McDonagh stuns Flames

The super soph was at it again. A game removed from breaking out with a goal and assist, Ryan McDonagh continued his rapid improvement by stunning the Flames at the last split second. After exchanging four goals and fisticuffs in a wildly entertaining first period, the Rangers and Calgary were locked in a defensive battle with a shootout looming.

Even when the Blueshirts carried the four-on-four in overtime, it still seemed destined for the skill competition. But a strange thing happened. Brandon Dubinsky wouldn't give up on a last second play, dropping the puck to Dan Girardi, who intentionally fired wide off the backboards right to a wide open McDonagh, who buried it for an unbelievable 3-2 win with 0.5 seconds left. An unlikely conclusion to a great game.

“Danny’s a smart player, I know he’s just putting it anywhere where it’s not going to get blocked and it was fortunate that it kicked off the boards there,” said McDonagh. “We were talking about how the boards could be used to our advantage and it did there.”

From the outset, Calgary tried to set the tone with physical play. As if on cue, Jarome Iginla challenged Ryan Callahan to no avail. The Calgary franchise scoring leader later nailed Cally with a clean check during a power play. With his team again on the short end of the stick, the Ranger captain took the hit to clear the puck out. That's the kind of play we expect from our team, who despite permitting a power play goal to Mark Giordano, were aggressive- killing off four of five, including a pivotal one down the stretch.

Outstanding were ex-Flame Brandon Prust and Brian Boyle, who combined for a nice shorthanded goal that gave the Rangers their second lead. But Calgary struck back thanks to Giordano, who took an Iginla feed and beat an irate Henrik Lundqvist through a screen. McDonagh accidentally screened our goalie, who picked up Giordano's shot too late. Alex Tanguay added his second helper of the night. He also set up Iginla to level it at 1-1, taking advantage of a rare Dan Girardi miscue that allowed the former Cup winner to find Jarome for an easy redirect. Marian Gaborik started the scoring with his fourth in another bizarre way. Something called a power play goal. Typically, the Rangers were the last team to connect on the power play. Of course, it was only our fifth game with every single one on the road. No wonder we haven't been getting the benefit of whistles. Perhaps that'll change once they host the Leafs next Thursday (10/27).

Gaborik's back to form, skating with purpose and being dangerous. It's safe to say he and Brad Richards have found chemistry along with key complement Derek Stepan, who threaded the needle to Gabby for a tap-in. It was his club-leading fourth goal with Richards also earning an assist. Richy Rich has a point in all five games (1-4-5). Stepan, who deserved a helper versus the Islanders, got his first point of the season. He really has looked good, making outstanding defensive plays while taking the body. The Wisconsin product brings that same intangible that Chris Drury did. High skill set. It's amazing how good our two Badgers look. D-Step fitting in on the top line with Wojtek Wolski still nursing a groin injury, and McDonagh smoothly transitioning to top pair with Girardi while showing off improved offense.

There's a lot to be said for McD and how quick a learner he is. The skating, shot and instincts get better all the time. He definitely looks like our most talented blueliner with no disrespect shown to Marc Staal. It just seems that he has a higher ceiling in that he can contribute more offensively while continuing stellar defensive work. Though last night wasn't one of his best. It's exciting to see the development of him and budding rookie Tim Erixon, who played his best game despite plenty of boos whenever he touched the puck. Calgary fans let him know how they feel about the 20-year old Swede not signing. However, it didn't faze him. Instead, Erixon made sound reads and smart defensive plays while teamed with adventurous partner Mike Del Zotto, whose offense is coming. DZ has been a bit more aggressive as evidenced by Mike Rupp's goal he set up the other day. John Tortorella's confidence has grown, rewarding the former first rounder with 22 shifts (18:12).

“It’s a great experience for him because there has been some struggles with his play but he stays with it,” Tortorella pointed out. “As we go through here, some of those guys that are in spots that they didn’t expect to be in, it’s going to help our team in the long run.”

There also were teammates standing up for each other like when Kris Newbury didn't take kindly to Cory Sarich's hit from behind on Richards, quickly coming to Brad's aid. Though he got the extra for instigating (this while the blind mice turned a blind eye to Sarich's boarding) and Calgary converted, it was a good penalty to take. You can't get pushed around. Rupp also dropped the gloves with Tim Jackman early on before things settled down.

It was a fun game. Eventually, the radar shifted to Lundqvist (33 saves, 157-166 over 5 GP) and second-year man Henrik Karlsson, who gave a good account of himself with 26 stops, including some close calls. Meanwhile, Lundqvist was again outstanding- flat out robbing Iginla by somehow stacking the pad on a gimme. Once he let in the second, he wasn't going to give up anything else. King Henrik is just so on right now. He is playing the best hockey of his already brilliant career. With great rebound control and so technically sound, could this be the year he finally wins a Vezina? Keep your fingers crossed.

“I was getting ready for it, so I was really happy to see the puck go in because they have some skilled guys to send out for a shootout,” Lundqvist noted of the unpredictable finish.


BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Marian Gaborik, (PPG-fourth of season, 8 SOG)
2nd Star-Jarome Iginla, Cgy (goal, assist)
1st Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (game-winner w/1.3 secs left)

Game Preview: King Henrik looks to stay hot in Alberta

In this league, you're only as hot as your goalie. Especially when in the early going, the Rangers had struggled to score goals until a four-goal third period explosion- stunning Roberto Luongo and the Canucks 4-zip. It was their first win of the season and couldn't have come at a better time.

Till that point, Henrik Lundqvist had been busy holding them in despite being outshot 28-9. If not for the sensational play from King Henrik, it would've been a cake walk for the Canucks, who dominated long stretches while Luongo was on vacation. The Rangers continued a disturbing early trend of taking undisciplined penalties with one in the offensive zone from Brandon Prust landing him on the bench for a while. Ironically, the hard working grinder would factor in despite only 13 shifts (7:12), setting up unlikely goalscorer Mike Rupp while also later finding linemate Brian Boyle for their third straight goal.

None of it would've mattered if not for Lundqvist, who arguably played his best game as a Ranger, stoning Canuck after Canuck en route to his 36th career shutout. He led by example, controlling his rebounds with ease despite relentless pressure. It didn't matter if Henrik Sedin went around Mike Del Zotto like a traffic cone following Rupp's first as a Blueshirt. There was Henrik turning away four point blank chances in a row to keep his team ahead. Soon after, the coming out party of Ryan McDonagh helped silence Canuckleheads. The sophomore D finished off a textbook give-and-go with Brandon Dubinsky, increasing the lead to two.

Following outstanding work from Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko, who combined to find a cutting Boyle for a wicked shot top shelf, there was McDonagh again making like Brian Leetch, cruising towards Luongo before dishing for Marian Gaborik's tap-in that put the exclamation point on a big win. They won despite being shorthanded eight times. Vancouver's dominance didn't mean a thing due to Lundqvist, who posted back-to-back shutouts on the Western power. It was last year when he turned aside all 38 in a home win. That's 78 straight if you're keeping track. It wasn't long ago when the anticipated Henrik/Louie showdown on Versus was a dud with the King pulling himself. Perhaps he had a message for those foolish GMs who passed on him for the Vezina for Canadian hero Luongo.

"I guess this game he thought I deserved it, so I’m wearing it with a lot of pride," the elated Swede told reporters after sporting Brad Richards' winning hat: "And it also looks pretty good."

"We wanted this one, and it’s a nice feeling when you’ve got him back there," Richards added after notching a helper on Gaborik's third. "You could see early on he was in the zone.”

Perhaps the strong third will bring the team together as they prepare for tonight's match in Alberta versus Calgary. As John Tortorella reminded everyone, they still have some things to work on. It'll be interesting to see how they deal with chaotic forwards Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque, who are off to good starts along with Alex Tanguay. They also don't want to awaken Flames' franchise leading scorer Jarome Iginla. They're coming off a come from behind 2-1 win over Edmonton in which consecutive tallies from Jay Bouwmeester and Tanguay rallied them past their nemesis Tuesday.

The Saddledome can be a tough place to play. So, it should be noisy. There's also the strong play of Miikka Kiprusoff, who's strung together three good starts in a row. He was outstanding making 24 stops versus Edmonton to preserve their win. Calgary likes to be physical led by Bourque and Glencross, who the Rangers don't need any reminders on (ie Chris Drury). They also boast ex-Devil heavyweight Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, who could be an opponent for Rupp tonight. Vet Scott Hannan's been a solid addition to a blueline led by underrated Mark Giordano, who should see a lot of the Richards line along with Bouwmeester. Cory Sarich is also tough.

There will also be familiar faces Olli Jokinen and probably Roman Horak, who the Rangers parted with to get Tim Erixon. If the ex-Ranger draft pick plays, he'll center the third line. That would be an intriguing storyline along with the goalie match-up (Lundqvist/Kiprusoff) assuming it comes down. Ironically, Kipper has fared well versus us, winning three of four with a 1.51 GAA. However, they took last year's lone meeting 2-1 behind 31 saves from backup Martin Biron. Considering that they don't play Edmonton until Saturday, it makes sense to stick with Lundqvist, who's repelled 124 of 131 shots thus far. We'll see what Tort decides.

Wojtek Wolski (groin) is hoping to make his season debut. Otherwise, figure Tortorella to stick with what worked.

Stepan-Richards-Gaborik
Dubinsky-Anisimov-Callahan
Fedotenko-Boyle-Prust
Christensen-Newbury-Rupp

McDonagh-Girardi
Del Zotto-Erixon
Woywitka-Eminger

Fantasy Hockey: Team Centercessssssed Set

A couple of days ago over at John's in South River, our Fantasy Hockey Draft was held. The SRFFFHL (South River Flat Fee Fantasy Hockey League) enters another year with eight participants ready to take aim at the trophy. Yes. There actually is a trophy. My name's been engraved twice. Ironically, 10 years apart with my second run to the title in '09-10.

Unfortunately, I sacrificed a plethora amount of picks to edge my brother, Justin and suffered a cruel fate last year. You guessed it. From first to worst. With a better draft, can I recover and go all the way? It's sure to be competitive. This year's defending champ John, who also won it all in '08-09, had a similar downfall before turning it around. That's the price you pay to win. Early contenders could come from league commish Harry, Jim/AJ and perhaps newcomer Marc, who is the only Devil fan in a Ranger-esque league. Though there always is the entertaining Big One, my best friend Brian, who seems to have taken this Terry Pegula thing $eriously as evidenced by the four Sabres (Tyler Myers, Ville Leino, Tyler Ennis, Nathan Gerbe) on his roster.

So, how does my roster stack up? For starters, it was nice to have most of my picks, including a couple of Bri's early on which I used to reconstruct one of the worst bluelines. Even though I had the choice of James Wisniewski or Erik Karlsson as part of my five protects, I opted instead to keep Jamie Benn, who should play a pivotal role in Dallas with the departure of Brad Richards. With an emphasis on goaltending, I kept Carey Price and Jimmy Howard while living up to my Centercessssssed mantra by retaining centers Henrik Sedin and John Tavares along with Big Benn, who is shifting to center. If only he qualified. :P

In past years, I put together an extensive list. However, this time I did it differently by doing a round by round look filled with players on my radar. For the most part, I actually stuck to the script. My main objective was to go heavy on D and scoring wings. However, when Brian kept Cam Ward over Ryan Getzlaf, he was too good to pass up with the first overall pick. Being that I had a second pick, I was hopeful Bobby Ryan would still be there but Patrick scooped him up. Instead, I went for Jarome Iginla, who had a huge second half last year, nearly pushing Calgary into the postseason. Hopefully, the Flames' all-time franchise scoring leader can have a repeat of the 43-goal, 86-point season he put together.

After grabbing Iginla, I went D back-to-back with Keith Yandle and Duncan Keith. Joining my improved corps is Chris Pronger and newest Shark Brent Burns. Up front, I did a solid job grabbing Benn's teammates Loui Eriksson and Brenden Morrow while beefing up with Dustin Brown and Centercessssssed fixture Steve Downie. As with Pronger above, I took risks going for Martin Havlat and Jaromir Jagr. Both Czechs are on new rosters and could benefit if things break right. Want youth? Super soph Taylor Hall provides that along with Logan Couture, who joins a strong batch of pivots featuring H. Sedin, Tavares and Getzlaf.

Perhaps the only area I'm concerned with is goalie because I waited till Round 14 to select vet Miikka Kiprusoff. One of the reasons I am skeptical is because in a league that emphasizes GAA and Save Percentage, Kipper isn't the best choice. However, the Finn should win 35-plus and post a few shutouts. The hope is that Calgary is competitive again and Howard takes the next step with powerful Detroit. If that happens, I should be okay. If not, that's why there's 20 Free Agent moves. We'll see.

Here's a complete breakdown of my 2011-12 Centercessssssed roster:

G Carey Price
G Jimmy Howard
G Miikka Kiprusoff

D Keith Yandle
D Duncan Keith
D Chris Pronger
D Brent Burns
D Alex Pietrangelo
D Kevin Bieksa
D Kimmo Timonen

C Henrik Sedin
C John Tavares
C Ryan Getzlaf
C Logan Couture
C Jason Spezza
C Zenon Konopka

W Jamie Benn
W Jarome Iginla
W Loui Eriksson
W Dustin Brown
W Steve Downie
W Martin Havlat
W Brenden Morrow
W Jaromir Jagr
W Taylor Hall
W Jakub Voracek


Starter Breakdown

4 C
8 W
6 D
2 G

6 Bench

Total: 26

Tracking The Race: Perry explosion ousts Iginla's Flames

The playoff races continue to be eye popping, especially in the West. While out East, it's still three teams for two spots with the Canes winning last night over the Red Wings, the West picture got a bit clearer thanks to wins from the Kings, Blackhawks and Ducks last night. LA's 3-2 shootout win over Phoenix clinched a playoff berth- vaulting them to fourth over the Predators with 98 points. The Coyotes need one point or any loss from the Stars or those behind them to wrap up a second straight postseason.

In the game of the night, the Hawks posted a wild 4-3 overtime win over old Norris rival St. Louis, increasing their chances of defending the Cup. Chris Stewart forced OT by powering past Duncan Keith and rifling one upstairs on Calder candidate Corey Crawford. In danger a second consecutive night of losing out on a valuable point, Crawford delivered a couple of money stops and captain Jonathan Toews beat Ty Conklin on a breakaway, lifting his team to the huge triumph. Toews' 32nd goal gave Chicago 95 points, who need just two more to qualify.

The Flames knew they needed help from San Jose even if they won. In the Battle Of Alberta, Calgary took care of business on the strength of captain Jarome Iginla's hat trick in a 6-1 rout of Edmonton. He once again scored 40 in a season, doing so for the fourth time in a brilliant career that's also included a 50 goal campaign in '07-08. Down the stretch the classy superstar was brilliant, putting up 14 points (9-5-14) over the last six games, featuring his second hat trick of the season. Since March 1, Iginla's scored a ridiculous 17 goals along with 10 assists, totaling 27 points- erasing doubts that the 33 year-old was on the downside. It's a shame that we won't get to see one of the game's brightest stars in the playoffs. If only they'd brought in Jay Feaster earlier to replace Daryl Sutter. During the run, Iginla's moved up to third in goals behind Rocket Richard leader Corey Perry (50) and Steven Stamkos (44) while tying Alex Ovechkin for sixth in scoring with 85 points (42-43-85). If not for a torrid pace from Perry, who now is front and center in the Hart discussion with The Sedins, Martin St. Louis, Tim Thomas, Carey Price and Pekka Rinne, Iginla would probably be at the top of the list for rescuing his team. Instead, he won't be part of the playoffs.

Meanwhile at The Pond Honda Center, the Sharks were no match for Perry, who continued his scoring assault by notching his third hat trick of '10-11 along with a helper in a 6-2 demolishing of their close California rival. So spectacular were the first two goals that they'll be replayed for quite a while with one an amazing forehand, triple deke to the backhand, roof job on a helpless Antero Niittymaki, who made his first start in 35 games, finally giving Finnish countryman Antti Niemi a night off. The poor ex-Flyer had no chance.

“Fifty is a huge number,” beamed Perry after increasing the NHL's streak of 50 goal scorers to six post-lockout.  “Everybody talks about it, (but) not a whole lot of people get to do it and be in that category. It hasn’t really sunk in.”

“It’s a tip to all of us when he can get 50, but it still takes a special player to get there,” proud linemate Ryan Getzlaf praised of Perry's work that's seen him rip up NHL goalies for 19 goals over the last 14 games. “He’s one of those guys who rise to the occasion. He plays playoff hockey any time you need him. He has proven time and time again he can play in those big games and have results.”

Perry's recent dominance that features a current 10-game point streak (14-8-22) has elevated the Duck to second in scoring with his 97 points (50-47-97) only trailing Daniel Sedin (41-59-100)
Ironically, the tear has him a point (28-27) better than Iginla since March. Going a step further, Perry is 25-20-45 since the All-Star break. No wonder he's at the top of many MVP lists. The Ducks aren't in yet with Dallas holding an extra game that includes a pivotal home-and-home versus the Avalanche tonight and tomorrow. With a home-and-home against the rival Kings tomorrow and Saturday, the Ducks can punch their playoff ticket by winning. They sit seventh in the West due to more regulation/OT wins than the Hawks, who also have two remaining in a home-and-home traditional theme versus chief rival Detroit Friday and Sunday. If Dallas wins its final three including a visit to Minnesota on the final day of the season, that would put them at 97 points. However, they'd come up short if tied due to the new tiebreaker. So, the Stars still need help. Quite fascinating stuff.

The East race is well documented with the Sabres (92 Pts), Rangers (91) and Hurricanes (89) all battling for the final two spots. For Buffalo, one point will ensure them a second straight postseason. They face the Flyers at home tomorrow and travel to Columbus Saturday. The Rangers need three points. A win tonight versus Atlanta would put them in good shape, forcing the Canes to stave off elimination tomorrow against those same Thrashers in Georgia. They could need to beat the Hudson rival Devils Saturday to wrap up the playoffs for a fifth time in six years. Meanwhile, Carolina will watch the action later and then battle Atlanta and finish with Tampa at home Saturday.

Ranger Preview: Biron in again tonight versus Flames

Martin Biron gets the nod again in net when the Flames pay a visit to MSG tonight. The vet backup's done an admirable job thus far, allowing John Tortorella to rest Henrik Lundqvist more. As noted, King Henrik wasn't sharp the last two outings letting in a few questionable goals in losses to Boston and Colorado in which he got yanked.

He understands the decision and how he must perform when he gets back in against dangerous leading scorer Steven Stamkos and Tampa Bay when the Rangers hit the road for three games beginning on Turkey Eve.

"I don't want to be selfish. It's about the team. Marty played well the other night and we won. I think I can be more consistent," Lundqvist told The Record's Andrew Gross via Twitter. "It's about making better decisions. It starts in your head.

With Tort going with the hot hand, it allows our franchise netminder to get more rest and also work on technique with goalie coach Benoit Allaire. As Elissa (sarcasmpucktail) alluded to in her post, the last time they rested him two straight he came back with his best effort, stoning the Pens in a wild 3-2 overtime win in which he shut them out for 57 minutes. With the annual Thanksgiving trip to the Sunshine State with stops in Tampa and Florida before traveling to Music City for a date with the Predators, it's understandable why Lundqvist is being saved. The schedule is picking up and we need him to be mentally fresh.

For Biron, it'll be a good test against the inconsistent Flames who can go from blowing out teams like in their 7-2 rout of Detroit to losing games badly. You never can tell with Brent Sutter's club. Jarome Iginla is finally hot scoring five over two games including a hat trick versus the Wings. Alex Tanguay has turned back the clock, putting up points in bunches. So, they present a stiff challenge for Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. How much will Steve Eminger see of the duo?

As for Olli Jokinen and Ales Kotalik, neither will play with the Jokester serving a three-game suspension for a cheapshot while Ally remains sidelined with an injury. But the best player in the trade Brandon Prust, who battled through a charley horse to play a whale of a game the other night, gets to face his former 'mates. The rugged winger called the trade the best thing for his career where he's seen an increased role, also serving as a PK fixture. Good for Prusty.

I'll catch what I can after basketball scrimmages in Park Slope and maybe the gym. See ya later.

Crosby ultimate Canadian hero

It's been over for a while. But it's just so hard to type. When you come that close to winning gold against Canada in Vancouver, it hurts. I'm honestly still numb as I write this. But it's to be expected.  

Sidney Crosby was the ultimate Canadian hero. It was his clutch goal at 7:40 of four-on-four sudden death that broke a 2-2 tie sending teammates and Hockey Canada Place into bedlum- scoring probably the biggest goal in his country's history since Paul Henderson to clinch a thrilling 3-2 gold medal win over a valiant Team USA. I've never been a big fan of Sid The Kid mostly due to the gripes to the stripes and how much he's shoved in our faces by the league, NBC and Reebok (cool ads). It would be easy to hate him even more but as I stated both on Facebook and Twitter, I just can't anymore. As was echoed:

BattleOfNewYork

  

I can't believe it. But I'm no longer going to complain about Sid The Kid. He is class and very unselfish. Good for sport. Ser---ious--ly..

Something like this is pretty hard for me to admit. I've always gotten razzed by friends about my insane Sid disdain. But what's said here about him being class, unselfish and great not good for the sport are all true. There's no ego whatsoever. He conducts himself like a true gentleman win or lose. And you know he'd have still been there if his team had lost after blowing a two-goal lead unlike another superstar who I'm a huge fan of. Crosby is very similar to The Great One and realizes the enormous responsibility he has to the sport of hockey. That kind of immense pressure is something Alexander Ovechkin will never face. As much as I enjoy the Great Eight, he took a hit this tournament. Even if there's no crime for not wanting to discuss the quarterfinal egg his Russian team laid.

In the end, Crosby comes out the true winner. As he accurately noted to annoying Joe Micheletti on NBC, his line had gone two games without finishing until the crafty No.87 snuck behind all-tournament selection Brian Rafalski, taking a quick feed from Jarome Iginla and firing before Miller was set to win gold for his country in dramatic fashion. He knew he wasn't his team's best player but when push came to shove in the four-on-four 20 minute overtime, there was Sid The Kid delivering the goods. Just a smart read by him keeping the play alive to Iginla, who hadn't done much this tournament. But more often than not, the best power forward usually comes through and he did because Crosby immediately drove to the net expecting the pass, even firing without looking to stun Miller and a gutsy Team USA that just wouldn't die.

Eight years later, the gritty Americans pushed Canada to the limit. Even if they caught a huge break when Dustin Brown was offside on Ryan Kesler's deflection goal that got them back in it. It looked like the Canadians would hold on despite a shaky Roberto Luongo letting out juicy rebound after rebound because his D was rock solid, limiting the pesky USA's second and third chances.

But in a remarkable period that early on saw the hosts ring two posts and watch Miller stone Patrick Marleau, there was no quit in Ron Wilson's relentless club who found a way to force sudden death. Who better than Zach Parise to get it tied with only 24.4 seconds remaining by digging out a Patrick Kane shot that deflected off Devil teammate Jamie Langenbrunner, slipping it past Luongo stunning the building. It was absolutely remarkable stuff that made the dramatic conclusion necessary.

Ultimately, Team USA fell short in its bid to upset Canada in hostile territory. Afterwards, a team that nobody gave a shot were presented with silver medals around their necks. As heartbreaking as it was, they did themselves and their country proud. They were second best to Canada who got the golds with fans chanting for their newest hero. The game's brightest star. There were no losers this afternoon. Today, hockey won.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Zach Parise, USA (tying goal with 24.4 seconds left forced overtime)
2nd Star-Ryan Miller, USA (36 saves in defeat-named tournament MVP)
1st Star-Sidney Crosby, CAN (gold medal clinching goal 7:40 into sudden death)


ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM

G-Ryan Miller, Team USA

D-Brian Rafalski, Team USA

D-Shea Weber, Canada

F-Zach Parise, Team USA

F-Jonathan Toews, Canada

F-Pavol Demitra, Slovakia


Tournament MVP-RYAN MILLER, Team USA

All-Star starters announced, Brodeur gets nod in goal for East

Earlier today, the league announced the starters for the upcoming All-Star Game.

Here's who that elite list of stars will include:

2008 Eastern Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup

Goal: Martin Brodeur, New Jersey

Defense: Andrei Markov, Montreal
Defense: Zdeno Chara, Boston

Forward: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh
Forward: Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay
Forward: Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa

2008 Western Conference All-Star Team Starting Lineup

Goal: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver

Defense: Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit
Defense: Dion Phaneuf, Calgary

Forward: Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit
Forward: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit
Forward: Jarome Iginla, Calgary


From the look of things, two quick notes:

1.No Ilya Kovalchuk for the stacked East
2.The Western lineup with the exception of goaltender is made up of all Red Wings and Flames.


We'll have much more later on.

Some extra Saturday stuff

With it being a very busy Saturday in the league, we figured we'd throw out some other extra stuff as well from other games:



-Toronto captain Mats Sundin's two goals in his team's 3-2 home loss to the Flyers gave him 20 for the season- making it the 17th consecutive season the 35 year-old Swedish pivot has scored at least 20 in his brilliant NHL career.



Sundin, who was taken first overall by the Quebec Nordiques in 1989 has tallied 408 of his 543 with the Maple Leafs since coming over in a trade for Wendel Clark. No.543 last night moved him past Stan Mikita into sole possession for 25th on the NHL's all-time goalscoring list.



Swedish Finisher A Magnificent Mats (Most Consecutive Seasons of at least 20 goals-or-more)



Gordie Howe 22 seasons

*Brendan Shanahan 18 seasons

Marcel Dionne 17 seasons

Brett Hull 17 seasons

Mats Sundin 17 seasons

+Jaromir Jagr 16 seasons



*still active needing five goals to reach 19 straight

+active and needs nine more for 17 in a row





-Emergency third string goalie Ty Conklin continued his amazing story stopping all 35 Panthers shots in backstopping the suddenly surging Pens to a 3-0 shutout- their sixth consecutive win.



The 30 year-old journeymen who's with his third organization in two years has been utterly brilliant since being recalled from AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. In six straight starts, he's allowed only eight goals. In fact, he's now seven-for-seven when he gets the nod in net for Pittsburgh, which trails first place New Jersey by just a point.



"Its nice, mostly because the team's been plying so well," Conklin told the Associated Press after yesterday's latest stellar performance. "Everything's a lot more fun when you win."



"When you have a goalie that can make the saves, he's giving you a chance to win, and this is what he's doing right now," Pens' coach Michel Therrien added.



It sure is a lot simpler when you've got a hot goalie. That it would come from such an unlikely source due to a high ankle sprain which has sidelined starter Marc-Andre Fleury makes it even more special for the Penguins.



Conk-ering All (Ty Conklin this season with Pens)



8 GP 7 GS Record: 7-0 2.00 GAA .939 Save Pct 2 SHO





-With another goal (No.32) plus two assists, Calgary captain Jarome Iginla remained red hot in leading his Flames to a 6-4 win over the NHL's worst team the LA Kings.



After a slow start under new coach Mike Keenan, the admirable 30 year-old power forward has turned it up carrying his team to wins in 11 of their last 14 to move up to 49 points- one fewer than division leader Vancouver.



In fact, when Iginla tallies, the Flames have a pretty good record this season improving to 16-4-3 after last night.



Iginla Lighting The Lamp With Regularity (A breakdown of Iginla's goalscoring this season)



October 12 GP 8 goals

November 14 GP 5 goals



Two month total 26 GP 13 goals



Since Dec. 1 17 GP 19 goals



Notes:



-Iginla has only failed to score a goal in five of the 17 games.

-The Calgary franchise has six multi-goal games during the stretch including a hat trick in a 9-6 win over Tampa Bay on Dec.13.

-Included was a five-game goalscoring streak from 12/11 - 12/18 in which he lit the lamp eight times.

-The goal last night made it three straight games with a goal (5 total). He's tallied eight times in the last six contests.



More Iginla (Goalscoring leaders for 2007-08 season)



Ilya Kovalchuk, Atl 33 goals

Jarome Iginla, Cgy 32 goals

Alexander Ovechkin, Wsh 32 goals





-With his OT winner in a 2-1 victory over the Islanders, Marek Svatos continued his bounce back season. After scoring only 15 times in 2006-07, the 25 year-old Avs' right wing already has one more goal than he did in 66 games last year.



Svatos has three goals in his last two games and six in his past seven.

Marek's Turnaround In 2007-08

2006-07 66 GP 15 goals

2007-08 38 GP 16 goals

Flames snap Ranger three-game win streak

The Rangers had been feeling good about themselves after finishing 2007 with a hard fought 4-3 overtime win last Sunday on home ice.

But they couldn't keep it going in the first of a challenging three-game Western Canada road swing- falling to Mike Keenan's Flames 4-3 last night at The Saddledome.

They never led as Hart candidate Jarome Iginla scored twice including a third period tally off a turnover and inept defensive coverage by every Ranger on the ice to restore a two-goal lead.

In perhaps his best game of the season, rookie pivot Brandon Dubinsky was rewarded for some hard work when he completed a give-and-go with Sean Avery to cut the deficit to 3-2 with six and change left.

But a really odd play broke the Rangers' backs. Off a faceoff, Martin Straka broke free from two Flames and was nearly in on Miikka Kiprusoff but lost control before trying a back pass to Michal Rozsival which didn't work as the defenseman who struggled all night wasn't set.

Instead, a hustling Kristian Huselius went the other way off the costly turnover and fooled Henrik Lundqvist with a tricky shot from an extreme angle down near the left boards.

The 25 year-old netminder was apparently expecting a centering pass and caught napping as he wasn't all the way against the post which allowed the puck to go in.

Just brutal. Totally inexcusable for Lundqvist who's been less than stellar for about a month now. Maybe it's the thoughts of a long-term extension which could be happening any day now.

The latest bad goal really hurt because leading finisher Brendan Shanahan tallied with 14 seconds to go. But it would be too little too late as Jaromir Jagr couldn't get a shot off as time expired.

This was a frustrating defeat because Kiprusoff (29 saves- many timely) totally outplayed Lundqvist. Given some of the quality chances the Rangers generated for the final 22-23 minutes, they easily could've been in overtime with at least a valuable point with another up for grabs.

Kiprusoff was that good IMO. He really was sharp and played like the former Vezina winner he is which bodes well for the Flames, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 and really playing better hockey.

The other frustrating aspect of this loss was that once again, the Blueshirts came away without a win against a Western Conference opponent. I think that's now 0-5-1 against the West.

That's why they continue to trail the first place Devils (now up by three) who had a nice home win (3-2) over the Panthers where their franchise goalie Martin Brodeur shined in making 31 saves to allow Brian Gionta's five-on-three power play tally to hold up.

Eventually, the Rangers need to break through and it's not going to be any easier tonight at Vancouver against Roberto Luongo.


One other note from last night's action: Ilya Kovalchuk scored his league-leading 33rd and assisted on three other Atlanta goals including a Marian Hossa winner during a 5-4 OT win at Carolina.

Kovalchuk has been amazing this season. At the halfway mark, the exciting Russian sniper has 33 goals and 24 helpers for 57 points.

If he gets them into the postseason, he should win the Hart.


If you missed the highlights, be sure to go to yahoo and check out his awesome end-to-end PPG.


Also, John Buccigross appeared on our New York Hockey Report show last night. I'll link up the archive a little later. Fyi...actually, the link for the podcast appears at the top corner of the left part of our page. So you can just click on the NYHR link with our cool logo!

Many topics were covered including the very successful outdoor Winter Classic which drew the best network TV rating since Wayne Gretzky's final game. Plus plenty of league stuff as we talked about surprises and the seasons of Kovalchuk and the ageless Nicklas Lidstrom.


Be sure to tune in for our next show. It's usually every Wednesday between 9 and 10 over at blogtalk radio.


I need to get going now. See ya'll later.