At the quarter pole – We have just about hit the quarter mark of the NHL season, though some teams have played more than others. It always bothers me when one team has played five more games than another team. You think they could schedule that better. Let’s take a look at which teams have been surprising and which have been disappointing. I didn’t want to go overboard, so I just picked a few.

Surprising

Anaheim – Well the Ducks started out worse than anyone in the league but they have since quickly turned it around. For a team loaded with offensive talent and a great goalie, it was really about whether the defense would be anything good. It turns out it that it’s not that bad. Anaheim is actually 5^th in the league in blocked shots. A special thanks also goes to Cam Fowler for helping to make the defensive turnaround.

Montreal – The Canadiens aren’t really that much of a surprise, since they made it to the Conference Finals last year. But that in itself was a bit of a surprise and many people attributed their run mostly to Jaroslav Halak. The Canadiens actually have a pretty balanced team and Carey Price (more on him below) has played well.

Disappointing

New Jersey – Well I don’t think anyone can be more disappointing than the Devils. Their record setting goalie, Martin Brodeur, is having a fairly sub par year, their top free agent signing, Ilya Kovalchuk, either disappears during games or gets benched, their Team MVP, Zach Parise, ends up on injured reserve and it turns out they don’t really have any good defensemen.

Calgary – The Flames look like a good team on paper but for some reason they just can’t put it all together. To make things worse Jerome Iginila is struggling. Of course it shouldn’t really be much of a surprise, as it’s been the same team for the past two seasons. If it didn’t work then, why would it work now?

Buffalo – Well many people would think the Sabres are a disappointment. Personally I think their record is as it should be. Tyler Myers has been disappointing and Ryan Miller has yet to record a shutout. Offensively, Derek Roy is the only player scoring at a point or game or higher pace. Hey what else is new? On the plus side, Steve Montador is having a career year.

Pittsburgh – The Penguins seemed like an early Stanley Cup favorite with their off-season defensive acquisitions. But Marc-Andre Fleury has struggled, Evgeni Malkin has struggled at times and their power play isn’t what it should be. The biggest problem is they really miss Jordan Staal.

Goalie Spotlight

Sergei Bobrovsky – Philadelphia Flyers

The Flyers have had gone through a lot of goalies over the past decade. Rarely would a goalie carry the starting load for more than two seasons. Most seasons would see two or three goalies splitting the duties. After a long playoff run shared by Michael Leighton and Brian Boucher most figured the Flyers would run with both of them this season. But then Leighton got injured and that’s where Sergei Bobrovsky comes into play.

Bobrovsky was eligible for the 2006 NHL draft but he went undrafted. The Flyers oddly enough were interested in him but the thought it would be too hard to sign the netminder from Novokuznetsk, Russia to come play in the NHL. Unwanted in the NHL Bobrovsky played for Metallurg Novokuznetsk of the RSL (Russian Superleague) before it was absorbed by the KHL and then he played with them for two seasons in the KHL. During his time with Metallurg Novokuznetsk he played well, though he actually had a record of 16-42-5 in the KHL. He also helped capture a bronze medal for Russia at the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The Flyers offered him a three year contract after his four stint with Metallurg Novokuznetsk and he was slated to be assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms of the AHL. The combination of his strong training camp and Michael Leighton’s injury kept him on the opening day Flyers’ roster.

Bobrovsky was the youngest Flyers goaltender ever to start a season opening game at 22, just surpassing Ron Hextall’s old mark, which he ended up winning. Currently he is the starting goalie for the Flyers while Brian Boucher has the backup duties. Bobrovsky is tied for the league lead in wins at 11 to go along with his 5^th place in GAA and 4^th place in SV%. Bobrovsky’s English isn’t very good yet, so he uses a translator, Natalia Bragilevskaya, to help him during post game interviews. Regardless of the language he speaks the Flyers are hoping they have found what has eluded them for quite some time, stable goaltending from one goalie for years to come.

Fights of the Week

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

Eric Boulton vs. John Erskine

Just two hockey players whaling away at each other.

Tanner Glass vs. Mike Brown

Pretty decent fight, unfortunately not long enough.

Goats of the Week

Ilya Kovalchuk – New Jersey Devils

Well we’ve all seen this a couple of times by now. But really, does it ever get old? I think this will defiantly be a goat of the year finalist. He redeemed himself somewhat the next night with the game winner in overtime.

Dan Hamhuis – Vancouver Canucks

Hamhuis goes to clear the puck in the finals seconds of overtime but instead passes it directly to Tyler Myers, who capitalizes on it. Considering the year Myers has had, he will probably be sending a few Christmas cards to Hamhuis.

Zbynek Michalek – Pittsburgh Penguins

Michalek goes to play the the puck off the boards but falls down, enabling Callahan to go the other way for the game winner in overtime.

Things I like

1. Carey Price has probably had the toughest NHL career of any player in some time. But despite all he has been through it looks like this could be his break out year. He is posting career numbers so far and he has half as many shutouts as he did in all of his career. This past game against Carolina he made some spectacular saves, which even the tough crowd in Montreal acknowledged.

2. The Philadelphia Flyers are on fire. Showing that last seasons long playoff run was no fluke, the Flyers have one of the best records in the NHL. They are also the 2^nd highest scoring team behind only the Capitals. Sergei Bobrovsky has been tearing it up in net and the Flyers may actually have the most complete team in the East.

3. Streaks, streaks and more streaks. Whether it’s losing streaks or wining streaks we have seen a lot of them lately. I like it because I think it adds to the game when you want to see if the team can keep them going or when they try and snap them.

4. Most of the goals in the Avalanche vs Blues games were pretty amazing. Great moves and mostly all top shelf goals.

5. The Maple Leafs coming back from a 5-1 deficit in a game they really needed to win against the Predators. Of course the fact that the Predators kept giving them penalties was the catalyst for the turnaround. Nazem Kadri also picked up his first NHL point.

Things I don’t

1. Jeff Carter was just signed to an 11 year deal…. do the Flyers really not read my column? Just kidding but seriously while the cap hit of 5.27 million makes it not that cost worthy of a deal, 11 years is just to long a contract. Here’s hoping they won’t regret it down the line, even though I don’t like the Flyers much.

2. Hey remember when the Tampa Bay Lightning had the best record in the Eastern Conference? Ya I don’t remember it either. It seems like it was so long ago. In the last seven games the Lightning are 1-5-1. They’ve given up 15 goals in the past three games.

3. I like absolutely nothing about the Edmonton Oilers right now. This was supposed to be a season of improvement for the Oilers but it looks like another top pick is in the works for them. Which may not be a bad thing, They can draft a goalie or a defenseman with that pick. They just got decimated against the Rangers in an 8-2 loss. So many bad turnovers and Khabibulin looked like he just mailed it in on those last few goals. On the bright side, they will probably never be as bad as the Islanders.

Stat Line of the Week

11/14/10 New York 8 vs. Edmonton 2

In only his 2^nd game back since shoulder surgery Marian Gaborik keyed the Rangers win against the Oilers. He scored the first goal just 90 seconds into the game. He added two more goals for a hat trick, picked up an assists and he had an eye popping +5.

Did You Know?

That there have been five sets of twins to play for the NHL. The Sedins twins are of course the most famous. The others are Chris and Peter Ferraro, Joel and Henrik Lundqvist, Rich and Ron Sutter and Peter and Patrik Sundstrom. Interestingly enough, three of those pairs are from Sweden. The Sedins, Sundstroms and Lundqvists.

Numbers, Numbers

7 – Losses at home for the Blackhawks so far

8 – Losses at home all of last season for the Blackhawks

-11 – Patrick Sharp’s +/- by far the worst of the top 50 point scorers

15 – Goals scored against Carolina in back to back games

5 – Short handed goals for Philadelphia

17-23-2 Games played, points and +/- respectively for both Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Twins you say?

Quotes of the Week

“If we talk about that I’ll break down.”

Coach Cory Clouston, on the suicide death of Daron Richardson, the 14-year-old daughter of assistant coach Luke Richardson.

Very Sad.

“If you want to take the bows when the team is winning, then you’d better face the music when the team is not.”

Toronto general manager Brian Burke on the heat he is feeling from the public and the media.

“All I’ve got is this lisp, and a few stitches.”

Wild D Nick Schultz on getting a puck to the face last weekend vs. Columbus.

“It takes a while, but sometimes you have to go all the way to the bottom to get that win and you start feeling better.”

LW Ilya Kovalchuk on the Devils finally getting their first home win of the season Friday night.

Apparently that bottom includes whiffing on a shootout attempt.

This Week in Hockey History

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

November 11, 1989 Quebec’s Guy Lafleur scored his 544th career NHL goal to tie Maurice Richard for eighth All Time in NHL goals, as the Nordiques beat Vancouver 3-2, in Quebec City.

November 12, 1955 In a 3-0 Montreal victory over Detroit, Jean Beliveau and Red Kelly, the two most gentlemanly players in the league got into a fight. Jacques Plante recorded his 14th career shutout, and Beliveau scored a goal and an assist.

November 13, 1997 NHL’s Nashville expansion franchise announced the team (set to begin play in 1998-99) would be called the “Predators”.

November 14, 1989 Larry Robinson had two assists in the first period of Kings’ 8-6 win over Calgary to move past Brad Park (896) into third place on the NHL’s all time point scoring list among defensemen. Only Denis Potvin and Bobby Orr were still ahead.

November 15, 1997 Tom Barrasso became Pittsburgh’s all-time leader in career shutouts, when his 12th as a Penguin came in a 5-0 win at Toronto. Barrasso broke the record of 11 held by Les Binkley. It was also the 25th shutout of Barrasso’s NHL career.

November 16, 2001 Steve Yzerman scored twice, including the 650th goal of his NHL career and Brett Hull had two assists for his 1,200th career point in the Red Wings 8-3 win over the visiting Minnesota Wild.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Washington

2. Philadelphia

3. Los Angeles

4. Vancouver

5. Detroit

Bottom 5

30. N.Y Islanders

29. Toronto

28. Edmonton

27. New Jersey

26. Tampa Bay

Is the Central Division the best division? – For awhile most people thought the Atlantic was the best division in the NHL. For three consecutive seasons they had four teams who made the playoffs, the only division recently to accomplish that. They just missed out on sending four again last season. They have also sent the Eastern Conference Stanley Cup representative three seasons in a row. However the Central Division has also sent the Western Conference Stanley Cup representative the past three seasons as well. (Whenever you feel like playing hockey other divisions, let us know.) This season the Central Division is outperforming the Atlantic by far. If the playoffs started today, the Atlantic would only send in two teams while the Central would send in four teams. No team in the Central Division has a losing record while the Atlantic boasts two teams (the Islanders and Devils) that seem to be falling off the cliff. It’s been so competitive that the Blue Jackets, who are off to their best start in franchise history at 8-4 were only in 3^rd place.

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

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

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

Down On the Devils:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Who Are These Leafs?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bobby Lou, Where Are You?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Forwards To watch

Clarke MacArthur, Leafs W

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

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

Blake Comeau, Islanders W

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

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

Tomas Kopecky, Blackhawks W

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

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

Defenseman To Watch

Jordan Leopold, Sabres

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

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

Brad Stuart, Red Wings

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

James Wisniewski, Islanders

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

Goalies To Watch

Nikolai Khabibulin, Oilers

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

Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers

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

Michal Neuvirth, Capitals

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

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

Hockey is back (in Edmonton) – There are two ways to build a long term successfully team in any sport. Drafting well in the lower rounds and/or trading down to acquire more picks as you continually make the playoffs as the Red Wings do and the New England Patriots do in the NFL. These teams have to draft really well because since they generally make the playoffs, they don’t receive high draft picks. The other way is to tank for a bit and stockpile high 1st round draft choices. O wait that’s right, teams don’t tank on purpose *wink*. This would be the Penguins method and now the Oilers method. In fairness to the Oilers, they didn’t get four years in a row of a number one or number two selections like the Penguins did.

Either way there hasn’t been this much excitement in Edmonton Alberta since a young doey eyed player graced the number 99 jersey back in 1978. For the home opener in Rexall Place Thursday, the crowd was rocking like a playoff game. Magnus Paajarvi (10), Taylor Hall (1) and Jordan Eberle (22) are three young former 1^st round draft picks that are looking to help return the Oilers back to respectability. Gretzky wasn’t even playing for the Oilers anymore when they were all born. Khabibulin, the 37 year old 16 year veteran, is the oldest on the team but he’s been playing like he was 27 again. Through two games he has a shutout and a blistering 9.69 SV%. Eberle is off to the best start of the young bunch, with two electrifying goals. Hall has one assist and Paajarvi has yet to produce a point but it’s still early. It’s a total team effort though with Shawn Horcoff, Sam Gagner, Dustin Penner and Ales Hemsky all relative veterans chipping in. Ryan Whitney acquired in the trade with Lubomir Visnovsky has fit in even better than the Oilers had probably hoped. He has two assists thus far. The Oilers hope to repeat the Colorado Avalanche’s success last year by going from last place in the conference to making the playoffs the following year.

Goalie Spotlight

Semyon Varlamov – Washington Capitals

Varlamov began playing goalie at the age of eight in Kuybyshev Russia. He was the dominant teenage goalie in various leagues before he made his way to the Lokomotiv Yaroslav junior farm club. Varlamov was then drafted with the 23^rd overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Capitals. He stayed in Russia leading Lokomotiv Yaroslav to the Russian Superleague Finals in 2008. At that time the Russian SuperLeague was the premier professional league in Russia. It has since disbanded and the KHL is now the premier league.

When he came to North America Varlamov played for the Capitals affiliate Hershey Bears. He played in six games for the Capitals during the 2008-09 season winning four and losing one game in overtime. He was named the star of the game in his debut, a 2-1 victory of the Canadiens. He was the 3^rd goalie until backup Brent Johnson had a hip injury. When the playoffs came around, Varlamov saw action when Jose Theodore was pulled after allowing four goals. Varlamov remained the starter posting respectable numbers and two shutouts as he help lead the Capitals to the second round. Ironically he was pulled himself in favor of Theodore after giving up four goals in Game 7 against the eventual champion Penguins.

The next season Theodore was the starter but it was widely expected that Varlamov would end up wining it by season end. Unfortunately an injury derailed that and Varlamov had to rehab back in Hershey when he was healthy. He rejoined the club for the playoff stretch run and ended up making most of the playoff starts. Varlamov played well in last years 1^st round exit to the Canadiens. But you wouldn’t know it because his counterpart Jaroslav Halak was stopping 40+ shots a game. Now with Jose Theodore gone, Varlamov is the man in net. He is also tasked, like the rest of the Capitals, with the seemingly daunting task of getting past the 2^nd round of the playoffs. He was also the 3^rd goalie selected for the 2010 Russian Olympic team. Currently Varlamov is injured but he is expected to regain his stating position within the next week or so. The Capitals hope that he can bounce back and even improve his still maturing skills.

Fights of the Week

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

Raitis Ivanans vs. Steve MacIntyre

We already have blood on the first day of the season. Ivanans knocks out MacIntyre and leaves him bloody and needing assistance to get off the ice.

Ilya Kovalchuk vs. Mike Green

Yes these two actually fought and for pure comical reasons, this fight was great.

Goat of the Week

Kris Letang – Pittsburgh Penguins

Letang’s lazy and errant pass never made it to intended recipient Paul Martin, Claude Giroux saw to that. The goal ended up being the Game winner.

Things I like

1. Don Cherry being back and telling it like it is, complete with loud plaid suit and a western daffy duck tie. Cherry was spot on with the whole Carey Price thing and I will paraphrase what he said. Price will be a good goalie but not in Montreal, where he gets booed for the littlest thing, even when it is not his fault. As for Halak, he single handedly won two playoffs series, his jersey was a hot number, fans made stop signs with his name on it and he was beloved. The Canadiens traded him away for practically nothing. More than likely, I believe it will come back to haunt them for a long time.

2. Few said it could be done and many questioned some of Brian Burke’s moves but he has helped to bring the Maple Leafs back to respectability. Jean-Sebastien Giguere is having a career revival in Toronto. Giguere said after the 1^st game with a laugh, “I’m not that old, people.” We’d have to agree with you there. Phil Kessel is leading the Leafs as expected but they are also getting help from unlikely sources like Clarke MacArthur. The true test for the Maple Leafs happens when the Leafs travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins tonight.

3. Cam Fowler making his debut against his hometown Red Wings for the Ducks. The Ducks got manhandled 4-0 but it wasn’t Fowler’s fault. The eighteen year old 12^th overall section of the 2010 draft racked up 21:20 minutes in his first game with 5 blocked shots and a +/- of 0. Its unlikely Fowler will be sent down to the minors so Fowler will be a key component in the Ducks season this year and for the next decade. He did make a costly turnover in his 3^rd game that led to a short handed goal but the future is bright for Fowler on a team that sorely needs defensive help.

4. James Wisniewski’s “inappropriate” gesture to Sean Avery. Personally I found it funny and I believe that hockey players are the most colorful athletes around. The ability to almost do what you want and not really get penalized (or just receive a minor) for it, is what makes hockey very unique. Wiz ended up getting suspended two games for it anyway. I think it’s a bit harsh since there are much worse offenses that don’t receive a suspension.

Things I don’t

1. Ondrej Pavelec collapsing on the ice just two minutes into the Thrashes vs. Capitals game. It is always a scary scene to watch any athlete collapse unprovoked. Pavelec regained consciousness later in the ambulance. The current cause is a fainting spell but more tests will be done as a precaution.

2. The Ducks “top” line of Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan have three Olympic medals and over 25 million in salary combined. However neither has produced any points so far through three games and they have a combined +/- of -12. Also new captain Getzlaf doesn’t seem to be keeping his composure or leading very well. In fairness the whole team, coach staffing and upper management deserve a huge F thus far for the product they have put on the ice.

3. I like fighting and I think it has a place in the game and that players should be able to defend themselves or retaliate. What I don’t like is when games get out of hand on scoreboard turn into UFC on ice. The Ducks against the Blues and to a lesser extent against the Redwings and the Capitals against Devils were games that were blowouts that basically just turned into fights in the 3^rd period. Obviously it’s frustrating to be down by four or so goals in a game but the NHL needs to implement a rule that discourages players from trying to make a statement with their fists when they can’t make it with their stick. I’m thinking a one game suspension for any player involved would do the trick.

Stat Line of the Week

10/09/10 N.Y Rangers 6 vs. Buffalo 3

Rookie Derek Stepan in his first game recorded a hat trick on only three shots. He became the first to do it in his debut since Dallas’ Fabian Brunnstrom on Oct. 15, 2008. The feat was made all the more impressive coming against All World goalie Ryan Miller.

Did You Know?

As the Ducks pile up PIM at an alarming rate, did you know the most PIM for one game is 419 set by the Ottawa Senators vs. the Philadelphia Flyers on March 5^th 2004. 409 of those minutes came in the final 11 minutes of the game. By the end of the game, 20 players had been ejected for their role in the brawl, leaving a total of five players left in the game. Officials took about 90 minutes to sort out all of the penalties that each team had received in the final brawl.

Numbers, Numbers

5 – PIM for Pavel Datsyuk in his first game

18 – PIM for Datsyuk in 80 games in the 2009-10 season

2 – Number of goals scored thus far by the Anaheim Ducks, the lowest in the league

145 – PIM for the Ducks, the league leaders by a wide margin

2 – Games in a row with a too many men on the ice penalty for the Ducks. Not the best way to start a season.

11 – Years since the last time the Maple Leafs started out 2-0

Carey Price vs. Jaroslav Halak

As if Carey Price doesn’t get roasted enough in the Montreal media, I thought I would give him some extra scrutiny in this column. This season we will see how Price does for the week and compare his numbers to Halak, the guy Montreal ran out of town because they still think Price is their guy. Who knows he still might be.

Halak has the edge so far with a .955 SV%, 0.99 GAA and 2 wins. Price has .919 SV%, 2.52 GAA and a 1-1 record. Price has also faced 18 more shots and he was able to beat the Penguins though game 2 of the regular season is much different than round 2 of the postseason.

This Week in Hockey History

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

October 07, 2001 Florida Panthers’ goaltender Roberto Luongo recorded his 7th career shutout in a 5-0 win against the Lightning at Tampa Bay.

October 08, 2001 Alexander Mogilny scored :53 seconds into the game then added another to give him 400 goals in his NHL career, as the Maple Leafs won 6-1 against the visiting Anaheim Mighty Ducks.

October 09, 1997 New York Rangers became the first team in NHL history to tie their first four games of the season when they battled to a 1-1 draw against the Flames, at Calgary.

October 10, 1973 Montreal rookie Bob Gainey played in his first NHL game, when the Canadiens beat the North Stars 5-2, in their 1973-74 season opener, in Minnesota. The victory extended the Canadiens’ opening night undefeated streak to 11 straight games (8-0-3).

October 11, 2000 Washington’s Adam Oates became the 29th player in NHL history to record 1,200 career NHL points, when he picked up an assist in a 3-3 Capitals tie against the Atlanta Thrashers.

October 12, 1985 Charlie Simmer scored his 6th career hat trick (and his first with Boston) and added an assist as the Bruins extended their road undefeated streak against the Red Wings to 10 straight games (7-0-3) with a 9-2 win, at Detroit.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Toronto
2. Detroit
3. St. Louis
4. Edmonton
5. Philadelphia

Bottom 5

30. Anaheim
29. Ottawa
28. New Jersey
27. Minnesota
26. Florida

I’ll leave you with my favorite comic strip talking about hockey.

The House That Crosby Built

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

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

Head Hunting No More?

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

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

We Are Going Streaking

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

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

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

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

Fantasy LW Rankings

1.)    Alex Ovechkin

2.)    Daniel Sedin

3.)    Iyla Kovalchuk

4.)    Zach Parise

5.)    Patrick Marleau

6.)    Alex Semin

7.)    Henrik Zetterberg

8.)    Patrick Sharp

9.)    Lou Eriksson

10.)  Taylor Hall

11.)  Jussi Jokinen

12.)  Wojtek Wolski

13.)  Michael Cammalleri

14.)  Alexandre Burrows (IR)

15.)  Simon Gagne

16.)  Ryan Clowe

17.)  Thomas Vanek

18.)  Alex Frolov

19.)  Patrik Elias

20.)  Kris Versteeg

Honorable Mention:  Tyler Ennis

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

Fantasy RW Rankings

1.)     Martin St Louis

2.)    Patrick Kane

3.)    Dany Heatley 

4.)    Corey Perry

5.)    Marion Gaborik

6.)    Rick Nash

7.)    Jarome Iginla

8.)    Bobby Ryan

9.)    Daniel Alfredsson

10.)   Nikolai Zherdev

11.)  Marian Hossa

12.)   Nathan Horton

13.)   Ales Hemsky

14.)   Phil Kessel

15.)   Daniel Briere

16.)   Kyle Okposo

17.)   Shane Doan

18.)   Jason Pominville

19.)  Johan Franzen

20.)  Martin Havlat

Honorable Mention:  Jordan Eberle

As for the Thrashers, well what can you say; this team bleeds talent like no other. I still can’t wait for them to leave Atlanta. I think that will solve most of their problems. But that’s a topic for another discussion. It’s great they will have two 1st round picks in this year’s draft. Let’s hope they get some quality talent they can actually keep in Atlanta, for once.

Goalie Spotlight

Tomas Vokoun – Florida Panthers

So who are the league leaders in shutouts? That would be Martin Brodeur and Tomas Vokoun each with seven so far. Vokoun is one of those unheralded guys in the league. He doesn’t get much fanfare but goes out and puts up some decent numbers.

The Czech born Vokoun was drafted in 1994 by the Montreal Canadiens, he played only one game for them and gave up four goals in one period. Between 1994 and 1994 he played in Czechoslovakia, for the ECHL and AHL. He was then chosen by the Predators in the 1998 expansion draft. He split time between the Predators and the IHL his first two seasons, though he mostly played for the Predators. It wasn’t until the 2002-03 season, after Mike Dunham was traded, that Vokoun became the starter.

After he became the starter he posted solid numbers on a regular basis and set many franchise records. Of course at this point the franchise was only about five years old. He holds the franchise record for wins in a season (36), all-time wins (134), all-time losses (147) and goaltender games played (340). During the lockout year he went to play for the Finnish league SM-liiga. He led HIFK Helsinki to an 11-4-4 record with a .940SV%. However in the playoffs he folded big time with an .846SV%, worst in the league.

From 2006 on Vokoun suffered health issues ranging from blood-clotting to thumb surgery. During this time back-up Chris Mason emerged as the starter. Subsequently Vokoun was traded to the Florida Panthers, for draft picks, right before the 2007 draft. He made the All-Star team his first year with the Panthers and 2^nd time overall he was selected. Vokoun made headlines this season when he was hit in the head with his own teammates, Keith Ballard, stick. Vokoun is posting decent numbers again this season and he is hoping to backstop the Panthers into the playoffs this year, a feat he almost accomplished last season.

Fights of the Week

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

Rick Rypien vs. Chris Neil

I good high intensity battle one of the few fights Rypien hasn’t dominated that he was in.

Tanner Glass vs. Matt Carkner

Carkner makes Glass his punching bag.

Dominic Moore vs. Zach Bogosian

Bogosian gets in a sneaky upper cut and that was the end of that.

Jody Shelley vs. Colton Orr

Shelley knocks out Orr with his 2nd punch.

Goat of the Week

Patrick Lalime – Buffalo Sabres

Lalime doesn’t play much backing up Ryan Miller and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon after this play. The puck did take a funny bounce off the boards but you have to be prepared, Lalime wasn’t and it bounced off his skate into the net.

Things I like

1. Great game between the Penguins and Capitals before the Super Bowl. Alex Ovechkin had a hat trick and assisted on the game winner in overtime and Sidney Crosby had two goals. Despite NBC’s constant drooling over Crosby and Ovechkin, they managed to mention former Hart trophy winner Evgeni Malkin. Hey NBC doesn’t winning the Hart Trophy mean your some kind of skilled hockey player?

2. Speaking of Ovechkin he notched his 500^th point this week in 373 games the fastest to 500 since Eric Lindros did it in 352 games. You remember Lindros right?

3. There are only two teams that have 7 players above 35 or more points each. One of them is the Washington Capitals which I’m sure most of you would guess but I bet you can’t guess the other one. I’ll give you the answer later in the column.

4. The Maple Leafs are getting Jiggy with it. After debuting in Toronto with a shutout, Jean-Sebastien Giguere decided to follow that up with another shutout. He made 30 saves again. His shutout streak came to an end against San Jose though, as he gave up three goals in a losing effort. If he had shutout the Sharks, I’m sure they would be celebrating in Toronto like they just won the super bowl, jk.

Things I don’t

1. NHL scheduling quirks, the Maple Leafs and Devils played each other in three of the last four games. Is that really necessary? How about a little more space in between games NHL?

2. NBC explaining why you fight in a hockey game during the Penguins vs. Capitals. Please stop NBC. Next NBC will explain why you try and score goals, ugh.

3. I’d like to give my condolences to Brian Burke who lost his son Brendan Burke. He died in a car accident driving on a snowy road. As a former Mid-Atlantic resident, I know how difficult it can be to drive on snow and ice. A person should never have to outlive their children.

Trivia: The answer to the other team besides the Capitals would be the Los Angeles Kings.

Stat Line of the Week

02/06/10 Toronto 5 vs. Ottawa 0

Well there were many fine performances this week but I chose to highlight Schenn’s performance. A 5^th overall selection, by the Maple Leafs, in his second season he is starting to develop into what the Maple Leafs had hoped when they drafted him. He was on the ice for four of the Maple Leaf’s five goals and he scored two of them himself.

Did You Know?

Patrick Roy is the only net minder to give up an opponent’s 500th career goal more than once. The players who have scored their 500^th on Roy are: Steve Yzerman in 1996, Joe Mullen in 1997 and Brendan Shanahan in 2002.

Numbers, Numbers – the streak edition

14 – The Washington Capital’s current winning streak.

11 – The winning streak by the Ottawa Senators which came to an end against Toronto.

10 – The losing streak by the Boston Bruins which came to an end against Montreal.

16 – Would be the games points streak by Alex Ovechkin if he scored against the Islanders on 1/26 but he didn’t so it’s now six games.

10 – The current winning streak for home wins for the Anaheim Ducks

This Week in Hockey History

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

February 04, 1987 Wayne Gretzky scored his 50th goal of the season, to lead the Oilers to a 6-5 win over the North Stars at Minnesota. It was Gretzky’s eighth straight 50 goal season.

February 05, 1996 Colorado’s Patrick Roy became the 4th goaltender in NHL history to win 10 or more games with two teams in one season, when the Avalanche had a 4-2 win over the visiting Canadiens. Roy had won 12 games with Montreal before being traded.

February 06, 1993 Mike Gartner scored four goals and an assist (including a first period hat trick) to lead the Wales Conference to a 16-6 win over the Campbells, at the All Star Game in Montreal. Pierre Turgeon had three goals & two assists in the game

February 07, 1987 Cam Neely scored his first career NHL hat trick as the Bruins won 8-5 over the Maple Leafs in Boston.

February 08, 2004 Joe Sakic scored a hat trick to lead the Western Conference to a 6-4 win over the East, in the NHL All Star game played in Minnesota. Daniel Alfredsson led the East with two goals and an assist.

February 09, 1971 Vancouver Canucks ended their team-record 11 game home winless streak (0-10-1) with a 6-3 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Rosaire Paiement led the Canucks with a team-record four goals (his first career hat trick).

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Ottawa
3. Los Angeles
4. San Jose
5. Vancouver

Bottom 5

30. Edmonton
29. Boston
28. NY Islanders
27. Buffalo
26. NY Rangers

Anaheim Ducks Watch

The Ducks seem to have the Red Wings number at home lately and Wednesday was no different. They Jumped out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back, prevailing 3-1. Hiller was sensational stopping 46 of 47 shots. The Ducks were firing on all cylinders with Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf leading the charge.

Next though they had to play the Kings in back to back games. They haven’t won the 2^nd game in any of the back to backs this year and this time was no different. They quickly feel behind 4-1 only to crawl back and tie the game 4-4. Dustin Brown scored the game winner on a wide open net, a goal that was poorly defended by Anaheim. They gave up another goal after that and ended up losing 6-4. Memo to NHL book teams playing back to back games as little as possible. I’m pretty sure it can be done.

Next up was the Kings, wait didn’t I just type that, o wait that’s right the NHL doesn’t know how to schedule; either that or this is baseball. It was a great fast paced game with lots of chances. After the 1^st which was tied 1-1 and saw Teemu Selanne net number 597, the Ducks dominated the 2^nd period. Saku Koivu netted the game winner when he scored the puck and then himself. Surprisingly there was no scoring in the 3^rd and the Ducks prevailed 4-2 and got those much needed two points. Unfortunately Ryan Getzlaf sprained his ankle and it didn’t look pretty. X-rays at this point are negative and I hope they stay that way.

 Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Maple Leafs G:

People were sent scrambling to the Waiver Wire to pick up this former Stanley Cup winning goalie when the news he had been traded to Toronto and gone from backup to starter. Word came out that he will be getting the bulk of the starts and now his ownership is up 12%, so please don’t hesitate anymore and pick up this former Conn Smyth winner. 

The Leafs will have a lot to play for as the season draws to a close, for they do not own their own first-round pick, lost to Boston in the Phil Kessel deal. I also see a much improved defensive team in front of Giguere due to the same day acquisition of Dion Phaneuf. 

The 32-year-old goaltender had hit a rough part of his career starting last season, enduring the loss of his father, then seeing his playing time cut into by the upstart Jonas Hiller. When the 27-year-old Swiss was named the playoff goalie, the ending was written in the sand for Giguere to move on. Now the goalie has a chance to show he can still play and should help fantasy teams in the playoff stretch.

Joe Corvo, Hurricanes D:

The puck moving defenseman has returned after missing 28 games with a right leg injury and the offensive defenseman should now be activated in all accounts for fantasy purposes. Corvo had 12 points in 27 games prior to going down with the injury and was immediately thrown back into the fire, playing over 23 minutes in his three games back.

Corvo will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so his name will be coming up in trade rumors and either way he seems healthy enough to contribute to a fantasy team on whichever team he suits up for. Don’t forget that the 32-year-old offensive defenseman is coming off a year that saw him score 14 goals and 38 points.

The 6’0″ defenseman will also help your fantasy team with power play points; he already has four power play goals this year and had 22 power play points last year. Corvo is also a plus player with a +41 rating for his career.

David Booth, Panthers W:

I am very surprised to put this talented winger on a Waiver Wire article but the reality is that David Booth, coming off a scary concussion injury, is only owned in about 60 percent of leagues. Most people are shying away from a player that is one check away from being out for the year, but I say risk it.

Booth missed 45 games due to the concussion but has been back playing for about a week now. The injury to his top linemate Nathan Horton hurts his point potential, but that again still does not overrule the fact that this guy can flat out score. 

The 25-year-old had 31 goals and 60 points last year on an offensively challenged Florida Panther team. Booth teams up with Stephen Weiss and Michael Frolik to create a scary top line that can also cause problems on the power play. The concussion will be hanging over this kid’s head for the rest of the season, as it cost him a shot at the Canadian Olympic team, but it should not slow him down as he attempts to make this more than a lost season.

Matthew Stajan, Flames C:

Acquired in the big Dion Phaneuf deal, Stajan has ascended to the top line playing in the middle of Jerome Iginla and former Leaf teammate Niklas Hagman. Now, you don’t have to be an expert to know that playing alongside Iginla has made fantasy studs out of normal players (Cammalerri, Conroy, Langkow, Huselius to name a few).

The 26-year-old center was already having a career year with his 17 goals and inching closer to his career high in points (55 last season). The former second-round pick also will contribute on the top power play unit as he had 13 power play points with the Leafs. The player that scored his first NHL goal in his first NHL game has already chipped in his first goal with the Flames, and expect more as the season rolls on.  

Wheelings and Dealings – Brian Burke has been a busy man and so has Darryl Sutter. Jean-Sebastian Giguere to Toronto had been rumored all season and finally happened. So it isn’t really surprising. It’s sad to seem him leave Anaheim but in the “what have you done for me lately” world of sports, the answer for Giguere would be nothing. Best of luck in Toronto Jiggy, where you will be re-united with your former goalie coach. Toronto also picked up Dion Phaneuf to help solidify their defense. Most of the time it’s good for a veteran, whose played a while in the same place and is struggling, to go to another team to rejuvenize his career. Toronto sure hopes that is the case this time. Burke had some questionable calls toward the end of his tenure in Anaheim that I didn’t care for. This includes the handling of Bobby Ryan, Andy McDonald, Teemu Selanne, Scott Neidermayer and Dustin Penner. But I like that he is shaking up the Maple Leafs and he is acquiring key pieces without really giving anything up. As good as the Giguere and Phaneuf pickups are, what may really be the best acquisition is how good the 6 foot 6 Keith Aulie ends up being. If he ends up being a star this deal was defiantly more than worth it and then some.

On the other hand…. It’s very interesting to me that I wrote about the Flames last week and how a shake-up was needed, you know get creative. I don’t think this was quite what I had in mind. Darryl Sutter obviously had other thoughts. I’m not sure trading two struggling stars; I used that term loosely, for a bunch of third rate NHL’ers is the way to go. If they would have traded Jay Bouwmeester instead of Phaneuf, and in effect it’s almost the same thing, that would have sent the message, “Hi I’m Darryl Sutter the two moves I made last season to strengthen our team didn’t work, so I am starting over. I also have no idea what this team needs to win the Cup.” Giving up after a year and starting over shows you don’t really know what chemistry your team needs and you have no faith in your players. This certainly doesn’t make a winning combination. I had high hopes for the Flames this year but I don’t think they will be making the playoffs this year. The cup runner up team of 2004 seems so long ago. Neither of the players they received from the Rangers for Olli Jokinen have much of an upside. Plus as I mentioned above if Aulie becomes a star Sutter is really going to be roasted, more so than he is now. Though he probably won’t be in Calgary by the time we know the verdict on Aulie. I’m having a hard time figuring out what the Flames gained in any of these trades. Unless they are just unloading everyone since Niklas Hagman and Ales Kotalik are the only one still under contract after this season. I do wonder if Brandon Prust will make his way back to Calgary as he did when he was traded for Jokinen. It makes you wonder how Prust feels to be traded with the same player he was traded to get just a year ago.

Goalie Spotlight

None this week, will be back next week

Fights of the Week

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

This week had the least amount of fights to pick from this season.

Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond vs. Jay Rosehill

Pretty decent, but messy fight, that features the best French name ever!

Colin White vs Dion Phaneuf

This fight is selected because there are no other decent fights this week and it is the first fight for Phaneuf as a Maple Leaf.

Goat(s) of the Week

Johan Hedberg – Atlanta Thrashers

He didn’t really do anything goatish but he got his jersey stuck over his head and couldn’t see, which is just funny. I’m glad he didn’t get hurt though.

Ryan Miller – Buffalo Sabres

Ryan Miller questionably attempts to clear the puck from behind the net passing it behind his back which bounces off of Tyler Myers into Crosby’s stick and he scores a goal which Miller had a chance to stop but failed again. Not the best sequence for Miller.

Things I like

1. Sidney Crosby almost had a natural hat trick against the Sabres on Monday night. He has really carried the penguins this year, since Malkin has struggled at times this season. Call him Cindy, call him a cheap shot artist, or a whiner but whatever you call him you can’t deny he’s a damn fine hockey player.

2. Hiller shutting out the Panthers after signing his new contract. Ironically he would have gotten the new contract earlier, and Giguere shipped out earlier, if he had played better at the beginning of the season.

3. Speaking of Jean-Sebastien Giguere, he recorded his own shutout in his Toronto debut against the Devils making 30 saves. I expect Giguere will play well for the Maple Leafs and lead them back to respectability.

4. Edmonton won! They beat the mighty Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 in a game I’m sure fans were turned away at the door. All kidding aside this was a much needed victory for the Oilers. Losing 13 games in a row you probably start to question if you can ever win again.

5. Quiet teams like Los Angeles, Phoenix and Ottawa winning and winning a lot lately. I can’t believe Ottawa is 9-1 in their last 10 games. But I guess with the Capitals winning 11 in a row stuff like that happens.

Things I don’t

1. All these slumping teams Edmonton, Calgary, Detroit, Boston, Toronto, New Jersey, NY Rangers. They all have 3 wins or less in their last 10 games. It’s probably been a long time since that has happened.

2. Dan Sexton being reassigned to the Manitoba Moose, that’s a cool team name though. I’ll write some more about this in the Ducks watch below.

3. Mike Green, Capitals, taking out Michael Frolik, Panthers, with an elbow to the head, just a sick defenseless shot. Green received a three game suspension for the hit. Then the next period Mike Green and Dmitry Kulikov hit knee to knee, perhaps karma’s payback. Never good to hit knee to knee and both men leapt off the ice. You can see both hits below.

Stat Line of the Week

01/30/10  Calgary 6 vs. Edmonton 1

Captain Iginla brought his A game as he tried to turn around the sinking ship knows as the Flames. He did an awesome job as he netted 2 goals, 2 assists and gave up no goals while he was on the ice. Unfortunately, this came against the Oilers who are more hapless than the Flames right now. Also the Flames were unable to maintain their momentum losing to the Flyers 3-0 the next game.

Did You Know?

That in the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs the eventual champion Canadiens swept the Sabres 4-0 in the 2^nd round but won every game by a score of 4-3. The last three games all went to overtime.

Numbers, Numbers

11 – The current winning streak by the Capitals, the longest in franchise history.

8 – Consecutive losses by the Bruins.

.9325% – Ryan Miller’s save percentage just a hair behind Hasek’s all-time single season record of .9366%.

0 – The number of wins by the Oilers in the month of January.

6,896 – Fans in attendance for the Hurricanes vs. Blackhawks due to snow in the Carolinas.

This Week in Hockey History

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

January 28, 1992 Brett Hull became just the second player in NHL history to record back to back seasons of 50 goals in 50 games (Wayne Gretzky had done so in 1983 & 1984). He scored #50 in a 3-3 Blues’ tie at Los Angeles.

January 29, 1977 The Blizzard of ’77 left many of the Sabres trapped in Buffalo. Only 14 players made it up to Montreal, but they managed to tie the Canadiens, 3-3.

January 30, 2003 Owen Nolan tied a San Jose team record with a goal in his sixth consecutive game, a 4-3 loss to the visiting Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Nolan scored 8 goals in the six games.

January 31, 1982 Grant Fuhr became the first goaltender in Edmonton Oilers history to win 20 games in one season. The milestone 20th victory of the year was a 7-4 win against the visiting Philadelphia Flyers.

February 01, 1977 Montreal’s Guy Lafleur began an NHL-record 28 game point scoring streak, with a goal and three assists, in the Canadiens’ 7-3 win over the Barons, at Cleveland. Wayne Gretzky later upped the record to 51 games.

February 02, 1928 Senators’ Alex Connell recorded the second of his NHL-record six consecutive shutouts, with a 1-0 win over the Montreal Maroons, in Ottawa. It was Connell’s 43rd career shutout.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Washington
2. Ottawa
3. Los Angeles
4. San Jose
5. Phoenix

Bottom 5

30. Edmonton
29. Boston
28. Calgary
27. Toronto
26. NY Rangers

Anaheim Ducks Watch

Well it looks like I’ll keep this section for now.

In order to make room for newly acquired Jason Blake and the returning Teemu Selanne they moved down Dan Sexton and Matt Beleskey. I don’t particularly care for those moves, particularly the Sexton move. I don’t think Blake and his high salary will add much to the Ducks team. Sexton, while not as hot as he was, is a fast and skilled player. Ryan Carter or Troy Bodie would have been better choices to demote.

The Ducks played the Capitals a day after losing to the Thrashers and as predicted they got crushed 5-1. Playing back to back games especially games that far away is ridiculous. I don’t see how any team would have a chance. In Giguere’s send off game, he gave up 5 goals on 49 shots. Not to shabby considering how under siege he was. The lone goal was scored by the newly demoted Dan Sexton. The Ducks have a funny way of thanking people sometimes.

My last game on Fox Sports Prime Ticket was against the Lightning and it was a good one. The Ducks prevailed 2-1 in a tight contest that showcased the James Wisniewski show. Wisniewski scored the only goal for the Ducks in regulation and then he followed it up with his second consecutive shootout winning goal. The Wisniewski pick-up last year was a really great find for the Ducks and Bob Murray. Hiller had some nice saves as did Niittymaki.

Then in a game no one saw because it wasn’t televised anywhere, the Ducks beat the Panthers 3-0. Truly pathetic that no one broadcasted the game. Selanne made his triumphant return and scored, what else, a powerplay goal. He is just 4 goals shy of joining the 600 goal club. If he can find a way to not get injured again, he will get that this season. The Ducks have the always fun Red Wings up next.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You can check them all out at nhluniforms.com.

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

Goalie Spotlight

None this week, I didn’t have time.

Fights of the Week

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

Wade Belak vs. Brian McGrattan

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

Brad May vs. Krys Barch

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

Goat of the Week

Nate Thompson – New York Islanders

Henrik Lundqvist – New York Rangers

Ivan Vishnevskiy – Dallas Stars

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

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

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

Things I like

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

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

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

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

Things I don’t

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

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

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

Stat Line of the Week

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

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

Did You Know?

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

Numbers, Numbers Martin Brodeur edition

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

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

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

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

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

.932 – SV% against Chicago and Montreal his highest

This Week in Hockey History

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rankings

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

Top 5

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

Bottom 5

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

Anaheim Ducks Watch

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

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

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

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.

Five out of eight games were decided in overtime or a shootout, we saw the goal of the year (CLICK FOR AMAZING GOAL), a player get knocked unconscious (CLICK FOR BIG HIT), and a slaughter in Calgary (Chicago Blackhawks 7, Flames 1).

In Carolina, the league’s two worst teams—the Hurricanes and Toronto Maple Leafs—scored twice in the final 30 seconds including the tying goal with 2.9 ticks left on the clock to force extra time.

You want a good gauge on how great this night was?  The buzz on NHL action at ESPN around midnight was greater than the excitement over Dolphins running back Ricky Williams’ 3 touchdowns that probably won fantasy football players their week 11 games after just one night.

Now, with each team having played roughly 20 games we’ve reached the quarter pole of the season—exactly what did we know and what have we learned?

We know Alex Ovechkin is the league’s best goal scorer, but we didn’t know just how great he is.  In 15 games so far this season, he has 15 goals and despite missing over two weeks with a shoulder injury, he still leads the league in shots on goal with 87.  Assuming he stays healthy the rest of the way, there’s no reason to believe he can’t reach 70 goals and another Hart Trophy will be in Ovechkin’s hands.

I knew the L.A. Kings would be better this year, I never imagined they’d be this good or Anze Kopitar would rapidly become one of the game’s elite.  With 14 goals and 32 points, Kopitar would win the MVP for players not named Ovechkin.

We know the Blackhawks are one of the best teams in the league, but we didn’t know just how good they would be.  Star winger Marian Hossa hasn’t even touched the ice yet and the hawks are 13-5-2.  Personally, I thought they’d have to merely tread water until Hossa made his debut.  With his return imminent, it’s time for the league to be very afraid of the uprising in the windy city.

The Blackhawks already rank near the top of the league in goals per game, 2^nd in goals against per game (47 goals allowed in 20 games) and have the top penalty killing percentage in the league–all  while being hit hard by injuries thus far (Adam Burish, Ben Eager, Jonathan Toews, Dave Bolland and Brent Seabrook) have all missed multiple games.  Not only are they emerging as a legitimate cup contender but this might be the best coaching job of Joel Quenneville’s career.  He’s the early nominee for coach of the year.

On the flip side, we knew the Maple Leafs would be bad—3 wins in 20 games is another story.  However, we didn’t know the Carolina Hurricanes would be giving Toronto a run for their money in the battle for the top draft pick in 2011.  Last year’s eastern conference runners-up have 4 wins in 21 games and their best player (Eric Staal) and star goalie (Cam Ward) are both on IR.  It’s already time to focus on Duke and UNC hoops in Raleigh.

Sure, number 1 overall draft picks could go the way of Alexander Daigle or Patrik Stefan, so while it’s safe to say we knew Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos would be a star we didn’t know he’d be the main attraction in Florida.  With 14 goals already and the aforementioned goal of the year, Stamkos has quickly become a force.    

On the other hand, nobody knew about the rapid decline of teammate Vincent Lecavalier.  Coming off a poor season, the Lightning signed their veteran center to a multi-year extension, which was supposed to put his mind at ease by ending any and all trade talk.  Lecavalier has responded with 4 goals and just 18 points in 19 games and is no longer an All-Star caliber player.

Meanwhile, we knew Islanders rookie John Tavares—the No. 1 overall pick in 2010—would be good.  There were too many Sidney Crosby comparisons for him to disappoint.  Yet, he’s somehow exceeded expectations.  While his 9 goals and 10 assists are mighty impressive, we could not have known he’d be able to lift his lifeless franchise out of the cellar and into the hunt for a playoff spot.  Keep in mind, this is still without goalie Rick DiPietro, who still hasn’t played this season but is nearing a return.  Could there be playoff hockey on Long Island?  The fact that this question is even legitimate is completely shocking.    

Finally, we all know hockey is a physically grueling sport that can be dangerous at times but dirty hits and concussions have entered dark territory.  The NHL needs to find a way to better protect its players or we’ll soon be reading about permanent brain damage like NFL legends battle with.  We don’t know how the NHL can do this—maybe bigger helmets or stricter penalties and suspensions?  Whatever the solution, it better come quick.

We know there’s still plenty to learn with many months remaining, but early reviews on the first quarter are looking good—we know the 2009-10 season could be one for the ages.

This year though hockey players seem to be dropping like flies. Over 100 players are currently injured in some capacity. There are some big names too. Ilya Kovalchuk, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Eric Staal, Marc Savard, Marian Hossa (though he was injured before the season started), Mike Modano, Johan Franzen, Sheldon Souray, David Booth, Andrei Markov, Jason Arnott, Patrik Elias, Evgeni Malkin, Roberto Luongo, Daniel Sedin. A more complete list by team can be found here. As you can see these are some big names that are valuable to their team. The biggest to go down, besides Malkin, is Alex Ovechkin. Of course no one will say how severe it is but you have to hope it isn’t for long. (It seems like he might be ready to go this weekend.) Not only will about a million people’s fantasy teams be screwed but because he is one of the NHL’s most talented and marketable stars, it’s a blow to the league as well. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery to all those injured players.

Goalie Spotlight

Ryan Miller – Buffalo Sabres

Ryan Miller is an American born hockey player from East Lansing, Michigan. Miller was drafted in the 5th Round, 138th overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1999 NHL Draft. Collegically he played for the Michigan State Spartans where he set an NCAA records for career shutouts with 26. He was the winner of the Hobey Baker Award, given to the top NCAA hockey player, in 2001 when he led the country in wins, winning percentage, save percentage (an NCAA record .950 mark), goals-against average and shutouts (an NCAA record 10).

After a stellar college career, Miller split time between AHL affiliate Rochester Americans and the Sabres from 2002 until 2006. It wasn’t until the 06-07 season that Miller was called up permanently to be the Sabres starting goalie. Miller started playing for the Sabres 2 seasons after Dominik Hasek, arguably one of the top Sabres goalies of all time, had left them. Hasek also retired for the first time in Miller’s first season of being called up.

Since be named the number starter in 2006 Miller has put up decent numbers. Last year he finally blossomed into one of the NHL’s top goalies. He posted his career best numbers in GAA, SV%, and shutouts. The Sabres narrowly missed the playoffs last year, though that can be contributed to Miller being injured for a stretch. This year he is off to another fast start in the top 3 for GAA and SV% and the Sabres playoff chances once again rest on his shoulders.

Fights of the Week

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

Slim pickings in good fights this week, so these fights are nominated for other reasons.

Marek Zidlicky vs. Sidney Crosby

Sidney got in a fight, I’m sure you all wanted to see it. It’s funny how desperate the refs were in trying to stop the fight before it started and then after it did.

James Wisniewski vs. Keith Yandle

Wisniewski cleans Doan’s clock with a vicious and dirty hit, Yandle comes over to avenge Doan. The hit is better then the fight. Wisniewski was suspended two games for the hit.

James Wisniewski vs. Shane Doan

Here is Doan avenging himself. Fight was pretty even and nothing special. At least Doan did a better job avenging himself then Yandle did.

Goat or Trick Shot of the Week

I couldn’t find anything worth mentioning this week.

Things I like

1. Steve Stamkos is really coming into his own in his 2^nd year. High expectations for last years number 1 overall pick; Stamkos is currently leading his team in points and leading all forwards on the team in Plus Minus. He also has a six game goal scoring streak going, tops in the NHL this season.

2. I honestly feel that this will be the most wide open NHL race in quite some time. Now it wouldn’t surprise me if the Penguins end up in the Finals again, and it’s probably likely, but who else makes the playoffs and how far they go should be quite interesting. I know we are in for some surprises and I’m pretty sure that the most of the bottom spots 6-8 will come down to the last week of the season.

3. Colorado is a perfect 4-0 at home, on the road not so much but they are a respectable 6-3-2. They have however lost 2 games in a row, so it will be interesting how they play in their next game. Now 3 losses in row isn’t the end of the world but for a team that wasn’t expected to do anything, you hate to see them start on a downward spiral.

Things I don’t

1. Toronto may have a win, but they still don’t have a win at home. At least Phil Kessel is back, maybe that will help. The epic Toronto vs. Carolina game is this Friday Nov. 6^th, be there.

2. Steve Mason is not following up his rookie of the year award with stellar play. He is currently in the bottom 5 of GAA and SV% yikes. Columbus still has a somewhat decent record, despite this. They are however the only team above .500 that has allowed more goals then they have scored.

3. The sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to the NHL. Not enough room to get into it here, but I don’t think this was the right move.

This Week in Hockey History

October 29, 1949 Harry Lumley became the first goaltender to record 20 shutouts as a member of the Red Wings as Detroit won 1-0 win over the Canadiens at Montreal. The winning goal was scored by rookie winger Steve Black.

October 29, 2003 Pittsburgh’s Mario Lemieux became the 6th player in NHL history to reach 1,700 career points (and the second-fastest, after Gretzky) with an assist in a 4-4 tie against the visiting New York Islanders.

October 30, 1943 Montreal’s Bill Durnan signed his first NHL contract and made his NHL debut in a 2-2 tie against the Bruins, in the Habs’ season opener in Montreal. It was the start of an NHL-record 14 game unbeaten streak (12-0-2) for the rookie goalie.

October 30, 1971 Fred Glover became the 1st man in NHL history to coach 2 NHL teams in one season, when he was named coach of the L.A. Kings just 12 days after being fired by the Oakland Seals. He lost in his Kings’ debut, 5-1 to the visiting Chicago Black Hawks.

October 30, 1943 Toronto Maple Leafs Gus Bodnar set an NHL record for fastest goal by a rookie in his first game, by scoring just 15 seconds into his NHL debut. He later added another goal and an assist as the Leafs beat the Rangers 5-2 at Maple Leaf Gardens.

October 30, 1998 Pittsburgh Penguins set an NHL record by scoring their 9th and 10th consecutive power play goals in a 2-2 tie against Vancouver. They broke the record of 8 straight power play goals scored by Buffalo in 1991-92.

November 01, 1945 Gordie Howe (at age 16) signed his first professional hockey contract, with the Omaha Knights of the United States Hockey League.

November 01, 1924 Boston Bruins became the first U.S. team to join the NHL when they (and the Montreal Maroons) officially received their NHL franchises.

November 03, 1987 Marcel Dionne became just the second player in NHL history to score 1,700 career NHL points, when he scored a goal for the New York Rangers in a 5-3 loss at Calgary.

Rankings

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

Top 5

1. Pittsburgh
2. Colorado
3. San Jose
4. Washington
5. Buffalo

Bottom 5

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

Ducks Watch

The Ducks snapped their 4 game losing streak with a sound thumping of the Canucks 7-2. After falling behind 0-2 the Ducks reeled off 7 unanswered goals. Proving that they are better then they have played and that they still have a potent offense. Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan each contributed 2 goals. The Ducks followed up with a tough shutout loss to the Coyotes in Phoenix. Even though they lost they were still able to pick up a point. My Stanley Cup Finals prediction was Pittsburgh vs. Anaheim and if that happens, there’s a chance, it won’t disappoint judging by their regular season encounter Tuesday. A very entertaining match up that was well played by both sides. Anaheim didn’t get any points but the still walked out a winner in my book, only losing by a goal. Corey Perry is on a tear recently and had another 2 goals. Overall their level of play has improved tremendously.

Michael Del Zotto, Rangers D:

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

James van Riemsdyk, Flyers W:

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

Jaime Benn, Stars W:

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

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

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