Sabres go up 2-0 and Canucks tie Series

The Sabres take a 2-0 lead in the Series and with a lacklustre performance. The Rangers out shot Buffalo 13-4 in the first period and 33 to 18 overall, but could not score. TSN's Darren Dreger points out that the Rangers are going to need a bigger contribution from Brendan Shanahan. Game 3 goes tomorrow afternoon at 2pm in Madison Square Garden. It will be the Rangers biggest game of the year, they drop that one and we may start hearing the word ''sweep'' from the Buffalo fans.

Buffalo coach, Lindy Ruff, was fuming on a non call on an off-side, which TSN's Bob Mckenzie disagred with,and I agree with McKenzie, I saw the replay. Hopefully Ruff will have cooled off by the start of game 3.

The Vancouver Canucks have tied the Series with a 2-1 win in double overtime. TSN's Bob Mckenzie pointed out the inspired play by the Canucks. It was a team effort and the best performance by any team in the playoffs so far. I did not see the game, so I will take McKenzie's word for it.

Pointing the finger at Trotz and ...

Duncan Stewart from the Daily news Journal, is pointing the finger at Predators coach, Barry Trotz, for failling in getting his team past the first round for the third time. Trotz has been the only coach that Nashville has had since it came into the league eight years ago.

Trotz has been good at getting the team to progress, but it needs someone to take them to the next level and win in the playoffs. Stewart, blames Trotz for not getting his team psyched up and they come out flat and stay that way. He cites an example, using the Series they played against the Sharks to prove his point. He also blames Trotz and his players for a lack of an offensive strategy, and taking stupid penalties at the wrong time and breaking offensive momemtum. That sounds familiar, the team in Montreal has the same kind of problem, which cost them a playoff spot.

Stewart mentions, that it's time for a change in philosophy in Nashville. I agree Mr.Stewart, I have a candidate ideal for the job, he is a proven winner, no i am not talking about Mr.Bowman, but his last name does start with a B. Pat Burns is who I am referring to, give him a call he might interested.

Tampa Bay is looking to keep it's core players together,by trying to cut in the fat. Except the fat is your core players eating your cap space. The easiest to trade is your 50 goal scorer, his no trade clause will cease to exist after July 1st. A team with 13 million in cap space available over the next two years could pick him up. But what would be the asking price for him ? I know Montreal fans are dreaming of seeing Lecavalier in the red white and blue, but he said politely on Hockey Night In Canada, that he was not interested. Gainey won't bring him in at gun point either. Feaster could of avoided this situation two years ago, by refusing to give Martin St.Louis the long term contract he did. Feaster has only himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in.

All Set in the Ouest

The stage is set for a good Series in this semi-final. A well oiled veteran and puck passing team against a younger but physical team. Where will the difference be in this Series ? Let's take a look. The Sharks in there Series won 51% of their face-offs, The Wings won 55%, could be a factor in a tight Series. The Wings averaged a 42.5 shots on goal per game against the Flames, the Sharks had 32.6 against the Predators. The Wings had a 13.2 % on the power play, while the Sharks did poorly, with 6.7%.

Prediction : Detroit in 7

The Canucks will need to see their scoring improve in this Series to have any chance to beat the Anaheim team. The Canucks scored 13 goals in seven games against Dallas, while the Ducks got 12 against Minnesota. Anaheim won 49.2% of their face-offs, the Canucks got 46.8%. The Canucks power play did not fair well, as it got 7.9%, the Ducks were dangereous on theirs with a whopping 26.3%.

Prediction: Anaheim in 6

Set for Round two in the East

Will the third time be the charm for the Senators? This will be the third meeting between the teams in the playoffs.There first meeting was in 1998, the Sens took that Series 4 games to 2. It was the battle of the Jacques' behind the bench, Martin for Ottawa and Lemaire for New Jersey, which became the last series he coached the Devils. Not too many players are left from those rosters are still playing for the same team.

There second meeting came in 2003 in the conference final,which New Jersey won in seven games, and went on to win the Stanley Cup in Pat Burn's first year as coach. The core players in that series for both teams, are pretty much the same,espacially in nets for New Jersey, in Martin Brodeur. Ottawa's roster was in growing stages

Prediction: Ottawa in 6

Again the Sabres will be facing a New York area based team, this time it's the Manhattan gang. Jaromir and his boys will be taking their show to Buffalo and meet Brière and his boys. It should be a long and grinding series.

Prediction : Buffalo in 7

Do or die for the Lightning and...

Tampa Bay-New Jersey

The Tampa Lightning are on the edge of being eliminated in the first round for the second year in a row. Last year it was against the Ottawa Senators, this year , the New Jersey Devils could be their executors.

If Mr.Brodeur brings his A game to Tampa, that will be bad news for the Bolts. Lecavalier and St.Louis have done alot of the hard lifting so far, time for others to start contributing in game 6. We will find out around 4pm where the Lightning will be, the golf course or in New Jersey for game 7.

Dallas vs Vancouver

Other than game 1, this Series has to be worst to watch, low scoring and very tight defense. All three of the Stars wins in this series have come on shutouts, Vancouver's Luongo has yet to enjoy such a luxuary, it maybe time that the Canucks players give them and take the Series. It's do or die for both teams tomorrow night.

Calgary-Detroit

As Dallas, Vancouver and the Bolts, the Flames are in a do or die situation. Their lack lustre performance yesterday is not a good sign for tonight in Calgary. The Wings have been dominating in Detroit, but like the Flames, they have not have fared well on the road, will they turn they fortunes around and win game 6 ? We will find out later tonight.

Sens eliminate the Penguins

The Ottawa Senators eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games, and move on to round two and are waiting for their next opponent.Even if we are only in round one of the playoffs, I already have a candidate for the Conn Smythe trophy,his name is Ray Emery.

Emery was dominating and intimidating during the Series against the Penguins.If round one is any indication of what the rest of the playoffs will be,the possibility of seeing the Stanley Cup in Ottawa could start having people believing the dream can come true. Lord Stanley's cup has not been won by an Ottawa based team since 1927, so Leafs fans, you can console yourselves.

The Senators and the Rangers wait for their possible opponents. If the Sabres and Tampa win their Series, they meet in round 2. If Buffalo and New Jersey win, the Rangers will face the Sabres and the Senators will meet in round 2. So many possibilities still in the air.

Some Stats from the Pittsburgh-Ottawa Series.
Goals by period, Pittsburgh : 1st :2 2nd:2 3rd:6 for a total of 10 for the Series, Ottawa: 1st:4 2nd:9 3rd :5 for a total of 18.

Shots on goal
Pittsburgh:110/22 per game
Ottawa:151 /30 per game

5 on 5
Pittsburgh:6
Ottawa: 11

Face offs
Pittsburgh: 140/304 46%
Ottawa :164/304 53.9%

Do or Die for the Penguins

Tonight is do or die for the Penguins, they have no tomorrow if they lose.The Sens still have lives left, but I doubt they want to spend any of them. They want to finish it tonight, espacially that their possible future opponents, the New York Rangers have swept their Series.

Tonight, the game plan for Bryan Murray, is to end the series in 5 games. The Sens have to get a fast start and take charge of the game and stay out of the penalty box, as the Penguins power play can explode at anytime, no chances to take, finish it and quick.

Ray Emery has been outstanding thru out the Series, and has saved his team's behind on a few occasions. Fleury will have to pull out a Patrick Roy like performance to keep the Pens hopes alive, and get help from his friends.

Sens can finish it tomorrow night

The Ottawa Senators can put away the Pittsburgh Penguins with a win at ScotiaBank Place. The Sens played a good sound defensive game and closed down the Pens offense.

It's going to be a tough climb for the young Pens team to comeback from a 3-1 deficit, it's been done before. The 1975 Islanders, the 2004 Montreal Canadiens have done it, it's not impossible,but the Senators have been gaining strenght as the Series goes on,it will be a hard task.

The Sens must continue their strong play and close down any chance of a Pittsburgh comeback in the Series. Finish the Series quickly and get rest, it will be tougher as the playoffs move along. Legendary coach,Scotty Bowman once said, '' it's a good thing when you can finish a Series quickly, as it will be beneficial down the road.'' If there is anybody that would know that, it would be Mr.Bowman, after all he has coached three teams to Stanley Cup glory.

If the Sens win tomorrow night,a possible scenario for future opponents in the second round, the New York Rangers, for this to happen,Buffalo and Tampa have to win their respective series.

A Sens win and the Series finishes on Thursday

The Ottawa Senators have a chance to take a solid hold on the series with a win tonight in Pittsburgh.To accomplish this, they have to play good hockey, forechecking,bottling the Pens in their zone,be patient and score the first goal. It's been proven thru out the playoffs this year,that the team that scored first in the majority of times,have won their games.

The Sens must take advantage of Pittsburgh's weak defense and continue to shoot from every angle on Fleury, who was not as sharp on Sunday as he was on Saturday.

One thing that Bryan Murray should be concerned with, is the way his team has been finishing games. In game 1, the Sens stopped skating with a 6-1 lead, finished 6-3. In game two, blew two leads, finished 4-3 for the Pens. Game three, 4-1 lead, finished 4-2. In every game they gave the Pens a chance to start the next game with Momemtum. The best way for the Sens to change that, get a fast start tonight and take control of the game, from start to finish,do that and you can finish the Series on Thursday in front your fans.

Sens take lead in the Series

Sens take the lead in the series with a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens took the lead early in the game, then Ottawa took the game over and never looked back.

This series is becoming nasty, after crashing the net and bulldozing Ray Emery on Saturday, Colby Armstrong knocked out Patrick Eaves with a solid bodycheck, but Eaves had no way to defend himself. It was not a fair check and was not penalized. This is something that the NHL will have to look at, an the soonner the better, before someone gets badly hurt.

Sens Captain, Daniel Alfredsson scored two goals to lead the Senators to the 4-2 win over Pittsburgh. Game 4 goes tomorrow night in Pittsburgh. It should be a barn burner.

They Blew it Again

The Ottawa Senators had a chance to get rid of a monkey on their backs, and blew it. There is a saying in hockey, that you start your next game the way you finished your last, it holds true in this case.

After taking a commanding 6-1 lead, the Sens played too much defense and let the Pens score two unanswered goals late in
game 1. The Pens used that good finish and started game 2 roaring and never looked back. They came back twice and won the game 4-3.

The Sens let the young Penguins take the play to them instead of starting the game the same way they did on Wednesday in game 1. Good forechecking and intense play was not in the books yesterday and that is why they will be playing with immense pressure in game 3, which is a pivotal game in a series.

The Pens have the momemtum and will be playing in front of a highly pumped crowd, that will blow the roof of the Igloo in Pittsburgh. Bryan Murray and John Muckler will be nervous guys, as their fate lies in the hands of the 20 guys that will hit the ice this evening. The players have mentionned that have gained experience in the ordeal they went thru at the beginning of the season, Here is a moment where they will need to go to the well and feed off of that experience.

For Pens fans, this will be their first playoff game in six years and they will be loud and get louder when the Penguins hit the ice. It should be a dandy.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa and...

In Game two of this series, I don't think the Sens should change the way they played in game 1. Stick to their game plan and make the Penguins ajust to them and not the contrary.

They should continue the physical play and take it to the Pens, disturb Fleury. No doubt Pittsburgh coach, Michel Therrien, will give Laracque a bigger work load than in game 1, Murray has the answer to that in Chris Neil. It will be a closer game then on Wednesday, but more physical and entertaining. Game time is 3pm this afternoon.

After three nights of playoff hockey, there has been 742 face offs, the visiting team has won 381 of them for a pourcentage of 51.3%.

Out of the 69 goals scored so far, 47 of them have come at 5 on 5. 21 on the specialty teams and one in an empty net.

First Round predictions

My first round predictions. The Eastern conference :

Islanders vs Buffalo
Buffalo in 4
Note :

Buffalo is just too strong for the Islanders, they are quicker, the fire power will be too much for the Islanders to handle. The Islanders have used up alot of energy in the last few weeks, i don’t think they have enough left to overcome the more talented Sabres. Sorry Islanders fans, but it’s the truth, but console yourselves, I would not of given any more chance to the Leafs or Habs to beat Buffalo.

Tampa Bay vs Devils
Devils in 7
Note :

For Tampa to beat New Jersey, they have a big obstacle, Mr. Playoff himself, Brodeur. One of the best money goalies in the playoff history. Brodeur is not unbeatable, but if he gets in zone, Tampa’s fire power could be in big trouble, along with their shaky and questionnable goaltending.

Rangers vs Atlanta
Rangers in 6
Note :

I mentionnned Brodeur earlier, I think Shanahan can be as much as a factor in this series as Brodeur in the Tampa-New Jersey series. He is also a three time Cup champion, he is the reason the Rangers were able to get in the playoffs. He takes off alot of weight off Jagr in the leadership department. Experience wise, the Rangers have the edge over first time playoff performers Atlanta.

Pittsburgh vs Ottawa
Ottawa in 6
Note :

The series I qualify as being the best in the first round. When Ottawa captain, Daniel Alfredsson, jumps on the ice and looks across at the Pittburgh team, he will see a Senators team ten years ago, when they made the playoffs for the first time. As in the Rangers-Atlanta series, experience will be the factor that will decide the series outcome. Both teams ride on a high octane offense, but good defence and goaltending will also have to be part of the main ingridient. In that department, Ottawa has the edge. Emery who has playoff experience under his belt, will have to outshine Fleury for the Sens to move on. It should be a good series.

The Western Conference
Calgary vs Detroit
Detroit in 7
Note :

This is a chance for the boys from Hockeytown to redeem themselves. They have only past the first round once since they won Lord Stanley’s mug five years ago under the guidance of a certain Scotty Bowman. It will be far from being a walk in the park for the boys from motown. It’s going to be a physical series, but the Wings in the end will prevail. The Wings have the advantage of having two goaltenders with experience and have won the cup in Detroit in the past, as the Flames solely rely on Kipprosuff. Detroit’s defence, is among the best puck moving ones in the league, also count on the experience of the best money playoff defenceman in Chris Chelios, and Lidstrom is no slouch either.

Minnesota vs Anaheim
Minnesota in 6
Note :

I think this series will be the shocker of the first round. Jacques Lemaire loves being in the underdog position. Lemaire is the most underestimated coach in the league, a tag he wore in his playing days in Montreal, and he feels fine with that. Lemaire does not wait until the playoffs to prepare his team, that starts the first day of training camp. He is demanding, but gets the results he is looking for. Lemaire knows he is facing a good team, but has experience on his side, and can match witts with anyone, after all he did learn from the master himself. Good defence and patience will be the order of the day for Minnesota to win.

Dallas vs Vancouver
Vancouver in six
Note :

Two things Gm Nonis did during the summer that changed the Canucks. One the Hiriing of Alain Vigneault, who came in and changed the attitude of the dressing room and the trade that brought Luongo to Vancouver. Those two factors have been the reason the Canucks are in the playoffs, and could go deep. Both Dallas and Vancouver are not the most offensif teams in the playoffs, but I think the Canucks have the edge, as they are a quicker team than Dallas, and that could be the difference. Turco may be the most experienced of the two goaltenders, but Luongo, has size and knows how to use it.

San Jose vs Nashville
Nashville in 7
Note :

As it is called in baseball, we call this series, the rubber match one. Both teams met last year in round one, and the Sharks won it 4-1. The Predators have changed since then. Arnott and Forsberg in and Perreault out. Gm Poile has put his neck on the line with the Forsberg trade, gave up alot his team’s future to acquire Foppa, so he will be looking for a good return on that short term investment. The other difference from last season for the Predators, is that they have had solid goaltending all season and can count on a better go around this time.

So folks there you have it, time for some real hockey to start. As Spector puts it, predictions are for gypsies, but it makes it more fun to watch. Enjoy the games and have fun.

The Leafs in, but ....

The Montreal Canadiens have only themselves to blame for their elimination from the playoffs. One, their downfall since December 23rd. Two, their dummy plays in the second period of tonight's game and let a 5-3 lead get out of their hands.

The Leafs are not in, but will be praying that Martin Brodeur plays, and that the Devils win. Does Lou Lamoriello feel in a giving mood, as in giving the Leafs a chance to make the playoffs, or will he decide to pull Marty and get bitched at by the Leafs organization ? You never know with Lou.

A knife could go into the Leafs fans heart's if Lou decides to rest Brodeur. After all, if the Leafs where in the Devils position, wouldn't they rest your work horse ? Yes. After all, Brodeur has had a better season then all the Leafs players put together, so chunk on that Mr.Maurice.

As I mentionned in my previous post, the most exciting series in the first round of these 2007 playoffs, will be Ottawa-Pittsburgh. Two high octane offensif teams, should be great. I will have the match up in numbers for you tomorrow.

Good Night !

The Ultimate Showdown and ...

The ultimate showdown will take place tomorrow night between the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Eastern conference. Both teams failled to gain ground last night, as they both lost to New York based teams.

The Canadiens failled in their miracle comebacks, and lost 3-1 to the Rangers. The Leafs did not look any better, as they also put on a poor performance and lost to the Islanders, who with that win, have stayed in the race.

Fans in Montreal, must be starting to think that the players seem to play better and more desperate hockey when their backs are against the wall and enjoy the drama of pulling themselves from the jaws of death. A very dangereous game to play fellows. As Bob Cole, from hockey night in Canada would say '' it will be a dandy folks''.

Lou Lamoriello pulled off a stunner this week when he fired first year coach, Claude Julien, who was having a good season behind the Devils bench. What does Lou have up his sleeve this time. I'm sure Julien would like to know.

If the Ottawa Senators lose to Boston and the Pitsburgh Penguins win against the Rangers, the series between both clubs will start in Pittsburgh either Wednesday or Thursday. If Ottawa wins and Pittsburgh loses or if they both lose, the series will start in Ottawa on one of the two nights mentionned. This should be the best first round series in the Eastern conference. Two teams that ride on high octane offense and can play good defence, but both have been seen as getting brain cramps from time to time, something that could become the difference in series when all is said and done. It's nice have veteran leaders on your team, but the leadership must start from behind the bench. Michel Therrien has limited playoff experience behind a bench, and has been known to go off the deep end at times, which could become a distraction to the team. Bryan Murray, the Senators coach, has many years of experience, but has failled to make it to the cup final. Murray, who has no contract for next year, needs to see his team make it to the conference final, anything less could cost him his job and that of his Gm, John Muckler. So alot is riding in this year's playoffs for both men.

The Eastern conference playoff race and …

The Eastern conference playoff race is getting wild. As I write this, (March 27th) we have six teams battling for seeds 6 to 8. The Rangers, Tampa Bay, Carolina, Islanders, Montreal and Toronto are in a race to the finish. Islanders could possibly tank, as they found out that Rick Dipietro is suffering from post- concussion syndrome, and maybe out for the remaning of the season. The Montreal Canadiens got some good news, Cristobal Huet will be able to return and play the rest of the season, but young Jaroslav Halak has saved the habs playoffs hopes by himself, it would be a bit risky to toss aside to let Huet Play, it will be Carbonneau’s call. It’s too close to call folks, we may have to wait until Easter Sunday to find out who is in and out of the 2007 playoffs in the NHL.

If you want to curb violence in hockey, take the instigator rule out. I rather see two guys duke it out, then watch two guys try to behead each other. It’s not fighting that the makes hockey a tough sell to the americans, but the caveman mentality due to the dumb instigator rule. It’s just like the shooting the puck over the glass in the defensive zone, all four on ice officials see everything, but last year all of them went suddenly blind in the Williams-Koivu incident. Get your priorities straight over the summer gentlemen, instead of getting better, the game is going down the tubes.

As we in pre-playoff mode, one key for success during the regular season and in the playoffs, it’s scorring the first goal of the game. Let’s see who has led this category so far this season. The five leaders all have pretty much locked in they playoff rights. The five best this season, are Nashville, Ottawa, Anaheim, Buffalo and Detroit. But you also have good come from behind teams, and they are Minnesota, Buffalo, Montreal, Dallas and Colorado.

To have success in the playoffs, you need to be stingy, when it comes to goals agaainst. At one time the vezina trophy was a team trophy, before becoming an individual one. When Scotty Bowman was coaching the Habs in the late 70’s , we would tell them ‘’ win the vezina trophy and you will win the Stanley Cup’’. The Vezina was given to the team with the fewest goals allowed. So stingy defense is one of the main ingridients to winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see who has been stingy this year. Minnesota, Dallas, New Jersey, Vancouver and Detroit. Well look at this, four of the five leaders have a Montreal connection. Lemaire and Tremblay in Minnesota, once played for Bowman in Montreal. Bowman who coached Detroit and left his legacy. Julien in New Jersey and Vigneault in Vancouver.

A playoff preview

We are three weeks away from the end of the season and the beginning of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I thought it would be a good idea to take a look at some match -ups as if they started tonight (17-03-2007). I chose six stat categories, that will mostly come-up during the playoffs and compare the matched up pairings that could happen if they started right now. The categories are : 5 vs 5, Power play, Penalty kill, Goals for, Face-off % and ice time (19 mins + a game). Let's start with the Eastern Conference.(Teams in Red, winners of series)

8.Carolina vs 1. Buffalo:
5 vs 5 : Carolina ---- 124 (14th) Buffalo ------- 175 (1st)
Power play : Carolina --- 14.7 % (26) Buffalo ---- 17.4 % (18)
Penalty kill : Carolina --- 84.5 %(9) Buffalo --- 81.5 % (18)
Goals for : Carolina ---208 (14) Buffalo ---- 258 (1)
Face offs : Carolina---52.1 % (5) Buffalo---51.4 % (9)
Ice Time : Carolina --- 5 players at 19+ mins
Buffalo -----9 at 19 + mins

7. Islanders vs 2. New Jersey
5 vs 5 : Islanders ---- 136(6th) New Jersey ------- 114 (22nd)
Power play : Islanders --- 16.7 % (21) New Jersey ---- 17.4 % (17)
Penalty kill :Islanders--- 81.3 % (9) New Jersey --- 85.3 % (4)
Goals for : Islanders ---203 (17) New Jersey ---- 181 (26)
Face offs : Islanders---51.4 % (8) New Jersey---48.9 % (21)
Ice Time : Islanders---6 players at 19+ mins
New Jersey -----3at 19 + mins

6.Tampa Bay vs 3.Atlanta
5 vs 5 : TBay ---- 128 (13th) Atlanta ------- 134 (10th)
Power play : TBay--- 19.4 % (6) Atlanta---- 16.4 % (23)
Penalty kill : TBay --- 78.6 % (27) Atlanta --- 78.9 % (26)
Goals for : TBay ---215 (12) Atlanta ---- 217 (10)
Face offs : TBay---48.7 % (22) Atlanta---52.8 % (3)
Ice Time : TBay --- 6 players at 19+ mins
Atlanta -----7 at 19 + mins

5.Ottawa vs 4.Pittsburgh
5 vs 5 : Ottawa ---- 150 (3rd) Pittsburgh ------- 130 (12)
Power play : Ottawa --- 18.6 % (8) Pittsburgh ---- 20.2% (5)
Penalty kill : Ottawa --- 84.7 % (6) Pittsburgh --- 81 % (21)
Goals for : Ottawa ---244(2) Pittsburgh ---- 237 (4)
Face offs : Ottawa---52.2 % (13) Pittsburgh---47.1 % (30)
Ice Time : Ottawa --- 7 players at 19+ mins
Pittsburgh -----7 at 19 + mins

Western Conference

8.Calgary vs 1. Detroit
5 vs 5 : Calgary ---- 134 (11th) Detroit ------- 136 (7)
Power play : Calgary --- 18.8 % (7) Detroit ---- 17.7% (14)
Penalty kill : Calgary --- 80.3 % (24) Detroit --- 83.2 % (14)
Goals for : Calgary ---227(6) Detroit ---- 225 (7)
Face offs : Calgary---48 % (27) Detroit---53.6% (1)
Ice Time : Calgary --- 6 players at 19+ mins
Detroit -----5 at 19 + mins

7.Minnesota vs 2.Anaheim
5 vs 5 : Minnesota ---- 111 (25) Anaheim ------- 136 (8)
Power play : Minnesota --- 17.8 % (12) Anaheim ---- 21.9% (3)
Penalty kill : Minnesota --- 86.4 % (2) Anaheim --- 84.6 % (7)
Goals for : Minnesota ---195(19) Anaheim---- 229 (5)
Face offs : Minnesota---47.5 % (29) Anaheim---52.3% (4)
Ice Time : Minnesota --- 7 players at 19+ mins
Anaheim -----4 at 19 + mins

6.Dallas vs 3.Vancouver
5 vs 5 : Dallas ---- 101(28th) Vancouver ------- 107 (27th)
Power play : Dallas --- 18.4 % (9) Vancouver ---- 17% (20)
Penalty kill : Dallas --- 84.4 % (10) Vancouver --- 87.3 % (1)
Goals for : Dallas ---181(25) Vancouver ---- 191 (22)
Face offs : Dallas--49.6 % (16) Vancouver---49.1 % (20)
Ice Time : Dallas--- 6 players at 19+ mins
Vancouver -----5 at 19 + mins

5.San Jose vs 4.Nashville
5 vs 5 : San Jose ---- 121 (16) Nashville ------- 154 (2)
Power play : San Jose --- 22 % (2) Nashville ----17.6% (15)
Penalty kill : San Jose --- 83.9 % (11) Nashville --- 85.2 % (5)
Goals for : San Jose ---218(9) Nashville ---- 240 (3)
Face offs : San Jose---51.1 % (10) Nashville---50.3 % (12)
Ice Time : San Jose--- 5 players at 19+ mins
Nashville -----7 at 19 + mins

Around the NHL (25 2-07)

We are two days from the trade deadline, and another big name has changed teams. Keith Tkachuk was traded to the Atlanta Trashers in return for Greg Metropolit, the 1st and third round choice in 2007, and a second round choice in 2008. A conditional pick may be added if Tkachuck signs with Atlanta this summer. According to Andy Strickland of 1380 ESPN, the deal is being finalized. I think Atlanta paid way too much for Tkachuck, but Waddell will have to live with that choice I guess.

The Blues put an end to speculations to Eric Brewer's future in St-Louis, as they inked in him to 17 million $ 4 year deal, which comes on average to 4.25 million per season. This will have teams most likely putting their sights on Habs D-man, Sheldon Souray. Unless Gainey gets sweetheart deals like the Flyers for Forsberg and St-Louis for Tkachuck, I don't see Souray moving.

Just like Brewer, you can take Marco Sturm off the market, as he signed a 14 million $ 4 year deal, which averages out to 3.5 m $ per season.

So now I guess the two hottest commodities on the market now are Guerin and Souray. Two former New Jersey Devils draft picks. No doubt their value went up with the players above mentionned went off the market. So I guess Montreal's, Bob Gainey and St-Louis Gm, Larry Pleau sit and wait for offers. A weird fact here, you have two former Habs draft choices in Gainey and Pleau holding on to the two hottest commodities, which are two former New Jersey choices, with the history of those three teams in trading with each other, almost makes you wonder will this come full circle somewhere down the line ? We shall see.

Around the NHL (18-2-07)

Well the Forsberg saga finaly came to an end this week, when the Flyers traded him to the Nashville Predators for Scott Upshall, prospect Ryan Parent and 1st round pick in next June's draft. This move has had an effect on the teams who were in the running for Forsberg, and has left them scrambling and set their sights on other top potential candidates.

Fellow blogger Spector in his latest Fox column has a list of players that could be on the move. Among the names mentionned his article, you have Keith Tkachuk from St-Louis who would be willing to waive his no trade clause to go to a contender, the Blues asking will be pretty high, young talent and draft choices, a team seeking his services would have to clear at least 1.5 m in salary, if dealt at the deadline his cap hit for the remainder of the season would be about 1.2 + m. Spector also cites Bill Guerin as being available, his cap hit at the deadline would be more modest that his teammate's,figure around 500 k +.

The Ottawa Sun's hockey columnist, Bruce Garrioch, in a piece takes a stab at who will be buyers and sellers leading up to February 27th's trade deadline. Interesting and worth reading if you want to keep track of the comings and goings on that day. We could say it's the NHL's version of boxing day sales, we love them don't we ?

This week on Sportsnet, an incident happened, when the face of the well known anynomous hockey blogger Eklund, saw his face be revealed. Was it an accident or was it intentional, I guess you would have to ask the parties involved. Eklund has been subject of criticism about his connections and sources, but this week he batted a 1000 with the Forsberg deal, and had it posted on his site before the majority of the news web outlets did, so i have to say he his the real thing, but I would like to see him come up with a few more before i am totaly convinced.

Alot of rumblings coming the fans in Habland, they are not happy campers as we speak, just go visit some Forums, either in english or french, they are pointing fingers everywhere, either the players take the wrath or it's the management, starting with Gm, Bob Gainey and down to head coach, Carbonneau and his associates. I'm surprised they have not asked for the zamboni driver to be fired. As mentionned in the above piece from Bruce Garrioch, he mentions them as being buyers, this in light of the Huet injury and the six game losing streak, that has brought the habs from fourth to tenth place, that is incredible, seeing it being the 30th anniversary of the great season they had in 1976-77, when they recorded 60 wins and only lost one thenth of their games, a team on which Bob Gainey and Doug Jarvis played on. How times have changed in the land of Les Glorieux.

There seems to be a general consent among bloggers that Montreal's Sheldon Souray will be the menu du jour until Bob Gainey makes a public statement that he has no intention on trading his defenceman. An another loss tonight against the Blue Jackets could lead Gainey to decide to tank the season and become a seller rather than a buyer. Could underachieving Samsonov and fellow russian Kovalev be on the block, if such a decision is made ? My personal point of view, I don't think to many people in Montreal or other places that the Canadiens have a fan base, will be too sad to see Kovalev leave the Habs, my myself included. I think he is the source of the teams downfall since christmas, his attitude and not caring does not fall in to Carbonneau's or Gainey's play as a team philosophy. I think Gainey maybe a little more patient with Samsonov, because of the meeting he had with his winger,and he has played better and is working and seems to be more interested in helping the team get out of it's slump than before the meeting, but we will have to see.

That's all for now folks !

Forsberg and …

It’s time for Peter Forsberg to make up his mind, he either stays in Philadelphia or waives his no trade clause and picks where he wants to go. If he does wave it, most likely he will be traded to a western conference team, because i think the cup will be won by a team from that conference, for the simple reason that the top contenders are Detroit, Anaheim and San Jose, the Flames are a dark horse choice, but could move up if one of the above mentionned teams should tank in the first round. If I was a betting man, I would see Forsberg going to Detroit. I think it’s the best team suited for him, the wings are good puck moving team and have veterans that are hungry for an another cup, espacially after early exits in past years after their cup win in 2002. If Detroit does get Forsberg, no doubt they would have to find a team for Lang to clear up cap space.

If i am Doug Riseborough and Jacques Lemaire, I would go and scout Marco Sturm of Boston, he would be a Lemaire type of player and would fit well, and add some scoring punch, he could play with Brian Rolston on the penalty kill and maybe get a few shorthanded goals and help Minnesota move up a few spots in the standings.

Souray won’t be moved at the deadline, but most likely Gainey could trade him at the June draft and get something in return for him , the Habs retain his rights until June 30th. If he does go to LA, no Habs fans, Lombardi won’t trade Kopitar for Souray, but funnier things have happened in LA this season, after all they signed Cloutier to a contract, this same guy cost Crawford’s job in Vancouver. Crawford to Lombardi ‘’ could you tighten the nuce a bit more .‘’ A bit of humour folks.

Even if Gainey stated that he did not want to trade Ryder, who is a thirty goal a season player, the Habs Gm who always wears his poker face, would not hesite to trade his struggling winger for the right return. I concur with Spector on this, Ryder is playing his last games with the Habs. Still with the Habs, I think Gainey should look to try an acquire Gary Roberts, he is a proven leader and could take some leadership weight off of Koivu’s shoulders, I don’t think a team captain should be the one carrying all of that weight on his shoulders, not that I don’t Koivu is not a good captain and leader, but the majority of the players have heard the same message coming from different people, that it’s beginning to sound like a broken record, I think someone new with a different approach would be welcomed and possibly help save a season that seems to be on a free fall. I don’t see Roberts as a savior, but a breath of fresh air the Canadiens need in a big way. The Habs need to add size on the wings and a tough guy that can play and impose some respect, in the same way that Neil does in Ottawa.

If the Leafs miss the playoffs once again, JFJ will be packing his bags. The same could be said of Doug Maclean in Colombus. The Senators players hold the faith of Gm, John Muckler and coach Bryan Murray in their hands, anything short of a conference final appearence, could see owner, Eugene Melnyck clean house. A top a candidate for Muckler’s job is in my opinion, former Gm and Habs assistant Gm, Pierre Gauthier, after all he is responsible for drafting a good part of the Sens present line-up. If this happens Pierre, my two cents worth in a candidate, would be Pat Burns, he has the experience and won a cup with less talented team that you would inherite. In an interview on RDS, he mentionned that he would listen to offers if someone calls.

I enjoy watching Sidney Crosby play like everyone else, but one thing he will have to stop doing, is playing the wounded virgin, it will catch up to him in time, and nobody will believe him, starting with his teammates. Your paid to play hockey, so do that, the best way to answer to the hits, is score goals, that will sting more that anything you could receive.

That’s all for now folks !

Around the NHL (06-02-2007)

The New York Rangers traded Jason Ward and prospects Marc-André Clich and Jan Marek to Los Angeles for bad boy Sean Avery and a junior prospect, John Seymour. Avery has been known to be a distraction in a dressing room, but will have to deal with Brendan Shanahan, who seems to be the one running the show in the Rangers dressing room, maybe it might be what Avery needed.


Mike Chen in his latest blog spot on Fox, thinks it could be a good idea to shop Shanahan and get something in return and try to resign him as a free agent next season. It might not be a bad idea, if the Rangers have sank by the trade deadline.

The Sergei Samsonov saga is continuing in Habland, he cleared waivers and will not be sent to Hamilton. He had a long conversation with Gm, Bob Gainey and head Coach, Guy Carbonneau. Did he understand anything the two last captains to win a cup in Montreal had to say to him ? We shall see in the days to come. Stay tuned !

Will Jacques Martin, the Florida Panthers GM, trade Todd Bertuzzi ? Most likely, because he needs some kind of return to make the Luongo trade make some kind of sense in the long run. Gary Roberts, Martin Gelinas, Josef Stumpel and yes, Eddie the Eagle are also available. I wonder how many Gm's have Jacque's number on speed-dial, we shall find out soon enough folks.

The dummy play of the week or even the season has to go to Calgary's KRISTIAN HUSELIUS, on his shootout attempt, that has to be the dumbest thing any player to do, unless your talented enough to pull it off.

It should be an interesting next three weeks until trade deadline day. More and more rumours will be floating out there in cyberspace. Stay tuned folks !

Ken, How do we Thank you ? and …

Last Monday, the Canadiens retired Ken Dryden’s number 29. A goaltender that made his short career mean something. Dryden by his poise, thinking and play, made one of the biggest upsets in hockey history legendary. Even today, that story has made and still makes Harry Sinden believe that they were really ghost in the Forum at the time. Now, that his famous number 29 will hang from the rafters of the Bell Center on a permanent basis, it will be a constant reminder of that spring in 1971, and many others for that matter.

Those of us lucky enough to have seen him play that series against the Bruins that spring and many others after that, and saw and listened to Dryden’s address to the Canadiens fans last Monday, heard him say ‘’How do I thank you ? ‘’ on many occasions, and that reminded us of those great saves he made, that helped win those many Stanley cups during his short but very prominent career. I think the only thing we can do, is return that very question to him. To Dryden it needed no answer, he got it moments before when he got a standing ovation, he had anticipated the question, the same way he had made those scintalating saves, that the late great Danny Gallivan would often describe, watching Hockey Night in Canada on cold Saturday evenings in January as a youngster. Those of you lucky enough to have read his first book, ‘’The Game.’’ Know that it was written from scribbled notes, often written on pieces of napkins in hotel restaurants during team meals on the road, or sometimes on off days when just resting at home, a mental note was made, to remind him of either a bad home game or one on the road. So using that, hopefully I will be able to return his question to us back to him, which most likely, he will decline.

On many evenings, driving home, the radio blasting, the window of your car wide open, your arm out the window as you drove and thought of that bad goal you let in, and the fans giving you the bronx cheer. As you usualy did, upon a stoppage of play, you drew your stick in a position to lean and think, analyse what had just gone on. You did it and got better everytime, the bronx cheers went to ovations, more times that one. Having the knowledge to admit that you not only you let yourself down, you knew you also, you had let your team, fans, city, province and country down, but always knew, you could come back. How do we thank you ? You lifted us more than you let us down. Again, How do we thank you ? You made a team, an organization, fans, a city, province and country proud. How do we thank you ? A thank you, will never be enough, either it be from you and your family to us, or from us to them, we shall meet half way and shake hands. It answers your question, How can I ever thank you ? You did and we did, but, Merci Ken !

Yes the marketing of up and coming stars as Crosby and Ovechkin are good, but the NHL braintrust has yet to address the most important one, the constant questionning and critisizing of the on ice officials. They are part of the product you are trying to sell, if you are putting down your product in a way, why should as major network want to put that on ? You don’t the leaders of the other sports going to knocking on the doors of the major networks across the United States begging to have their product shown nationaly. They found ways to not belittle their product and it’s the major networks that are falling over each other to get that product on their time slots. I’m not saying that we don’t see bad calls made in the NFL, MLB or the NBA, but they are so few that they go unoticed most of time, but espacially we don’t hear a coach or manager critisizing on a constant basis the officiating. How do we fix it and make it more attractive to the major networks to have them broadcast them ? One step would be to include officials on the competition committee, i’m not sure it has one. The second could be to have officials travel as a unit all thru the season and create some kind of chemistry and hopefully consistancy in their calls. Giving more power to the line judges, not call penalties, but to bring one to the attention of one of the referees, a bit like they do in the NFL. Should the NHL adopt the challenge system also ? I say yes, but first address the question and see if it could work. I’m not saying the NHL should become the NFL on blades, but look at what is working for that league that could help better the product we are trying to sell. It’s a start, it won’t hurt, and it if helps the game in the long run, it will grow and for the good. In my opinion, Gary Bettman looks like a shoe salesman trying to sell used shoes. Gary, some advice, we can get them for free at the local salvation army, go back to the drawing board and find a way to make them look new.

I hope that Forsberg will make up his mind and decide to or not waive his no trade clause and put an end to the speculation once and for all. I figure that we could have alot of activity about 2 weeks before trade deadline. So this week may determine how it goes within that 2 week period. It will be interesting to see. We may get a surprise trade that throws a monkey wrench in the hole process.

Around the NHL (24-1-2007)

Well it's the All-star break and nobody is sturring, not even a mouse. All the Gm's are in Dallas, so we should be hearing some juicy rumours, but nothing yet, or at least something worth reporting besides league executives hoping to land Mr.Forsberg, who has said that he does not want to leave Philadelphia and hoping to return to Sweden and start getting his foot ready for next season.

No wonder Forsberg is in high demand, you have 8 of the potential 16 teams that could be playoff bound come April 9th searching for that extra push that could guarantee them home ice for a good part of the playoffs, espacially potential 4th seed teams in both conferences, like Montreal and Ottawa in the East, San Jose and Detroit in the West. A healthy Forsberg would be a good pick up, but would he be even at 75% ? No doubt, at 75%, Forsberg is better than alot of players at 100%, but is the future of your franchise worth a long shot like that ? In the NHL salary cap era all teams live in, it's a very big gamble.

Teams that we could we possibly see in the Playoffs for the East according to the rythm that they have maintained since the beginning of the season.
In The Eastern conference.
1.Buffalo 117
2.New Jersey 108
3.Atlanta 102
4.Montreal 99
5.Ottawa 95
6.Carolina 92 )(Defending Cup Champions)
7.Tampa Bay 89 (more wins than Pittsburgh)
8. Pittsburgh 89
We should have a great race in the East between, Montreal, Ottawa and Carolina for 4th seed and for the 7th and 8th and final in the East. Games between those teams will be like playoff games.

In the West, it could like this :
1.Nashville 119 (possible winners of the President's trophy)
2.Anaheim 111
3. Calgary 96
4. San Jose 110
5.Detroit 109
6.Dallas 101
7.Vancouver 96
8. Minnesota 90
The biggest battles in the west could be between Vancouver and Calgary for third place and San Jose and Anaheim for second place.

The scenario presented could be altered with the trade deadline and injuries to key players. An exciting end to the season in perspective for sure.

Stay tune Folks !

Around the NHL (15-1-2007)

Saturday, was Hockey day in Canada, the CBC posting a thirteen hour marathon of comments and NHL games opposing Canadian teams. In the first of three games, the most storied franchise in NHL history, the Montreal Canadiens were in the nation's capital to take on the Senators in an afternoon stint. The Habs simply did not show up, and the score after the second period was evidence enough. I think if the players had turned around and slapped Head coach, Guy Carbonneau, and associate coaches, Kirk Muller and Doug Jarvis in the face, the sting would have lasted a shorter time than watching their guys getting stung badly. Saturday's massacre was an insult to the guys behind the bench and the guy who gave them pretty good contracts. They had bled for the red white and blue and have cup rings and the scars to prove it . The Ottawa Senators brass had to offer apologies to Habs GM, Bob Gainey for a tastless clip that appreared on the scoreboard. As we know Gainey lossed his daughter in boating accident last month.


In the second game of the triple header , the Vancouver Canucks took on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Center. Like the Canadiens in Ottawa earlier, Toronto was smoked 6-1. I'm sure that Leafs coach had plenty to say to his players after the game just like Carbonneau did. It stings more when it happens in your building. At least in the last game of the day, the Oilers showed some kind of opposition to their Alberta rivals.

Tim Panaccio from the Philadelphia Inquirer, notes that rival Gm's should forget about Peter Forsberg, he is going nowhere. He has a no-trade clause and has no intentions on waving it and claims that he owes the Flyers one year.That should not prevent Gm's from asking, espacially that they will know Forsberg's cap hit come deadline time and would make a good pick- up for a team looking to go deep in the playoffs. The phone lines in Philadelphia may burn up come February 27th.

Brett Hull made his debut on NBC's telecast on Saturday, as usual he spoke his mind. And it was not the blah blah you get from JR, but well thougth ideas and opinions. Also on the telecast, they introduced the Bellowing moose, who has kind of a blog thing going. On his last post, he mentions that Pittsburgh Penguins coach, Michel Therrien could be on his way out, and this before the end of the season. The problem is find a replacement at this time of the season, mostly likely one of his assistants could take over til the end of the season.

Around the NHL (7-1-2007)

Tis the season for trades ? A good question. It appears so, last week we saw the Ottawa Senators acquire Mike Comrie from the Phoenix coyotes. Petr Nedved finally landed in Edmonton, after speculation that Ottawa would claim him, that was the plan as far as the Sens were concerned, but the Oilers were quicker. As Scott Morrison from CBC's Hockey satellite hotstove mentionned last week on his blog, the Senators are better off with Comrie than Nedved.

Is Kevin Lowe looking to acquire Brad Stuart from the Bruins ? According to Bruce Garrioch from the Ottawa Sun, the answer is yes. He also mentions that the Sharks, Avs and Wings have also inquired about Stuart, who becomes an UFA at the end of the season, but the Bruins have started contract talks with his agent, and unless the B's tank from now to trade deadline, I don't see Stuart being moved.

In the same article, Garrioch mentions that a fire is lighting up under both Lightning Gm, Jay Feaster and Coach,John Tortorella to bring the team within playoff contention or we could see a major fire sale in Tampa Bay, as in major salary dumps, ie: Richards, St.Louis and Lecavalier. If Feaster was put in the situation of doing so, would he find a taker for one of those hefty contracts ? I think Richards would stay, but either St.Louis or Lecavalier will have to go. Who has the cap room to absorb the remainder of those contracts ? Lecavalier becomes an UFA in 2009 and St.Louis in 2011. Lecavalier would be the easiest to move. But for who ? We might find out soon enough.

Getting back to the Comrie trade. Garrioch mentions the real reasons that they traded the center, was money, what else is new. The Coyotes ownership wanted Comrie's salary off the books as they are not going to make the playoffs. It's believed that Nagy (3m), Nick Boyton (2.95m) and Dennis Seidenberg ($750,000) could be the next to go.According to Garrioch, the Habs, Hawks, Canucks, Rangers and Flames gave the Coyotes a call about Comrie's availability. I guess the call that Habs Gm, Bob Gainey gave, did not last long when he heard who the Coyotes wanted in return.

Speaking of the Habs, they have been hit by the gastro bug, and had alot of players out in their game vs the Rangers. It's not the only bug hitting the team lately. Their poor performances in the last few weeks surely must have Gainey and coach Carbonneau worried. Gainey is not the type of Gm to make trades out of panic. The poor play of his team and two wingers, Samsonov and Ryder, don't give him much options.

Around the NHL (30-12-2006)

The Anaheim Ducks are on their way to the best season in the team's history, which also includes the days when they were known as the Mighty Ducks. Keeping up the same pace in the second half as they did in the first, they could record a sixty win season. A task that will be hard to keep up with both your regular goalies are hit with the injury bug.

The Buffalo Sabres are on their way to beating a team record for points in a season. The Sabres of the mid seventies had recorded a 113 point season in 1974-75 and reached the Stanley cup finals that same season. This season, the Sabres will set a new record and have a second 100 point + season for the first time since the team of seventies that I mentionned.

When will we see the first significant trade this season ? A good question. The Salary cap has played a major factor in why we have seen little movement so far. It's playing the role it was meant to do. I like it, because everyone has the same chance to put together the best team possible and it creates parity.

The preparation for the trade deadline starts in the new year, as we will enter the second half of the season and half the players salaries will have been paid out, so it will be easier to absorb salaries under the cap.

The big question is who is going where and who is staying ? Sundin will be staying in Toronto and finish his career as a Leaf. The same could be said of Joe Sakic in Colorado.

Most likely the Philadelphia Flyers and the St-Louis Blues will be sellers as they will want to rebuild.

The tradeline might be one the most interesting in years.

Around the NHL

We are not even half way thru the season and already we have seen four guys losing their jobs (Hitchcock, Yawney, Gallant and Kitchen). Could we see more before the end of the season ? Very possible, Gretzky would step down before the obvisious would happen. Is Joel Quenneville’s job on the line in Colorado ? I don’t rule it out, unless he can turn around Jose Théodore’s poor play. I would not be surprised to see Colorado buy out Théodore’s contract at the end of the season, he will be earning 6 million next season, so at two thirds, Colorado would be on tap for about two million in dead cap space and save 3.3 million in the cap. Brisebois and Turgeon will not be returning next season also. Pierre Lacroix has been known for pulling rabbits from his hat in the past, but the Théodore trade is not one of his best, combined with the Brisebois and Turgeon signings, will be a blotch on his legacy in Colorado.

If Florida wanted to shop Gary Roberts, I think he could be a good fit in Montreal and center the maligned Kovalev-Samsonov line. He is a good leader and could take off some pressure from Koivu in that department, he also could be a good influence on the youngsters coming in to a playoff run. I don’t think too many teams will want to meet the Habs in the first round of the playoffs, or any round for that matter. The comeback kids are deadly when it comes to the second and third periods, a lead is not safe with them. I would not be surprised also, to see Gainey keeping an eye on what the Leafs will do with Tucker. I think if the Leafs don’t sign him to a contract extension and becomes a free agent, Gainey could offer him a contract, which in my opinion could spell the end of Micheal Ryder in Montreal.

If the Senators fail to make the playoffs , I can see the owner cleaning house, Muckler and Murray would be out of jobs. If this happens, we might see the return of Pierre Gauthier as Gm, who is presently acting as the Habs Gm during Gainey’s leave for the reason we all know. Would Gauthier be tempted on giving Pat Burns a call ? Burns is recovering from cancer, has mentionned his desire to get back in to coaching. In a way Burns would be coming back to where he started. He was the coach of the Hull Olympiques when a certain Wayne Gretzky was the owner in the mid 80’s and had players like Luc Robitaille, Pat Brisson (now a player agent) and Benoit Brunet in his line-up. Remember it was Burns’ Devils that eliminated the Sens in game 7 of the Eastern conference final in 2003 and went on to win the cup against the Mighty Ducks in seven games. It would be a good comeback for Pat, espacially that he would be meeting three of his four former employers on a regular basis (Montreal, Toronto and Boston).

The season is 187 days long, divide in two and it comes to 93.5 days, so the half way point as calculating the cap, would come on day 94, which brings us to about the first weekend in January. So look for movement to start in the week of January 8th and would end at the trade deadline on February 27 th.

Could Anaheim beat the Habs record for most Points in a single season ?

The Anaheim Ducks may want to put back Mighty in their name again , because thay have been just that this season so far. If the Ducks were to keep the same pace, they could finish with 133 pts, which would beat the Montreal Canadiens record of 132 points from the amazing 1976-77 season, thirty years ago.

An another team is on a strong pace, the Buffalo Sabres could tie a record from the 1995-96 season, established by the Detroit Red Wings, who finished the season with 62 wins. Scotty Bowman who coached the Habs team I mentionned earlier, was also behind the wings bench in 1995-96, which made him the first coach to win 60 games with two different teams. The Hall of Fame coach could have company this season, if Lindy Ruff keeps his team on the same pace.

Of course my calculations do not take in to account the injury factur or possible trades after the mid season point when half the salaries will have been paid out, which would change a lot of things. Also, possible slumps by teams who are on hot streaks now, like Anaheim and Buffalo.

If we were in perfect world and everything went as planned, this is how the Eastern and Western conferences could look like come April 9th. In the East, Buffalo would have home ice advantage in the first three rounds. They would meet the Washington Capitals. The Atlanta Trashers would meet the Boston Bruins. The New Jersey Devils would meet the Islanders in a New York area series. The New York Rangers would meet the Montreal Canadiens in an original six series.

In the West, The Ducks would meet Calgary. Edmonton and Detroit would meet for a second year in a row. The Nashville Predators would take on the Minnesota Wild. Dallas and San Jose would face off in the last of that conference’s first round match ups.

I will repeat the excercise after the trade deadline, and see where we are at that point and should give us a better idea at who will make the playoffs in April.

Is Mats Sundin playing his last year in the NHL ? Speculation is that he could retire and finish his playing in Sweden. If the Leafs don’t pick up the option, Sundin will be owed 1million US, which will count in the Leafs cap for next season.

My best wishes go out to the Gainey family, in hoping that they find Laura.

This Week In the NHL (29-11-06)

At the NHL Board of governors meetings next week in Palm Beach, Florida, the schedule could become the main menu if Comissionner Bettman can be persuaded to put it on the agenda.

Ryan Smyth of the Oilers, will become the most sought after UFA this coming summer. I'm sure they are already teams jockying for position to get the first crack at him, come July 1st. The Rangers, Kings, Wings and Coyotes could be amongst the most interested. The catch here, how many teams are they left that did not participate in the UFA market in the last two years and who has the cap space available for the next 3 to 4 years at 5.25 million a year ? Not too many. Also factor in, that the cap limit could take a plundge next season.

Is President/GM, Doug MacLean, on his way out if Colombus fails to make the playoffs ? He would be the obvious choice if you look at the standings. The have 14 points and have 60 games remaining, even if they got one point in those remaining games, they would still be eliminated. If the team does not improve by Christmas, I think MacLean will be gone and Hitchcock could have double duties till the end of the season.

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, The Montreal Canadiens GM, Bob Gainey, is listening to offers on David Aebischer. With Huet pretty much taken the number goalie spot, that means Aebischer is available. The Coyotes and Kings have investigated the possibility.

On the Hockey Website, The fourth Period, they gathered their 'Experts'' and asked them some questions:
1. Which team is in most need of a change?
The Senators, Flyers and Canucks came up the most often.

2. Which team will be the first to press the panic button?
The Senators once again come up in the discussion.

3.Will San Jose trade one of their goalies this season?
8 said Yes.

4.Will the Boston Bruins trade Glen Murray?
7 Of them answered said Yes.

5. Will the Philadelphia Flyers trade Peter Forsberg?
6 Said no.

6.Who will be the first big name player to be traded?
Daniel Alfredsson's name came up twice.

I guess we will find out in time if those gentlemen are right or wrong on the their answers.

Around the NHL

Sheldon Souray is starting to look like the defenceman that Habs fans saw at the beginning of the 2003-04 season before going down with a knee injury in February 2004. He struggled a good part of last season, but seems to have regained his confidence and is one of the team's top d-men, along with Craig Rivet, who to everyone's surprise is playing the best hockey of his career, and add Andrei Markov to the mix, and you have a good trio of defencemen. I won't go as far as comparing them to the hall of fame big three of the 70's, but in today's cap restricted NHL, it's a luxury. All three, Rivet, Souray and Markov become UFA's at the end of the season, will Montreal Gm, Bob Gainey be able to re-sign them ? Espacially that there is specualtion that the cap limit could go down next season. I guess Gainey will worry about that when the time comes.

I'm sure they were alot of happy faces on Ottawa Senators fans faces this morning on the way to work. The Sens pulled off a team effort and beat the high flying Sabres in Buffalo, 4-2. To top off the night, Sens defenceman, Chris Phillips, on a lucky bank shot, scored his first goal in more than 50 games, I guess it was a good way to put the icing on the cake. Before, Lord Stanley's cup dances in your head, beware, the slump is not over yet. It was a good feel good win, but that is all it was, temporary relief for the moment. For it to be really over, the Sens have to win the weekend games in New Jersey and in Ottawa against the Sabres again, you know, Buffalo will be looking for revenge and with most likely their number one goalie, Ryan Miller, back in the line-up. Chris Stevenson from the Ottawa sun, noticed that the press gallery had been invaded with scouts from : Washington, Pittsburgh, the Rangers, Toronto, New Jersey, Chicago, Florida, Colorado, Anaheim, Carolina and two from the Oilers. Is something brewing in Ottawa ? Stay tuned.

Will Ken Hitchcock be coaching the Colombus Blue Jackets this weekend ? Good question and Doug McLean is not talking and for a good reason, according to the Colombus Dispatch, an interview with Hitchcock is only due next week. Hitchcock's value could go up, if the Senators fail to win their weekend contest against the Devils and the Sabres. McLean better act fast or he could be walking the unemployment line.

Guy Carbonneau, The Canadiens rookie coach, is not making any friends among the on ice officiating NHL collegiate. Carbo, known to Habs fans, is not very happpy with some questionnable calls by referees since the beginning of the season. I think he is right . Take last night's game against the Lightning, Mike Johnson, a surprise pick up in off season by Gm Bob Gainey, was chasing the puck behind Marc Denis' net and bumped in a lightning player, fell and played the puck, missed it and at the same time an another Bolts player grabbed it and fell, if you check the replay, Johnson was not the cause of the fall, but was called for tripping, those kind of calls have been happening alot, Carbonneau is not putting all the blame on the refs, but would like more transparency and clearity. Carbonneau is as alert behind the bench as he was on the ice as a player. Carbonneau is learning the trade, and will in time, know when to chat with the refs and when not to, it will come with time Guy.

The Sens, Roy and …

I remember along time ago, the season following the Montreal Canadiens four straight Stanley Cup run, the team entered the 1979-80 season struggling, and legendary hockey broadcaster, Dick Irvin, asked the following : ‘’What is wrong with the Canadiens ? ‘’ I think this is also the case for the Senators. . I’m sure that Spector remembers that period in the Habs history.

Like the struggling Habs team I mentionned, the same factor seems to be downing on the Senators. Ok, you can say, that it’s still early in the season and there is no reason to panic, my question to you then is: ‘’How long will it have to take for the team to gel as coach Murray puts it ? ‘’ A better question then, ‘’ How long will it take before the fans that pay the big bucks to see a game at Scotiabank Place, start howling their discontent at the next home game ? ‘’. Seeing the last Few Senators games, it just might be a question of time.

An another question also could be asked : ‘’ Is it time to change the chemistry of this team ? ‘’ I think so, a rebuilding process may start in Ottawa before too long.

Patrick Roy, like him or not, your choice. Will become a member of the Hockey Hall of fame come Monday November 13th. This past week, Roy made a joke about Habs rookie Guillaume Latendresse scoring his first NHL goal on Tuesday against the Oilers. Since then the Quebec media have been having a field day with this. Today (Thursday) Roy changed his tune, and stated that he had nothing against the young man, and in a way, without saying, whished he had not said it. Unfortunatly Latendresse fell in the trap laid out by the former Habs great. The Habs rookie, said : ‘’ I did not really like him, even if i was a fan of the team.’’ Guy Carbonneau, Habs head coach and former Roy teammate for ten years, has not and probably won’t even come to his rookie’s defence, but will likely will have a little talk with him, on how to goat his former teammate, and to take the episode as a learning experience. If I would of been in Latendresse’s position I would of answered : ‘’ Too bad I did not score it against him.’’ Good answer, but Roy could of replied : ‘’ I was having an off night.’’ Possible Patrick, but i’m sure you would of had to think a few times before answering. Roy is unique, he is able to get the press eating out of his hand, and is very good at it. Scotty Bowman, was a master at that, even today, four years after coaching his last game, he still attracts attention, sorry Don, but once again he out matches you. Sorry guys and gals from the media, but Bowman, Cherry, Roy, Gretzky, Lemieux (Mario) wave the their magic wands and you all come running.

I think we will have a big trade this month, which teams will be involved, your guess is as good as mine, but it could and mostl likely have an impact on how the trade deadline activity goes come February 28th.
Stay tuned, the words : Leapping lizards, may come to mind.

That’s all for now folks !

Roy, Gretzky and ...

Next weekend, we will see Patrick Roy's hockey career come full circle when he is inducted in to the Hall of Fame. Like him or not, he deserves his spot in the hall among the greats that have played the game. I'm wondering if the league arranged to have the Montreal Canadiens play the Leafs on what is called the Hall of Fame weekend. The official induction will take place on Monday, November 13th.

If my memory serves me right, this will be the first time Roy will be on the same ice as his former team without his former Colorado teammates. Only two players on the actual habs edition were around when Roy played his final games with the Canadiens in 1995-96. Captain Saku Koivu, was in his rookie season when Roy was still in Montreal, I think Rivet was there also, but was a fill in from time to time at the time.

He will though have a chance to exchange some good memories with former teammates, Guy Carbonneau, Kirk Muller and Habs Gm, Bob Gainey, who was team captain in his rookie season and won the cup in 1986. Could this be the first step to welcome Roy back into the Habs family and put to rest the way he had left eleven years ago. That will be Patrick's decision if he wants to make the next move towards that, The Habs President, Pierre Boivin has mentionned, that Roy was more than welcome to comeback when he feels comfortable to do so. Stay tuned !

The Coyotes fans are not happy campers, and they are pointing fingers at Wayne Gretzky, the Head Coach. Is Gretzky's inexperience as a coach starting to show, and things will get worse before they get better ? It seems to be showing it's ugly head. As we know, the great one has been known to surround himself with friends and be loyal towards them, that's fine outside the rink, but in the dressing room it's not something that will help team chemistry. Last season, the Gretzky effect worked for awhile, but faded as the season went along, and it's light has gone out. I think that Gretzky should step down in the best interest of the team.

It seems that the cap limit could be coming down next season, not in dragstic way, but will come down, I would say at about 42M and stay there for the remainder of the life of the CBA. Teams that went wild on free agents in 2005 and 2006, could feel the pinch and be forced to dump some salaries, espacially the big contracts. Example, Martin St.Louis in Tampa Bay could hit the market, but it takes two to trade.

City of Brotherly love, not so brotherly ?

Is Bobby Clarke on his way out in Philadelphia ? Can't rule it out, after all, ten years ago the most storied franchise in hockey, the Montreal Canadiens made a house cleaning when the team President, Ronald Corey, fired about every hockey man in his sight, including Serge Savard, who had built him two Stanley cup teams in his twelve year stint with the organization. Could this happen in Philly ? Anything is possible. Like him or not, Bobby Clarke built three teams that went to the Stanley cup finals, but the name of the game is about Winning the trophy and not being second. The knock against the former Flyers captain and now Gm, is he has not be able in his two stints as Flyers Gm, to find that number 1 goaltender that will bring him to the promiseland, he had a chance to pick up Patrick Roy, he declined, Roy went on to Colorado and won two cups there, and won the Memorial cup as coach and Gm of his junior team in Quebec city.

This summer, his coach, Ken Hitchcock, was without a contract, he finally got renewed and now things seem to be falling to pieces. Is Hitchcock the problem ? I doubt it, but of course I am not in the dressing room. What is the problem in Philadelphia ? Hopefully, Clarke and Hitchcock can find it before they are out of their respective jobs. Guys, you don't have to be Einstein to figure this out, you can't decide who will be your number one goalie, you have a defense that looked like firehydrants in the 9-1 blasting against Buffalo. You have a number one center that has been known to be injury prown, and out of 13 forwards, about only one third can score, you don't win too many games with that. Under the old NHL, you could get away with it, but under new one, skill, speed and youth are front and center, just look at the team that bombed you the other night, they have the ingridients for what will be and probably is the recipe for success in the NHL under the cap world.

Who is responsible for the mess in the Flyers camp ? is it the coaching style of Hitchcock or is it the guy that signed the players that he should not of, Bobby Clarke ? I don't blame Hitchcock, but as I said, I am not in the dressing room, I think he should stay and Clarke should be the one to go. If the Flyers should make Hitchcock the scapegoat, you have a certain Bob Gainey, that would scoop him up and make him a special adviser to his coach, Guy Carbonneau, not that he does not trust his former teammate and coach, but as they say, two heads are better than one. A role that Jacques Lemaire played with the Habs in the 80's and 90's, alot of times you can learn things watching the game from a different perspective than when your running the bench, not everybody can be Scotty Bowman. He could be on a cellphone with his wife making up the following week's schedule for the family meals, change his lines, be two steps ahead of the other team, win a game, hell the Stanley cup, and not a lose a step, I think Mr.Bowman would of been able to do all at once.

To conclude, the Flyers are in bad shape, they have no Dryden or Roy, far away from having the big three, the offense is shooting blanks, no Lafleur, Shutt or Lemaire as an explosive first line, and no Bowman behind the bench. Sorry Philly fans, but Lord Stanley does not have you on his radar for this year or next, he maybe flying north this year.

Note: Sorry, i have not been around to update my blog, but i have had personal issues to deal with in the past few weeks and now are resolved, hopefully i will be able to update my blog on a regular basis from now on. Thank you for your patience. !

Islanders to buy out Yashin and ...

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun, the New York Islanders will buy out the remainder of under achieving forward, Alexei Yashin's contract at the end of the season. Yashin is in the sixth year of his idiotic contract. As far as the cap goes the Islanders will have to absorb 12 million in cap space for the next 8 years, which comes up to 1.5 million in dead cap space, compared to the space he is taking now, which comes up to 7,4 million. I think it's a pretty good deal for the Islanders, and clean up a mess that should never of happened.It is well stated in the CBA, that buyouts at two thirds are to count in the team's cap space for twice the remaining years of the contract. In Yashin's case, he will have four years remaining on his contract, so spread out it comes up to eight years.

Garrioch also mentions in his article, that the Red Wings could have an eye on Martin Biron from the Buffalo Sabres, should Dominic Hasek fall on his face. Other names are also mentionned to be of interest to the Wings, J-S Giguere in Anaheim, but his contract presents a major obstacle, but could be a good pick up come the tradeline in late February or early March.

In the same article, Garrioch believes Pittsburgh's coach Michel Therrien and Dallas coach, Dave Tippett could be on the bubble and could become the first coaching casualities of the season. If Tippett was too fall in Dallas, former Leafs Bench boss, Pat Quinn could be considered to take over. Garrioch mentions also, that Ottawa Senators owner, Eugene Melnyk, is being patient with his coach, Bryan Murray, and suggest that he should offer him an extension and kill the speculation that he could be bumped at the end of year or before, if the team should fail to live up to expectations. I have always wondered why Murray was hired in the first place, because his coaching record in the playoffs pretty much looked the same as Jacques Martin's who was fired after the early exit in the spring of 2004.

It seems that Washington Capitals owner, Ted Leonsis, is taking offers from potential buyers, but has not mentionned if he would actually sell the team, but you never know.

That's all for now folks !