The defenseman is the most underrated fantasy stud an owner could have.  They are important in those swing categories like power play points and plus/minus. Let’s break down some of the Weekend Warriors of could be fantasy studs to watch out for.

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.

Second during the Canucks vs. Ducks game, Curtis McElhinney was cut badly by a slapshot and fell to the ice and the Canucks scored on the rebound with McElhinney unable to make a play. Since it happened so fast, I realize that the ref probably didn’t notice what had happened and that is fine. The problem is a replay can clearly tell you what happened. Under the rules I guess you can’t go to a replay in that situation even though you should be able to. There is no reason why every goal shouldn’t be reviewable. Also it brings up the perfect reason to have coach’s challenges like they do in football. One goal can greatly effect the outcome of a game, or swing momentum, so they should not be taken lightly. One or two coach’s challenges for both teams would be sufficient. The challenges should be allowed to be used on any goal or penalty. There was a situation in another Ducks game where they ruled Jason Blake had touched the puck with a high stick and then bounced the rebound into the net. The ref ruled no goal because of the high stick. The replay however showed that it may not have been played with a high stick. At that point it can’t be overturned but a coach’s challenge would allow it to be reviewed for the correct call.

Some might say allowing coach’s challenges would slow the game down. But goals that may have been kicked in are reviewed and honestly how long does that take? It doesn’t take that long and I think that making sure the correct call was made is more important than how long it takes. Hockey is the fastest sport there is and slowing it down a bit would help make sure the right calls are made.

Goalie Spotlight

Kari Lehtonen – Dallas Stars

Lehtonen was born in Helsinki Finland and like the other great Finnish NHL players he started his career in the SM-liiga league. He played for Jokerit and during the 2001-02 season he started out as the backup but ended up taking the starting job and the Urpo Ylönen trophy, given to the best goalie. He followed that up by wining the MVP trophy in the postseason en route to winning the title and he had one more stellar year before coming to North America. In the 2002 NHL Entry Draft he was selected 2^nd overall by the Atlanta Thrashers. Making him the the highest drafted European goalie and Finnish player ever.

He played for the Chicago Wolves, the Thrashers’ AHL affiliate, in 2003-04 but was called up for four games. He won all of those games and posted a 1.25 GAA and .953 SV%. Despite his impressive performance he was sent back to the Wolves for the rest of the season and all of the following season, though that was because of the NHL lockout. Lehtonen was slated to become the Thrashers’ starting goalie during the 2005-06 season but suffered a groin injury when Nathan Horton slammed into him on opening night. He came back later that season but in April but was injured again when Chris Dingman collided with him. The Thrashers started five different goalies that season. Lehtonen tried it again and played in 68 games for the Thrashers. During this season he set many Thrasher franchise records, of course the Thrashers weren’t that old at this point. Nevertheless he broke the shutout streak record and, became the Thrashers’ all time winningest goalie. He also started the Thrashers’ first playoff game ever.

2006-07 was the only season in which Lehtonen start over 50 games for the Thrashers. He was injured partially in 2007-08 and played about as much the following season. At this point the Thrashers had drafted Ondrej Pavelec and the writing was on the wall for Lehtonen. He didn’t play at all for the Thrashers in 2009-10, except for four games with the Wolves affiliate. He was traded to the Dallas Stars in early 2010, where he ended up playing 12 games for the Stars. Lehtonen has the difficult task of following after Marty Turco, who was with the Stars the past nine seasons. So far this season he is off to a pretty decent start with the Stars, posting a 2.59 GAA and .915 SV%. He has yet to record a shutout so far. He is currently injured since December 8^th with back problems and Andrew Raycroft has been filling in. The Stars are hoping Lehtonen will play a big part for them, as they hope to return to the playoffs. If not, they do have many young goalie prospects waiting.

Fights of the Week

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

Tim Jackman vs. Kyle Clifford

Not your normal fight by any means but still fun to watch.

Jared Boll vs. Cam Janssen

A decent scrap that would have been better if more shots connected.

Brad Staubitz vs. Kyle Clifford

This was one of those one sided fights.

Goats of the Week

Jason Spezza – Ottawa Senators

I’m not really quite sure what Spezza was doing. It looks like a no look pass, which is never a good thing to do in overtime and Bryan Little demonstrates why that is. Little picks up Spezza’s gift and takes it down to the other end for the breakaway goal.

Jonathon Quick – Los Angeles Kings

In this installment of when the goalie leaves his crease… Quick goes out to play an incoming puck which is fine but his decision of where to play it was not. Mikko Koivu says thank you very much.

Quick wasn’t done though. A mere 10 seconds after the Kings tied it, Quick goes behind the net to stop the puck but instead does not and Cal Clutterbuck says thanks.

Marc Savard – Boston Bruins

I don’t really blame Savard for this miscue as he was just fighting for possession along the boards and it wasn’t his fault the defenseman wasn’t there. Still it will make this section and I loved Thomas’ reaction after the goal.

Things I like

1. The Penguins are a lot better than _______ (insert any team name here, except maybe the Flyers) and Sidney Crosby is a much better play than ________ (insert any NHL player name here). Marc-Andre Fleury has rebounded very nicely since his awful start and has a SV% of .942 during the just ended 12 game winning streak. Evgeni Malkin came back from his injury and scored two power play goals against the Flyers. Jordan Staal might possibly be coming back soon as well.

2. Besides sharing the last name with a popular fashion company, Logan Couture is having a tremendous “rookie” season. I put that in quotes because he played 25 games last year but he is still considered a rookie this season. Couture had a five game point streak recently snapped. He is currently the rookie leader in goals and points. With Thornton and Marleau getting up there in age, the Sharks will be glad they have Couture and Joe Pavelski to lead them in the future.

3. The Kings had a November they would like to forget and Quick had a game he would like to forget against Minnesota. They both redeemed themselves though. The Kings have now won four of five and also picked up a point in the aforementioned game against Minnesota. Quick was instrumental in the Kings blanking the Red Wings 5-0 on the road. Quick stopped all 51 shots in the win and had many great saves. Even better news was that Willie Mitchell was able to rejoin the Kings’ lineup.

Things I don’t

1. The Ducks recently found themselves with a two goal lead in the 3^rd period three games in a row, which they then squandered in the 3^rd period three times in a row. All three of them went to a shootout. They won two of them and lost one to the Canucks. Some of it has do to with inexperienced defense, sum of it to bad luck and some of it to attacking less. In the 3^rd period against Vancouver they were out shot 15-2. You won’t win many games that way. They rebounded in a big way against Minnesota and there is hope the new faces will continue to gel.

2. If you had to pick on team with the most pressure on them this season, I’m pretty sure you would pick the Capitals. The Capitals started out with there usual high scoring offense and added some improved defensive skills for a winning combination. Lately though things have gone south. The Capitals have now lost six in a row. Coach Bruce Boudreau said of the recent slump, “I don’t have an answer right now. It’s unfamiliar territory. I think we have a lot of people feeling sorry for themselves.” The Capitals have also surprisingly been shutout twice in the last three games. Though they were also shutout two times in a three game span the previous month. But losing really is new territory for them. They have only loss two or more games three times this season. Their current six game slump is the aforementioned third time. The latest 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Rangers was a new low though. Alex Ovechkin was so frustrated he actually fought. The Capitals have out shot all of the opponents they have lost to (some by a wide margin) so they aren’t getting manhandled. This season we already had a superstar, Sidney Crosby, of a struggling team drop his gloves to fight against the Stars. The Penguins responded by first losing to the Ducks the next game and then they promptly reeled off 15 victories in the next 17 games. Eerily the Capitals next opponent is also the Ducks. So will the Capitals lose to them as well and then reel off 15 victories in the next 17 games? We shall soon find out.

3. I don’t care for all this “controversy” over Linus Omark’s shootout spin-o-rama. Disrespectful? Please. To who? The Lightning? I don’t see it. Unless it’s done right in front of the opposing team or it’s some kind of inappropriate gesture like a middle finger, I say bring it on. The more character and color a player brings to the game the better, I say. I would have loved it if he did a snow angel first and then took a shot.

Stat Line of the Week

12/12/10 Anaheim 6 vs. Minnesota 2

Corey Perry and the Ducks top line in general were on fire against the Wild. Perry figured into everyone of the Ducks’ goals except for one. He also had his first NHL career hat trick. His goals came on even strength, penalty shot and power play. Hard to imagine it took him six seasons to get his first hat trick.

Did You Know?

In 1999-2000 the Detroit Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to have players score their 300th (Fedorov), 400th (Shanahan), 500th (Verbeek) & 600th (Yzerman) career NHL goals while playing on the same team.

Numbers, Numbers

544 – Games played (now 545) by captain Rick Nash, The Blue Jackets franchise leader in games played now

7 – The now ended streak of number of wins for Corey Crawford, just one win shy of tying the Blackhawks franchise rookie record for consecutive wins

2 – Wins by Antti Niemi over his former team this season

19 – Games of Sidney Crosby’s current scoring streak

27.17 – GAA for Steve Manson against Calgary where he had two goals allowed on four shots before being yanked

5 – Goals scored by Henrik Sedin, the only player in the top 20 in scoring who doesn’t have double digits in goals

Quotes of the Week

“We have a situation where we are going with young players, and I’m not going to deviate from the plan to rebuild through the draft. I’m not going to trade our young prospects, whether they are in Bridgeport, junior hockey, college hockey or in Europe, for a quick fix.”

—GM Garth Snow, before the Isles fell to an NHL-worst 5-17-5 with a 5-4 loss Saturday to Atlanta.

Kudos to Snow for sticking with that. The players they have drafted recently should come together, they just need time.

“It’s not an easy pill to swallow. But I can’t beat myself up. It takes time. The game feels really fast, too fast. They’re going 100 miles an hour and it’s like my feet are in cement.”

—Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban on his struggles after missing three games as a healthy scratch.

“He slashed me twice and I just turned around and go. If I saw it was a tough guy maybe I don’t go, but I saw he was a normal player, so I go.”

- Thrashers center Alex Burmistrov on his fight with New York’s John Tavares in Saturday’s win over the Islanders.

This Week in Hockey History

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

December 09, 1988 New Jersey’s John MacLean scored three goals in his second consecutive game (for his third career hat trick) as the Devils won 6-5 over the visiting NY Islanders.

December 10, 1997 Michel Petit became the first player in NHL history to score a point for 10 different teams, when his first assist of the year helped the Phoenix Coyotes to a 3-3 tie at Chicago.

December 11, 2000 NHL officially appoved the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to Wayne Gretzky and partner Steve Ellman.

December 12, 1992 L.A. Kings rookie goalie Robb Stauber ran his record to 9-0-1 (and his winning streak to a team-record tying seven straight) when the Kings beat the Blues, 6-3 at the Forum.

December 13, 2001 Patrick Lalime became the Ottawa Senators all-time leader in career shutouts, with his 14th as a member of the team, a 6-0 win against Phoenix. Lalime broke the mark of 13 held by Ron Tugnutt. Martin Havlat a hat trick for the Sens.

December 14, 1997 Teppo Numminen became the Coyotes’ franchise all-time leader in assists by a defenseman, when he picked up the 250th of his career in a 3-3 tie against the Red Wings, in Phoenix. Numminen broke the mark of 249 set by Fredrik Olausson.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Pittsburgh

2. Atlanta

3. Nashville

4. Philadelphia

5. Los Angeles

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. New Jersey

28. Columbus

27. Ottawa

26. Washington

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.

1.) San Jose Sharks

Rear-view Mirror: The Sharks rolled their way to a second straight Western Conference title and advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2004. They then lost to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks.

The addition of Dany Heatley (39G-43A-82P) added to an already potent line consisting of Joe Thornton (20-69-89) and Patrick Marleau (44-39-83). On the backend Dan Boyle (15-43-58) paced the Sharks logging 26.12 of ice time per game, 4th in the league, and he was also 4th in the league for defensemen in scoring. The Sharks were the 4th highest scoring team in the league, they had the 4th best power play and the 5th best penalty kill at 85%.

Evgeni Nabokov recorded his best SV% (.922) of his ten year career and he also faced the most shots (2168) of his career. His GAA (2.43) was right around his career average but, along with backup Thomas Greiss , it was good enough as a team to finish 8th in the league.

In the playoffs the Sharks were led by Joe Pavelski (25-26-51) who had a breakout postseason with 17 points. A very welcome changed from a Sharks team that sometimes struggled to score in past postseasons. The Sharks pretty much owned the Avalanche peppering Craig Anderson with a barrage of shots. The series was only closer because of a few gaffes. The Sharks then almost swept the Red Wings pretty much demolishing them impressively. The Sharks run came to an end against the Blackhawks, where they seemingly couldn’t get much going. They were basically manhandled in the same way they manhandled their previous opponents.

Offseason Ins: Antero Niittymaki, Jamal Mayers, Antti Niemi

Offseason Outs: Evgeni Nabokov, Rob Blake (retired), Manny Malhotra

What Makes Them Tick: The Sharks are an experienced yet still somewhat youthful bunch. They have pretty much been through every scenario possible, except a Stanley Cup Final, while still being just below the average age for the league. They have two really talented scoring lines that rival any other teams. The Ryan Clowe (19-38-57), Pavelski and Devin Setaguchi (20-16-36) line is a great second option to the potent Thornton, Heatley and Marleau. Defensively Boyle will continue to log major minutes but expect Jason Demers to creep into more minutes. Demers just came off his 1st NHL season and along with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, both 23, they are the future of the Sharks defense. Vlasic led the Sharks in +/- with a +21. The Sharks were also the top faceoff team in the league, winning 55.6% of their faceoffs.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Sharks were looking to upgrade their goaltending, so the let Nabokov walk and signed experienced but somewhat unproven Antero Niittymaki. They also signed Antti Niemi to a one year deal. A great move for the Sharks but one that may become controversial. Niittymaki signed with the Sharks thinking he would be the number one goalie. While that may still be the case, the addition of Niemi certainly clouds that picture. Certainly the Sharks have upgraded their goalie tandem and how they utilize both will be interesting. Niittymaki only brings two games worth of playoff expereince to the table but Niemi brings 22 games and a Stanley Cup. Niemi is the first Sharks’ goalie to have won a Stanley Cup since Mike Vernon did so with the Flames. The Sharks must find a way to stay motivated throughout the season, even though they are only interested in the postseason. Losing Blake will be somewhat of a blow, with no other veteran acquired to take his place, but Demers and Vlasic should be more than capable to handle the load. They also need to cut down on turnovers, as they were the 5th worst in the league with 810 giveaways.

Player to Watch: Joe Thornton is in the last year of his deal you have to assume the Sharks would like to retain him for at least three more years to anchor the Marleau and Heatley line. Depending on how he preforms in the regular season and playoffs, he might price himself out of the Sharks budget. But in order for any team to want him, including the Sharks, he will need to step-up his game in the playoffs. This postseason he lead all players with a -11, a dubious distinction no player would ever want. This season and post season is a make or break, put up or shut up for Thornton.

Prediction: The Sharks hope to wrap up a 4th consecutive Pacific Division crown and a 5th consecutive 100+ point season. There really shouldn’t be any reason they won’t unless Niittymaki falters greatly. As always though, the Sharks season is measured but what they do or do not do in the playoffs. They didn’t really lose any significant pieces in the offseason other than Nabokov. However they have replaced him nicely with Niittymaki and Niemi. The Sharks have to hope that Dan Boyle does not suffer an extended injury as that would be a huge blow to the Sharks. The Sharks are once again early favorites to capture the Stanley Cup. Unlike prior seasons when this was the case, this version of the Sharks have learned enough mentally through past mistakes and have acquired the necessary goaltending pieces to make it into a reality.

2.) Los Angeles Kings

Rear-view Mirror: The Kings had their most successful season in awhile making the playoffs for the first time since 2002. They then lost to the Canucks in the 1st round in six games. During the regular season the Kings were one of only two teams, the Capitals were the other, that had eight players score 40 or more points each. The Kings were led by Anze Kopitar (34G-47A-81P) who set career highs in goals, assists, points, +/- and shots on goal. Kopitar also flirted with the league scoring title for a few weeks. Wayne Simmonds (16-24-40) in his 2nd season continued to develop into an all around player. While he was only 8th on the team in points, he almost doubled his point total from last season and he was 1st on the team in +/- with +22 and 2nd in PIM with 116.

On the defensive side Drew Doughty (16-43-59) emerged as one of the premier defensemen in the league and his hard work paid off with a Norris Trophy nomination in only his 2nd season. He was also second on the team in assists, +/- (+20) and points. Jonathan Quick became a workhorse goalie in his 2nd full season and played in 72 games, the 4th most of any goalie. None of Quick’s major stats (2.54 GAA, .907 SV%, 4 SO) were better than his previous season however.

Offseason Ins: Alexei Ponikarovsky, Willie Mitchell

Offseason Outs: Alexander Frolov, Sean O’Donnell, Randy Jones

What Makes Them Tick: The Kings boast an extremely talented and dynamic defensive group. Featuring young Olympians Doughty and Johnson paired with veterans Rob Scuderi and newly signed Willie Mitchell. With the young defensive stars having another year of NHL experience and the addition of another experienced veteran to learn off of, the Kings defense will only get better. Offensively the Kings have a very balanced attacked as alluded to above with eight players with 40+ points each. Kopitar almost had the breakout season everyone was expecting him too before he started to slump somewhat. He still had a great season but this year he should even top that. He should be a 100+ point player this season.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Kings will now have expectations for the first time in a long time. How they handle them mentally will determine how successful their season is. Kopitar will need to play more consistently as the Kings are 34-21 when he scores a point and 12-15 when he does not. Overworking Quick is also a potential problem discussed further below. The Kings could also work on turnovers, as they gave away the puck the 4th most with 815 giveaways.

Player to Watch: Jonathan Quick will be under a lot of pressure to preform this year, as the Kings have higher expectations. Quick faltered in the playoffs, where he had the 3rd worse (3.50) GAA and 3rd worse (.884) SV% of playoff goalies who stated at least four games. In order for the Kings to reach their full potential they must get good consistent goaltending from Quick. If Quick falters, the Kings do have a number of options. Erik Ersberg and Jonathan Bernier are two such options. Bernier was sensational in the limited action he saw last season. It’s no doubt that the Kings view Quick, the third goalie on Team USA, as the long term option. It might be wise to play him less games this season, as fatigue was probably a big factor in his playoff slump and the Kings possess more than capable backups.

Prediction: The 6th youngest team in the league, the Kings are poised to improve upon last years balanced success. Frolov and O’Donnell are somewhat significant losses but it shouldn’t have much of an impact on a pretty deep team. O’Donnell is essentially replaced with the Mitchell signing anyway. The Kings should pretty much be a lock to make the playoffs. If Quick can improve his game and Kopitar can take his game to the next level, it’s very possible the Kings could win the division. With the available cap space, I wouldn’t be surprised the Kings add one or two veterans to make a strong playoff run during the season.

3.) Anaheim Ducks

Rear-view Mirror: The Ducks missed the playoffs for the first time in five years. A huge disappointment for a team that was a game away from making the Western Conference Finals the year before. Jonas Hiller emerged as the number one goalkeeper when the Ducks traded away fan favorite and former Conn Smythe winner Jean-Sebastien Giguere to the Maple Leafs. Still he wasn’t as sharp as the year before and he had half as many shutouts (2) in 20 more games. In Scott Niedermayer’s swan song he showed that he still had it logging the 3rd most minutes per game in the league but he finished with his lowest +/- (-9) of his 18 year career.

Injuries also plagued the Ducks for most of the year. Ryan Getzlaf (19G-50A-69P) had various injuries at the beginning and end of the season and Teemu Selanne (27-21-48) broke his hand and then his jaw. Joffrey Lupul (10-4-14) started out the season playing in 23 games and fairly well until he had back problems that kept him out the rest of the season. Despite their injuries the Ducks managed to have the 5th best power play in the league, scoring on 21% of their chances.

Offseason Ins: Toni Lydman, Andy Sutton, Aaron Voros

Offseason Outs: James Wisniewski, Scott Niedermayer, Steve Eminger, Mike Brown

What Makes Them Tick: The re-signing of Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu (19-33-52) was a huge relief for the Ducks. Now if the Ducks can finally sign Bobby Ryan (35-29-64) and if Joffrey Lupul is healthy enough to play, the Ducks will be boast arguably the best top 6 forwards in the NHL. Even if Lupul can’t play the Ducks will still be loaded. The Getzlaf, Ryan and Corey Perry (27-49-76) line is one of the best in the league. There are also rumors of a reunion with former Duck and team captain Paul Kariya. But those rumors were squashed when Kariya announced he will need to sit out this season due to post-concussion syndrome. Hiller is still on of the top young goalies in the league. He had stretches where he just didn’t look that great last season. But as he has shown during the ouster of the Sharks in the 2009 playoffs and more recently with the Swiss Olympic team, Hiller is capable of raising his game to another level.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: Not signing Bobby Ryan would certainly be a huge blow but that’s unlikely to happen. Injuries and the defense were the downfall of the Ducks last season and it could very will be that way again. Keeping everyone healthy especially the 40 year old Selanne will be hard to do. GM Bob Murray decided to scrap the whole defense after Scott Niedermayer retired. It’s never easy for any team to lose a future hall of famer on defense two seasons in a row. The Ducks have now done that and are hoping the late season additions they made last year (Lubomir Visnovsky (15-30-45)) , coupled with the changes this offseason of Sutton and Lydman will yield them a competitive defense. The Ducks are always one of the most penalized teams in the league and last year was no exception. They racked up 16.1 PIM a game 3rd worst in the league. The Ducks faceoff winning percentage has been taking a tumble recently. They were 4th worst in the league at 48.1%.

Player to Watch: Ryan Getzlaf is an elite player who boasts a impressive resume. Among his accolades are All-Star appearances, Stanley Cup Champion, Olympic Gold medalist and World Juniors Gold medalist. However, he has yet to produce a 100 point season or more than 25 goals in a season. Now entering the prime of his career and his 6th full season, Getzlaf will be expected to step up his game and also his leadership role on the team. The team captaincy is currently vacant and Getzlaf, a current alternate captain, is the front runner to receive it. Other options include the only other former Ducks captain on the roster Teemu Selanne and current alternate captain and long time Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. If he stays healthy, this could very well be Getzlaf’s elite breakout year.

Prediction: The Ducks can easily go from a mid seeded playoff team to not making the playoffs at all. They will probably get in as the 7th or 8th seed. The forwards, especially the big guns, need to stay healthy, if they do that they will develop chemistry and score a lot of goals. On the back end Hiller needs to play better than he did last season. How the defense clicks will ultimately determine the fate of this team. Luca Sbisa, acquired in the Chris Pronger trade, will really need to develop into a top four defenseman in his first full season in the NHL. He played well for the Swiss Olympic team, this past Olympics, with teammate Hiller. Sbisa is also looking to score his first NHL goal. The addition of Sutton will give the Ducks a gritty defenseman who will hopefully rub off on the rest of the defenders. Sutton was 2nd in the league in blocked shots with 204 and 21st overall in hits with 197. Though the Ducks as a team are physical themselves, as they finished 7th in the league in hits with 2050. But they could certainly use the help with blocked shots, as they were the 2nd worst in the league with 943.

4.) Phoenix Coyotes

Rear-view Mirror: The Coyotes had what you would call a magical season last year. They started the season unsure of whether they would stay in Phoenix and as such played to mostly empty arenas. But by the end of the season, they had flirted with the Western Conference’s best record, made the playoffs for the first time since 2002, recorded their first ever 100+ point season and played to packed “white out” crowds. Despite losing to the Red Wings in seven games in the 1st round of the playoffs, Phoenix accomplished a lot as a team and proved that hockey could make it in the desert.

Ilya Bryzgalov (2.29 GAA, .920 SV%) finally became a household name with his breakout season. He was 2nd in the league in shutouts (8), 3rd in wins (42) and he received a Vezina nomination. He helped the Coyotes to the 3rd best team GAA (2.39) in the NHL.

The Coyotes were an offensively challenged team, ranking near the bottom in goals scored. Shane Doan (18G-37A-55P) lead the Coyotes in points. Only the Bruins had a team leader with less points and the Maple Leafs leader (Phil Kessel) also had 55 points. Radim Vrbata (24-19-43) lead the team in goals, the only player on the Coyotes to crack the 20 goal plateau. On the backend Ed Jovanovski (10-24-34) and Zbynek Michalek (3-14-17) formed a formidable defensive one two punch.

Offseason Ins: Ray Whitney, Andrew Ebbett, Kyle Wellwood

Offseason Outs: Zbynek Michalek, Matthew Lombardi, Daniel Winnik, Lee Stempniak

What Makes Them Tick: Not really having a go to guy on the team means that opponents can’t really zero in on any one player to disrupt the flow of the team. Everyone chips in with their blue collar approach. The Coyotes do well in the shootout, where they had the most wins of any team at 14 and one of the higher winning percentages. They are a well disciplined team coming in with the 7th least PIM a game with 11.3. They also had the 2nd least amount of giveaways with 420. Wojtek Wolski (23-42-65) will now move to the center position and anchor the top line with Doan and Ray Whitney (21-37-58). Of course Ilya Bryzgalov is their biggest strength. Look for him to have another phenomenal season.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: The Coyotes didn’t really add enough players to make themselves a stronger contender in a very tough western conference. The offensive struggles of the Coyotes will more than likely continue which is not something you can realistically get away with two years in a row. Last season the Coyotes had the 3rd worst power play in the league but they did have the 6th best penalty kill. The addition of 18 year veteran Whitney will help, provided he can still prove his has some gas left in the tank. Michalek and his 9th best 156 blocked shots are also gone.

Player to Watch: Wojtek Wolski was the big acquisition last year by the Coyotes who gave up Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter. At the time it seemed like a steal, with Mueller struggling to fit in the with the Coyotes. However, Mueller flourished in the few games he played with the Avalanche and nobody is quite sure what the young Porter will develop into. The pressure is now on Wolski to have his break out season, especially on an offensively challenged team. Last season he set career highs in goals (23), assists (42) and points (65). Look for him to push towards a 30 goal 80 point season.

Prediction: It’s hard to imagine the Coyotes duplicating last years success. Teams will now take them as more of a threat. Key players like Doan and Jovanovski are now each a year older. The loss of Michalek will hurt the Coyotes without anyone really brought in to take his place. Still if any team can make it work and make a run for the playoffs the Coyotes could. Last year at this time things looked even bleaker for them. Kyle Turris the 3rd overall pick in the 2007 draft should see even more playing time this year. He is still low on the depth chart currently but could creep up fast. The Coyotes are also bullish on 8th overall pick of the 2008 draft Mikkel Boedker who only played in 14 games last season. How well these young guns can be integrated into the Coyotes, will determine their playoff fate.

5.) Dallas Stars:

Rear-view Mirror: After five consecutive seasons of making the playoffs, the Stars are currently on a two season streak of not making them. After an injury plagued year, Brad Richards (24G-67A-91P) played his first full season in a Stars jersey and lead them in assists and points. Defenseman Stephane Robidas (10-31-41) continued his exceptional level of play. He was 7th in the league in blocked shots (177) and 4th in the league in hits (269) but 1st overall for defensemen. Loui Eriksson (29-42-71) led the Stars in goals and was 2nd in points.

Marty Turco’s GAA (2.72) and SO (4) were pretty average but he had his best SV% (.913) since 2004. The Stars actually finished last in the Pacific Division for the first time since the NHL switched to the the three division format in the 1998-99 season.

Offseason Ins: Andrew Raycroft, Adam Burish, Brad Lukowich

Offseason Outs: Mike Modano, Marty Turco

What Makes Them Tick: The Stars are a very physical and great checking team. The lead the NHL in hits last season with 2338. Loui Eriksson is just coming into his prime and he should be able to produce another 30+ goal season. Paired with a healthy Brad Richards and gritty veteran and team captain Brenden Morrow (20-26-46) they make a formidable 1st line. The Stars have a lot of free cap space, so they should be in the market to make other improvements. Defenseman Mark Fistric (1-9-10) finished 4th in the league in +/- with a + 27.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: Kari Lehtonen is so far penciled in to be the starting goalie. Lehtonen is now entering his 7th season in the NHL and while he has played well, it’s nothing exceptional that you would want in your number one goalie in this day and age. So while he is not a bad option, he is probably only temporary anyway. The Stars have a few young goalie prospects that could come up this season or next. They include 2006 pick Richard Bachman, 2008 pick Tyler Beskorowany and the 11th pick overall in the 2010 draft Jack Campbell. Despite their physical nature of style, the Stars ended up with the 4th worst penalty kill. Like the Ducks, the Stars also struggle with faceoffs coming in at the 5th worst with 48.1%

Player to Watch: Jamie Benn was a relative unknown last season taken in the 5th round of the 2007 draft. However he was a standout player for the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL and was named to the all-star first team his last year there. He also helped Team Canada win a Gold at the 2009 World Junior Championships. Benn found a home on the 2nd line with the Stars in his first NHL season. He produced 22 goals and 19 assists for 41 points and 3 game winning goals tied for 3rd on the team. Look for more out of Benn in his 2nd season. He has the potential to be a consistent 30+ goal scorer.

Prediction: It’s a transition season for Dallas as the team shed two veterans (Turco, Modano) who most identified as the faces of the franchise. Playing in a fairly strong division it is not likely the Stars will make the playoffs and they seem destined for last place for the 2nd year in a row. However the Stars didn’t miss the last playoff spot by much, like a lot of teams out West. They still boast two impressive scoring lines and one of the top defenseman in the league in Robidas. The team certainly is not an easy win especially in Dallas. If Lehtonen or one of the young prospects can perform well in goal, anything is possible.

Teams with 2 games this weekend: Ducks, Flames, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Stars, Red Wings, Oiler, Wild, Canadiens, Devils, Rangers, Flyers, Sharks, Canucks

Forwards to watch:

Jarome Iginla, Flames W:  The former Hart Trophy winner and captain of the Flames needs to have a big weekend as the Flames make or break weekend is here.  The Flames open up their weekend with a head-to-head matchup vs the team they are trying to catch in the standings, the Avalanche.  Iginla has been cold of lately with one goal in his last six games and one goal in his last 11.  Numbers those are not acceptable in both fantasy and a team fighting for their playoff lives.  Iginla needs a big weekend for the Flames who have two big matchups vs the Avs and Blackhawks.

Johan Franzen, Red Wings C/W: No one is hotter than the Mule, the power forward has nine goals and 15 points since his return from knee surgery.  The Red Wings have a pivotal matchup vs Nashville, a team who he has scored 11 career goals in 27 games, and out of conference matchup vs the goalie deficient Flyers.  The red hot Franzen should continue his current run as he gains momentum towards another huge playoffs (51 career playoff points in 63 games).

Marian Gaborik, Rangers W: The Rangers winger reached the 40-goal mark for the second time of his career this week, but more importantly has played 70 games this season.  Now comes the time of year that the Rangers paid full price for this off-season, and with two games against the Southleast basement dwellers Gaborik is poised to have a big weekend.  The Rangers play on the road vs the Lightning (25^th in the league in GAA, 3.03) and the Panthers (20^th in the league in GAA, 2.86) and Gaborik had seven points in his last six games and look for it to continue as the Rangers need these four points against inferior opponents.

Defenseman To Watch:

Kevin Bieksa, Canucks: The 28-year-old defenseman had a career year last season and has not been able to stay healthy this year including missing 27 games due to a lacerated leg.  Now finally healthy the mobile defenseman is playing 22 minutes a game as the Canucks have secured their playoff position.  The kid with the rocket shot (539 career shots) will be important this weekend and going forward for the Canucks back line.

Andrei Markov, Canadiens:  With games against two of the top scoring teams this weekend, Flyers (2.87 goals per game) and Sabres (2.86 goals per game) it was hard to argue that the goaltender might be the biggest person to watch for the Candiens, but the improve play of Markov will be more important.  With Montreal’s loss to Carolina on Wednesday it has brought them down to the pack of the five teams vying for the final three East playoff spots.  The 31-year-old defenseman has been steady force on the back line for a team torn between two goalies.  Markov has 12 points in his last 14 games but best of all he is a +11 in those games.  This all was after missing two games due to a lower body injury, the Canadiens will need their top d-man at his top shape as they push for the playoffs.

Dan Boyle, Sharks:  The 33-year-old defenseman seems to not be slowing down in the most important part of the season.  Boyle has six points in a four-game point streak as he climbs the scoring ranks for defenseman (15G-41A-56P).  The power play is where he has done most of his damage with six power play goals and 23 power play assists and special teams will be important in the Sharks two games on the road this weekend against the Wild and Avalanche.

Goalies To Watch:

Craig Anderson, Avalanche:  The career backup has finally been given the reigns and has thrived this season for the surprised Avs but has almost already doubled his career high in games played (67).  He seems to have hit a wall by winning only one of his last seven games, in those game he has an awful 4.25 GAA and even worst .857 save percentage.  With games against the Flames, as mentioned before the team chasing them, and high scoring Sharks (3.14 goals per game).  For the upstart Avalanche to even make the playoffs they need their top goaltender to get back to the goalie that has won a career high 36 games.

Martin Brodeur, Devils: The greatest goalie that has ever played needs to be on top of his game this weekend as the Devils try to chase down an Atlantic Division crown.  Brodeur has come on some hard luck lately only giving up 10 goals in his last four starts, but only one win to show.  In comes to Newark the also struggling but high scoring Blackhawks followed by one of the hottest team in the NHL, Carolina Hurricanes.  For the Devils to take one of the top three seeds in the East they need the great Marty Brodeur to prove he is not wearing down.

Antti Niemi, Blackhawks:  The 26-year-old Finnish net minder has seemed to be the choice for the Stanley Cup favorite Blackhawks, but it is really by default.  Money bags Huet gave up seven goals in his only start in the last couple of weeks, while Niemi is coming off a 21 save shutout vs the Wild.  So this weekend with games against two teams with more on the line (Devils and Flames) it will be impertinent for the rookie goaltender to secure his spot as the top goalie on one of the NHL’s top teams.      

So far, my MVP is Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar who, whose high marks in goals and points scored is leading his team to surprising, but early on season playoff talk.

Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller is a big reason his team is leading the division. The best in the league in Goals Against Average (GAA) (1.77), save percentage (0.939) and tied for lead with 12 wins, Miller is a safe shot for best goalie.  

Best defenseman goes to the Philadelphia Flyers as-good-as-advertised Chris Pronger, who is fourth among defensemen scoring with 17 points and an amazing +13 while playing a league high 27:01 minutes a game. 

Awards aside, let’s get to the Hat Trick —or the three storylines I am following this week in the hockey world.

1) Win, Lose or Draw

From the highs of the New Jersey Devils, who have won eight games in a row, to the lows of the Carolina Hurricanes dropping 12 in a row, the rest of the season might not be much different for these two. Between the Zachs (Parise and Zajac) and rookie Niclas Bergfors, each player on the line has eight points in the last seven games, making the Devils as hot as their mascot suggests.

But a healthy Martin Brodeur and an improving Patrik Elias could makes things even scarier for their opponents. Brodeur has a 1.48 GAA and .942 save percentage in the last seven games, and it’s just a matter of time for Elias to get going, though he has yet to gain a point in the four games since returning from injury.

The woeful Hurricanes are a team devastated by injuries. With the losses of top flight goalie Cam Ward and top line center Eric Staal, Carolina is relying on the likes of Manny Legace in net. How has this team gone from Eastern Conference Finals appearance last season to the bottom of the NHL? 

Though the revolving door to the infirmary has not helped, every team is dealing with injuries. But their depth has to be called into question. Banking on Eric Cole (one goal), Chad Larose (0 goals) and Sergei Samsonov (two goals) to be top line scorers was a mistake. Having a defense based around offensive defensemen Joni Pitkanen (-12) and Joe Corvo (-9) was another one. Although the Hurricanes finally won on Sunday, I will be watching these two teams going in opposite directions

2) AHL Report:  

Here at Pucking Awesome, we also keep you up to date with what is happening on the farm teams. The two hottest teams in the AHL are the Rochester Americans (13-2-1) and the Texas Stars (11-2-2). The Florida Panthers-affiliate Americans are led by 22-year-old goalie Alexander Salak. The Czech rookie is 10-1-0, while being near the top in all goalie categories. 

The Dallas Stars-affiliates have given up only 31 goals in 17 games this season. The goalie tandems of Matt Climie and Brett Krahn have shut opponents down with a 1.85 and 1.38 GAA respectively.

3) Game of the Week: Bruins at Sabres, Friday

Northeast division rivals Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres will face off this week for the second time this season. The first matchup went to the defending division winners as the Bruins defeated Jhonas Enroth in his NHL debut, 4-2. This time around the goal-starved Bruins will most likely be facing Ryan Miller, and that is not a good combination for Boston who has been shut out three times this season.

Milan Lucic could return to the Bruins this week, but he has been told he can’t fight, making this division rivalry game a good measuring stick for him.

Michael Del Zotto, Rangers D:

The 20th overall selection in the 2008 NHL entry draft surprisingly made the Rangers out of camp and has been a pleasant surprise for Fantasy owners this season. All the 19-year-old has done is leading the Rangers defense in goals (4), assist (8), points (12), power play assists (5) and power play goals (3). Although the Rangers have been playing him the least amount of minutes for defensemen (17:02 minutes per game), he has big fantasy value playing big minutes on the power play (3:41 minutes per game).  Keep this young kid in your lineup for the entire season. Expect some down times, especially whenever Gaborik gets hurt. Overall, this kid has staying power with eight power play points in his first 15 games as a pro.

James van Riemsdyk, Flyers W:

The kid drafted right behind superstar Patrick Kane has finally made it to the big show after two seasons in New Hampshire.  The 6-3 forward with great vision has 10 points in his first nine career games. Now with injuries to Simon Gagne and Daniel Briere, JVR is seeing some major ice time including an increase in power play time. The 20-year-old, Van Rammer also is showing he can play both ends of the ice increasing his fantasy value being a +4. Also, Even though he is passing more, shown with his 8 assists, he still adds fantasy value with 26 shots on goal. Keep an eye on the injuries to Briere and Gagne, and if they are long term issues this kid is worth a spot on your team.

Jaime Benn, Stars W:

Drafted a mere 129th overall in the 2007 NHL entry draft, Benn was a WHL all-star last season with 82 points in 56 games last season for the Kelowna Rockets. The 20-year-old has broken out early for the Stars scoring 10 points in his first 14 games.  Even better for the rookie he is playing most of his ice time on the top line with Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro and also playing on the top power play line. The 6-2 forward also is helping his fantasy value by chipping in with six PIM. It will be interesting to see if Benn will stay on the top line with Morrow and Ribeiro, but if that continues pick up this former junior star as he blossoms for the Stars. 

Pickup of the Week: Mikhail Grabovski, Maple Leafs C:

Like I have said before in my columns, do not sleep on the bad teams for fantasy players, and Grabovski has continually shown he has fantasy value. The Russian has six points in his last four games, including four of those points on the power play and even chipped in with one shorthanded point in that run. Last season, he scored 20 goals and 48 points while having an amazing 92 PIM. He is playing top-line minutes and on the top power play for the Maple Leafs. They cannot play any worse than the first 12 games.  Grabovski is not owned in any leagues, so he might prove to be great waiver wire find. 

Yet Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom likely heard something very similar from doctors after being speared in the “man zone” by Patrick Sharp of the Blackhawks during last year’s western conference finals.

Unbelievably, Lidstrom not only played the remainder of that game but practiced the next day before surgery was required.  The future hall-of-famer then managed to play all seven games of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stories like this aren’t uncommon in the NHL where hockey players have earned—and for good reason—their reputation as the extreme warriors of professional sports.  Its not uncommon for a hockey player to take a stick or puck to the grill and lose teeth or require stitches only to return to the ice shortly after.

Meanwhile pitchers have been known to hit the disabled list for hangnails, NFL quarterbacks can’t be touched from the waste down or the shoulder pads up and Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce required a wheel chair for a sprained ankle in the 2008 NBA Finals.

So it makes the early onslaught of injuries in the 2009-10 season all the more disturbing and confusing—and that’s not even taking into account the H1N1 virus that’s already affected four NHLers or serious concussions that have sidelined Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, Oilers star defenseman Sheldon Souray or talented Panthers youngster David Booth.

A pair of stars from the Dallas Stars—Mike Modano and Jere Lehtinen—have played in three games combined and don’t even qualify for “A-list” patient status.

The defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins have been hit hard by injuries to their talented Russian duo.  Defenseman Sergei Gonchar will be out another month with a broken wrist while fellow countryman and MVP candidate Evgeni Malkin is out 2-3 weeks with a strained right shoulder.

Luckily for the Pens, a red-hot start (10-2-0, 20 points) has put them in a fine position to absorb early injuries and with their mind entirely focused on winning back-to-back titles, a healthy Gonchar and Malkin down the stretch and in the playoffs is really all that matters.

The Penguins opponents in last year’s finals—the Red Wings—have also been hit hard with injuries.  Star right-winger Johan Franzen is out until February with a torn ACL and a broken wrist has sidelined center Valtteri Filppula until right around the New Year.  For a Detroit team already off to an uncharacteristically slow start, the injury news could not be much worse.

In Boston, the Bruins hopes to repeat as eastern conference champions took a big hit when forwards Marc Savard and Milan Lucic both landed on the IR until late November.  While north of the border—in Vancouver—the Canucks were already without one Sedin twin (Daniel), veteran forward Pavol Demitra and star defenseman Sami Salo when goalie Roberto Luongo discovered a hairline fracture of his rib.

While Luongo’s injury doesn’t appear to be serious, and the key Bruins should be back with plenty of time left to do damage, these preseason favorites may struggle to live up to the hype.

Meanwhile, with the Olympics looming, the Russian national team has more to worry about.  The Montreal Canadiens defensive corps to a big hit when Andrei Markov sliced a tendon in his ankle—an injury that might force him out of action for the national team—and one that has certainly hurt any chances of another playoff run in Montreal.

One of the most exciting players in the league—Atlanta Thrashers left wing Ilya Kovalchuk—broke a bone in his foot and will be sideline at least four more weeks.  This is a crushing blow to a team with little talent and throws an interesting twist into Kovalchuk’s future with the franchise.  A free agent at season’s end, will this injury make it an easier choice to trade the supremely talented winger?  Will potential suitors now be hesitant to part with high draft picks and prospect to acquire him now?

Kovalchuk’s game is so much about speed, will this injury cause him to lose a step and thus bring his level of play down a notch?  Kovalchuk and the Thrashers have officially entered dramatic territory.

In the city of brotherly love fans have plenty to cheer about these days with the Eagles and NL Champion Phillies.  But Flyers fans have plenty to be unhappy about.  Already struggling at 5-4-1, the Flyers will be without 30-goal scorer Simon Gagne for the foreseeable future as he is sidelined indefinitely with a sports hernia.  Now, another potent offensive weapon in Daniel Briere has a groin strain and is being listed as day-to-day.

Groin injuries are never fun and tend to linger.  For a speedster like Briere, anything that slows him down will negatively impact his playmaking ability and scoring output.  If Gagne is out too long and Briere has trouble getting back to 100 percent, the Flyers slow start could turn into a long-term problem.

I’m not a doctor, I don’t play one on television and I didn’t stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but many teams need their stars to get healthy soon or plenty of fans will be having an unhappy Christmas.

Let me start of my rant by saying that I do not condone intentionally hurting a person, but this sport is a violent one built on aggression and playing physical.  Scott Stevens made a living by hitting players coming across the middle with their head down, and this is why I agree that the NHL got it right this week.

With their decision to suspend Toumo Ruutu for his late, from-behind hit on Darcy Tucker and for not suspending Mike Richards for his open ice hit on David Booth.   It is always a scary moment in sports to see the stretcher be brought onto the ice and have a player down and motionless, but folks this is their profession. 

With that I move to the Pucking Awesome Hat Trick, or the top three things I am watching for this week.

Kings Ransom:  

Can anyone name the leading scorer in the league?  Nope not that crazy Russian in our nation’s Capital, but the slick moving Slovenian playing in sunny Los Angeles, Anze Kopitar.  This former first-round pick has been lighting up the scoreboard for the upstart Kings. 

The first ever Slovenian to play in the NHL made an immediate impact scoring two goals in his first NHL game and now is showing critics he is worth the big time seven-year, $47.6-million contract extension he signed before last season. 

With two games this week against the Sharks and Canucks I will be watching this talented player face two of the league’s premier goalies.

Maple Leafs vs. The League:  

The good news is after a week with one game, the Toronto Maple Leafs are back in action with four chances to win their first game of the season.  Maybe even better news is that all these games are away from the rabid fans who are clamoring for that sweet taste of victory. 

So I am alerting all the Ducks, Starts, Sabres and Canadiens fans, because I will be watching for the Leafs to finally win one of these games.   

Game of The Week:  

Red Wings vs. Canucks—Two power house teams struggling to find an identity early square off Tuesday.  I still think both of these teams will be near the top of the standings when all is said and done, but injuries are starting to take a toll on both of these talented squads. 

They are both still shooting at a blistering pace with the Canucks ranked second with 34.4 shots per game and the Red Wings sixth with 32.3 shots per game, but both teams are giving up a good amount of goals five on five. 

In this game both teams will be looking to make a statement to the league that they are not panicking and everything will be fine for this pre-season favorite.  The loser of this game will still be searching for answers on how to solve the problem of playing without important players.

The goal-starved Rangers lead the league in goals and the home-starved Coyotes lead the league in goals against. 

At the same time, there’s no surprise atop the league leaders in goals and points as Alex Ovechkin continues his onslaught on goalies with nine goals and 16 points. That gives him 228 goals in 332 games played in his career. 

Now let’s delve into the weekly Hat Trick, or the top three things I am watching for this week.

Brodeur Chasing Sawchuk:   After a 26-shot blanking of the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, Martin Brodeur recorded his 102^nd career regular season shutout. 

This drew the goalie—who already holds 17 different goalie records—one shutout away from tying the great Terry Sawchuk.  Brodeur has two games on the road this week against the Rangers and Penguins. He has 73 career wins and 11 career shutouts combined versus these division rivals. 

I will be watching these important Atlantic Division games not only for the potential record but also to see how the great Brodeur does against these high-powered offenses.           

Who Will Win First?: It has become an interesting but sad race between the Islanders and Maple Leafs to see who will be the first to record their first win this season. 

The Maple Leafs embark on a difficult five-game road trip as Metallica and Jay-Z occupy the Air Canada Center. They’ll play games against the Canucks, Ducks, Stars, Sabres, and Canadiens in that stretch.  Do you see a win in there? 

The guys on Long Island have come close to getting a “W” with three OT losses this season.

They have a busy week this week with games against the Hurricanes and Canadiens on consecutive nights. With young scorers Matt Moulson (4 goals, 3 assists), Kyle Okposo (1 goal, 5 assists), and John Tavares (3 goals, 4 assists) flying around the rink, I see the Islanders getting off the snide first.   

Game of the Week —Bruins vs Flyers:  A preview of the Winter Classic to be held in Fenway Park this year also pits two preseason Eastern Conference heavyweights against each other. 

The Flyers came out of the gate strong (3-0-0) only to stumble in their next three games (0-2-1), including a bad loss to the Panthers.

The Bruins have started the season against mostly Western Conference teams with only a 3-0 win over the Stars to show in the positive column (1-3). 

This matchup will allow one team to re-establish their place back as a team to beat while also setting a tone for the Winter Classic that will be showcased in Fenway Park on New Years Day.

1.) San Jose Sharks
Rear View Mirror: The good for the Sharks was a President Trophy run and the bad were a first round exit. The team was lead by a balance scoring attack that saw 6 players score 20+ goals led by thier captain Patrick Marleau (38 goals)and sophomore sensations Devin Setoguchi (31 goals). Last year also saw a resurgence of both 30+ defenseman Dan Boyle (57 points) and Rob Blake (45 points) especially on the 3rd ranked power play where they combine for 54 points. Even with a franchise record 117-point season and all the talent in the world the Sharks bowed out disappointingly in a 6 game series to the Anaheim Ducks.
Offseason Ins: LW Dany Heatley (OTT: 82 GP, 39G-33A-72P), C Scott Nichol (NSH: 43 GP- 10 P-79 Hits), D Derek Joslin (AHL: 11G – 30 P- 6 PPG), RW Jed Ortmeyer (AHL: 55 GP-10 G-23 P), G Thomas Greiss (AHL: 30-24-3, 2.47 GAA, .907 save %)
Offseason Outs: LW Milan Michalek (57 pts), RW Jonathan Cheechoo (former 50 goal scorer), D Christian Ehrhoff (25 PP), RW Mike Grier (147 Hits), C Jeremy Roenick (Class guy), G Brian Boucher (12 W), LW Travis Moen (5 P in 19 G), D Alexei Semenov (57 PIM), C Tomas Pilhal (64 GP)
What Makes Them Tick: Up front this team is fast, deep, and excels in scoring the difficult goals, exemplified by their top scorer Joe Thornton (86 points). Big Joe has been dynamic since his trade to the Sharks and will once again be asked to be the team leader on the ice and especially on the power play where he had a team high 11 goals and 35 points. They added some much needed help for Big Joe on the first line with Ottawa outcast Dany Heatley, but with this guys talent also comes baggage as he has now forced his way out of two organizations. The team will also expect bigger things from their improving young guns, Setoguchi and Joe Pavleski, who are both restricted free agents at the end of the season and both coming off career seasons last year.

What Could Make Them Go Boom: Their, now former, captain Marleau had a career-high in goals and was responsible at both ends shown in his career-best plus-16 rating but with a disappointing playoff and only one year left on his contract rumors will fly about the end of his 11-year run in San Jose. Another player on the last year of a long term contract and on the long list of Sharks who disappointed in the playoffs, is goalie Evgeni Nabokov. 34-year-old Nabokov was clearly out played by Jonas Hiller in the playoff series vs the Ducks and missed significant time with two separate injuries last season. With Brian Boucher, Nabokov’s back up for the last two seasons, gone off to Philadelphia, the backup duties are now onto former 3rd round pick Thomas Greiss. Greiss played in the 2006 Olympics for his home country Germany but has only seen action in 3 NHL games, so Nabokov’s health and stability will be counted on more this season.
Player to Watch: Marc-Edouard Vlasic, the man they call “Pickles”, will be counted on heavily on the back line this season. The 22-year-old signed a big four-year, $12.4 million contract extension and will be elevated to top line defensive status. Vlasic already saw significant minutes on the penalty kill and, with the recent trade of Christian Ehrhoff, will see his power play minutes increase. “Pickles” who once scored 73 points in QMJHL, is primed for a big offensive season for the Sharks.
Prediction: Once again this team will be evaluated on the playoff success. We all know they are talented and should win the Pacific Division for the third straight year. If they come out slow, or are not playing to expectations right before the trade deadline, don’t be surprised if Doug Wilson continues to pulls the trigger on big trade pieces like Patrick Marleau or Evgeni Nabokov. I predict another great regular season followed by disappointing playoffs, but that seems like an easy prediction.

2.) Anaheim Ducks
Rear View Mirror: The Ducks were inconsistent for most of the 2008-09 regular season, but turned it on to upset the top seeded, and division rival, Sharks in the first round of the playoffs and even took the powerful Red Wings to a 7-game series in the second round. Led by the dynamic offensive duo of Ryan Getzlaf (91 points) and Corey Perry (32 goals) and Calder Trophy candidate Bobby Ryan (31 goals in 64 games). Defensively, they relied heavily on their two pillars, Chris Pronger and Captain Scott Niedermayer, who ranked 2nd and 3rd in minutes played per game for defenseman. The Ducks had an up and down season but the biggest surprise for the former Stanley Cup Champions was the emergence of Jonas Hiller taking the reigns as their starter goalie. The organization early showed they had faith in the undrafted free agent when they released backup goalie Ilya Bryzgalov during the 2007-08 season but as a backup to former Con Smyth and Stanley Cup winner Jean-Sebastuen Gigure. With Jiggy struggling last season, Hiller split time with each goaltender playing 36 games, but it was Hiller who was given the playoff nod due in large part of his better overall numbers (23-15-1, 2.39 GAA, .919 save %).
Offseason Ins: LW Joffrey Lupu (PHI: 79 GP-25 G- 50 P), C Saku Koivu (MTL: 65 GP-16 G- 50 P), D Nick Boynton (FLA: 68 GP-21 P- 91 PIM),D Luca Sbisa (PHI: 39 GP – 7 P)
Offseason Outs: D Chris Pronger (26:56 TOI/G), D Francoise Beauchemin (5 Pts in 20 GP), RW Rob Niedermayer (14 G), D Bret Hedican (51 GP)
What Makes Them Tick: On draft night it was good news/bad news for the organization. Good news that their Captain Scott Niedermayer decided to come back for his 18th season and once again will be the backbone of this organization. Bad news was that in the salary cap era they could not keep their other big time defenseman Chris Pronger. Pronger was then traded to the Philadelphia Flyers once again for Joffrey Lupul (who the Oilers traded for when traded Pronger to Ducks in 2006), top defensive prospect Luca Sbisa and draft pciks. Thus changing the dynamic of the franchise from their backline to their top line led by young guns of Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan. Their second line scoring should increase with the signing of Saku Koivu (50 points) to play with his countryman Teemu Selanne and the acquisition of Joffrey Lupul (25 goals).
What Could Make Them Go Boom: How do you replace a player like Chris Pronger? The Ducks started laying the ground work last season acquiring former 5th overall pick Ryan Whitney from the Penguins and the tough James Wisniewski from the Blackhawks. They finished off the total remodeling process by letting go of often injured Francois Beauchemin (Toronto) and replacing him with former All-Star Nick Boynton. But the question surrounding this team this season will be how do you replace a Norris Trophy, all around defenseman like Chris Pronger?
Player to Watch: It is a hard place to be when you are drafted right after the so called savior of the league but Bobby Ryan last year finally showed why he deserved to be the second overall pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Salary cap reasons kept the talented forward in the minors to start the season but got recalled for good in November. Showing immediately that this is where he belonged, in January he scored a natural hat trick vs the Kings the last goal a highlight reel spinorama YouTube sensation. Ryan, 22, led the Ducks with a plus-13 plus/minus rating and broke Dustin Penner’s club rookie records for goals (31) and points (57). Obviously much more will be expected from the 6-2 power forward especially on special teams as Ryan is poised to show the league that he isn’t just the guy drafted after Crosby.
Prediction: Their offensive talent is as impressive as any team in the league, yet they still lack that shutdown 3rd line that made them so successful the last couple of seasons. Their defense will be the ultimate question mark with Ryan Whitney needing to show he has no ill effects from his foot surgery. There could be some drama in net as Hiller has proven he should be the number one, but Jiggy wants to prove that last season was more linked to personal problems than his skills. Hiller is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year and Giguere is signed at one more year with a $6 million cap hit, so expect one of these two not to be here at the end of the season, especially if the team needs to pick up some much needed defensive depth. Overall, this team will be fighting hard for a playoff spot but that will have more to do with their offense and goaltending than their defensive play.

3.) Dallas Stars
Rear View Mirror: In a season dominated by injuries to their top talent, the Dallas Stars 2008-09 season was one to forget. Marty Turco, who had seemed to take a step towards an elite goaltender, played in a career high 74 games but had a career worst .898 save percentage which ranked 42nd among NHL goaltenders, his GAA wasn’t much better ranked 30th (2.81). Relying heavily on young, but talented, defensemen caught up to the Stars, who historically has been a great two way hockey team under Ken Hitchcock and Dave Tippett. Offensively, they lost heart and soul captain Brendon Morrow early to a knee surgery that forced him to miss the last 64 games of the season and top flight center Brad Richards was limited to only 56 games due to various injuries. Positive signs that came out of a relative down season were the emergence of “Sweet” Lou Ericksson. The third year for this Swede was a breakout year that saw Eriksson score 36 goals and play a dominant two-way game. Another positive sign was rookie James Neal, only 21-years-old, scoring 24 goals which ranked second for NHL rookies and showing he can ascend into the top six forwards for the Stars.
Offseason Ins: D Karlis Skrastins (FLA: 80GP, 4G-14A-18PTS, +9), G Alex Auld (OTT: 16-18-7, 2.47 GAA, .911 save%)
Offseason Outs: D Sergei Zubov (1999 Stanley Cup), D Darryl Sydor (65GP), RW Mark Parrish (8G), G Tobias Stephan (1-3-1 last season)
What Makes Them Tick: The norm after a disappointing season is to replace the coach and GM. Well, the Stars did both this offseason. Hiring only their third coach in the last 15 years, Marc Crawford and a full time GM in former Stars forward and 199 Conn Smythe Trphy winner, Joe Nieuwendyk. The strength of the team will be fit to play Crawford’s more attacking style offense. They have relentless forwards in Morrow, Eriksson, Richards, Steve Ott and Mike Modano (who is returning for his 20th NHL season). I have not even mentioned the player that has lead the team in points all three seasons he has played in Dallas. Mike Ribeiro has proven the skeptics from Montreal wrong that he can be a top line center. The 29-year-old forward followed a breakout year in 2007-08 (27G-56A-83Pts) with a good year (22G-56A-78Pts) considering he was missing his winger (Morrow) the entire season. Defensively, they have found a new leader to take over for the departed and often injured Sergei Zubov, in another Canadiens Castoff, Stephane Robidas. The journeyman defenseman finally found a home in Dallas, and though has not put up the offensive numbers of a number one defenseman, his +10 rating and ice time (24:32 TOI/G) has proven he is ready to be the leader of this young defense core.
What Could Make Them Go Boom: Marty Turco is in his last year of a contract. The 34-year-old goalie will try to prove that last year was just a blip on the radar and try to do his best Nikolai Khabibulin perform well in a contract year impression. The defense, like I’ve said numerous times in this preview, is talented but young and prone to giveaways and lapse. Best example is Matt Niskanen, who although led the team in defensive scoring (35 Pts) had a team high 49 giveaways and was a -11. Another issue has to be health for this team. With so many of their top 6 forwards coming off serious injuries, one has to speculate if they are going to last through the season. Also a team with not much depth offensively within the organization could turn into déjà vu all over again for the Stars.
Player to Watch: Fabian Brunnstrom was a highlight sought after rookie free agent from Sweden. Teams were lining up to get him to sign and come over to America. The Dallas Stars won that lottery and signed the former Swedish Elite League star to a two-year entry level contract. Brunnstrom’s freshman season did not go as planned since he wan’t even in the lineup for the first two games of the season. Yet later he showed why he was asked to leave his home country to play in the NHL. In Brunnstrom’s first NHL game he scored a hat trick, becoming only the third player in NHL History to accomplish that feat. Although he was in and out of the lineup due to injuries, he finished his rookie year with 17 goals and 12 assists in 55 games played. With his contract only being for another year, this is his season to show that he was worth the hype and force his way into the top 6 forwards rotation.
Prediction: With a new coach usually comes a new attitude and new lease on life and that is what I expect to see in Dallas this season. Marty Turco should bounce back and now has a capable backup in Alex Auld which should cut down on the games played a bit. The key to the year will be the health of Brenden Morrow. Just go back and watch the Stars’ remarkable run toward the 2008 Western Conference Finals and tell me that this guy doesn’t make a big difference on this team. Remember this former first round pick by the Stars took the role of captain from Mike Modano while the Stars legend was still on the team. Speaking of Captain America, it would be fitting to have his last season (if he doesn’t pull a Favre on us) end in the playoffs. The all-time American-born scoring leader (1,329 points), who has been with the franchise since he was taken 1st overall by Minnesota in 1988, is in his last year of his contract and his 20th should be his last.

4.) Los Angeles Kings
Rear View Mirror: The Kings are the young and the fans are the restless. Last year’s early golf game added to the 6th consecutive season where the Kings did not qualify to play for Lords Stanley’s Cup. The NHL’s youngest team (26.27 average age) saw 10 rookies suit up for the team last season. None bigger than 2008 2nd overall pick Drew Doughty. I will have more him later in the preview. Offensively, they are lead by a trio of 20-year olds; 21-year-old Anze Kopitar (82 GP, 27G-39A-66 Pts), 24-year-old Dustin Brown (80 GP, 24G-29A-53 Pts), and wise old man at 27-years of age, Alexander Frolov (77 GP, 32G-27A-59 Pts). Last season, with the hiring of Terry Murray, a point was made to be more responsible in the defensive end and the Kings responded ranking 4th in the NHL in shots allowed and 11th in the league in Goals Against. Speaking of the goaltending, three net-minders played last season, but rookie Jonathan Quick emerged as the leader of the pack. The former 3rd round pick ended the campaign with a 21-18-2 record, 6 shutouts, 2.48 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 44 games played.
Offseason Ins: LW Ryan Smyth (COL: 77GP, 26G-33A-59 Pts), D Rob Scuderi (PIT: 16 pts, 164 BkS)
Offseason Outs: D Kyle Quincey (27 PP), D Tom Preissing(22 GP), LW Kyle Calder (27 Pts)
What Makes Them Tick: With such a young roster, the team knew they needed to add some winning experience to teach these kids how to be successful in the NHL. Enter first, Justin Williams, a Stanley Cup Champion with the Hurricanes in 2006 at last year’s trade deadline. That was followed by the July signing of defenseman Rob Scuderi to a 4-year deal, and whose heroics helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in June. The Last key to bringing some much needed leadership to this team was acquiring Captain Canada, Ryan Smyth, from the Avalanche. After two years in Colorado, Smyth will be asked to take top line minutes and improve on his 6th season that saw him score 25+ goals (26 goals in 77 games played last season).
What Could Make Them Go Boom: Anze Kopitar led the Kings in points last season, but the Slovenian center saw his numbers take a big drop off (32 to 27 goals and 77 to 66 points). Now, with the acquisition of big winger Smyth and Justin Williams to play on the top line, big things are expected of this former first round pick who last October signed a huge 7-year deal to be the cornerstone of this growing franchise. Healthy will also be a big issue for this team, as Justin Williams has shown the potential to be a top line 30 goal scorer when in the lineup. The problem is he has played a total of 81 games in the last two years. Talented, but controversial, defenseman Jack Johnson missed 41 games due to a shoulder injury and his health will be crucial to the team defense. None of the three headed monster of Quick, Erik Esberg and Jonathan Bernier have shown they are capable to be full time NHL goaltenders
Player to Watch: The smooth skating Drew Doughty burst onto the scene last season for the Kings as a 19-year-old rookie. He led all NHL rookies and his team with just less than 24 minutes of ice time per game and though his offensive numbers weren’t anything to write home about with 6G-21A-27 Pts, and his -17 is a black mark in an otherwise successful rookie season. In a recent Hockey News article, Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland was asked who could be the next Nicklas Lidstrom and he responded with Drew Doughty. That alone shows you how much talent this kid possesses, after a successful World Championship he was asked to attend the Canadian Olympic camp. Big things are expected from this big defenseman in La La Land.
Prediction: The moves to get Williams, Smyth and Scuderi and the core scores of Kopitar, Dustin Brown and Alexander Frolov are something to be excited about in Hollywood. This team, under the direction of Terry Murray and GM Dean Lombardi, seems to be going in the right direction and I am glad that they did not take the risk of acquiring maligned forward Dany Heatley. Who will win the goaltending battle in camp and the pre-season and will be the biggest question mark heading into the season. One of the candidates for the goaltending spot needs to step out of the pot luck and contribute for this team to be on the cusp of that elusive playoff berth that has haunted this franchise.

5.) Phoenix Coyotes
Rear View Mirror: It was a long season that saw the Coyotes finish out of the playoffs for the seventh straight season. Team captain Shane Doan continued to show that you can be successful for a bad team (82 GP, 31G-42A-73 Pts). GM Don Maloney made a ton of moves at the trade deadline acquiring young talent in Scottie Upshall (13 pts in 19 games), Matthew Lombardi (16 pts in 19 games) and Petr Prucha (10 pts in 19 games).
Offseason Ins: G Jason LaBarbera (LA/VAN: 8-10-6, 2.78 GAA, .901 save %), RW Radim Vrbata (TB: 18 GP, 3G-3A-6P), D Adrian Aucoin (CGY: 81 GP, 10G-24A-34P), D Jim Vandermeer (CGY: 108 PIM), LW Lauri Korpikoski (68 GP, 6G-8A-14P), C Vernon Fiddler (NSH: 78 GP, 11G-6A-17P)
Offseason Outs: C Steven Reinprecht (41 pts), LW Joakim Lindstrom (11 ast), D Ken Klee (68 GP), RW Enver Lisin (13G), LW Nigel Dawes (10G), LW Todd Fedoruk (72 PIM), D David Hale (48 GP)
What Makes Them Tick: They have a solid and barely legal core of young players playing significant minutes for this rebuilding team. 21-year-old Peter Mueller leads the pack (72 GP, 13G-23A-36A), followed by 6’5’’ 22-year-old Martin Hanzal (74 GP, 11G-20A). These two big centers along with sophomores Mikkael Boedker (11G as a rookie), Kyle Turris (3rd overall pick in 2007), and Viktor Tikhonov (28th overall pick in 2008) shows the fans of wherever this team plays that they have something to look forward to. Defensively, they will be a tough team to play against as Ed Jovanovksi, Jovo Cop, got some new hard hitters to his squad with the addition of Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer from the Flames.
What Could Make Them Go Boom: Well, Wayne Gretzky’s team still does not know where they will play their home games in the future. The ongoing U.S. Bankruptcy court battle between the NHL and Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie, has hung a luminous, dark cloud over this organization that has already moved from Winnipeg to the desert. On the ice, that dark cloud seems to be over whatever ice surface they play on, beyond Shane Doan this team does not have a proven NHL scorer and although Keith Yandle (69 GP, 4G-26A-30P) had a decent statistical year the same can be said about the defense beyond Jovanovski. Goaltending will be an issue for this team as Ilya Bryzgalov has not looked as sharp as he did when he first arrived via waivers from the Ducks. The Coyotes signed Bryzgalov to a new 3-year deal in January and saw his save percentage drop from .921 in 2007-08 to .906 last season. The team also has two former Hartford Wolfpack greats in Jason LaBarbara (signed as a UFA from Vancouver) and Al Montoya (6th overall pick in 2004 draft) to push Bryzgalov more this season.
Player to Watch: Rushed from Wisconsin because the Coyotes needed something to get fans to come see them play, Kyle Turris struggled in his first full NHL season. Playing in 63 games the 20-year-old scored a meager 20 points and only lit the lamp 8 times. This former Canadian Junior and Player of the Year who did have success his only year playing in the WCHA (35 points in 36 games for Wisconsin,) has shown promise to be worth his 3rd overall selection in the 2007 NHL entry draft. This season Turris will most likely start the season in the AHL, which most experts will see as a step back in his development. I think this will help his progress and I would not be surprised to see him making an impact with the desert dogs sooner than later.
Prediction: With so much uncertainty surrounding who owns the team and where they will be playing, how can that not be a distraction for the team on the ice? All the players are saying the right thing to the media; “I will play hard wherever I play.” But the team is doing the opposite. Being around the cap lower limit, they are showing that they are not willing to spend because of the uncertainty. I am not saying that in order to win in this league you need a high payroll, since the Predators, who also had their share of owner problems, has won regularly with a low payroll. What I am saying is this organization has let the controversy surrounding it affect everyone involved from players, to management, to the fans and it is not conducive for a winning culture. Not until the U.S. Bankruptcy court can put this team up for new owners, whoever they may be, will we see new life in this losing franchise. Until then, they will continue to be the bottom dwellers in the NHL.