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 The Flaming Bertuzzi. A cocktail made from exotic top shelf liquors, or a finishing move employed by professional cage fighters? You decide.
Yesterday was the day of the veterans... or a day for the veterans. A week after the initial free agent signing explosion, the older players who flew under the radar have begun to get scooped up. Todd Bertuzzi, was signed by the Cagary Flames to a one year deal worth $1.95 million, the Tampa Bay Lightning signed forward Mark Recchi to a one year deal worth $1.25 million, and the Minnesota Wild acquired forward Owen Nolan for two years at $2.75 million per season. Center Brendan Morrison is close to finalizing a deal that will bring him to the Anaheim Ducks.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman put an end to the feud (much to our dismay) between Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke, and Edmonton Oilers GM Kevin Lowe yesterday, a few days after Lowe finally shot back after a years worth of Burke's verbal barbs. Got to give Lowe a ton of credit, as he really ripped Burke, and gave me some new perspective on the guy. Maybe the Leafs should think twice before annointing him the savior of their franchise, he may leave it in worse shape than it already is. Isn't it funny how Bettman had to step in, after Lowe shot back? Little favoritism for Burke there? Me thinks there is!
The NHL is close to finalizing the third Winter Classic, which would reportedly be held at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The outdoor match would be between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings on New Years Day. The last two have been great, and I really hope that this becomes an annual event.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Remember in the film The Terminator, when Arnold Schwarzenegger took a stroll through a police station with a pair of assault rifles, and proceeded to casually mow them down? Toronto Maple Leafs GM Cliff Fletcher is doing the same thing to his club's roster right now.
Over the past week, Goaltender Andrew Raycroft, and forward Kyle Wellwood were put on waivers; the preliminary step towards buying out a player's contract. Fletcher granted the Montreal Canadiens exclusive negotiating rights with soon to be UFA Mats Sundin, effectively putting an end to that era, and today placed forward Darcy Tucker on waivers... again taking a step towards his eventual buyout.
Kyle Wellwood was claimed off waivers by the Vancouver Canucks yesterday. Rumors have been swirling around defencemen Bryan McCabe and Pavel Kubina regarding their status with the team, and there is a very good possibility that Fletcher is not done yet.
Really no big surprises. Following the trade deadline in February, the Leafs attempted to move everyone, but all of the players exercised their no movement clauses, handcuffing Fletcher... till now. The buyouts, trades, and shake-ups were expected, and the gutting of this roster has begun. The Leafs will be a very different looking club come fall.
 The Ottawa Senators also did what most expected and bought out the contract of their goaltender Ray Emery. Emery was the focus of much of the alleged turmoil within the Senators locker room that eventually saw their coach fired, their team collapse, and the Penguins sweep them in a quick four games in round 1. Emery is now eligible for unrestricted free agency next week on July 1st. He did lead his club to the Stanley Cup Finals a year ago, so the talent is obviously there.... along with the attitude. Defenceman Wade Redden who also had a disastrous season is not expected to be playing for Ottawa next year and could have a new home by next week as well.
The Tampa Bay Lightning made a nice move and signed their captain and franchise player Vinnie Lecavalier to a long term contract today. The new deal would keep Lecavalier in black and blue for the remainder of his professional career and pay him $77 million over the next 9 years. I can't wait to see him and Steven Stamkos breathe life back into this club. I'm sure their new head coach Barry Melrose is very pleased at the toys he has in his sandbox.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the NHL Entry Draft Lottery this evening.
The Lightning will pick first overall in this June's Draft and will most certainly select coveted prospect Steve Stamkos.
The Los Angeles Kings will select second, the Atlanta Thrashers will pick third, the St. Louis Blues will select fourth, and the New York Islanders have the fifth pick overall.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The first big trade of the day is done.
The Buffalo Sabres sent defenceman Brian Campbell to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for forward Steve Bernier and a first round draft pick. The Sabres were unable to come to an agreement with Campbell on a contract extension and opted to trade the star d-man rather than risk losing him as an unrestricted free agent this summer. Campbell has 5 goals and 43 points in 63 games this season.
The Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed on a trade for forward Brad Richards. Both teams now were waiting to see if Richards would waive his no-trade clause and confirm the deal. The Tampa Bay Lightning send forward Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Mike Smith, center Jeff Halpern and winger Jussin Jokinen. Looks like Modano gets his winger.
The New Jersey Devils acquired defenceman Bryce Salvadore from the St. Louis Blues for forward Cam Janssen earlier today and the Toronto Maple Leafs sent tough guy Wade Belak to the Florida Panthers for 5th round pick.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Ray Emery is growing weary of riding the pine in Ottawa. Those are the rumors that are hemmoraging from the Canadian capital. Emery was sent home prior to today's practice for an undisclosed 'illness'. This early departure was followed by yesterday's outburst that saw Emery slamming his stick to the ice in apparent frustration over his lack of playing time. Emery has started just one of the Ottawa Senators last 8 games, and looks to have lost his starting role to goaltender Martin Gerber. Gerber has won 6 of his last 7 starts, and barring a total collapse between the pipes will be the Senators starting goalie for the immediate future.
Emery started the season recovering from wrist surgery, and was reinjured early December against the Carolina Hurricanes. While he did lead the Senators to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, his play this year has been wildly inconsistent, leaving him with a 5 and 3 record.
The Senators are humming right now, and anything standing in the way of their ultimate goal, especially an immature player, will most likely be dealt with immediately by Paddock or Murray. This is probably why he was told to take a walk today.... with a cold.
 The writing was on the wall last week when the Tampa Bay Lightning brought up rookie goaltender Kari Ramo, that one of the veteran incumbents Marc Denis, or Johan Holmqvist would be on their way out. Today, Marc Denis got the nod, or the waive rather as he sent down in favor of the youngster Ramo. Denis has won just one game this season in 10 attempts, and hasn't seen the crease for the Lightning since December 19th when the Atlanta Thrashers torched him for 3 goals on 15 shots.
The waiving of Marc Denis brings an ending to one of the more disastrous trades in recent NHL memory as he was acquired from the Columbus Blue Jackets for winger Fredrik Modin, and goaltender Fredrik Norrena (who has been more capable in net than his counterpart Denis).
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 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.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 Who says the NHL needs bigger nets? If the NHL wants more offensive production, I think the solution to that is abundantly clear. Crappier goaltending.
Last night the Calgary Flames and the Tamp Bay Lightning produced a statisical bonanza, scoring a total of 15 goals. Lightning goaltender Johan Holmqvist was pulled after allowing 4 goals on 6 Calgary shots. His replacement Marc Denis didn't do much better allowing 4 more on the next 25 shots. Had it not been for these two gentlemen, and a third period hat trick by Flames forward Jarome Iginla, Coach Mike Keenan would probably have Miikka Kiprusoff on the trade block today.
The Lightning's top line of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, and Brad Richards are perhaps the best top unit in the league, but after that, the talent level on this club plummets drastically. This team has very little defence, and no goaltending. Is Coach Tortorella on the clock now?
 Quick Shave:
Speaking of no goaltending. The Vancouver Canucks without Roberto Luongo are like Roger Clemens without a steroid syringe in his backside.... impotent. Come to think of it, Clemens is probably impotent now, because of the steroids.... I digress. In any case the San Jose Sharks marched over the Canucks backup tandem of Curtis Sanford and some guy I've never 5-2. The Edmonton Oilers stopped the Detroit Red Wings winning streak at 7 games last night. Oilers forward Ales Hemsky scored the only goal in the shootout to give his club the 4-3 win.
Game of the Night:
Calgary at Carolina
Buffalo at Washington
Toronto at Atlanta
Minnesota at Anaheim
Slow night tonight, but some interesting games. Will Kipper figure out how to stop the puck in Carolina? Considering Carolina hasn't scored a goal in a week, perhaps it's possible. Which Sabres team will show up in Washington? Can the Leafs continue to play at a high level as the embark on the longest road trip of the season ( a 7 gamer) against Mark Recchi and the Thrashers. Will Recchi keep it up, or was that 2 goals a fluke? Will Scott Niedermayer be back in the lineup for the first time since winning a Stanley Cup with his Anaheim Ducks? All this and more tonight! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The New York Rangers found their defense again (after a rough Saturday night bout with the Maple Leafs) and managed to keep the Tampa Bay Lightning's potent offence from taking over. Holding the Lightning to just 4 shots in the final frame of the game the Rangers powered to a 3-1 win.
Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr took a deflected puck to the mouth during the second period, and lost several teeth as a result. During the third, the Rangers captain capitalized on a power play opportunity and one timed the game winner past Tampa Bay keeper Johan Holmqvist (who was outstanding in the loss stopping 32 pucks on the night). Brendan Shanahan also scored and is now 1 point shy of the 1300 mark for his career. Rangers rookie Nigel Dawes potted his third goal in three games, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist bounced back to make 21 saves for the victory.
Quick Shave:
The Toronto Maple Leafs returned home after a short and successful road trip and resurrected their no-defense style of play dropping a laugher to the Washington Capitals 7-1. Washington Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin scored 2 goals in the win (among many others who potted their first's of the season) and helped chase Leafs starter Vesa Toskala from net after 4 tallies. Backup Andrew Raycroft fared not much better allowing three more goals. The Dallas Stars were looking to wrap up a 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks before the Sharks scored three goals on three consecutive shots late in the third period (the game tying and game winning goals were scored by rookie Devin Setoguchi) to capture a 4-2 win. The Calgary Flames have locked up their star goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff to a long term contract. Last night the Flames announced they had agreed to terms with Kiprusoff on a 6 year deal worth $35 million.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Johan Holmqvist is proving me wrong. At least for the last two games he has.
The achille's heel of the Lightning for most of the season has been quality between the pipes. The strength of the New Jersey Devils has always been built from the goal on out. This playoff series is like Bizarro World, because the better goaltending has begun to sway south to Florida. Lightning keeper Holmqvist made 30 saves last night to help his club to a 3-2 win and a 2-1 series lead over the Devils. Brodeur allowed 3 goals on 24 shots in the game.
The big three of the Lightning owned the Devils last night. Vincent Lecavalier scored his fourth goal of the series, Brad Richards added a score of his own, and Martin St. Louis assisted on all three including the game winner by Vaclav Prospal.
What's up with the Devils? The biggest surprise so far is goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has now allowed 3 goals in each of three games in the series. The Devils are without question one of the best shutdown teams in the league, led by the stingy play of Jay Pandolfo. However, the Lightning, specifically Lecavalier seem unaffected by their defensive efforts. So what do they do to turn things around? It's gotta start with Brodeur. This team lives and dies by his play. Goals have always been a rare commodity for the New Jersey Devils and if this series turns into a shootout, I don't see them on the winning end of it.
Quick Shave:
The Buffalo Sabres defeated the New York Islanders 3-2 last night and took a 2-1 series lead last night on the Island. All five goals were scored in the second frame. Islanders forward (and captain?) Alexei Yashin was demoted to the fourth line last night, and played on the power play. Either Nolan is trying to light a quick fire under the forward, or has given up on him. I still think the Islanders have a chance in this series (a small one), they haven't been blown away by the Sabres thus far, and have held their own. They need to be at their best (bring their 'A' game, give 110%, play for 60 minutes, etc.) if they want to win this series. The San Jose Sharks welcomed the Nashville Predators to the Shark Tank for Game 3 of the series and responded with a 3-1 win. The Sharks hammered the Predators goaltender Tomas Vokoun with 41 shots, while Sharks keeper Evgeni Nabokov only had to face 20. The Sharks sport one of the finest offensive corps entering the playoffs this year, and last night was a great example of it (peace through superior fire power). The Sharks now have a 2-1 series lead over the Predators.
Game of the Night:
Atlanta at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Pittsburgh 7:00 PM
Vancouver at Dallas 8:00 PM
Anaheim at Minnesota 9:00 PM
Detroit at Calgary 10:00 PM
A long night of sweet delicious hockey! I think this schedule speaks for itself. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain bosh
The struggle for post season berths in the East has been raging for more than a month now, and while the teams outside the bubble began to make their push, several within began to fall off.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (congratulations to Vinny Lecavalier for being the first Lightning player to hit the 100 point mark..... and if luck will have it perhaps the 50 goal mark as well?) and Atlanta Thrashers have dropped off so dramatically that now it looks as though the team that leads the Southeast division will have the third seed, and the other might be out of the playoffs. The Atlanta Thrashers have a 2 point lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning and sit 3rd overall in the East. The Lightning's 86 points are now only good enough for 7th. The Rangers hold 6th with 87, and the Hurricanes with 84 (also tied with the Islanders and the Canadiens with 84). The Toronto Maple Leafs are just outside with 82 in 11th place.
So what does that mean? Six teams fighting for three spots. Really we could say seven teams fighting for 4 spots since the Atlanta Thrashers are just barely holding onto third, but that's for Tampa Bay to decide. Most teams have between 6 and 7 games remaining, and it looks like the positions may be decided on the final day of the season. Nice!
I'd like to give a big congratulations to the P-boys (Marc and Jonny) of the Face Off Hockey Show. Both have made it to the finals of the first annual Playoff Beard Fantasy Hockey Tournament, and will be playing for the championship over the next week and change. I'd expect both to have full beards by the weekend. Congratulations and good luck boys!
Game of the Night:
Anaheim at Detroit 7:00 PM
The NHL takes a break tonight, because after this evening the rest of the week is packed with excitment. It's a full schedule. Tonight, the Detroit Red Wings and Anaheim Ducks battle for the President's Trophy and they both trail Buffalo and Nashville by 2 and 3 points. This should be a great preview for two teams that are likely to meet in the late rounds of the playoffs..... unless they both choke because I've just cursed them. We'll see. Enjoy the game!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The Captain’s Curse struck again last night. However this time I will happily share the blame with Stache. The Curse took a trip out west last night, and completely shut down the Tampa Bay Lightning’s offense. Vincent Lecavalier did manage to put one up on the board (his 44th of the season, and league leading tally as well) but he ended the evening a -1 rating. Is teammate Martin St. Louis was held to 1 shot all night. Still doubt the curse?
Did Roberto Luongo have anything to do with the 5-1 Vancouver Canucks victory. No. It was all curse. Luongo only need to make 17 saves for his franchise record tying win (38th of the season, a mark held by Kirk McLean in 1992)...and the curse took care of the rest.
Vancouver forward Jeff Cowan, who was picked up off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings has now scored 5 goals in the last three games with his new club. Cowan potted two scores last night.
Fantasy Hockey Note: One thing that makes me nuts, is that when I see a lopsided victory like this, I always jump to check the box score, to see how my roster players may have contributed (in this case Naslund), only to discover they had nothing to do with the win. Not a goal, or an assist. Not even a + rating. How about a penalty minute. Nope. Naslund may as well have stayed home last night. Thanks brother. Thanks a lot.
 Quick Shave:
Unfortunately the curse struck me last night. This is a new occurrence to me, but it's happened three times in the new year. Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins were down 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators and the game appeared done.... or at least the Pens did. After turning the game off, not only did the Penguins get back into the game, but Sidney Crosby scored the game winner in the shootout for the third straight game to lift his club to the win 5-4. I will say it again. NHL Center Ice needs a 'Red Zone' feature so when morons like myself shut a game off because it looks over it will say "Hey Bosh, switch back to the Pens / Sens game.... jackass!" Don Waddell can breathe a little easier today. His trade deadline acquistion appears to be paying dividends already. Last night forward Keith Tkachuk scored two goals to help his new team the Atlanta Thrashers over the Florida Panthers 4-2. No Zetterberg, No Holstrom, No Hasek... NO PROBLEM! Jeff. Paul. Who loves you? Bosh does. I told you the Detroit Red Wings would be fine. Even with a depleted squad the Wings took down the Nashville Predators(who also missed some of their key players) 4-3 in a shootout win. What's going on in New Jersey? The New Jersey Devils dropped another game (their third straight) to the Philadelphia Flyers who won on a Simon Gagne goal during the shootout last night 5-4. Gotta hand it to the Flyers who refuse to quit and now are playing spoiler. San Jose Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov made 26 saves last night to record his second straight shutout, and the 3-0 win over the Minnesota Wild last night. Nikolai Khabibulin also made 26 saves last night to win his first game by way of shootout (first ever in a Blackhawks uniform) last night to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Game of the Night:
Colorado at Buffalo 7:00 PM
The Avs are looking to fight their way back into the playoffs, and tonight's game against the Buffalo Sabres should be a huge hurtle for them. Colorado sits 8 points behind the 8th place Minnesota Wild after last night's win over the Boston Bruins (and the Wilds loss to San Jose) and will be eager to continue their climb. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Is there any doubt now?
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.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 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!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The tandem in Philadelphia that had so much success last season finally clicked this season and broke the Flyers 10 game losing streak with a victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.
Simon Gagne, and Peter Forsberg combined for 5 points on the evening to help lift the Flyers from the shadows to defeat Tampa Bay 4-3. Forsberg set up Gagne for two goals last night, and also assisted on recently acquired Alexei Zhitnik's goal to open the scoring. Believe it or not, Flyers goaltender Robert Esche made 42 saves and held on to preserve the win.
While the victory was certainly a confidence booster, it does little to boost their current position in the NHL. The Flyers have 20 points on the season, and sit dead last in the league. The future of this team in the short term will most likely be a pre-trade deadline purge followed by an early if not first round pick in this years NHL Entry Draft.
Quick Shave:
The Carolina Hurricanes win streak was stopped cold last night by John Grahame. I mean by the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have owned the Canes all season and last night was different. Sabres keeper made 29 saves to lift his team past the Hurricanes 4-1. I believe the fourth time they've met this season.....perhaps third...regardless the Hurricanes can't beat them. The Detroit Red Wings took my advice and gave Hasek the night off last night as they faced the new look Columbus Blue Jackets. Wings goaltender Chris Osgood was good enough and made 21 saves, while Datsyuk, and Cleary each scored 2 goals to defeat the Jackets 7-4. The Los Angeles Kings followed the Wings lead by defeating the Edmonton Oilers by the same score 7-4 last night.
Game of the Night:
NY Rangers at Ottawa 7:30 PM
The last time the Rangers played Ottawa it sparked a 5 game win streak. The Rangers have lost 6 in a row since that streak ended, and are thirsty for a win.....I am anyway. Look for Havlat to join the HTC against the Bruins tonight. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
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 Devils Martin 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!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
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!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
After two lackluster showings, the New York Rangers top line of Jaromir Jagr, Michael Nylander, and Martin Straka woke up, and decisively defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jagr, Staka, and Nylander each scored a goal, and two assists. Jaromir Jagr opened the scoring for the Rangers early in the first. The goal was the 600th marker of his career.
Brendan Shanahan, also scored for the Rangers, and recorded his 600th goal earlier in the season. It is the first time in NHL history that two teammates have achieved the milestone during the same season. The Rangers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1.
Quick Shave:
The NHL HTC has been busy this week! This week's newest member, Anaheim Duck's forward Chris Kunitz joins, Staal, and Jokinen. Kunitz scored his first career NHL hat trick, potting three goals, in the Ducks 6-4 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. Yanic Perreault scored again for the Coyotes and has been a solid pickup for the team, already providing 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists), in the 7 games he's appeared in. The Vancouver Canucks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 for the third game of the night. Even the Hawks lost, they should feel encouraged by the return and play of goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin as of late. He kept the game close for his team, and looks like he has returned to his Stanley Cup winning play of several seasons ago. If they can get Havlat back soon, this team will start to string some victories together.
Let's talk about the upcoming Thanksgiving Day Holiday. While there is a solid match available that evening, Vancouver at Nashville -8:00 PM, it's the day after Thanksgiving I want to bring to your attention. This Friday November 24th, is a day you should mark on the calendar. Take a look at the schedule, starting at Noon (yes Noon!):
Carolina at Boston 12:00 PM
Columbus at Philadelphia 1:00 PM
Phoenix at Minnesota 2:00 PM
Pittsburgh at NY Islanders 2:00 PM
New Jersey at Anaheim 4:00 PM
Toronto at Washington 7:00 PM
St. Louis at Detroit 7:30 PM
Ottawa at Florida 7:30 PM
Montreal at Buffalo 8:00 PM
Atlanta at Tampa Bay 8:00 PM
Los Angeles at Dallas 8:30 PM
Chicago at Edmonton 9:00 PM
Now, if all goes well, we should be wearing nice big smiles by 4:00, just as the Devils and Ducks are getting ready to face off (which is great matchup as if I needed to remind you....), but if not, don't worry....because you aren't even half way through this day on ice. The last face off is at 9:00, and if you aren't face down on the carpet by this point, you should be good to go till 12:00 AM. 12 solid hours of hockey.....and beer! Because of this unprecedented lineup.....I would expect Saturday's article to be just a touch late.....but perhaps not, since most of you will be rising around the same time. Oh and by the way, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is offering a cornacopia of games as well. Really, this is a few days we should all be thankful for.
Game of the Night:
NY Islanders at Toronto 7:30 PM
There's a lot of history between these two teams, and both teams are brimming with confidence, so why not recommend a viewing as they butt heads? Enjoy the games my bearded friends!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
 The power of the beard is with you young Thornton.....but you are not in the playoffs yet.
Joe Thornton, while assisting on just about every goal the San Jose Sharks have scored this season, had yet to drop one in the net himself. That is until last night. Joey T. apparently looking to end his goaless drought, began cultivating a playoff beard late last week, and the results of his facial mullet have already payed off. Joe Thornton scored his first goal on the power play last night against the Tampa Bay Lightning and helped the Sharks to victory 4-2. May the beard be with you Joe....always. The Phoenix Coyotes have finally agreed to a one year deal with unrestricted free agent center Yanic Perreault worth $700,000. Hopefully his addition will spark some life into the Coyotes who are rapidly collapsing.
Quick Shave:
Coming off the bench seems to have done Jose Theodore some good. The Colorado Avalanche goaltender showed signs of his former self making 20 saves and helping his team defeat the recently unstoppable Minnesota Wild. Milan Hejduk has been on fire lately, scored 2 of the goals for the Avs, and forward Ian Laperriere recorded his 100th career goal late in the third to round out the scoring.
Game of the Night:
Washington at Calgary 9:00 PM
Calder Trophy Winner Alexander Ovechkin goes up against Calder Trophy Runner-Up Dion Phaneuf as the Capitals continue their tour of Canada. Olaf Kolzig has been playing some great hockey lately, and has managed to give his team a chance in most of their games this season. It will be interesting to see if the Flames can muster any offense against him. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
The NHL Hat Trick Club added two new members last night. The first coming from Tampa Bay Lightning forward and former NHL MVP Martin St. Louis. St. Louis broke the team record (which he set) for the fastest hat trick scored. St. Louis scored the three goals during the second period in 6 minutes and 17 seconds, and helped his team defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 (which look like they are having some troubles....and Cam Ward is looking very ordinary.....). The Tampa Bay Lightning have been a team under the rumor focus as of late, especially with the Great Purge in Philly.....could John Tortorella be on his way out if the Lightning don't start getting it done? For more on these rumors check out Spector's Hockey.
 Our second addition to the NHLHTC (nice right?) is young Dany Heatley of the Ottawa Senators. Another team who's awful start was overshadowed by the play of the Philadelphia Flyer, has certainly seemed to turn the corner for good. Since blowing out the Devils 8-1 last Saturday, the Senators offence is on fire. The Ottawa Senators crushed the Toronto Maple Leafs for the second game in a row 7-2. Dany Heatley scored three goals for the hat trick, and Jason Spezza who has also left his scoring slump behind had 5 points on the match. Coach Bryan Murray, and GM John Muckler are certainly breathing a little easier after this week, for if the Sens hadn't straightened out their play, they could be playing golf with Hitch and Clarke by now.
Quick Shave:
The Buffalo Sabres have tied the record for most wins in a row to start a season, set by the Leafs in 1994 with 10. While their 10th win came against the punchless Islanders (perhaps Dunham should return to the crease), the Sabres show no sign of letting up. They can break the record with their 11th win, on Saturday night if they can defeat the Atlanta Thrashers....a team that is beginning to look and play alot like the Sabres. Game of the Night all over that one! After a couple of rough outtings, New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur responded with 29 save performance and helped his team shutout the Florida Panthers 3-0. The shutout was Brodeur's 82nd, which ties him with Jacques Plante for fourth overall on the shutout list. Peter Forsberg and Simone Gagne helped the Philadelphia Flyers to their second win of the season, and perhaps the turning point of the club under new head coach John Stevens. The Flyers defeated the Thrashers 3-2 in the shootout. Coach Hartley of the Thrashers pulled netminder Hedberg in favor of Lehtonen for the shootout (Kari Lehtonen, prior to last night was 6-1 on the shootout....but I believe he was the goalie in net during the game, not in relief), while on paper it may have looked like a good move, Lehtonen appeared cold, and was only able to stop one goal. It appears the sleeping giant in the desert has awakened! The unstoppable, playoff bound, Stanley Cup Contending Phoenix Coyotes mauled the Edmonton Oilers 6-2 last night. Most of the last sentence was nonsense....other than the score....the Oilers actually did lose to the Yotes. San Jose Shark's goalie Vesa Toskala lost his first game of the season to the Nashville Predators last night 4-3. Predators rookie Alexander Radulov scored his first career NHL goal....is it fantasy pick up time yet.....no not yet, but I'd put him on your watch list.
Game of the Night:
Anaheim at Minnesota 8:00 PM
Two powerhouses do battle in the West. Minnesota looks stellar so far, and playing the Ducks should be a solid bench test for them. Enjoy the beard!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
Kari Lehtonen is finally providing the goaltending the Atlanta Thrashers sorely missed last season. In three games this season, Lehtonen has allowed only two goals, and since opening night has kept both the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning off the score board. Last night facing the Lightning, Lehtonen stopped all 34 shots he faced and helped the Atlanta Thrashers to a 1-0 shutout win. If he can remain off of the IR list and continue playing the way he is now, the Thrashers should have little difficulty achieving their club's first ever post season berth.
Quick Shave
Even Alex Tanguay can't help the Calgary Flames find the back of the net. In their first three games the Flames have only managed 4 goals. A far cry from the amount needed to win games, especially when Kiprusoff is overwhelmed like last night where they fell to the San Jose Sharks 4-1. Alex Auld is making the most of replacing Roberto Luongo in Florida. Auld stopped 47 Maple Leafs shots for the Panthers but they lost the game 2-1 in the shootout. If the Panthers can provide him some more offensive support (and perhaps block a few shots), Auld may prove to be as important a pickup as Bertuzzi in this summers biggest trade (or second biggest depending on how you view the Pronger delivery to Anaheim via Edmonton). The Philadelphia Flyers are trying to coax Leetch into coming out of limbo (nod to Stache for the heads up). After losing blueliner Mike Rathje to a back problem, the Flyers hope to bring some balance to their defence corps and an added punch on the power play by signing Brian Leetch. Leetch a Flyer? That could really up the heat in the rivalry with the Rangers! Almost holdout Nikolia Zherdev and the Columbus Blue Jackets crushed the Phoenix Coyotes 5-1 last night. Zherdev netted two goals in the rout, and appears to have shed what little rust he may have had.
Game of the Night:
Philadelphia at NY Rangers 7:00 PM
Yeah I'm going homer again here, but come on! This is a rematch of the 13 round shootout that saw Marcel Hossa bury the winner for the Rangers Saturday night. The bad blood should be boiling already....and the chances of Kasparitis returning are much better. If you're not into this one you can stay up late and watch the Kings kick the crap out of the Isles! Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
That's the good news. The bad news is that Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin will need six weeks to recover from the dislocated shoulder he received after a collision with teammate John LeClair. The young forward is expected to miss as much as 10 of the Penguins first games. Dissapointing yes, but if his shoulder needed to have surgery he could have missed much more, if not all of the season. Sacrificing the month of October at this point, seems a blessing for the Penguins and Malkin.
Steve Yzerman joins Wings management
The Detroit Red Wings announced yesterday that their first ballot hall of famer Steve Yzerman would become it's Vice President. The position would have him working closely with Senior Vice President Jim Devellano, GM Ken Holland and Assistant GM Jim Nill.
Sean Burke waived
The Tampa Bay Lightning have placed their goaltender Sean Burke on waivers. Burke had an awful 2005-2006 campaign and has obviously been outplayed by newly acquired goalie Marc Denis and Johan Holmqvist. Burke's $1.6 million salary will still count against Tampa Bay's cap regardless of whether he plays in the minors or chooses retirement. Unless he is picked up off of waivers by another team.....which will probably be the Red Wings once Hasek's groin detonates on the ice.
Jagr cleared to play
Good news for us! New York Rangers Jaromir Jagr has been cleared to begin full practice with his team. According to Coach Tom Renney Jagr will be included in 'all forms of practice' which includes contact drills. If all goes well perhaps he will see some ice time in the pre-season against the Islanders or Boston later this week.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
As one great goalie leaves Florida, a few days later another great one takes his place. Marc Denis of the Columbus Blue Jackets has been traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning for forward Fredrik Modin and goalie Fredrik Norrena (could we get another Frederik on this away team?).
Marc Denis who shared time with goalie Pascal LeClaire last season, was in a similiar situation to Luongo. Good goalie on a sub-par team. His numbers may not be as good as Luongo's but I think this guy is a terrific pickup for the Lightning. My only wish is that the Blue Jackets had dealt him at the trade deadline last year and helped by Fantasy goaltending numbers.
In Columbus, the Pascal LeClaire era has obviously begun, and the return for Denis in Frederik Modin is an excellent two way forward with some finishing skills (31 goals last year) and an awesome slap shot that could end up complementing Rick Nash. Great deal for both teams.
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
With Carolina beating Tampa Bay 5-4 in a shootout last night, they have left the door open for the Atlanta Thrashers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The wildness of the playoff sprint has shifted from the West (which cleared up Thursday) to the East. This may go down to the final games! For more on the game last night visit TSN.ca.
Don't look now, but the New Jersey Devils have turned their season around and after a bad start, and are now just three points out of the Atlantic Division lead. The Rangers who hold the first place spot, are battling Philly and NJ, both with 97. The Rangers play the Flyers today at 2, and the Flyers play the Devils tomorrow at 1! How big are these games! I love this sport!
Last night's scores:
Tampa Bay 4 Carolina 5 F (SO)
Games of the night:
Yeah their are a bunch worth watching, especially after Tampa Bay's loss last night:
NY Rangers at Philadelphia 2:00 PM
Battle for the Atlantic.
Boston at Atlanta 2:00 PM
Buffalo at Montreal 7:00 PM
Ottawa at Toronto 7:00 PM
Carolina at Tampa Bay 7:30 PM
Atlanta, Toronto, Montreal and Tampa Bay are all battling for the final two playoff spots. Enjoy the games!
Your friend on ice,
Captain Bosh
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