Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day, but no so much in the NHL these days.

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.

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.

During the Islanders heyday Bill Torrey was the GM. His last few bigger deals included Kelly Hrudey for Mark Fitzpatrick, Pat LaFontaine for Pierre Turgeon essentially and the acquisition of Darius Kasparaitis. While they were not that bad, they weren’t all that great either. Torrey left when the Islanders changed management.

Next up was Don Maloney whose deals included trading Pierre Turgeon for Kirk Muller and Ron Hextall for Tommy Soderstrom. Soderstrom never panned out as the Islanders would have liked and Hextall ended up leading the league in GAA. Kirk Muller ended up playing a whopping 27 games total in his two seasons with the Islanders before being traded in a big mess. Maloney was shortly fired.

Then came everyone’s favorite GM Mike Milbury. Milbury was able to help guide the Islanders to three straight playoff appearances between 2001-2004 the first time that happened since 1985-1988. On the down side all of the appearances was they were all 1^st round exits. The Islanders could have been even better if Milbury had an eye for talent. Milbury’s most notable blunders include trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish. He also acquired Alexei Yashin for Zedno Chara, Bill Muckalt and the 2^nd overall pick in the 2001 draft, which ended up being Jason Spezza. He also traded Bryan McCabe and Todd Bertuzzi for Trevor Linden. While Linden was a great player, he was definitely on the downside of his career while McCabe and Bertuzzi were just starting their careers. Personally I think a team of Chara and McCabe on defense, a line of Spezza, Bertuzzi and Jokinen, with Luongo in net wouldn’t be that bad. Even with Luongo’s and Jokinen’s problems.

Drafting wise the Islanders haven’t done any better. Bertuzzi and Brett Lindros were drafted under Maloney. Bertuzzi was of course traded before being developed and Lindros was a bust who had a career ending injury. Wade Redden was also a bust but regardless of that, he never even played for the Islanders in the first place.

Milbury didn’t draft much better. His first 1^st round pick of Jean-Pierre “J. P.” Dumont, ended in a contract dispute that saw Dumont get traded. He followed that up with drafting Luongo and Eric Brewer. Luongo played one season with the Islanders and wasn’t given time to develop and Brewer’s short two year run was a disaster. Michael Rupp was picked the next year in the draft and you can guess how that went. Between 1994 to 1998 the Islanders had six draft picks in the top ten spots. Three of them never even wore an Islanders sweater during a game and the other three all played two shortened seasons or less before being traded or they had their career ended by injury. In 1999 the Islanders had four 1^st round picks but rather than write about it, I’m going to let you guess how those panned out. Here’s a hint, they weren’t any better than the previous ones. Then there was the Rick DiPietro pick to start the century off. That actually wouldn’t have been a bad pick if not for DiPietro’s injury problems.

When Milbury finally left Neil Smith took over for a whopping 40 days and then was replaced with current GM Garth Snow. I actually like the last few Islanders’ draft picks of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and John Tavares. A good sign is that they are all still on the team. This years pick of Nino Niederreiter seems like he will develop into a great player, though still too early to tell. I also like the recent pick-ups of James Wisniewski and Michael Grabner.

The main thing the Islanders need is a GM with a good eye for talent. I think Garth Snow has that. The next step is to actually let the players develop. So while they aren’t winning now, results can’t be expected to happen overnight. I realize if you are an Islanders’ fan, it seems like you have been waiting forever but just give it a little more time.

Goalie Spotlight

Rick DiPietro – NY Islanders

Since we are on the subject of the Islanders, I figured I would spotlight Rick DiPietro. DiPietro was born in Winthrop, MA and played just one season for Boston University. But what a season it was. He was named to the All-Rookie Team, named to the Second Team All-Hockey East and was awarded the Hockey East’s Rookie of the Year. He also stopped 77 of 80 shots, just one save short of the record, in a quadruple overtime loss to St. Lawrence University during the NCAA regional final. He was also named MVP of the Beanpot tournament, which is a tournament participated in by the four major Boston area colleges. After his one stellar season the Islanders made him the 1^st overall pick of the 2000 draft. Milbury’s desire to draft DiPietro is what prompted him to trade Roberto Luongo.

He played in only 20 games is rookie year and manged just three wins and a .878 SV%. He was subsequently sent down to the Chicago Wolves of the IHL and then the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL. He didn’t fare any better with the Wolves but the next two seasons with the Sound Tigers he progressively improved. He also saw 10 games of action with the Islanders in 2002-03 in which he was slightly better than his last NHL go around. He was called up for good the next season and posted a 2.36 GAA with a .911 SV%.The next three seasons he played 60+ games. The 2006-07 season was his best season and he recorded a career high five shutouts. In March of 2007 DiPietro suffered a concussion which him caused him to miss a few games but he was able to play most of the playoff games that season.

In the summer of 2007 he underwent hip surgery to repair a torn labrum but the next season during the All-Star Game competition in 2008 he injured his hip again. He played most of the rest of the season with his injury. The next two seasons the played a combined total of 13 games mostly due to knee related injuries, swelling and surgeries. This season he is back and presumed to be 100%. He has so far split the goaltending duties with Dwayne Roloson. He has not played well this season. In fact he only played well during a win against Tampa Bay and a loss against the Thrashers. Otherwise he has been mediocre at best. His current numbers are a 3.93 GAA and .870 SV%. DiPietro is still only 29 and has a good chance to play a decade or so if he can stay healthy. It’s important for the Islanders organization that he bounces back this year after all that time and money has been invested in him.

Fights of the Week

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

Darcy Hordichuk vs. Shawn Thornton

Decent fight between these two, advantage Thornton.

Krys Barch vs. Colton Orr

A nice long fight that Orr clearly domaintes.

Kevin Westgarth vs. Chris Neil

Decent scrap despite Westgarth’s balancing issues.

Goats of the Week

Jaroslav Halak – St. Louis Blues

Even great goalies like Halak can make bad judgments from time to time, though if he wouldn’t have hit it accidentally for the 2^nd time it never would have went in. Mostly players are chosen as goats because their blunder cost their team the game. In this case, the Red Wings won by so much it didn’t really matter but I thought it deserved a mention anyway.

Corey Perry – Anaheim Ducks

Perry tries to center the puck in the closing seconds of the game with the goalie pulled but ends up scoring a goal… into his own net, a good 200 feet away.

Things I like

1.Loved the high scoring affair that was Tampa Bay vs. Philadelphia. I think we need to have games like that more often. It really showcases the awesomeness and excitement of the NHL. I’m not saying a defensive goalie duel isn’t exciting, it is, but this adds a different level of excitement. Too many games like that would be bad, as the fans would expect them too much.

2. Jerome Iginla has struggled mightily with the Flames so far this season. However since management has told him he wouldn’t have to wave his no trade clause, he has been on fire. I’m not sure why that would make a difference but I guess it has psychologically. Though if he and the Flames had started better, I don’t think the idea of trading him would have ever crossed their mind in the first place. Iginila has six goal in his last three games.

3. The 34 year old Milan Hejduk is on pace to have his best year since 2002-03. He is an integral part of the Avalanche’s offense and power play and brings much needed experience to the young Avalanche forwards.

4. Anytime you shutout the high scoring Capitals, except if your name is Jaroslav Halak, I think you deserve a special mention. So congratulations on making 30 saves goes to Johan Hedberg, a mostly career journeyman and the owner of a just below career .900 SV%.

Things I don’t

1. After the Blackhawks shed a few people off their roster, most notably Dustin Byfuglien, you would think the Canucks would have an easier time with the Hawks. But that is certainly not the case. After losing 2-1 in overtime to the Hawks earlier this year, Vancouver followed it up with an atrocious 7-1 loss at home. The Canucks were dominated in ever facet of the game except at the face-off circle. Not a good sign for the Canucks, especially if they have to meet the Blackhawks in the playoffs again.

2. Teams on the West Coast. The Canucks have lost their last four, the Kings have lost four of their last five, the Sharks have lost their last three and the Ducks have lost their last five. Maybe it’s something in the Pacific Ocean. I will admit the Kings received a couple of questionable calls against Ottawa.

3. After Ryan Smyth’s no goal because he was called for high sticking, I think it’s necessary the NHL invests in additional cameras so they can show more angles. I also think the NHL should grant each coach one challenge during the game. The idea was brought up during the GM meetings but was shot down. I think it’s time we had it. This challenge could be used for goals or penalty calls.

Stat Line of the Week

11/18/10 Tampa Bay 8 vs. Philadelphia 7

I suppose I could have picked a player form another game but I took the easy way out. Stamkos converted all three of his shots into goals for his 3^rd career hat trick. All of his goals were setup by nice passing by his Tampa Bay teammates. Stamkos is almost averaging a goal a game.

Did You Know?

In 1964-65, Red Wings’ Roger Crozier was the last goaltender to appear in all of his team’s games for an entire season. Crozier ended up playing in all but 33 minutes of the Red Wings 70 games that year. A feat that will surely never be done again in this day and age. Of course now they play 12 more games a season. Brodeur came pretty close a few years ago, having played in 78 games.

Numbers, Numbers

0 – Minus games for Toni Lydman thus far this season

0 – Regulation losses for the Blues at home

7.5 – The power play percentage of the Florida Panthers, dead last in the NHL

.945 – SV% of the Blues at Home, tied for 1^st in the NHL

.872 – SV% of the Blues on the Road, last in the NHL

4 – Shutouts by Cary Price in 20 games, the same number of shutouts he had the previous 3 seasons or 134 games

Quotes of the Week

“I don’t know what they were looking for.”

- LW Chris Kunitz, on word he received from officials on what the Toronto crew was looking for when they reviewed his goal in the third period Friday against Carolina.

“It always seems when I make a mistake, we pay for it somehow. I just can’t make those.”

- Sabres goalie Patrick Lalime on his costly turnover that led to Tampa Bay’s winning goal. “If we talk about that I’ll break down.”

Seeing as how you are the goalie, mistakes would be costly.

“I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I’ve had a great life. I’ve been around a great sport. I didn’t want to be a celebrity, I just want to be myself.”

- Pat Burns, in the days before his death from terminal cancer.

You will be missed Pat Buns.

“What have you guys been doing for 10 years?”

- Blue Jackets coach Scott Arniel, when told by a staffer that Saturday’s win in San Jose was the franchise’s first regulation win in HP Pavilion.

This Week in Hockey History

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

November 18, 1979 Vancouver Canucks earned their first ever home victory over Montreal, 5-2. The win snapped a streak of 21 home games (0-15-6) without a win versus the Habs. Glen Hanlon stopped 34 of 36 shots for the win, the 4th straight for Vancouver.

November 19, 1998 Mike Keenan became just the sixth coach to record 500 career NHL victories, and Garth Snow recorded his 5th career shutout as Vancouver won 5-0 at Colorado, to end a 15-game winless streak against the Avalanche, (0-12-3 since December 1995).

November 20, 1988 Blackhawks retired the jerseys of goaltenders Glenn Hall (#1) and Tony Esposito (#35) in a pregame ceremony at Chicago Stadium. Hall had played 15 years in Chicago, and Esposito 10 years. Blackhawks lost 7-4 to the Canucks.

November 21, 1987 King Olav V of Norway watched from behind the Montreal bench, as the Canadiens beat the Devils 2-1 at the Forum. Bobby Smith and Chris Chelios each scored a goal and added an assist in the second period for Montreal.

November 22, 1983 Brian Sutter had five assists to set a new club record for assists in a game, as the Blues won 7-4 over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs, to end a 6 game winless streak (0-4-2).

November 23, 1974 Goaltenders Rogie Vachon and Gary Inness traded shutouts as the Kings and the Penguins played to a 0-0 scoreless tie, at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. It was the 25th shutout of Vachon’s NHL career.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Detroit

2. Phoenix

3. Columbus

4. Philadelphia

5. Colorado

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. Edmonton

28. Calgary

27. Anaheim

26. Carolina

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.

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.

One week into the season and you are either loving your draft a top the standings or scouring the waiver wire trying to reconfigure a new team to compete. Either way the waiver wire and your current roster is full of hits and misses so lets break the forwards down Pucking Awesome style.

Pick Up Immediately

Tomas Kopecky, Blackhawks W:

The checking line winger had a career high 10 goals last season and is on fire to start the season. His seven assists already are four away from last years total.

The 28-year-old is now primed for a career year playing alongside the hottest player in the NHL, Marian Hossa and either Patrick Sharp or Jonathan Toews. Some high price talent on that line with Kopecky which will help his plus/minus (+5) and he is second on the team with 10 PIM.

The Slovak is only owned in 64.3 percent of leagues and that should increase very soon.

Mark Letestu, Penguins C:

The top of the Penguins scoring leaders are some familiar names but one sticks out like sore thumb, rookie center Mark Letestu.

The 25-year-old has seven points in his first seven games while playing mostly with Evgeni Malkin. The undrafted free agent is playing on the second power play unit and already has two game winning goals.

Only owned in 11 percent of leagues but playing on such a potent offense should make this number rise.

Proceed With Caution

Matt Cullen, Wild C:

Regarded as the big free agent pick up by the Wild this offseason Matt Cullen has been a pleasant surprise.

Playing primarily on the second line and top power play Cullen has six points with five of them coming on the power play. Their lies the problem, no way will he remain that hot on the Wild power play and relying heavily on power play points does not equal a good fantasy player.

Pick up the 33-year-old for a power play boost but proceed with caution.

Josh Bailey, Islanders C:

The Islanders are red hot to start the season and have had some real fantasy options come to the fore front and right at the top of the list is former first round pick Josh Bailey.

The 21-year-old took advantage of the recent injuries to break out with six points in the first six games, with half of them coming on the power play. Proceed with caution for John Taveres is now back healthy and will start taking some of the ice time away from the talented Bailey.

Not to mention Bailey left last game early due to a hip flexor injury. I am not denying that this kid has talent and should be a good NHL player but as the Islanders slump away from this hot start so will some of their early fantasy studs.

Teams with 2 games this weekend: Ducks, Thrashers, Blackhawks, Avalanche, Sabres, Blue Jackets, Canadiens, Devils, Islanders, Coyotes, Penguins, Canucks

Forwards To watch

Clarke MacArthur, Leafs W

Four goals and five points in the first three games for the red hot Maple Leafs have put the 25-year-old on the fantasy map.  The player who has been on three teams in the last seven months seems to have found a home in Toronto.  Makes you wonder if Atlanta is regretting walking away from his arbitration award of $2.4 million.

The former third-round pick of the Sabres did have 44 goals in 208 career games and is playing 15:25 minutes per game with time on the power play and is worth the pick up as the hot Leafs face off versus the Rangers this weekend.

Blake Comeau, Islanders W

With all the injuries to the Islanders forwards, Blake Comeau is stepping up with the added ice time.  With three goals and four points in the first three games, the former second pick is blossoming playing on a line with former first-round pick Josh Bailey.

The 24-year-old is playing over 20 minutes a game early and playing on the top power play unit.  With John Tavares coming back in the next couple of games will add to the stock of Comeau as the Isle have two games this weekend.

Tomas Kopecky, Blackhawks W

Marian Hossa buddy from the Red Wings has four points and is a +4 in the first four games playing mostly on a line with Hossa and Jonathan Toews.  The Blackhawks who lost a lot of their depth in the offseason have given the 28-year-old added responsibilities.

The Slovak is now playing on the top line and on the top power play and is getting plenty of chances with seven shots but is still only owned in about 11 percent of leagues.  With two games this weekend look for that number to go up when he has a successful weekend.

Defenseman To Watch

Jordan Leopold, Sabres

As the Sabres said goodbye to Henrik Tallinder and Toni Lydman this offseason and hello to Jordan Leopold, most Sabres fans cringed. Now those fans are excited about the hot start that the former Hobey Baker winner is on this season.

The 30-year-old is partying like it is 2003 with two goals and four points in the first four games while playing 4:00 minutes a game on the power play.  There is no doubt that Tyler Myers is the Sabres No. 1 defenseman, but Leopold is playing himself into fantasy relativity and is a player to watch for in Buffalo’s two games this weekend.

Brad Stuart, Red Wings

With the injury news that Brian Rafalsky will miss three to four weeks due to knee surgery, Brad Stuart is now a fantasy option on the potent Red Wings.  The 30-year-old will now be a part of the top defensive unit with Nicklas Lidstrom and expand on his ice time.  The veteran is already a +2 with four shots and 9 PIM and should help your fantasy team for the next three to four weeks.

James Wisniewski, Islanders

Even though he got more headlines this week for his gesture towards Sean Avery than his play, James Wisniewski should get more attention from fantasy owners.  With Mark Streit out the 26-year-old acquired from the Ducks is now the No. 1 defenseman on Long Island.  Let us not forget that five-year veteran had 30 points in 69 games last year and after he sits out one more game this weekend should be picked up in all leagues.

Goalies To Watch

Nikolai Khabibulin, Oilers

With all the controversy this offseason with the former Stanley Cup winner most fantasy owners stayed away from Nikolai Khabibulin.  Now the 37-year-old is proving all the naysayer wrong and leading the young Oilers to a 2-1 record early with .933 save percentage.  The Russian is now the most added goaltender in leagues and should give a fantasy a nice boost with one game against the Flames this weekend.

Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers

The Russian Rookie known to his teammates as “Bobs” has broken onto the scene as a viable fantasy option with two wins in his first two career starts.  Now a return engagement with the surprisingly offensively challenged Penguins this weekend for Bobrovsky, who beat them on opening night.  The 22-year-old has a 2.00 GAA and impressive .931 save percentage and should be owned in all fantasy leagues.

Michal Neuvirth, Capitals

The 22-year-old Neuvirth is finally getting his shot to show he belongs with the big boys and has looked sharp in his first four starts with three wins.  Jose Theodore did win 30 games in front of similar team last season, so why can’t Neuvirth do the same?

With Semyon Varlamov getting closer to a return from a groin injury the young goalie has made Coach Bruce Boudreau job difficult to take him out of the net with a .924 save percentage and is a great start against the Predators this weekend.

Next up the deep position of Left Wing and the sleeper filled position of Right Wing

Fantasy LW Rankings

1.)    Alex Ovechkin

2.)    Daniel Sedin

3.)    Iyla Kovalchuk

4.)    Zach Parise

5.)    Patrick Marleau

6.)    Alex Semin

7.)    Henrik Zetterberg

8.)    Patrick Sharp

9.)    Lou Eriksson

10.)  Taylor Hall

11.)  Jussi Jokinen

12.)  Wojtek Wolski

13.)  Michael Cammalleri

14.)  Alexandre Burrows (IR)

15.)  Simon Gagne

16.)  Ryan Clowe

17.)  Thomas Vanek

18.)  Alex Frolov

19.)  Patrik Elias

20.)  Kris Versteeg

Honorable Mention:  Tyler Ennis

===========================================================================================

Fantasy RW Rankings

1.)     Martin St Louis

2.)    Patrick Kane

3.)    Dany Heatley 

4.)    Corey Perry

5.)    Marion Gaborik

6.)    Rick Nash

7.)    Jarome Iginla

8.)    Bobby Ryan

9.)    Daniel Alfredsson

10.)   Nikolai Zherdev

11.)  Marian Hossa

12.)   Nathan Horton

13.)   Ales Hemsky

14.)   Phil Kessel

15.)   Daniel Briere

16.)   Kyle Okposo

17.)   Shane Doan

18.)   Jason Pominville

19.)  Johan Franzen

20.)  Martin Havlat

Honorable Mention:  Jordan Eberle

The riches contract was given out before July 1^st as Tomas Plekanec got a 6-year, $30 million deal to stay in Montreal.   Patrick Marleau, also came off the market before July 1^st signing the riches per year contract as he will be paid $6.9 million per year to continue to know the way to San Jose.   

As for the riches deal given out on the 1^st was to the twice traded Dan Hamhuis, as he went home to the tune of $27 million for six years.  Sergei Gonchar left the friendly confines of Crosby land to sign the riches per year deal on July 1^st, a $5.5 million per year to play in Ottawa. 

Atlantic Division Goes Defensive:

The division that has had four teams make the playoff’s three out of the last four years just got tougher to play against, literally.  With the Flyers trading for talented defenseman Andrej Meszaros, a year after trading for future hall-of-famer Chris Pronger, re-signing young stud Bryadon Coburn and adding veteran Sean O’Donnell.  That signaled the race was on in the Atlantic to put up the best defensive unit in the division. 

The Penguins, who lost top defender Sergei Gonchar, responded by signing the block shot machine Zbynek Michalek to a 5-year, $20 million deal.  Later in the day the purged the division rival Devils, by signing the smooth skating Paul Martin to a 5-year, $25 million deal.

Lou Lamoriello responded to the loss of Martin by signing the hard hitting, tough nose Anton Volcehnkov to a 6-year, $25.5 million deal.  He also added the sturdy Henrik Tallinder to a 4-year, $13.5 million deal.

We also can’t forget that the last place Islanders upgraded their defense by signing former Penguins Mark Eaton to a 2-year, $5 million deal and the hard hitting Milan Jurcina to a 1-year, $1 miilion deal. 

To be fair the Rangers are more focused right now on signing their own young talent as both Marc Staal and Dan Girardi are restricted free agents and they are in talks to sign talent prospect Ryan McDonough away from the NCAA champions Wisconsin.

With all that in mind, the Atlantic division now holds some of the best defensive corps in the NHL and the matchups between all these teams got more interesting with players jumping ship for greener pastures.

Back to the Past

The biggest head scratcher of the free agent frenzy that ensued on July 1^st was the return of Olli Jokinen to the Calgary Flames.  Jokinen was exiled from the team just five months before and didn’t set off any fires while in New York, scoring only four goals and adding 15 points in 24 games with the Rangers. 

Why would Darryl Sutter bring back the fu man chu?  Well one answer is he got him back for a cheaper price as he signed a two-year, $6 million deal.  Another would be the crop of free agents at center were so thin that he felt maybe the former 30-goal scorer would relish his second chance to center Jarome Iginla.  But both players employ a shoot first mentality so Sutter’s other, under-the-radar move was to bring back the slick passing winger Alex Tanguay. 

The 30-year-old Tanguay had two successful years playing on a top line with Iginla, with 40 goals and 99 assists, before being shipped out for a first round pick to Montreal.  Sutter took a lot of heat in the media for bringing back both of these former Flames, but the joke might be on everyone, if they build instant chemistry and give the Flames a dominant top line to go with their already stellar defense and Miikka Kiprusoff, they just better hope that their playoff lives do not come down to a shootout.

The Best of the Rest

The second waves of signing are often the most overlooked signings in the offseason.  The names that still roam free are some heavy hitters that could round up most teams looking to win the Stanley Cup.  The question now turns to the players, if they are willing to take a short term contract to prove that they are who we thought they were.

Mike Modano has not announced his plans of if he will return for a 21^st NHL season, if he does and signs with a contender he could be a great third line player, who kills penalties as he did score 14 goals last season and showed no signs that he has lost his legs.

Lee Stempniak is only 27-years old and scored 28 goals last season for the Maple Leafs and Coyotes.  Sure sounds like an attractive free agent to round out your second line?  The problem is he had 14 of those goals in his 18 games with the Coyotes and with only 96 career goals in 374 games it is hard to judge what Stempniak’s worth is on the open market.

 Willie Mitchell is one of the most underrated defenseman in the league.  The 33-year-old will hit anything and is solid in his own end.  His absence from the Canucks blue line this season was very noticeable as they failed to get past the second round.  Concussion issues are  scaring off potential new teams, as Mitchell has had two in his last three seasons, including being out of the lineup for most of last year.  He could be a cheap fine for a contending team, if he can prove the concussion symptoms are behind him.

Some other players to keep an eye on are;  goalies Evgeni Nabokov, Marty Turco and Jose Theodore,  wingers Paul Kariya, Bill Guerin, Alex Frolov and Eric Belanger, and defenseman Andy Sutton, Joe Corvo and Kim Johnsson. 

So to help owners out, we will look at some of the best Waiver Wire pickups to gather before the big break.

G Mike Brodeur, Senators

Marty’s long lost brother’s cousin’s uncle has put on a show in his first three games this season giving up only three goals in those games, including a shutout.

Considering the Senators fired their goaltending coach a couple of days ago, it shows you how much confidence they had in the current goalies on the roster. 

Big time pickup Pascal Leclair still can’t seem to stay healthy, and Brian Elliot has done nothing to solidify himself as the guy to turn to full time (10-11-3), so in steps the former seventh-round selection.

Goalies are very streaky, so ride the 26-year-old’s current hot streak, for the Senators are finally starting to get healthy and play 14 more times before the break, with only two back-to-back nights.

D Keith Yandle, Coyotes

The Coyotes are for real and need to be taken seriously as fantasy contributors.  None more than the 23-year-old defenseman, who is following a career year with a breakout performance this season, and has to start being owned in 100 percent of leagues. 

Yandle already has a career-high six goals, with half of them coming on the power play and has tied his career-high 37 penalty minutes. 

The Boston native is playing 48.4 percent of the Coyotes power play which helps his stock (6 power play points), and has two game-winning goals. With 14 games remaining before the break, look for Yandle to build on his career year.

D Mark Giordano, Flames

With the likes of Dion Phaneuf, Jay Bouwmeester, and Robyn Regehr on the Flames backline, it is a true surprise that Giordano is starting to become a fantasy impact player but wake up and smell the salts: the 26-year-old is worth a pick up despite the big names surrounding him.

The Toronto native leads the Flames D in points (20), PIM (54) and is second in Power Play points (8), while being a plus player (+6). 

The undrafted free agent played last season in Russia after rejecting a two-way contract but has seem to make the right decision coming back to play in the NHL. 

Paired with Bouwmeester on even strength obviously has helped his plus-minus and playing on the top power play has shown he is here to stay and be an impact fantasy player.

W Guillaume Latendresse, Wild

The classic case of a talented player just needing a change of scenery, as Latendresse has been on fire for the red-hot Minnesota Wild.  The former second-round pick by the Canadiens has 13 goals in his first 24 games in Minnesota (15 total). The 22-year-old’s career high in goals is 16. 

Though fighting an illness recently, it has been the opposing defense that has been sick to see Latendresse on the ice with 15 points in his last 13 games. 

Playing alongside equally hot Martin Havlat (14 pts in last 15), the 6’2’’ power forward has seemed to find a home in the Western Conference and should find a home on your fantasy team.

W Pavol Demitra, Canucks

The 35-year-old made his season debut for the Canucks on Saturday and should start to be added on fantasy teams.  Wanting to play for the Slovakian Olympic team, Demitra wanted to get some time in before the Olympics.

This 10-time 20+ goal scorer, including last year, will start on the third line of the deep Canucks, but as he gets more ice time watch for his points total to rise.

Demitra has averaged 57 points in the last three years and seems to be healthy after off-season shoulder surgery, so he should be activated into your fantasy lineup.

C/W  Josh Bailey, Islanders

The former ninth overall selection has now been promoted to the top line on Long Island to create a line of the last three first round picks for the Islanders (Okposo ’07, Bailey ’08, Tavares ’09). 

The 20-year-old is responding to this promotion with 14 points in his last 13 games.  Though playing center his whole career, being moved to the wing on this talented line is not only good news for the Islanders but for fantasy owners with dual eligibility. 

The Ontario native also is contributing on the power play with seven power play points and is an amazing +11 on a team that is giving up 2.94 GAA/game. 

With eight of the 14 games at home, look for Bailey to continue his hot streak, as he has 10 points in 22 home games this season.

Despite the awful starts the Hurricanes and Maple leafs had the Oilers have almost caught up to them or more accurately slid down to them. When Dwayne Roloson, 40, left in the off season the Oilers hoped to upgrade their position. So they signed Nikolai Khabibulin, 37 slightly younger, who had just led the Blackhawks to the western conference finals. Unfortunately that didn’t really workout as planned. Khabibulin has for the most part been disappointing and made a couple of gaffes in the beginning of the season that cost the Oilers some games. He also has been on the injured list since the middle of November. Personally I think it’s for the best, they really need to find their goalie of the future and not just rotate old guys. Unfortunately he is signed for another three seasons after this season. Right now the Oilers are going with Jeff Deslauriers. He hasn’t performed all that well, though he has only started in 32 games in his NHL career thus far. Personally they should be playing Devan Dubnyk they drafted him 14^th overall in 2004, time to give him his shot. While he hasn’t exactly lit it up in the AHL, everyone deserves a chance.

Offensively other than the reemergence of Dustin Penner not much has gone right for the Oilers. Alex Hemsky was playing well, again, but he is gone for the season with his torn shoulder. Nobody else strikes fear into opponents. I think they really should go after somebody via free agency or a trade. IIya Kovalchuk is a possibility via one of those options. Whether he would want to play in Edmonton is a different story. It’s defiantly worth a shot though and it would give Edmonton the kind of pure scorer they have lacked. It’s also time to start bringing up the young guys to see what they have. Charles Linglet has played well for the Springfield Falcons, he should be brought up and given a good luck.

Needless to say what they are doing now is not working. It’s time for a shake-up and to get the youth movement going.

Goalie Spotlight

No time this week.

Fights of the Week

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

Rick Rypien vs. Brandon Prust

Your Rick Rypien fight of the week, these two went at it again a period later, this fight was better though.

David Koci vs. Brian McGrattan

8^th fight between these two, great punches by both.

Paul Bissonnette vs. Darcy Hordichuk

This fight would have been better if the camera guy didn’t miss half of it. Nice final punch by Hordichuk.

Chris Neil vs. Eric Boulton

Eric Boulton had the edge in this one.

Dave Steckel vs. Zenon Konopka

Nice tussle, Konopka connected with some nice punches.

Goat of the Week

Stephane Auger – Referee

For his pre-game chat and questionable calls against Alex Burrows in the Vancouver Canucks game against the Nashville Predators. The video has the 2^nd more atrocious call.

Things I like

1. The Philadelphia Flyers have finally responded to their new coach and have started to turn their season around. They always had the talent it’s just a matter of piecing it together. Except for the game against Ottawa Michael Leighton has played well during the winning streak. Mike Richards and Chris Pronger both have 5 game point streaks currently.

2. Despite the fact that the Sabres have Ryan Miller I’m still surprised they have been in 1^st place in their division for so long. Buffalo is the only division leader without a points scorer in the top 25.

3. Watch out for the Islanders NHL. 7-2-1 in their last 10 and winners of four of their past five, the Islanders seem to be coming together. This includes a total dismantling of the Red Wings last night 6-0. Former 1^st overall pick of the draft Rick DiPietro has also made his return to the island.

Things I don’t

1. The controversy surrounding Alex Burrows and Ref Auger. Just some bad calls in general, I think I could see if he called holding the stick but diving it certainly was not. Either way it was incidental and the interference call was just horrible. I would have called diving on Joel Ward. I also don’t care for the NHL’s failure to punish Auger at all, yet they fine Burrows for shame NHL. This kind of stuff ruins the integrity of the game.

2. Evgeni Malkin hasn’t scored a goal in nine games dating back to his hat trick against Ottawa. He has only 5 goals in 19 games in December and January. The Penguins also still have the 2^nd worst powerplay.

3. The Chicago Blackhawks who seemingly were manhandling the wild 5-1 after two periods, only to give up four goals on seven shots in the 3^rd period forcing the game into overtime. The Blackhawks then ended up losing in the 8^th round of the shootout, 6-5. You have to play the whole 60 minutes Chicago.

Stat Line of the Week

01/08/10  Buffalo 3 vs. Toronto 2

Tyler Myers rookie campaign has been a successful one thus far in Buffalo. He scored two goals and added an assist, all on the powerplay, having a hand in all the Sabres goals. Myers is 5^th in the league in rookie scoring.  A feat made all the more impressive because he is a defenseman. He also leads all rookies in assists.

Did You Know?

That Curtis Joseph is the only goalie in the top 10, for wins all-time, that has never won a Stanley Cup. His best finish in the postseason was the Eastern Conference finals with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Numbers, Numbers

2,500 – Dollar amount for the fine on Alex Burrows for talking out about the referring of Stephane Auger.

0 – Games suspended or amount fined for the pre game talk and questionable calls by Stephane Auger.

454 – Wins by recently retired Curtis Joseph, 4^th on the all-time list.

94 – Goals allowed by the New Jersey Devils the only team not to reach 100 yet.

45 – Saves by Henrik Lundqvist out of 45 shots, yet he still lost in the shootout.

This Week in Hockey History

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

January 07, 2000 Joe Sakic became the Colorado franchise all-time leader in games, when he appeared in his 814th career game with the team, a 4-1 win over the visiting Montreal Canadiens. Sakic replaced Michel Goulet, and picked up two assists in the game.

January 07, 1989 Vancouver’s Tony Tanti scored his club-record 10th hat trick and set a new team record for fastest 3 goals (6:46), as the Canucks defeated Pittsburgh 7-5. Tanti also added an assist

January 08, 1988 Flames’ rookie Brett Hull scored twice and added two assists as Calgary beat the Islanders 7-4, to extend their home undefeated streak against New York to 8 games (6-0-2).

January 09, 1993 New York’s Mike Gartner became the first player in NHL history to get 25 goals in each of his first 14 seasons, when he scored twice for the Rangers in a 4-3 loss at Philadelphia.

January 10, 1992 Washington Capitals set a team record with three shorthanded goals (including two in :18) during a 7-4 win over the Kings, at Landover, Maryland. Kevin Hatcher led the scoring with two goals and two assists.

January 11, 1941 Dave “Sweeney” Schriner had a goal and three assists, and Turk Broda recorded his 23rd career shutout as the Maple Leafs beat the NY Americans, 9-0 in Toronto. It was the Leafs’ second consecutive penalty-free game — a first in NHL history.

January 12, 1994 Winnipeg’s Teemu Selanne scored his 100th NHL goal in a 3-2 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. The milestone came in Selanne’s 130th career game, the second-fastest 100 goals in NHL history. (Bossy scored his first 100 goals in 129 games).

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Philadelphia
2. San Jose
3. Buffalo
4. Chicago
5. Vancouver

Bottom 5

30. Edmonton
29. Toronto
28. Atlanta
27. Pittsburgh
26. Los Angeles

Anaheim Ducks Watch

The Ducks have finally gotten healthy and have a four game winning steak going because of it, their longest of the season so far. Anaheim’s second win in the streak was against the St. Louis Blues, a team near them in the standings. Rookie Matt Beleskey scored his second goal in as many games to help propel Anaheim to victory 4-2. The Ducks were actually down 2-1 in the 3^rd but rattled off 3 goals. Beleskey’s was the game winner and the Ducks also scored an empty netter to seal the deal.

Next up was the Predators another team the Ducks are trying to catch up to in the Standings. This game saw the return of Teemu Selanne, from a broken hand, who scored the games first goal. Ryan Getzlaf also scored his first goal since coming back from his injury. The Ducks took their 3 goal lead into the 3^rd period and saw their lead cut to 1, but they were able to hang on for the win, 3-2.

Next up were the Blackhawks coming off their stunning defeat against the Wild 6-5. Despite being out shot 43 to 11 the Ducks somehow managed to eek out a victory 3-1. Hiller was phenomenal on the road helping to steal the victory for the Ducks. Perry, Koivu and Selanne (empty net) added the goals for the Ducks. The Ducks have about a month before the Olympic break to make up a lot of ground in the standings.

Winter Classic? – The NHL had their annual winter classic on New Years Day. Certainly the most marketable game, besides the Finals, and it also draws the most ratings for a regular season by a huge margin. I remember the first winter classic between the Sabres and Penguins. I thought the snow flurries added a nice touch. It look cool watching it on TV but it wasn’t snowing hard enough to ruin the performance of the game. I also thought the game was rigged. It seemed too fishy to have the game to go into a shootout and have it be won by Sidney Crosby. I mean that NHL gets to showcase one of the more exciting aspects of the game, the 1 on 1 shootout, and they get to have their most marketable star, Crosby, win the game. But I guess that’s just what happened.

I didn’t get to watch last years’ game because I thought the game was on at 1pm. Which it was but I live on the west coast so when I turned it on about five minutes before 1pm it had about five minutes left in the game. I can’t remember being more annoyed. This year’s game between the Bruins and Flyers featured almost 40 minutes worth of pre game activities. Some of them added a nice touch I thought like talking to Bobby Orr and Bobby Clarke and showing classic footage of each. But overall I thought it dragged and I just wanted the game to start already.

The game was kind of flat. I didn’t find most of it to be all that exciting, except for the end. Philadelphia truly dominated all but the last 5 minutes of the game and overtime. Even though Boston had one more shot on goal in certainly didn’t feel that way. Philadelphia had the better scoring chances and it always seemed to have an odd man rush in their favor every five minutes. Whether it was a breakaway or a 2 on 1, Tim Thomas kept the Bruins in the game. He played like a monster in front of the monster (I couldn’t resist) with well timed saves and occasionally losing his gear during them. I was stunned to see the Bruins tie it up with about three minutes to go in the game. I wasn’t surprised they won it in overtime though; you could tell the momentum had shifted after that. Michael Leighton played really well for the Flyers which I wasn’t expecting, since he didn’t exactly tear it up for Carolina. But he has played well since coming to Philadelphia. Leighton has played on four different teams in his career and is in his second stint with the Flyers. Hopefully he has found a home this time. If he continues to play well I suspect he has and he may even push Emery out the door when he gets back. I was hoping for rain or snow during the game but that didn’t happen. I look forward to next year’s game, wherever that may be.

Goalie Spotlight

Roberto Luongo – Vancouver Canucks

Named to the Canadian team this past week I figured I do a write-up on him. Loyal readers know that I already did spotlights on all of the goalies on team USA.

Robert Luongo is the first goalie to be named captain of his team since Bill Durnan in the 1947-48 season. Luongo is a native of Montreal, Quebec like so many other great goalies that come from Quebec. He has a rink named after him where he used to play the 2^nd goalie with that honor, the first being Martin Brodeur. He started skating at age 8 and wanted to play goalie then, but his parents wanted him to focusing on his skating. At age 11, after playing forward for a few years, his team’s regular goalie didn’t show. After begging his mom he was allowed to play goal. She said on that day, “It made me sad because he loved hockey and couldn’t skate.”[1] As fate would have it Luongo posted a shutout on that day and it was clear he was meant to be a goalie. At age 15 Luongo joined Montreal-Bourassa a midget team that Martin Brodeur and Felix Potvin (who Luongo is linked to in many ways) played for before they were stars. Luongo then moved on Val-d’Or Foreurs (a junior ice hockey team) where he received rave reviews. Luongo was drafted with the 4^th pick by the New York Islanders in 1997. He was the highest drafted goalie ever until the Islanders, again, picked Rick DiPietro 1^st overall three years later.

In the 1999-2000 season, a few months after signing his contract, Luongo split time with the AHL (Lowell Lock Monsters) and the Islanders. Luongo played so well that he surpassed Felix Potvin as the starting goalie so Potvin was traded to Vancouver. Despite being considered their future goalie the Islanders traded Luongo and Olli Jokinen to the Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha. This paved the way for the Islanders to take DiPietro.

Luongo started his career with the Panthers splitting time with Trevor Kidd but he soon emerged as the clear cut number one. It was hard to record wins playing for the struggling Panthers but he continually posted great GAA and SV%. An ankle injury sidelined him for a third of the 01-02 season. He received his first Vezina Trophy nomination in 03-04, setting the NHL record for most shots faced and saved in a single season and he led the league with a .931 SV%. The previous record holder was Felix Potvin. Luongo was second in the Vezina balloting losing only to Martin Brodeur. After the lockout season Luongo signed a one year deal with the Panthers. He posted what was then a career high of eight shutouts that year. Before the start of the 06-07 season he was wrangling for a new contract with the Panthers. He had a list of demands he wanted met in the contract but GM Mike Keenan and Luongo didn’t have the best relationship. In a surprise move Keenan elected to trade Luongo to the Canucks for Todd Bertuzzi, Alex Auld and Bryan Allen. Luongo brought instant stability to the Cancuks net that had been searching for a goalie for some time since Kirk Mclean left.

In his first season with the Canucks he was an All-Star, set the franchise record for most wins in a season with 47 and set a career high for wins and GAA. 2007 was the first year Luongo ever made the playoffs. In his first game he came within one save of tying Kelly Hrudey’s mark for most saves (73) in a playoff game. The Canucks lost to the Ducks in the 2^nd round. Luongo was nominated for three awards (Vezina, Pearson, Hart) that year and finished second in all of them losing to Brodeur again for the Vezina trophy. The next season he was named an All-Star again but he stumbled down the stretch and the Canucks missed the playoffs. Luongo led the Canucks to their second division crown in three seasons and into the 2^nd round of the playoffs again. They lost to the Blackhawks in six games where Luongo gave up seven goals. He was heavily criticized for his play and he acknowledged he let his team down. Before the season started he signed a hefty 12 year contract extension.

After struggling mightily this year with a horrible October, Luongo has rebounded nicely posting some stellar numbers in the month of December. He also holds five Panthers’ franchise records and six Canucks’ franchise records. The Canucks hope to repeat as division champs but have stiff competition this year in the Calgary Flames and the Colorado Avalanche. This three team race should go down to the wire, just like last year’s two team race between the Canucks and the Flames.

[1] http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=480116

Fights of the Week

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

Rick Rypien vs. Cam Janssen

If you like fast punches you’ll like this fight. The refs break it up to early though.

Cam Barker vs. Mike Weaver

The fight wasn’t anything, it was Weaver’s hit on Sharp that was awesome which led to this fight.

Cody McLeod vs. Jared Boll

If you like wild punches then this is the bout for you.

Jonathan Toews vs. David Backes

Here’s a fight between two guys who normally don’t fight, mildly entertaining.

Goat of the Week

Johan Hedberg – Atlanta Thrashers

Funny how about 75% of the goats of the week usually involve a Goalie leaving the crease. That’s why I say goalies should always stay between the pipes. Hedberg thought the puck was going to take a different bounce then it did and Derek Roy was the benefactor of that mistake, as he scored the game winner into a wide open net.

Things I like

1. Rene Bourque where has this guy come from? Never having more than 40 points in a season, he is practically already there after 36 games with 34 points. He also scored his 2^nd career hat trick on Dec. 28^th.

2. The Sharks top line is all bound for the Canadian Olympic team. If Canada was smart, they would just play that line as it is. They already have a half a seasons worth of chemistry.

3. Jamie Langenbrunner has been on a roll lately. He has a five game point streak going and had a three game goal streak during it, including a hat trick against the Wild. Earlier this month, he had a point streak of seven games.

4. The Sedin twins are getting even hotter. Henrik is now leading the NHL in points and Daniel is creeping up the leader board despite playing in only 25 games so far. Conversely the Canucks have also been creeping up the standings now residing in 6^th place.

Things I don’t

1. Consistent is something the Washington Capitals are not. After having strange losses earlier in December to Buffalo and Toronto the Capitals end the month by not showing up against the worst team in the league, Carolina, and then one of the best teams, San Jose. They fell behind 0-3 to the Hurricanes, last Monday, in a game you thought they would have won but they lost 2-5. Maybe they thought it would be a cakewalk and they didn’t really come to play. But the next night against the Sharks they did the same thing and fell behind 0-3 before losing 2-5. You think they would have been motivated to play the Sharks. The Caps snapped their three game losing streak with a win against Montreal.

2. The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost five in a row now. They seem to be getting worse though as each loss mounts. Evgeni Malkin has particularly struggled, producing no points in his past four games and a costly turnover against the Panthers. Things are so bad Mario Lemieux watched almost all of their practice. They were finally able to beat Atlanta 5-2 and Malkin had an assist which is a start.

3. Anze Kopitar was the leading scorer in the middle of November now he is tied for 15^th. Has anyone fallen this much this fast before? The Kings have also fallen from a brief, and I do mean brief, stint in 1^st place to all the way down to the 7^th slot. Of course I write that on Monday and then on Monday night the Kings crush the Sharks at the Shark Tank 6-2. Kopitar had a goal and an assist in the game.

4. Injuries to the Anaheim Ducks. When your injuries can produce a line of Ryan Getzlaf, Teemu Selanne, and Joffery Lupul you know you will have problems scoring. That’s just what has happened to the Ducks. A shame because the Ducks were able to string together a bunch of wins overcoming the Selanne and Lupul injuries. But losing Getzlaf is just too much in addition to them and now they are back on a losing streak.

Stat Line of the Week

01/03/10  Senators 7 vs. Flyers 4

Alexei Kovalev feels like he’s been around forever because he has. Now in his 17^th season, Kovalev had four goals on six shots not to shabby to go with his +5. The four goals was a career high.

Did You Know?

While Kovalev’s five point night was good the record for most points in one game is twice that mark. The record of 10 points is not held by Wayne Gretzky but rather Darryl Sittler. His six goals and four assists in 1976 as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, in a game against the Boston Bruins, still stands today. You have to like the chances of that record falling in the next few seasons though.

Numbers, Numbers

4 – Canadian teams that would make the playoffs if they started today out of 6.

-12 – +/- for Scott Niedermayer which looks to be receiving his third minus season in a row, after having only 1 in his previous 15 seasons before.

53 – Wins last year for the President Trophy winning Sharks, they are on pace for that again this year.

14 – Road wins for Colorado last year; they have 13 at the halfway point this year.

This Week in Hockey History

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

December 31, 1910 Montreal Canadiens goalie Georges Vezina played the first of 367 consecutive regular season and playoff games, when Montreal lost their NHA season opener, 5-3 to the visiting Ottawa Senators. Vezina played every game for Montreal for 15 seasons.

January 01, 1999 Teemu Selanne scored his 15th career hat trick and added two assists, Steve Rucchin had two goals and two assists and Fredrik Olausson tied his career high with four assists in the Mighty Ducks’ 7-2 win at Buffalo.

January 02, 1990 Mario Lemieux tied team record he had set four years earlier, when a goal and an assist increased his point scoring streak to 28 straight games, 4th longest in NHL history, as the Penguins lost 5-2 to Boston.

January 03, 2002 Buffalo’s Rob Ray became the 7th player in NHL history to get 3,000 career penalty minutes (and the first ever to get 3,000 PIM with one team) when his minor, major, and two misconducts pushed him to 3,019 career PIM, in a 3-1 loss at Calgary.

January 04, 1997 Rangers’ Wayne Gretzky tied a club record with four assists in the second period as New York won 6-4 over the visiting Ottawa Senators. It was Mike Richter’s 11th straight win, and the Rangers’ 2,000th franchise victory.

January 05, 1957 CBS television became the first U.S. network to televise an NHL game as the host New York Rangers beat Chicago 4-1 in an afternoon game, at Madison Square Garden.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. San Jose
2. New Jersey
3. Chicago
4. Colorado
5. Buffalo

Bottom 5

30. Edmonton
29. Columbus
28. Atlanta
27. Toronto
26. St. Louis

Anaheim Ducks Watch

Before I start this I’d like to say it’s incredibly annoying to listen to Brian Hayward announce Ducks games sometimes with his dumb “he’s living right” quote. He says it all the freakin time he must have said it like 10 times during the Blackhawks game, I think it was. Such a dumb quote who is living wrong by the way Hayward?

The Ducks lost Ryan Getzlaf to an injury against the Sharks so an already depleted team further depletes. That’s two years in a row a Duck has been injured by their own skate, first Selanne and now Getzlaf, strange. Bobby Ryan, of team USA, led the way against the Wild scoring two goals and providing an assist. While Anaheim didn’t give up the game in the 3^rd period, they only produced 2 measly shots in it. Still they picked up the win and that’s the important part.

They followed up that win with an awful performance against the Stars. I don’t know what it is but the Stars really have the Ducks number the last few years. This doesn’t sit well with me since I’m not a Stars fan to begin with. Though Hiller faced a lot of shots, he didn’t play well. You can tell it’s going to be a tough night when the first goal you give up in the game is a shorthanded one.

The Predators game was hard to stomach as the Ducks led 1-0 after the 1^st period then… well you know how it ends. Though the final score was 3-1 the buzzer beating empty net goal doesn’t count in my book. Hiller played better but there are just too many injuries to overcome and the lines are all out of whack. A really tough game to lose because the Ducks needed those 2 points and needed the Predators to not to get them.

Next up was the red hot Blackhawks and Anaheim got crushed 5-2. Now I know what you’re saying but it’s the Blackhawks true, however at the end of November the Ducks shutout the Blackhawks 3-0. Of course the Ducks were healthier then with Getzlaf and Selanne and Chicago didn’t have Hossa yet. My how things have changed, I turned it off at 4-0 so I could go watch the equally thrilling Jets vs. Bengals which was just as competitive, gag. I missed Petteri Nokelainen’s two garbage goals but good for him for scoring them.

Against Detroit Ryan Getzlaf came back and he was greatly needed. The Ducks halted their three game losing streak beating the Red Wings 4-1, with one goal being an empty netter. Getzlaf picked up an assist in his return and Hiller played well for a change making some great saves stopping 38 of 39 shots. Saku Koivu had a pretty shorthanded goal and Matt Beleskey had his first NHL goal. All in all one of the more well-rounded games the Ducks have played in some time.

Vancouver Canucks 3^rd jersey – It took me awhile, yes sad I know, to figure out that was a hockey stick. But honestly what is the point? The other jerseys are fine and this is a just a stick coming out of an oval, it just looks dumb. Some of you may rip me because it’s a pure old school classic hockey. Rip me anyway I don’t like it.

Anaheim Ducks jersey logo – I like the old mighty ducks logo not the name “mighty ducks”, ducks is fine. It’s weird though because without the mighty in the title you just think of a regular duck. I don’t know about you, but the first thing I think of when I think of Anaheim or Southern California is not a duck. Perhaps Donald Duck eventually. At first I thought the logo was lame then I realized the “D” in Ducks was a webbed duck’s foot then I came to the conclusion, it’s still lame.

New York Islanders jersey – I have always hated the logo and the colors, it’s hard to imagine they have had the same logo for 37 years. Change it already.

Quebec Nordiques jersey and logo – One of the worst in the NHL, thankfully we no longer have to look at them. The logo reminds me of Q-bert remember that game?

Pittsburgh Penguins old logo – Now don’t get me wrong I love the Penguins logo. This is when they changed it in 1992 to some kind of “new age/cutting edge” penguin. Thankfully they changed it back. Don’t mess with the penguin, Pittsburgh.

New York Rangers jersey and logo – Not really in love with the logo and the jerseys with the just the name Rangers written on them, it isn’t very imaginative. They could use a new name and a new logo.

Of course nobody tops the ugliness of all of the Pittsburgh Pirates jerseys. Just beyond hideous. The Pirates folded because of financial reasons. I bet they didn’t sell any jerseys either. Of course the hideousness didn’t end there. No folks they moved the team to Philadelphia and renamed them the Quakers. They of course also brought along the same graphic designer to give you the lovely jersey below.

Of course to be fair there were a lot of bad NHL jerseys in the 20’s and 30’s.

You can check them all out at nhluniforms.com.

Does anyone else have a jersey they hate that I missed?

Goalie Spotlight

None this week, I didn’t have time.

Fights of the Week

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

Wade Belak vs. Brian McGrattan

The 6^th fight between these two, I like McGrattan’s little jabs while holding Belak’s jersey. McGratten plays to the crowd afterwards.

Brad May vs. Krys Barch

Lots of punches in this one except most of them didn’t connect, also the 6^th bout between these too.

Goat of the Week

Nate Thompson – New York Islanders

Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers

Ivan Vishnevskiy – Dallas Stars

Lots of goats this week and that’s not a good thing.

Double goats in this clip, but Thompson is more of the goat than Lundqvist. Thompson misses a wide open net, and I do mean wide open. In his defense he only has 3 goals in 80 career NHL games, note sarcasm. That being said I think he will be a finalist for goat of the year. Lundqvist is a goat for playing that far out of the net. Its one thing to cut down the angle but that is way beyond a comfortable distance from the net, plus he never got the puck and he fell down.

Ivan Vishnevskiy’s play was just as bad as Thompson but he cost his team a chance to tie the game. Ivan had went back to play the puck off the board in his own zone and appeared to have control but he lost it and ended up scoring on his own empty net. I don’t think the Sharks need help to win games.

Things I like

1. Martin Brodeur breaking Terry Sawchuk’s shutout record against the defending champs no less. Brodeur took 1,032 games to get number 104, while Sawchuk had 103 shutouts in 971 games played. Brodeur also broke Patrick Roy’s most games played by a goalie record this week. Brodeur now has played in 1032 games (Roy 1029).

2. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been playing some decent hockey as of late and they might even contend for a final playoff spot before the season is done. In December so far they have gone 7-4-1. The Phil Kessel deal has worked out well too. Now all they need is a goaltender. No one in their three headed rotation has played all that well. They actually have the 2^nd worst team GAA ahead of only Carolina.

3. As someone mentioned last week I did forget about the Sedin twins, so I’ll mention them now. Henrik had his 9 game point streak snapped on the Dec. 20^th game against St. Louis. Daniel had his 8 game point streak snapped against Washington on Dec. 18^th. Since they’re twins and they started the streaks on the same day, it’s a shame the streaks couldn’t be snapped on the same day.

4. Sidney Crosby up until Brodeur’s record breaking shutout game had amassed 18 points in the past 9 games. He also was even or had a positive +/- in all but one of those games. Crosby also just recently got back line mate Chris Kunitz from injury.

Things I don’t

1. Hard to imagine a team playing worse than the Columbus Blue Jackets, okay besides Philadelphia. Their 2-10-5 record in their last 17 games is, I’m sure, not what the city of Columbus wanted for Christmas. Struggles abound everywhere for this team. See stat line of the week below.

2. In 11 games in December Philadelphia’s Mike Richards has only 5 points. Three of those five came in one game against the Islanders. One of the many reasons the Flyers are struggling.

3. After a seemingly good start the Islanders have settled back near the bottom like recent times. It’s a shame really but maybe it’s what they need long term so they can get higher draft picks. At least they have been drafting somewhat better the past few years. Tavares and Okposo, recent high picks, are bright spots.

Stat Line of the Week

12/19/09  Avalanche 5 vs. Blue Jackets 2

Last year’s Calder Trophy winner Steve Mason was pulled after less than five minutes into the game against the Avalanche. He gave up 3 goals on 7 shots for a whopping 42.35GAA. His replacement Mathieu Garon gave up a powerplay goal 4 minutes later.

Did You Know?

After Brodeur the next active player with the most shutouts is Chris Osgood with 50. Robert Luongo and Evgeni Nabokov are next after Osgood with 49 each. George Hainsworth is 3^rd on the career shutout list behind Brodeur and Sawchuk. Hainsworth is however the single season record holder with 22. Times have certainly changed since Hainsworth set that record in 1929.

Numbers, Numbers Martin Brodeur edition

0 – Shutouts against Nashville, San Jose and Edmonton the only three teams he hasn’t shutout yet

10 – Shutouts against the Islanders, the team he has shutout the most

44 – Career wins against Philadelphia the team he has beaten the most

6-1 – Record against Minnesota his highest winning percentage against one team

.878 – SV% against Vancouver his lowest, one of only two teams he is under a .900 SV%

.932 – SV% against Chicago and Montreal his highest

This Week in Hockey History

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

December 17, 1983 In his 352nd career NHL game, Edmonton’s Wayne Gretzky scored a goal and added five assists to reach the 500 assist mark and the 800 career point mark in his NHL career. Oilers won 8-1 over the visiting Quebec Nordiques.

December 18, 1954 Montreal’s Maurice Richard became the first player in NHL history to score 400 career goals, when the Canadiens defeated the Black Hawks 4-2 at Chicago.

December 19, 1993 Goaltender Mike Richter set a franchise record by extending his unbeaten streak to 20 games (17-0-3) in the Rangers’ 6-3 win over the Senators in New York. Richter broke the team record of 19 games (14-0-5) set by Dave Kerr in 1939-40.

December 20, 1959 Chicago Black Hawks scored seven goals in the second period and won 7-4 against the Maple Leafs, at Chicago Stadium. Bobby Hull led the scoring with his second career hat trick and an assist.

December 21, 1937 Chicago’s Paul Thompson became the first player in NHL history to score a goal against his brother, when he scored on Bruins’ goalie Cecil “Tiny” Thompson, at 19:51 of the third period, in a 2-1 Black Hawks’ loss at Boston Garden.

December 22, 1979 Philadelphia Flyers set an NHL record by extending their unbeaten streak to 29 games (20-0-9), with a 5-2 win at Boston. Boston previously held the record of 28. Flyers extended their streak to 35 games, longest in sports history.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. New Jersey
2. Los Angeles
3. Pittsburgh
4. Nashville
5. Washington

Bottom 5

30. Columbus
29. Philadelphia
28. NY Islanders
27. Tampa Bay
26. Dallas

Anaheim Ducks Watch

The Ducks got a hard fought win against the Vancouver Canucks 3-2. Sexton had some pretty passes setting up Ryan and Koivu for goals. Anaheim completely dominated the 1^st period as the Canucks only got two shots on goal. The Canucks converted one into a goal anyway. I didn’t see the Sharks game but the Ducks got crushed 4-1. It’s a shame really because the Ducks had been playing well as of late and this was a good measuring stick game. Turns out they still have a ways to go. Getzlaf scored goals in back to back for the first time this season. That seems kind of sad but Getzlaf is more of a setup man than a goal scorer, though he can score when need be. Against the Coyotes Getzlaf notched another goal bringing his goal scoring streak to three games. Bobby Ryan also extended his points streak to six games. The Ducks to a 3-1 lead into the 3^rd period and after Phoenix scored to take the game to 3-2, I started to get that feeling. But the Ducks didn’t give up anymore goals and Bobby Ryan iced in on the powerplay in the final minutes. Even better the Ducks moved out of last place. Congratulations Anaheim.

The last game this week for the Ducks was against the Avalanche on the road. A game I didn’t think they would win but maybe they could give it a good shot. The Ducks were down 2-0 in the 3^rd but still I watched. Good thing too, as the Avalanche decided to do what the Ducks usually do and gave up 4 unanswered goals in the 3^rd period. The last one was an empty netter though. The first goal for Anaheim was sort of questionable and even though Ryan was in the crease sort of preventing Craig Anderson from making a save, Kyle Quincey of the Avalanche I believe it was, was sprawled out in the crease which also would have prevented Anderson from making a play. The refs ruled it a goal. Sexton was next up for the Ducks tapping in a tough rebound. Getzlaf scored the game winner with about 26 seconds left. A great win for Anaheim and even though they were down 2-0 they actually dominated most of the game outshooting the Avs 42 to 17.

The Ducks are starting to gel and this could be one of those turnaround games for them. Even though they have won 4 of their past 5 they aren’t anywhere near playing to full potential. Hiller and Giguere can both play better and two of their top scores Selanne and Lupul are out. When they get back and if the goalies can raise their level this will be a tough team to beat in the second half of the season.

Well I generally document Anaheim’s problems on a weekly basis. I will sum it up with injuries, not being able to win key face-offs, dumb penalties, inconsistent goalie play, poor penalty killing and not clearing the zone when they have the opportunity. Selanne, Giguere, Koivu, Wisniewski, and Lupul have all been injured. Various other minor players have also been bitten by the injury bug. Lately they have been blowing 3^rd period leads which happened in a stretch of three games in a row. They are 2^nd in the league in giving up the most goals in the 3^rd period. They need to have that killer instinct and shut teams out in the 3^rd period when they have a lead. One bright spot for the Ducks is their power play. After struggling in the beginning of the year, they now have the 3^rd best power play in the league. The Ducks need to start doing the little things better and get everyone back healthy and playing consistently.

Philadelphia had high expectations after being bounced in the playoffs two years in a row by the Penguins. Chris Pronger in the eyes of the Flyers was that missing piece to get in the way of Crosby and Malkin and they gave up a lot to get him. Pronger has played well though. His +/- is near the top of the league and his scoring pace is higher than his previous two seasons. So we can’t blame Pronger. Mike Richards and Jeff Carter are on the same pace for points this year as they were last year. They did lose Joffrey Lupul and his 25 goals a year but Danny Briere is healthy this year and picking up that slack. So what’s the problem? Well I haven’t watched all that many Flyers games, so I can’t say with certainty. Having Simon Gagne, and his 30+ goals, injured for much of the year hasn’t helped the Flyers. Ray Emery’s numbers are worse than the man he replaced, Martin Biron. In the most recent game against the Canadiens Brian Boucher, subbing for Emery, gave up 3 goals on 13 shots, yikes. So goaltending which has generally been the Flyers Achilles’ heel is still a problem. The penalty killing could be improved as well.

Carolina has the honor of having the worst record in the league. They also went 14 games without a win in one stretch, ouch. Starting goalie Cam Ward has been out for a month so far. Neither of his backups are performing well. In fact the Hurricanes have the worst SV% and the 2^nd worst GAA. Eric Staal has really struggled this year and is just recently starting to play better. Veteran Rob Brind’Amour is also struggling. Carolina’s powerplay is 2^nd to last, which is never a good sign. The Hurricanes are also tied for 2^nd with the Ducks in giving up the most goals in the 3^rd period. Hmm… let’s see, bad powerplay, check, struggling 1^st line, check, starting goalie injured, check, giving up tons of 3^rd period goals, check. It’s hard to win games when those things are happening. On the bright side the Canes have won 2 in a row, although they have done that two other times this year only to go on losing streaks again. They should be getting back Cam Ward this week, which should help the Hurricanes immensely. Of course Ward will need to work off his rust.

All these teams have the talent to make a run for the playoffs. The season is only a third of the way done, so there is still plenty of time to turn it around. However if things don’t start to improve expect changes to be made. Whether it’s dealing some players, or following the Flyers lead and making a coaching change, shakeups will occur. Expectations for these teams are too high this year to sit around and be content with being in last place.

Goalie Spotlight

Miikka Kiprusoff – Calgary Flames

Kiprusoff is a Finland native and was selected in the 5^th round by the San Jose Sharks in the 1995 entry draft. Before joining the Sharks in 2000, Kiprusoff was already an established international star. Kiprusoff led TPS in the Finnish league SM-liiga to gold in 1995 and 1999. He won the Urpo Ylönen trophy, for best goalie, in 1999 a year after fellow NHLer Tim Thomas (Goalie Spotlight Week 7) won it. His numbers in the postseason that year were a 9-1 record, 3 shutouts, and a 1.55 GAA. He also led Finland to silver placing finishes in the 1999 and 2001 World Championships and in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Kiprusoff moved to North America in 1999 and played for the Kentucky Thoroughblades in the AHL, and made the All-star team his first year. He played briefly for the Sharks during the 00 to 03 seasons. In the 2001 playoff series against the Blues, Kiprusoff became the 1^st Finnish goaltender to win a playoff game. Having lost the starting goalie spot to Evgeni Nabokov, the Sharks traded him to the Flames in 2003 for a 2^nd round pick.

Rejuvenated by the trade to the Flames, Kiprusoff was named defensive player of the month for December of 03. Despite battling injuries he led the Flames to the postseason for the first time in eight years. He also led the league in GAA with a 1.69 mark, setting the tone for a stellar career with the Flames. This was the lowest GAA in the modern era and 24^th best all time. He went on to lead the Flames to the Stanley Cup Finals, including beating his former team along the way, against the Tampa Bay Lightning where they lost a close series in 7 games. The year after the lockout, Kiprusoff won the Vezina (best goalie) and Jennings (lowest team GAA) trophy. He set the record for most wins for a Flames goalie with 42 and then broke it himself 3 years later with 45 wins. Other Flame franchise records he holds include: Most shutouts in one season (10), most shutouts all time (30) and most games played in a season (76).

Despite losing in the 1^st round the past 4 years, the Flames look poised to go deep in the playoffs this year. With Kiprusoff, captain Jarome Iginla, and new additions from last year Olli Jokinen (fellow Finlander) and this year Jay Bouwmeester the Flames have a great core. Off to a great start this year the Flames hope it can land the Stanley Cup in Canada for the first time since the Canadiens brought it home in the 1992-93 season.

Fights of the Week

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

Didn’t like that many fights this week and I’m strapped for time.

Matt Bradley vs. Daniel Carcillo

Technically not a fight as Bradley didn’t get any penalty minutes. Carcillo punches Bradley right as he drops his gloves. Carcillo racked up 29 minutes in penalties with the check and fight.

Brian McGrattan vs Raitis Ivanans

The 5^th bout between these two, dating back to their AHL playing days, had some slow moments, but still pretty decent.

Goat of the Week

Brian Elliott – Ottawa Senators

Brian Elliott for giving up this fluke goal off the glass to Ryan Getzlaf, you might want to position yourself better Brian. No harm done as the Senators won in the shootout.

Things I like

1. Happy Birthday to the Montreal Canadiens who had their 100^th anniversary on Dec. 4^th. I’m sure their fans would like their most recent teams to rival their past success but you can’t have everything.

2. People say that the Sharks have the best line, but they would be wrong. The Devils actually have the best line. Zach Parise, Travis Zajac, and Jamie Langenbrunner (when he’s on the line) have a combined +/- of +43, tops in the league for a forward line.

3. Alex Ovechkin says he won’t change his style of play. Good for him I say, he only knows how to play one way and he isn’t going to change that. He plays with passion and I really don’t find his style that reckless.

4. The Carolina Hurricanes got their first road win of the season against the defending Stanley Cup champs of all teams, extracting some revenge from last years playoff sweep.

Things I don’t

1. Teemu Selanne is injured for about 4-6 weeks in what could very well be his last season. This is a huge blow to an already injured and struggling Ducks team. It will also affect how high Selanne can climb on numerous scoring records. Here’s hoping he doesn’t call it quits after this year.

2. Keith Ballard, a.k.a goalie annihilator, has taken his next victim in Craig Anderson. Ballard knocked Anderson out of the game when he slid towards the net and sent Anderson’s head to the goal post, at least he didn’t send him to the hospital though he is still day to day. Maybe Ballard was tormented by goalies as a kid. If you’re keeping track at home that’s two starting goalies down and 28 to go for Ballard.

3. Hard to imagine but the Pittsburgh Penguins’ power play is 28^th overall, yikes. With all the talented scorers on that team you figured they could find the net more.

Stat Line of the Week

12/03/09  Capitals 6 vs. Panthers 2

Mr. Duco racked up 27 minutes of penalty minutes on four penalties on one play against Alexandre Giroux and was ejected from the game. He was getting Giroux back for the elbow he laid on Dmitry Kulikov. Personally I didn’t find Giroux’s hit all that bad. Lesson to be learned don’t mess with the Duco. You can see both hits below.

12/05/09  Capitals 8 vs. Flyers 2

The Capitals Swede racked up 5 points, 3 assists on the powerplay, against the Flyers. Ovechkin who?

Box Score of the Week

This won’t be a regular feature, I just thought it was too interesting to pass up. In the Flyers vs. Islanders game, if you look below, 4 players each scored 2 goals back to back without anyone else scoring in between. If they had scored 3 goals each that would have been 4 natural hat tricks in a row. I have no way to look it up but I’m pretty sure the below has never happened before.

1st Period

Philadelphia  9:47, Mike Richards 12 (power play) (Kimmo Timonen, Scott Hartnell)

Philadelphia  15:14, Mike Richards 13 (shorthanded) (unassisted)

2nd Period

Philadelphia  4:21, Jeff Carter 10 (power play) (Danny Briere, Matt Carle)

Philadelphia  7:04, Jeff Carter 11 (Danny Briere, Kimmo Timonen)

NY Islanders 10:52, John Tavares 12 (power play) (Jeff Tambellini, Kyle Okposo)

NY Islanders 14:55, John Tavares 13 (power play) (Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo)

Philadelphia  17:29, Claude Giroux 4 (power play) (Mike Richards, Chris Pronger)

3rd Period

Philadelphia  2:35, Claude Giroux 5 (Scott Hartnell)

Did You Know?

Speaking of penalty minutes Randy Holt holds the record for most penalty minutes in one game with 67 set in 1979. He also has the record for most penalty minutes in a period since he got all 67 of those in the 1^st period in a game against the Flyers. 45 minutes came on a bench clearing brawl at the end of the period instigated by Holt. He doesn’t hold the record for most penalty minutes for a season though. That record goes to Dave Schultz with 472 penalty minutes set in the 1974-75 season.

Numbers, Numbers

0 – Number of overtime losses for Vancouver.

14 – Number of goals scored by the Capitals in the 2 games Ovechkin was suspended.

103 – Career shutouts for Martin Brodeur tying Terry Sawchuck’s NHL record.

15 – Career shutouts by Ryan Miller who was in the other goal when Brodeur tied the record.

13 – Anze Kopitar’s goalless game streak

This Week in Hockey History

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

December 03, 1999 Ottawa’s Kevin Dineen picked up a misconduct penalty to become the fifth player in league history to get 300 goals and 2,000 penalty minutes in his NHL career. The milestone came during a 7-4 Senators loss at New Jersey.

December 04, 2001 Peter Bondra scored his 400th and 401st NHL goals to become the 5th active player to score 400 goals with one team in the Capitals 5-2 win against the visiting New York Rangers.

December 05, 1988 Detroit’s Steve Yzerman set a new team record with a goal in his ninth straight game, a 7-2 Red Wings’ loss at Montreal. Yzerman broke the team record of goals in eight straight games set by Gordie Howe in 1952.

December 06, 1995 Colorado Avalanche obtained goaltender Patrick Roy and Mike Keane from the Montreal Canadiens, in exchange for Andrei Kovalenko, Martin Rucinsky and goalie Jocelyn Thibault.

December 07, 1977 New England Whalers’ Gordie Howe scored his 1,000th professional goal (counting the NHL and WHA) in a WHA Whalers’ game against Birmingham.

December 08, 1999 Pavel Bure scored his 12th career hat trick in the third period to lead the Panthers to a 6-1 win at Phoenix. Panthers set a team record with five goals in the final period, as Mikhail Shtalenkov won in his first start with Florida.

December 08, 1967 Two months into their first NHL season, the “California” Seals officially changed their name to the “Oakland” Seals.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Chicago
3. Phoenix
4. Boston
5. Minnesota

Bottom 5

30. Philadelphia
29. Columbus
28. Tampa Bay
27. Florida
26. NY Rangers

Anaheim Ducks Watch

The Ducks suck, there I’m done. Anyway the Ducks were leading 1-0 against the Stars when they let the Stars score 3 unanswered goals in the 3^rd including an empty netter. It was a tough loss for the Ducks who played a good game. To make matters worse Selanne broke his hand in a game he almost sat out because of the flu. Corey Perry’s point streak also came to an end; I think I may have jinxed him. Then there next game against Minnesota taking a 2-1 lead into the 3^rd the Ducks were able to make it 4-2. Then they gave up two goals in the final 5 minutes to force overtime, which they of course lost in the shootout. Against Ottawa the Ducks decided to lose differently. They never led in the game and every time the Senators would score, they would tie it within a minute. They then lost in the shootout again.

Next up was the Dallas Stars, again, and the Ducks started off the game in typical Ducks fashion slow. The Stars were up 3-0 before you knew it and it seemed like another loss. But then Joffrey Lupul, who has been on fire since coming back from his injury, scored when Turco made the save on the breakaway but couldn’t put on the breaks as he slid behind the goaline. In the 3^rd period instead of sucking as usual, the Ducks dominated the Stars outshooting them 14 to 2 and recently called up rookie Dan Sexton scored 2 goals to force overtime. In the overtime the Ducks continued to dominate and Saku Koivu scored on a 3 on 1 breakaway. All in all a very entertaining game and the Ducks scored 4 unanswered goals, which hopefully gives them something to build upon.

This week on the Fantasy Focus we are going to breakdown some of the game’s best sophomore’s and what their fantasy value is today and going forward.

Steve Mason, Blue Jackets G

The 2009 Calder Trophy winner is currently in one of the worst sophomore slumps out there today.  His ranks in both save percentage (42nd) and goals against (42nd) are second worst, thank god for Vesa Toskala, who is ranked 43rd in both categories.  So the question arises for a fantasy owner of what to do with this slumping high draft pick of a goalie? 

The good news is with parity in the NHL, the Blue Jackets still have a shot at returning to the playoffs and realize that the 21-year-old Mason presents them with the best shot.  Also looking on the bright side in last year’s Calder winning year he put up his best splits in the month of December.  Last season, in 12 December games, Mason was 7-5-0, with a 1.41 GAA, .950 save percentage with three shutouts. 

This month could be a make or break fantasy month for Mason with 13 remaining games and with only 3 on back-to-back nights.  Hold onto Mason for the month and see if he can break out of his early season slump.

Kyle Okposo, Islanders W

The University of Minnesota star made headlines even before his NHL debut skipping out on his college team halfway through the year to join the AHL he would only play nine NHL games that season but contributed five points in those games.  His rookie campaign was average playing in only 65 games due to injuries the 6-1 winger accumulated 18 goals and 39 points, hardly a fantasy stud. 

This season for Okposo started with a bang as he was knocked out by Dion Phaneuf in a preseason game.   After shaking off the effects of a concussion Okposo combined with John Tavares and Matt Moulson have combined for a fantasy dream line.

In his first 28 games, this speedy winger has 5 goals and 16 points, including a blistering 9 power play points.  He also continues to show he can contribute to those leagues that count shots (89 already this season). 

The Islanders have been a pleasant surprise offensive fantasy so far this season but remember that injuries have been a concern for Okposo.

Wayne Simmonds, Kings W

Simmonds falls into the category of just getting his feet wet in his freshman campaign as he has busted out onto fantasy owners radars with eight points in his last six games.  Already matching his goal total of last year with nine, with 19 points the 6-2 winger is four points away from tying his point total of 23 in 82 games. 

The Kings have vaulted Simmonds into their top-six forward rotation with the recent injuries and he has taken advantage of the extended ice time, although he won’t contribute to your team’s power play points, he does kill penalties for the Kings. 

I would say ride the hot streak Simmonds is currently on but keep on the Ryan Smyth injury news for that might affect his playing time going forward.

Pickup of the Week: Brian Boucher, Flyers G

As I mention in yesterday’s Hat Trick Philadelphia Flyers starting goalie Ray Emery is 0-4-0 in his last five starts and has 5.36 goals-against average and .814 save percentage, because of the recent slump backup goalie Brian Boucher has been seeing more ice time.

In league full of inconsistent goalie’s and rotations keep an eye on this situation as with a new coach comes new life for certain players.  Boucher’s numbers in the last six games have been decent, with three starts with a GAA of 2.28 and a save percentage of .913.

The 32-year-old net minder has been known to go on ridiculous long stretches of amazing play, breaking the modern-day NHL record for the longest shutout streak by a goalie with Phoenix in 2003.