoff faces the team that cast him off several seasons ago, and the Sharks throw their award winning top line at their former keeper. Speaking of goalies, who do the Sharks start in net? They haven't lost, but Nabokov kept the Islanders off the scoreboard over the weekend, while Toskala had some difficulty containing the new look St. Louis Blues in their first contest. Competition seems to be favoring Nabokov thus far, but neither has faced a quality opponent yet. The Flames don't have what I would deem a high powered offence, but goals are hard to come by against them. This should be a great game. Thus....the Game of the night! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, helped the Rangers to a 5-4 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers by way of 13 round shootout. While the Rangers and Flyers both played sloppy in regulation, they still provided a back and forth affair, that went to extra time, and eventually to a shootout tied 4-4.
The Rangers won the game on a goal by Marcel Hossa, the 26th shooter in a 13 round shootout. The next skater for the Rangers would have presumably been Marek Malik, and the announcers could not help themselves pondering whether or not the big blueliner would try another between the legs shot. Hossa's goal ended all speculation and helped the Rangers leave Philadelphia with the win and 2 points. The Nashville Predators offense is on fire! The Predators have scored 11 goals in their first two games. Unfortunately their defence and goaltending is going down in flames. They have surrendered 14 goals. Vokoun...buddy? What's up!
Quick Shave
Can anything stop the Buffalo Sabres? Nope, not even the Ottawa Senators Jason Spezza who finally scored....actually he got two for you Stache! But that wasn't enough to prevent the Sabres from winning 4-3 and starting the season perfect with a 3-0 record. Evgeni Nabokov may have regained his pre-lockout form, as he helped the San Jose Sharks to a 2-0 shutout victory over the New York Islanders. Ovechkin and Semin exploded to defeat Stanley Cup Champs. The Capitals defeated the Hurricanes 5-2, the second one-sided loss in two nights for the Canes. Semin had his first NHL hatrick in his second professsional game. Anaheim defeated the 'Yotes on the heels of Ilya Bryzgalov's 34 save performance 2-1. While the Ducks improved to 2-0 on the season, their new improved defense anchored by Chris Pronger has yielded over 70 shots on net in the first two games. Fantasy owners keep an eye on Anaheim center Ryan Getzlaf. The Calgary Flames still don't have the offensive punch they were seeking so far, but they still have great goaltending. Kiprusoff backstopped the Flames to a 2-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. The Lindros era has begun in Dallas, and so far so good. Lindros got his first goal for his new team, and new captain Brendan Morrow provided another to help the Stars defeat the Devils 3-1.
Game of the Night:
Vancouver at Colorado 8:00 PM
Only one on the card for tonight! Enjoy the game!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Do you think Todd Bertuzzi had something to prove last night? He certainly silenced some of his critics last night with his 4 point night which included the first goal of the season for himself, and for the Florida Panthers.
The game was close till the second period, then the Panthers went on a goal parade, scoring 5 unanswered tallies to defeat the new look Boston Bruins (new players, same great taste) 8-3.
Alex Auld who came over in the trade with Bertuzzi was outstanding, stopping 34 shots. The Panthers spread the scoring around as Mike Van Ryn, Juraj Kolnik, Nathan Horton (fantasy owners, keep an eye on this kid, I think this is gonna be his year), Chris Gratton, Olli Jokinen, and Joe Niewendyk all potted goals. Niewendyk's goal was his 561st, and passed Guy LaFleur on the NHL scoring list....he now sits 19th. Boston's Zdeno Chara was an even rating for the night and did provide 2 assists for Boston, while their other big name acquisition, Marc Savard got his first point on an assist the Bruins.
Quick Shave
The Devils spanked the Hurricanes last night, using the same tactic the Cane's used in the playoffs to defeat them. Deflection, deflection, deflection. Every goal on Cam Ward last night was redirected in front of him and easily found the back of the net. Brodeur recorded his first win by way of shutout 4-0 over the Hurricanes. Watch out for the Sabres! As Playoff Moustache said the other day, this team looks like they are still playing playoff hockey. Last night was no different. Discouraged (actually furious) by some third period penalty calls, the Sabres rallied from a two goal defecit against the Habs on scores by Captain Daniel Briere and Maxim Afinogenov to tie the game late in the third. Ryan Miller and the Sabres went on to defeat the Montreal Canadiens for their second win of the season, again by shootout. The Sedin twins are at it again for Vancouver. Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined to tie the game 2-2 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and got together once more to finishe the game less than a minute into extra time. Roberto Luongo recorded his second win of the season for Vancouver. Blue Jackets goalie Pascal LeClair was solid stopping 41 of 44 shots. The Anaheim Ducks still have a little rust to work out, but hints of what the scariest powerplay in the NHL were clearly apparent last night. Watching Selanne and Pronger bomb shots from the points was impressive, and the way the forwards in front were able to cycle, retrieve and get the puck back to them to reload was outstanding. J.S. Giguere was outstanding in net, stopping 41 shots, as the Ducks beat the L.A. Kings 4-3.
Game of the Night:
NY Rangers at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Buffalo at Ottawa 7:00 PM
Saturday night is great! There are a ton of games to choose from, but I feel these two, especially the playoff rematch between Buffalo and Ottawa will be outstanding. Buffalo looks terrific, and despite the criticism, I like the new jerseys. I love the players numbers on the right breast, it gives them a 'soccer' look and feel. Hopefully Spezza will score a goal for Stache tonight. The Flyers are coming off a humiliating defeat against the Pens two nights ago, and should be ready to go against their hated rivals the Rangers tonight. I expect this game to be nasty....however no Brashear, and a possibly scratched Darius Kasparitus (coach Tom Renney has been unhappy with his conditioning and scratched him the first game, which Kaspar was pissed about, but guess what buddy....this is the new Rangers...no more free rides! I hope Renney continues to lay down the law like this) may not be as ugly as previous engagements. Enjoy the games my fellow bearders!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Ahoy. Our fearless captain asked yours truly to contribute a regular column, of sorts, to the grizzly beast that is playoffbeard.com, and after I realized he wasn’t just inhaling the fumes from all of those markers he uses making NHLers look pretty I immediately agreed. At first I considered covering my ever-dramatic team of adoration, the Pittsburgh Penguins, but my lack of the Center Ice package while living here in the land of the Hurricanes is going to make that a little difficult. So, instead I will offer you an editorial companion to Captain Bosh’s regular reporting of facts, the Andy Rooney if you will to his Katie Couric. And like most editorials, THE UPPER LIP will be based on decreasing amounts of intelligence and reason. I’m going to write from the gut. Or the lip. Whichever is hairier at the time.
Today’s edition will focus on a few impressions after the first two days of the season. Yes, I’m aware some teams have not even played yet but that’s their own fault, really. I can’t be held back by their laziness (Montreal). And just because I like numbers (66, 87, etc.), I’m going to use some of those now.
Markus Naslund scored a goal by having a puck bounce off his helmet and past Detroit goalie Dominik Hasek. If you’re a Vancouver fan you probably don’t feel like your team got a bounce of luck at all last year. You’re also probably thinking this is a sign your team will win the Stanley Cup. You’re wrong.
Steve Reinprecht of the Coyotes had five points and four stitches in their opening 6-3 victory against the Islanders. I know what you’re thinking: someone on the Islanders managed to make an opponent bleed???
The Blackhawks beat the Predators 8-6 in the opener for both. Mike Ditka and Garth Brooks were both solid in net for their respective clubs.
Fan favorites in Pittsburgh this year will read like this: Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, Armstrong, and….Jarkko Ruutu. They haven’t had a player like this in a while and he will quickly become one of the more hated players to play against in the Eastern Conference.
On a related noted, this guy is an ass.
Alexander Ovechkin was a –4 last night against the Rangers. Get used to that Fantasy owners.
I’ve seen most of three games involving six different teams so far this season and no two teams have looked as good as either the Buffalo Sabres or the Carolina Hurricanes. Look out.
Did someone tell Jason Spezza he was in two games against the Maple Leafs this week?
Any of you people who thought Atlanta would be okay replacing Marc Savard with Steve Rucchin please see the last sentence of #1.
Someone told me the MLB playoffs are going on right now. Can anyone help me confirm this? And then somehow convince me to care???
Until the next razor,
- Stache
Crosby and company came out tonight and made Bosh look pretty good in picking them to make the playoffs this year. Yes Sidney Crosby looked great and scored a goal and an assist in the 4-0 shutout victory, but the real hero of the evening was Marc-Andre Fleury.
The Penguins were outshot 40-21 in the game, but Fleury stopped them all and even killed of two, powerplays where the Flyers carried a two man advantage. I would say this kid thrives on adversity. Having all but lost his starting job to veteran Jocelyn Thibault, Fleury was named the number 1 goalie in the Penguins final pre-season game. Fleury responded with an amazing effort, and his team finished it for him and their new prospective owner, Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, who was in attendence and had to love what he saw.
Eric Staal's younger brother and Pittsburgh's first round draft pick Jordan Staal made his NHL debut tonight and is expected to remain with the team at least until the return of center Evgeni Malkin is able to return.
Shanahan scores his 600th in Ranger debut
The New York Rangers officially introduced forward Jaromir Jagr as the 24th captain in franchise history, and he responded by opening the scoring 29 seconds into the game. After that Shanahan made his presence known in his New York Ranger debut by potting two goals, his 599th, and 600th of his career. Shanahan becomes the 15th player to join the elite goal scorers club. The Rangers went on to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-2.
Luongo shines for Vancouver
Another debut, and another success. Roberto Luongo played his first game between the pipes for the Vancouver Canucks, stopping 27 shots and helping his new team defeat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1.
Havlat and Chicago defeat Nashville in goalfest
An evening of debuts that for the moment appear to be looking for the teams that have acquired them, continued in Nashville tonight. Chicago's newest forward Martin Havlat scored 2 goals and 2 asssist in his Blackhawks debut, and helped Chicago come from behind twice to defeat the Predators in a wild 8-6 win.
Islanders fall hard in Phoenix
Ok, not all debuts were easy one's tonight. Ted Nolan's return to coaching after nearly a decade is one he would probably like to forget. The Islanders $65 million dollar goalie Rick DiPietro was lit up early and often by the Coyotes who went on to defeat their New York counterparts 6-3. DiPietro was eventually pulled in favor of his backup Mike Dunham who started the third. Wayne Gretzky's team looked good at even strength and on the powerplay, and forwards Doan, Nagy and Reinprecht were all over the scoresheet.
The Late Game!
I don't want you West Coasters not to feel the love from the Bosher, so I stayed up and watched an unbelievable game between the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks. This match was back and forth with Mark Bell looking like he had sealed the game with a goal to make it 4-3 in the final minutes, but the relentless Blues kept up the attack, pulled Legace from the net, got a fortunate half-man advantage from Ville Nieminen's broken stick and tied the game on a Keith Tkachuk goal with seconds remaining. The match went to OT where Curtis Brown buried the game winner halfway through the extra period! What a game!
The first two nights have come and gone in the NHL, and I feel like the NHL Center Ice package has already paid for itself. If you haven't gotten it yet, they are running a free preview which I'm pretty sure is running till next week. Give it a look. If you are a hockey fan, this is the best investment you can make! If you order early, I think they will knock $20 off the price. Tell them Captain Bosh sent you (just so you can hear them say 'Who?').
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 On a night where the Carolina Hurricanes raised their Stanley Cup Banner to celebrate their 2005-2006 season, the Buffalo Sabres were only thinking about how they fell one game short to the same team only months ago in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Buffalo Sabres weathered an early storm (no pun intended) of shots by the Hurricanes on opening night, till Pomminville opened the scoring for the Sabres halfway through the first. Staal evened the score minutes later for the Hurricanes. Both teams traded goals on scores by the Hurricanes Erik Cole, and Buffalo's Chris Drury. After that it was all goaltending.
Buffalo's Ryan Miller made 32 saves while Cam Ward stopped 30 shots, till the game went to OT, and the inevitable shootout. The Sabres Daniel Briere scored the only goal during the shoot out, and Ryan Miller shut down the Canes to take the first win of the NHL season 3-2.
Senators level Leafs
The Maple Leafs need goal scoring. They also need defense, and perhaps goaltending. The only Leafs goal was provided by Mats Sundin on a penalty shot. Other than that it was all Ottawa. Patrick Eaves, Chris Neil, Christoph Schubert, and Daniel Alfredsson all recorded tallies in the 4-1 victory over the Maple Leafs.
Dallas stuns Colorado
WOW! Dallas looked horrible all game, and in fact didn't even show up till the third. If not for Turco, they would have been down far more than 2-0 to the Avs. In the third however, Theodore didn't show up, and let two quick goals by in the opening minutes. The game went to OT, where the Avs started on a power play which they failed to convert. As the penalty ended, Turco fed a sweet pass to Darryl Sydor who was just out of the sin bin and broke free to wrist one over Theodore's right shoulder and help Dallas to a 3-2 OT victory!
Game of the night:
Vancouver at Detroit 7:00 PM
Calgary at Edmonton 10:00 PM
I give you two, because I'm generous. I'm really interested to see the new looks of all four of these teams. Vancouver's new goalie in Roberto Luongo, and will Naslund lineup with the Sedin boys? How will Detroit fare in the post Yzerman / Shanahan era.....and how will Hasek be in net for the Wings? In Calgary, has Iginla finally found the scoring linemate he has so desperately been seeking in Tanguay, and how will Edmonton respond after coming within a game of winning the Stanley Cup? All these questions will be answered tonight! Probably not all tonight, but some perhaps. Regardless, both matches look to be the most exciting ones on the card! Enjoy the games!
Hockey is back!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The 2006-2007 NHL Season officially begins tonight, and what better way to kick start than with a rematch of the Eastern Conference finalists Buffalo Sabres, facing off against the team that beat them in game 7 and went on to become the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes? Both teams have had some turnover during the off season, but the core players that took them to the promised land last season remain. Eric Staal of the Carolina Hurricanes will look to improve upon his 100 point (45 goals, 55 assists) regular season in 2005-2006, and help his team defend their title. Staal led all player in the playoffs last season with 28 points (9 goals, 19 assists).
The Buffalo Sabres spent most of the summer battling arbitraters and for the most part came out on top. Daniel Briere will be out to prove that his $5 million arbitration award was deserved and help bring his Sabres over the hump. This should be an awesome matchup and the launchpad for one of the newest rivalries. I'm definitely calling this one my Game of the Night!
Also on the card this evening is Ottawa travelling to meet the Leafs in Toronto. No Hasek? No Chara? No Problem. A younger squad of Sens will surely test the new blue line corps of the Leafs tonite, and see if all that money they threw at Hal Gil, and Pavel Kubina was worth it.
The late game is another playoff rematch from last season between the Dallas Stars, who were handily whipped by the Colorado Avalanche in the first round. All eyes will be on Stars goaltender Marty Turco, to see if he can shake off the sting of yet another dissapointing playoffs. Keep an eye on Marek Svatos of the Avs....the kid can fly and hopefully won't fall into a sophomore slump.
Tonight's Games:
Buffalo at Carolina 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Toronto 7:30 PM
Dallas at Colorado 10:00 PM
Tonight's Show:
October 4th Show
Drop the puck, it's time to go. The NHL season gets underway tonight and we'll give you the latest from the first night of hockey. Lyle Richardson from Spector's Hockey will join us to talk about Lou Lamoriello's deal with the Devils and the moves on the last week of camps. Michael Dolan from FHM Magazine will join us to talk about the FHM NHL Preview, the happenings on the website, and how much damage the crew did at the FHM/NHL Party last Wednesday. All that, plus the beginning of the FOHSHL Report and more from the WHL in the WHL Report. We're chocked full of action and it's just night one.
TONIGHT AT 9PM EST!!
Click here to listen.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
New Jersey Devils GM, Lou Lamoriello has done it again! Over the past three days, Lamoriello has managed to free up $7.1 million in salary cap space by trading defenceman Vladimir Malakhov and by using a loophole in the CBA, placing Alexander Mogilny on the 'physically unfit to play' list. Lamoriello has freed the Devils of their salary cap issues and done so without dismembering his club.
To top it all of he has signed all of his remaining restricted free agents before the buzzer including star forward Brian Gionta, defencemen David Hale, and Paul Martin, goalie Scott Clemmensen, and forward Erik Rasmussen. Brian Gionta's deal, the one everyone has been anticipating is a sweetheart, worth $12 million over the next three seasons. Paul Martin signed a one year contract worth $2 million, Clemmensen and Rasmussen signed one year deals for $450,000, and Hale a one year deal worth $550,000.
Everyone in New Jersey can now breathe a sigh of relief, and pray that Lamoriello does not become a victim of his own spending again in the future.
While Lamoriello did appear to pull some magic out of his hat, everything he did was within the rules of the CBA, otherwise, I can't imagine Bettman and the league approving any of it. However, GM's around the league are not pleased with his tactics over the last few days and a few, while remaining annonymous have sounded off in a very interesting article by Bob McKenzie. The boys over at BlueShirt Bulletin raised an interesting what if yesterday as well. It would have been interesting if someone attempted to sign Gionta or Martin to an offer sheet, just to test Lamoriello. Lamoriello I think is very lucky that his players are loyal to him, or he could have had a real fiasco on his hands.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
TSN. ca has listed the Power Rankings for the upcoming NHL season. You can see the complete list here.
Rounding out the top five teams in the NHL are Detroit, Ottawa, Nashville, Anaheim, and Dallas. The only real surprise to me is Detroit's number one ranking. However, if Hasek can play like he did for Ottawa last season prior to his Olympic break injury, perhaps this ranking isn't too far fetched. I also think that the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres got slighted falling into the 9th and 8th spots. Both teams lost some key players during the off season, but the core of both that carried them deep into the post season, and to the Stanley Cup are still intact.
It's nice to see the Rangers getting some respect this year as well, as they round out the top 10 this year, instead of finishing dead last in the East as everyone had picked them last season. Hopefully their off season acquisitions of Shanahan, Cullen and Ward pay dividends this year.
Captain Bosh's Predictions
Here are my predictions for the upcoming 2006-2007 NHL Season:
Final Four:
EAST
Carolina Hurricanes
New York Rangers
WEST
Nashville Predators
Anaheim Ducks
My playoff team prediction surprise is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Yes I'm being laughed at by everyone right now, but I think these kids will have what it takes to capture a playoff berth. I also think the Atlanta Thrashers and Columbus Blue Jackets will finally achieve their first playoff spots as well, although I think many people believe they will both finally get over the hump.
That should give you guys more than enough to chew on. I can't wait to see what Sidney Crosby's playoff beard looks like!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has found a way to dump defenceman Vladimir Malakhov's salary (I believe it is $3.4 or $3.5 million). The Devils traded Malakhov to the Sharks along with a coonditional first round draft pick in exchange for a pair of players in forward Alexander Korolyuk, and defenceman Jim Fahey.
Whether Malakhov plays or not is still up in the air. He never reported to Devils training camp, and has apparently been retired since January (see below). The gem of the deal for San Jose is obviously the first round pick, what conditions are attached to it remain to be seen. Both players New Jersey acquired will probably be headed to the Devils affiliate, and probably carry minor salaries, and two-way contracts.
A decision is still expected from the league on the status of Alexander Mogilny and the $3 million and change owed to him, but if it is in favor of the Devils, Lou Lamoriello will have effectively removed almost $7 million from his payroll. The Devils should be able to quickly announce the signing of star forward Brian Gionta prior to the Devils first game this Friday night against the Carolina Hurricanes.
According to TSN.ca's Ice Chips, San Jose Sharks defenceman Christian Erhoff was injured Saturday night during a pre-season game against the Flames. This may have prompted the Sharks to pick up Malakhov and his salary, and perhaps they will be able to coax him from his retirement. Malakhov's retirement for the record was disputed a few days after he announced it by his agent, so whether he actually retired is still up in the air.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
It may be two years since we lost an NHL season, but the effects of the lockout are still looming.
I spent the weekend in Long Island, and visited a mall to do a little shopping with the family. Having not packed properly for the weather, and only clad in a tee shirt and a pair of shorts, my agenda was to acquire a sweatshirt. Not already having one, I thought a New York Rangers sweatshirt might be a cool piece of fan aparrell to acquire.
The mall we were at, had four sports related stores, the two largest being a Champs Sports, and a Foot Locker. Your, Captain Bosh went from store to store, in search of said sweatshirt, and unfortunately came up blank. Not only did I not find a Ranger themed sweatshirt, I discovered that none and I do mean none of the 4 establishments had not one piece of NHL merchandise. Not a hat, a jersey, a tee shirt, or even a wristband! What gives?
Obviously a little frustrated, as the NFL, MLB, and the NBA were all very well represented in a wide variety of clothing and accessories, I questioned a few of the staff. The response given by all, which I should have realized before asking, was that they stopped carrying NHL merchandise during the lockout. During this devestating period of time, these merchants were left with tons of NHL themed clothing that was left to rot on the shelves. In the end most had to either discard their inventory, or sell it at prices so low they may as well thrown it away.
I once again was reminded how angry I was during 2004, and understood these merchants reluctance to sell or even forgive the NHL. Although I was ready to jump back on the NHL bandwagon, once the CBA was ratified, and sure enough did do that, many people were loathe to do the same. Because of the lockout, I had lost a hockey season. Yes that sucks, and it pissed me off, but what is that compared to people, perhaps in the tens of thousands of people, who lost jobs, and money because of it? It doesn't compare.
The point I'm trying to make is that the NHL has a lot of healing left to do. While the game, and the new rules are great, and the product may be better than ever, there are relationships that need to be repaired, and in most cases reestablished. The NHL still has a long way to go to fix the damage done by the lockout.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Guide to Grading the Playoff Beard | About the Beard | Beard of the Month
Fantasy Hockey | The Face Off Hockey Show | The Dragons | Contact | Home
Copyright © 2006 Playoff Beard .com. All rights reserved.
|
