The 2011 Stanley Cup Final is a little different than most because it features a chance for a Canadian NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. Most pundits thought the Canucks felt this pressure since before the puck dropped. They were the strongest of all of the Canadian teams in the league this season. Both teams faced similar paths in getting here. Both were trying to exercise past playoff disappointments (Blackhawks and Flyers), both had to win a 7^th game at home (Canadiens, Blackhawks, Lightning) to advanced and both had to dispatch their arch rivals in a series to advanced (Canadiens and Blackhawks). Actually it’s quite unique that both teams beat their rivals in the 1^st round at home in a 7^th game overtime. Talk about destiny.

1 Vancouver Canucks vs. 3 Boston Bruins

Season Series: 1-0 Bruins

Playoff Series History: Never

Season Goal Differential: Boston +51, Vancouver +77 Both therefore make the superstitious cut-off (+25) for being a champion in the modern era.

What We Learned: Boston and Vancouver can play some great inspired hockey when needed. They both have resilient goalies that bounce back when needed.

Stars to Watch: Well when you get to the Finals both teams have a handful of stars to watch but I will pick one from each side. We all saw how well the Sedins played against the Sharks, which is a good thing since they had disappeared for a bit. But the Canucks heart and soul is Ryan Kesler. Kesler took a slight step backward against the Sharks and also got a little banged up. He will need to continue to grind, do the dirty work and be a force in front of the net for the Canucks to win. On the Bruins side it’s all about Nathan Horton. The Bruins haven’t lost a single game when Horton has scored a goal. They have only lost once in a playoff game when Horton produced at least 1 point. As Horton goes so do the Bruins. The Bruins top line might go against the Sedin line a lot, so it’s important they aren’t playing defense most of the time. Otherwise it coul dbe bad news for the Bruins.

X-Factor: Did somebody say Manny Malhotra? After sustaining a horrible eye Injury in March, Malhotra looks cleared to play. Besides being a defensive and face-off ace, Malhotra can also produce some points. Don’t forget the emotional lift teammates will have when they see him step onto the ice. The return of Malhotra may just tip things in the Canucks favor. But there’s still a chance he won’t go. For the Bruins their x-factor is the young Tyler Seguin. Seguin started out strong in his first two playoff games but didn’t produce any points in the next five. But he still played well even without any points. He has a minus in only one game. Seguin will need to produce again to counter the deep Canucks team.

Goalie Problem: Roberto Luongo vs Tim Thomas, again. You should remember that this two were both the back-up goalies for Team Canada and Team USA in the Olympics. Luongo ended up being the starter and Thomas didn’t really play at all. But it further adds to the similarity and continuity of the team’s paths. Both goalies are also Vezina finalists, just in case you didn’t know they were good. Both are more known for strong regular seasons and no so stellar playoff seasons. However, both have played real well this postseason. They both also have a pair of shutouts and twelve wins a piece. You might have noticed that the goalies are just as mirrored as the teams are. So who has the edge? Well despite the immense pressure, Luongo has persevered and hasn’t had a bad game since moving past the Blackhawks. I’d still give the slight edge to Thomas though. Thomas still tends to overplay shots and scoring chances. If he continues to do that, Vancouver will make him pay.

Fun Fact: The Canucks won their first series in 7, the 2^nd in 6 and the 3^rd in 5. Would they win this round in a sweep? It would follow the pattern but it’s extremely unlikely.

Prediction: This should be a dandy of a series. Great goaltending, great depth, great defense, good hitting and long cup droughts. Hockey fans have been fortunate to witness some great Stanley Cup Finals the past few seasons. I view the Bruins as more of blue collar underdogs with a slightly harder to path to get here. While the Canucks are the more glamorous record setting team. I know the Canucks did not have an easy path to the Cup and they also boast blue collar players but it’s just what it looks like to me. The Canucks are having what you may call a magical year. The only thing they need now, to cap it off, is to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup. Vancouver has already seen magic in the building with Team Canada’s Olympic win and the fact that Luongo was their goalie. This Finals will serve as an encore with the same results. I see the Canucks winning in seven and finally getting that monkey off of Canada’s back. Of course the Canucks are led by two Swedes and an American but who’s keeping track.

After a fight filled week of Bruins-Canadiens, Islanders-Penguins and Wild-Blues, suspensions, tempers and emotions are running at a high in the NHL. Even one of the greats of the league is not happy at what is happening around the league.

Penguin’s owner Mario Lemieux was outspoken about the leagues handling of the big Penguins-Islanders brawl and even hinted he would want “out” if the league continued in this manner.

So in the spirit of love being all around, except in the NHL, let’s give out some Valentine’s in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick.

THE NHL TO ITS TEAMS:

I can understand Super Mario’s frustration as his team continues to struggle and loss some more players due to injury in the big melee with the Islanders. I can also see how the NHL has tried to send a message to organizations and teams that this kind of behavior is not going to be tolerated.

The NHL player is bigger, faster and stronger with the respect between players seems to disappear. The NHL needs to send a Valentine to all of its teams saying the following:

Dear My Precious Teams of the NHL,

Times have been tough for us these past few days.

We have seen fights, anger and melees.

But please remember we are a sum of our parts

And what we decide comes from our hearts

BRUINS TO TIM THOMAS:

Tim Thomas has been one of the best stories of the NHL this season.

The former Vezina Trophy winner was an afterthought as it had seemed the future was now for Tuukka Rask. Then came eight straight victories to start out the season and his seven shutouts, which is already a career-high.

Now, the 36 year old netminder is making believers out of his doubters as the Bruins sit atop the Northeast Division.

The Bruins need to send a Valentine to their MVP that would go like this:

Dear Tim the Tank,

You have been our knight in shining armor

With the media you are such a charmer

On a nightly basis you stand on your head

Without you our chances for a division crown would be dead.

GAME OF THE WEEK:

For the last Valentine, it is for the viewers of the NHL. NBC is set to broadcast Hockey Day in America on Sunday with the following matchups: Flyers vs Rangers, Capitals vs Sabres, Penguins vs Blackhawks and Red Wings vs Wild.

That same afternoon the NHL Heritage Classic between the Canadiens and Flames will be played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.

This will be a great day for hockey fans to just sit down and relax and enjoy an excited day in hockey.

With that all said, the game of the week happens earlier on Tuesday when the top two teams of the Eastern Conference square off.

The Lightning are currently on a ridiculous 11-game home stand and with a 5-2 record, thus far have proven they are going to be a team to beat in the Eastern Conference. The Flyers are the team rights ahead of them in the standings are 13-3 since the calendar flipped to 2011.

One of those losses was to the Lightning on February 1st; in fact, the Flyers are 0-3 vs the Ning this season. This game will go a long way if these two teams square off in the playoffs.

For the Lightning, it will be a mentality of sweeping the season series and for the Flyers, one that reminds them they can beat this team.

Historic Franchises

The two teams that are matched up in Super Bowl XLV have combined for 18 NFL Championships and 11 Super Bowl appearances.  With that in mind for the NHL, the Stanley Cup Final this season would match up Montreal vs Detroit.  The Canadiens have made the Stanley Cup Final 34 times, winning 24 of them, although Les Habitants last made the Cup in 1993 when Patrick Roy took down Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings.

The Western Conference representative Red Wings have made 24 appearances in the Cup Final, winning 11 of them.  Red Wings fans, unlike the Canadiens fans, have not had to wait patiently for a Final, as they made back-to-back appearances in 2008 and 2009.  Although in the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys tied with Pittsburgh with eight Super Bowl appearances.  You get the idea of two historic franchises with tons of winning history squaring off to decide the ultimate championship.

Challenge on the Play

In 1999, the NFL changed their instant replay rules allowing coaches to “challenge” a call on the field. The NHL is getting close to allowing replays as well.  On Friday night two close off-side calls resulted in two big goals as both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks scored goals that on further review should have been called off-sides.

This has seemed to be a weekly, if not daily, occurrence in the NHL.  The game is faster and television coverage has improved—why not use these to your advantage to make the game better?  The GM’s rejected a Dale Tallon proposal back in November, but when they reconvene in March, they should take time out of talking head shots and discuss this much needed rule change.

Game of the Week

The NHL on NBC has returned and in the spirit of the flexible schedule that is given to NFL on NBC, the game I would flex this week would be the Boston Bruins vs the Montreal Canadiens.  With all due respect with the games that NBC chose for their Sunday lineup this week (Bruins vs Red Wings), this Northeast Division rivalry will be more fun to watch.

The 708 lifetime games between these teams are the second most of any two NHL opponents.  They come in second only to Detroit and Chicago, with their original six matchup games of over 712.  This season the series has been lopsided, with the Canadiens winning the first three matchups.  All three matchups have been close, as the Canadiens have outscored the Bruins by the combined score of 10-6, including a miracle overtime comeback victory in their last matchup on January 8th.  I expect fireworks in this matchup of division foes so close in the standings.

The unofficial second half of hockey begins on Tuesday night with 13 games. First before we look ahead in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick, let’s look back at the first half and hand out some hardware. In the ever tight race for first half MVP it came down to three players in my opinion.The sharp shooting Steve Stamkos, all-around superstar Sidney Crosby and goaltender Tim Thomas.

First, I ruled out the Bruins goaltender, mostly because he is my pick for goalie of the first half, and wanted to spread out my awards.

Then I ruled out Stamkos only for the fact that his season can also be pointed to the fact that his line mate Martin St. Louis is also having a superb season thus taking some of my personal votes away for the player currently leading the league in both goals (38) and points (67). So my first half MVP is none other than Sidney Crosby. Let’s not forget that before Sid the Kid missed the last nine games due to a concussion he had a  25-game point streak, the longest in the NHL in 18 years. The center still sits second to Stamkos in both goals (32) and points (66) and his second in command Evgeni Malkin is having a down year statistically.

I have already named my goalie of the first half. Tim Thomas, the player responsible for the Bruins lead in the Northeast Division and current leader in both save percentage (.945) and goals against average (1.81), was an easy choice.

My defense-man of the first half was probable the hardest decision as not one candidate has been outstanding in every category that determines what makes a defense-man above the rest. I went with the former forward/defenseman/forward/back to defense-man in Dustin Byfuglien. Big Buff leads defenders in goals (16) and more importantly already has six game winning goals, as the Thrashers have put themselves into playoff contention.

Now that we took two steps back, let’s take one step forward and this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick, or the top three story lines I am watching for in the second half.

Trade Deadline Sweapstakes

In none of the other four major sports does the trade deadline matter so much than in the NHL. We sit four weeks away from the day that can decide the fates of so many franchises. In those four weeks teams will have to decide what piece they are away from winning the Cup and how much they are willing to give up to get that piece.

The tightness of the race in the Western Conference has been well documented but do not be surprised if a good amount of those team’s show their real identity in the weeks to come. As we grow closer and closer to that date check those twitter feeds and TSN trade center as teams step up or punk out. Sometimes it is those deals that are not made in a panic mode at the deadline are what are best for the organizations. February 28^th will be an interesting day for hockey writers, fans and general managers.

I am Feeling Dizzy

As the games arguable best player had to sit out the leagues weekend to showcase their talents, the commissioner dropped the knowledge that concussions are up this season. This after an off-season that showed them implement rule 48 to eliminate blind side hits to the head. The commissioner also informed us that blind side hits are down this season and that more of the concussions are happening due to area of accidental or inadvertent situations. I will be watching to see if the number continues to grow and to whom it could cost a run at the Stanley Cup.

I am almost certain that hockey fans will be forced fed some more information pertaining concussions when all 30 GM meet in Boca Raton for their meetings March 14th through the 16th. Concussions are a hot topic among the sporting world as more and more cases are showing their ugly head of how it affects the athlete after their playing days are done. The tricky job of the GM’s will be how you protect the player while protecting the natural physical nature of the game.

Award Season

In the spirit of the movie industry having their award season and how I documented earlier, the race for some of the top awards in the NHL are up for grabs. It will be an intriguing fight for the Art Ross and Hart Trophies. Henrik Sedin put an emphatic stamp on his candidacy for the Hart last season with 32 points in the last 21 games last season. How will Sidney Crosby come back from the concussion? Can Tim Thomas really keep up the pace he is on right now? Will any goalie stop Steve Stamkos from scoring goals? What will the Sedin twins have to say when it is all over? Will anyone please step up and win the Norris?

Those are some of the questions that need to be answer and will have an impact on which player takes home the hardware and more importantly lead their team to a good position to win the hardware that matters the most.

Teams with 2 games this weekend: Thrashers, Sabres, Flames, Blackhawks, Panthers, Canadiens, Devils, Islanders, Flyers, Lightning.

Defenseman To Watch:

Dennis Wideman, Panthers: A player that has been traded for offensive talents like Brad Boyes and Nathan Horton has finally found his scoring tough with his latest team.  The 27-year-old has six points in his last eight games including five of them coming on the power play. If you are looking for a plus player to win that category this weekend, do not look this kid’s way, as he is a -13 this season. With games this weekend verses the Lightning and Devils Wideman has a chance to put up some points as both of those teams rank near the bottom of the league in goals against.

Trevor Daley, Stars: Start believing folks, the Stars are for real, and thus a real fantasy gold mind.  The latest gem to come out of Big D is Trevor Daley.  The 27-year-old has five points in his last six games with three of them coming on the man advantage.  In his sixth NHL season Daley has entrenched himself into the Stars top four defenders playing 23:00 minutes a game, second only to top d-man Stephane Robidas. The Stars have already shown their trust in this talented player and locked him into a six-year extension in late December and the same should be for your fantasy squad.

Andy Greene, Devils: As the Devils continue their slide let’s not forget their fantasy value and their top defender has been producing lately.  Andy Greene took advantage of his added ice time last season and rewarded the team with a career-high 37 points, with 15 on the power play.  This season, like most of the Devils, he has taken a step backwards in his production.  Though lately that has not been the case with five points in his last six games, and even more important he has moved his plus/minus from a horrendous -25 to moderately respectable -19.  The 28-year-old is second on the team in ice time per game (22:02) and with the recent injury to Matt Taormina, you can expect his power play time to expand since the Devils have been employing a one defender top power play all season.

SHOOTOUT VICTORY

The following teams are shopping this holiday for a shootout victory this season.  As Wild, Oilers and Bruins are 0-3 this season and the Canucks and Islanders are 0-2. The Wild wish there was a power play on the shootout as they have only scored 3 goals in their 3 shootouts.

The offensively challenged Oilers and Bruins are worst off as both teams have only 2 goals in their 3 shootout losses.  The top two picks of the 2010 NHL Draft have been successful for those teams as Taylor Hall is one for one and Tyler Seguin has the only two goals for the Bruins in three attempts.

Though only in two shootouts each the Canucks only have two goals and the Islanders have none.  The goalies of those two teams have not done any better as Roberto Luongo has given up five goals on all five shots this season.  Dwayne Roloson has only stopped one of his three shots faced but ironically Ricky DiPietro has given up only one goal on his three attempts faced.

The goalies of the three shootout losses teams have been atrocious also.  Niklas Backstrom has given up six goals on the 11 shots faced, that is not going to give any team a chance to win.  Early season favorite for the Vezina Tim Thomas has stopped six of the nine attempts he faced, so that goes on the offense to have someone other than Seguin to score. His counterpart Tuukka Rask gave up two shootout goals on the two shots he faced.  The Oilers were glad to see Nikolai Khabibulin return as he at least stopped one of the two shots he faced, while Devan Dubnyk was awful giving up five goals on seven shots.

So in the month of December all these teams are asking for is a victory in a shootout to give them a chance in the standings as we have seen in the last couple of the seasons the shootout can be the difference in making or missing the playoffs.

POWER OUTAGE

Some of the top teams are having a difficult time scoring with the man advantage this season and will be shopping around on ways to improve what could be a deadly weapon. Philadelphia, Montreal and Pittsburgh are seeded 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th right now in the Eastern Conference but ranked 16^th, 11^th and 12^th respectively on the power play. All those teams have dangerous offensive talents and normally ranked in the top five in power play percentages.

Out West the Los Angeles Kings had the seventh ranked power play last season and have the 23^rd ranked one this season.  The surprise Dallas Stars, who lead the Pacific Division, have the 17^th ranked power play and the upstart St. Louis Blues who sit in a playoff spot now in the West are ranked 26^th in power play percentage.

All of these teams mentioned have offensive talent just have not found the right combination on the man advantage.  For most of these teams finding that right combination can be the difference in being a good team and a great team and for some being a playoff team and playing golf in the spring.

FIRST GOAL FRENZY

Scoring the first goal in a game is important in many levels and shown that all 30 NHL teams have a winning percentage of .500 or higher when scoring first.  That being said some teams have horrible winning percentages when they give up the first goal and will be shopping this holiday season for the all important first goal.

The New York Islanders have had a tough time to start the season, not to mention a 14-game losing streak and a coach firing, they are 0-13-2 when they give up the first goal.  The Devils have had a tough time scoring goals, NHL worst 1.81 goals per game, as they are 2-12 when trailing early.  The Canucks are 12-1-1 when they score the first goal of the game and conversely 2-7-2 when they don’t. Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators are fringe playoff teams and both only have two wins when they give up the first goal.

Look at the top of the standings with teams like Washington (9 wins when giving up first goal), Pittsburgh (7 wins), Philadelphia (6 wins) and Detroit (4 wins) shows that good teams that can bounce back from giving up the first goal of the game. But these teams would like for the holiday some games where they do not have to bounce back and take the early lead.

This week we said goodbye to a hockey legend as Pat Burns finally lost his battle to cancer at the age of 58.

The three-time NHL coach of the year and Stanley Cup winner with the Devils in 2003 touched the lives of many owners, coaches and players of today.

He will be missed by everyone, and a special hats off in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick for Coach Burns.

NOT SO STRONG ISLAND

The mess on Long Island has gone from bad to worse. Last week we had the inaugural NHL firing, as Scott Gordon was sent packing and Jack Capuano was named interim head coach. But that did not stop the bleeding, as the Islanders keep losing; 12 in a row now, and even their announcers do not want to watch them play.

So if the guy paid to watch them does not want to do that, how can Charles Wang expect fans to want to pay to see this club? Surprisingly, they have the second worst attendance, averaging 11,058 fans in their seven early home games. They can thank Phoenix and their ownership problems for not having the worst attendance; the Coyotes have averaged 10,265 fans in their eight early games.

You can look at the early injuries to top defenseman Mark Streit and scoring forward Kyle Okposo as signs that this season was going to be a tough one. Now the attention shifts to Capuano and whether this team can win a game.

I will be watching their games this week on Wednesday vs. the surprise Blue Jackets and Friday vs. the also struggling Devils and look for them to stop this extended and embarrassing losing streak.

WE ARE GOING STREAKING THE OTHER WAY

As the Islanders are going streaking backwards, their brethren at the bottom of the attendance rankings, the Phoenix Coyotes, have won six in a row. They have taken down the Blackhawks, Flames, Blues, Flames again, Oilers in a shootout and the Canucks.

They have made the streak interesting, as four of the games have been one-goal games. Ilya Bryzgalov has been standing tall for the Yotes, as he has five of those wins and a .924 save percentage during this streak.

Offensively, they have been winning without captain Shane Doan, who just returned Sunday from his lower body injury. Their big offseason acquisition Ray Whitney has been on fire with nine points during the streak.

With home games this week vs. the lowly Oilers on Tuesday and Friday with the Ducks, I will not only be looking to see if the Coyotes can keep this winning streak going, but I will also be looking to see if anyone will show up. This team proved the impossible last year as they fought for a playoff berth and will continue to do the same this year. Let’s just hope people in Glendale start caring.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

We have not gotten to do this feature in the Hat Trick yet this season because there has been so much to talk about, but this week we have a home series that I will be paying attention to. The Western Conference-leading Detroit Red Wings face the surprise Columbus Blue Jackets Friday in Columbus and then Sunday in the Motor City.

The Red Wings offense has been sizzling this year, as they lead the NHL with 3.67 goals per game. The Wings are being paced by the regulars of Pavel Datsyuk (22 points) and Henrik Zetterberg (20 points), but also some surprises like Dan Cleary’s nine goals and the good health of Johan Franzen (13 points in 17 games).

The hottest player in the NHL and this week’s NHL First Star of the Week is the Blue Jackets’ Rick Nash. The power forward had six goals this week, including two game-winning goals as Columbus won three straight on the West Coast. They gave the Kings their first home loss of the season and swept a three-game Pacific Coast road trip for the first time in franchise history.

I am sure these two hot teams and division opponents will produce two much-anticipated games this week. The Red Wings have dominated the series, winning 45 games, including five wins in six games last season, but with Columbus playing some of their best hockey, I will be watching to see if they can reverse that trend.

The NHL season will hit its quarter mark in the next couple of weeks.

Some teams have limped their way into the first stretch while others have sprinted towards that first pole marker.  Before I review the three hottest teams out of the gate and break down their staying power, let’s hand out some awards.

MVP is Lightning’s Steven Stamkos, who leads the league in both goals (15) and points (28).

Best goalie is the Bruins’ Tim Thomas who just suffered his first loss of the year in his 10^th start (8-1-0) and leads the league in save percentage (.957) and shutouts (3).

Rookie of the year we stay in the nets and give it to Flyers Sergei Bobrovsky who has 10 wins in his first 13 career starts and is near the top of the league in both save percentage (5^th) and goals against average (7^th).

Now let’s break some hot teams down Pucking Awesome Hat Trick style.

PHILADELPHIA FLYERS

The Flyers are starting to prove doubters of their amazing Stanley Cup run wrong early on this season.  My rookie of the year, Sergei Bobrovsky (22), is responsible for much of their fledgling success. But, they can also attest to the deep crop of forwards they can field each night.

Seven skaters already have double digit points, with more than half of them having 15+ points.

The team as a whole is second in the league in goals per game (3.41), and the once struggling power play has found its stride scoring at 21.9 %, good for seventh in the league.  Their penalty kill has not been too shabby either ranked sixth in the league (86.8%).  Only the Canucks and Lightning also have both their PP and PK ranked in the top ten like the Flyers.  Also, only the Canucks and Kings are ranked in the top ten in both goals for and goals against like the surging Flyers.

The emergence of Claude Giroux as a superstar in the league has also paced the Flyers.

The former first round draft pick has 18 points in 17 games with four power play goals, three shorthanded goals and three game winning goals so far this season. His development along with the continued hot play of the Briere-Leino-Hartnell line has created matchup problems for opposing defenses.

Speaking of defenses, no team in the NHL can match the Flyers top six defenseman as the +20 third pairing of Andrej Meszaros and Sean O’Donnell combined.

The depth of both the defense and offense is the reason why I believe the Flyers have staying power. Yes, they will need to figure out the “problem” of having three healthy goalies by the end of the month, but in my mind isn’t that a good “problem” to have.

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LOS ANGELES KINGS

The Kings have come out of the gate blazing leading the Western Conference with a 12-3-0 record and undefeated in the City of Angels (8-0-0).

This blossoming team has benefited from some solid goaltending as the Kings lead the league in goals against (1.87). Jonathan Quick is 10-1-0 and is third in the league in both GAA (1.52) and save percentage (.944) proving that his time in net is not winding down even with top prospect Jonathan Bernier on the roster. They always say your best penalty killer is your goalie and that is proven true as the Kings have the best penalty kill in the league (92.2%).

Offensively, they have benefited from having two lines that can score at anytime. The top line that features Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Scott Parse has 31 points combined. While, the second line of Jarret Stoll, Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams has 39 points between them all.  Justin Williams needs to stay healthy for this team to have staying power.  The 29-year-old has not played more than 50 games in a season since 2006-07 and in that year had 30 goals.  When healthy, the former first round pick of the Flyers is a dangerous goal scorer to have on your second line.

The team has been dealing with some injuries on defense, including losing superstar Drew Doughty for six games due to a concussion and lost veteran defenseman Willie Mitchell to a fractured left wrist. But, with their hot goalie play and the return of both Doughty and hard hitting Matt Greene they seem to be ok on the backline.  The Jonathan goalie tandem is the main reason I feel that the Kings have staying power.  The one thing you have to worry about is their offensive depth. As they are depending on frequently injured forwards like Williams and Smyth. They have already lost Alexei Ponikarovsky to injury.

MONTREAL CANADIENS

Like the Flyers, the Montreal Canadiens are trying to prove that their run to the Eastern Conference finals was not a fluke. So far, they are not disappointing and even more impressive is they are doing it without playoff hero Jaroslav Halak.

The trade of Halak to the Blues this off-season was a highly debated topic around the league as once again golden boy Carey Price was given back his starting job. Price was even booed in his first pre-season start in Montreal as fans and experts alike continued to question the move.

Price, the only goaltender in hockey history to be named CHL Goaltender of the Year, World Junior Championship’s tournament MVP and win the AHL Jack A. Butterfield Trophy, all in the same year, has responded.  The 23-year-old is 10-5-1 with a .923 save percentage and 2.18 GAA and has two shutouts already this season.  The former fifth overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft will be the key to this team having staying power for the entire season.

The usual dominant power play has been dormant while the usual dormant penalty kill has been dominant. The Canadiens rank second in the league on the PK (88.9%) but rank 20^th on the PP (14.5%). Much of the non-success of the power play has to be pointed toward the injury of Andrei Markov. The veteran has only played in seven games this season and injured his knee again. Not good to have the player that has 194 career power play points not in the lineup.

I think this team has limited staying power and like I said will depend a lot on Price, now even more so with the injury to Markov.  Another important key to them having staying power is to get more production out of their other playoff hero Michael Cammalleri, who only has four goals in the first 16 games.

The goaltender is the most talked about position in the NHL today. More and more teams are relying on a tandem or an unproven commodity to lead them to victory.

Right now there are only six goalies who have started 12 or more games and most teams are not having their goaltender play more than 60 percent of the time. In this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick I examine the three goaltending situations that are at the forefront of all hockey fans’ minds.

Washington Capitals

No one has had a more revolving door in the crease than the defending President Trophy winners. Picked by most to repeat that feet this year the Capitals turned to two unproven 22-year-olds this offseason in Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth.

Varlamov, the playoff goalie the last two springs, suffered a groin injury early and started the season on IR. Paving the way for the two-time Calder Cup champion Neuvirth who went out and won four of his first five games played. All seemed well as Varly was set to return from the injury but after his first start was back on the shelf with the same groin injury.

The Czech goalie continued his hot play winning eight of the first 13 games played in filling in for Varlamov, with a 2.41 GAA and .914 save percentage. Then came Friday night vs. the Bruins, a game which the 22-year-old gave up three goals on 14 shots and was pulled giving way for former third-round pick Braden Holtby.

The 21-year-old finished the game strong in a Capitals comeback win and then was given his first NHL start against the red-hot and first-place Flyers. The 6’1” goalie responded with his second win in his second game and now has fans in Washington really confused on who should be their netminder.

I think the organization has given Semyon Varlamov every chance to become the full-fledged No. 1 option and will be given that opportunity back when completely healthy. The Russian already has the playoff experience that the Capitals feel they need in a goalie but I am sure they are pleased in how both Neuvirth and Holtby have played just in case Varlamov does not stay healthy.

Philadelphia Flyers

The no-angle goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final and flat out bad goaltending play brought to the forefront what every media outlet has covered for decades—the Flyers have not had a franchise goalie since Ron Hextall retired.

With that in mind and some money to spend GM Paul Holmgren made the calls to the likes of Evgeni Nabokov, Dan Ellis and Marty Turco but they all went to other organizations or even leagues.

Thus the Flyers seemed to be left with the tandem that they magically rode to a Stanley Cup Final appearance: waiver wire hero Michael Leighton and good locker room veteran Brian Boucher. Little did they know that a signing that happened during the playoff run would be so important to their run to the top of the East this season.

Sergei Bobrovsky played the last three seasons as the starting goalie for Metallurg, two of them in the KHL, putting up good numbers despite the bad team. The 22-year-old undrafted free agent came into Flyers camp hoping for a starting spot on the AHL team but due to hot preseason play and back surgery to Leighton was named the opening-night goalie for the Flyers.

Bob’s has been spectacular with an 8-2-1 record and ranked ninth in the league in both GAA (2.19) and save percentage (.926). He even was one win short of the franchise record of seven consecutive wins for a rookie netminder.

Now, with Leighton rehabbing his back and set for an end-of-month return, begs the question of who will be the No. 1 for this top Eastern Conference team?

I think the team will carry three goalies until it is proven that Leighton is completely healthy. The team has four back-to-back game nights in the next month and a half and will have plenty of opportunities to get at least two goalies some action. Once they are forced to (salary cap reasons or not getting one goalie enough playing time) they will make the tough decision of who to take off the active roster.

What complicates things more is the goalie playing the best right now is the only one with options to be sent down without going through waivers. A lot has to be played out before they have to make their decision, but today I would say Brian Boucher better get ready for some long bus trips or a new address.

Tampa Bay Lightning

One of the more surprising top teams this year has been the Tampa Bay Lightning, though it has been mostly because their offense is pretty sick. They have been getting decent goaltending out of both Mike Smith and Dan Ellis.

The have split the starts in the first 13 games this season with Ellis having the better numbers: 2.45 GAA to Smith’s 3.43 GAA and .911 save percentage to .881 percent. But the player who they received in the big Brad Richards trade to Dallas has been winning with a 4-2 record. While the offseason free-agent acquisition also has a winning record of 3-2-2.

I must give new general manager Steve Yzerman some credit in teaming up two goalies with not a lot of recent success to be the No. 1 goalie. He seems to have found a great pair that will not complain for more ice time as the other plays.

For this team to have continued success I think they will have to keep the formula of splitting time to keep these talented goalies fresh and away from injury. I think if they needed to rely on one of them that would be a recipe for disaster.

Ilya Kovalchuk’s big money long term contract and subsequent problems in New Jersey with his healthy scratching and in many ways not fitting into their system, is just the latest example of big long term contracts gone wrong. Alexei Yashin was rewarded with a 10 year 87.5 million dollar contract which he never lived up to and was eventually bought out. Roberto Luongo was signed to a 12 year 64 million dollar contract that even included a no trade clause, though stipulations allow Luongo to wave it after the 5^th year and the Canucks after the 7th. While Luongo is a decent goalie, he is not consistent and he generally doesn’t preform well in the playoffs. I personally don’t think the Canucks will ever win the Stanley Cup with Luongo as their goalie. But Luongo’s contract makes it almost impossible to go in a different direction in net no matter how much he flounders. The Chicago Blackhawks have recently signed Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith to long term contracts, 12 years for 62.8 million and 13 years for 72 million respectively. Both contracts have so far worked out for the Blackhawks but I’m more than positive there will be a point where they regret one or both of them. Even Cristobal Huet’s, who did not preform well enough to warrant retaining, smaller contract of four years worth 22 million severely handicapped the Blackhawks ability to re-sign the players they needed.

While I understand the need to lock up certain stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin and so on, I think you can do it in a more responsible manner that gives your team the best chance to compete in the short term but also in the long term.

Goalie Spotlight

Niklas Backstrom – Minnesota Wild

Finnish born Backstrom played for HIFK, SaiPa and Kärpät in the Finnish SM-liiga league. He excelled playing for Kärpät leading them to league titles in 2004 and 2005. In both of those seasons Backstrom picked up the Urpo Ylönen trophy for best goaltender and the Jari Kurri trophy for best player in the playoffs. After two dominating years, Backstrom played another year with Kärpät in which he actually posted even better numbers. After that season the undrafted Backstrom signed with the Minnesota Wild in 2006.

He was slated to be the back-up to Manny Fernandez but Fernandez suffered a knee injury halfway through the season which opened the door for Backstrom. He lead the league in GAA (1.97) and SV% (.929) and shared the William Jennings trophy with Fernandez. He also tied Dwayne Roloson’s franchise record of five shutouts in just 36 games. He later broke that record with eight shutouts during the 2008-09 season. Fernandez was traded shortly after and Backstrom followed it up with two more highly productive seasons including 2^nd runner up to the Vezina trophy in 2009. Last season Backstrom took a step back but still posted somewhat decent numbers. Internationally Backstrom made the 2006 and 2010 Finnish Olympic teams but was not the number one goalie in either case. He was part of the Bronze medal winning team in 2010.

So far this season Backstrom is off to a great start. The Wild don’t really possess the most talent in the league but Backstrom has helped the Wild allow the 3^rd least goals in the conference so far. Backstrom will need to continue to play well for the Wild to compete for a playoff spot this season.

Fights of the Week

Special thanks to hockeyfights.com for making this section a little easier to do.

David Liffiton vs. Tim Jackman

Decent fight, Liffiton won with some nice punches.

Mike Richards vs. Matt Cooke

Richards held his own against Cooke. I didn’t care for Richards’ cheap shots at the end.

Zenon Konopka vs. Daniel Carcillo

I didn’t think this fight was that great but many people liked it so here it is. This was the 1^st of two fights between these two in this game.

Goats of the Week

Cory Sarich – Calgary Flames

Sarich was, I guess, trying to pass the puck back to his teammate but inadvertently hit it in his own net on an unsuspecting Kiprusoff.

Tyler Myers – Buffalo Sabres

More on Mister Myers below but on this power play Myers has his pocket picked twice by Jamie Benn and Steve Ott hammers home the rebound. The video doesn’t sync with the audio and it plays choppy but it was the best I could find.

Things I like

1. America’s best goalie Tim Thomas, sorry Ryan Miller, keeps up his winning ways. Tops in GA%, SV%, shutouts and a perfect 6-0 record. In fact he has as many shutouts (3) as goals allowed so far this season. It’s clearly his Vezina trophy to lose this season. It’s a shame that his “rookie” season in the NHL essentially began when he was 31.

2. Everyone wanted to know when Taylor Hall would score his 1^st goal. Well on the day Tyler Seguin scored his 3^rd, Hall tipped in his 1^st. Hall then had back to back games with a goal and an assist. He still has a long way to go but this mini streak might be what he needs to get going.

3. Tampa Bay has the best record in the Eastern Conference for the first time in October ever. It’s like it’s 2003-04 all over again. The Lightning can obviously score goals with the best of them. They key is whether the defense and the goaltending combo of Dan Ellis and Mike Smith can keep it up.

4. Zach Parise, Jamie Langenbrunner and Travis Zajac reunited on the top line. Before Ilya Kovalchuk got there this was one of the best lines in the NHL and actually was the top line according to +/- halfway through last season. Of course it was short lived when Parise injured his knee against the Kings requiring surgery and sidelining him for three months. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery. The Devils will surely miss their team MVP.

Things I don’t

1. Tyler Myers had a stellar season last year and was awarded the Calder trophy. This year when you look up the term sophomore slump, you will find a picture of Myers. Myers goal production has been good but he currently only has one assist and an eye popping -10, which is tied for the league’s worst. At this point Buffalo would be wise to take him off the top defensive unit. Myers has already made my Goat of the Week honors twice in just four weeks. Truly not a good sign.

2. Thrashers shootout shooters. Ondrej Pavelec played his first game back since suffering a concussion in a hard fought game against the Blues. Tied 3-3 the game went into the shootout. Atlanta selected their shooters. Who did they pick? Andrew Ladd their leading scorer? No. Stanley Cup hero Dustin Byfuglien? No. O franchise player and leading goal scorer Evander Kane? No. Rich Peverley and Alex Burmistrov. Neither came close to scoring and Pavelec didn’t really come close in stopping the Blues on their attempts. I don’t know who was going to shoot 3^rd but there’s a reason why Sidney Crosby shoots first, you want your best players to have a chance to score.

3. Antti Niemi has so for struggled as a Shark. He is 1-3 with a .854 SV% and 4.50 GAA. It’s a shame Niemi hasn’t been able to build upon last year’s stellar season. He was also pulled against the Flames after giving up three goals on only five shots. On the other hand Antero Niittymaki has made the most of his starts and is running away with the starting job. If Niemi doesn’t turn it around it’s unlikely many teams will try and sign him when his one year deal expires.

Stat Line of the Week

10/30/10 St. Louis 4 vs. Atlanta 3

Jay McClement is not what you would call a goal scorer having never scored more than 12 goals in a season. However on this night he was the whole Blues offense. Scoring his first three goals of the season on three shots including two goals in the final six minutes of the game. This allowed the Blues to eke out the win in the shootout.

Did You Know?

Though it’s still early since Tim Thomas is having such a magical year, let’s take a look at the records he is chasing. George Hainsworth holds the record for lowest GAA at .921 set in 1928-29. Of course things were much different back then. Miikka Kiprusoff holds the modern era record at 1.69. Wins is held by Martin Brodeur at 48 set in 2006-07. Dominik Hasek holds the record for SV% at .936 set in 1998-99. George Hainsworth holds the shutout record of 22 also set in 1928-29. Dominik Hasek holds the modern era record of 13 set 1997-98.

Numbers, Numbers

6 – Misconduct or game misconduct penalties in the Islanders vs. Flyers game on 10/30

12 – Number of seconds between two Alex Ovechkin goals against the Flames

0 – Regulation losses by the Canucks at home in six games

2 – Goals by the Maple Leafs in the last three games

17 – Goals given up by the Flames in the last three games

-9 – Niklas Hjalmarsson’s +/- rating to go with his 0 points produced and almost 3.5 million dollar salary

Quotes of the Week

“This is Avalanche hockey. We’re so young, we don’t know any better.

— Colorado right wing Chris Stewart, who had a hat trick Thursday when the team overcame 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3 deficits in a 6-5 win at Calgary.

“It was inexcusable, and if you could take that moment back, you take it back.”

— C Rick Rypien on reaching into the stands to grab a fan in Minnesota on Oct. 19, which earned the scrappy wing a six-game suspension from the NHL.

This Week in Hockey History

Special thanks to the Hockey Hall of Fame site for making this section a little easier to do.

October 28, 1976 Philadelphia goalie Bernie Parent led the Flyers to a 3-0 shutout over the Penguins at the Spectrum, with the 40th shutout of his NHL career.

October 29, 1942 Montreal Canadiens signed Maurice Richard to his first contract. He made his NHL debut two days later.

October 30, 1983 Chicago’s Tom Lysiak tripped linesman Ron Foyt as the Black Hawks won 6-1 over the Hartford Whalers in Chicago. Lysiak was later susended 20 games for the incident.

October 31, 1975 Phil Myre recorded his 9th career shutout as the Atlanta Flames won 2-0 over the California Seals, in Oakland. Tim Ecclestone helped in all the scoring, with a goal and an assist.

November 01, 2000 Larry Murphy had two assists to give him 1,201 career points, making him the third NHL defenseman (along with Paul Coffey & Ray Bourque) to record 1,200 points. The milestone came in a Red Wings 4-2 win at Montreal.

November 02, 1978 After 8 games with the Indianapolis Racers of the WHA, Wayne Gretzky was sold to the Edmonton Oilers (along with Eddie Mio and Peter Driscoll). Gretzky went on to score 104 points in 72 games and was named WHA Rookie of the Year.

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing.

Top 5

1. Los Angeles

2. Tampa Bay

3. Washington

4. Montreal

5. St. Louis

Bottom 5

30. New Jersey

29. Buffalo

28. Anaheim

27. Edmonton

26. Florida

CANADIENS POWER OUTAGE:

The arrivals started on Saturday with the return of Canadiens top defender Andrei Markov from off-season knee surgery.  The 31-year-old played his regular 23 minutes with 4:32 of that coming on the power play.  The power play is where Markov will have the most impact since Montreal is tied for last in the league scoring at 7.7%.

Markov has 283 career assist, with 152 of them coming on the man advantage and over half of his 80 career goals come on the power play (41).  Needless to say the Russian has become a weapon on the Canadiens usually dangerous power play.

Montreal has shown early that their Cinderella run through the postseason was not all about Halak as they sit atop the Northeast Division with a 7-3-1 record.  Mostly it has been the play of Carey Price, but now with the addition of their top defender we know can really see if these Habs are for real.

BLACKHAWKS UP:

Another top defender is expected to make his season debut tonight at Madison Square Garden as Brian Campbell returns to the defending cup champions after missing the first 13 games due to a knee sprain.

This reappearance is good news more for Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook than anyone else.  Those two defenders, due to suspensions, injuries and bad play by their teammates have already logged over 715 minutes combined, good for first and second overall in the NHL.

If the Blackhawks are to defend their title they are going to have to cut those workhorses’ minutes down and Brian Campbell should help solidify the second unit and take some special team’s ice time off their tired hands.

CANUCKS AGITATOR:

Lastly, one of the NHL’s biggest surprise is set to return this week as the Canucks agitator Alex Burrows comes back from off-season surgery to his shoulder.  This is huge news for Canucks teams that has come out of the gate slow with a 4-3-2 record and have given up as many goals as they have scored (24).

The 29-year-old solidified the Canucks top Sedin line with a career high 35 goals and 67 points and was an amazing +34 and agitated the heck out of opponents with 121 penalty minutes. Last season they combined for 129 points as Henrik won the Hart Trophy and the undrafted free agent Burrows won the Heart Trophy.

The Canucks have used 10 different wingers alongside the talented Sedin twins and it will be nice for Coach Alain Vigneault to have his top line back together so he can figure out the other line combinations.  The other positive has been the other players to step up in Burrows absence to show the organizational depth the Canucks have.

What a weekend of hockey with six hat tricks in two days.  Friday saw Steven Stamkos, Rene Bourque and Daniel Alfredsson light the lamp three times. That was only to be followed Saturday by Alexander Semin, Brad Richardson and John Tavares first hat trick of his NHL career.  Alfredsson eight career hat trick also led to his 1,000 NHL point, only the 75th NHL player to reach that milestone. Team of the week has to be the St. Louis Blues

who fought the Blackhawks hard in an OT loss Monday only to come back and beat the defending champions Friday and then shutout the high powered Penguins on Saturday.  Player of the Week and maybe of the first couple of weeks in the NHL is the sharp shooting Steven Stamkos.

Not only did he have second career hat trick but the former first overall pick is on a four-game point streak as he paces the league with 15 points and 8 goals. Now onto the Pucking Awesome Hat Trick or the top three storylines I am watching for this week.

Bruins Goalie Drama

The stories coming out of the Hub not only surround the red hot start by Nathan Horton, who has a point in every game he has played for the Bruins but who is winning for the team in net.  Tim Thomas was named the 2009 Vezina Trophy winner and during that season was signed to a lucrative four-year deal and seemed to be the goalie of the present and future for the B’s.

The following season the veteran shared time with former Maple Leafs 1st round pick Tuuka Rask to only see his job stolen by the end of the season.  Thomas only started nine games after February 1st and Rask was named the playoff goaltender and thus given a two-year contract and presumed to be the Bruins goalie of the present and future.

But the 36-year-old goalie is not ready to just sit and watch that happen as Thomas has started the season 4-0 with a 0.75 GAA and .978 save percentage.  On the flip side Rask is 0-2 with a 3.52 GAA and .894 save percentage.  Can you say goalie controversy?

All signs point to that Thomas has regained his top spot for now as the second-year pro struggles to find his last season’s top notch form.  This will be a great storyline to watch as the Bruins have two division rival games this week.  We could be seeing another chapter being written in the fairy tale Tim Thomas story.

Can the Preds Be Stopped?

Quick, can you name the NHL team yet to lose a game in regulation this season? Blackhawks, not even close. Penguins, good guess. Red Wings, close, but no cigar.  It is the Nashville Predators, who have started the 2010-11 campaign 5-0-3.  The team that took the Blackhawks to the brink in last year’s playoffs have come out of the Chute on fire and have been led by the normal characters.

When starting goalie Pekka Rinne went down early with an injury former 7th round pick Anders Lindback was forced into action and he responded big time.  The rookie is 3-0-1 with a 2.55 GAA and .925 save percentage to start his career as the 6-6 goalie has teamed up with the 6-5 Rinne for not only the tallest goalie tandem but a darn good one.

Rinne has returned and is 2-0-2 with a 1.58 GAA and .955 save percentage.  Both goalies need to be at their best as the Preds have been giving up 34.9 shots a game, good for 26th in the league and their combined 2.12 GAA is good for fourth best in the league.

Beyond the ageless Steve Sullivan (6 points in 8 games), the names of Cal O’Reilly, Colin Wilson and Cody Franson have paced the team offensively. The former seventh overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft Colin Wilson built on his hot finish last season to start with five points in the first eight games.

With the loss of Dam Hamuis this offseason and Ryan Suter to injury early, Cody Franson has picked up the slack with four points and a plus-4 rating.  The 23-year-old is proving that his 21 points and plus-15 in 61 games last season was not a fluke.

The biggest surprise to the Predators hot start has to be the play of Cal O’Reilly.  The 24-year-old has been playing on the top line and been producing with six points.  The former fifth round pick has been playing 17:36 minutes per game and has seen time on the top power play unit already with two power play assists and has one game-winning goal.

With division games against the Blues and equally hot Red Wings this week I will be watching to see if this unbeaten streak will continue.

Contraction Talk

With the news this week that NBA Commissioner David Stern confirmed that contraction could be a possibility, the heads turn to the NHL’s big boss Gary Bettman with the same question.  With the Coyotes still searching for an owner, the Islanders still are searching for a stadium deal and the Thrashers and Blue Jackets struggling to sell tickets the thought of contraction has to be thought about.

Those four teams are averaging fewer than 13,000 fans a game to start off this season.  One of the three between the Islanders, Thrashers and Coyotes have been the bottom three in attendance the last five years with all three being in those spots the last two.

While the latest collective-bargaining agreement still has two seasons to run its course the buzz word of contraction might come up in the next big discussion.  Would this help a league that is booming in many markets but struggling in others?

This is a storyline that will be discuss as we get closer to the CBA deadline and farther away from answers for the Coyotes, Islanders, Thrashers and Blue Jackets to why they are not getting people to care.

Marian Hossa leads the league in points (nine) and tied for the league lead with five goals, as he seems primed to become the number one option in a star-laden lineup.

Who is in panic mode and who should have some patience is the theme of this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick, or the top three stories I am watching this week.

Down On the Devils:

My preseason pick to win the Atlantic Division has not looked anything like a contender in the first week of the season.

The team that spent so much money and effort on signing the offensive talent of Ilya Kovalchuck is last in the league with 1.67 goals per game.

The team that has arguably the best goalie ever to lace them up is giving up 3.50 goals per game, good for 27^th in the league.

The 1-4-1 is the worst start for the franchise in the 27 years, and they are yet to win at home.

Their prized offseason acquisition, Anton Volcenkov, broke his nose in his second game in red and black. It got so bad for the cap strapped Devils that they only dressed 15 players in their third game of the season.

Will this continue for the defending Atlantic Division champions? My best guess is not likely.

This is a team with a new coach this season and already some major injuries to the back line. Rookie head coach John MacLean has already held closed door meetings and chew out sessions at practice to let the club know that this is unacceptable.

You have to remember that the season is a long one and ultimately if they start to get healthy and get production out of their top scorers they will be fine.

If not, then the Ilya Kovalchuck sweepstakes was all for naught.

Who Are These Leafs?

The biggest surprise of the first week has been the torrid play of the much improved Toronto Maple Leafs. Much has been made of their 4-0 start and how that is a polar opposite of last year’s 1-7-5 start.

Improved defensive play and clutch scoring has been the key to such a improved start.

At the middle of it all is the man that cost them Seguin, as Phil Kessel has six points and two game winning goals already this season.

Also a big part of the offensive success goes to the development of Clarke MacArthur. The player that was let go of two organizations last season has found a home in Toronto and according to the Elias Sports Bureau, MacArthur became the first Leaf ever to score in his first four games.

Their best non move of the offseason was keeping Tomas Kaberle on the roster. The veteran has shown he still has something left to give with three helpers and a plus-3 while playing over 24 minutes per game and acting as a stabilizing force for his young partner Luke Schenn. All three of his assist have come while playing on the Leafs top power play.

Can this continue? Can the Leafs become the latest team in the NHL parity party to go from playoff obscurity to a Cup contender?

My gut feeling is that this team has some staying power and should stay in the playoff picture the entire season.

Bobby Lou, Where Are You?

So all that talk that relinquishing captaincy will help Roberto Luongo focus on having a career year in his quest for the Cup is now gone.

The 31-year-old is off to another slow start by giving up 10 goals in his first four starts and a 1-2-1 record.

Luongo has saved 115 of the 125 shots he has faced including a horrible 15 saves on 19 shots loss to the Kings on Friday.

This start should not surprise anyone, as in his 11-year NHL career Luongo has notoriously been a slow starter. In 92 career games in October, Bobby Lou has a 38-45-6-3 record with a 2.56 GAA and .917 save percentage; in contrast, look at his March career numbers: 111 games with a 57-40-8-5 record—you would see that he usually saves his best for last.

The team in front of him has not been helping, as they are giving up 31.6 shots per game and they have been shorthanded 25 times.

Some good news for Vancouver is that top prospect Corey Schneider came out with a strong performance in a 32-save win over the Hurricanes Sunday night; the presence of Schneider should allow Luongo not play his 70 games and keep him fresh for his usually hot finish towards the playoffs.

I am not worried about Bobby Lou but good luck trying to tell that to the rabid fans in British Columbia.

The House That Crosby Built

The Pittsburgh Penguins open up their new digs on Thursday against their inter-state rival Philadelphia Flyers followed by a weekend match up with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs, Montreal Canadiens.  The Penguins 167^th straight sellout will open the CONSOL Energy Center as the players get the red carpet treatment coming into the stadium.

With Crosby coming off a hip flexor injury and the team for the first time in three seasons not making the Stanley Cup Final, I will be watching these first two games to see how they respond.  The Penguins are the sexy pick to represent the East this season; they have the big match up on New Year’s vs. the Capitals, so this is a big season for the Penguins. They want to prove they are back to reclaim the top spot in the East and facing the team that finished their last season and the team that knocked them off that perch is a perfect way to open a new building and new season.

Head Hunting No More?

Rule 48 in the NHL official rulebook will be the most watched rule this opening week and all season.  As the NHL tries to curb illegal checks to the head it will be important to see how the referees enforce this rule right at the beginning. The player can now be given a five-minute major penalty for a hit to the head; they also can get an automatic game misconduct, as well as possible supplemental discipline if deemed appropriate by the League.

For the NHL to really get rid of these types of hits that we continually saw knock stars of action last season they will have to act quick and fierce.  I will be watching out for the first suspension based on this rule to happen this first week to show the players that this is the way it will be.

We Are Going Streaking

The longest active winning streak on opening night belongs to the Phoenix Coyotes who will be looking for their fifth straight win when they open up in Prague against the Bruins.  Across the Baltic Sea in Stockholm is where the Columbus Blue Jackets will look to extend their opening day winning streak to four games.

The NHL Face-Off event will feature the longest active undefeated streak as the Montreal Canadiens look for six straight against arch-rival Toronto Maple Leafs.  They will be without Michael Cammalleri, who was suspended for his slashing of the Islanders’ Nino Niederreiter, and might be without starting goalie Carey Price, who has the flu.

On the other end of the spectrum the longest active winless streak in season openers is shared by the Anaheim Ducks (0-3-0), Dallas Stars (0-1-2) and defending Stanley Cup champions Chicago Blackhawks (0-2-1).  I will be watching to see if any of these streaks continue in some big matchups over the weekend.

Next up the deep position of that many people look over but do not forget the defenders as they are the key to any fantasy championship.

1.)    Mike Green

2.)    Drew Doughty

3.)    Duncan Keith

4.)    Dan Boyle

5.)    Nicklas Lidstrom

6.)    Shea Weber

7.)    Dion Phaneuf

8.)    Mark Streit

9.)    Chris Pronger

10.)  Sergei Gonchar

11.)  Tomas Kaberle

12.)  Paul Martin

13.)  Andrei Markov

14.)  Tobias Enstrom

15.)  Lubomir Visnovsky

16.)  Erik Karlsson

17.)  Zdeno Chara

18.)   Erik Johnson

19.)   Keith Yandle

20.)   Jamie McBain

Honorable Mention:  P.K. Subban