The Florida Panthers may be without the services of their starting net-minder Tomas Vokoun thanks in large part to his own teammate Keith Ballard. After watching the Thrashers Ilya Kovalchuk deposit the first goal of the game, Ballard, frustrated, swung his stick at the goal post (video below). Unfortunately, Vokoun's head was in the way of Ballard's two handed attempt at self-help. Vokoun was carried off on a stretcher and received stitches to his lacerated ear. The Thrashers went on to defeat the Panthers 4-3.
The Washington Capitals' star forward Alexander Ovechkin needs to figure out if he's a goon or a goal scorer. Ovechkin is slowly developing a reputation for dirty play and last night, his actions may have cost him more than just a suspension. Ovechkin deliberately initiated a knee on knee hit with Carolina Hurricanes defenceman Tim Gleason (video below). While Gleason was clearly injured after the impact, it appeared that Ovechkin received the worst of it.
Ovechkin was given a 5 minute major and a game misconduct for the hit, and should probably receive the same 5 game suspension that was just handed to Georges Laraque of the Montreal Canadiens for the same infraction. Aside from the suspension, the way Ovechkin left the ice last night may be an indication of a larger problem... perhaps a season ending injury. The Capitals went on to defeat the Hurricanes 3-2.
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.
While it took a week longer than I expected, Anaheim Ducks defenceman Mathieu Schneider finally has a new home.
Last week Schneider was waived by the Anaheim Ducks in an effort to clear much need salary cap space. After clearing waivers, and then again re-entry waivers, Schneider was back with the Ducks, or in limbo rather as he agreed not to report to camp while Ducks GM negotiated a trade for the defenceman.
The Ducks traded Schneider to the Atlanta Thrashers in exchange for defenceman Ken Klee, and forwards Brad Larsen, and Chad Painchaud. The deal clears a little over $3 million in salary cap space for Burke and the Ducks.
This is the second time this summer Burke has had to deal with salary cap problems. The Ducks bought out the contract of forward Todd Bertuzzi earlier during the off-season.
Pre-Season is in full swing. I'm not sure how it is around the rest of the league, but the New York Rangers have been televising every game, and since Saturday, there has been one a night (which has left the players a little worn out, judging by their play last night), which has been a great teaser for the upcoming season. Nice to see some of the young guns on the Rangers battle for roster spots, as well as watch Tampa's new young stud Steve Stamkos showcase his goods (he showed first hand why he was drafted #1 by cranking a beautiful shot in their first meeting).
Hopefully all of you Fantasy GMs have your rosters fine tuned for the upcoming season!
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a huge splash at the zero hour, just minutes before the 3:00 trade deadline to acquire Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers.
Hossa was widely considered this year's trade deadline prize especially after Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin withdrew his name from rumors by waiving his no-trade clause. The Penguins acquired Marian Hossa, and forward Pascal Dupuis from the Thrashers in exhange for forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, prospect Angelo Esposito and a first round draft pick.
The Thrashers were unable to sign Hossa to a long-term contract prior to the deadline and much like the Sabres who dealt defenceman Brian Campbell earlier today, chose to trade their asset, rather than lose the player to free agency this summer.
Hossa has 26 goals and 56 points this season, and will most likely be united with Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby upon his return from injury.
The Penguins also acquired defenceman Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a pair of draft picks.
Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk received a one game suspension in addition for his game misconduct Tuesday night.
During the first period of the Thrashes game against the New York Rangers, Kovalchuk hit Rangers's defenceman Michal Rozsival from behind, forcing his head into the glass. Kovalchuk received a 5 minute boarding penalty for the hit, and a match penalty. Rosival returned to finish the game and the Rangers went on to a 4-0 win.
Kovalchuk will appear in the All Star Game this weekend, and is currently second in the league in goals scored with 37.
The Phoenix Coyotes rewarded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for not only bringing stability to the organization, but for helping to thrust the club into playoff contention.
Aquired off of waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, Ilya Bryzgalov has been solid in net for the Coyotes
and is a big part of the reason why they are 4 points removed from the 8th and final playoff spot in the West. Since his aquisition, Brygalov has a 16-10-2 record and a 2.33 GAA. Phoenix signed Bryzgalov to a new three year contract worth $12.75 million.
The NHL's star's shone brightly last night.... blindingly bright.
I don't know why, but the New York Rangers really tend to bring the best out in players. Unfortunately, that best usually belongs to a player on the opposing team. Last night the Rangers got a fistful of Marian Gaborik and the Minnesota Wild as they were outclassed 6-3. Gaborik put on a show for the hometown crowd scoring 5 goals and assisted on the Wild's 6th goal. The Wild scored on three power play opportunities and ruined the opening game of the Rangers pre-holiday road trip. This was the first time the Rangers visited Minnesota in 4 years. It is doubtful they are looking forward to returning there.
Sidney Crosby helped the Pittsburgh Penguins get back into the win column last night with a Gordie Howe hat trick. Crosby scored a goal, setup Evgeni Malkin for a pair, and yes, threw down for the first time in his NHL career, to lift his team to a 5-4 shootout win over the Boston Bruins. Crosby dropped the gloves with Boston Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference during the second. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Colby Armstrong also had three assists on the night.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier broke the hearts of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time this week. Just two nights removed from a late third period collapse to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Leafs allowed a late goal by Lecavalier in the final minute of the game to lose to the Lightning 2-1. Rookie netminder Karri Ramo made 31 saves to help the Lightning to victory. Could he be the answer in net they are looking for? Keep your fantasy radar on.
Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen is starting to rediscover his game again, after returning from his groin injury. Lehtonen made 28 saves and made Todd White's early third period (14 of saves came in the final frame) power play goal stand up to end the Ottawa Senators winning streak 3-2. Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber made 42 saves on the night, but his teammates were unable to solve Lehtonen.
Really Quick Shave:
If you didn't have enough reasons to subscribe to NHL Center Ice, here's one more.... and its a good one. The first channel of NHL Center Ice (mine is 415) is now called League Wide. League Wide essentially gives you 4 games simultaneously on one screen, while also providing the scores to the rest of the games down the left side. Now you won't have to worry about turning off that blow out game that becomes a miracle comeback in the third! That blister on my thumb from jockeying the remote to switch from game to game is actually starting to go away now as well.
I remember last season numerous times, how I chose to tune to another game when the one I was currently watching looked like a rout.... and sadly how many times I discovered that moments after I switched the channel, that game turned into an unbelievable comeback and victory for the losing team.
This season I have exercised some more patience, and have been rewarded handsomely for doing so. A second period outburst from the Calgary Flames not 2 weeks ago erased a 3 goal deficit from the Minnesota Wild, a late third period drive by the San Jose Sharks turned a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, into a 4-2 win for the boys in teal... and last night, the Thrashers rebounded late in the third period against the Ottawa Senators.
The Senators nearly threw away a 5 goal lead to the Altanta Thrashers last night, but managed to hold to win the game 6-4, but the last half of that third period was terrific. Thrashers star forward Ilya Kovalchuk put on a clinic scoring a hat trick (2 on the power play) and pulling his team within one goal of tying the game at 5. The Senators eventually regained some composure after a 10 minute, 4 goal breakdown, and got some insurance on a Daniel Alfredsson empty net goal (the 300th tally of his career), which eventually sealed the game. Regardless, the Thrashers showed tremendous pride last night battling back, and also gave the Bosher a heck of a show!
Quick Shave:
Henrik Zetterberg's kung fu is strong. Do I really need to say much more than that? Zetterberg scored his 11th and 12 goals of the season (which leads the NHL) and lifted the once again unstoppable Detroit Red Wings over the Calgary Flames 4-1 last night.
The Atlanta Thrashers fired their head coach Bob Hartley this afternoon, after the club dropped it's 6th straight loss (actually 10th if you include last years playoff sweep to the Rangers) to the Philadelphia Flyers last night 4-0.
The Thrashers have yet to register this season, and GM Don Waddell acted after the shutout loss last night. Waddell will assume the responsibilities behind the bench until an interim (or new) head coach can be found.
Atlanta boasts two of the NHL's most explosive forwards in Ilya Kovalchuk, and Marian Hossa, but beyond that are rather shallow offensively, and defensively..... especially defensively. Hossa will be an unrestricted free agent following this season, and will undoubtedly test the market, given recent circumstances. Look for the Thrashers to be mired in trade rumors up until the deadline, especially for Hossa as they will most likely turn towards rebuilding.
The New York Rangers completed their 4 game sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers last night with a hard fought 4-2 win. A night after a 7-0 ummm... thrashing, the Thrashers showed up motivated by desperation and once again showcasing a new goaltender as Johan Hedberg once again got the start.
The Thrashers opened the scoring for the first time in the series, and also held the lead for the first time twice, but the Rangers continued to answer back. This Atlanta team was frustrated by their poor showing in the franchise's first playoff appearance.
While a large part of the blame for Atlanta's open and shut playoff run can be put on Bob Hartley for his paranoid goalie changes, really I think the credit should go to the Rangers. They played great team defense, got great goaltending, and their top line of Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander, and Marcel Hossa produced at a torrid pace (the three combined for 17 points in the 4 games, Nylander leads all scorers in the playoffs right now.... Jagr is a modest second). While this probably still won't be enough to save Hartley's job, or even GM Don Waddell's, the Thrashers learned like most team's, that initiation into the post season can be an unpleasant one.
The Rangers now have about a week to prepare for their round 2 opponent which could be just about anyone at this point.
Quick Shave: New Jersey Devils forward Scott Gomez scored the biggest goal of the season for himself and his team last night. More than halfway into the overtime period against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Gomez collected the puck after blocking a shot and raced down to score the game winner and help his team to the 4-3 win. The Devils evened the series 2-2 with the Lightning, and breathe life back into the club as they prepare to return home for game 5. The local media has been riding Lou Lamoriello for his late season firing of Claude Julien, calling for his head if the Devils fail to advance in the first round. It will be interesting to see how things proceed in this drama. The San Jose Sharks took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Nashville Predators last night with a 3-2 win. San Jose Sharks forward Milan Michalek potted two goals including the game winner. During the game I heard an interesting stat, or measurment rather. The Sharks players on average, outweigh the Predators players by 18 pounds. That seems as though it would be a disadvantage to the Sharks, as the Predators would be able to beat them with speed, but that hasn't been the case. The Predators are having difficulty pushing past the larger defenceman (unlike the Flyers d-men, these guys are mobile). The Buffalo Sabres are now one win away from advancing to round 2 after their 4-2 win over the New York Islanders. The Islanders once again had a late would be tying goal disallowed in the third period, and their dissappointment quickly turned to misery as a defensive breakdown turned to a back breaking score by Sabres forward Jason Pominville with two minutes to play. The Islanders and their fans can probably put some of the blame on the refs for the outcome of the last two games. Ted Nolan's expression was priceless last night after the Islanders goal was called off, and he should be commended for not losing cool (he's been a steady presence behind the bench this series) and prepare his team for game 5. The Sabres lead 3-1, but the Islanders have been in every game, they've lost.
Speaking of the Buffalo Sabres, my brothers and sisters of Western New York have been huge supporters of Playoff Beard.com. I've been getting emails on a daily basis from the Sabres faithful about their team, and beard (and pit) growing advice. Sabres super fan Joe has been kind enough to update me daily on his playoff beard progress, so I'd thought I display his efforts here. Thanks again for all the support gang!
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at Ottawa 7:00 PM
Detroit at Calgary 9:30 PM
Dallas at Vancouver 10:00 PM
Minnesota at Anaheim 10:30 PM
Do or die for the Pens, Stars and Wild tonight, and to a lesser extent the Flames. The Western Conference can close the doors on two series and the Senators can join the Rangers as the second team to advance in the East. Enjoy the games!
Kari Lehtonen. Then he let 2 in. 3 in. 4 in.... and so on.
Bob Hartley has been the biggest enigma this playoff series. I think he has out-coached himself. Yanking Lehtonen during game 1 in favor of John Hedberg was a dangerous route to take, but it seemed to pay off when Hedberg delivered a terrific effort in game 2. Even though the Thrashers lost a tight one, the foundation for something to build on was there. Hartley however, opted to go back to Lehtonen who until last night had never lost at Madison Square Garden. I can only assume, that Hedberg will get the nod this evening in Game 4.
Whatever the case, the Rangers were ready last night, and the Thrashers were not. Jaromir Jagr setup Michael Nylander for his first goal just 32 seconds into the game and started the bleeding. Nylander scored twice more to join the NHL Playoff Hat Trick Club (the first by a Ranger since Wayne Gretzky almost a decade ago) and the Rangers pelted the Atlanta keeper with 35 shots, 7 of which found the back of the net. Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves to complete the 7-0 win, and his first career playoff shutout. Sean Avery once again doing what he does best pestered Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk throughout the game, till the star forward finally cracked and went after Avery, which brought about their eventual ejections from the game. The Rangers now hold a 3-0 series lead going into Game 4 this evening.
Playoff Beard Alert:
Brendan Shanahan (one of Bosh's picks) is sporting a marvelously sculpted playoff salt and pepper goatee, while New York defenceman Michael Roszival is looking more and more like he belongs in a Geico Caveman Commercial.
Quick Shave:
Canada struck back last night! The Ottawa Senators and Vancouver Canucks both took commanding positions in their series, and the Calgary Flames finally decided to show up, and give Detroit a series. The Ottawa Senators inched by the Pittsburgh Penguins in a close 2-1 win, and moved to within one victory of closing out the series. Sens forward Jason Spezza whose deflected pass opened the scoring in the game is sporting the beginnings of a playoff beard.... however it's looking a little Cliff Claven-ish right now. The sideburns are coming in nice, but the chin.....still needs some work. However, full marks for the effort JaSpez! The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Dallas Stars last night 2-1 thanks to the goaltending of Canucks defenceman Willie Mitchell. Mitchell saved what would have been the game tying goal last night with minutes remaining and helped the Canucks to a 3-0 series lead. The Calgary Flames may have given the Detroit Red Wings something to think about last night. The Flames finally arrived after being completely man-handled in the first two games to take a 3-2 win and perhaps turn the series around (Detroit still leads 2-1). Jarome Iginla scored the game winner midway through the third, and Miikka Kiprusoff was solid in net again making 28 saves for the Flames. The Minnesota Wild finally broke through Anaheim Ducks goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov. The Wild exploded in the third period with three goals to break open the tie game and win 4-1. Ducks Coach Randy Carlyle did his best Bob Hartley impression and yanked Bryzgalov (the same keeper whose carried his team to three straight playoff wins) in favor of Jean Sebastien Giguere. Now what happens in Game 5? Does Carlyle go to Giguere, or back to Bryzgalov? That decision could make this a series. The Ducks lead the series 3-1.
Game of the Night:
Atlanta at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
New Jersey at Tampa Bay 7:00 PM
Buffalo at NY Islanders 7:30 PM
Nashville at San Jose 10:00 PM
Gut check time for everyone tonight! Another superb night of playoff hockey! Enjoy the games!
Don Waddell, today you may breathe a sigh of relief. Your gamble has payed off.
Nearly a month removed from the trade deadline acquisition of Keith Tkachuk from St. Louis (where he mortgaged the farm), Waddell lit a fire under his club and helped propell them not only to the franchise's
first every playoff berth, but the team's first Division title.
The Atlanta Thrashers thoroughly dominated the Carolina Hurricanes (who at this point had little to play for other than pride, as they were knocked from the post season several days earlier) 4-1. Star forwards Ilya Kovalchuk, and Marian Hossa responded to their coaches recommendation that this match be treated like a Game 7, and they did just that by notching a goal each. The victory coupled with the Tampa Bay Lightning's crushing defeat at the hands of the Florida Panthers (7-2.... yeah they got old school whooped last night) secured the Southeast Division title for the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Thrashers finish up their season today against the Lightning in what very well could be their first round opponent next week. Certainly today's match will have playoff preview written all over it.
Quick Shave:
How good is the Florida Panthers Nathan Horton? Ask the Tamp Bay Lightning, a team which has owned all season. In 8 games facing Tampa Bay, Horton has racked up 12 points (9 goals, 3 assists), and scored his 9th last night to begin the bleeding. Everyone on the Panthers scored last night (including the mascot and a few fans) as the Panthers pretty much ended the Lightning's hopes of taking the Southeast Division title from the Thrashers during the first period. There may be a battle in the Western Conference after all. The Pacific Division is up for grabs after the Dallas Stars defeated the Anaheim Ducks 2-1 in a shootout last night. The overtime point knocked the Star from title contentions, but the Ducks now only have a narrow two point lead over the San Jose Sharks. Anaheim needs only one point to clinch the division, however should they lose, and the Sharks win, San Jose would take the Pacific, as well as the 2nd overall seed in the Western Conference. The Ducks would drop to 5th place. No pressure.
Game of the Night:
Edmonton at Calgary 10:00 PM
NY Islanders at Philadelphia 1:00 PM
Vancouver at San Jose 4:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Atlanta 7:00 PM Montreal at Toronto 7:00 PM
NY Rangers at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
St. Louis at Minnesota 8:00 PM
Nashville at Colorado 9:00 PM
Edmonton at Calgary 10:00 PM
Every single one of these games is crucial, but none will be as exciting or heated as the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. the Montreal Canadiens tonight. In order for the Leafs to get into the playoffs, they must defeat the Habs in regulation. If the Canadiens get a point in overtime, it's off to the golf course for Toronto. Now if Toronto wins, this is where it get's interesting. The Islanders must win their final two games, and if they do, then they will knock the Leafs out of the playoffs. Toronto must win and then root for the Devils on Sunday. The Islanders must win and root for the Leafs. The Habs.... they just need to root for themselves. Got all that?
Ok, next topic. The 8th spot in the West is as coveted as the one in the East. If Calgary loses to Edmonton today, and the Avs defeat the Predators it will set up a playoff deciding match between the two teams. I'm not saying I want to see the Flames knocked out, but how sweet would a 'win and yer in' game be tomorrow night. Game of the Year .... Edmonton at Calgary, 10:00 PM, Sunday.
The rest of the days games are stuffed with matches that will determine positioning, the Northwest Division title, and perhaps the President's Trophy winner. With that, I say enjoy the games my friends!
Last year at this time, the Washington Capitals knocked the Atlanta Thrashers out of their franchise's first ever playoff berth. While the Thrashers have clinched a playoff spot this season, last night the Capitals may have ruined their chances at clinching the Southeast Division title and knocked them from 3rd in the Eastern Conference, to 6th (although, if they completely implode, they could realistically end up in the 8th seed).
The Washington Capitals are once again in a position of playing spoiler. A role that they have done very well against the Thrashers. Caps forward Alexander Ovechkin's stats against the Thrashers in Atlanta this season are astounding. Ovechkin scored two goals for his team, as the Capitals defeated the Thrashers 3-2 last night. His two scores gave him 8 in the 4 games he's played there. Ovechkin is just two goals shy of 100 in his young two year career, and two points shy of 200. The Capitals wrap up their season against Buffalo on Saturday.
Quick Shave:
The Anaheim Ducks had an opportunity to extend their Pacific Division lead and also break their franchise home winning record last night. That opportunity however went up in smoke as they blew a two goal lead to the San Jose Sharks, and eventually fell in the shootout 3-2. The Sharks are just three points behind the Ducks for 3rd place in the West and the Pacific Division Title. The Western Conference is stacked. The Calgary Flames are the only team (in 8th) to have not hit the 100 point mark for the season, and they are just 4 points shy. It's a shame that only one team can make it out. The playoffs out West are going to be wild.
Game of the Night:
Montreal at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
New Jersey at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
Toronto at NY Islanders 7:30 PM
Pittsburgh at Ottawa 7:30 PM
Colorado at Vancouver 10:00 PM
Calgary at San Jose 10:30 PM
HUGE! HUGE! HUGE! Did I say huge? Habs vs. Rangers?! How good is this going to be? Almost as good as Toronto visiting the Island. Yes New York welcomes our brothers from the North this evening for some colossal matchups that will determine their post season fates. Pittsburgh and Ottawa do battle for position, but regardless it looks like they are going to meet in the first round of the playoffs. I guess we can call this Game 0. What ever happens here tonight will surely continue next week. Martin Brodeur will try to break Bernie Parent's record tonight as he goes for win number 48.... that is unless Scott Clemmensen is net..... I don't think that poor guy has played a game this season. Colorado's season is on life support, and they need a big win over Vancouver. Vancouver and Roberto Luongo will be looking to win, and tie Bernie Parent's record. Colorado will also be hoping for San Jose to take down Calgary tonight, so they can keep their playoff hopes alive.
The trade for Keith Tkachuk was widely panned by everyone (including myself), but I have to give GM Don Waddell some credit. Yes, he gave up a lot to get the big forward, but he's getting a lot back in return.
Keith Tkachuk scored with less than a minute remaining in the overtime period to lift the Atlanta Thrashers over the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. The win was Atlanta's seventh in a row on home ice, and extended their Southeast Division lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning by 6 points.
The game winner was Tkachuk's 6th goal as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers and his presence (which is huge in front of the net, especially on the power play) seems to have righted this team in playoff bound direction.
Quick Shave:
Let's talk about the Colorado Avalanche for moment. The Avs fought back from a two goal defecit to steal a win from the San Jose Sharks 4-3 last night. That in itself is pretty sweet. Joe Sakic also assisted on all four Avalanche scores, again really cool. What is borderline outstanding, is that the Avs have won 8 of their last 9 games (and beaten some formidable opponents along that stretch) and are now just 4 points out of a playoff spot, held by the Calgary Flames. The Avs and Flames face off twice more before the end of the season.... how great are those games going to be? If the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ottawa Senators meet in the first round of the playoffs it will likely be one of the best series available. The Penguins bested the Sens again with a 4-3 win in the shootout and are now just 2 points behind the New Jersey Devils for the Atlantic Division lead. The only flaw I really see in the Penguins is this. They are winning a lot of their games lately by shootout. Unfortunately that contest is not available in the post season. If the Penguins do anything over this final stretch, it should be working on closing out their games early during regulation or the overtime period. The ability is certainly there, time to execute. Alexander Semin scored a hat trick yesterday afternoon to help the Washington Capitals defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-1. Defeat really isn't a strong enough word. Semin and the Caps knocked the Bolts around.... Semin nearly knocked me out of my Fantasy Hockey playoffs with his production. The Lightning have no goaltending... and I think they realize that, especially after yesterday. They are going to have to count on their big line of Lecavalier, St. Louis, and Richards an awful lot in the playoffs..... and if their opponent can shut down that trio..... life may be easy.
Game of the Night:
Pittsburgh at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Yeah it's on. Pens are fighting for the Atlantic Division lead, and the Rangers are fighting for their playoff lives. This game should be intense. Crosby at the Garden also means showtime. The kid performs well on the big stage, so look for an exhibition. Enjoy the game!
The Philadelphia Flyers have dominated the Atlanta Thrashers this season, and after last night's 3-2 win, have successfully completed a sweep of the games. No this is not 1999.
Amazing. Actually, this week's game not so much. Earlier in the season I don't know what happened to Atlanta, but now, it's all about the Flyers. Since the trade deadline, much like the St. Louis Blues they are playing much better. Newly acquired goaltender Martin Biron has really settled into the number one spot and has 4 wins in his first 7 starts. He also stopped 37 shots last night. The Flyers should do everything than can to secure this guy for a few years. Defenceman Derian Hatcher also scored last night for the Flyers. Perhaps more shocking that Jocelyn Thibault recording a shutout for the Pens, for the first time in over a year, Hatcher put the lotion in the basket. Well done sir!
The Flyers will have around $24 million of free cap space to work with (I learned that from Lyle of Spector's Hockey, and the Face Off Hockey Show boys) and should be able to attract some unrestricted free agents their way.
Game of the Night:
Toronto at Washington 7:00 PM
NY Rangers at Atlanta 7:30 PM
Montreal at Pittsburgh 7:30 PM
Playoff implications on the line for all. Toronto, New York, and Montreal are all battling for that last playoff spot, so all will be looking to take home wins tonight. Enjoy the games!
Keith Tkachuk waived his no-trade clause yesterday and became an Atlanta Thrasher upon that decision.
The Atlanta Thrashers acquired the big winger for a collection of draft picks that included a 1st and 3rd rounder in this years NHL Entry Draft, and a 2nd rounder in the 2008 draft. The Thrashers also sent center Glen Metropolit. Furthermore, conditions attached to the trade are that if Tkachuk decides to sign with the Thrashers following the season, the St. Louis Blues will also receive a first round pick in 2008.
First thoughts on the deal. Outstanding move for the St. Louis Blues. Outstanding. Three high draft picks, with the possibility of a 4th? I would have jumped on that. Throw in forward Glen Metropolit, who is having a respectable year with 28 points (12 goals, 16 assists) and a +9 in 57 games played this year, I would say the Blues are the clear winners of this trade.
Tkachuk in 61 games this season has 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) and is a +3. Thrashers GM Don Waddell is already on the defensive about the deal as quoted in TSN.ca saying "Some people are going to say it's too much,'' ''You know what? Talk to me at the end of the year about it.''
I do think the Thrashers gave up too much for Tkachuk, but I smell desperation in this move. Earlier in the season, the Thrashers were boasting one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, now they are in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Two points is all that separates them from the post season, and playing golf in April once again. Atlanta holds the 6th spot in the East with 72 points.
I now wonder what the St. Louis Blues will get in exchange for Bill Guerin. We'll know by tomorrow.
Game of the Night:
Atlanta at Boston 7:00 PM
Toronto at Montreal 7:30 PM
Anaheim at San Jose 10:00 PM
Light night, but good night. The Toronto / Habs game should be excellent. We should also witness the debut of Tkachuk with Atlanta, and the the late game between the West's big guns should be fun too! 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!
Who says Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice? The Atlanta Thrashers never will. The Tampa Bay Lightning struck them for 8 goals last night.
Struck by a recent losing streak that had four games, the Tampa Bay Lightning bounced back hard against an Atlanta Thrashers team that offered little resistance, and plenty of power play opportunities, of which the Lightning cashed in on two. Vincent Lecavalier opened the scoring for the Lightning, and then scored again, and again, handing his club a 3-0 lead midway through the first, and completing his application for admission to the NHL Hat Trick Club. His membership was quickly accepted. The Lightning never looked back after the first goal, and pounded the Thrashers netminders with 38 shots. Lehtonen allowed 5 goals on 30 shots, and Hedberg let the final 3 goals in on just 8 shots. Martin St. Louis had an impressive evening as well, scoring 4 points including a shorthanded goal late in the game.
With all of the firepower on the ice, it was easy to overlook the rebound performance by Tampa Bay goaltender Marc Denis who stopped all 21 shots the Thrashers threw at him to secure the shutout win 8-0.
Quick Shave: Montreal Canadiens Captain Saku Koivu took advantage of the New York Islanders special on power plays last night by scoring on two of them, to help the Habs to a 4-2 victory. Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet made 25 saves on the night. The Toronto Maple Leafs still refuse to play 60 minutes of hockey and completely imploded in the third period again last night, this time to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins scored three times in the third to take their fifth victory in six games 3-1. The Maple Leafs are on a downward spiral, and have now lost six in a row. The Florida Panthers stunned the Buffalo Sabres with a 3-1 victory last night. What's really stunning is that Panthers keeper Alex Auld, only had to make 17 saves to hold on for the win, while Ryan Miller was forced to make 35. That's why we play the game. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2 last night by way of shootout....again. The Wild have won 7 of the 9 shootouts they have participated in, in large part to forwards Brian Rolston (who often employs the straight up slapshot to deke-ing goaltenders) and Mikko Koivu, younger brother of Habs captain Saku. New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist rebounded from a miserable performance against the Isles on Sunday, to shutdown the Pittsburgh Penguins in the shootout. Brendan Shanahan scored the game tying goal, and the game winner in the shootout to help the Rangers to the 3-2 win. Shanahan now leads the league with 21 goals. Colorado Avalanche goaltender Jose Theodore returned for an inured hip flexor (pretty certain on that.....could have been a groin) with a solid night in net, including a stop on San Jose Sharks forward Mike Grier penalty shot (one of three penalty shots last night, Radek Dvorak had one for St. Louis, he missed, and Nils Ekman for Pittsburgh had one that he cashed in on). The Avs got 2 goal games from both Brett Clark, and Joe Sakic, to take the win 5-2.
Game of the Night:
Anaheim at Washington 7:00 PM
I really want to see if the Washington Capitals are for real, and what better way to test this four game winning streak of theirs than by putting it up against the monsters of the West? Enjoy the games, and enjoy Scott Gomez join the HTC against Philly tonight!
Before I begin.....allow me a moment to make a request. NHL Center Ice, please for the Love of Jagr....please, please, please change that porn music you play during the intermissions. It is killing me!!! I started it humming it to myself today, so your master plan to take over my mind has been realized. Please pick some new music.....anything! Thank you.
Last night, Marian Hossa joined the exclusive organization known only as the NHL Hat Trick Club as he peppered the Toronto Maple Leafs with three goals, and a helper to fully annihilate our friends from the North 5-0. Oh. Did I mention Mr. Hossa's teammate and goaltender Kari Lehtonen stopped all 36 shots thrown at him to also contribute to the Atlanta Thrasher's win? No? Well I just did.
According to TSN.ca, Hossa has had a difficult time scoring against the Leafs in his past, I wonder if this was because of the unfortunate incident that occurred when his stick punctured Bryan Berard's eye many years ago. If you remember, it took Hossa some time to recover from that as a player. He didn't become the prolific forward that he is today, untill two seasons later. Regardless, he seems to have beaten whatever demons he may have had with the Leafs last night, and now leads the NHL scoring race with 39 points.
The shutout was Lehtonen's fourth of the season, and the loss was the third straight for Toronto.
Quick Shave:
The Ottawa Senators dumped the Florida Panthers last night 6-0, but I think it's way too early for anyone to get excited about this team. They are still hovering around .500 and have yet to show any consistency. Heatley had 2 goals against the Panthers, who he used to join the HTC last week. Just a few days after being verbally trashed, and benched by his coach Wayne Gretzky, Ladislav Nagy returned to score a goal and 3 assists to help the Phoenix Coyotes defeat the Los Angeles Kings 7-4. Now all Gretzky has to do is bench the entire team next game, and tell the press they all suck after the game.....then it's Stanley Cup City! Washington Capitals keeper Olaf Kolzig made 365 saves last night to help his team defeat the Dallas Stars 4-3. How great has Kolzig been this year? Has he faced less than 30 shots in a game this year? I doubt it. This marked the first time that Kolzig has ever defeated the Dallas Stars. Speaking of which, I was kind of joking about a coaching change in Dallas, but has now lost 4 in a row. HMMMMM....does the Captain's theory have legs? or skates? The Pittsburgh Penguins placed former all-star winger John LeClair on waivers yesterday. The 37 year old has certainly fallen from grace since his Legion of Doom line days in Philly. It's doubtful he will be claimed even on re-entry waivers. The Carolina Hurricanes finally found a way to penetrate the Montreal Canadiens wall known as Huet. The Habs keeper was hoping to continue his torrid pace but fell short as they fell to the Hurricanes 4-2. Eric Cole made his bid to join the HTC but was one goal short. The Boston Bruins are quietly stringing victories together and have played about three less games than everyone in the East. Last night they fought back to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 by way of shootout. The Colorado Avalanche destroyed the Edmonton Oilers last night 7-3.....Oilers keeper Dwayne Roloson was chased in the second and Avs forward Tyler Arnason was one shy of joining the NHL HTC. Did Chris Pronger take a dump in every Canadian's bowl of cheerios? Pronger was booed in Vancouver all evening as the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Canucks 2-1 last night. I think he was treated worse there than in Edmonton.
Game of the Night:
NY Rangers at Buffalo 8:00 PM
I know the Rangers can do it! They have to beat the Sabres at least once this year! The Sabres have taken all of the previous meetings, and the last two by overtime winners. All I have to say....Jagr joins the HTC tonight. Enjoy the games my friends!
Wade Redden has just one assist in 10 games this season. He's also, only a +1 rating. Compare this with his 50 point season of last year, and +35 rating, and you pinpoint just one of the many problems the Ottawa Senators are currently having.
It took Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, and Daniel Alfredsson time to finally get their game going, but it is a poor facsimilie of the torrid pace they set last year. Perhaps trading Martin Havlat and Brian Smolinskin away wasn't the greatest move? Was Zdeno Chara a bigger factor on defense that Redden, and perhaps shouldn't have been allowed to walk through the UFA door? Goaltending? Martin Gerber hasn't been the panacea the Senators had hoped he would be, and just as Ray Emery seemed ready to take the number one spot, he gets injured in practice.
Perhaps it's too early to panic, but looked what just happened in Philadelpia two weeks ago. Like the Philadelphia Flyers, the Ottawa Senators have been huge dissapointments, and like the Flyers, the Senators may be seeing some changes in the very near future. The Flyers purged their front office, and sent some vets down to the minors. GM John Muckler and Coach Bryan Murray can't be too confident about their jobs right now, considering after their 5th straight loss last night to the Atlanta Thrashers, the Ottawa Senators are in 4th place in the Northeast, and are 13th in the Eastern Conference with just 11 points. 5 wins! That's it!
Quick Shave:
The Detroit Red Wings slapped the Edmonton Oilers to the tune of a 3-0 shutout. Hasek earned his 70th career shutout, and only had to make 16 saves in the effort. After a rough west coast road trip, the Red Wings have quietly assumed possession of first place in the Central Division, and sit second only behind Anaheim in the West. Detroit forward Jason Williams, was carried off by stretcher after being checked in the face by Playoff Beard finalist Raffi Torres (aka Snow Job).The New York Rangers defeated the Florida Panthers 4-3 in the shootout last night, that saw Henrik Lundqvist return to the net. Lundqvist stoned all three Panthers forwards in the shootout, and Nylander pants'd Ed Belfour for the win. The Pittsburgh Penguins have fallen back to earth, after they lost their 3rd in a row (pretty sure on that one), to the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 last night. Penguins forward Nils Ekman joined the NHL Hat Trick club last night. Toronto Maple Leafs Captain Mats Sundin will be out about a month with ligament tear in his elbow. The injury occurred against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night.
Game of the Night:
Washington at Carolina 7:00 PM
The Capitals are on tear at the moment, and the Hurricanes are starting to look good too. If you haven't seen the Zander's play (Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin) then tonight you have no excuse. Enjoy the games my bearded friends!
It took him a few games to get going (I believe it was 8 before he recorded his first goal), but Ilya Kovalchuk is firing on all cylinders now (is that the most overused sports expression next to 'We're going to bring our 'A' Game ? ). Kovalchuk recorded his first hat trick of the season, and the three goals, now have him tied for second overall in thee league in scoring with 23 (Jaromir Jagr also has 23). Only teammate Marian Hossa has more with 24 points.
Kovalchuk was deadly on the powerplay last night where he scored all of his very similiar looking goals. His teammates kept feeding him the puck, and he kept bombing shots from the point.....and they kept going in. Atlanta went on to defeat the Boston Bruins 5-3. Johan Hedberg won his third straight start, and I wonder if we are having the beginnings of a goaltending controversy, or is Bob Hartley considering the new flavor of the month of platooning his netminders that is the new norm in the NHL? Lehtonen played badly last week, and Hedberg played so well, that Hartley has begun to ride him. Could be interesting to see what happens, however, no matter how you look at it, at least goaltending isn't an issue in Atlanta this season.
Quick Shave:
Alexander Ovechkin, and Captain Chris Clark of the Washington Capitals completed a comeback win over the Ottawa Senators last night in OT. Trailing by 2 goals, Ovechkin scored 2, to force OT, where Semin fed Clark for a breakaway to put the game away. The Senators have now lost 4 in a row....and Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun is surely calling for Muckler's and Murray's heads. The Anaheim Ducks showed they were the better birds, and team, by defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in OT. Teemu Selanne scored the game winner. Sidney Crosby has not recorded a shot in his last three games. The Tampa Bay Lightning hammered the New York Islanders 5-1 last night. Martin St. Louis who also started the season slowly is now riding a 9 game point scoring streak. The Philadelphia Flyers lost again. This time to the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-1 who skated circles around them. It almost looks as though the Flyers have given up, and if that is the case, it's time to blow this team up sooner rather than later.
Games of the Night:
Carolina at New Jersey 7:00 PM
Edmonton at Montreal 7:30 PM
Minnesota at San Jose 10:30 PM
I rarely do this, but can you blame me? These all look like great games to watch....so I give them all to you! Who loves you. That's right....Bosh does. May the beard be with you.
The Atlanta Thrashers perhaps still flying after their victory over undefeated Buffalo Sabres Saturday night, came crashing back down to earth, in a special teams showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. A penalty filled first period, saw Atlanta quickly gain the advantage from a 5 on 3 powerplay goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, but then give it away to the Leafs by rewarding them with a 5 on 3 powerplay of their own. The Leafs capitalized on that opportunity with a goal by Darcy Tucker, then in consesecutive power plays they scored two more in less thatn a minute on goals by Tomas Kaberle, and again by Darcy Tucker. Mats Sundin assisted on all three power play goals, tying a Toronto Maple Leaf record.
Quick Shave:
Good news for Pittsburgh Penguins fans, Jordan Staal has earned his spot on the team, and will not be returned to the OHL, as originally expected by many. This is a great move by the Penguins organization as Staal has certainly shown that he can compete in the league, and has been invaluable as a penalty killer for the club, already tallying 3 short handers. Peter Forsberg is determined to lift the Philadelphia Flyers out of the cellar, and last night recorded two goals for his team against the Chicago Blackhawks. Robert Esche made 26 saves to record his first win of the season by way of 3-0 shutout. Richard Zednik scored 2 goals, and once again Olaf Kolzig faced his 30+ shots (38 to be exact) to help defeat the Calgary Flames 4-2 last night. Calgary has dropped 2 of their last 3 games, and have already lost 3 games now at home.....last season they only lost 7 (according to the announcers, which is really impressive). The Anaheim Ducks still remain unbeaten in regulation as they defeated the St. Louis Blues 6-5 in the shootout on goals by Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf. TSN.ca just released their latest Power Rankings, and the list is loaded with some surprise teams....most notably Pittsburgh at 8th, and Washington at 15th. Bet no one thought they'd be hanging tough at this point. To check out the complete list click here. The Los Angeles Kings embarassed and completely outworked the New York Rangers 4-1 last night. Defenceman Brent Sopel had 2 goals on the evening, and goaltender Mathieu Garon was stellar in net, stopping all but 1 of the shots the Rangers threw at him.
Game of the Night:
Ottawa at Montreal 7:30 PM
All Canadian action tonight! Can Ottawa sustain the offence it's been putting up lately, and can whoever gets the call for the Habs (Aebischer, or Huet) handle the attack if the Senators provide it? I guess we'll find out my bearded friends! Enjoy the games!
The Buffalo Sabres win streak finally came to an end last night, and their bid to be the only team to start the season with 11 straight victories did as well. The Atlanta Thrashers, a team that in many ways resembles the Sabres were the first team to stop the juggernaut from Buffalo, but it took them the entire game, and overtime, and a shootout to do so.
Atlanta Thrashers forward Bobby Holik, had a goal and an assist on the night as did Scott Mellanby. Ilya Kovalchuk and Niko Kapanen also recorded tallies for the the Thrashers. Kari Lehtonen stopped 32 shots, and then stoned the Sabres in the shootout, to help lift his team over the undefeated Sabres 5-4.
The Thrashers have shared similiar success with the Sabres by using the same formula....great goaltending, stingy defence, and speed, speed, speed. It's not really a surprise that the Thrashers were the team to end Buffalo's win streak, and the game exemplified how evenly matched they were, as the teams traded goals back and forth until the end of regulation.
Quick Shave:
I have to thank Stache, for pointing out that my Game of the Night pick should have been the game above, but perhaps my selection of the young guns of Pittsburgh facing off against the Flyers wasn't such a bad call. The Pittsburgh Penguins hammered the Flyers last night 8-2, and Sidney Crosby joined the NHL Hat Trick club with his first ever career three goal game. Rookie forward and phenom (yeah he's that, and already making his bid for the Calder Trophy) scored his 5th goal in as many games. It seems the Flyers house cleaning has done little to address their real problems, namely, goaltending and slow defenders. Derian Hatcher has put up a goose egg so far this season, is a -11 rating and also got his face rearranged last night (i believe by Talbot). Zdeno Chara scored the game winner for the Boston Bruins to help them defeat his old team the Ottawa Senators 2-1. The New York Rangers got their road trip off to a good start by beating the powerhouse of the West, Phoenix Coyotes 7-3. Brendan Shanahan scored his 9th goal in 10 games with the Rangers. Yannic Perreault is apparently close to signing with Coyotes for a one year deal. Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils recorded his second straight shutout stopping 22 shots and helping his team defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0. The Red Wings are still flying, winning their third straight last night over the St. Louis Blues 3-2. The Carolina Hurricanes scored 3 goals in 43 seconds against the Tampa Bay Lightning and never looked back, defeating the Bolts 6-4. Ilya Bryzgalov earned a shutout for the Anaheim Ducks as the beat the injury riddled Chicago Blackhawks 3-0. Tomas Kaberle joined the NHL Hat Trick club with his three goals for the Toronto Maple Leafs as they beat the Montreal Canadiens by way of shootout 5-4. Dwayne Roloson blanked the Washington Capitals for a 4-0 shutout win for the Edmonton Oilers.
Game of the Night:
Minnesota at Colorado 8:00 PM
Here's your chance to watch the Minnesota Wild in action. They thunder into the Pepsi Center tonight to face the Avalanche who have received shaky goaltending lately from Jose Theodore, who has had difficulty refinding his MVP form from several seasons ago. Enjoy the games!
It had to happen sooner or later. The Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes finally got their first win last night against the red hot Atlanta Thrashers. Thrasher's netminder Kari Lehtonen prior to meeting the Hurricanes had only allowed 3 goals in 3 games. Carolina came out and solved him early on a pair of goals by Craig Adams, and made the score 3-0 late in the first on a score by Eric Staal.
The Thrashes came back to tie, and looked as though they might deny the 'Canes their first victory, until Ray Whitney buried the game winner with less than a second remaining in the third. The Hurricanes won the match 4-3. Captain Rod Brind'Amour got his first points of the season, assisting on 3 of the Hurricane goals.
The Hurricanes have allowed 18 goals prior to this meeting, and really need to shore up their defensive play. Sophomore keeper Cam Ward needs to find the game that earned him the Conn Smythe Tropy during the playoffs last year. Ward stopped 31 of the Thrashers shots last night, so he appears to be off the skids.
Quick Shave
The Tampa Bay Lightning need to find their spark (nice right?) as well. The lost their third straight last night to their cross state rivals the Florida Panthers 3-2. Lecavalier got his first goal of the season, but it did little to help his team's effort. Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin has been practicing with his team for the past few days, and yesterday took part in contact drills. The young forward could make his debut for the Pens next week. Great news. The Penguins by the way, look outstanding. They need to tighten up their defense more, but their offence looks like it can compete with anyone. They are making Captain Bosh look pretty smart right now! The Sabres look outstanding (they actually looked awful in this one, but rallied back)! They appear to be this season's Dallas Stars....meaning, if you can't beat them in regulation, you are going to lose to them in the shootout. They beat the Red Wings 3-2 for their third shootout of win of the season, and remain undefeated.
Game of the Night:
Columbus at Minnesota 8:00 PM
There are a ton to watch tonight, including a great one between the Sabres and Rangers, and the Flyers meeting the Devils. Montreal is also hosting the Senators for their home opener. So why choose Minnesota and Columbus? Two reasons. Neither really gets the respect they deserve, and secondly, both are quietly making waves and joining playoff calibre teams. The Wild and Blue Jackets should both make the playoffs this year, and can no longer be taken for granted by their opponents. Both are also loaded with some of the best young talent in the league. Oh yeah, neither has lost in regulation. Time to get familiar I think, because I will be mentioning them alot this season. Enjoy the games!
Kari Lehtonen is finally providing the goaltending the Atlanta Thrashers sorely missed last season. In three games this season, Lehtonen has allowed only two goals, and since opening night has kept both the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning off the score board. Last night facing the Lightning, Lehtonen stopped all 34 shots he faced and helped the Atlanta Thrashers to a 1-0 shutout win. If he can remain off of the IR list and continue playing the way he is now, the Thrashers should have little difficulty achieving their club's first ever post season berth.
Quick Shave
Even Alex Tanguay can't help the Calgary Flames find the back of the net. In their first three games the Flames have only managed 4 goals. A far cry from the amount needed to win games, especially when Kiprusoff is overwhelmed like last night where they fell to the San Jose Sharks 4-1. Alex Auld is making the most of replacing Roberto Luongo in Florida. Auld stopped 47 Maple Leafs shots for the Panthers but they lost the game 2-1 in the shootout. If the Panthers can provide him some more offensive support (and perhaps block a few shots), Auld may prove to be as important a pickup as Bertuzzi in this summers biggest trade (or second biggest depending on how you view the Pronger delivery to Anaheim via Edmonton). The Philadelphia Flyers are trying to coax Leetch into coming out of limbo (nod to Stache for the heads up). After losing blueliner Mike Rathje to a back problem, the Flyers hope to bring some balance to their defence corps and an added punch on the power play by signing Brian Leetch. Leetch a Flyer? That could really up the heat in the rivalry with the Rangers! Almost holdout Nikolia Zherdev and the Columbus Blue Jackets crushed the Phoenix Coyotes 5-1 last night. Zherdev netted two goals in the rout, and appears to have shed what little rust he may have had.
Game of the Night:
Philadelphia at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Yeah I'm going homer again here, but come on! This is a rematch of the 13 round shootout that saw Marcel Hossa bury the winner for the Rangers Saturday night. The bad blood should be boiling already....and the chances of Kasparitis returning are much better. If you're not into this one you can stay up late and watch the Kings kick the crap out of the Isles! Enjoy the games!
The pre-season has been tough on a lot teams so far. Injuries are abound and the season hasn't even begun yet. So far it appears the groin is the most popular ailment. Here's a list of the wounded:
Toronto Maple Leafs
Kyle Wellwood - groin
Michael Peca - groin
Darcy Tucker - unknown
Ben Ondrus - unknown
Wade Belak - groin
Tomas Kaberle - unknown
Brendan Bell - bone bruise
San Jose Sharks
Jonathan Cheechoo - groin
Joe Thornton - bruised foot
Nashville Predators
Jason Arnott - groin
Atlanta Thrashers
Vitaly Vishnevski - groin
Steve Rucchin -groin
Buffalo Sabres
Daniel Breire - hip flexor
Carolina Hurricanes
Oleg Tverdovsky - groin
Chicago Blackhawks
Tuomo Ruutu - knee
Michal Handzus -shoulder
Mikael Holmqvist - groin
James Wisniewski - back
Dallas Stars
Eric Lindros - groin
Detroit Red Wings
Danny Markov - knee
Greg Johnson - heart (abnormal EKG)
Florida Panthers
Ville Peltonen - shoulder
Philadelphia Flyers
Antero Niittymaki - hip
Ummmm, does anyone stretch before they play hockey anymore? Come on guys! Either that or the NHL needs to look into getting some better trainers. This is ridiculous!
Damn! Did everyone in the NHL forget the new rules in the offseason? In the last two days I've heard nothing but conga lines headed to the penalty box and consequently teams being eviscerated by their opponents power plays.
Last night saw the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres combine for 18 penalties! Of course the Sabres capitalized on 4 of those power play opportunities, and the Maple Leafs went 0 for 7. The Leafs also debuted their new number one goalie Andrew Raycroft who was shelled in his first outing. Raycroft is apparently the first Leaf to wear the #1 in over a decade. His number may be #1, but the Leafs played like #2.
The Dallas Stars were another team to benefit from their opponent's lack of discipline. The Atlanta Thrashers allowed the Stars to bury two powerplay goals enroute to a 5-2 win. The Thrashers were able to score on one of their chances, but squandered 5 others.
So much for Anaheim's defense. Well, in fairness the Ducks Dynamic Duo of Neidermayer and Pronger were scratched for todays game, and the team that played tonight proved that they will certainly need them to provide quality minutes this season. The Los Angeles Kings torched the Ducks 7-1, scoring 3 goals on the powerplay in another penalty filled game.
Hooking and Tripping appear to be the most popular infractions early in the pre-season, with the occassional seasoning of interference and holding. Everyone is going to have to brush up on the basics, or it could be another slow frustrating start for many teams out of the gate. Goals will certainly be in abundance, especially for teams with monster power play units.
Defenceman Chris Pronger got his wish, and was traded from Edmonton to the Anaheim Ducks, in exchange for Joffrey Lupul, prospect Ladislav Smid, and a 1st round pick in 2007. Edmonton gets a forward who is a prototypical Oilers forward, Lupul, and hopefully a can't miss prospect in Smid. Anaheim gets arguably one of the best defenseman in the league and can now boast one of the best pairings with Pronger now complementing Scott Neidermayer. As I said yesterday, Pronger's only achilles' heel is his playoff beard.
Guerin lands in St. Louis
Did I call this one or what? Bill Guerin signed a one year deal with St. Louis less than a week after he was bought out by the Dallas Stars. He joins his Team USA linemates Keith Tkachuk, and Doug Weight.
Brendan Witt signs with Islanders
The Islanders have signed defenceman Brendan Witt to a 3 year deal, and have obtained one of the largest defenceman on the free agent market (after Chara). Great pickup for the Isles, and I really like what Neil Smith is doing so far with this team. No big splashes but solid character guys that will help younger players grow.
Teppo Numminen re-ups with Sabres
If it isn't broken.....Numminen re-signed with the Buffalo Sabres for one more year. Numminen was a big part of their Stanley Cup playoffs run, and when he was injured his loss was one that was glaring.
Thrashers sign Steve Rucchin
Steve Rucchin has just signed a 3 year deal that will grow from $1.85 million the first year to $4.25 million in the final year of the contract.
Rangers continue to mine Stanley Cup Champs
A few days after signing teammate Matt Cullen, the Rangers have signed defenceman Aaron Ward to a 2 year deal worth $5.5 million. Another pivotal player in the Carolina's Stanley Cup run, Ward will definitely be a welcome addition to the Ranger's blueline.
Shark Attack
The San Jose Sharks have added so much needed grit in Mike Grier and Curtis Brown. Mike Grier has signed a three year deal worth $1.775 a season. Nice pickup, Grier is one of those guys you would love to have on your team, and I really hoped the Rangers would grab him. Grier is the second player to leave the Sabres via free agency following Jay Mckee leaving for St. Louis.
Anyone else like what John Davidson is doing to revamp the St. Louis Blues?
I apologize for the downtime folks, I had some technical difficulties sponsored by the fine folks over at Verizon.
A lot happened on Saturday....here's a quick rundown:
Atlanta sent Patrik Stefan (a #1 pick years ago, and their first draft pick ever if I'm not mistaken) and Jaroslav Modry to Dallas for Niko Kapanen and a 7th round pick.
Kings traded Pavol Demitra to the Minnesota Wild for Patrick O'Sullivan and their 1st round pick. The Kings used the pick to draft Trevor Lewis...who apparently is a bad ass from the USHL. Demitra should help Gaborik offensively, but this was definitely the WTF trade of the day. When it was announced the entire arena gasped. I did as well.
The Avalanche traded Alex Tanguay to Calgary for defenceman Jordan Leopold, a 2nd round pick, and an conditional pick in 2007 or 2008. Iginla finally gets his wingman. I expect these two to put up some impressive numbers next year. Now they just need a center to get them the puck......
Blackhawks buy out Matt Barnaby and Curtis Brown. No surprise there. They should buy out the management there, which next to Boston and the previously the Islanders (before the purge) is the worst in the league....and perhaps in sports.
Canadiens resign Cristobal Huet to a 2 year deal, which I guess means David Aebischer is now on the available goalie list. Perhaps they should wait and see, in case Huet goes into a Raycroft like slump in his sophomore year. What a segue! Raycroft got traded Saturday, but I can't remember to whom...nor do I really care.
Same goes for Dan Cloutier who I think is making way too much money to be a backup, since he will most certainly be waxing the bench while watching Luongo start.
Phoenix just traded defencemen Paul Mara and a pick to Boston for Nick Boyton and a pick.
Pronger is apparently on his way out of Edmonton. Where and when is the question. What do the Oilers need, and who needs a solid blueliner that can 75 minutes a game? Not too many teams right!
Nice headline huh? Ranger fans, the next time you rain boos down upon Kevin Weekes....remember who used to be your mainstay between the pipes.
Mike Dunham crumbled under the pressure last night and gave up two goals less than 30 seconds apart, and was pulled by Coach Marc Crawford in the fourth minute of the game. Ovechkin and the Capitals played huge spoilers last night to the Thrashers who needed the win to setup a post season berth with tonites game against Florida. The Capitals 6-4 win over the Thrashes have finalized the last two spots in the post season for Montreal and Tampa Bay. I'm really not sure who they should thank....Ovechkin, or Dunham.
Dunham returned to the ice after Garnett was injured, and managed to give up the lead for the second and final time. He allowed 5 goals on the night. For more on this story visit TSN.ca.
Tonight marks the end of the regular season. The Rangers, Flyers, and Devils are all battling to decide who will take the Atlantic crown this evening, and Montreal and Tampa Bay are fighting for position. Friday, April 21st, the playoffs start, and the shaving stops!
Last night's scores:
Dallas 2 Detroit 3 F
Atlanta 4 Washington 6 F
NY Islanders 1 Pittsburgh 6 F
Colorado 2 Edmonton 4 F
Calgary 3 Anaheim 4 F Los Angeles 4 San Jose 0 F
Game(s) of the night:
Philadelphia at NY Islanders 7:00 PM
Ottawa at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
New Jersey at Montreal 7:30 PM
The Atlantic Division title is on the line tonite. All three of these games are huge! Enjoy the games!
Atlanta stole a game from the Bruins last night by virtue of a 5-4 shootout win, and in doing so, stole the 8th and rinal playoff spot from the Habs. It didn't help that the Canadiens took it dry and hard from the Islanders last night. I know this is slightly off topic, but Rick DiPietro! Brother! Where have you been all season! This guy is playing some of his best hockey and actually keeping the Isles in the playoff hunt. Last night's win saw him make 33 saves.
Back to Atlanta. The Thrashers have been knocking on the door of the playoffs for the past month (Sarah Connor?) and have won seven of their last nine games. This team is humming. Atlanta has 74 points and sole possession of the 8th spot. Montreal is in 9th with 73, Toronto in 10th with 70, the Isles in 11th with 68, and Florida and Boston with 67, and 66 points. Realistically, the playoffs are attainable for all of these teams. Tampa Bay and New Jersey are in 6th and 7th with 77 and 76 points, so they don't exactly have a stranglehold on their spots. Their could be a lot of movement in the East in the 6 thru 8 spots in the next few weeks. More movement than I'd see after a bowl of chili and glass of tequila at room temperature.....ewwwwww.
Last night's scores:
Atlanta 5 Boston 4 F (SO) Phoenix 5 Columbus 2 F
Montreal 1 NY Islanders 3 F
Pittsburgh 2 Ottawa 5 F
New Jersey 1 Philadelphia 2 F Nashville 3 Detroit 2 F (SO)
Carolina 2 Toronto 3 F
Calgary 1 Minnesota 3 F San Jose 6 St. Louis 0 F Vancouver 4 Edmonton 1 F
Game(s) of the night:
Carolina at Buffalo 7:00 PM
Philadelphia at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
As we come down to the wire, the games are getting better and better. Most of them mean alot more. These two games represent battles amongst 4 of the top teams in the East.
Calgary Flames acquire Jamie Lundmark from the Phoenix Coyotes for a draft pick.
Vancouver Canucks acquire Eric Weinrich from the Blues for a prospect and a pick.
Phoenix Coyotes acquire Oleg Kvasha from the Islanders for a third round pick.
Dallas Stars acquire defenceman Willie Mitchell and a 2007 2nd round pick from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenceman Martin Skoula and Shawne Belle.
Philadelphia Flyers acquire forward Nikos Dimitrakos from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a third round draft pick.
Colorado Avalanche acquire forward Jim Dowd from the Blackhawks in exchange for a fourth round pick.
Ottawa Senators acquire forward Tyler Arnason from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for forward Brandon Bochenski and a pick.
Edmonton Oilers acquire forward Sergei Samsonov from the Boston Bruins in exchange for forward Marty Reasoner, a second round pick and a minor league player.
Atlanta Thrashers acquire defenceman Steve McCarthy from the Canucks in exchange for a condition pick in 2007.
Detroit Red Wings acquire defenceman Cory Cross from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a fourth rounder.
Nashville Predators acquire Brendan Witt from the Caps in exchange for a first round pick and forward Kris Beech.
New York Rangers acquire defenceman Sandis Ozolinsh from the Ducks in exchange for a third round pick.
Phoenix Coyotes acquire defencemen Jamie Rivers from the Detroit Red Wings in exchange for a seventh round pick in 2007.
Damn! A whole lotta action! I'll give you guys some breakdowns, plus winners and losers tomorrow!
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.
While it took a week longer than I expected, Anaheim Ducks defenceman Mathieu Schneider finally has a new home.
The Pittsburgh Penguins made a huge splash at the zero hour, just minutes before the 3:00 trade deadline to acquire Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers.
The Phoenix Coyotes rewarded goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov for not only bringing stability to the organization, but for helping to thrust the club into playoff contention.
The NHL's star's shone brightly last night.... blindingly bright.
Sidney Crosby helped the Pittsburgh Penguins get back into the win column last night with a Gordie Howe hat trick. Crosby scored a goal, setup Evgeni Malkin for a pair, and yes, threw down for the first time in his NHL career, to lift his team to a 5-4 shootout win over the Boston Bruins. Crosby dropped the gloves with Boston Bruins defenceman Andrew Ference during the second. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Colby Armstrong also had three assists on the night.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Vincent Lecavalier broke the hearts of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second time this week. Just two nights removed from a late third period collapse to the Carolina Hurricanes, the Leafs allowed a late goal by Lecavalier in the final minute of the game to lose to the Lightning 2-1. Rookie netminder Karri Ramo made 31 saves to help the Lightning to victory. Could he be the answer in net they are looking for? Keep your fantasy radar on.
Atlanta Thrashers goaltender Kari Lehtonen is starting to rediscover his game again, after returning from his groin injury. Lehtonen made 28 saves and made Todd White's early third period (14 of saves came in the final frame) power play goal stand up to end the Ottawa Senators winning streak 3-2. Ottawa Senators goaltender Martin Gerber made 42 saves on the night, but his teammates were unable to solve Lehtonen.
The New York Rangers completed their 4 game sweep of the Atlanta Thrashers last night with a hard fought 4-2 win. A night after a 7-0 ummm... thrashing, the Thrashers showed up motivated by desperation and once again showcasing a new goaltender as Johan Hedberg once again got the start. 
Quick Shave:
Kari Lehtonen. Then he let 2 in. 3 in. 4 in.... and so on.
Quick Shave:
Last year at this time, the Washington Capitals knocked the Atlanta Thrashers out of their franchise's first ever playoff berth. While the Thrashers have clinched a playoff spot this season, last night the Capitals may have ruined their chances at clinching the Southeast Division title and knocked them from 3rd in the Eastern Conference, to 6th (although, if they completely implode, they could realistically end up in the 8th seed).
The trade for Keith Tkachuk was widely panned by everyone (including myself), but I have to give GM Don Waddell some credit. Yes, he gave up a lot to get the big forward, but he's getting a lot back in return.
The Philadelphia Flyers have dominated the Atlanta Thrashers this season, and after last night's 3-2 win, have successfully completed a sweep of the games. No this is not 1999.
With all of the firepower on the ice, it was easy to overlook the rebound performance by Tampa Bay goaltender Marc Denis who stopped all 21 shots the Thrashers threw at him to secure the shutout win 8-0.
Wade Redden has just one assist in 10 games this season. He's also, only a +1 rating. Compare this with his 50 point season of last year, and +35 rating, and you pinpoint just one of the many problems the Ottawa Senators are currently having. 
The Atlanta Thrashers perhaps still flying after their victory over undefeated Buffalo Sabres Saturday night, came crashing back down to earth, in a special teams showdown with the Toronto Maple Leafs last night. A penalty filled first period, saw Atlanta quickly gain the advantage from a 5 on 3 powerplay goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, but then give it away to the Leafs by rewarding them with a 5 on 3 powerplay of their own. The Leafs capitalized on that opportunity with a goal by Darcy Tucker, then in consesecutive power plays they scored two more in less thatn a minute on goals by Tomas Kaberle, and again by Darcy Tucker. Mats Sundin assisted on all three power play goals, tying a Toronto Maple Leaf record.
The Buffalo Sabres win streak finally came to an end last night, and their bid to be the only team to start the season with 11 straight victories did as well. The Atlanta Thrashers, a team that in many ways resembles the Sabres were the first team to stop the juggernaut from Buffalo, but it took them the entire game, and overtime, and a shootout to do so.
It had to happen sooner or later. The Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes finally got their first win last night against the red hot Atlanta Thrashers. Thrasher's netminder Kari Lehtonen prior to meeting the Hurricanes had only allowed 3 goals in 3 games. Carolina came out and solved him early on a pair of goals by Craig Adams, and made the score 3-0 late in the first on a score by Eric Staal.
