Martin Brodeur made 22 saves last night to help the New Jersey Devils to a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The shutout win was the 103rd of his career, tying the NHL record held by Terry Sawchuk.
Martin Broduer will also eclipse Patrick Roy, most likely before the holidays for the NHL record for most games played by a goalie. Brodeur needs four more visits to the crease to tie Roy who played 1,029 games in net. Quick Shave:
Talk about a jinx. After picking the Philadelphia Flyers to meet the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals this year prior to the start of the season, the Flyers have stumbled out of the gates. Actually they have sucked big time. So bad have things been in Philly that management saw fit to fire head coach John Stevens and replace him with Peter Laviolette. The Flyers immediately responded by getting slaughtered by the Washington Capitals 8-2 Saturday night, and again last with a solid 3-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. I would say the problem was clearly not behind the bench.... but with the bench itself.
The high skilled, high profile, and high paid players of the NHL emerged last night in a big way... well most of them did anyway.
In San Jose, the Sharks newest acquisition, super forward Dany Heatley finally delivered for his new club. During the Sharks home opener, Heatley joined the NHL Hat Trick club and helped lift his team to a 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joe Thornton tied a Sharks record by assisting on 4 of those goals.
In New York, the Rangers prized forward Marion Gaborik scored two quick goals and snatch a 4-3 victory from the Washington Capitals. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist also became the first to keep Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin off the score sheet.
The Buffalo Sabres forward Thomas Vanek scored a late power play goal to help his club to a 2-1 victory over the unstoppable Phoenix Coyotes.
In St. Louis, the Blues opened at home for the first time and were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 300th career NHL goal, then later deposited his 301st. Kovalchuk now has two back to back two goal games to open the season... not bad for a guy in a contract year. Atlanta better lock him up now.
The Calgary Flames remained undefeated last night as they tied the Edmonton Oilers 3-3 with little more than a second remaining in the game, then went on to complete the comeback win 4-3 on an Olli Jokinen shootout goal.
Quick Shave:
The New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings picked up their first victories of the season, and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut down the Philadelphia Flyers handing them their first defeat of the season. The panic around the league, especially in Canada regarding the slow starts that some of their clubs have gotten off to is borderline hilarious. The Canucks, Red Wings, and Sharks all got off to horrendous starts, and many of the NHL's elite goaltenders have had games they'd love to forget. Speculation about what Steve Yzerman will do regarding Team Canada's goaltending because of the awful play of Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and Cam Ward has many leaning towards Steve Mason.
I say to everyone... RELAX. The season is barely a week old. For you fans of teams that have stumbled out of the gate... it's ok... your clubs will get going. On the flip side, you fans of clubs who've rocketed out to a fast start.... don't get overly excited because it could come to a crashing halt. Enjoy your beer, and your hockey my friends, this is just the beginning.
The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin came to play last night and walked all over the Boston Bruins.
Ovechkin assisted early on a tally by Brooks Laich and scored twice more to help the Caps to an easy 4-1 win and paying immediate dividends to Fantasy Managers who were lucky enough to nab him.
The Montreal Canadiens rallied late to force overtime and eventually steal a 4-3 victory from the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. New Habs additions Mike Cammalleri (2 assists) and Brian Gionta (1 goal ) helped their new club to the opening night victory. Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta looked to be quickly rediscovering the chemistry they once had in New Jersey a few seasons ago. On that note... seeing Gomez in a Montreal Canadiens sweater is going to take some getting used to... especially considering I was just getting used to him wearing a New York Rangers jersey.
The biggest surprise last night had to be the San Jose Sharks... and how badly they crapped the bed. The Colorado Avalanche honored Joe Sakic by raising his number to the rafters of the Pepsi Center, then soundly defeating the Sharks 5-2. The only Shark that seemed to show up last night was Patrick Marleau who potted both goals for San Jose and is clearly showing now ill-effects to having his captaincy removed and handed off to defenceman Rob Blake. The Colorado Avalanche looked a much younger and faster club than the Sharks that looked like they were coming off a playoff hangover.
The Calgary Flames defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-3 last night, they're first opening night victory in 6 years. Flames goaltender made 39 saves to help his club to the win.
Quick Shave:
Brendan Shanahan removed himself for the New Jersey Devils lineup yesterday, announcing that he felt that he could not play at a level that he wanted to. I gotta give massive credit to Shanahan who could have coasted and just collected his paycheck for the season, but rather chose not to disrespect his club, the NHL or his legacy. Good man.
Couple of early afternoon deliveries arriving today from Europe as Florida Panther open up their season against the Chicago Blackhawks (I believe in Stockholm) and the Detroit Red Wings follow up against the St. Louis Blues in Helsinki... although those cities could be reversed... hard to say. Todays games get started at noon!
New Jersey Devils forward Bobby Holik announced yesterday that he would be retiring.
Holik calls it a career after 18 seasons in the NHL. During that span he played for the Whalers, the Devils, Rangers, Thrashers and finished his final year with the Devils again. In 1314 games Holik amassed 747 points (326 goals, 421 assists) was a +115 and collected 1421 minutes in penalties. He also helped the New Jersey Devils win the Stanley Cup twice in 1995 and again in 2000.
Bobby Holik chose to retire because he wanted to spend time with his family. An admirable decision. Good luck and congratulations on a successful career Bobby.
No player in the league probably groaned with displeasure more at the return of Sean Avery to the Rangers a few weeks back than New Jersey Devil's goaltender Martin Brodeur did. Brodeur who is usually stoic and unyielding in the face of adversity seems to breakdown and lose his cool when in the presence of Sean Avery.
Tonight the Rangers and Devils square off for the final time of the regular season. Both clubs crawl into the match carrying losing streaks. The pressure is on the Devils to get back in the W-column, while the Rangers are desperately clinging to the playoff lives. Both teams need a win, and this game should be a nasty affair.
It may have taken him longer than we thought, but Martin Brodeur finally surpassed Patrick Roy as the NHL's all-time wins leader with his 552nd victory.
Brodeur made 32 saves to backstop the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 win to set the new goaltending wins mark.
Brodeur set the win record in his 987th appearance... it took Roy 1029 to reach 551.
Rick DiPietro has finally been put out of his misery as the New York Islanders have announced that their goaltender will be out for the rest of the season.
DiPietro has had a nightmare year, appearing in only five matches this year, trying to overcome complications from an October knee operation that has never fully healed. DiPietro has had swelling in the knee that has kept him out of the lineup for most of the year.
Rather than make the injury worse, and most likely because the Islanders aren't going anywhere (except perhaps Kansas City-more on that in a second) they've opted to rest their franchise netminder. DiPietro has12 years left on his $67.5 million contract.
On to the possible relocation of the Islanders....
News broke last week that the New York Islanders will be playing an exhibition match in Kansas City (where they have been actively courting the NHL for a club to relocate to) and rumors have been abound that the team may be looking to move. Charles Wang, owner of the team has been frustrated by the stall tactics Long Island officials have employed to slow the rebuilding and renovation process of Nassau Coliseum and it's surrounding land. The Coliseum is in desperate need of renovation. In truth the Islanders need a new facility, although that is highly unlikely. Wang is posturing right now, perhaps even threatening to move the club in order to motivate the politicians. Hopefully it works.
Judging by the clubs free fall the Islanders are primed to receive a top pick in this years NHL entry draft. Imagine if the club could land prized rookie John Tavares? He could be a panacea for the club, much in the same way that Sidney Crosby was for the Pittsburgh Penguins and their franchise. My fingers are crossed for the club. The once proud New York Islanders club needs to return to it's former glory, and I believe they can do so with a player like this.
Quick Shave:
It is the return of veteran (and I mean veteran) free agent players this week. Brendan Shanahan played his first game with the New Jersey Devils yesterday, and the club's newest acquisition payed immediate dividends as he opened the scoring and helped them to a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators. 43 year old Claude Lemieux has apparently beaten the odds and completed his comeback to the NHL. Lemieux has been recalled from the Worcester Sharks and will join the San Jose Sharks. I like this move from the Sharks. Clearly they are looking for as much playoff experience as possible and looking to make a serious run for the Stanley Cup this season. They are now stacked with proven Stanley Cup winners, adding Lemieux to a list that includes Dan Boyle, Rob Blake and Brad Lukowich. Peter Forsberg is planning on making another attempt to return to the NHL. Forsberg is skating again, testing out an ankle that has been an obstacle to him for the past several years. This could be his last try, and he has admitted that if he can't go, he will retire for good. I wish him luck.
Brendan Shanahan began working out with the New Jersey Devils today. While he has yet to sign a contract, he and the team are working out the details of a deal and becoming part of the club over the next few days. Shanahan was a first round pick by the Devils way back in 1987 (second overall) and has been in UFA limbo since he was left unsigned by the New York Rangers.
Shanahan should definitely add some secondary scoring to a Devils team that really hasn't lost a step since their Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur was sidelined with an elbow injury.
The New Jersey Devils announced today that goaltender Martin Brodeur will undergo surgery on his left elbow and will remain out of the lineup for up to 4 months. Brodeur sustained the injury during the Devils weekend win over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Backup goaltender Kevin Weekes is expected to receive the bulk of the work in net for the Devils in Brodeur's absence.
So what does this mean?
Brutal loss for the Devils. Huge loss to everyone in the Fantasy Hockey World (like myself) who drafted Martin Brodeur. Big loss to everyone in the NHL as this was the year Brodeur was to eclipse the milestones set by Terry Sawchuk, and Patrick Roy.
However, this will be a glimpse at what the Devils will be like when Martin Brodeur does eventually retire. Granted I'm sure GM Lou Lamoriello will have a much better plan in place than Kevin Weekes when that time comes, but don't count the Devils out now. This team has always been built around a 'removable parts' philosophy, and the system is what keeps them winning. This will surely be it's biggest test to date. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they respond.
Just heard an interesting rumor that the New Jersey Devils are close to signing unrestricted free agent Brendan Shanahan.
Shanahan who had been waiting patiently to re-sign with the New York Rangers finally announced yesterday that he would entertain offers from other teams, having given up hope that he would be playing with the club he'd spent the last two seasons with.
The New Jersey Devils are looking to fill a void left by injured forwards (and off season free agent pick-ups) Brian Rolston, and Bobby Holik who will be out of the lineup for the next 4-6 weeks. Shanahan who was drafted by the New Jersey Devils in 1987, would be able to continue his NHL career, fill the hole left by Rolston and Holik, and remain close to his family which now resides full time in New York City. Look for a deal to be finalized by the weekend.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur continues to approach NHL greatness... as if he hasn't already achieved that.
What we are witnessing in New Jersey right now is the career of the greatest goaltender in NHL history, and perhaps one of the greatest players that has ever put on skates.
Last night Martin Brodeur made 21 saves to help the Devils to a 5-0 shutout win over the visiting Dallas Stars. The shutout was his second of the season and 98th of his career. He is now 5 shutouts away from tying Terry Sawchuk's record that stands at 103. He is also 8 wins short of Patrick Roy's record of 551... a mark Brodeur will clearly smash, and perhaps own forever.
The New Jersey Devils got an early 1-0 lead off a Brian Gionta goal early in the first period and looked to take game 6 in commanding fashion. The New York Rangers immediately responded by scoring less than half a minute later to tie it 1-1 on a goal by Michal Rozsival, and captain Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez added two more in the first.
Rangers forward Chris Drury added to the lead in the second to give them a 4-1 lead. The Devils rallied to bring the defecit within 1 goal, but the Rangers refused to relinquish the lead. They even survived a John Madden penalty shot that was stopped by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist.
An empty net insurance score from Brandon Dubinsky and some late game heroics from Ryan Callahan (he single-handedly ate precious time from the clock battling for the puck behind the Devils net against a pair of Devils defencemen) were all the Rangers needed to take the 5-3 win, and close out the round 1 series in 5 games.
The Rangers now wait along with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the outcome of the Montreal / Boston series, and the Washington / Philadelphia series to find out who their second round counterparts will be.
Detroit takes 3-2 series lead
The Detroit Red Wings benched starting goaltender Dominik Hasek in favor of Chris Osgood and the gamble payed off. The Nashville Predators tied the game late on a goal by Radek Bonk to force overtime, however the Wings halted their attempted comeback early in extra time on a game winning goal by Johan Franzen and won the game 2-1. The Red Wings now lead the series 3-2.
Anaheim Ducks stay alive, force game 6
The longer this series goes on, the more it will get into Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco. Although I think he shed the monicker of playoff goat last season during their first round playoff exit at the hands of Vancouver ( I know that sounds like an odd declaration, but Turco was amazing in that series, and had 3 shutouts versus the Canucks) I"m sure there is still a small doubt somewhere in his head. The Ducks fired 31 shots at Turco and got goals from Teemu Selanne, Ryan Getzlaf and the returning Corey Perry who started the scoring. The Ducks defeated the Stars 5-2 and prevented Dallas from closing out the series. If Dallas doesn't win game 6, they will lose this series. Dallas currently holds the 3-2 series lead.
Quick Shave:
We could have a very interesting day today. Three series could come to a conclusion today.... or we could have ourselves of handful of game 7's. Nice!
Washington Capitals vs. Philadelphia Flyers
Matinee matchup as the Flyers will look to closeout the Capitals in Washington this afternoon. The Flyers lead the series 3-1.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
The Montreal Canadiens will look to bounce back after a lopsided loss to the Bruins in game 5, and advance to the second round as they visit the Bruins tonight. The Habs lead the series 3-2.
San Jose Sharks vs. Calgary Flames
The San Jose Sharks finally began showing some playoff chops late in this series and will look to put the Flames out tomorrow in Calgary. The Sharks lead the series 3-2.
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Wild will look to force a game 7 tonight as they visit the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center this evening. The Avs can finish off the Wild and move onto round 2 with a win. The Avalanche lead the series 3-2.
The NHL deemed New York Rangers forward Sean Avery's actions during their 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils to be unsportsmanlike. Thus if he or any other player screen a goaltender in a manner similar to what you see above, they will recieve a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and enjoy two minutes of luxurious rest and relaxation in the sin bin.
The New Jersey Devils climbed back into the playoffs with a deflected John Madden shot turned game winner last night, and now trail the Rangers 2 -1 in the series.
The Washington Capitals experienced a lot of firsts last night. The franchise first playoff appearance in the post lock-out era and the first playoff game for many of it's participants.
The Capitals enjoyed an early lead, then entered the third period down 4-2 by two goal games from Philadelpia Flyers Daniel Briere, and Vaclav Prospal. For the most part, the Flyers were able to shut down Alexander Ovechkin, keeping him without a shot in the game till the third period. Big players do big things in big spots. With roughly 4 minute remaining in the game, Ovechkin potted the eventual game winner, giving the Capitals the 5-4 win, and the 1-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers.
For the Flyers this loss may be devestating. They did everything right and still couldn't come away with a victory. Keeping Ovechkin from being productive, and also buidling a two goal lead going in to the third period should have been keys to a win. The Flyers should perhaps spend time trying to take Washington Capitals defenceman Mike Green off his game. Green scored twice last night, and was the leading scoring defenceman during the regular season with 18 goals.
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
The Rangers will return home to Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, and take with them a 2-0 series lead over the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers defeated the Devils 2-1 last night, the second time in a row, and ninth time this season. Another defensive affair, yet with more scoring opportunities and much more spice. These two clubs don't like each other and it really began to show last night. The game really came down to goaltending once again, with Rangers keeper Henrik Lundqvist coming out on top once again. Lundqvist made 26 saves on the night. Brodeur was solved in the third period once again, mostly due to a bump from his own defenceman Colin White which allowed Rangers forward Jaromir Jagr to deposit the puck on the near side. 23 seconds later, Rangers forward Sean Avery sent a wrist shot through traffic which held up as the eventual game winner.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber made 49 saves but even his performance wasn't enough for the Senators to capture a win. Perhaps because the Senators allowed a total of 54 shots to be fired out their goaltender? The Senators did battle back from a 3-0 defecit to tie the game at 3 goals a piece in the third, but Penguins forward Ryan Malone potted the game winner of the with less than 90 seconds to play in the game and sealed the game with an empty netter a minute later. Penguin Evgeni Malkin had three assists on the night and Peter Sykora scored twice. While the Senators were finally able to get a goal past Fleury (as well as two others), the Ottawa defence seems to be completely overwhelmed with the Penguins offensive corps. They stormed the Sens and had it not been for Gerber, the Pens could have finished the game in the first period where they outshot their opponents 20-8. Game 3 comes to Ottawa Monday night, and their are rumors that captain Daniel Alfredsson could make a return. How effective he would be, is hard to say, but I have to imagine an injured Alfredsson is better than no Alfredsson at all?
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche
The Minnesota Wild evened their series 1-1 thanks to an overtime score by Wild defenceman Keith Carney to give his club the 3-2 win. Colorado Avalanche forward Peter Forsberg scored his 64th career playoff goal and gave the Avs the 1-0 lead in late in the first period. The Miinnesota Wild finally scored on Avs netminder Jose Theodore in the third. Wild forwards Pavol Demitra and Mikko Koivu scored. Koivu's goal came with less than 2 minutes to play in the game, and looked like it would hold up as the game winner till the Avs Miljan Hejduk scored to force overtime with 44 seconds left in the game. Defenceman Keith Carney prevented the Wild from heading to Denver for game 3 down 2-0 in the series.
Game of the Night:
Nashville at Detroit 2:00 PM
Boston at Montreal 7:00 PM
Dallas at Anaheim 10:00 PM
The Ducks, Bruins and Predators will all attempt to rebound today after some rather lopsided losses in game 1. Especially the Ducks. Enjoy the games!
New York Rangers forward Scott Gomez stung his former club the New Jersey Devils last night by setting up three goals enroute to their Game 1 victory.
The game was a tight affair for most of the evening. Scoreless in the first, the Rangers and Devils traded goals in the second and then New York broke it open in the third and won the game 4-1. Rangers forward Ryan Callahan recorded a short handed score midway through the third that would hold up as the eventual game winner. Sean Avery provided some insurance late in the game and Nigel Dawes sealed the win with an empty netter. Goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves, and a few brilliant ones that kept the Rangers in the game. Game 2 is Friday night.
Quick Shave:
Talk about role reversal! The Pittsburgh Penguins lit up and shut down the Ottawa Senators last night 4-0 and took game 1 of the series convincly. Penguins goaltender Marc Andre Fleury made 26 saves to record his first career playoff shutout. Pens forward Evgeni Malkin scored a goal and added two helpers, and big surprise Gary Roberts returned, fresh from the IR list to score two goals. The Senators looked like the same team that limped into the playoffs. If they don't right the ship soon, the series will be over very quickly.
After viewing better quality footage, the NHL handed Anaheim Duck's defenceman Chris Pronger an 8 game suspension for his skate stomp to the leg of Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler. Pronger's suspension pales in comparison the 30 day special that New York Islanders forward Chris Simon recieved for an almost duplicate incident.
There is clearly a double standard. While Pronger's actions had to be addressed, the man puts the fans in the seats... where Simon does not. I don't agree with it. It's just the way it is, and it is something that will never change.
Quick Shave: New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur has done it again. Broduer made 24 saves earlier today and helped the Devils to a 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, his 40th victory of the season. Brodeur has now won 40 games or more in a record seven NHL seasons. We are watching the greatest goaltender in NHL history right now. Drink it in folks.
There will come a day, when we all look back and say to our kids, and perhaps our grandkids and say that we saw the greatest goaltender that ever played the game. Martin Brodeur will one day be the greatest.
While the above statement is often met with defiance, it's impossible to deny what he has accomplished during his NHL career. Martin Brodeur passed yet another milestone last night in backstopping the New Jersey Devils to a 6-2 victory over their Atlantic Division rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. The win was the 500th of his NHL career, a mark that has only been surpassed once before by Patrick Roy. Roy currently holds the record for most wins by a goaltender ever with 551, a mark that Brodeur will most certainly pass by next season.
Broduer was denied his 500th win several times over the past week, by cross-town rivals the New York Rangers, and Islanders but finally got over the hump last night with his 26 save performance.
Congratulations Marty!
Quick Shave:
I love it when I'm right. Did I say the Leafs were due or what? Seriously I'm as shocked as you are, but not only did the Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Ottawa Senators last night (a team that has summarily spanked them all year) but they shut them down and out! The Leafs scored three unaswered goals, and netminder Vesa Toskala made 22 saves to record the 3-0 shutout win. His first in a Maple Leaf uniform. Ilya Bryzgalov paid immediate dividends for the Phoenix Coyotes yesterday, stopping all 28 shots he faced to give his club the 1-0 shutout win over the Los Angeles Kings. The New York Rangers moved into first place in the Atlantic Division last night thanks to an overtime goal by defenceman Jason Strudwick that lifted the Blueshirts over the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.
The New York Rangers finally found some offence to match the defence they've been playing over the past three games. That scoring was provided by Rangers rookie Nigel Dawes who potted his first goal of the year in the opening minute of the game.
Dawes followed with his second goal of the season to give the Rangers the 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. Henrik Lundgvist made 22 saves for the shut out win ( technically his second of the season, since they lost to the Bruins three games ago in the shootout 1-0) over the Devils who played their final road game and can now look forward to their home opener Saturday at the Rock in Newark.
Really Quick Shave:
The Columbus Blue Jackets.... this team is looking good. Jackets goaltender Pascal Leclaire made 36 saves last night to help his club to the 3-0 win over the St. Louis Blues and to record his 4th shutout of the season. Fourth shutout of the season! If this guy is available in your fantasy leagues, jump all over him! Blue Jackets forward Rick Nash scored for the fifth straight game. This team is obviously buying into whatever Ken Hitchcock is selling. Anyone catch the Zdeno Chara and David Koci fight last night? WHOAH! I thought I was watching 70s wrestling for a minute. Chicago Blackhawks David Koci who went into the scrum with a broken nose from a previous engagement with the Toronto Maple Leafs Wade Belak a week ago accepted a little in game rhinoplasty from Chara, who rebroke and opened up his face. The Boston Bruins went to take the 3-1 win, thanks to a pair by young gun Phil Kessel (who I intelligently left on the bench last night... ARRRRRGH!!!).
Game of the Night:
Montreal at Carolina 7:00 PM
San Jose at Detroit 7:30 PM
Colorado at Calgary 9:00 PM
Is this an evening worth chilling the Labatt Blue's for or what?! What a lineup! Habs and Canes always deliver. San Jose will get to test their mettle against the team that knocked them out of the post season in the Wings, and Calgary will look to get off to a better start than they did the other night when they throw down with the Avs. Enjoy the games!
The Ottawa Senators look like they are on a mission this season. The Sens defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 yesterday, clinching the series 4-1 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
New Jersey took and early 1-0 lead on a goal by Scott Gomez, but came out flat in the second, turning the puck over, and allowing the Senators to gain the advantage. The Senators once again victimized Devils keeper Martin Brodeur with an odd angle shot by Tom Preissing (keep an eye on Preissing's playoff beard..... it starts at his eye-lids..... he must be part Yeti) which was deflected by Antoine Vermette (Brodeur like most keepers is sound when he see's the shot, but change it's direction and he is helpless). Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson (I can't believe that one got by Brodeur) added two more goals to complete the win, and finishe off the Devils.
Senators goaltender Ray Emery made 27 saves and won his 8th game this post season. Emery has also only lost twice during this playoffs, and I think he and the Senators defense deserve a lot of credit. Rarely would he give up a bad rebound, but when he did, the puck was quickly collected by the blue liners and safely removed. The Senators defense also prevented the Devils offense from getting any cycle going, and made gaining the zone difficult if not impossible. While many would attribute their success to their offensive firepower, it's hard to discount the help they have had in the back end.
The Devils expulsion from the playoffs can't be blamed entirely on Martin Brodeur. Was he as sharp as usual. Absolutely not. But neither was the rest of this team. Lou Lamoirello actually replaced Sergei Brylin on the shutdown line with Erik Rasmussen because he too must have realized how ineffective they've been this post season, especially against the Heatley, Spezza, Alfreddson line. Madden, Pandolfo, and Brylin finished the playoffs a combined -20 in the 10 games they played. Granted they did face the opposing team's best forwards, but as a defensive unit, they look like they did little to support Brodeur. Part of the blame falls on this line. The bright spot for the Devils has to be the offense. For the first time I can remember, they have some legitimate firepower. Scott Gomez leads all players (tied with Heatley actually) in scoring during the playoffs with 14 points (4 goals, 10 assists) and Brian Gionta and Zach Parise (how great is this kid?) lead the league in goals wit 8 and 7 respectively. Could the Devils be moving towards a more offensive style in the future? I guess we'll see.
Overall it was a decent series, and I think the Ottawa Senators have really gotten over the hump. As much as I would love to see the Rangers make it to the next round, not even I could complain if we saw a Sabres, Senators Eastern Conference Final. I love this game.
Quick Shave:
Huge win for the Detroit Red Wings yesterday, but what a costly one. The Red Wings dominated the San Jose Sharks 4-1 yesterday to take a 3-2 series lead on a huge game from forwards Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg who each tallied a goal and two helpers. Mainstay on defence Matthieu Schneider was lost for the rest of the playoffs due to a broken wrist he suffered from a hit by Sharks forward Patrick Marleau. Adversity seems to be something the Red Wings are drinking down with a smile this year however, and even though Schneider will be missed (especially from a playoff beard standpoint..... oh did he have a Norris calibre beard going), I think this team will push forward successfully.
Game of the Night:
Buffalo at NY Rangers 2:00 PM
Do I even really need to say anything? I'm still recovering from that devestating loss Friday night, but hopefully the boys in blue are ready to go. This game should be epic. Sabres win and you're in. Rangers win and we get a game 7. Game 7 we all win! Enjoy the game!
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Maple Leafs fans suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
-Obi Wan Kenobi, on the Islanders making the playoffs
The improbable, and unlikely, became the possible yesterday. The New York Islanders won their final game over the New Jersey Devils 3-2 by way of shootout and ejected the Toronto Maple Leafs from their short 17 and a half hour stay in the 8th playoff spot in the East. The Islanders looked like they had the victory sewn up until Devils forward John Madden decided to make things interesting late in the game. Madden scored with less than 5 minutes remaining in the third to draw the Devils within 1 goal, then tied the game with barely a second remaining. I'm sure things looked good in Toronto at this point.
Although blowing a two goal lead, the Islanders regained their composure and carried onward, battling the Devils to a tie and forcing a shootout. New York Islanders goaltender and playoff savior Wade Dubielewicz stood tall once again, allowing only Brian Gionta a score, and stopping Gionta and Brylin to secure the 3-2 win, and the 8th and final playoff spot. Satan and Kozlov scored in the shootout for the Islanders.
For the Islanders, perhaps they were fortunate that they didn't have to face the New Jersey Devils Martin Brodeur who was rested yesterday in favor of backup Scott Clemmensen. Perhaps, but this team has battled from some ridiculous odds over the past two weeks to achieve what many considered impossible. I thought it was over for them when DiPietro went down, but it's very cool how all the pressure in the world pressing down on the right pair of shoulders can produce something extraordinary. Hat's off to you Wade Dubielewicz, and congratulations Islanders!
Quick Shave: Colorado Avalanche forward Joe Sakic scored his 100 point last night, the game winner in a 6-3 victory over the Calgary Flames. A game that would have bounced the Flames from the playoffs had the Avs not dropped one against the Nashville Predators the evening prior. Sakic became the second oldest player at 37 years of age to reach the 100 point mark, second only to Gordie Howe, who scored 103 at age 40. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby has won the Art Ross Trophy for capturing the NHL's scoring title with 120 points. At 19 years of age Crosby is the youngest ever recipient of the award. Crosby has an excellent shot at taking the Hart Trophy this year too, as the league MVP.
A big congratulations to 'It's Not a Toomah' for winning the first ever Playoff Beard.com Fantasy Hockey Tournament! Well done sir!
The New Jersey Devils goaltender has done it again. Martin Brodeur continues to swallow up NHL records as methodically as he does pucks. Brodeur won his 47th game of the season last night, and tied Flyers goaltender Bernie Parent's record, which has stood for more than 30 years.
Last evening, the New Jersey Devils goaltender made 22 saves, plus four more during the shootout to lift his team to a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators. With the victory, the Devils are now within a point of clinching the Atlantic Division title for the second year in a row, as well as solidifying their position as the number 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.
So many storylines going on at once last night, the least of which was their new coach Lou Lamoriello making his coaching debut in place of recently fired Claude Julien. Lamoriello was apparently pleased with the team's effort, as well as the result as the Devils held the offensively gifted Senators to one goal.
Quick Shave:
The playoff battle in the Eastern Conference looks like it really will go down to the final games of the season. Every team that needed to win did so last night (except for the Carolina Hurricanes.... I'll get to them in a minute), the Lightning, the Leafs, Habs, and Islanders all picked up their two points. The New York Islanders had to take the New York Rangers to the shootout to claim their extra point in the standings. The Islanders won 3-2, in large part to their goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, who made 36 saves on the evening including all three he faced in the shootout.... he had tone, as Bill Clement would say. This guy may have saved the Islander's season last night. The Tampa Bay Lightning moved back into 6th place in the East thanks to an early third period surge that lifted them over the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2. The loss was a costly one for the Hurricanes as they were officially eliminated from the playoffs. The first time a Stanley Cup Champion has missed the playoffs in the following season since the Devils in 1996, and the first time ever both participants of the Finals the year prior have missed the playoffs. Dark days in Carolina and Edmonton this morning. The Buffalo Sabres wrapped up the number one spot in the Eastern Conference with their 4-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins last night. The Detroit Red Wings held on to their 1 point lead for the President's Trophy by defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 last night. Dominik Hasek made 35 saves for his 76th career shutout.... I'd say he's ready for the playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche kept hope alive last night be defeating the Calgary Flames 4-3 last night. Joe Sakic actually defeated the Flames last night, he scored a goal and added three helpers to pull the Avs within 5 points of the Flames. The Avalanche will need to win their remaining games, and hope that the Flames dump all of theirs in order to steal the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference.
Game of the Night:
San Jose at Anaheim 10:00 PM
This is pretty huge. The Anaheim Ducks hold a narrow four point lead over the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division title, as well as the 2nd seed in the Western Conference. This is also a playoff preview, as I wouldn't be surprised to see these two teams do battle in the later rounds. Enjoy the games!
WHAT? The Altantic Division leading New Jersey Devils have fired their head coach Claude Julien. With the playoffs a week away, General Manager Lou Lamoriello will be taking over the coaching duties for the second straight season.
This came out of no where, but there must have been some grumblings going on behind closed doors. Lamoriello was a formidable presence behind the bench for the Devils last year and helped turn around the team after a rough start (with the help of a healthy Elias). For more on this story visit TSN.ca.
The Eastern Conference is tearing a page from the Western Conference regular season finish last year, as 5 teams battle for the final 2 playoff spots.
The New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders are all separated by one point in the Standings. Huge wins last night for the Leafs and the Habs have them tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes. In fact all five of these teams have been battling so hard for their playoff lives, that they now have the Tampa Bay Lightning in sight, who site 6th in the East with 84 points.
The Toronto Maple Leafs moved into 8th place after an emotional yet close match against the New Jersey Devils. The last time the teams met, Tomas Kaberle was lost for an indefinite period after an apparent late hit by Devils tough guy Cam Janssen. The Leafs Wade Belak and Devils Cam Janssen had themselves an old fashioned donnybrook.... they are actually still fighting now. After quenching their thirst for revenge the Leafs got down to business and collected their two points for the win, by defeating the Devils 2-1. Goaltender Andrew Raycroft bested Martin Brodeur by one save, as they both faced 25 shots, and Leafs Captain Mats Sundin added two assists on the night for his 900th point in the blue and white. Congrats Mats..... that rhymes! I'm good. Sundin has been a point streak of late, so if you in the fantasy playoffs, make certain you are starting him.
The Habs followed suit, and collected a much needed two points over the Boston Bruins (who are also fighting for a playoff spot, but are rapidly losing ground) with a 1-0 victory. Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves for his first NHL shutout, and rookie forward Guillaum Latendresse scored the lone goal and game winner late in the second to complete the win. One of the scary things about the Canadiens this season has been their lack of offense. Do you realize their leading goal scorer is defenceman Sheldon Souray with 24 goals? Scarier still, is that he is so focused on his goal scoring for his team that his defensive responsibilities have been neglected, and has collected a -23 rating for the year. I love defenseman that score (that sounds questionable) but not at the cost of defense. I digress... in any case the Habs are keeping pace with the East's playoff hungry and are now tied for 8th.
The Calgary Flames had a fire lit under them last night. It's called the Colorado Avalanche. With their lead in the standings diminishing, the Flames took it to the Detroit Red Wings last night (who are tied for the second best record in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, and just a point shy of the Nashville Predators who own the one spot with 100 points) for the 2-1 win. Goaltender Dominik Hasek attempted to draw a penalty with some theatrics but failed, and it cost him and the Wings a goal. What's funny is his explanation:
'Somebody bumped me in the head, I don't know it if was my teammate or their player, and I fell down on my back,'' the 42-year-old goaltender said. ''I was a little bit confused, I didn't know what was going on and before I got up, they scored that goal.'' (from TSN.ca)
and Red Wings Coach Mike Babcocks retort:
'It wasn't interference at all. Our goalie tried to draw the penalty and he dove and they shot it in the net,'' Babcock said bluntly. ''The bottom line is embellishment is something that happens in our games, probably too much, and when you try and draw a penalty and they shoot it in our net, it's a tough one.'' (from TSN.ca)
Ummm, Dominik me thinks you are lying sir. Anyway, he cost his team a win that could have propelled them into first for the Presidents Trophy Race. Flames keeper Miikka Kiprusoff made 30 saves to complet the 2-1 win and cushioned their lead on the Avs to 6 points. Good news (maybe) for the Red Wings as forward Todd Bertuzzi (please excuse my Bertuzzi as he is still wearing his Florida lid) may make an appearance for his new team on Thursday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. A little fine tuning prior to the playoffs perhaps?
Game of the Night:
Nashville at Vancouver 10:00 PM
The big boys in the West throw down tonight, as the Central Division and league leading Predators try to stay ahead of the Wings by defeating the Northwest Division leading Canucks who are also trying to stave off the Minnesota Wild (who have won 7 straight games by the way.... which is sweet, because I picked up Wild goaltender Nicklas Backstrom and he has been HUUUGE for me.... and he's helped the Wild a bit too). Enjoy the games brothers and sisters of the face pelt!
What happened yesterday? Defense was thrown out the window and goaltending..... well there wasn't much of that to be found on the ice either.
Let's start off with the biggest shocker. Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils may have delivered the worst game of his life yesterday afternoon. The Carolina Hurricanes pounded the future Hall of Famer for 4 goals on 12 shots, and he was immediately pulled in favor of backup goaltender Scott Clemmensen, who allowed 3 more. The Hurricanes defeated the Devils 7-2 and moved into sole possession of the 7th seed in the East. The good news for New Jersey is that when Brodeur falters like this, he rebounds rapidly and for lengthy periods of time. Expect several shutouts next week.
Tell me the New York Islanders aren't missing Rick DiPietro. Since he's been out with a neck injury the Islanders have allowed 18 goals in three games. Backup goaltender Mike Dunham gave up 6 goals on 33 shots last night to the Florida Panthers. Panthers keeper Ed Belfour didn't fare much better but fortunately for him, he only allowed 5. The Panthers won the game 8-5, as captain Olli Jokinen scored a pair in the third to break the game open and help his team into 12th place with 73 points, just 6 points out of the playoffs. The Islanders, unable to keep pace are now tied for 9th, with Toronto and Montreal with 78 points.
At Madison Square Garden, the Bruins had a rough evening last night as well. They started off the game looking good, peppering New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist with 13 shots in the first.... till the wheels came flying off in the second. Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas was yanked after giving up three consecutive goals and was replaced by Joey MacDonald..... who let in four more, and was replaced by Thomas..... everyone got that? The Ranger defeated the Bruins 7-0 and took control of the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. Henrik Lundqvist made 30 saves on the evening for his 6th career shutout.
In Phoenix (thats pronounced PUH - HO - Nixx), Curtis Joseph was lit up for 6 goals as the Colorado Avalanche had their way with him and the Coyotes. Captain Joe Sakic scored two goals, as did rookie Paul Stastny, who is really starting to give Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin a run for the Calder Trophy. The Avalanche won the game 6-3 and continued their recent playoff push. They are now 6 points out of the playoffs behind the Calgary Flames.
Dominik Hasek and the Detroit Red Wings had an off evening as well. Usually the Red Wings don't allow more than 20 shots, and in some case less than 15. The rest Hasek takes care of. The Vancouver Canucks launched 38 at the Red Wings keeper, and put three past him (wasnt' there a game earlier in the season where they were only able to put 11 shots in total on net the entire game?). The Canucks won the game 4-1 on a 33 save performance by Roberto Luongo and kept their control of the Northwest Division over Minnesota by 1 point. Detroits loss combined with Nashville's win dropped them back into 4th place in the West but still with the second best record in the League.
Game of the Night:
Ottawa at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
The last time these two teams faced off it was awesome! Ottawa had the game in hand, so I turned it off. Pittsburgh of course waited till they knew I wasn't watching and came back to win the game in the shootout. I'd expect a similiar offensive treat. Enjoy the games!
Just days after talking about the greatness that is Martin Brodeur, the eventual Vezina Trophy winner delivered perhaps his worst performance since the last time I called him out for being an amazing keeper!
The Tampa Bay Lightning lit up the New Jersey Devils mainstay between the pipes 4-1 last night, including 2 goals in less than a minute by Nick Tarnasky (who apparently never scores), and Vincent Lecavalier. Martin Broduer even stated that 'they didn't play that bad' after allowing 4 goals on 27 shots.....and also was quoted that 'the bounces didn't go our way'.....I wonder why that is. Could it be the curse Marty? I think so brother.
Quick Shave:
The Detroit Red Wings played adequately last night and defeated the Calgary Flames 7-4 last night. At the request of my boys from Hockey Town, I won't elaborate more than that.....as no one on the Red Wings had a standout performance. The Edmonton Oilers destroyed the Atlanta Thrashers 5-1 last night. Petr Sykora of the Oilers assisted on just about every goal. Atlanta's Johan Hedberg got his first start in about a month, and looked a touch rusty. The Dallas Stars had themselves and old fashioned shootout with the Colorado Avalanche last night. The Stars took the game 7-5, on a night where neither teams goaltenders showed up to play. How bad is Jose Theodore? What the heck happened to this guy? Someone should look into whether or not he is intentionally throwing games. Dan Cloutier is making fun of him at this point.
Game of the Night:
Detroit at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Only game on the card tonight. This could be one of the last times we see Forsberg in a Flyers uniform as the trade deadline is rapidly approaching......and playing Detroit, one of the many teams rumored to be seeking to rent the often injured forward for a playoff run. Look for the Red Wings to play ok tonight.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur was at it again last night. Brodeur stopped all 25 shots the New York Islanders threw at him last night and recorded his 10th win by shutout this season. The 2-1 shutout win was also the 90th of his career.
Martin Brodeur aside from having a Vezina Trophy calibre season, is now 13 shutouts away from tying the legendary Terry Sawchuk's record. Thanks in large part to his play, the New Jersey Devils are now just 4 points behind the Buffalo Sabres, whose command of the Eastern Conference's top seed is currently in danger.
The last time I celebrated Brodeur's accomplishments, he and the Devils took a 3 game nose dive...... so I apologize in advance to all of you Devils fans out there.
Quick Shave: Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby finally got a shootout goal last night! Crosby scored for the first time this season in the shootout to lift the Penguins over the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 last night. The Flyers have now lost 13 straight games..... man it must suck to be Flyers fan right now. The Penguins are now sitting pretty in 4th place overall in the Eastern Conference. Not bad for a team, no one aside from myself would do much this year. The Nashville Predators dropped the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 last night effectively ending their winning streak. The Ottawa Senators hammered the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 last night, thanks to a productive evening from forwards Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. The Detroit Red Wings were shutout by the St. Louis Blues 1-0 last night. Blues goaltenders Manny Legace, and Curtis Sanford combined for the shutout win (Legace left the game with concussion like symptoms after being hit by Tomas Holstrom). In fairness, the Red Wings have played 9 games in the last 3 nights.....
Game of the Night:
Tampa Bay at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
If the Rangers don't start collecting some victories it is going to be a very long summer. The Rangers are well out of the playoff race sitting in 11th in the East. Tampa Bay has the 8th and final spot in the conference. Enjoy the games!
Just give Marty the Vezina now. It belongs to him.
After last night's 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the New Jersey Devils franchise further cemented their stranglehold on the Atlantic and moved within 5 points of the Buffalo Sabres for the Easter Conference lead. The night also marked yet another milestone for future hall of famer Martin Brodeur. The Devils goaltender stopped all 28 shots he faced last night and recorded his 9th win by shutout this season and the 89th of his career. The win over Tampa Bay was also Brodeur's 30th this season. Brodeur has now won 30 or more games in 11 consecutive season. Amazing.
Tell me this guy isn't playing with an edge since getting beat out for the Vezina Trophy last year! Right now he and his teammates are showing that defense still rules in the new NHL. They can make the nets as big as a house, and I still think Brodeur will find a way to prevent the puck from getting past him. Ok, enough on my man-crush for Brodeur.
Quick Shave:
On of the biggest All Star Game snubs this year was Alexander Frolov of the Los Angeles Kings. Frolov and the Kings returned to action last night by taking down the red hot Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Frolov scored 2 goals in the contest including the OT game winner (which is doubly sweet since he's on Bosh's roster). Full Metal Jackets! The Columbus Blue Jackets responded to a little RAH RAH speech from Kenny H. and rebounded to take down the NHL's elite Buffalo Sabres 3-2. Another one of Bosh's own, Freddy Norrena made 36 saves on the night for the win! The Phoenix Coyotes continue to thunder towards the playoffs! Team star and possible MVP Yanic Perreault (this guy is really making some noise!) scored twice in a little over a minute to draw the Coyotes even with the Colorado Avalanche. Curtis Joseph shut the doors to help the Coyotes win 5-4 in the shootout. Patrick Marleau had a big night for the San Jose Sharks just missing the NHL HTC by a score, to help his club defeat the Edmonton Oilers and move within 2 points of the Anaheim Ducks who hold the top spot in the Pacific. Good news for the Ducks as injured defenseman Chris Pronger is expected back in the lineup this weekend when they play the Detroit Red Wings. The Wings fell to the St. Louis Blues (a team I mentioned that the Blues had to beat) 2-1 in OT. The Blues are one of the many teams in the West with a legitimate shot to make the post season after a rough start. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 by way of shootout last night. Sidney Crosby had two assists on the night to extend his NHL scoring lead to 74 points. That is incredible.
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at Phoenix 9:00 PM
This game looks like fun. Two hot squads face off in the desert! Enjoy the games!
Last night looked like another evening where the New Jersey Devils offense would be unable to support another great performance by Martin Brodeur, against the Atlanta Thrashers.
However, losing 1-0 in the third, the Devils Scott Gomez responded on the powerplay, and half a minue later Sergei Brylin scored the game winner. Brodeur made 25 saves on the evening, and the Devils beat the Thrashers 2-1. How much must it suck having to play against this guy? Brodeur saves everything. The only way to guarantee a goal on him is to ricochet the puck off of every player pinball style enroute to the net. Otherwise forget it. Broduer's mutant power is to save pucks.
New Jersey is now tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for second place overall in the Eastern Conference with 56 points. The Devils have won 4 of their last 5 games, and aside from an offence that appears to go dormant from time to time, they are as solid as ever, and once agains should be considered a contender.
Quick Shave:
Welcome back Marion! Minnesota Wild forward Marion Gaborik recorded two goals for his club last night and helped lift them to a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers. Minnesota is now tied with the Vancouver Canucks with 49 points and the final two playoff spots. Take a look at the Northwest Division. That entire group is separated by 5 points. 1 point in that division is the difference between the third seed, and the 7th seed! Tomas Vokoun has returned to form, so you can really start fearing the Nashville Predators (you should already be afraid of this team....they are scary good). In only his second game since returning from injury (technically third, since he backed up Mason last week), Vokoun made 22 saves for 2-0 shutout over the . The Los Angeles Kings have themselves a big problem in goal. Goaltender Dan Cloutier is out indefinitely, and Mathieu Garon was placed on injured reserve yesterday. The team has recalled Yutaka Fukufuji from their AHL affiliate to assume the netminding duties. Fukufuji, became the first ever Japanese player to dress for an NHL game in mid-December.....it appears he will be the first player from Japan to ever start a game very soon. Congratulations sir!
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 2:00 PM
San Jose at Phoenix 9:00 PM
Edmonton at Calgary 10:00 PM
Crosby owns Philadelphia. The only reason you should watch this game is to see him score 5 goals, and have a 10 point game. Seriously, whenever he arrives in Philly, something special happens, today should be no different. Saturday's are great. Hockey all day. Tonight is another big test for the new look Coyotes against the Sharks, and the Flames and Oilers always provide hockey. Enjoy the games!
Think Martin Brodeur is pissed he didn't win the Vezina Trophy last year? Judging by how he is playing, I would say he is making a solid case to take it this season.
Brodeur stopped all 28 shots the Montreal Canadiens delivered his way for the 3-0 victory, and his 87th career shutout. He now leads the league with 24 wins and collected his 6th win by shutout last night. The New Jersey Devils who been stifling the Rangers win streak have a healthy foothold on the Atlantic Division, and are within striking distance of the Atlanta Thrashers 2nd overall spot in the East. The Devils are hot right now, winning 8 of their last 11 games.
The Montreal Canadiens playing on back to back nights have been decimated by the flu, have now lost three straight. Cristobal Huet made 34 saves in the loss.
Quick Shave:
Is it too late to jump on the Phoenix Coyotes bandwagon? The Coyotes by defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2 last night have now one six straight. No I'm serious. Now what you probably don't know is that Coyotes have climbed out of the cellar and just 7 points out of a playoff berth. Phoenix has 38 points and currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference. As it is in the West, the 7th and 8th spots held by the Calgary Flames and tthe Minnesota Wild are still available to any of the teams outside the bubble. The St. Louis Blues are just 12 points out, which is more than attainable with roughly 40 games to go. No one is safe, and it looks like we are going to see an all out sprint like we did last year. Ilya Bryzgalov and the Anaheim Ducks got back to winning again last night, ending their losing streak against the Detroit Red Wings with the 4-2 win. Bryzgalov made 33 saves in relief of the injured Jean Sebastien Giguere. Detroit has now dropped three straight. Whenever there is win streak in the NHL, there is a losing streak going on somewhere else. The Ottawa Senators upended the Philadelphia Flyers 6-1 yesterday, receiving multi-point games from forwards Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. Hey Hey! I guess Markus Naslund reads the beard! My little write up yesterday on the decline of his skills finally woke up his offence as he potted his first goal for the Vancouver Canucks in 17 games. Roberto Luongo bested his old 'mates the Florida Panthers in a 4-3 shootout win.
Game of the Night:
Edmonton at Los Angeles 10:30 PM
Only game on the night for the NHL, so you have to watch it. Enjoy the game! I said Enjoy the game!
Until tonight, New York Rangers goaltender was not scored upon in the shootout by the previous 22 shooters....the New Jersey Devils put three past him, but it still wasn't enough. Lundqvist stopped Travis Zajac after Marcel Hossa buried the game winner past Martin Brodeur to defeat the New Jersey Devils in the 8th round of the shootout 3-2. Broduer also allowed goals by Nylander, Shanahan, and Cullen.
The victory moved the Rangers within 4 points of the New Jersey Devils and tied them with the Ottawa Senators for 6th place in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers have now won two straight after dropping 7 in a row.
Rangers grinder Jed Ortmeyer returned to action for the first time this season after suffering from a pulmonary embolism over the summer.
Quick Shave:
Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings saw his number 19 raised to the rafters of Joe Louis last night. The former Red Wings captain gave a great speech that called out his former teammates for being responsible for his evolution as a player, and marked Scotty Bowman as the man responsible for bringing three Stanley Cup Championships to Detroit. Bowman was recieved a standing ovation. The Detroit Red Wings honored him by defeating the Anaheim Ducks 2-1, in a tight game, that saw Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov return to action after a long layoff. See you in the Hall Stevie! The Philadelphia Flyers have won three straight and the return of Robert Esche appears to be the catalyst. Esche made 40 saves as the Flyers dumped the New York Islanders 3-2. Captain Peter Forsberg went down in the game and is out with a groin injury. Petr Nedved who probably thought he would be travelling to Ottawa yesterday was grabbed instead by the Edmonton Oilers. Nedved played with the Oilers prior to the lockout after being dealt there by the Rangers before the 2003-04 trade deadline. The Oilers also recorded their 1000th franchise victory last night by defeating the Florida Panthers 4-1. Sidney Crosby had another 3 point (2 goals, 1 assist) for the Pittsburgh Penguins last night as they beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0. Crosby now leads the NHL with 60 points. Boston Bruins center Phil Kessel who underwent cancer surgery recently is expected to begin skating again this week. Good news. The Minnesota Wild pounded the Atlanta Thrashers 5-1 last night on 2 goal nights by Parrish and Bouchard. Marion Gaborik who has missed more than 30 games this season is expected back in the lineup this week. The Calgary Flames fell to the Vancouver Canucks for the third straight time in two weeks last night by a score of 3-2. The game winner was on a sweet breakaway move by Alex Burrows who deked Miika Kiprusoff and slipped the puck in behind him. Anyone notice that Kipper has shaved off his playoff beard? Hmmmmmm....keep an eye on him.
Game of the Night:
Buffalo at Ottawa 7:30 PM
Dallas at Vancouver 10:00 PM
The last few matchups between these two teams have been great, and Ottawa seems to have the edge on Buffalo....something not many teams in the NHL have. However the Sens are fighting injuries lately, to Spezza, and Fisher and being shorthanded could give Buffalo the advantage they need. Vancouver has suddenly discovered how to score goals, in large part to Daniel Sediin who is playing like a rock star (he had 5 goals for me last week....as I'm sure Stache knows), and facing off against Dallas netminder Marty Turco could be a big test for this ressurgent Canuck offense. Look for Anze Kopitar to join the HTC against Columbus tonight. Enjoy the games!
Isn't it terrific when you spend hours sweating over your fantasy roster, weighing your options and finally deciding who you should start, and who should ride the virtual pine.....and then see it all blow up in your face? So last night, I made the decision to sit New Jersey Devils center Scott Gomez, in favor of Anaheim's Andy McDonald, and New York's Michael Nylander......and I am still kicking myself.
Gomez had a gem of a game last night for the Devils, and for fantasy owners (fantasy owners who didn't bench him that is), as he scored two goals, an assist, had a +3 rating, and even kicked it for 2 minutes in the penalty box. Elias also added a goal and 2 assists, and Brodeur did the usual making 32 stops as the Devils defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3. The Devils have now defeated the Caps for the sixth straight time, and have won 11 of their last 13 meetings.
Great job Bosh.
Quick Shave:
The Pittsburgh Penguins jumped off their 5 game losing streak by jumping all over the Toronto Maple Leafs last night 4-1. Sidney Crosby assisted on three of the scores and now continues to lead the NHL in scoring with 58 points. 58 points in 34 games! Crosby is something special. The New York Rangers however are far from special. Their losing streak hit 7 games last night with a 1-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators. The Rangers have not been able to find the back of the net in two games. Ray Emery recorded his second straight shutout for the Senators. The Carolina Hurricanes defeated the injury riddled Anaheim Ducks last night 4-2. Cam Ward made 25 saves and Rod Brind'Amour had a goal and an assist (Brind'Amour was honored prior to the match for achieving the 1000 point milestone earlier this season). Eddie Belfour appears to be getting more starts in Florida and he is playing big in net for the Panthers. Belfour made 32 saves last night to help the Florida Panthers beat the red hot Montreal Canadies 3-1. The St. Louis Blues won again! Martin Rucinsky potted 2 past the Colorado Avalanche's new number one goalie Peter Budaj to help his team to the 4-2 win.
Game of the Night:
Atlanta at Buffalo 7:00 PM
New Jersey at NY Islanders 7:00 PM
The top two teams in the East face off as the Thrashers visit the Sabres, and a little closer to home (to mine anyway), the top two teams in the Atlantic go head to head out on Long Island. Enjoy the games!
Has anyone else noticed that the goaltenders have been putting on a clinic this week? The number of shutouts has been impressive, if not stunning. The new rules instituted a year ago were supposed to produce more offence, but these titans of the crease have had other plans this year. The NHL should considering nominating only goaltenders as the Stars of the Week. Below are a list of the possible candidates.
Just last night, the New Jersey DevilsMartin Brodeur shut down the Philadelphia Flyers, making 28 saves for the 2-0 victory. The shutout was Brodeur's fourth of the season, and the 84th of his career. The win, also tied him with Glen Hall for third place overall on the shutout list.
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Dwayne Roloson stopped all 22 shots the Dallas Stars fired at him last night, for the 2-0 shutout victory, and the second straight win by way of shutout this week. The shutout was the 21st of his career.
Dallas Stars keeper Marty Turco, also had a pair of shutouts this week. Turco made 25 saves against the San Jose Sharks on Monday night for to lift his team to the 1-0 win, then two nights later blanked the Phoenix Coyotes for the 3-0 shutout win.
The Anaheim Ducks goaltender Jean Sebastien Giguere stopped all 21 Nashville Predator shots he faced on Wednesday night to secure the 4-0 shutout victory for his team. The win was his fourth this season by way of shutout.
The Columbus Blue Jackets backup goalie (although maybe not for much longer), Fredrik Norrena made an amazing 42 saves against the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night, and helped the Blue Jackets to a 3-0 shutout win. What's more amazing, is that he was coming off of a 21 save, 4-0 shutout performance against the Edmonton Oilers Saturday night.
The Calgary Flames man between the pipes Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves against the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes for the 3-0 shutout win. Kiprusoff is tied with Broduer, Giguere, Lehtonen, and Hasek with 4 shutout wins.
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Marc Denis rebounded behind an offensive explosion that his teammates provided, by stopping all 21 shots the Atlanta Thrashers tossed at him, to seal the 8-0 shutout win. The victory had to be a moral one for Denis who has all but lost his job to backup Johan Holmqvist.
Game of the Night:
NY Rangers at Ottawa 3:00 PM
Buffalo at Montreal 7:00 PM
Vancouver at Calgary 10:00 PM
I give you an appetizer, the main course, and some desert. We get ourselves a great early game in the afternoon matchup between the Rangers and Sens, followed by the rematch of a week ago between the Habs and Sabres, where both goaltenders put on a show, but Huet proved to be the winner, and finally a matchup between a Vancouver team that looks like they discovered their offence last night, and a Calgary team that also shutdown the champs a few nights ago. Grab your brew Ha Has and the remote, it's Hockey Night in Canada! May the beard be with you!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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!
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.
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.
The New Jersey Devils put forth a strong team effort in their 5-4 shootout victory over the Philadelphia Flyers last night.....but the team that was iced, is still riding over the $44 million salary cap. With a week remaining before the season begins, Lou Lamoriello is now in a desperate situation. He must unload salary to get under that cap, and still re-sign star forward Brian Gionta, defenceman Paul Martin and a backup netminder who will most likely be Scott Clemmenson.
One man on the trading block is forward Sergei Brylin, who scored the game winner in the shootout this evening, hopes he remains with the team. But it's going to take more than Brylin and his $1.5 million salary to ease the Devils cap problems. I can only assume that a huge deal will be in the making with either several players moving, or one big named player.....Gomez or Elias? The longer Lamoriello waits, the harder it will be for him to make a fair trade. Time is not on his side, and frankly I'm surprised he's waited this long.
There is talk that he may be able to waive Alex Mogilny's salary of $3.5 million because of his injured status, but this is still pending league approval. Help the Devils, yes it could, but for the NHL, it would create a league wide precedent, one which they may not wish to install. The next 6 days should be very interesting ones.
Unreal! After everything this guy went through to get to the NHL he's knocked out in his first game? Not even a regulation match, but a pre-season game, and by his teammate John LeClair?!?
According to reports from TSN.ca suffered an 'upper body injury' which is playoff speak for shoulder, after colliding with his Penguins teammate John LeClair. No official word is being given on the exact nature and status of the injury, but I'm sure all eyes will be on Malkin and the Penguins over the next few days. This is truly a blow the Penguins organization, the fans, and to Evgeni Malkin. Hopefully the kid pulls through.
Rangers roll over Devils again!
I know, I know, it's still pre-season, but my boys are taking it to the Devils, and appear to be coming out strong. Henrik Lundqvist, Vezina finalist, shutout the Devils 2-0. The Rangers out shot the Devils 21-1 in the first period. Greg Moore helped set up Matt Cullen and Petr Prucha for the scores.
Fantasy News
Apparently Fantasy Leagues everywhere have high hopes for Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby, and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin. The Playoff Beard .com League is no different as both guys went in the Top 5. There's a really great Fantasy article on TSN.ca you guys you should have a read through, that offers some obvious picks and a few sleepers. Check it out here!
Gionta to join Devils at Training Camp without contract
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is a lucky man. There aren't many players that would do what Gionta is preparing to do. In spite of not having a new contract with the Devils, Brian Gionta is putting faith in his team that they will sign him prior to the start of the season, and will attend training camp without one. For the second time, this guy has put the team before himself. Gionta could have gone to arbitration, where he easily would have been awarded th $3.5 million he is seeking, but declined the option, in exchange for a long term deal.
The issue here, is not that Lamoriello doesn't want to sign Gionta, the problem is that the Devils have no cap room in which to sign him. The Devils are at the ceiling of the $44 million dollar salary cap, and have no room to fit the small forward in financially. The Devils will be forced to move some players before signing Brian Gionta.
Gionta is currently seeking insurance to cover himself in case of injury during Devils training camp. For more on this report by Mark Everson, visit the NY Post.
Things are awfully quiet in New Jersey. The Devils GM Lou Lamoriello still has three players to sign in Brian Gionta, Paul Martin, and David Hale, but he has no money to sign them with. The Devils are teetering on the $44 million salary cap, and it is a question of when not if they will make a move to get this team fiscally set for the upcoming season. Lamoriello, surprisingly has been at odds with the new salary cap era since it's inception, and for the second straight season is being forced to deal from a weaker hand. Last year, he had to move forward Jeff Friesen to the Capitals for essentially nothing (I believe it was for a few late round picks), and this year will be no different....other than the name to be moved, will probably be one of much more signifigance. Scott Gomez? Perhaps. His $5 million salary arbitration award was tough for the team to swallow, but he has been a core player for the team for 5 years now. Perhaps Gionta will be dealt? He is seeking a long term deal in the $3 -4 million range, and after his 48 goal season, is probably deserving of it. Worse still is that the Devils still need to sign a back up goaltender......so the problems are continuing to grow. I also think that the longer Lamoriello waits, the worse the trade returns are going to be. He needs to make a move, and now.
The Devils high scoring forward (48 goals last season) Brian Gionta is still waiting to be signed to a new contract. Although Devils GM Lou Lamoriello has stated that he, and restricted free agents David Hale and Paul Martin will be welcome in training camp regardless of their contract status.
Brian Gionta is more than likely to not attend training camp unless a deal is in place. Gionta decided against electing to bring the Devils to salary arbitration in favor of signing a new long termcontract with the Devils. Gionta is reportedly seeking $3.5 million a season.
The Devils problems are not going away. Currently sitting at the $44 million salary cap, he is going to have to cut some fat, and muscle in order to make room for Gionta, Hale, and Martin. For more on this check out Mark Everson article in the NY Post.
Lou is playing a dangerous game. The salary cap era has not been a kind one to the former GM of the year. The Devils by accepting Scott Gomez's salary arbitration award of $5 million for next year, effectively puts the team over the $44 million salary cap. The Devils still have to sign star forward Brian Gionta and defenceman Paul Martin. Teams with salary cap room, will be able to underbid Lamoriello and the Devils now in trade talks, and it's unlikely the Devils will fair value in return. Thus is the new NHL.
As I said yesterday, there are several players that are untouchable. However I think that list is a short one. Elias, Brodeur, Gomez, and perhaps Rafalski (although I think he may be moved)....after that, I wouldn't get too comfortable.
Leetch to re-sign with Bruins?
Perhaps. Rumors are abound that he is also being courted by the Rangers and Red Wings. However, after the recent signing of Markov, I doubt that Detroit needs or wants another 40 year old blue liner.
Jay Bouwmeester awarded $4.35 million
Young defenceman Jay Bouwmeester was awarded a two year deal in which he would make $2.1 million the first year, and $2.25 million the season after. This is a no-brainer for Florida.
Snow Job
No not Raffi Torres....the Garth Snow era has begun in Uniondale! As far as easy decisions, this one was cake, and very good for the organization. Snow, the new GM of the Islanders accepted the arbitrators award to Mike York of a one year deal worth $2.85 million that was made earlier this week.
Scott Gomez has been awarded a one year arbitration settlement of $5 million. Gomez had his best season in 2005-2006, scoring 84 points in 82 games, and has been a mainstay forward for the Devils since his Calder Trophy winning season in 1999-2000. The question here is not Gomez's value. The $5 million award is probably the most spot on ruling ever. The big question here is how do the Devils afford to keep him? The Devils salaries ( estimates listed below from TSN.ca), are closing in on $44 million, just a few bucks shy of the cap. This doesn't include Gomez's recent $5 million award.
Patrik Elias $7.5 million Martin Brodeur $5.2 million Brian Rafalski $4.2 million John Madden $3.893 million Vladimir Malakhov $3.6 million Alexander Mogilny $3.5 million Colin White $3 million Jamie Langenbrunner $2.8 million Dan McGillis $2.2 million Sergei Brylin $1.52 million Richard Matvichuk $1.368 million Brad Lukowich $1 million Jason Wiemer $950,000 Jay Pandolfo $836,000 Grant Marshall $760,000 Zach Parise $703,000 Cam Janssen $450,000 Michael Rupp $450,000
Right now Lou Lamoriello has to be kicking himself for that $7 million tied up in Alexander Mogilny and Vladimir Malakhov, two players who weren't on the roster at seasons end this year. Lamoriello is going to have move some players, or Gomez himself. The unfortunate thing is that he is in a very weak bargaining position, as everyone is aware that he needs to dump salary. There will undoubtedly be a Jeff Friesen type trade made again (I believe he was shipped to Washington for a quesadilla) to free up cap space. Lamoriello's biggest issue isn't just Gomez, he also has to sign Devils all time regular season leading goal scorer Brian Gionta, and defensemen Paul Martin and David Hale.
Playoff Beard Prediction: The Devils will keep Gomez. I believe they will also sign Gionta and Martin. I suspect, players like Madden, Rafalski, Matvichuk and Langenbrunner to become expendable.
The Eagle lands in Florida
Finally! After weeks of speculation and posturing, UFA goalie Ed Belfour has signed a one year $750,000 contract with the Florida Panthers. The contract includes performance incentives that if achieved could double his base salary. At 41 years of age Belfour will most likely backup goaltender Alexander Auld and appear in limited situations so as not to aggrivate his surgically repaired back.
Oilers avoid arbitration altogether
3 players, and 3 potential arbitration hearings avoided before the zero hour. Ales Hemsky was the last Oiler slated for arbitration and like his predeccessors Horcoff and Stoll signed a contract prior to the hearing. The Oilers signed Hemsky to e 6 year deal worth $24.6 million. Ales Hemsky had a breakout year with 19 goals and 58 assist and led the team in scoring with 77 points. Hemsky was stellar in the playoffs for the Oilers as well with 17 points in 24 games. Kevin Lowe should be named GM of the year. I love what this guy is doing with this team, and the results of his work this year were very apparent.
The Montreal Canadiens have re-signed their stud defenseman and former first round pick Mike Komisarek to a a one year contract. Komisarek is a bruiser, and from what I've been told an excellent dancer. This kid has the potential to develop into one of the league's best defensemen. And dancers.
The New Jersey Devils re-signed defenseman Colin White to a 6 year $18 million deal. What's up with Lou Lamoriello? He's been handing out Mike Milbury sized contracts lately. Elias for 7 years (if I remember correctly) and now White for 6? I wonder how he is going to fit Gionta and Gomez under the cap. Can you spell TRADE?
Chris Simon to the Isles
The New York Islanders just signed left wing Chris Simon to a one year deal. The move obviously makes the Islanders a tougher team. Along with Brendan Witt, it seems as though Neil Smith is sculpting this squad to be a more physical bunch.
Blackhawks sign Havlat
My thanks to Moustache for sending this my way. The Blackhawks after trading for Martin Havlat have signed him to a 3 year $18 million deal. This is baffling. The guy is a decent player, but he doesn't deserve this kind of money. He did have a great playoffs, but it still doesn't put him on the same level with the Alex Tanguays and Joe Sakics of the league. The guy played 18 games last season!?
Hasek and Belfour TSN.ca is reporting that Ken Holland is mulling over his goaltending options which now include Dominik Hasek. Which one of these guys will the Red Wings sign? The guy with the gimpy back, or the guy with gimpy groin? The Red Wings would be better off trading for David Aebischer at this point, rather than raiding the old age home.
At a press conference earlier today, the New Jersey Devils presented their new head coach Claude Julien. Julien was the Montreal Canadiens last season before he was fired in January, and replaced by Bob Gainey.
Interesting pick up. Surprising though. There were rumors that Johnny MacLean would be the new head coach after assisting Lou Lamoriello. Personally I think he would have been a better choice. Granted he doesn't have the head coaching experience of Julien, but I think Mac would have brought a little more energy to the bench.
The Devils came out hard and didn't let up, defeating the Hurricanes 5-1, and also staving (there it is again) off elimination to force a game 5 in Carolina. The Devils scored three first period goals, and it seems like the bounces finally started going there way, especially on Gomez's first goal which rebounded off a skate past Cam Ward. Ward was eventually pulled in favor of Gerber after surrendering the 5th goal. Regardless, this may be too little too late for the Devils. I guess we'll see if they can ride this momentum for 3 more games. For more on this series visit TSN.ca.
Playoff Beard Alert:It seems that a few seasons with the Devils was all it took to leave an impression. I talk about the playoff beard master Jeff Freisen of course. Last night while watching the bench, it appears that several Devils are sporting the Freisen Playoff Moustache. Scott Gomez and Colin White are obviously devout followers of the Freisen.
The Sabres finally finished off the Senators. I can't even believe i'm typing that. Everyone picked the Senators (except for my man Playoff Moustache who picked them before the playoffs to challenge for the cup) to beat the Sabres handily, but it turned out to be the other way around. The Sabres beat the Senators 3-2 in OT last night to finish off the series 4-1. For more on this series visit TSN.ca.
Last night's scores:
Carolina 1 New Jersey 5 F Buffalo 3 Ottawa 2 F (OT)
Tonight's games:
New Jersey at Carolina 7:00 PM
Edmonton at San Jose 10:00 PM
The Devils were going to lose eventually.....but damn. There first loss after winning 15 straight was a big one. The Carolina Hurricanes, obviously still riding high from their first round win over the Canadiens pounced on the Devils early and never looked back. Ray Whitney scored two powerplay goals and Cam Ward made 21 saves (not too much Devil offense) for his first playoff shutout and a 6-0 victory. Staal, Weight, Brind'Amour and Stillman also had tallies in the game. Carolina takes a 1-0 series lead. For more on the game visit TSN.ca.
Seems pretty evident to me that the Devils suffered the same sluggishness that the Avalanche did. Both teams finished off their first round counterparts in 4 and 5 games. If you look at their opponents, the Ducks, who just came off a game 7 victory over Calgary had a ton of momentum going into game 1 against the Avs, and the Hurricances won 4 straight over the Habs before facing New Jersey. Both of these teams were ready to go, and the Devils and Avs needed to find their legs.....obviously they never did as both teams were held scoreless.
Lyle Richardson from Spector's Hockey and the boys from the Face Off Hockey Show last week were discussing the upsets of Detroit and Dallas in round 1. Both teams had secured their playoff spots weeks before the end of the season, while the teams they eventually faced, Edmonton and Colorado, were already playing playoff hockey fighting to make it into the playoffs. Thus riding that momentum, both teams were hot and knocked Detroit and Dallas out. Makes alot of sense to me, especially since we just saw it happen again this weekend. I do however expect Jersey and Colorado to show up for Game 2.
Last night's scores:
New Jersey 0 Carolina 6 F
Today's games:
Colorado at Anaheim 3:00 PM
Edmonton at San Jose 8:00 PM
WOW! Down 3-1 to Montreal, the Devils scored three times to defeat the Canadiens and claim the Atlantic Division title! I really have to tip my hat to this team. Since the New Year, they have played some unbelievable hockey, and a month ago, I actually had written them off. What a turnaround! Lou Lamoriello and the rest of this organization is to be commended on always finding a way to keep this machine running. Losing two defensemen of Neidermayer and Steven's calibre and still being able to keep the Devils winning is truly impressive. Congratulations!
Onto the playoffs!
Here are the first round matchups:
East
Ottawa vs. Tampa Bay
Carolina vs. Montreal
New Jersey vs. New York
Buffalo vs. Philadelphia
West
Detroit vs. Edmonton
Dallas vs Colorado
Calgary vs. Anaheim
Nashville vs. San Jose
I'll have my predictions for the first round, Stanley Cup finalists, and of course, best playoff beards tomorrow!
Regardless of what happens, I just want to thank the Rangers for a terrific season! You guys have exceeded everyone's expectations, that everything else right now is gravy! Enjoy the Playoffs guys, you earned it!
Last night's scores:
Buffalo 4 Carolina 0 F
Dallas 4 Columbus 5 F (OT)
Atlanta 1 Florida 2 F (OT) Philadelphia 4 NY Islanders 1 F Ottawa 5 NY Rangers 1 F New Jersey 4 Montreal 3 F Washington 4 Tampa Bay 1 F
Pittsburgh 3 Toronto 5 F
Detroit 3 Nashville 6 F
St. Louis 2 Chicago 3 F (OT)
A day after acquiring defenceman Ken Klee from Toronto, the Devils have picked up defenceman Brad Lukowich from the New York Islanders for a 3rd round pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. More to come.
While the Olympic tournament has been exciting to watch, it has been also a time of concern and potential disaster for a few NHL teams.
The biggest has to be Dominik Hasek. The Ottawa Senators had been riding high on the legs of Hasek all year, and 1 period into the Olympics, he gets injured, or re-injured rather. His groin, which has been suspect for some time has reared its ugly head again, and now has GM John Muckler scrambling with 2 weeks to go before the trade deadline to determine whether to acquire a goaltender or not.
Peter Forsberg, also playing with a sore groin, and the key word is playing....is risking a season ending injury, thus completely destroying the hopes of the Flyers making it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Patrick Elias was injured early in the tournament, the extent of which I'm not sure of, but he has been kept out since.
Joe Sakic received a fractured cheekbone and lovely beauty mark during a game against Switzerland.
The Canucks have just received word that not only was Mattias Ohlund injured with broken ribs for Sweden, but Sami Salo, another Canucks defenseman, has suffered a shoulder injury.
Jaromir Jagr almost appeared lost for the season after an elbow to the skull.
It's been interesting, and perhaps has changed the scope of this NHL season, not to mention the policies in following seasons. We'll see.
Tonight the New Jersey Devils honor their greatest and one of the best defenseman to ever patrol the blueline. Scott Stevens retires with 908 points, a +393 rating, 2,785 minutes in penalties and 13 All Star appearances . He developed into one of the NHL's most feared blueliners because of his proclivity for open-ice hitting. When the playoffs arrived, Stevens always turned it up another level, and helped guide the Devils to 3 Stanley Cups and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999-2000 for the NHL Playoffs MVP. Stevens is probably the greatest defenseman to never win a Norris Trophy.
He is most famous for probably the greatest check ever delivered during the 1999-2000 Conference Finals against the Philadelphia Flyers' Eric Lindros. His teeth rattling hits inspired such eloquent lines from Bill Clement like "Scott Stevens is locked on and has tone". After that hit on Paul Kariya, I think Clement wanted Stevens to spray some Deep Woods Off on him by candle light, in a remote tent somewhere in the wilderness. Playoff Beard note: Stevens was never really a big fan of the beard, but did grow an exceptionally full 'Evil Spock' goatee during several of his playoff runs.
Quote of the Day: "God didn't make Rambo. I did!" --Colonel Trautman
Last nights scores:
Montreal 1 Boston 3 F
Philadelphia 2 Buffalo 4 F NY Rangers 5 NY Islanders 2 F Ottawa 7 Pittsburgh 2 F
Chicago 5 St. Louis 6 F (SO)
Colorado 3 Nashville 4 F (OT) Columbus 2 Edmonton 1 F (SO)
Los Angeles 1 Phoenix 2 F (SO) Minnesota 3 San Jose 2
Game of the night:
Vancouver at Calgary 9:00 PM
All Canadian match-up tonite boys between 3rd place Calgary and 5th Vancouver. I love the coverage you guys have up there and not just the color men, but the camera-men really know how to film the game. Enjoy the game!
Just reported on TSN, Marty will be staying with Devils for at least another six years. The deal is worth $31.2 million U.S., and will keep him with New Jersey till he retires (unless he's got some Chelios in him, and plays till he's 62).
I guess he really took advantage of the team's recent turn around (and my earlier report of him being the hottest player in January, your welcome Marty) to cash in. Nothing like a 10 game winning streak to pad your bank account. New Jersey and Brodeur....perfect together.
Martin Brodeur made 22 saves last night to help the New Jersey Devils to a 3-0 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The shutout win was the 103rd of his career, tying the NHL record held by Terry Sawchuk. 
In San Jose, the Sharks newest acquisition, super forward Dany Heatley finally delivered for his new club. During the Sharks home opener, Heatley joined the NHL Hat Trick club and helped lift his team to a 6-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joe Thornton tied a Sharks record by assisting on 4 of those goals.
In St. Louis, the Blues opened at home for the first time and were defeated by the Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 300th career NHL goal, then later deposited his 301st. Kovalchuk now has two back to back two goal games to open the season... not bad for a guy in a contract year. Atlanta better lock him up now.
The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin came to play last night and walked all over the Boston Bruins.
New Jersey Devils forward Bobby Holik announced yesterday that he would be retiring.
Rick DiPietro has finally been put out of his misery as the New York Islanders have announced that their goaltender will be out for the rest of the season.
I swear I said this before the 
The New Jersey Devils got an early 1-0 lead off a Brian Gionta goal early in the first period and looked to take game 6 in commanding fashion. The New York Rangers immediately responded by scoring less than half a minute later to tie it 1-1 on a goal by Michal Rozsival, and captain Jaromir Jagr and Scott Gomez added two more in the first.
New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators
Minnesota Wild vs. Colorado Avalanche
New York Rangers forward Scott Gomez stung his former club the New Jersey Devils last night by setting up three goals enroute to their Game 1 victory.
Upon further review....
Really Quick Shave:
Game of the Night:
The Ottawa Senators look like they are on a mission this season. The Sens defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 yesterday, clinching the series 4-1 and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Quick Shave:
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of Maple Leafs fans suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."
Quick Shave:
The New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and New York Islanders are all separated by one point in the Standings. Huge wins last night for the Leafs and the Habs have them tied for 8th in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes. In fact all five of these teams have been battling so hard for their playoff lives, that they now have the Tampa Bay Lightning in sight, who site 6th in the East with 84 points. 
The Habs followed suit, and collected a much needed two points over the Boston Bruins (who are also fighting for a playoff spot, but are rapidly losing ground) with a 1-0 victory. Montreal Canadiens rookie goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves for his first NHL shutout, and rookie forward Guillaum Latendresse scored the lone goal and game winner late in the second to complete the win. One of the scary things about the Canadiens this season has been their lack of offense. Do you realize their leading goal scorer is defenceman Sheldon Souray with 24 goals? Scarier still, is that he is so focused on his goal scoring for his team that his defensive responsibilities have been neglected, and has collected a -23 rating for the year. I love defenseman that score (that sounds questionable) but not at the cost of defense. I digress... in any case the Habs are keeping pace with the East's playoff hungry and are now tied for 8th. 
The Calgary Flames had a fire lit under them last night. It's called the Colorado Avalanche. With their lead in the standings diminishing, the Flames took it to the Detroit Red Wings last night (who are tied for the second best record in the NHL with the Buffalo Sabres, and just a point shy of the Nashville Predators who own the one spot with 100 points) for the 2-1 win. Goaltender Dominik Hasek attempted to draw a penalty with some theatrics but failed, and it cost him and the Wings a goal. What's funny is his explanation:
Dominik Hasek and the Detroit Red Wings had an off evening as well. Usually the Red Wings don't allow more than 20 shots, and in some case less than 15. The rest Hasek takes care of. The Vancouver Canucks launched 38 at the Red Wings keeper, and put three past him (wasnt' there a game earlier in the season where they were only able to put 11 shots in total on net the entire game?). The Canucks won the game 4-1 on a 33 save performance by Roberto Luongo and kept their control of the Northwest Division over Minnesota by 1 point. Detroits loss combined with Nashville's win dropped them back into 4th place in the West but still with the second best record in the League.
Is there any doubt now?
Last night looked like another evening where the New Jersey Devils offense would be unable to support another great performance by Martin Brodeur, against the Atlanta Thrashers.
Dallas Stars keeper Marty Turco, also had a pair of shutouts this week. Turco made 25 saves against the San Jose Sharks on Monday night for to lift his team to the 1-0 win, then two nights later blanked the Phoenix Coyotes for the 3-0 shutout win.
The Calgary Flames man between the pipes Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves against the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes for the 3-0 shutout win. Kiprusoff is tied with Broduer, Giguere, Lehtonen, and Hasek with 4 shutout wins.
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).
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.
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.
Playoff Beard Alert:It seems that a few seasons with the Devils was all it took to leave an impression. I talk about the playoff beard master Jeff Freisen of course. Last night while watching the bench, it appears that several Devils are sporting the Freisen Playoff Moustache. Scott Gomez and Colin White are obviously devout followers of the Freisen.
Tonight the New Jersey Devils honor their greatest and one of the best defenseman to ever patrol the blueline. Scott Stevens retires with 908 points, a +393 rating, 2,785 minutes in penalties and 13 All Star appearances . He developed into one of the NHL's most feared blueliners because of his proclivity for open-ice hitting. When the playoffs arrived, Stevens always turned it up another level, and helped guide the Devils to 3 Stanley Cups and was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1999-2000 for the NHL Playoffs MVP. Stevens is probably the greatest defenseman to never win a Norris Trophy. 
