Holiday shopping has begun and as mall parking lots become a hazard zone people search high and low for that perfect gift for their special someone. So in the spirit of the holiday shopping in this week’s Pucking Awesome Hat Trick we will take a look at what is on some teams wish lists.  The Capitals must celebrate Chanukah as they acquired the hard nose defender they sought in Scott Hannon for Tomas Fleischmann and all signs are pointing to the Kings receiving a winger they desperately need in acquiring Marco Sturm from the Bruins, when he is deemed healthy enough to play.

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

Of course the biggest rise in the Central division is none other than the St. Louis Blues. The Blues rather quietly have the NHL’s best record. They have also allowed the fewest goals in the league. This can mostly be attributed to one thing, Jaroslav Halak. Halak was a relative steal, though who knows how how Ian Schultz or Lars Eller will tun out, for the Blues who were looking to upgrade over goalie Steve Mason. Halak already has three shutouts and is tied with Tim Thomas for the league lead. But Halak’s success isn’t really that much of a surprise, given his playoff heroics last season. The Blues have been stockpiling young talent over the past few seasons. The Blues are the 3^rd youngest team in the league and they only have four players with over five years of NHL experience. Former 1^st rounders T.J Oshie and David Perron are starting to break out and lead the Blues. Veteran guys such as Matt D’Agostini and Alex Steen are on pace for career years. Defensively former 1^st overall 2006 pick Erik Johnson and Barrett Jackman are a force to be reckon with. Before he was injured, Jackman was averaging three blocked shots a game. The Blues have been hovering around 90 points the past two seasons and the continued development of their younger players coupled with the acquisition of Halak have made them into legit contenders.

Goalie Spotlight

Mathieu Garon – Columbus Blue Jackets

Perusing the goalie statistical league leaders you will find such familiar names as Tim Thomas and Jaroslav Halak. You will also find somebody by the name of Mathieu Garon sandwiched between them. Not that well known of a player, I figured I’d try and find out a little about him.

In 1996 The Montreal Canadiens drafted Garon 44^th overall with a chance of maybe stepping in for the newly traded Patrick Roy. That never really came to pass as Garon didn’t even suit up for the Canadiens until the 2000-01 season. Before that season he spent the majority of his time playing in the AHL for the Fredericton Canadiens, Quebec Citadelles, Hamilton Bulldogs, and Manchester Monarchs. The Fredericton Canadiens and Quebec Citadelles are now defunct. He played in 43 games for the Canadiens over a four year period. His beast season was in 2002-03 but he only played in eight games. He was then traded to the Kings with a 3^rd round pick for Radek Bonk and Cristobal Huet. He actually became the starter in Los Angeles for the first time. He posted a 3.22 GAA, a .894 SV% and 4 shutouts. The next season he split time mostly with Sean Burke and Dan Cloutier.

Garon then left for the Edmonton Oilers as a free agent. He became the starter over Dwayne Roloson but then injured his ankle late in the 2007-08 season. He was however the top shutout goalie in the league with a perfect 10-0 record. The following season Garon did not play as much and his numbers slipped from the previous season. Garon was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in early 2009. Garon only played in four games for the Penguins and one playoff game, which was Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals when the Penguins were blown out 5-0 by the Red Wings. He then signed a two year deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets in the summer of 2009. Last season he mostly backed up Steve Mason. This season with Mason struggling Garon has been able to see equal time. He is so far 4-1 with 2 shutouts and a 1.28 GAA and .952 SV%. He is second in the league in shutouts, GAA and SV%.

Garon is part of the reason why the Blue Jackets were off to their best start in franchise history. If Mason continues to struggle, Garon will be called upon more to try and help lead the Blue Jackets to only their second playoff berth ever. Who knows, maybe the soon to be free agent Garon may have finally found a home in Columbus.

Fights of the Week

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

Brandon Prust vs. Daniel Carcillo

This one starts off kind of slow but it gets better.

George Parros vs. Frazer McLaren

Somewhat decent fight. It’s the first fight from Parros since he shaved his mustache for charity. Though the mustache is about 1/3 of way back now.

Goat of the Week

Bobby Ryan – Anaheim Ducks

Ryan attempted to clear the Anaheim zone but instead passed it right to Patrick Hornqvist who threaded to Steve Sullivan for the 2^nd Predators goal. Ryan said afterward about the play “I was just trying to find a place to hide on the bench at that point.” That sounds about right Bobby.

Things I like

1. After producing only one assist in his first seven games, Mike Green has been on fire. He currently has a six game point streak and he had a four game goal streak. Better yet is that he only has a negative +/- in one of those games.

2. For a guy who is 40 years old and has been contemplating retiring for the last several seasons Teemu Selanne can just flat out play. He is currently tied for 4^th in the league in scoring and tied for 2^nd in power play goals with four. Selanne has showed that not only he can still produce at his age but he can still produce at an elite level. Here’s hoping he plays another year or two.

3. Speaking of streaks and older players, Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsuyk each have a nine game point streak currently. The Red Wings are also 7-2 in that span. Lidstrom the nineteen year veteran, who is in the 40 year old club with Selanne, has shown that he can also still perform at a high level. He is the top scoring defenseman in the league and tied for 2^nd overall in assists.

4. Steven Stamkos (I don’t need to write anything else)

Things I don’t

1. This week I had the chance to watch my first Pittsburgh Penguins game with their home announcers on FSN. All I can say is egad. Obviously announcers are bias when doing their home team telecasts but Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey go above and beyond the normal bias. Also half the time it’s like they are watching a completely different game. I guess many people have disliked them for some time. I can’t say that I blame them.

2. The Toronto Maple Leafs started out on fire and off to one of their best starts in some time. Now they just seem lost and confused. Worse it seems like they couldn’t score a goal if their life depended on it. In the past six games the Leafs have been shut out three times. After producing seven goals in eight games, Phil Kessel has produced no points in the past six games. Coincidence? I think not.

3. When the Bruins faced the Blues this week, I was really hoping it would pit the two hottest goalies in the league of Tim Thomas and Jaroslav Halak against each other. Unfortunately it was not to be as Rask started. While I realize that Thomas was pulled against the Caps in the last game, it was the Caps after all. It was still a good game regardless but these two teams won’t face each other again this season unless it’s in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Stat Line of the Week

11/06/10 Chicago 5 vs. Atlanta 4

It’s been a strange year so far for the Blackhawks but on this night the dynamic duo of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane combined for all of the Blackhawks goals to lead the hawks to a win over a few of their former teammates. Toews also had one of the two shootout goals for the Hawks with a nifty little move.

Did You Know?

The most games a team has been consecutively been shutout is eight set by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1929. The Maple Leafs have quite a few games to go if they hope to reach that dubious distinction. That same Blackhawks team was also shutout the most for one season. They were shutout a total of 20 times in the 1928-29 season.

Numbers, Numbers

50 – Goals scored by the defending champion Blackhawks so far

51 – Goals scored against the Blackhawks so far

6 – Number of home wins for both the Blues and the Kings with no loses

0 – Home wins for New Jersey

7 – Conservative wins by the Blues

7 – Consecutive loses by the Islanders

700 – Career points for Saku Koivu

76 – Steven Stamkos current goal pace

Quotes of the Week

“I don’t dislike them, I think they’re entertaining. I just wish I was better at them.”

- Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who is 1-3 in shootouts as a Leaf.

“We went into their building (in Philadelphia last Saturday), they beat us 6-1 and we got embarrassed. It’s been a downfall since then.”

- Isles defenseman James Wisniewski, before the Isles losing streak was extended to seven games with a 2-1 loss Saturday against the Flyers.

Though the Islanders downfall started before that game because they had already lost three games in a row prior to that Flyers loss.

Zenon Konopka had his own take own the Flyers rivalry.

“There’s no good blood between us, that’s for sure,” Konopka told Newsday. “There won’t be Christmas cards exchanged on that end of the hallway.”

This Week in Hockey History

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

November 04, 1956 Jacques Plante of the Canadiens completed a perfect weekend, with his second straight shutout over Chicago, a 1-0 win (following a 6-0 victory the day before). It was Plante’s 21st career shutout.

November 05, 2000 Doug Weight tied a career high with four assists as the Oilers picked up their 800 victory in franchise history, with a 4-2 win against the Blue Jackets at Columbus.

November 06, 1988 Wayne Gretzky became the third player in NHL history to score 1,700 points. He got two goals and an assist in career game #711 as the Kings won 5-3 over the Blackhawks at Chicago. Mark Fitzpatrick started and won his first NHL game.

November 07, 1968 St. Louis Blues Red Berenson scored six goals (for his first career hat trick) & an assist in an 8-0 win over the visiting Flyers. It was the NHL’s first six goal game since Detroit’s Syd Howe did it in 1944. Jacques Plante recorded the shutout.

November 08, 1989 Calgary’s Al MacInnis became the Flames all time leader in assists when he recorded #337 in a 5-4 win at Los Angeles. MacInnis replaced Guy Chouinard (336) and Paul Reinhart (335). MacInnis had three assists in the game.

November 09, 2000 Joe Sakic tied the Avalanche franchise mark for career assists, when he picked up his 668th with the team in a 3-3 tie against the St. Louis Blues. Sakic tied the record set by Peter Stastny (when the team was in Quebec City).

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. St. Louis

2. Los Angeles

3. Washington

4. Philadelphia

5. Boston

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. Toronto

28. Buffalo

27. Edmonton

26. New Jersey

Do not let fantasy studs pass you by holding onto players that are not producing.  This week we look at some players that need a big weekend or should hit the waiver wire soon. So let’s break down the Weekend Warriors of could be fantasy studs to watch out for.

Teams with 2 games this weekend: Thrashers, Sabres, Flames, Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, Predators, Devils, Rangers, Senators, Blues, Sharks, Lightning

Forwards to watch:

Tim Connolly, Sabres C: The talented but often injured Connolly is coming off a year that saw him play 73 games and become a fantasy start with 17 goals and 65 points.  This season the 29-year-old has only three points in the first seven games and it is not because he is not getting the ice time playing 16:19 minutes a game with 3:35 of that coming on the power play.  The veteran is owned in 97% of leagues and was benched last week, with two games against the Senators and Devils this weekend if he doesn’t produce should be benched by your fantasy team.

Jamie Langenbrunner, Devils W: The Devils captain has continued his late season slump last season into this season.  The 35-year-old is a -4 and has only four assists in the first seven games, which is one goal in his last 19 games played.  Langenbrunner is playing on a line with Patrik Elias and Jason Arnott, with those line mates he should be producing as both of those players have nine points combined on a team that is struggling to score.  The veteran is owned in 95% of leagues and has games against the Sabres and Rangers, two tough goalies this weekend and needs to start producing or he will start being released.

Simon Gagne, Lightning W: The big off-season acquisition for the Lightning has yet to score a point and is a -8 in his first six games in Tampa.  The former 40-goal scorer stock is dropping with the recent injury that has slowed line mates Vincent Lecavalier.  With two games against the Thrashers and Predators this weekend, if the scoreless draught continues so will the decline 94% ownership of this talented forward.

Defenseman To Watch:

Jay Bouwmeester, Flames: How is this guy owned in 100% of leagues?  I am guessing the answer is because he use to be a fantasy stud in Florida but has a dud in Calgary.  In 82 games last season the 27-year-old had only 29 points and was a -4 this season he has no points in six games.  The kid plays over 26 minutes a game, which is way too much ice time to not be producing.  The Flames face the Blue Jackets and Sharks this weekend and as the slide continues for the team so should the ownership of Bouwmeester.

Erik Karlsson, Senators: The former first round pick burst onto the scene with 26 points in 60 games last season and big things were expected with the addition of Sergei Gonchar.  So far the 20-year-old has struggled one point in the first six games and worst off a -4.  The 15^th overall pick of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft is still seeing time on the second power play unit and has back-to-back games against division rivals Buffalo and Montreal.  Karlsson needs to start producing or his ownership will continue to fall like it has the last couple of weeks from almost 50% to 28%.

Erik Johnson, Blues: The former first overall pick had a career year last season with 10 goals and 39 points but so far has yet to see any production with one assist in the first five games.  This is one player who should not worry fantasy owners yet, but with two games against the red hot Blackhawks and Penguins this weekend the scoring draught could continue.  The 22-year-old has now been moved to the second power play unit as Carlo Colaiacovo has taken over his top spot and this hurts his fantasy value.

Goalies To Watch:

Antti Niemi, Sharks: With all the controversy this off-season that this Stanley Cup goalie caused it was important for the goalie to come out sharp with his new team.  That has not been the case as in his first three starts with the Sharks the 27-year-old has giving up 11 goals and a .879 save percentage.  The team has back-to-back games this weekend so expect Niemi to get into a game this weekend and needs to prove his worth as he is owned in 95% of leagues.

Antero Niittymaki, Sharks: The other end of the Sharks tandem has been playing like the number one goalie he was paid to be before Niemi became available.  The 30-year-old won in his second start by stopping 29 of 31 shots against Colorado, a good offensive team.  The Finnish goalie is only owned in 27% of leagues and again with back-to-back games this weekend against the offensive challenged Oilers and Flames expect Niittymaki’s ownership to sky rocket by next week.

Cory Schneider, Canucks: With the much publicized struggles of Roberto Luongo has brought Cory Schneider name to attention to fantasy owners.  The former first round pick and AHL goaltender of the year has a win in his only start this year.  With a game against the Wild this weekend, a team that has given Luongo fits, shown in his six goals against last start in Minnesota, expect Schneider to get the nod.  Luongo is a top notch fantasy goalie and will be fine this season but keep an eye on Schneider for the team will look to start Bobby Lou less this season and give this capable backup some fantasy value.

Has there been a shift of power in the Central Division? The division that was dominated by the Red Wings the entire decade was finally won by someone other than the winged wheels. The defending Stanley Cup Champions, Chicago Blackhawks, ended this nine year streak and are poised to keep the crown this season.  The bottom of the division is ruled by young squads that all could push for playoff berths.

1.) CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Rear-view Mirror:

The Blackhawks went all-in during the last year of rookie contracts for cornerstones Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.

The gamble paid off for Stan Bowman in the cities first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years.  Led by the 21-year-old Kane (30G-58A-88P), and Toews (25-43-68), along with big free agent pickup Marian Hossa (57GP,24-27-51), the offense was the deepest in the NHL, finishing third in the league in goals per game (3.20) and first in shots per game (34.1).

Defensively they were led by Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Duncan Keith. The 26-year-old was second in defensive scoring (14G-55A-69P), led the entire league with 2,180:24 of ice time, and is a plus-84 over the last three seasons.

Goaltending was a hot topic throughout the season, as Cristobal Huet was unseated by first year netminder Antti Niemi. The 26-year-old Fin was third in the league in GAA (2.25) and won 26 of his 39 regular season starts.

A lot went right in the postseason for the Blackhawks. They survived a first round scare from the division opponent Predators, pushed aside the Canucks, and swept the Sharks to get to the Cup final.

They won the Cup on a Kane overtime goal in Philadelphia, as Toews was named the Conn Smythe winner with 29 points in 22 games played.

Offseason Ins:

G Marty Turco (DAL: 53GP, 22-20-11, 2.71 GAA, .913 save %), F Viktor Stalberg (TOR: 40 GP, 9G-5A-14P), D John Scott (MIN: 51 GP, 1G-1A-2P), LW Kyle Beach (WHL: 68 GP, 52G-34A-86P-186 PIM)

Offseason Outs: G Antii Niemi (26 W), C John Madden (23 Pts), RW Kris Versteeg (44 Pts), RW Dustin Byfuglien (17 G), LW Andrew Laad (38 Pts), D Brent Sopel (73 GP), LW Ben Eager (120 PIM), RW Adam Burish (27 GP), C Colin Fraser (70 GP)

What Makes Them Tick:

The Miami Heat thinks it has the “Big Three,” but the Blackhawks trio is one of the best in sports.

The organization has so much faith in those three players—Kane, Toews, and Keith—that they were willing to trade away their depth this offseason.

Kane has blossomed into one the league’s top snipers with 76 goals in his three seasons.  The 5’10″ forward has quieted critics about his size by being the model of durability, only missing two games in his NHL career.

Toews is the perfect ying to Kane’s yang. The lead-by-example, hard nosed player that steps up in big situations, Kane came up big in the cup run.

The last piece is the elder statesman, Keith. Nsot many players had the year Keith had last season with a Stanley Cup, Norris Trophy, and Olympic Gold Medal. The Blackhawks showed how important this former second round pick was by signing him to a 13-year deal.

With these three players on the Blackhawks roster, they expect to contend each year.

Forward depth playerss like Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa round out the deep group.  Sharp has 116 goals in four-plus seasons with Chicago and Hossa, in his first year with the Hawks, had 51 points in 57 games and finally ended the Cup curse that had followed him through Pittsburgh and Detroit.

What Could Make Them Go Boom:

The Stanley Cup hangover is hard enough to shake, and now because of cap reasons the team has to deal with a whole roster shakeup.

Team chemistry is the difference between a good team and a great team. The Blackhawks lost nine players who suited up for them during their run to Lord Stanley Cup, including the goalie that led them.

This high turnover could be a positive, as a new batch of young players are hungry to win a cup. Or it could be the downfall, as the team could struggle to find that offensive depth that fueled them last season.

The decision to walk away from the contract rewarded to Stanley Cup winning goaltender Antti Niemi, and the consequential signing of 35-year-old Marty Turco to a one-year, low salary deal, will be key to the team’s success.

Turco is coming off a season with the Stars that saw him hit career lows in both wins and games played since he became a full-time starter in 2002-03. The three-time All-Star will now try to accomplish a feat he could not in Dallas—get past the second round of the postseason.

Turco’s 21-26 postseason record and the idea that he can’t win the big one will be tested this season, and ultimately decide how the Blackhawks season will end.

Player to Watch:

With all the departures, there will be openings in the top nine forwards for the Blackhawks this season. In step three, capable young guns in Kyle Beach, Jack Skille and Jake Dowell, to take those spots.

All three will have an opportunity to make the squad out of training camp, and all of them have the pedigree to contribute right away, as Beach and Skille are both former first round picks and Dowell a former fifth round pick.

Skille, the seventh overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, has suited up in 30 career NHL games with eight points, and had 23 goals and 49 points for AHL Rockford last season. The 25-year-old Dowell, has 23 games of NHL experience and added 23 points in 78 games in Rockford last season.

Beach, the No. 11 pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, comes to Chicago with the biggest upside of them all. The 20-year-old finished his junior career with the WHL Spokane Chiefs last season with 52 goals, 86 points and 186 penalty minutes. Beach finished the season with Rockford with three goals in four playoff games in their playoff run.

He will bring an attitude to this club that the likes of Eager, Burish and Byfuglien brought, and at half the price.  The young kid was so excited to show off his brashness that he started three fights in the Blackhawks’ prospect camp.

Prediction:

There are a lot of reasons why the NHL has not seen back-to-back Stanley Cup Champions since the Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.

The Blackhawks are a great example of the turnover that could happen after achieving the ultimate prize. But they need look no further than their own division and senior adviser Scotty Bowman on the tools needed to create continued success.

The core of the team stayed intact; just the outer shell supporting that core will be drastically different. The Blackhawks can still win this tough division with the players they have, and if they get Marty Turco of a couple years ago this team will put up a good fight to defend the Stanley Cup.

2.) DETRIOT RED WINGS

Read View Mirror:

The Red Wings finally got some much needed rest after playing in back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals. The defending Western Conference champs bowed out in the Western Conference semi-finals to the San Jose Sharks. Injuries took a toll on the team as Johan Franzen, Tomas Holmstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Valtteri Filppula, Dan Cleary and Henrik Zetterberg all missed time during the season.  Leading scorers Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk both had 70 points, well below the standards they have set.

The six-time Norris Trophy winner Nicklas Lidstrom also had a down offensive year as he failed to score double digit goals (nine goals last season) for the first time in six seasons and wasn`t even invited to the award ceremony.  The Red Wings severely missed hard hitting Niklas Kronwall who was limited to only 48 games due to an MCL injury.

The biggest positive to come out of last season was the development of goaltending Jimmy Howard.  After four seasons in the AHL, the 25-year-old rookie finally got his chance to shine. Howard responded with a 37-15-10 record and a 2.26 GAA and .924 save percentage, good for a spot on the NHL All-Rookie first team.

Offseason Ins: LW/C Jiri Hudler (KHL: 54 GP, 19G-35A-54P), C Mike Modano (DAL: 59 GP, 14G-16A-30P), D Ruslan Salei (COL: 14GP, 1G-5A-6P)

Offseason Outs: D Brett Lebda (63 GP), C Jason Williams (15 Pts), LW Brad May (66 PIM), D Andreas Lilja (20 GP)

What Makes Them Tick:

Just like the team they are chasing above them the Red Wings field a very talented group of top-six forwards. The Red Wings are going to employ a top line that includes both Datyuk and Zetterberg with Holmstrom on the other wing, this is a combination, according to Frozen Pool, they used only 7.56 percent in even strength situations and 5.36 percent of the time on the power play.  Staking their two best offensive players has been successful in the past for the Red Wings and also shows a lot of faith in the second line to produce.

That is where the health of Franzen comes into play.  The “Mule” has 93 goals in his five NHL seasons but has only played in 319 of the possible 410 games during that span.  When he is healthy the second line of him, Filppula (35 pts in 55 games last season) and Todd Bertuzzi (18G-26A-44P last season) can be one of the most dangerous second units in the league.

What Could Make Them Go Boom:

The oldest team in the NHL (30.78) got older with the signing of 40-year-old Mike Modano and for a team that had 312 man games lost due to injury that is not a good omen.  The Red Wings have always prided themselves on being an organization with a lot of depth, but if they consistently are playing without their top guys it will ultimately catch up to them like it did last season versus the Sharks.

Howard’s play will also dictate the way the season plays out.  Howard is in the last year of his contract and is playing to show the organization that he is their goalie of the present and future.  Will he be a one-year wonder in the likes of Roger Crozier? Is he just there to hold the spot warm until Thomas McCollum develops? Is he worth a big contract if he succeeds two seasons in a row?  The Red Wings organization hopes to have the answer to all three questions by the end of this season.

Player to Watch:

Jiri Hudler was coming off a season in 2008-09 that saw him score a career high in both goals (23) and points (57).  The then 25-year-old was awarded $2.875 million a season for two years in a salary arbitration in which he walked away from to sign a $10 million two-year deal to play for the Dynamo in the KHL.  The Dynamo are now-defunct and the Czech center/winger is back in Motown.

Hudler, who only stands 5-10, should bring an immediate boost to the Red Wings power play that was ranked 9th in the NHL last season (19.2 percent).  Of his 127 career points 49 of them have come on the man advantage. How Hudler adjust to being back in the NHL will be a big key to the success and depth of this team.

Prediction:

The Red Wings will put up a fight to retain the crown that once was theirs for a decade.  This team, when healthy, can match any team skill, size and determination.  Ken Holland has always gotten creative to find ways to inject a spark in a team that has had so much success and bringing in Modano and bringing back Hudler should give this team the right chemistry to flourish.

With that being said, with former first round pick Thomas McCollum still being a couple of years away from the NHL, it is imperative to the organization that Howard not have a sophomore slump.  I see head coach Mike Babcock playing the veteran Chris Osgood more to cut his workload.  The Red Wings have a Stanley Cup team in place, they have shown that in two of the last three seasons it is just keeping that intact will be the biggest struggle throughout the season.

3.) ST. LOUIS BLUES

Rear View Mirror:

The St. Louis Blues could not provide an encore performance of their 2008-09 season; they fell behind early but came storming back.  They finished strong,  (23-15-4 under new coach, and best name for a head coach, Davis Payne) and finished only five points out of a playoff spot.

They were a very balanced team last season both scoring 2.66 goals per game (17th in the league) and giving up 2.66 goals per game (tied for 11th in the league).

Center Andy McDonald had a bounce back season leading the team in both goals (24) and points (57) after missing most of 2008-09 with a broken left ankle.

US silver medalist David Backes was second in scoring (48 points), continued to play his hard nose power forward style in having over 100+ penalty minutes for the second straight season (106 PIM).

Defensively, former first overall pick Erik Johnson did not fall into a sophomore slump.  The 6’4″ defender improved in all the main categories; points (+6), goals (+5) and plus minus (+10).

Injuries affected their defensive depth as they were missing captain Eric Brewer for 23 games due to a back injury and steady d-man, Barrett Jackman for 16 games due to various injuries.

Offseason Ins:G Jaroslav Halak (MTL: 26-13-5, 2.40 GAA, .924 save %), C Vladimir Sobotka (BOS: 64 GP, 4G-6A-10P),  D Alex Pietrangelo (OHL: 25 GP, 9G-20A-29P)

Offseason Outs:G Chris Mason (30 Wins), LW Paul Kariya (43 Pts), LW Keith Tkachuk (13 G), D Darryl Sydor (47 GP), LW Brad Winchester (108 PIM), C DJ King (33 PIM)

What Makes Them Tick:

The Blues made a big splash this offseason, acquiring goaltender Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens and then signing him to a four-year deal worth $15 million.  The Blues are literally banking  that the 25-year-old Canadiens playoff hero is entering his prime.

Halak played in a career high 45 games sporting a 26-13-5 record and was fourth in the NHL in save percentage (.940); ninth in goals-against average (2.40); and tied for fifth with five shutouts.

The Czech net minder made his money with another nine wins in the postseason over the top-seeded Capitals and defending Cup champion Penguins.

How Halak handles being the man will determine the Blues playoff fate.

What Could Make Them Go Boom:

With a shiny new goalie, the players in front of him will be under more pressure.  The Blues defense does not have a defined top four like other teams ahead of them in the standings.  They have a blossoming player in Erik Johnson, but after him there are a lot of question marks.

The wild cards in the equation are 2008 fourth-overall pick Alex Pietrangelo, who played in nine games last season before being sent back to juniors, and 2007 first round pick Ian Cole, who got his feet wet in the AHL at the end of last season.

They will need the health of Eric Brewer, Barett Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo and the continued development of Erik Johnson and Roman Polak this season to solidify the defense.  If none of this happens,  even the acquisition of Halak cannot help this young team make the playoffs.

Player to Watch:

David Backes was so important to the Blues organization that back on July 1, 2008 they matched a three year $7.5 million offer sheet that was put out by the Canucks.

Backes went on to score 31 goals and 54 points making it seem that he was worth every penny.

Last season, the 25 year old power forward saw drastic drops in both of those numbers (17 goals and 48 points).

The US Olympian is now entered the last year in that three year deal and will have to prove he is the 2008-09 version, not last season’s, to earn a big time pay check.

Prediction:

This team has some very good up and coming goal scorers. David Perron, with a freshly signed two year deal  has made incremental progress during his first three NHL seasons, scoring 13, 15 and 20 goals.

2005 first round pick, T.J. Oshie, had 15 power play points and was second on the team in points (48 points).

25 year old Alex Steen had a breakout season last year, and was tied for the team lead with 24 goals.

Playoffs are a real possibility as the young players have seemed to thrive under the 39-year-old Davis Payne.  Halak is the key and the defense is the lock to a postseason berth for the Blues next season.

4.) NASHVILLE PREDATORS

Rear-View Mirror

The Predators were 13.6 seconds from taking a 3-2 series lead on the eventual Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks.

They were 13.6 seconds away from possible pulling a huge upset and making it past the first round for the first time in franchise history.

That was not meant to be, as Patrick Kane scored the big goal and Marian Hossa sent the Chicago fans home happy and the Nashville fans wondering “What if?” all offseason.

The emergence of right wing Patric Hornqvist was one of the biggest positives last season. The 23-year-old Swedish sniper had a team-best 30 goals last season, 10 of them on the power play, and was greatly missed in the Blackhawks series.

Steve Sullivan’s scoring touch was also back, tying Hornqvist for the team lead in points (51).

Defensively, Shea Weber continued his climb towards becoming one of the best two-way defenders in the NHL. The 24-year-old continued to show off his cannon of a shot by scoring double-digit goals (16) for the third time in four years and having over 200 shots for the second consecutive season (222 shots).

The Predators always seem to have it figured out when it comes to goaltending. From Tomas Vokoun to Chris Mason to Dan Ellis to now Pekka Rinne, the man in the net has stood tall for Nashville. Rinne had career highs in starts (58), wins (32), and tied his career high with seven shutouts. The 27-year-old Finish goalie earned his recent two-year extension worth $6.8 million.

Offseason Ins

C Matthew Lombardi (PHX: 78 GP, 19G-34A-53P), D Ryan Parent (PHI: 48 GP, 1G-2A-3P, -14), RW Sergei Kostitsyn (MTL: 47 GP, 7G-11A-18P), LW Jonas Andersson (KHL: 30 GP, 7G-13A-20P), RW Matt Halischuk (NJD: 20 GP, 1G-1A-2P), LW Blake Geoffrion (NCAA: 40 GP, 28G-22A -50P)

Offseason Outs

C Jason Arnott (46P), D Dan Hamhuis (21:15 ATOI), G Dan Ellis (15W)

What Makes Them Tick

Since the Nashville Predators were announced as an expansion team in 1998, they have played the same way: hard-nosed hockey.

No matter the personnel changes every offseason, general manager David Poile and head coach Barry Trotz have expected the same intensity out of the new players taking on new roles.

They have always been an organization that has pride in its defensive depth to play in front of the good goaltending. Gone is talented, hard-hitting Dan Hamhuis, but waiting in the wings is 6’5″ Cody Franson, ready to take a bigger role this season. The 22-year-old had 6 goals and 21 points and was a +15 in 61 games last season.

This is now Shea Weber’s team after being named the fifth captain in franchise history and the first to be homegrown talent.

The B.C. beast exemplifies the hard-working mentality that all the defenders follow and he can score with the best of them from the backline. Weber’s 62 goals since the start of the 2006-07 season are the second-most goals at the position (Washington’s Mike Green has 70).

What Could Make Them Go Boom

The Predators have made the playoffs in two out of the last three seasons but have finished no higher than 12th in the league in goals per game, finishing 18th last season (2.65). If defense and goaltending are their strengths, offense is definitely their weakness.

The Predators this season hope an infusion of some youthful exuberance in the forwards should help that liability. 2008 seventh overall pick Colin Wilson got a taste of the action last season, appearing in 35 games and scoring 15 points.

The BU product will be a part of their top six forwards this season along with newly acquired center Matthew Lombardi.

After two seasons in the AHL, former second round pick Nick Spaling could also see some time in the top nine forwards, as well as KHL defector and another former second round pick Jonas Andersson.

These young players are going to have to add to the scoring of Sullivan, J.P. Dumont, and Martin Erat for the team to have success.

Player to Watch

No questioning the pedigree is there for Blake Geoffrion, the great-grandson of Montreal Canadiens legend and Hall of Famer Howie Morenz and the grandson of Hall of Famer Bernie “Boom Boom” Geoffrion.

No questioning that the talent is there with 114 points in 146 NCAA games, a national championship, and being the first-ever Wisconsin Badger to win the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.

No questioning the great story line attached to this 22-year-old, as he is the first native of Tennessee to sign with the Predators.

Now the 6’2″, 56th overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft has to use all those attributes to prove himself at the NHL level.

Geoffrion got to dabble in life as a professional hockey player, signing an ATO and playing in three playoff games for the Milwaukee Admirals and scoring two goals in those games.

He might spend the beginning of the season in the AHL but most certainly will get a heavy look for the big club during training camp and preseason.

Prediction

Another season and another discussion on how the Predators will fill the holes of some key players lost in former captain Jason Arnott, Hamhuis, and Dan Ellis.

The team this season will experience more growing pains than before as they move toward a youth movement.

The Predators will need Hornqvist to prove that last year’s +28 in goals scored was not a fluke. They will need 25-year-olds Ryan Sutter and Kevin Klein to continue their development.

They will need Pekka Rinne to prove he’s worth the contract extension they normally do not give out to their goalies.

With a lot of those questions not seeming to be answered, this team should contend for a final playoff spot but might just miss out as the youth develops.

5.) COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS

Rear View Mirror:

The Blue Jackets followed their franchise first playoff appearance with a disappointing 14th place finish in the Western Conference and last place in the Central Division. The limped out of the gate to a 22-27-9 record and lost 14 of 16 games in December that ultimately cost Ken Hitchcock his job.  The team did not fare better under interim coach Claude Noel as they finished the season 10-8-6.

Offensively they struggled as they finished tied for 20th in the league in goals (214).  It started at the top as Rick Nash saw his goals totals drop from 40 to 33 and points drop from 79 to 67.  Steve Mason had the definition of a sophomore slump as he went from Calder Trophy winner to backup at times last season.

Offseason Ins: LW Ethan Moreau (EDM: 76 GP, 9G-9A-18P), LW Nikita Filatov (KHL: 26 GP, 9G-13A-22P),

Offseason Outs: D Nathan Paetsch (10 GP)

What Makes Them Tick:

The Blue Jackets did not make many roster moves this offseason but the biggest move could be the hiring of Scott Arniel.  Arniel brings his AHL record of 181-106-16-17 to Columbus and a promise to play an up tempo style of play.

With that up tempo style the pressure falls on the forwards, and most of all with the first line of Captain Rick Nash, Antoine Vermette and Kristian Huselius.  Vermette had a career-high in both goals (27) and points (65) last season.  Those players along with R.J. Umberger, who had a career-high in points (55) last season, and former first round pick Jakub Voracek , who had 50 points in a successful sophomore season, should show signs of an improved offense.

What Could Make Them Go Boom:

Steve Mason had the ultimate fall from grace last season, if you looked up the definition of a sophomore slum Mason picture would have been right next to it last season.  Mason was ranked 44th out of 47 goalies in GAA (3.06) and 40th in save percentage (.901).  The 22-year-old won only four games combined in 18 starts between December and January and went zero for three in his April starts.

Needless to say Mason needs a bounce back season for the Blue Jackets to improve. He needs to play, well, like a rookie again.  If he returns to the goalie that won 33 games and had a 2.29 goals-against average they Blue Jackets have a fighting chance.  If he continues on a downward spiral expect to see more of Mathieu Garon, who did have a 12-9-6 record in his 35 games last season.

Player to Watch:

Nikita Filatov was the sixth overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry draft and the Blue Jackets were excited that he chose to come to play in the America in 2008-09 instead of his home land of Russia.  Flash forward to last November to when the talented player was frustrated with playing time and the organization agreed on a one-year loan agreement with CSKA Moscow of the KHL.  Well now the 6’0’’ left winger is back in the states and is actually already in Columbus, six weeks ahead of training camp.

Filatov will have to mend fences with the players he left cold in the beginning of last year, but he should also let his talent do the talking.  The Russian did score a goal in his first NHL game and six career goals in only 21 NHL games.  He will have to prove to the new coaching staff he is here to work and not get overly frustrated when things do not go his way, his development is key for this team not only this year but in years to com.

Prediction:

With not much roster turnover from last year’s disaster of a season, the team is hoping to chalk last year up to the wrong mix with the coaching staff.  Young players like former top-ten picks 20-year-old Jakub Voracek, 16 goals last season, and 22-year-old Derick Brassard, 36 point last season, will be ask to improve on those totals.  Young defenseman like 23-year-old Anton Stralman, who had 22 power play points, and 26-year-old Fedor Tyutin, 18 power play points, will be asked to play bigger roles this season.  There will be growing pains for both the new coaching staff and the young roster which will cause the Blue Jackets to miss the playoffs for the 9^th time in the franchises 10 NHL seasons.

The Devils will always be competitive with a healthy Martin Brodeur, that’s a given. Offensively Zach Parise is a budding star. Travis Zajac started to come into his own last year and he is continuing his progression this year. Jamie Langenbrunner, when healthy, provides a nice veteran presence. Former 1^st round pick of the 2005 draft Niclas Bergfors has finally been given ample playing time this year and he is starting to deliver. Veteran Patrick Elias is always dangerous as a goal scorer when healthy.

The Devils defense is pretty blue collared these days. Gone are the days of the headline grabbing defenseman like Scott Stevens and Scott Neidermayer. The defense these days are led by guys like Johnny Oduya, Bryce Salvador, Colin White and Andy Greene. The Devils D is so blue collar only one defenseman on the Devils is on the Top 50 highest paid defenseman list. That one guy would be Paul Martin, he checks in at number 38, who is currently injured.

The Devils hope to avenge their surprising 1^st round exit last year to Carolina. They should definitely make the playoffs again this year. If they do, it will be their 13^th in a row. Only the Detroit Red Wings have a higher current streak at 18 seasons. They should also contend for the division title with Penguins, especially if the Flyers continue to struggle.

Goalie Spotlight

Jonathan Quick – Los Angeles Kings

Jonathan Quick is an emerging goalie for the emerging Los Angeles Kings. While not in the elite goalie class, in a few seasons Quick’s might be mentioned with the Brodeurs of the hockey world. Quick is also one of the taller goalies in the league measuring 6 foot 1.

The USA born Quick was a standout goalie at his high school prep school in Connecticut. After high school, Quick decided to play at the University of Massachusetts were he lead the team to its first ever NCAA hockey tournament appearance. The Minutemen beat Clarkson but then lost to Maine. Quick was drafted by the Kings in the 2005 draft as the 72^nd pick overall.

In the 2007-08 season Quick played in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was most successful playing in the AHL for the Kings affiliate Manchester Monarchs. He only played 3 games in the NHL that year posting a 3.58 GAA and a .855 SV%, not sterling numbers by any means. In the following season Quick started out the year playing at Manchester, but was called up to play for the Kings in December and remained up for the rest of the year posting 21 wins to 18 losses, a 2.48 GAA and a .914 SV%. In certain stretches he played spectacularly prompting the Kings to name him the starting netminder for the 09-10 season.

So far Quick’s numbers this year are a little worse than last years (2.60 GAA and .904 SV%) and he has yet to post a shutout. The Kings other options for goalies include Jonathan Bernier and Erik Ersberg. However, both goalies have been somewhat disappointing, Ersberg more so. Quick should be the number one goalie for the foreseeable future. Considering this is only his 2^nd season and he is only 23, he has tremendous upside. The Kings hope to make the playoffs with Quick for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

Fights of the Week

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

Boris Valabik vs. Rick Rypien

Everyone’s favorite fighter Rick Rypien is back. I really like the way he does the little things in a fight and systematically beats you.

Brian McGrattan vs. David Koci

The ninth billionth fight between these two, err wait the 7^th time. The other 6 times were in the AHL.

Daniel Carcillo vs. Craig Adams

Three fights in the battle of Pennsylvania including 1 fight that literally lasted a minute with no punches. I liked this one for the intensity but Carcillo dominated.

Jean-Francois Jacques vs. B.J. Crombeen

Okay fight on the long side that had its moments. BTW I don’t think you can have a more French name than Jean-Francois Jacques.

Goat of the Week

None this week

Shot of the Week

Bobby Ryan – Anaheim Ducks

Ryan was able to maintain his handle on the puck and shoot it in after he had his leg hooked by Kris Russell.

Things I like

1. Newly called up Dan Sexton has a 3 game goal streak going and has the given the Ducks new scoring life. He’s is quite fast too. With him on one side and Bobby Ryan on the other, they make for one of the speediest wing tandems in the league.

2. Los Angeles has quietly crept up to tie for the top spot in the west. They are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and even beat the Sharks in that stretch. They did all of this despite their top scorer Anze Kopitar not doing much.

3. Tuukka Rask doesn’t play much for Boston, but when he fills in for Tim Thomas he really delivers, with his 1.97GAA and .932 SV%.

Things I don’t

1. The Southeast Division’s bottom feeding teams. The Lightning, Hurricanes and Panthers have a combined 6 wins in their last 30 games yikes. If it wasn’t for the Thrashers we could probably already crown the Capitals.

2. Jonas Hiller has been pretty disappointing this year after his phenomenal campaign last year. If he continues to play as he is, it will create problems for the Ducks who will then more than likely let him walk and keep Jean-Sebastien Giguere and his heavy salary.

3. The Flyers losing Ray Emery for about 6 weeks. Not much has gone right for the Flyers this season and this doesn’t help. Emery started out playing well but in 4 of his last 5 starts his save percentage was below .840, not good.

4. Speaking of the Flyers, I discussed their struggles last week, they seem to be struggling even more. They made a lot of changes to specifically compete with the Penguins and in their latest measuring stick game against the Penguins they lost 6-1. That now makes two losses against the Pens this year, though the first loss was more competitive. They get another shot at the Penguins this Thursday at home.

Stat Line of the Week

12/11/09  Oilers 5 vs. Blues 3

Dustin Penner was on the ice for 4 of the Oilers 5 goals and he had a hand in all 4 of those goals. He racked up a goal (unassisted) and 3 assists for the night.

Did You Know?

The first NHL entry draft was in 1963. The first 20 years 1963 to 1982, a Canadian was taken with the top pick. Brian Lawton from the USA was the first non-Canadian picked. Of the 47 drafts only five number 1 picks weren’t from North America. Russia has two of those five. The USA has had six players taken and Canada has had 36.

Numbers, Numbers

0 – Number of overtime losses for Vancouver, still.

6-10-2 – St. Louis’s home record

8-2-3 – St. Louis’s road record

29 – Goal differential of the Capitals, 1^st in the East

4 – Goal differential of the Kings, tied for 1^st in the West

This Week in Hockey History

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

December 10, 1992    Quebec’s Mats Sundin extended his team-record point scoring streak to 30 games in the Nordiques’ 5-4 win at Los Angeles. Sundin scored 21 goals, 25 assists for a total of 46 points during the 30 game streak.

December 11, 1977    Tom Bladon set an NHL record for most points in a game by a defenseman. His 8 points (4 goals & 4 assists) led Philadelphia to an 11-1 win over the Cleveland Barons. Bladon also set a record by going +10.

December 11, 2000    Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux officially announced that he was coming out of retirement to return to playing for the Penguins.

December 12, 1971    Chicago’s Bobby Hull became the fifth player in NHL history to score 1,000 career points. His milestone point was an assist in his 909th game, a 5-3 Black Hawks’ win over the Minnesota North Stars.

December 13, 1987    Calgary’s Joe Nieuwendyk became the first NHL rookie since Cully Wilson (Toronto 1919-20) to score four goals twice in his first season, in a 7-1 Flames in at Buffalo.

December 14, 2000    Rob Blake scored his first career hat trick and added two assists for his first five-point game in the Kings 5-5 tie against the visiting New York Rangers.

December 15, 1988    Mario Lemieux had a goal and four assists in Pittsburgh’s 8-2 win over the Islanders to become the Penguins’ all-time leader in career assists, breaking the old mark of 349 set by Syl Apps. It came in Lemieux’s 321st NHL game.

Rankings

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

Top 5

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

Bottom 5

30. Carolina
29. Philadelphia
28. Columbus
27. Tampa Bay
26. Florida

Anaheim Ducks Watch

The Ducks have points in the last 5 games now. Unfortunately 3 of those were overtime losses in games they could have and should have won. So because they are only gaining 1 point, and since the teams they lose to are in the same conference, they really don’t gain much.

So tell me if you heard this before, the Ducks take a 2 goal lead into the 3^rd period and manage to lose anyway. Of course you have and the Ducks manage to do it again to the Red Wings. It’s a shame because they really owned the first 2 periods of play. Of course when you take 10 penalties it’s hard to win games. Some of the calls were typical lame calls by the ref, like the Parros interference and some of the holding calls, but that’s life. Sexton scored again and with his emergence the Ducks now have three players (Perry, Ryan, Sexton) that look like they just graduated from high school. They are all shy and quiet in post game interviews too. The Red Wings won it in overtime.

The Ducks jumped out to a 2 goal lead against the Blue Jackets and this time changed it up a bit and instead of giving up a goal in the 3^rd, they give it up in the last minute of the 2^nd period. However, the Ducks actually gave up none in the 3^rd and scored one themselves. Sexton scored again to up his goal streak to 3 games in a row. The Selanne injury seems like a blessing in disguise now. If he never would have went down, Sexton would never have been called up. Lupul is still injured too. I think when Selanne gets back he should go on the top line with Perry and Getzlaf. Ryan and Sexton should stay together with Koivu.

December will make or break which way teams are headed in the parity filled NHL, so let’s look at three specific teams in this week’s Hat Trick.

Buffalo Sabres  

The surprising leaders of the Northeast Division have been riding one of the hottest goalies this season.  In December they have 15 games, and the good news is only two of them are on back-to-back nights.  They recently finished up a five-game home stand with a 3-2 record and had impressive back-to-back wins against the Blackhawks and Rangers. 

Coming down the stretch of this month are two contest at home against the Penguins, one on the road with the Capitals and four games against division rivals Ottawa and Toronto.  With Olympic selections for USA coming up, it will be interesting to see how Ryan Miller does with the heavy workload this month and how this team that depends on often-injured stars hold up with the treacherous schedule.

St. Louis Blues  

A team that got hot at the end of last season to make the playoffs have once again started slowly.  This month full of 15 games, including two tough back-to-back nights (home Flames, road Blackhawks and road Canucks, road Oilers) will make or break the season for the up and coming Blues. 

Good news for them is that eight of the games will be played away from the Scottrade Center, since they have a 8-2-3 road record this season.  Being one of the younger teams in the league (27.4 average age), they should be able to handle the long December stretch. If they falter, however, they do have two veterans on their last year of contracts (Kariya and Tkachuk) that could get some interest.

Philadelphia Flyers  

This one, an obvious pick for the preseason Stanley Cup favorite, is a Hurricane winning streak away from being the worst team in the East and their own winning streak away from being back in the playoff picture.  They also have 15 games in December, the problem is they have already started 1-5 in the month. 

The schedule does not look favorable either with a home and home series with the Penguins, and two games against division rival Rangers, but they do get a week of the Southeast Division (Panthers, Lightning and Hurricanes Oh MY!)  They have already fired their coach and lost their starting goalie to injury for the entire month, but should be getting reinforcements soon with the returns of Simon Gagne, Darrol Powe, and Blair Betts from injuries.  Needless to say if they continue the month they way they started you could see a major shakeup of players in Philadelphia.

Nik Antropov, Thrashers C/W:

Big Nik is enjoying playing in the south, considered a bust in Toronto and exiled to New York at last year’s trade deadline the 6-foot-6 former first round pick has 16 assists in his first 17 games with the Thrashers. Here is the risk; he has yet to score a goal. The former first round pick has come off two straight season’s of 25+ goals but has been snake bitten early on.

Antropov is worth the risk for the simple reason he is the top line on this team, one that includes the high scoring Iyla Kovalchuk (for now). Look at his special teams numbers as well with seven of those helpers coming on the power play; he is even a plus player (+7). Although Antropov is hurting your team with zero goals he is contributing in other areas.

Andrew Brunette, Wild W:

Brunette’s reputation as a power play specialist has made him a good fantasy play; this season is no different as eight of his 13 points have come on the man advantage. Brunette is averaging 3:41 minutes a game on the PP and has 250 career power play points. The risk involved with the 36-year-old winger is the Wild are struggling to score five-on-five with 29 goals in first 20 games and Brunette will never be up for the Selke Trophy with his -59 for career, and -6 this season.

With that in mind he is still worth the risk for those important power play points that could win you a category, just make sure you have a defensemen that can balance out those minus’s.

 B.J. Crombeen, Blues W: 

Crombeen was pluck off waivers by the Blues last season from Dallas and made an immediate impact on the team’s turnaround towards a playoff berth. The 24-year-old winger finished the season with 11 goals and 122 PIM with the Blues. This season while playing mostly on a line with Paul Kariya and Jay McClement, the 6-2 Crombeen has already accumulated 55 PIM while also playing a good defensive hockey game with a +4 rating.

Now the risk involved is his obvious lowly 13 career goals but Crombeen is worth the risk for he also is a good source for that hard to get shorthanded point. Andy Murray has shown trust in Crombeen and his shorthanded combo with Alex Steen has produced three shorthanded points already this season, adding to his fantasy value.

Pickup of the Week: Mason Raymond, Canucks W:

Alex Burrows struggles and the injury to Daniel Sedin have allowed Mason Raymond to become a big fantasy player this month. The speedy winger has nine points in his last seven games. The makeshift top line of Raymond, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kessler has been productive in even strength and the power play. The one variable to keep an eye is when Daniel returns healthy where Alain Vigneault places the hot winger. Wherever he is placed he should continue to make an impact and should be owned in more than 20 percent of leagues.

On the other hand the Penguins are reeling from the loss of Evgeni Malkin. While the Penguins are a great team, having been to the finals 2 years in a row, they really are a team of Crosby, Malkin and a bunch of role players. The role players play their role very well but when Crosby and Malkin are not playing well the team will suffer. Malkin is out and Crosby is in a points drought. Subsequently they have lost 4 of 6 since Malkin was injured and they have been shutout twice. Here’s hoping Malkin comes back soon for the Penguins sake.

NHL teams losing money – First Phoenix and now Columbus. The Coyotes troubles are well documented and despite the NHL’s best efforts the Coyotes really should really leave Phoenix. However don’t tell that to Commissioner Gary Bettman he doesn’t want to hear it. Now it is being reported that the Columbus Blue Jackets are losing on average 12 million a year.

Phoenix is dead last in attendance this year and has lost about 30 million in some seasons. Of course with team ownership up in the air many fans don’t want to invest money into a team that may not be there. The Coyotes were also near the bottom in attendance last year.

Columbus is 22^nd in attendance capacity this year and was 2^nd to last two seasons ago. Columbus is the 32^nd largest US metro area not the largest by any means and not that smallest either, but only three teams play in front of smaller markets. The Blue Jackets also have to pay 5 million a year to use the arena. So that really doesn’t help their financial situation.

I think the NHL and Bettman really need to think harder before they place teams and try to keep teams in markets. A successful team depends on two things a large market and a large hockey or sports fan market. Phoenix and Atlanta (another money loser) are two top 12 markets, however neither care about hockey. Atlanta in general isn’t much of a sports market. None of their professional team are in the top 50% of attendance and the Atlanta Hawks are usually at the bottom like the Thrashers. Columbus and Carolina are also small markets with skeptical hockey fan bases, though Carolina fares a little better then Columbus, and then there’s Nashville and Florida(Miami).

For the life of me I don’t know why Bettman thought it was a good choice to put teams in some of these locations. I don’t have a problem, unlike most fans, of Bettman moving the teams out of Winnipeg and Hartford. I just question where he decided to move them to and when he decides to keep them there, even when it is a no win situation. For the life of me I can’t comprehend why Seattle and/or Portland, OR does not have a hockey team. Seattle is the 15^th largest market and Portland is the 23^rd largest. They both have built-in hockey fan bases and Seattle could really create a nice rivalry with Vancouver. They both do fairly well with WHL attendance. I imagine the NHL would do even better.

Goalie Spotlight

Antero Niittymaki – Tampa Bay Lightning

So who is Antero Niittymaki? He isn’t a name I have heard much before yet he has currently taken over the number 1 goaltending duties from Mike Smith on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Currently he is near the top of the league leaders in GAA and is in the top spot for SV%. Despite being a relative unknown he is actually quite an accomplished goaltender.

From 1995 to 2002 Antero played in SM-liiga, the top professional league in Finland and one of the top leagues in Europe. He started playing in the non-junior SM-liiga in 1999. In 2000 he won the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy for rookie of the year and led the team to their 2^nd straight title. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 1998 but he didn’t actually play for them or their affiliate until 2002. In 2004 while playing for the Philadelphia Phantoms, the Flyers AHL affiliate, he scored an overtime empty net goal. He is the first goalie in North American history to score an overtime goal. While he was there he set eight Phantoms’ franchise records, including most wins and shutouts.

In the 2006 Winter Olympics, while playing for Finland, he was named league MVP whole guiding Finland to a silver medal. Ironically he was only the starter after Kari Lehtonen and Miikka Kiprusoff pulled out due to injury. Unfortunately his Flyers career, 2005 – 2009, was not as stellar as his Phantoms or international career. He tied the Flyers record for most losses in a season in 2007, and he was often battering injuries. After a brief stint as starting goalie he finished his career as a Flyer as a backup. He left as an unrestricted free agent and signed with the Lightning to backup Mike Smith. After Mike Smiths’ struggles Antero was tapped to start. Off to a fast start he should remain the number one goalie for the foreseeable future. On a team with Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, and rising star Steven Stamkos the Lightning hope to make the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Fights of the Week

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

Cam Janssen vs. Arron Asham

The 5^th time these two have squared off. Asham gets knocked down and the refs go in to break it up but Asham gets back up and they continue. They both go down and they both want to get back up and fight some more but the refs stop it this time.

Tanner Glass vs. Cam Janssen

Long pretty decent fight won by Janssen. He lets you know it too, by raising his arm when the fight is done.

Tim Jackman vs. David Clarkson

Interesting fight had about 5 punches in a row thrown at the exact same time.  Jackman got a bloody nose for his troubles.

Things I like

1. Well Toronto picked up their first home win of the season beating lowly Carolina who, coincidently, doesn’t have a road win, yet.

2. San Jose has only lost 1 game in regulation out of their past 10. They also have an 8 game point streak going, which has helped them take the top spot in the conference.

3. Attendance is doing well in a tough economic year. 16 teams are at 97% capacity or higher. Right in line with the 2006-07 and 2008-09 seasons and better than 2007-08.

Things I don’t

1. The St. Louis Blues have really come back to earth lately. After starting out the season with 2 “road” wins against the Red Wings, the Blues now have lost 5 games in a row. On the plus side, the last 3 games were all overtime losses so they were able to pick up points anyway. Though they did bounce back mauling Vancouver 6-1 last night.

2. Carolina now has the distinction of being the worst team in the league. With Cam Ward possibly being injured for a month, it will be a real long season in Raleigh. They truly are this year’s biggest disappointment.

3. The Pittsburgh Penguins have never faired well with west coast road trips, this year appears to be no different. After narrowly escaping the Ducks, the Penguins lost to the Kings and the Sharks ruining their undefeated road record. They also worsened their record in the Shark Tank to 0-7. The win against Anaheim was only the 2^nd road win for the Penguins against a California team in the past decade. All of a sudden Pittsburgh’s undefeated road streak has suffered 3 losses in a row.

This Week in Hockey History

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

November 05, 1959 Gordie Howe had a goal and an assist to top the 1,000 point mark (including the playoffs) in his 947th career game. It came in an 8-3 loss to the visiting Boston Bruins.

November 05, 1999 Ron Francis picked up an assist to beome the sixth NHL player to score 1,500 NHL points in his NHL career. The milestone came in a 3-2 Hurricanes’ loss at Detroit.

November 05, 1955 Jean Beliveau scored four goals, including 3 during one power play in a span of :44 in the second period. Canadiens won the game, 4-2 over Boston. After the season, the NHL changed the rules to end a minor power play after a goal was scored.

November 05, 1983 Rangers and Nordiques set an NHL record for the fastest two goals at the start of a period by two teams (14 seconds). Andre Savard scored for Quebec at :08 of the 3rd and Pierre Larouche replied for the Rangers at :14. NY tied 4-4 in Quebec City.

November 06, 1995 Rangers Mark Messier scored his 17th career hat trick in the final period to reach the 500 goal mark and added an assist as New York won 4-2 over the Flames, in New York. Messier became the 21st player in the NHL to collect 500 goals.

November 07, 1925 NHL Board of Governors (meeting in Mtl) announced that the league would have a salary limit of $35,000 per team for the 1925-26 season. Expansion teams in Pittsburgh & NY (Rangers) were given exemptions: for 2 years they could spend $45,000 each.

November 09, 2000 Roman Cechmanek became the first goaltender since 1938 to get each of his first two victories as shutouts, in the Flyers 2-0 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers. He had picked up his first victory (and shutout) five nights earlier.

November 09, 1957 Chicago’s Ted Lindsay scored his 324th career NHL, to tie Nels Stewart as the third highest goal scorer in NHL history, as the Black Hawks won 5-0 over the visiting New York Rangers. Glenn Hall got his 21st career shutout.

November 10, 1963 Detroit’s Gordie Howe became the NHL’s all time leading goal scorer, when he scored #545 to move past Maurice “Rocket” Richard as the Red Wings beat Montreal, 3-0.

November 10, 1934 Canadiens’ Armand Mondou became the first player in NHL history to take a penalty shot. He missed in his attempt against George Hainsworth of Toronto. Three days later Ralph Bowman of St. Louis scored the first penalty shot goal in NHL history.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. San Jose
2. Washington
3. Pittsburgh
4. New Jersey
5. Colorado

Bottom 5

30. Carolina
29. Toronto
28. St. Louis
27. Florida
26. Edmonton

Ducks Watch

The Ducks have now won 2 games in a row coming off their tough loss to the defending champs. They also have collected points in 4 of their last 5 games since their humiliating loss to Toronto. Jonas Hiller recorded his first shutout of the year against Nashville and the offense continued to roll behind two Selanne goals. Hiller followed up that shutout with two more shutout periods entering the 3^rd period against Phoenix it looked like he might record two shutouts in a row. The Coyotes had other ideas, however, reeling off 3 unanswered goals. The Ducks were able to hold on for the win. A win is a win no matter how you get it, though I’m sure the Ducks would have liked to have had a better 3^rd period.

Ryane Clowe, LW Sharks:  The big forward broke out last season with 22 goals and 52 points and helped many fantasy teams with an amazing 24 power play points and 51 PIM.  This season he lost his line mates (Milan Michalek in Dany Heatley trade and Joe Pavelski to early injury) but was suppose to bring secondary scoring.   So far he has been a fantasy disappointment scoring just one assist in the first eight games; he still has been getting some PIM with 27.  I think the 27-year-old, 6-2 forward is worth the roster spot, he still plays big time minutes including on the second power play unit (2:49 PP TOI/G) and is just felling the pressure to live up to his new 4-year contract but will break out of this slump.

Jason Blake, LW Maple Leafs:  This guy is owned in 65% of leagues and still living off his 40-goal season in 2006-07 with the Islanders.  Yes he did bounce back and score 25 goals in his second in Toronto including 5 power play goals.  This season Blake as the whole Maple Leafs’ team are struggling defensively as he is a -7, and he is not scoring at the same pace to make that worth a roster spot.  The Maple Leafs’ are rebuilding and will start to give his important minutes to younger players and is not worth a roster spot in fantasy.

T.J. Oshie, C Blues:  A former first round pick out of North Dakota, Oshie had an up and down rookie year but was primed to be a fantasy stud in his sophomore season.  So far he is a fantasy dud scoring only one goal and assisting on two others, even worse he is getting minimal power play time.  This is a tough call to make as the Blues have both Andy McDonald and Paul Kariya healthy this season and both seeing significant minutes.  If you are in a 12-team league he might be worth to stash for safe keeping but in a 10-team league I would say drop him and keep him on your watch list.

Waiver Wire Pickup of the Week:  Matt Moulson or Kyle Okposo, Islanders F:  If one or both of these talented young forwards are available jump on the claim.  Moulson is available in more leagues than Okposo (owned only 20% vs. 70%) but both have been scoring at a fast pace (Moulson with 7 points and Okposo with 6 points in the first six games).  The Islanders will struggle on the ice but that should not discount them from being fantasy options.  Okposo and Moulson were both big time college scorers and are playing on a line together with John Tavares in both five on five and power play (Moulson with 4 PP and Okposo with 3 PP).

The number one thing I am looking forward to this season, just like any other season, is the biggest jumps, up or down by a team. For example when Boston was the 8^th seed and Montreal the 1^st seed in 2008 and they subsequently swapped places the next season in 2009. This year I figured Anaheim will jump up the most as they were the 8^th seed last year. I peg them anywhere from 2^st to 5^th this year. Of course technically they were tied for 6^th last year but they were still officially the 8^th seed. The Avalanche have a possibility to nab the 8^th seed which would be quite a jump up, don’t laugh it’s possible. For biggest tumble I can’t really see anyone dropping more than 3 spots, which I don’t think is enough of a drop to warrant a mention, but you know some team will.

You also have to wonder what the effects on the possible move/sale and the leaving of coach Gretzky will have on the Phoenix Coyotes, though it does look like they are staying in Phoenix for now. Granted Gretzky didn’t really seem to have an impact on the team but I can’t imagine the possibility of a move doesn’t have an affect on them. On the other hand it might motivate them to play better and it sure looked like it worked vs. the Kings.

The biggest surprises of the week were probably Colorado blanking Vancouver 3-0. I bet no one saw that coming, and the demolishing of Carolina by Boston 7-2. It’s not that Boston won the game it’s the score. I think Boston may still be bitter about last year’s playoff exit, just a little.

Goalie Spotlight

This feature will highlight a goalie every week. I will strive to do a few paragraphs on a different goalie every week, and I won’t base it on their past week’s performance. However, depending on how hot a goalie is during a given week, I may just discuss that.

Craig Anderson – Colorado Avalanche

Many “experts” predict Craig Anderson will be this year’s version of Tim Thomas, a longtime journeyman who becomes a superstar. Of course Thomas backstopped the Bruins to the best record in the Eastern Conference last year; I don’t think Anderson will be able to replicate that in the West. If Anderson sounds familiar it’s because he posted back-to-back shutouts last year, and in one shutout he set the NHL record for most saves (53). Despite his success last year, he was unable to wrestle away the top spot from Tomas Vokoun in Florida, despite having more of an upside based on being 5 years younger, and he became a free agent.

Anderson turned down offers from other teams to sign with the Avalanche, and relegate former starting goalie Peter Budaj to the bench. “It’s a dream come true,” Anderson said. “It was the place I wanted to be, a city I’ve always loved. I think it’s a great opportunity for me, and I want to be part of the solution bringing the team back.” [1] At 6 feet 2 inches Anderson is one of the taller goalies in the league and plays with a butterfly style made famous by his idol (and mine) Patrick Roy, who of course led the Avs to two Stanley Cups. The Avalanche believe they have found their goalie of the future and with Stastny, Wolski, and third overall pick Duchene are starting to form a nice nucleus to bring them back to respectability.

Fights of the Week

Everyone loves hockey fights! Some people watch only for the fights, sad because the rest of the game is even better. This feature will comb through all the past weeks fights to bring you the best.

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

Donald Brashear vs. Eric Godard

This fight was interesting because of the sheer amount of time they took sizing each other up before they engaged. Brasher started hot but I think Goddard won overall.

Craig Conroy vs. Sam Gagner

Right off the face-off with this fight, literally, I don’t even think they cared who won the face-off.  Both had some great punches, I give the win to Gagner though.

Andrew Alberts vs. Shawn Thornton

Like the Brasher vs. Goddard fight a lot of sizing up time, afterward Thornton basically makes Alberts his bitch. Bonus points to the announcer who really seemed to get into the fight. “Call off the fight, it’s a bloodletting!” Not sure where but alright!

Goat of the Week

Nikolai Khabibulin – Speaking of goalies, Khabibulin’s whiff of playing the puck in the final minute of a tied game, led to a gift goal and a win for the Flames. This was in the home opener no less, talk about silencing the home crowd. Further proof of why I always say goalies should stay between the pipes.

Tweet of the Week

According to Sportsin140 the NHL has the least amount of tweeters of the four major sports. Which should make it hard to find decent tweets for this section, but I figured it would still be fun. The NHL is, however, the first League to have all their teams tweeting.

So where’s the tweet you say? Unfortunately I couldn’t find a good one, if this keeps up, I’ll close this section. C’mon players tweet!

Things I like

1. Tavares in New York, assuming the Islanders stay there, was a great draft choice that joins the Islanders other great top picks like Ryan O’Marra, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey…. okay maybe not. But Tavares has the skills to lead the Islanders back to respectability and maybe some of it will rub onto line-mate and 2006 7^th overall pick Okposo.

2. Ovechkin picking up right where he left off and then some. Though he didn’t win the scoring title last year, I suspect he will win it this year. The real challenge is whether he can bring his shooting percentage back from respectability after his paltry .106 percentage last year. So far, 5 goals in 3 games not to shabby.

3. The St. Louis Blues for their collective effort of beating the Red Wings, not once but two nights in a row, all the way over in Sweden. Also good to see Paul Kariya back recovered from injury and in top form, I’m sure the Blues are glad too.

4. Ray Emery, although only 2 games in, has seemed like a worthwhile addition to the Flyers including a shutout of Carolina opening day. If he can stay out of trouble this may led to bigger and better things. I know the Flyers and their fans are hoping for that. Of course last night he gave up 5 goals to the Capitals, but then again it was the Capitals.

Things I don’t

1. Robert Luongo, who I always thought was a tad overrated, has apparently regressed. The last time we saw him he gave up 7 goals to the Blackhawks, I don’t think that sat well with him. Reminds me of Jake Delhomme’s meltdown with the Panthers in the NFL Playoffs and then his starts the following year, he said it didn’t bother him, but later admitted it did. Maybe Luongo has the same mental block. It’s not time to turn to Raycroft yet, but if he keeps this up the Canucks may not have a choice.

2. Martin Brodeur one of the true legends of the games may be slipping. Like Luongo he had a playoff meltdown as he let in some weak goalies against Carolina in last year’s playoff, including the two late goals in the game 7 stunner. He has now given up 8 goals in 2 games. It didn’t sit well with me that they let go of Clemmensen, you hope it doesn’t come back to haunt the Devils.

Rankings

The rankings are based on how the teams are currently playing, not who I think is better or how they will end the season.

Top 5

1. Pittsburgh
2. Philadelphia
3. Washington
4. Calgary
5. Colorado

Bottom 5

30. Vancouver
29. New Jersey
28. Carolina
27. Tampa Bay
26. Toronto

Ducks Watch (My team)

The Ducks were embarrassed in their home opener against San Jose, and Hiller seems to have lost some of his mojo. They looked real good up 3-0 to the Wild after 2 periods. They then promptly lost that lead, giving up 3 goals in the 3rd, not playing awful but not playing great either. Then in overtime Wisniewski takes a beyond stupid penalty by sucker punching a Wild right in front of the ref, ugh. Gave me flashbacks to all those games that ended with Pronger sitting in the penalty box. Minnesota promptly scores on the power play. On the plus side Anaheim got a point and at least looked like they might get better as the season progresses and they continue to gel.

Well I hope you liked the column any suggestions, comments, and/or feedback are always welcomed.

[1] http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_12737489