It's Back To The Future for Jamie Langenbrunner. The two-time Cup winner who was scratched last night in anticipation of a trade finally got word earlier today that he'd be returning to the Stars. So, the original Star who was drafted in the second round back in '93, comes back to the franchise he helped win its only Stanley Cup with in 1999 on a loaded team that featured Mike Modano, Ed Belfour, Jere Lehtinen, Joe Nieuwendyk, Brett Hull, Sergei Zubov, Derian Hatcher and Richard Matvichuk.
Sometimes, life comes full circle. In Langenbrunner's case, that holds true for the gritty American who's had an outstanding career highlighted by a more prominent role in the Devils '03 championship- scoring 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points on a shutdown line with former Selke winner John Madden and PK fixture Jay Pandolfo. Not only did he achieve ultimate success in New Jersey but also was recognized as one of the best players in our country, captaining Team USA to Olympic silver last year in Vancouver. It's the classic case of an overachiever who got the most of his talent. Just ask former ZZ Popps linemates Zach Parise and Travis Zajac how much No.15 meant to their careers.
And so a solid nine-year career in Jersey comes to an end with them getting a conditional third round pick that might become a second rounder.
Covering the Rangers, Devils, Islanders and Sabres five years running along with the rest of the puckers!
BONY
Battle Of New York
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Langenbrunner scratched, trade in works???
Word has come down over Twitter that Jamie Langenbrunner is a scratch tonight against the Flyers. The Devil captain who came over from the Stars along with Joe Nieuwendyk in a trade for former Cup hero Jason Arnott and Randy McKay helped lead the franchise to its third Stanley Cup in 2003- stunning the hockey world by upsetting Ottawa in a great Conference Final before taking the Mighty Ducks in seven games.
Langenbrunner teamed with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo to form the top checking line in the game, stifling opponents' best while also contributing offensively. Though none of the trio won the Conn Smythe which was rewarded to losing netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere, any of the three easily could've won it for their outstanding play. Perhaps a boat load of candidates that included Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens worked against the best T-E-A-M, which better explains why Giguere won it. However, it doesn't take away from what made that Devil team so special- only further illustrating why they overcame the odds to lift Lord Stanley for great coach Pat Burns.
It's already been almost a decade since Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on the deal which turned his team into one of the NHL's best during this era. Langenbrunner has been an integral part of a run that's seen the Devils qualify for the playoffs 13 consecutive times. He's filled whatever role needed. Whether as a top checker, penalty killer or a scorer teaming alongside Travis Zajac and Zach Parise to form ZZ Popps, the 35 year-old two-time Cup winner has been a good Devil. Even if controversy has surrounded him since last year baffling our chief New Jersey resident Hasan, he'll arguably go down as a better No.15 than recently fired coach John MacLean.
If this is indeed it for Langenbrunner's time in Jersey, he should be remembered for all the good things he did to help make the Devils one of the best teams on the ice.
Langenbrunner teamed with John Madden and Jay Pandolfo to form the top checking line in the game, stifling opponents' best while also contributing offensively. Though none of the trio won the Conn Smythe which was rewarded to losing netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere, any of the three easily could've won it for their outstanding play. Perhaps a boat load of candidates that included Martin Brodeur, Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens worked against the best T-E-A-M, which better explains why Giguere won it. However, it doesn't take away from what made that Devil team so special- only further illustrating why they overcame the odds to lift Lord Stanley for great coach Pat Burns.
It's already been almost a decade since Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on the deal which turned his team into one of the NHL's best during this era. Langenbrunner has been an integral part of a run that's seen the Devils qualify for the playoffs 13 consecutive times. He's filled whatever role needed. Whether as a top checker, penalty killer or a scorer teaming alongside Travis Zajac and Zach Parise to form ZZ Popps, the 35 year-old two-time Cup winner has been a good Devil. Even if controversy has surrounded him since last year baffling our chief New Jersey resident Hasan, he'll arguably go down as a better No.15 than recently fired coach John MacLean.
If this is indeed it for Langenbrunner's time in Jersey, he should be remembered for all the good things he did to help make the Devils one of the best teams on the ice.
Give MZA an A
Okay, we're kidding with that fancy title. In all seriousness, we like Mats Zuccarello Aasen. Not just because the gifted 23 year-old Norwegian who looks strikingly similar to Marty St. Louis notched an overtime winner in a thrilling Ranger 2-1 home win over the Hurricanes. Sure. It was mighty impressive for the diminutive winger to pull off a tough wrap around finding twine from a small angle over Cam Ward, giving the Rangers a huge victory over a team chasing them.
It's just that there's so much to like about MZA, who also set up Matt Gilroy's third midway through the third in a scoreless tie. The kid who surprised many with a breakout '10 Olympics in Vancouver has plenty of tools. Something our No.1 Star Brandon Dubinsky was quick to point out after being involved directly in both goals, including a yeoman effort that created enough havoc for Zuccarello to score his first career NHL goal in style, touching off a St. Louis-esque celebration on the ice.
It's way too early to proclaim Zuccarello a Broadway hero. He's only played six games and is 1-2-3 with 13 shots thus far. As he continues to adjust to the best league along with whatever wrinkles Tortorella throws him, the mature Norway talent should be able to handle it. Especially how modest he was after scoring such a big goal.
“We’re not the most talented group in the world, but the thing that is going to carry us through is to play as a team,” Tortorella remarked after his team improved to 23-15-3 at the halfway point, which is good for the East's seventh seed one behind Atlanta and just four off fourth Philly despite playing two more games. “That’s what has given us our first-half start.”
“We are halfway through now, and you can see the standings,” Lundqvist added. “It’s getting tighter and tighter. Coming off two losses, it was important to come back with a win.”
Exactly what the doctor ordered with an assist from MZA.
It's just that there's so much to like about MZA, who also set up Matt Gilroy's third midway through the third in a scoreless tie. The kid who surprised many with a breakout '10 Olympics in Vancouver has plenty of tools. Something our No.1 Star Brandon Dubinsky was quick to point out after being involved directly in both goals, including a yeoman effort that created enough havoc for Zuccarello to score his first career NHL goal in style, touching off a St. Louis-esque celebration on the ice.
“He has so much talent. He is going to be really special for us from his talent alone.”With emotional leader Ryan Callahan out for at least another three weeks, John Tortorella who knows a thing or two about coaching talented undrafted smallish forwards, wants to find out about Zuccarello. Already we've seen the skills he possesses. The 5-7, 174 pound Nord isn't afraid to go into high traffic areas and will battle anyone as evidenced by his staredown with former Swedish Elite League teammate Victor Hedman. There's a reason he was named League MVP last year. These days, MZA seems more willing to do what it takes than ghost Marian Gaborik. Perhaps that's because of where he's come from. It doesn't excuse the Rangers' most talented player for why he remains stuck on 11 goals, unable to finish plays like the pass Artem Anisimov made in the third.
It's way too early to proclaim Zuccarello a Broadway hero. He's only played six games and is 1-2-3 with 13 shots thus far. As he continues to adjust to the best league along with whatever wrinkles Tortorella throws him, the mature Norway talent should be able to handle it. Especially how modest he was after scoring such a big goal.
“I got lucky,” he chimed before noting the obvious about his size:
“I have been like this for 23 years. I have had a long time to practice being small. I have to use being small to my advantage.”
“I don’t think he lacks confidence,” Tortorella assessed. “Creative people need that.”In any sport, mental toughness is essential for performing at the highest level. It won't get any easier for MZA or his teammates who now must go to Dallas and St. Louis Friday and Saturday before returning for two big games against Montreal sandwiched around the hottest team in the league Vancouver paying a visit to the Big Apple.
“It’s huge. We wanted to come out and play the way we’re capable of,” leading point getter Dubinsky pointed out after snapping a two-game skid. “We found a way.”Exactly what epitomizes this scrappy bunch who continue to bounce back from tough defeats and overcome adversity. A huge part of that is their goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who matched save for save with Ward in a highly entertaining affair that wasn't lacking quality scoring chances until Gilroy and Eric Staal exchanged goals, forcing extras. Both were outstanding with King Henrik making 31 stops while the former Conn Smythe winner countered with 33, including a highlight reel glove save on Dubinsky that him and Sean Avery looking skyward. In an important game against one of the league's best, Lundqvist was there for his team until their latest hero won it.
“We’re not the most talented group in the world, but the thing that is going to carry us through is to play as a team,” Tortorella remarked after his team improved to 23-15-3 at the halfway point, which is good for the East's seventh seed one behind Atlanta and just four off fourth Philly despite playing two more games. “That’s what has given us our first-half start.”
“We are halfway through now, and you can see the standings,” Lundqvist added. “It’s getting tighter and tighter. Coming off two losses, it was important to come back with a win.”
Exactly what the doctor ordered with an assist from MZA.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sign of the apocalypse
Through all of the turmoil that has befallen the Devils this season, from the summerlong saga that was the Ilya Kovalchuk contract to the nightmare start from him and the rest of the offense not to mention the clueless AHL defense, one thing seemed to be a given. Well, besides GM Lou Lamoriello firing yet another coach.
When healthy, Martin Brodeur would be in net and Johan Hedberg would get the occasional game every two months just like every other Marty backup. Despite Brodeur's elbow injury in November, when he returned to the lineup in December he went right back to starting every game - until his ill-fated start in Carolina on Saturday where he gave up three goals in eight minutes and got the earliest hook from a game that anyone could ever remember.
Now, for the first time since 1994 the starting goaltender for the Devils is in doubt, as Hedberg will be making his second straight start at home against the Flyers Thursday, a game which is usually a must-play on the Brodeur schedule. More telling, after he was asked last Friday on whether it was time to get Hedberg more games, coach Jacques Lemaire said 'not yet'. It took only eight minutes of hockey for him to reverse course after Saturday's loss in Carolina, stating that Brodeur and Hedberg would be co-number ones.
It's been six years since a healthy Brodeur has sat two games in a row, and when that happened in 2004 it took two different goalies to replace #30 - Corey Schwab got a rare start, then was hurt and Scott Clemmensen took the next game between the pipes on the front end of a back-to-back. How long this stunning change of fortune lasts, who knows - a day, a week, a month or longer? For his part, Brodeur admitted that he didn't deserve to play since the team wasn't winning.
“I think in a season like (this) probably,” Brodeur said of spliting starts with Hedberg. “In a different season maybe not. We’ll see how it goes. I want to play a lot like always. That will never change. But it’s got to be fun for me to play hockey and not winning is not fun. So, we’ll get back winning and I’ll play more.
“But I don’t deserve to be in there when you don’t win. That’s the bottom line. I’ve been winning all of my career and now it’s been a little tougher, so it’s normal that somebody (else starts). If it works, good. It’s all about the team.”
Hedberg's tenure as the starter got off to an inauspicious beginning Tuesday, as he lost a tough 2-1 game to Minnesota where a simple dump-in by Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner took a ridiculous carom and deflected past Hedberg (who had gone to play the puck behind the net) and in for the winning goal. Of course there was blame to go all over the place, as usual. Kovalchuk, though he scored the only goal also gave up one by falling down (as did defenseman Anssi Salmela later on the same play) and letting Cal Clutterbuck streak in on Hedberg for a breakaway goal.
In other Devils news, Danius Zubrus now has an undisclosed injury and will miss his second straight game tomorrow. Brian Rolston after being put through 'conditioning' was back in the lineup Monday as crickets could be heard chirping all over New Jersey. And after admitting benching rookie Matthais Tedenby was a mistake Saturday he scratched the flashy Swede on Tuesday and benched fellow youngsters Vladimir Zharkov and Salmela for long stretches of the game...typical. We can't even let young players develop when the team's thirty points out.
When healthy, Martin Brodeur would be in net and Johan Hedberg would get the occasional game every two months just like every other Marty backup. Despite Brodeur's elbow injury in November, when he returned to the lineup in December he went right back to starting every game - until his ill-fated start in Carolina on Saturday where he gave up three goals in eight minutes and got the earliest hook from a game that anyone could ever remember.
Now, for the first time since 1994 the starting goaltender for the Devils is in doubt, as Hedberg will be making his second straight start at home against the Flyers Thursday, a game which is usually a must-play on the Brodeur schedule. More telling, after he was asked last Friday on whether it was time to get Hedberg more games, coach Jacques Lemaire said 'not yet'. It took only eight minutes of hockey for him to reverse course after Saturday's loss in Carolina, stating that Brodeur and Hedberg would be co-number ones.
It's been six years since a healthy Brodeur has sat two games in a row, and when that happened in 2004 it took two different goalies to replace #30 - Corey Schwab got a rare start, then was hurt and Scott Clemmensen took the next game between the pipes on the front end of a back-to-back. How long this stunning change of fortune lasts, who knows - a day, a week, a month or longer? For his part, Brodeur admitted that he didn't deserve to play since the team wasn't winning.
“I think in a season like (this) probably,” Brodeur said of spliting starts with Hedberg. “In a different season maybe not. We’ll see how it goes. I want to play a lot like always. That will never change. But it’s got to be fun for me to play hockey and not winning is not fun. So, we’ll get back winning and I’ll play more.
“But I don’t deserve to be in there when you don’t win. That’s the bottom line. I’ve been winning all of my career and now it’s been a little tougher, so it’s normal that somebody (else starts). If it works, good. It’s all about the team.”
Hedberg's tenure as the starter got off to an inauspicious beginning Tuesday, as he lost a tough 2-1 game to Minnesota where a simple dump-in by Wild defenseman Clayton Stoner took a ridiculous carom and deflected past Hedberg (who had gone to play the puck behind the net) and in for the winning goal. Of course there was blame to go all over the place, as usual. Kovalchuk, though he scored the only goal also gave up one by falling down (as did defenseman Anssi Salmela later on the same play) and letting Cal Clutterbuck streak in on Hedberg for a breakaway goal.
In other Devils news, Danius Zubrus now has an undisclosed injury and will miss his second straight game tomorrow. Brian Rolston after being put through 'conditioning' was back in the lineup Monday as crickets could be heard chirping all over New Jersey. And after admitting benching rookie Matthais Tedenby was a mistake Saturday he scratched the flashy Swede on Tuesday and benched fellow youngsters Vladimir Zharkov and Salmela for long stretches of the game...typical. We can't even let young players develop when the team's thirty points out.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Our All-Stars
Today, the All-Star teams are named. Figure there to be a few surprises with a new way of selecting the squads for the game in Raleigh. Be that as it may, here's how my Eastern Conference team would look:
EAST
G Tim Thomas, Bruins
G Carey Price, Canadiens
G Ondrej Pavelec, Thrashers
D Dustin Byfuglien, Thrashers
D Tobias Enstrom, Thrashers
D Kris Letang, Penguins
D Zdeno Chara, Bruins
D Erik Karlsson, Senators
D Dan Girardi, Rangers
F Sidney Crosby, Penguins
F Steven Stamkos, Lightning
F Martin St. Louis, Lightning
F Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
F Mike Richards, Flyers
F Eric Staal, Hurricanes
F Claude Giroux, Flyers
F Andrew Ladd, Thrashers
F Alexander Semin, Capitals
F Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
F Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
F Brandon Dubinsky, Rangers
WEST
G Jonathan Quick, Kings
G Jonas Hiller, Ducks
G Jaroslav Halak, Blues
D Nick Lidstrom, Red Wings
D Brent Burns, Wild
D Niklas Kronwall, Red Wings
D John-Michael Liles, Avalanche
D-Ryan Whitney, Oilers
D-Keith Yandle, Coyotes
F Daniel Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings
F Brad Richards, Stars
F Corey Perry, Ducks
F Anze Kopitar, Kings
F Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks
F Matt Duchene, Avalanche
F Loui Eriksson, Stars
F Jarome Iginla, Flames
F Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
F Ryane Clowe, Sharks
EAST
G Tim Thomas, Bruins
G Carey Price, Canadiens
G Ondrej Pavelec, Thrashers
D Dustin Byfuglien, Thrashers
D Tobias Enstrom, Thrashers
D Kris Letang, Penguins
D Zdeno Chara, Bruins
D Erik Karlsson, Senators
D Dan Girardi, Rangers
F Sidney Crosby, Penguins
F Steven Stamkos, Lightning
F Martin St. Louis, Lightning
F Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
F Mike Richards, Flyers
F Eric Staal, Hurricanes
F Claude Giroux, Flyers
F Andrew Ladd, Thrashers
F Alexander Semin, Capitals
F Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals
F Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
F Brandon Dubinsky, Rangers
WEST
G Jonathan Quick, Kings
G Jonas Hiller, Ducks
G Jaroslav Halak, Blues
D Nick Lidstrom, Red Wings
D Brent Burns, Wild
D Niklas Kronwall, Red Wings
D John-Michael Liles, Avalanche
D-Ryan Whitney, Oilers
D-Keith Yandle, Coyotes
F Daniel Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Sedin, Canucks
F Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings
F Brad Richards, Stars
F Corey Perry, Ducks
F Anze Kopitar, Kings
F Patrick Sharp, Blackhawks
F Matt Duchene, Avalanche
F Loui Eriksson, Stars
F Jarome Iginla, Flames
F Ryan Getzlaf, Ducks
F Ryane Clowe, Sharks
Tavares, Moulson lift Isles over Flames, DP hurt again
The encouraging news is the Islanders continued their impressive play last night, posting a 5-2 win over the Flames at The Saddledome. John Tavares tallied twice and set up another matching a career high three points and Matt Moulson added two goals as the Isles won for the seventh time in nine games (7-1-1). But while Tavares followed up his second three-point effort with No.3 this season, the club again lost Rick DiPietro to an injury.
Leading 4-1 thanks to a nifty Moulson deflection of rookie defenseman Travis Hamonic's right point shot off a Zenon Konopka faceoff win, the battered club saw their franchise goalie bent over in pain after stretching out to make a save during a Calgary power play. The trainer immediately came out and after a few minutes to see if he could stick it out, the ultracompetitive DiPietro finally was helped to the locker room to treat a groin strain.
The Islanders (12-19-6, 30 Pts)have today and tomorrow off before visiting Edmonton Thursday night (9 ET) and Colorado Saturday afternoon (3 ET). The five-game Western trip concludes in the Windy City on Sunday.
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Nathan Lawson, NYI (28 saves in relief for 1st career NHL win)
2nd Star-Matt Moulson, NYI (2 goals-13, 14)
1st Star-John Tavares, NYI (2 PPG-12, 13/ assist)
Leading 4-1 thanks to a nifty Moulson deflection of rookie defenseman Travis Hamonic's right point shot off a Zenon Konopka faceoff win, the battered club saw their franchise goalie bent over in pain after stretching out to make a save during a Calgary power play. The trainer immediately came out and after a few minutes to see if he could stick it out, the ultracompetitive DiPietro finally was helped to the locker room to treat a groin strain.
“I don’t know if a man’s body is supposed to be contorted in those kind of positions,” the former 2000 No.1 overall selection said. ” I felt a twinge and hopefully it’s nothing serious.”With DP again sidelined, 27 year-old rookie Nathan Lawson fulfilled a childhood dream coming in relief to play the hero in front of the hometown crowd. The undrafted free agent from Alberta had previously debuted against Phoenix on Dec.18 making 32 saves in an overtime defeat. Here he was two weeks later forced into action under anxious circumstances. Not surprisingly, the Flames crept within 4-2 when David Moss converted at the doorstep for his second of the game. Pressing for more late in the second, Moss nearly had the hat trick if not for a clutch leg stop from Lawson, keeping his team comfortably ahead.
“I know what a competitor he is and he came in on a power play, too. Pretty rough go for it there but he accepted the challenge,” pleased coach Jack Capuano pointed out. “I thought he was square to the puck, played the rebounds pretty well, and he battled for us tonight.”
“It feels good to get a win and get a few games under my belt now,” the excited netminder expressed after turning aside 28 of 29 shots after the Flames came at him from every direction. “It’s a dream come true. I just want to keep rolling with it and prove myself now.”The power play was a big factor early on with the Islanders connecting twice in a three-goal first. Both times, Tavares struck. He opened the contest by beating Jay Bouwmeester in front for a gimme rebound off a P.A. Parenteau shot. After Moulson and Moss traded goals, the emerging sophomore pivot took a Andrew MacDonald cross ice feed at the left circle and wired one upstairs past Calgary backup Henrik Karlsson, restoring order less than two minutes after Moss tallied.
“A good all-around game for us,” Tavares noted after staying hot with 13 points (5-8-13) over his last nine. “Great for Lawson to get in there and do his thing, coming in cold. Everyone did their role and we handled the lead well and the pressure when we needed to.”Despite outshooting the Islanders 15-3 in the final stanza, Calgary couldn't draw closer thanks to Lawson who brought tears to his family. With Karlsson pulled, rookie Michal Grabner sealed it with an empty netter from Mark Eaton with 66 seconds left. It was his ninth goal. MacDonald and Parenteau each had two assists.
The Islanders (12-19-6, 30 Pts)have today and tomorrow off before visiting Edmonton Thursday night (9 ET) and Colorado Saturday afternoon (3 ET). The five-game Western trip concludes in the Windy City on Sunday.
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Nathan Lawson, NYI (28 saves in relief for 1st career NHL win)
2nd Star-Matt Moulson, NYI (2 goals-13, 14)
1st Star-John Tavares, NYI (2 PPG-12, 13/ assist)
Monday, January 3, 2011
Pens-Caps nightime Winter Classic and 24/7 series show the best of the NHL
Taking a moment to reflect on something other than a Devils' season from hell, I've actually wanted to write about the Winter Classic ever since seeing the first episode of HBO's 24/7 reality series spotlighting both Pittsburgh and Washington in the run up to the outdoor special at Heinz Field Saturday and its immediate aftermath. HBO usually does a good job with its sports programming and reality shows like Hard Knocks, the recent Lombardi movie and the like. This show has also been very enlightening. Narrated by Liev Schrieber, it shows a side of both hockey teams that you don't get to see very often - certainly not from my team lol.
Thankfully, while the documentary certainly features Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin it doesn't overdo their presence and also gives a lot of time to role players such as Pascal Dupuis and recent Caps arrival Scott Hannan as he adjusts to life with a new team. Not to mention Mike Knuble's dental work after he recently lost several teeth, as is a hockey player's wont to do. Plus I haven't seen the Caps much this season (just one game where we didn't show up and another where they didn't) so I was surprised to learn they were tweaking their system after a 60-win season to attempt to be more playoff-ready this year. If anything, the stars of this feature so far have been coaches Bruce Boudreau and Dan Bylsma.
Admittedly I knew little about either going into this series, and the documentary certainly shows contrasting styles between the two coaches. Former NHL grinder Bylsma brings a positive yet businesslike approach to the Penguins and has certainly come off like he's got an idea of what he's doing, while Boudreau brings fire and intensity that would make some people blush. After being pillored for his own cursing during Hard Knocks, Rex Ryan joked he was offended by Boudreau's language. And who didn't get a laugh over Boudreau's Christmas shopping excursion with his kids, complete with the morning ice cream, or the Penguins' monthly shootout competition where the loser has to grow facial hair (and of all people it was ex-Devil Paul Martin who lost this month and had to grow a stache)?
Of course Boudreau had a lot to be worried about at the start of this series, as the Caps were in the midst of a losing streak that reached eight games and Boudreau was searching for answers, whether it was castigating his team such as after the 7-0 loss to the Rangers or finding the positives such as the fact that last year's Cup champs the Blackhawks actually had a nine-game losing streak at one point last year. Towards the end of the second episode, the Caps finally broke that skid in dramatic fashion, coming from 2-0 down against Ottawa on the road in a game you almost thought was scripted.
While HBO certainly can't reveal anything strategically that can put a team at a competitive disadvantage, you do get nuggets like Bylsma rating his players on their performances after a recent game with GM Ray Shero or Boudreau remarking about Pittsburgh's talented Russian Evgeni Malkin that you could goad him into a retaliation penalty, and that wound up happening during the teams' first meeting - a dramatic shootout win for the Penguins minutes after a no-goal call in overtime frustrated the Caps fans (and provided a rare look into the NHL's 'war room' in Toronto).
That game proved a worthy lead-in to the Winter Classic, scheduled to begin in the afternoon on New Year's Day but wound up being pushed back to the evening, and the nighttime scenery (and occasional rain) provided a unique backdrop for the most hyped-up Caps-Pens regular season showdown yet. Despite the fact the game was in Pittsburgh the crowd was surprisngly split with broadcaster Doc Emrick estimating that about 40,000 Pens fans and 30,000 Caps fans made up the announced crowd of 68,111. Guess that's what happens when you have a once-in-a lifetime Winter Classic with two teams that are in such close proximity to each other.
Maybe it wasn't the best of the Winter Classic games, but the Caps' 3-1 win was certainly a gutty performance. While stars Crosby and Ovechkin were held off the scoresheet - though Ovechkin did have a goal disallowed late due to incidental contact with the goaltender - the Caps came back after giving up an early second-period goal to Malkin with goals from Knuble and two from grinder Eric Fehr. Washington's Semyon Varlamov made 31 saves in getting the win, no doubt pleasing his goaltending coach, ex-Shark and Cane Arturs Irbe (now on the Caps' coaching staff, another fact I learned during the 24-7 series).
Even though I know how the game turned out, I'll be looking forward to the fourth and final episode of the HBO special in two days, especially with what had to be a lot of behind-the-scenes discussion about having to delay the start time of the game and a result that satisfied those of us who still aren't big Penguins fans - though admittedly you do get a more human side of them and the Caps in this series.
Changes on the Island
"What are they doing here? They're selling. Well, that's not right."
That was a classic scene from Trading Places which ironically was just on Comedy Central the other night. If you grew up in the 80's, then you know it well as both Coleman and Winthorpe proceed to put the crooked Duke brothers out of business, avenging a bet for one dollar. Imagine if that happened today. Ah. But isn't that what makes movies cool or in this case cruel, turning into quite the plot for actors Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd to showcase their talent in this sinister comedy about the New York Stock Exchange and cornering the market on frozen orange juice.
Why do we bring such an epic scene up in the first place? Well, when it comes to the Islanders it most certainly applies. Finally playing better hockey that produced a riveting 4-3 overtime win over the mighty Red Wings thanks to a great set up from John Tavares to P.A. Parenteau for the club's third consecutive triumph over Detroit (no joke), the franchise isn't keeping everyone. Despite winning six of eight (6-1-1) entering tonight's visit to Calgary, the Islanders have already traded away James Wisniewski and Dwayne Roloson. The Wiz went to Montreal where he already has four points helping boost the Habs' back end.
Meanwhile, as the Bolts were celebrating an OT win over the Rangers in St. Pete, they'd just acquired 41 year-old vet Roloson in exchange for D prospect Ty Wishart. This trade made no sense for either side. Especially with Tampa now having four goalies on the roster if you include injured Mike Smith along with Dan Ellis and rookie Cedric Desjardins. For the Islanders, they just traded their most reliable goalie sending panic on Twitter and the blogosphere. Sure. Rollie is not getting any younger. But are they really going to trust Rick DiPietro, who returned to end Sidney Crosby's 25-game point streak by jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store? You gotta admit it was funny for a guy who's had every injury known to an athlete or so it seems. Considering that he just missed five games, yikes. It was Roloson who backstopped the Isles to a big win over Detroit, making 38 saves with many high quality.
On a club that's won just 11 games, the affable former Cup Finalist on Edmonton ('06) has accounted for half their wins (6) along with a respectable 2.64 GAA and .916 save percentage. This despite a 6-13-1 record on one of the lowest scoring teams. It just seems unfair. Though we'll bet Roloson would say otherwise now that he's been bumped up in the standings to the contending Bolts. A team which can score goals in bunches needs a steady vet presence who can hold the forte. Especially if management has decided that Desjardins is legit.
While the Lightning figure out who their top dog is in net, the Islanders have decided that rookie Nathan Lawson will back up DiPietro. The undrafted 27 year-old from Alberta made one start making 32 saves in a 4-3 overtime home loss to the Coyotes a couple of weeks prior. Is this really the way the franchise wants to go? No disrespect to Lawson. But what if DP goes down again? Then what? Are they going to field two minor league goalies for potentially the rest of the season? In the bizarro world of Charles Wang and blog credential destroyer Garth Snow, do you even have to ask?
How can any team operate this way? It's absurd. They better pray DiPietro is finally totally healthy and able to carry the workload because if he can't, this could be another jarring decision which drives their fanbase even more nuts. If only John Tavares had more help. It's not all bad. At least a few of their prospects are performing admirably in Buffalo at the 2011 WJC with Calvin de Haan and Casey Cizikas trying to lead Canada over defending champ USA later tonight against Brock Nelson. The action can be seen on NHL Network at 7:30 ET. Don't ya dare miss it.
The future remains bright for the Islanders but there still are some dark clouds hovering over Uniondale. When that changes we'll never know.
That was a classic scene from Trading Places which ironically was just on Comedy Central the other night. If you grew up in the 80's, then you know it well as both Coleman and Winthorpe proceed to put the crooked Duke brothers out of business, avenging a bet for one dollar. Imagine if that happened today. Ah. But isn't that what makes movies cool or in this case cruel, turning into quite the plot for actors Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd to showcase their talent in this sinister comedy about the New York Stock Exchange and cornering the market on frozen orange juice.
Why do we bring such an epic scene up in the first place? Well, when it comes to the Islanders it most certainly applies. Finally playing better hockey that produced a riveting 4-3 overtime win over the mighty Red Wings thanks to a great set up from John Tavares to P.A. Parenteau for the club's third consecutive triumph over Detroit (no joke), the franchise isn't keeping everyone. Despite winning six of eight (6-1-1) entering tonight's visit to Calgary, the Islanders have already traded away James Wisniewski and Dwayne Roloson. The Wiz went to Montreal where he already has four points helping boost the Habs' back end.
Meanwhile, as the Bolts were celebrating an OT win over the Rangers in St. Pete, they'd just acquired 41 year-old vet Roloson in exchange for D prospect Ty Wishart. This trade made no sense for either side. Especially with Tampa now having four goalies on the roster if you include injured Mike Smith along with Dan Ellis and rookie Cedric Desjardins. For the Islanders, they just traded their most reliable goalie sending panic on Twitter and the blogosphere. Sure. Rollie is not getting any younger. But are they really going to trust Rick DiPietro, who returned to end Sidney Crosby's 25-game point streak by jumping up and down like a kid in a candy store? You gotta admit it was funny for a guy who's had every injury known to an athlete or so it seems. Considering that he just missed five games, yikes. It was Roloson who backstopped the Isles to a big win over Detroit, making 38 saves with many high quality.
On a club that's won just 11 games, the affable former Cup Finalist on Edmonton ('06) has accounted for half their wins (6) along with a respectable 2.64 GAA and .916 save percentage. This despite a 6-13-1 record on one of the lowest scoring teams. It just seems unfair. Though we'll bet Roloson would say otherwise now that he's been bumped up in the standings to the contending Bolts. A team which can score goals in bunches needs a steady vet presence who can hold the forte. Especially if management has decided that Desjardins is legit.
While the Lightning figure out who their top dog is in net, the Islanders have decided that rookie Nathan Lawson will back up DiPietro. The undrafted 27 year-old from Alberta made one start making 32 saves in a 4-3 overtime home loss to the Coyotes a couple of weeks prior. Is this really the way the franchise wants to go? No disrespect to Lawson. But what if DP goes down again? Then what? Are they going to field two minor league goalies for potentially the rest of the season? In the bizarro world of Charles Wang and blog credential destroyer Garth Snow, do you even have to ask?
How can any team operate this way? It's absurd. They better pray DiPietro is finally totally healthy and able to carry the workload because if he can't, this could be another jarring decision which drives their fanbase even more nuts. If only John Tavares had more help. It's not all bad. At least a few of their prospects are performing admirably in Buffalo at the 2011 WJC with Calvin de Haan and Casey Cizikas trying to lead Canada over defending champ USA later tonight against Brock Nelson. The action can be seen on NHL Network at 7:30 ET. Don't ya dare miss it.
The future remains bright for the Islanders but there still are some dark clouds hovering over Uniondale. When that changes we'll never know.
Rangers blanked by Cats, send down Del Zotto
The weekend in South Florida wasn't too kind to the Rangers, who fell to the Lightning for the third straight time this time 2-1 in overtime on a Nate Thompson goal 19 seconds in from David Tyrell. Seriously. Thanks to outstanding netminding from Henrik Lundqvist, they shutout Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and Vinny Lecvalier. However, it took a Marian Gaborik goal with the King pulled to finally solve rookie Cedric Desjardins, who was superb in his second career start. The same Gabby then failed to take Thompson for the winner with Matt Gilroy sliding out of position.
A day later, the Blueshirts were blanked by of all teams Florida 3-zip, making it one goal in their last six-plus periods. Something that must change when the red hot Hurricanes come to town Wednesday for a pivotal match. Carolina is making some headway, having reeled off three in a row to climb to 40 points- trailing eighth Montreal by five and us by seven. Boasting a star goalie Cam Ward in net and Eric Staal and hot shot rook Jeff Skinner up front, the Canes are the one team to fear in this playoff race. With Carolina also hosting the Panthers tonight, they could be within five 48 hours from now.
In other words, the Rangers need to buckle down this week with a challenging back-to-back on the road that starts at Dallas and ends in St. Louis, who manhandled them earlier this season. And with the Cats ending the perfect 9-0 mark in the second of back-to-backs, it's time for John Tortorella's group to reestablish the success that's made them road warriors. Perhaps for the first time since he went down, they miss key ingredient Ryan Callahan. Losing Erik Christensen doesn't help either even if he's not steady. Ruslan Fedotenko left nicked up after blocking a shot yesterday. However, a healthy 1-12 up front is a team strength that's now being challenged with Dale Weise getting his second look.
There's no shame in losing to Tomas Vokoun, who plays in obscurity. However, sloppy play has crept up into the club's play and that trend can't continue this week. This is a very tough month ahead with next week proving to be no easier with two games versus the Habs sandwiched around the sizzling Canucks at MSG. In Week 3, they'll see the Canes again with the Flyers, Leafs and Thrashers on the horizon before concluding January with a back-to-back against rejuvenated Washington and Florida. Essentially, these next three weeks could determine what kind of year it will be for a team that's big on heart and low on skill. That means a few more goals off Gabby's stick.
In another piece of news, the Rangers sent down struggling defenseman Mike Del Zotto to Connecticut and recalled Ryan McDonagh. The big part of the Scott Gomez cap relief trade is 1-7-8 with a plus-one rating in 38 contests with the Whale. The 21 year-old defenseman who was originally selected by the Canadiens 12th overall in the '07 Draft gets to reunite with former Badger teammate Derek Stepan. With Gilroy sitting out last night, it looks like McD is set to make his NHL debut against Carolina. Unless Tortorella sits vet Michal Rozsival, Hobey looks to be the odd man out for now. Mike Sauer has gained the trust of the staff, rewarded with more responsibility.
For Del Zotto who a year ago took the city by storm with his electrifying rushes and whirlwind playmaking, it's been a sophomore slump. He's followed a 37-point (9-28-37 in 80 GP) '09-10 with only nine points (2-7-9) over 35 contests often looking timid. On the second Florida tally by one-time Blueshirt Christopher Higgins, he took himself out of the play entirely. Poor reads that have led to odd-man rushes and goals against like a Tyler Seguin crusher earlier have been the trend for a gifted player who must regain his confidence. Down in the 'A,' he'll get the chance to work on breaking the habits that have seen his game slip.
DZ is a big piece of the future. This is an important time in his young career. He's only 20 and we must remember that. Hopefully, the time spent with the Whale will benefit him, making the '08 first round pick a better player. In the mean time, this is a real test for the Rangers. We'll see if a few fresh faces are up to the challenge.
A day later, the Blueshirts were blanked by of all teams Florida 3-zip, making it one goal in their last six-plus periods. Something that must change when the red hot Hurricanes come to town Wednesday for a pivotal match. Carolina is making some headway, having reeled off three in a row to climb to 40 points- trailing eighth Montreal by five and us by seven. Boasting a star goalie Cam Ward in net and Eric Staal and hot shot rook Jeff Skinner up front, the Canes are the one team to fear in this playoff race. With Carolina also hosting the Panthers tonight, they could be within five 48 hours from now.
In other words, the Rangers need to buckle down this week with a challenging back-to-back on the road that starts at Dallas and ends in St. Louis, who manhandled them earlier this season. And with the Cats ending the perfect 9-0 mark in the second of back-to-backs, it's time for John Tortorella's group to reestablish the success that's made them road warriors. Perhaps for the first time since he went down, they miss key ingredient Ryan Callahan. Losing Erik Christensen doesn't help either even if he's not steady. Ruslan Fedotenko left nicked up after blocking a shot yesterday. However, a healthy 1-12 up front is a team strength that's now being challenged with Dale Weise getting his second look.
There's no shame in losing to Tomas Vokoun, who plays in obscurity. However, sloppy play has crept up into the club's play and that trend can't continue this week. This is a very tough month ahead with next week proving to be no easier with two games versus the Habs sandwiched around the sizzling Canucks at MSG. In Week 3, they'll see the Canes again with the Flyers, Leafs and Thrashers on the horizon before concluding January with a back-to-back against rejuvenated Washington and Florida. Essentially, these next three weeks could determine what kind of year it will be for a team that's big on heart and low on skill. That means a few more goals off Gabby's stick.
In another piece of news, the Rangers sent down struggling defenseman Mike Del Zotto to Connecticut and recalled Ryan McDonagh. The big part of the Scott Gomez cap relief trade is 1-7-8 with a plus-one rating in 38 contests with the Whale. The 21 year-old defenseman who was originally selected by the Canadiens 12th overall in the '07 Draft gets to reunite with former Badger teammate Derek Stepan. With Gilroy sitting out last night, it looks like McD is set to make his NHL debut against Carolina. Unless Tortorella sits vet Michal Rozsival, Hobey looks to be the odd man out for now. Mike Sauer has gained the trust of the staff, rewarded with more responsibility.
For Del Zotto who a year ago took the city by storm with his electrifying rushes and whirlwind playmaking, it's been a sophomore slump. He's followed a 37-point (9-28-37 in 80 GP) '09-10 with only nine points (2-7-9) over 35 contests often looking timid. On the second Florida tally by one-time Blueshirt Christopher Higgins, he took himself out of the play entirely. Poor reads that have led to odd-man rushes and goals against like a Tyler Seguin crusher earlier have been the trend for a gifted player who must regain his confidence. Down in the 'A,' he'll get the chance to work on breaking the habits that have seen his game slip.
DZ is a big piece of the future. This is an important time in his young career. He's only 20 and we must remember that. Hopefully, the time spent with the Whale will benefit him, making the '08 first round pick a better player. In the mean time, this is a real test for the Rangers. We'll see if a few fresh faces are up to the challenge.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Devils take one step forward, two back over New Year's weekend
Despite their loss on Wednesday to the Rangers, for the first time in weeks the Devils played a competitive game and Friday they followed that up with a nice 3-1 win over Atlanta where ex-Thrashers Johan Hedberg and Ilya Kovalchuk played key roles, with the latter getting a crucial breakaway goal late in the third period to sew it up, a rare good moment 5-on-5 this season for the one-time goalscoring threat. With those two games under their belt it looked like they were starting to make progress under Jacques Lemaire, who did caution that it would be a long process and pointed out that Atlanta was playing a second game in two nights on the road.
Lo and behold, the next night we would be the team playing a second game on the road, at Carolina of all places which is par for the course considering we always seem to travel there on the back end of two games in two nights. In less than fifteen minutes, the Devils proceeded to throw away whatever good came from the prior two games as they fell behind 4-0 with Martin Brodeur getting pulled in what seemed like record time (for him) after giving up three in the first eight minutes. Brodeur stormed off the ice and didn't talk to the media afterwards, in both respects very unlike the affable legend. Then again his play on the ice has been very un-Brodeur like this year, as his record stands at 5-18-1 with a 3.15 GAA and .882 save percentage and he's been pulled several times already this season.
Sure, a lot of the Devils' problems in allowing goals can be blamed on a green defense which includes players like Anssi Salmela, Matt Corrente and Mark Fayne who are simply not NHL players, to be kind. Overall backup Johan Hedberg's numbers aren't much better than Brodeur's, as he has a 5-7-1 record, 2.93 GAA and .899 save percentage although he's been strong in most of his limited starts, like the previous day against Atlanta. However Hedberg does seem to struggle in relief and actually got saddled with the loss in Carolina when the Devils put on a late spurt to get three goals in an eventual 6-3 loss.
That said, Brodeur's play has been disconcerting as he's allowed seemingly at least one bad goal a game. Not to mention for a player who's played in big games his whole NHL career, it's gotta be hard to get up the motivation at 38 years of age to just play out the string, especially after you have all the individual records and can't even chase that for motivation anymore. Whether Marty's disinterested, playing hurt (since he did miss the better part of a month with an 'elbow bruise') or just plain showing the effects of his age, it's clear time is running out for the eventual Hall of Famer in a figurative sense, though he'll surely finish out his contract and be here going into next year.
Not that he or the defense is alone in poor performances though, even though the offense finally managed to put together back-to-back three goal games, before that they'd scored a grand total of one goal in each of their prior six contests. Kovalchuk continues to be a dissapointment, bloating his plus-minus to a ghastly -28 while still being under double digits in goals. Sulking captain (who decided not to come out for the second star after a rare good game Friday) Jamie Langenbrunner has four goals and fourteen points in 30 games, with a -14 to go along with it.
And our power play, which ironically had been the only aspect of our game that had signs of life under John MacLean, has gone back to dreadful under Lemaire in no small part due to the fact that he's replaced Travis Zajac - one of the few forwards actually playing well - with Kovy as the power play quarterback. Also, despite spending most of the season getting significant time on the power play, David Clarkson has managed to not put up a single point on the man advantage.
If that wasn't enough bad news for Devil fans, more contreversy erupted last week when Brian Rolston was placed on re-entry waivers and still went unclaimed, despite the fact any team could have had him for only half of his $5 million cap hit. I admit being surprised that the Isles didn't put in a claim for him after trading James Wisniewski and just before also dumping Dwayne Roloson. Apparently they're still above the salary floor, but only because of bonuses (and likely not all of them will be hit). Either way, Rolston's been in limbo the last few days and is now starting to bellyache about it, complaining that GM Lou Lamoriello made a mistake by not fixing the cap situation before the season and bemoaned being the 'sacrificial lamb' of the team.
Well gee Brian, I might have a little more sympathy for you if you hadn't you know, sucked as a Devil. In his prior two seasons since returning as a FA signing, Rolston managed 32 points in 64 games and 37 in 80, hardly great numbers for a supposed top six forward making $5 million and this year's been his worst yet with two goals, three assists and a -12 in 21 games. Of course it has to be disconcerting to realize you're so bad teams won't even claim you at half your contract value. Yes I feel for the man's family, they have nothing to do with this and they're getting affected by his limbo status but that's it. He certainly doesn't deserve any personal sympathy.
At least the Devils could finally bring a dreadful 2010 to a close, which saw them go 30-42-8 in the calendar year, including last season's playoff exit. Obviously there'll be no playoffs this year but it would be nice to see a modicum of consistency and actually resembling an NHL team for more than a one or two-game stretch, followed by another seven games of awfulness. Incredibly, my Jets still have more wins than the Devils do (11-10).
Too bad 2011 began much the way 2010 stayed for most of the year, but the team's next chance to start taking steps forward comes Tuesday against the Wild.
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
As I sit here in this Huguenot Library, thoughts of the Islanders ending Sid The Kid's 25-game point streak are still fresh. Who'd have thought when I mentioned that the other day that it would be the once proud franchise which Sidney Crosby has victimized over and over that would finally put a halt to the streak and silence all the discussion prior to tomorrow's superhyped Winter Classic showdown versus Ovi's Caps?!?!?!?!?! Well, you know Mats Sundin is happy.
In all seriousness, it was a great run by the game's best player, propelling his Pens to the top of the league despite no games from Jordan Staal, who just might debut tomorrow in a unique setting at Heinz Field. Considering that the forecast calls for sub-50 temps with rain, there's still some doubt to whether it gets played. Does NBC shift it to tomorrow night or possibly Sunday? Per Twitter pal ScottyWazz, that's the window the network has for getting the 4th Annual Classic played. While Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been front and center in the greatest rivalry known to mankind, not one iota about the 2nd Hockey Heritage Game to be played in Alberta with Calgary hosting Vancouver. It doesn't seem right. Especially how little respect our Canadian franchises get despite overwhelming support.
We get the importance of the Classic, becoming a larger than life signature event where the NHL gets to showcase its best in a unique setting, the way hockey was meant to be played. I also understand why NBC would want the two biggest stars going head-to-head for a ratings bonanza when they're going up against college bowl games. Canadian eccentric DanoSpun has been up in arms over the shocking development that the game again features teams in American markets. But if you're NBC as Battle originator Steve Lepore has mentioned, you must do what's best ratings wise. Though for such a marquee event, I do believe that an All Original 6 between the Rangers and either the Canadiens or Maple Leafs would work due to the classic rivalry along with the game's popularity. It's gonna draw. Whether the Rangers, Devils or Islanders get the game is another story. Especially in light of the dismal response to a blizzard that dumped over two feet of the white stuff.
With both the Devils and Islanders having early New Year's Eve games to close out 2010, what are your New Year's resolutions? Let's take a look at our list:
1.Martin Brodeur-a time machine
2.Henrik Lundqvist-a punching bag
3.Rick DiPietro-esurance
4.Jacques Lemaire-Big League Chew
5.John Tortorella-his own HBO show "Fonz The Hockey Coach"
6.Jack Capuano-a healthy roster
7.Charles Wang-a new arena
8.Ilya Kovalchuk-a DVD of his Thrasher highlights along with a new stick
9.Marian Gaborik-goals
10.John Tavares-a healthy Kyle Okposo
11.Garth Snow-a guide to good PR
12.Glen Sather-a Cuban for not screwing up yet and an Al Montoya bobblehead
13.Lou Lamoriello-a lifetime supply of Smuckers
14.Sean Avery-relevancy
15.David Clarkson-a DVD of highlights from last year and Anti-Avery Anxiety Med
16.Chris Drury-spiked Kool Aid
17.Patrik Elias-DVD from '06 1st round
18.Ryan Callahan-a Superman cape
19.Zach Parise-a much healthier 2011 and a raise
20.Brian Boyle/Brandon Prust-co-stars in the real life hockey version of Twins
21.Mike Del Zotto-DVD of rookie year and Bobby Orr DVDs
22.Travis Zajac-Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner (ZZ Popps)
23.Mark Streit-make his season debut
24.Michal Grabner-more goals and a shout out to the Canucks for letting him go
25.Marc Staal/Dan Girardi-1st All-Star selections
26.Brandon Dubinsky-the creation of his own Dubi Dubi Doo line
27.Jason Arnott-Game 6 '00 SCF at Dallas
28.Kyle Okposo-some luck so he can finally breakout
29.Derek Stepan-the Calder Trophy
30.Mattias Tedenby-a center who can get him the puck
31.Michal Rozsival-Game 3 '07 Conf Semis vs Sabres along with shot tutor
32.Alex Frolov-a pep talk from Alexei Yashin and Valeri Kamensky
33.Derek Boogaard-a new chin and pair of pom poms
34.Dainius Zubrus-some hands to go with his heart
35.Islander fans-new owner who cares about on-ice product
36.Devil fans-'95, '00 and '03 DVDs along with Adam Larsson
37.Ranger fans-a free game for blizzard and a run to the Conference Finals
38.Gary Bettman-a voice therapist
39.Colin Campbell-Tom Cruise's Lt. Daniel Kaffee to grill him with Joe Pesci watching intently
40.Pierre McGuire-an iron trap sent from Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice character
41.NHL-HBO to cover a team entire season further illustrating why hockey is the best sport
42.WJC-for more people in The States to care about one of the greatest tournaments
43.Darren Pang-a photo op with Scott Hamilton and a chance to call the Stanley Cup
44.Kevin Weekes-a job with NBC
45.Jack Edwards-a bottle of Jack Daniels
46.Sam Rosen-Versus games during playoffs
47.Doc Emrick-a new book entitled, "Doc-Isms" featuring the unique terms he uses to describe our game
48.Howie Rose-a winning team and a press agent
49.Joe Micheletti-a full mirror
50.Chico Resch-a buffet along with role in hockey version of "Back To School"
In all seriousness, it was a great run by the game's best player, propelling his Pens to the top of the league despite no games from Jordan Staal, who just might debut tomorrow in a unique setting at Heinz Field. Considering that the forecast calls for sub-50 temps with rain, there's still some doubt to whether it gets played. Does NBC shift it to tomorrow night or possibly Sunday? Per Twitter pal ScottyWazz, that's the window the network has for getting the 4th Annual Classic played. While Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have been front and center in the greatest rivalry known to mankind, not one iota about the 2nd Hockey Heritage Game to be played in Alberta with Calgary hosting Vancouver. It doesn't seem right. Especially how little respect our Canadian franchises get despite overwhelming support.
We get the importance of the Classic, becoming a larger than life signature event where the NHL gets to showcase its best in a unique setting, the way hockey was meant to be played. I also understand why NBC would want the two biggest stars going head-to-head for a ratings bonanza when they're going up against college bowl games. Canadian eccentric DanoSpun has been up in arms over the shocking development that the game again features teams in American markets. But if you're NBC as Battle originator Steve Lepore has mentioned, you must do what's best ratings wise. Though for such a marquee event, I do believe that an All Original 6 between the Rangers and either the Canadiens or Maple Leafs would work due to the classic rivalry along with the game's popularity. It's gonna draw. Whether the Rangers, Devils or Islanders get the game is another story. Especially in light of the dismal response to a blizzard that dumped over two feet of the white stuff.
With both the Devils and Islanders having early New Year's Eve games to close out 2010, what are your New Year's resolutions? Let's take a look at our list:
1.Martin Brodeur-a time machine
2.Henrik Lundqvist-a punching bag
3.Rick DiPietro-esurance
4.Jacques Lemaire-Big League Chew
5.John Tortorella-his own HBO show "Fonz The Hockey Coach"
6.Jack Capuano-a healthy roster
7.Charles Wang-a new arena
8.Ilya Kovalchuk-a DVD of his Thrasher highlights along with a new stick
9.Marian Gaborik-goals
10.John Tavares-a healthy Kyle Okposo
11.Garth Snow-a guide to good PR
12.Glen Sather-a Cuban for not screwing up yet and an Al Montoya bobblehead
13.Lou Lamoriello-a lifetime supply of Smuckers
14.Sean Avery-relevancy
15.David Clarkson-a DVD of highlights from last year and Anti-Avery Anxiety Med
16.Chris Drury-spiked Kool Aid
17.Patrik Elias-DVD from '06 1st round
18.Ryan Callahan-a Superman cape
19.Zach Parise-a much healthier 2011 and a raise
20.Brian Boyle/Brandon Prust-co-stars in the real life hockey version of Twins
21.Mike Del Zotto-DVD of rookie year and Bobby Orr DVDs
22.Travis Zajac-Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner (ZZ Popps)
23.Mark Streit-make his season debut
24.Michal Grabner-more goals and a shout out to the Canucks for letting him go
25.Marc Staal/Dan Girardi-1st All-Star selections
26.Brandon Dubinsky-the creation of his own Dubi Dubi Doo line
27.Jason Arnott-Game 6 '00 SCF at Dallas
28.Kyle Okposo-some luck so he can finally breakout
29.Derek Stepan-the Calder Trophy
30.Mattias Tedenby-a center who can get him the puck
31.Michal Rozsival-Game 3 '07 Conf Semis vs Sabres along with shot tutor
32.Alex Frolov-a pep talk from Alexei Yashin and Valeri Kamensky
33.Derek Boogaard-a new chin and pair of pom poms
34.Dainius Zubrus-some hands to go with his heart
35.Islander fans-new owner who cares about on-ice product
36.Devil fans-'95, '00 and '03 DVDs along with Adam Larsson
37.Ranger fans-a free game for blizzard and a run to the Conference Finals
38.Gary Bettman-a voice therapist
39.Colin Campbell-Tom Cruise's Lt. Daniel Kaffee to grill him with Joe Pesci watching intently
40.Pierre McGuire-an iron trap sent from Michael Keaton's Beetlejuice character
41.NHL-HBO to cover a team entire season further illustrating why hockey is the best sport
42.WJC-for more people in The States to care about one of the greatest tournaments
43.Darren Pang-a photo op with Scott Hamilton and a chance to call the Stanley Cup
44.Kevin Weekes-a job with NBC
45.Jack Edwards-a bottle of Jack Daniels
46.Sam Rosen-Versus games during playoffs
47.Doc Emrick-a new book entitled, "Doc-Isms" featuring the unique terms he uses to describe our game
48.Howie Rose-a winning team and a press agent
49.Joe Micheletti-a full mirror
50.Chico Resch-a buffet along with role in hockey version of "Back To School"
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Devils best not enough in latest Hudson clash
They skated. They forechecked. They took shots. They finished checks. They got big saves. These are all traits that made the Devils one of the best teams in the game spanning two decades. Despite all that, it still didn't matter in their latest defeat- a tough 3-1 loss to the Hudson rival Rangers last night in Newark.
Maybe Jacques Lemaire finally got his team's attention because they were a different club in the latest installment of the Hudson. Even if the affable vet coach declared it wasn't a rivalry until his team started winning. Despite outshooting the Rangers by a healthy margin (44-25), they dropped their sixth straight in the traditional carnival atmosphere at The Rock.
After outshooting the Rangers 16-5 in the first, the rejuvenated Devils continued to pour it on. However, Lundqvist was equal to the task stopping them in their tracks. Eventually, his strong play allowed teammates to settle in. Once they did, it became a really intense game with both netminders called upon to make strong saves. As fate would have it, it was an innocent looking shot that doomed New Jersey. Off a faceoff win by rookie Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky came around the net and dished for a cutting Michal Rozsival, whose one-timer deflected off Devil defenseman Andy Greene and in. It was heading wide but the unfortunate bounce was the latest sequence to beDevil their close rival.
“That’s par for the course for this year,” Brodeur said after the harmless shot went off Greene's arm for the bitter decider. “Just another bad goal, a bad bounce to bad us.”
The third was a battle from start to finish with each team going after each other like a couple of boxers. Speaking of which, it was prior to Rozsival's tally that Boyle fought Dainius Zubrus following a scrum. That was the turning point for the Blueshirts, who still drew praise from John Tortorella about how this team finds a way even when things aren't going well. In the final 20, nobody had to tell them what to do with the penalty kill coming up big three different times. Lundqvist finally got help with Boyle and do everything linemate Brandon Prust making life miserable for Ilya Kovalchuk. Marc Staal was strong, clearing numerous pucks out.
The Rangers had a big opportunity to put it away when Arnott took an extra for unsportsmanlike following a hold. To the Devils' credit, they did a good job killing it off with much more aggressive play than we've seen. On one shift, Henrik Tallinder had more positives than the entire season. Brodeur still had to make a couple of critical stops during the second half and also caught a break when Matt Gilroy's laser rang off the crossbar. Speaking of Gilroy, he had another strong game- looking particularly dangerous after Tortorella stuck him out for power play shifts.
Still nursing a 2-1 lead, the Rangers protected it well with strong play in the neutral zone. It was on the cycle that Chris Drury got nabbed for holding, giving the Devils one last chance to tie it. It was the Ranger PK which got the job done, albeit with a little help from the post after Lundqvist sprawled out to deny a pointblank chance- leaving Arnott looking to the heavens.
Tortorella used a timeout with over a minute left to stick Boyle, Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko out along with Staal and Dan Girardi. The sound strategy paid off with the Devils unable to get a sniff. Artem Anisimov and Dubinsky were out for the final shift, breaking up plays and forcing the Devs to go offside. Finally, Dubinsky salted it away off an Anisimov draw at center ice, sending his team best 16th into the open net with six seconds to spare.
"We knew that they had their struggles this year, but they’re still capable of turning it on,” said Dubinsky. “We didn’t want it to be against us. We expected them to come out hard. We can’t play our best every night, but with Hank back there, we found a way to steal this one.”
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (career high 14th goal, game best 6 SOG, fight)
2nd Star-Martin Brodeur, NJD (23 saves incl.11/12 in 2nd)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (season best 43 saves incl.20/20 in 2nd)
Maybe Jacques Lemaire finally got his team's attention because they were a different club in the latest installment of the Hudson. Even if the affable vet coach declared it wasn't a rivalry until his team started winning. Despite outshooting the Rangers by a healthy margin (44-25), they dropped their sixth straight in the traditional carnival atmosphere at The Rock.
It's been that kind of year for the Devils, whose anemic offense contributed to getting John MacLean fired. Despite a plethora of chances, they could only muster one goal on Henrik Lundqvist, who kept his teammates afloat finishing with a season high 43 saves. That included 20 stops in a busy second that saw the Devs at one point lead in shots 32-12 before the Rangers picked it up.
“There were a lot of positives,” a frustrated Jason Arnott expressed after narrowly missing a potential tying tally with over two minutes left. “We played hard. It just didn’t go our way. We started doing more things that Jacques has been telling us and it paid off. If we play like that, we are going to win hockey games.”
“It feels better than playing well and losing,” said Lundqvist after his team improved to a league best 13-6-0 on the road. “As the game went on, I felt better and felt I had a chance to get to everything. I knew that in no way it was going to be an easy game. They’re not a bad team, despite their record.”A couple of days removed from dominating the Islanders with a season best 52 shots, the Blueshirts saw the tables turned with a hungrier Devil club getting an early Travis Zajac goal while taking seven of the first eight shots. Zajac got to a loose Mattias Tedenby rebound scoring his second in three games. The No.1 center has had a rough season since losing linemate Zach Parise but has points in four of his last five- playing a strong game yesterday. But before they blinked, Brian Boyle responded with his 14th caroming off Martin Brodeur's glove to tie it 47 seconds later.
After outshooting the Rangers 16-5 in the first, the rejuvenated Devils continued to pour it on. However, Lundqvist was equal to the task stopping them in their tracks. Eventually, his strong play allowed teammates to settle in. Once they did, it became a really intense game with both netminders called upon to make strong saves. As fate would have it, it was an innocent looking shot that doomed New Jersey. Off a faceoff win by rookie Derek Stepan, Brandon Dubinsky came around the net and dished for a cutting Michal Rozsival, whose one-timer deflected off Devil defenseman Andy Greene and in. It was heading wide but the unfortunate bounce was the latest sequence to beDevil their close rival.
“That’s par for the course for this year,” Brodeur said after the harmless shot went off Greene's arm for the bitter decider. “Just another bad goal, a bad bounce to bad us.”
The third was a battle from start to finish with each team going after each other like a couple of boxers. Speaking of which, it was prior to Rozsival's tally that Boyle fought Dainius Zubrus following a scrum. That was the turning point for the Blueshirts, who still drew praise from John Tortorella about how this team finds a way even when things aren't going well. In the final 20, nobody had to tell them what to do with the penalty kill coming up big three different times. Lundqvist finally got help with Boyle and do everything linemate Brandon Prust making life miserable for Ilya Kovalchuk. Marc Staal was strong, clearing numerous pucks out.
The Rangers had a big opportunity to put it away when Arnott took an extra for unsportsmanlike following a hold. To the Devils' credit, they did a good job killing it off with much more aggressive play than we've seen. On one shift, Henrik Tallinder had more positives than the entire season. Brodeur still had to make a couple of critical stops during the second half and also caught a break when Matt Gilroy's laser rang off the crossbar. Speaking of Gilroy, he had another strong game- looking particularly dangerous after Tortorella stuck him out for power play shifts.
Still nursing a 2-1 lead, the Rangers protected it well with strong play in the neutral zone. It was on the cycle that Chris Drury got nabbed for holding, giving the Devils one last chance to tie it. It was the Ranger PK which got the job done, albeit with a little help from the post after Lundqvist sprawled out to deny a pointblank chance- leaving Arnott looking to the heavens.
Tortorella used a timeout with over a minute left to stick Boyle, Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko out along with Staal and Dan Girardi. The sound strategy paid off with the Devils unable to get a sniff. Artem Anisimov and Dubinsky were out for the final shift, breaking up plays and forcing the Devs to go offside. Finally, Dubinsky salted it away off an Anisimov draw at center ice, sending his team best 16th into the open net with six seconds to spare.
"We knew that they had their struggles this year, but they’re still capable of turning it on,” said Dubinsky. “We didn’t want it to be against us. We expected them to come out hard. We can’t play our best every night, but with Hank back there, we found a way to steal this one.”
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (career high 14th goal, game best 6 SOG, fight)
2nd Star-Martin Brodeur, NJD (23 saves incl.11/12 in 2nd)
1st Star-Henrik Lundqvist, NYR (season best 43 saves incl.20/20 in 2nd)
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Blizzard a cold reminder of what really matters
"I'll be home for Christmas," never seemed more appropriate for most of the Northeast than the day after Santa delivered goodies for everyone. Well, unless you were Jewish. While many of us were celebrating this special time of year at home with family and friends, it was business as usual for our hockey teams.
For the Islanders and Devils, that meant braving the naughty weather to play a game in Newark before many empties on just a brutal Sunday you won't soon forget. Whether it was watching the two New York (New Jersey) football teams drive you nuts though at least for Hasan there was better news on the way, or dealing with the more than predicted snow that dumped over two feet in our area, it wasn't the best of times. Especially for the New York Sanitation department who were blindsided, making it a miserable few days for most. Here in Staten Island, we got 30 inches or roughly an identical amount to the great '96 storm that saw school canceled for a week. What I remember most is having to wake up early the next day with Dad and somehow put together Sunday papers in my old stomping grounds. We managed.
Tell that to the Islanders who had to play consecutive days following the monstrosity- traveling on bus to Madison Square Garden for a Monday game against their archrival Rangers. A night removed from dealing the Devils another forgettable loss, they managed alright playing to a 2-2 tie in a seesaw first which saw Henrik Lundqvist turn into Mister Softee. Never a term any goalie wants to be associated with. Never the less, the franchise Blueshirt netminder recovered, stoning John Tavares with the game still knotted despite a flurry of activity for counterpart Dwayne Roloson. Perhaps the seasoned vet finally succumbed to a 34-8 barrage the final 40 minutes as his weary teammates had, finally losing their legs and wits from a sleepless journey. It probably explained Matt Gilroy's knuckler sinking under Rollie followed by Selke candidate Brian Boyle's harmless backhand that we've seen Lundqvist allow more than he should.
Despite John Tortorella's legit point about his team being sloppy in the middle stanza, the third may as well have been Roloson hit by heavy snow flakes. Rangers drifted everywhere as the poor affable goalie was left to fend for himself. There was little he could do as Derek Stepan improved his Calder candidacy followed by Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko. It all added up to a 7-2 blowout with the Rangers registering 52 shots to the Isles' 20.
Pretty predictable considering the trying circumstances for a franchise that continues to have bad luck. Even top prospects like Calvin de Haan and Brock Nelson are leaving World Junior games hurt, adding to a list that's seen Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo out all year with franchise goalie Rick DiPietro once again playing Bill Murray's recurring role as Phil in Groundhog Day. Or in this extreme case, Scrooged. Another Murray classic. 'Tis the season.
With the club off, yesterday Garth Snow made a move sending defenseman James Wisniewski to Montreal for an '11 second round pick and conditional sixth. So, the well traveled blueliner moves again with the Islanders getting good value back. At least they got a day off before hosting Sidney Crosby and the Pens tonight at The Coliseum. Not much of a reward with Sid The Kid continuing his assault on the league, extending his point streak to 25 in a row with a two-goal, two assist performance in a 6-3 win over the Thrashers. During the amazing run that's the longest since Mats Sundin hit 30 with Quebec, the league's leading scorer has tallied 26 goals and 22 assists- sparking Pittsburgh to a 19-5-1 record atop the standings with an NHL best 52 points. Mission impossible it would seem for the Islanders.
Considering what they've been through already, at least it will be a return to normalcy. Something we all can relate to with streets finally being cleared. A chance to get back to our busy lives in time for the New Year. It could always be a lot worse. Something Long Island native Matt Gilroy noted in the MSG postgame when asked about how he's handled being out of the Ranger lineup, pointedly remarking how he visited a sick child at a hospital for Christmas. Keeping proper perspective, the former Hobey winner knows he has it good, getting to play the coolest game on Earth.
We aren't sick or cold, have roofs over our heads, food on our plate and also get to watch our favorite teams play hockey, cheering them. Next time, warm the spirit of someone who doesn't have it so good.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Rolston assigned to Albany, likely to be put on re-entry waivers soon
If the Devils' nightmare of a season has become boring on-ice, it's getting interesting off it once again after today's announcement that winger Brian Rolston would be assigned to Albany with the intention on exposing him to re-entry waivers. Once Rolston reports to Albany he can be placed on re-entry waivers starting tomorrow at noon. If Rolston is claimed on re-entry, it would allow the team taking him to only be responsible for half the cap hit and salary on the 37-year old's $5,062,000 contract for the remainder of this season and next year.
Clearly his on-ice production this season (two goals, three assists and a -12 in 21 games) didn't merit anyone taking him off the initial waivers but perhaps someone will take a flyer on a former 30-goal scorer at half the price. If not, then the Devils have a decision to make - either keep him off the team and banish him to Albany or put him back on the Devils' roster. Either way, the Devils would be responsible for the full cap hit since Rolston signed his contract at the age of 35+.
Personally I wouldn't mind just leaving him in Albany for the year and trying to trade him as an expiring contract this offseason to a team like the Islanders that might need his salary to get above the floor, especially since with the uncertainty over Bryce Salvador ever returning and the latest setback on Zach Parise (he won't be skating until early March) it doesn't seem like the Devils even need to make a move to get under the cap this year at all. That said, I can understand just ending the Rolston saga now and Lou not wanting to send a two-time Devil to the minors outright. Having an additional $2.5 million of dead cap space next year isn't ideal but with the cap increasing and salaries coming off the books it can be managed, assuming Rolston does eventually get claimed.
Speaking of the Islanders, perhaps a strong clue to Rolston's next destination came today when the Isles traded defenseman James Wisniewski to the Canadiens for second and fifth-round picks. They're gonna need to replace his $3.125 million salary just to stay above the cap floor so anyone can predict the next logical step, especially with the Isles being first on the waiver claim list among the other 29 NHL teams.
Replacing Rolston in the lineup is a familiar face - Vladimir Zharkov - who was a Devil for some forty games last year and earned the distinction of doing all the 'little' things right (forechecking, backchecking, drawing penalties) except putting the puck in the net, which he still hasn't done in his NHL career. The young Russian is clearly a Jacques Lemaire favorite though since for some reason he was banished in Albany as career minor-leaguers like Stephen Gionta and Tim Sestito were called up before him by prior coach John MacLean, but after two games in Lemaire's return behind the bench 'Zharky' is back too.
Also, some contreversy was caused by the league's decision to play Sunday night's home game against the Toronto Maple Leafs (another desultory 4-1 loss) despite a blinding snowstorm that paralyzed the East Coast for two days - even shutting down a football game in Philadelphia! Various reports have anywhere from 2500 to 3000 fans braving the weather Sunday night and showing up for another dreadful loss where the Devils fell behind 3-0 by the end of the second period against the 28th place team in the NHL, one game after losing 5-1 to the 29th place team. Officially the attendance was listed as 5500, but who really knows.
I'm surprised it was even that high to be honest. I wasn't one of the crazy souls that risked life, limb and NJ Transit delays to show up to a Sunday night game between two last-place teams. Not when this storm was big enough to cause the entire state to shut down the next day. Even the players had a hard time getting out of the arena that night, with the Leafs' team bus getting stuck on the road, not to mention Devils Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac literally having to spend the night in Elias's car when they got stuck on 280 West. Fellow Devils Rod Pelley and Jason Arnott managed to get home really late at night - 2:30 for Pelley (who also helped other stranded motorists on the road Sunday night) and 4 AM for Arnott. A bemused Zajac had this to say about his strange night:
“This wouldn’t have happened in Winnipeg,” said Zajac, a Winnipeg native. “The entire state doesn’t shut down because of a little snow. We kind of got stuck a little bit. (Route) 280 got shut down and we were stuck in the middle of it when it happened. So, it was something where we couldn’t go anywhere and just slept in the car until 7 (a.m.).”
I understand why the game was played, NHL rules state that if both teams are in town on gameday then the game must go on but in the future maybe that rule should be amended a little, at least when you're dealing with a night game and all the potential problems that could ensue from train delays and road closings. I mean how much of an inconvenience can it really be to reschedule a December game with all of the off days built into the NHL season? Baseball has to reschedule dozens of games a year with far fewer off days to work with.
Then again, the NFL and Eagles got made fun of by mayor Ed Rendell for moving their Sunday night game to Tuesday, in part because of fan safety concerns. So maybe you can't win either way but there's got to be some way to have better safeguards in for the fans, players and arena workers. Particularly the latter two groups since they have to be there, fans really don't - they have a choice to not deal with the weather.
To their credit at least the Devils allowed the fans who were in attendance to sit in the lower bowl from early in the second period on, and also gave everyone with tickets - whether they were there or not - the option to exchange them for freebees to a future game this month (either next Tuesday or Sunday when we play the Wild and Lightning or on the 23rd against the Panthers). Even if that isn't particularly useful to season ticket holders who already have tickets it's more than they offered last year for a snowstorm against the Flyers, when you only got discounted prices to one of three upcoming games.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Rangers OutBolted in shootout
It took 11 rounds to decide. Unfortunately for the Rangers, they couldn't send the home crowd totally happy for the holidays. Despite a highlight reel game tying goal by impressive rookie Derek Stepan, who somehow managed to tuck a puck past Dan Ellis with little wiggle room, the MSG hosts couldn't get that one big shot or save needed to win the shootout- falling 4-3 to the Bolts.
Their second consecutive loss (0-1-1) against a top eight seed though disappointing, wasn't that bad. Not when you consider that the Blueshirts dictated most of the match with a consistent forecheck, outshooting the Lightning 37-24. Credit Ellis, who outplayed Henrik Lundqvist to the tune of 34 saves and one more stop in the skill competition for giving Tampa Bay their second straight win over Gotham in the season series. Not that it's a rip at our goalie who for the most part, was solid despite just 21 saves, including a few money stops in sudden death on Steven Stamkos, Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Remarkably, it was Victor Hedman, former Ranger Adam Hall and shootout hero Ryan Malone who solved King Henrik in only his second shootout. The club's third this season. A sharp contrast from recent years where they relied too much on it.
The game also marked the debut of 23 year-old Norwegian Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. John Tortorella didn't shy away from playing MZA, starting him on the top line with Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky, who was instrumental in setting up the big goal that earned our club a point. Dubi played a strong game, around the puck on both sides making solid defensive reads against Bolt duo Stamkos and St. Louis late in regulation. As for Zuccarello who got nearly 18 minutes, he drew high marks from a pleased Tort who had a good chuckle when the gifted Olympian pulled off a triple deke to keep the shootout alive. MZA used his superb skating and skill to generate chances, including a shot from the left circle late which Ellis gloved. Despite his St. Louis-esque frame, the mighty mite didn't back down, even having a classic staredown with Hedman, who looked like a giant next to him. That kinda fight will benefit Zucc, who goes back down to Hartford to play the day after Christmas. It isn't known when he'll return due to the roster which largely depends on Marian Gaborik.
The club which has proven they can win without him played well enough to win. But a couple of mistakes wound up in their net from Stamkos and St. Louis. The Blueshirts fought back, scoring their two goals in 12 seconds off the sticks of Ruslan Fedotenko and resurgent Alex Frolov who finally seems to be getting it. With the game still tied late in the second, Lecavalier steered Tampa in front when he escaped a check to put home Pavel Kubina's feed. With Ellis standing tall, it looked like the Lightning would hold on. But Dubinsky and Stepan had other ideas, combining on the tying goal. A Matt Gilroy dump was turned over by a Bolt, allowing Dubi to free the puck and pass across to an open Stepan, who managed to tuck it in using the net and sliding it across the right post just passed the red line. A very poised play by the emerging Calder candidate. Our team doesn't score many great goals but that one should make NHL Network's Plays Of The Week just for the dynamic skill alone. Plus it came at a crucial moment.
Neither team could get another past either netminder with Lundqvist making two strong denials on Teddy Purcell late, forcing overtime. The four-on-four was exciting but both goalies showcased their skills forcing extras. Hedman (hi glove) and Erik Christensen (ridiculous Jussi Jokinen backhand deke tuck assisted by laughing Martin Biron) split a pair early. Then Hall beat Lundqvist stick side. A Stepan miss forced Henrik to keep the Lightning from making it three-for-three, setting the stage for Zuccarello. MZA didn't disappoint coming in fast before deking forehand, backhand, forehand putting it home with little real estate. A tremendous move which had Tort showing a rare grin. The goalies then took over with too many players going for moves instead of shots. Especially our guys who maybe got caught up in what our more skilled shooters did. Even Michal Rozsival tried a backhand deke. Gilroy also did but was rejected. Marc Staal's try was worse. Finally, Malone went conventional taking advantage of Lundqvist hanging in his crease- firing a perfect laser off the crossbar and in, allowing excited teammates to pour off the bench and mob him.
It was a well played game with only two minors. The Rangers see the Lightning again on New Year's Day following the Winter Classic. They'll hope the third time's a charm against the more skilled team they're battling for playoff position.
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Artem Anisimov, Rangers (assisted on Frolov goal and played most spirited game)
2nd Star-Derek Stepan, Rangers (tying goal-10th of season forcing extras)
1st Star-Dan Ellis, Bolts (34 saves, 9/11 in shootout)
Their second consecutive loss (0-1-1) against a top eight seed though disappointing, wasn't that bad. Not when you consider that the Blueshirts dictated most of the match with a consistent forecheck, outshooting the Lightning 37-24. Credit Ellis, who outplayed Henrik Lundqvist to the tune of 34 saves and one more stop in the skill competition for giving Tampa Bay their second straight win over Gotham in the season series. Not that it's a rip at our goalie who for the most part, was solid despite just 21 saves, including a few money stops in sudden death on Steven Stamkos, Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Remarkably, it was Victor Hedman, former Ranger Adam Hall and shootout hero Ryan Malone who solved King Henrik in only his second shootout. The club's third this season. A sharp contrast from recent years where they relied too much on it.
The game also marked the debut of 23 year-old Norwegian Mats Zuccarello-Aasen. John Tortorella didn't shy away from playing MZA, starting him on the top line with Stepan and Brandon Dubinsky, who was instrumental in setting up the big goal that earned our club a point. Dubi played a strong game, around the puck on both sides making solid defensive reads against Bolt duo Stamkos and St. Louis late in regulation. As for Zuccarello who got nearly 18 minutes, he drew high marks from a pleased Tort who had a good chuckle when the gifted Olympian pulled off a triple deke to keep the shootout alive. MZA used his superb skating and skill to generate chances, including a shot from the left circle late which Ellis gloved. Despite his St. Louis-esque frame, the mighty mite didn't back down, even having a classic staredown with Hedman, who looked like a giant next to him. That kinda fight will benefit Zucc, who goes back down to Hartford to play the day after Christmas. It isn't known when he'll return due to the roster which largely depends on Marian Gaborik.
The club which has proven they can win without him played well enough to win. But a couple of mistakes wound up in their net from Stamkos and St. Louis. The Blueshirts fought back, scoring their two goals in 12 seconds off the sticks of Ruslan Fedotenko and resurgent Alex Frolov who finally seems to be getting it. With the game still tied late in the second, Lecavalier steered Tampa in front when he escaped a check to put home Pavel Kubina's feed. With Ellis standing tall, it looked like the Lightning would hold on. But Dubinsky and Stepan had other ideas, combining on the tying goal. A Matt Gilroy dump was turned over by a Bolt, allowing Dubi to free the puck and pass across to an open Stepan, who managed to tuck it in using the net and sliding it across the right post just passed the red line. A very poised play by the emerging Calder candidate. Our team doesn't score many great goals but that one should make NHL Network's Plays Of The Week just for the dynamic skill alone. Plus it came at a crucial moment.
Neither team could get another past either netminder with Lundqvist making two strong denials on Teddy Purcell late, forcing overtime. The four-on-four was exciting but both goalies showcased their skills forcing extras. Hedman (hi glove) and Erik Christensen (ridiculous Jussi Jokinen backhand deke tuck assisted by laughing Martin Biron) split a pair early. Then Hall beat Lundqvist stick side. A Stepan miss forced Henrik to keep the Lightning from making it three-for-three, setting the stage for Zuccarello. MZA didn't disappoint coming in fast before deking forehand, backhand, forehand putting it home with little real estate. A tremendous move which had Tort showing a rare grin. The goalies then took over with too many players going for moves instead of shots. Especially our guys who maybe got caught up in what our more skilled shooters did. Even Michal Rozsival tried a backhand deke. Gilroy also did but was rejected. Marc Staal's try was worse. Finally, Malone went conventional taking advantage of Lundqvist hanging in his crease- firing a perfect laser off the crossbar and in, allowing excited teammates to pour off the bench and mob him.
It was a well played game with only two minors. The Rangers see the Lightning again on New Year's Day following the Winter Classic. They'll hope the third time's a charm against the more skilled team they're battling for playoff position.
BONY 3 Stars:
3rd Star-Artem Anisimov, Rangers (assisted on Frolov goal and played most spirited game)
2nd Star-Derek Stepan, Rangers (tying goal-10th of season forcing extras)
1st Star-Dan Ellis, Bolts (34 saves, 9/11 in shootout)
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Devils fire MacLean, bring back Lemaire and get humiliated by the Isles
If I haven't already had it with everyone and everything associated with the 2010-11 Devils tonight was definitely the tipping point. Or rather this entire twelve-hour stretch which saw the Devils fire John MacLean, re-hire Jacques Lemaire for the third time and then get embarassed by the lowly Isles for the second time this season, dropping into sole possession of last place in the entire NHL. And for the coup de grace, word on Zach Parise is he won't even begin skating till March and might not come back at all this season. All of this in twelve hours, and this 5-1 loss coming on the heels of successive 7-1 and 5-1 defeats. Even AHL teams would be more competitive at this point.
Where to begin, well might as well begin with the predictable sacking of MacLean. It was only a question of when at this point, given the Devils' hideous record and MacLean's own inability to show any emotion or get his team to play any semblance of a system. I admit I had no use for him as a coach, and I'm not going to get all indignant about firing the man two days before Christmas. Yeah, it looks bad from a PR standpoint and brought back memories of the Jets sacking Joe Walton two days before Christmas way back when but let's be honest, everyday people get laid off around the holidays all the time. I figured it would happen at the end of the year when you could get a long-term replacement in here but if management wants to make a move based on the fact that we have six home games coming up in the next fifteen days and you want to appease the fans somewhat (along with the fact we'd fallen into last place as of this morning), well whatever.
What rubbed me the wrong way about this firing is once again a coach gets changed before any players get fired. WHEN IN GOD'S NAME IS LOU GOING TO START FIRING PLAYERS?!?!?! If he had even just traded someone like a Jamie Langenbrunner before making this move I'd be all in favor of it but without changing any of the players it comes off as more 'status quo', Lou's stock answer for most of this offseason when asked about the Ilya Kovalchuk saga. How many coaches does this group get to fire? In the last thirty years of professional sports, the Devils are literally the most unstable head coaching job, with an average of 1.2 years for each Devils bench boss. And most of that has been with Lou Lamoriello as the GM.
Not to mention Lou's replacement was Lemaire, the same coach who had been run off by this group just several months ago after the team played disinterested in most of the last four months of the season, specifically the playoffs. This same group that tuned him out is all of a sudden going to listen to him again?! Having Lemaire back in the same room with our 'captain' is just asking for disaster after all the problems that existed between the two last year. Yeah I know Lemaire will bring more of a structure than Johnny Mac and at least cares enough to yell at the refs or his team unlike our former coach but come on. This is just taking a bad situation and making it worse.
Just look at how the Devils responded to the firing tonight, with a disinterested first period against the league's second-worst team that saw them fall behind 3-0 with only three shots on net for the majority of the period. Apparently someone snapped in the locker room during the first intermission cause the Devils came out and actually gave effort (for the most part) the rest of the game, outshooting the Isles 32-6 in the last 40+ minutes. Of course the Devils being the Devils, the margin of defeat actually increased as they gave up a ridiculous shorthanded goal in the second period with hideous backchecking by Kovalchuk, who threw Josh Bailey right into goaltender Martin Brodeur, leaving a loose puck and a wide-open net for Frans Nielsen to put in a backbreaking shorthanded goal, just when it looked as if we might turn the momentum after Travis Zajac's early second-period tally.
To say the fans were on edge is putting it mildly...the boos for the team after their wonderful first period started with twenty seconds left. Marty was getting a ton of Bronx cheers after allowing the three in the first period (to go along with four in less than half a game in Atlanta and five against the Caps) and even Kovy was getting booed after his bad play on the shorthanded goal, and with expectations not even being close to met for the $100 million player offensively. Kovy's only impressive number is a negative one - a league worst -24 on the season. I wigged out on our captain after his hideous giveaway led to the Isles' first goal by Bailey, barely three minutes into the game. He looked uninspired by the coaching change, big surprise. Even Brodeur looked disinterested at times, allowing a couple of bad goals and making some Brett Favre-like who cares passes late in the game.
For his part, Lemaire was befuddled at the team's struggles.
“It looked like they had lost their ability to play the game, which is very strange,” Lemaire said after watching the Devils lose their fourth straight game and for the ninth time in the last 10. “I have never seen this in the past. Never.”
Join the club, Sherlock. At least he seems to understand the one thing that is definitely missing from the team right now:
“There is one thing that we can take care of and that is we are going to work,” Lemaire said. “I felt and I could see that it was hard because they had something else, that (look of) defeat that they have right now. I am not a psychologist but I can see things, I feel things. I could feel it.”
Recognizing that and actually getting a group that for the most part hasn't played hard in a year to do so are two different things. Until that happens, things are only going to keep getting worse before they get better.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Gaborik out tomorrow, Zuccarello up
Given how Marian Gaborik's played lately, something had to be wrong. Regardless of all the line combinations John Tortorella tried to get the star sniper untracked, he wasn't going. Aside from two hat tricks this season, Gabby's only scored in three other games for his nine goal total. Hardly the kind of consistent production you expect from one of the game's most lethal scorers.
As it turns out, Gaborik may have been playing hurt. He's already been ruled out for tomorrow's pre-Christmas showdown with Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and a Lightning club that's visiting Long Island a couple of hours from now. Taking his place will be Olympic standout Mats Zuccarello-Aasen who the club signed over the summer. The diminitive winger started the year with the new Connecticut Whale (formerly Hartford Wolfpack), getting out slowly. However, he's finally adjusted to the North American style and recently was on a tear, hiking his season totals to 13 goals, 10 assists and 23 points. So, the speedy 23 year-old Norwegian gets his shot. He does resemble St. Louis in size and style. Whether or not he plays like him remains to be seen.
Either way, we're about to find out what MZA can do. Who does Tort start him off with? Alex Frolov has been revitalized since playing with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. The enigmatic Russian set up a nice goal off hard work behind the net, dishing off for rookie Derek Stepan's ninth in a 4-1 loss to division rival Philly. Perhaps he sticks with D-Step and say Sean Avery, who needs more ice-time with Ryan Callahan out till February at the earliest. I'd keep Brandon Dubinsky with Artem Anisimov but aren't sure who should join them. If you put Ruslan Fedotenko on the top line, then maybe Avery since he mixes it up. But he plays the left side just like Dubi. So, probably no go. Do they try Zuccarello there? It seems like a risk but that line must produce. There's size, skill and speed.
I wouldn't mind seeing Tort try MZA with Boyle and Prust since their size and strength should benefit him, making it a good fit. Those are our energizers who seem to work well with anyone. Why not give it a shot? But where does that leave Erik Christensen? Simply put, you can't have Christy and D-Step together because they both play the same position. Plus there's also Chris Drury and Christmas ornament Todd White. It wouldn't be fair to either Dru or Christy if their ice-time is reduced. Ditto Avery, who's the whipping boy.
While we're on the subject of our roster, it looks like Mike Del Zotto could be riding the pine Thursday. He had a dreadful showing Saturday, committing two mistakes that led to goals against- finishing minus-three. What has to be remembered is that this is a 20 year-old defenseman in Year Two. As much as I've been on his case, the Blueshirts have to be careful how they handle MDZ. It's been a tough year for the former '08 first rounder, who's registered just two goals and seven assists for nine points but has an Even rating. It's not that he isn't trying. The 71 hits and 58 blocks attest to the young blueliner's competitiveness. He hasn't looked confident with the puck, forcing diagonal passes that get picked off and fumbling the puck at the point leading to shorthanded odd-man rushes.
I've maintained that Matt Gilroy has looked better recently and deserves another chance. Why Tort won't give him a go on at least the second power play unit remains a mystery. Sure. They've gotten surprising results from top tandem Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. But the lack of a true quarterback has haunted this club since Brian Leetch left. Our guess is Michal Rozsival gets first crack with D-Step.
If anything, tomorrow's game should be more interesting. And right before the post-Christmas Garden confrontation with the Islanders.
As it turns out, Gaborik may have been playing hurt. He's already been ruled out for tomorrow's pre-Christmas showdown with Steven Stamkos, Martin St. Louis and a Lightning club that's visiting Long Island a couple of hours from now. Taking his place will be Olympic standout Mats Zuccarello-Aasen who the club signed over the summer. The diminitive winger started the year with the new Connecticut Whale (formerly Hartford Wolfpack), getting out slowly. However, he's finally adjusted to the North American style and recently was on a tear, hiking his season totals to 13 goals, 10 assists and 23 points. So, the speedy 23 year-old Norwegian gets his shot. He does resemble St. Louis in size and style. Whether or not he plays like him remains to be seen.
Either way, we're about to find out what MZA can do. Who does Tort start him off with? Alex Frolov has been revitalized since playing with Brian Boyle and Brandon Prust. The enigmatic Russian set up a nice goal off hard work behind the net, dishing off for rookie Derek Stepan's ninth in a 4-1 loss to division rival Philly. Perhaps he sticks with D-Step and say Sean Avery, who needs more ice-time with Ryan Callahan out till February at the earliest. I'd keep Brandon Dubinsky with Artem Anisimov but aren't sure who should join them. If you put Ruslan Fedotenko on the top line, then maybe Avery since he mixes it up. But he plays the left side just like Dubi. So, probably no go. Do they try Zuccarello there? It seems like a risk but that line must produce. There's size, skill and speed.
I wouldn't mind seeing Tort try MZA with Boyle and Prust since their size and strength should benefit him, making it a good fit. Those are our energizers who seem to work well with anyone. Why not give it a shot? But where does that leave Erik Christensen? Simply put, you can't have Christy and D-Step together because they both play the same position. Plus there's also Chris Drury and Christmas ornament Todd White. It wouldn't be fair to either Dru or Christy if their ice-time is reduced. Ditto Avery, who's the whipping boy.
While we're on the subject of our roster, it looks like Mike Del Zotto could be riding the pine Thursday. He had a dreadful showing Saturday, committing two mistakes that led to goals against- finishing minus-three. What has to be remembered is that this is a 20 year-old defenseman in Year Two. As much as I've been on his case, the Blueshirts have to be careful how they handle MDZ. It's been a tough year for the former '08 first rounder, who's registered just two goals and seven assists for nine points but has an Even rating. It's not that he isn't trying. The 71 hits and 58 blocks attest to the young blueliner's competitiveness. He hasn't looked confident with the puck, forcing diagonal passes that get picked off and fumbling the puck at the point leading to shorthanded odd-man rushes.
I've maintained that Matt Gilroy has looked better recently and deserves another chance. Why Tort won't give him a go on at least the second power play unit remains a mystery. Sure. They've gotten surprising results from top tandem Marc Staal and Dan Girardi. But the lack of a true quarterback has haunted this club since Brian Leetch left. Our guess is Michal Rozsival gets first crack with D-Step.
If anything, tomorrow's game should be more interesting. And right before the post-Christmas Garden confrontation with the Islanders.
DiPietro on IR, Mottau's season over
If only something would go right for the Islanders. Injuries continue to haunt the once proud franchise. Having already lost top defender Mark Streit for almost the entire year and still minus top power wing Kyle Okposo since training camp, the club will now skate without No.1 goalie Rick DiPietro. This time, DP will miss time due to swelling in his right knee. Quoting Yogi Berra, "It's deja vu all over again," for the career Islander.
The Islanders also lost veteran blueliner Mike Mottau for the rest of the season due to a torn labrum in his right hip after finally being cleared for physical activity following an eye injury which sidelined him for 10 games. The former Devil underwent successful surgery. In 20 contests, he had three assists while logging important minutes on the Isles' back end. Kind of a shame since as it turned out, he was a lot more important to the Devils than first thought. Credit the one-time Ranger draft pick for turning his career around, carving a niche which makes him serviceable.
As for DiPietro, this is nothing new. He's missed significant time before for the same issue, even being shutdown. In 14 games, DP is 4-6-4 with a 3.68 GAA, .880 save percentage and a shutout. Hard to believe that it was over two years ago that he was an NHL All-Star before hip problems forced him to have season ending surgery. It's been an emotional rollercoaster since for the former No.1 overall pick out of BU 10 years ago. A look at some of the stints spent upstairs tells the sad tale:
12/26/08-missed 27 games due to knee surgery
1/2/09-missed 3 games (groin)
4/12/09-missed last 41 games of season due to swollen right knee
1/4/10-missed 33 games due to knee surgery
4/11/10-missed final 22 games of season (left knee injury)
12/21/10-swollen left knee-IR
He sat out during Monday's home shootout loss to Phoenix. Rookie Nathan Lawson debuted making 32 saves. Despite holding up well, he couldn't prevent Martin Hanzal from tying it late and ultimately was lit up in the skill competition- particularly by Kyle Turris, who did a fancy move kicking the puck off his skate before roofing it over Lawson.
The Islanders host the Lightning tonight. So, it doesn't get any easier for Jack Capuano's club that remains 30th overall with 18 points, trailing only the Devils. They'll face them tomorrow night at The Rock in a game before the Christmas Break. That should be interesting.
Does Lawson get the call again tonight? We don't see why not. May as well see what the kid can do.
The Islanders also lost veteran blueliner Mike Mottau for the rest of the season due to a torn labrum in his right hip after finally being cleared for physical activity following an eye injury which sidelined him for 10 games. The former Devil underwent successful surgery. In 20 contests, he had three assists while logging important minutes on the Isles' back end. Kind of a shame since as it turned out, he was a lot more important to the Devils than first thought. Credit the one-time Ranger draft pick for turning his career around, carving a niche which makes him serviceable.
As for DiPietro, this is nothing new. He's missed significant time before for the same issue, even being shutdown. In 14 games, DP is 4-6-4 with a 3.68 GAA, .880 save percentage and a shutout. Hard to believe that it was over two years ago that he was an NHL All-Star before hip problems forced him to have season ending surgery. It's been an emotional rollercoaster since for the former No.1 overall pick out of BU 10 years ago. A look at some of the stints spent upstairs tells the sad tale:
12/26/08-missed 27 games due to knee surgery
1/2/09-missed 3 games (groin)
4/12/09-missed last 41 games of season due to swollen right knee
1/4/10-missed 33 games due to knee surgery
4/11/10-missed final 22 games of season (left knee injury)
12/21/10-swollen left knee-IR
He sat out during Monday's home shootout loss to Phoenix. Rookie Nathan Lawson debuted making 32 saves. Despite holding up well, he couldn't prevent Martin Hanzal from tying it late and ultimately was lit up in the skill competition- particularly by Kyle Turris, who did a fancy move kicking the puck off his skate before roofing it over Lawson.
The Islanders host the Lightning tonight. So, it doesn't get any easier for Jack Capuano's club that remains 30th overall with 18 points, trailing only the Devils. They'll face them tomorrow night at The Rock in a game before the Christmas Break. That should be interesting.
Does Lawson get the call again tonight? We don't see why not. May as well see what the kid can do.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Devils' fall of discontent continues into winter
If there were any believers out there that the Devils could still turn things around, the last three games should have proved otherwise beyond any doubt. Successive 3-1, 7-1 and 5-1 losses at home to Nashville and on the road against Atlanta and Washington drummed home to the point to everyone that this is a lost season. Certainly the team's played like it is now a lost season the last couple of games. Thankfully I saw none of tonight's loss in Washington as I was out to the movies. And Saturday's game in Atlanta I shut off after the first period, though I did tune back for a few minutes too many in the third period.
Only one of those games really annoyed me though...I thought we gave effort against the Preds even though we only managed to get nine shots on goal in the first forty five minutes of the game. Our accuracy was particularly bad that night and we were facing a good defense. No shame there. However it seemed like that game was finally the tipping point for vets that have known nothing but chasing division titles who are now staring down a long, black abyss.
Specifically two things annoyed me in Atlanta, the first was starting Martin Brodeur over ex-Thrasher Johan Hedberg. Is it really neccesary anymore to play a 38-year old Marty in the second end of a back-to-back on the road? When we're more than double digits under .500 and hopelessly out of it and Brodeur's just coming off a major injury?! Typical of this organization, even now we're letting Marty dictate playing time. Just give Hedberg an opportunity to shine where he played a few years for crying out loud. Our esteemed head coach gave Mike McKenna, a career AHL goalie more respect than he has Hedberg all season...case in point Hedberg being pulled after less than two minutes against Montreal.
Of course by the time he did get in it was 4-0 and the horse was out of the barn. Even Chico Resch was saying that Hedberg should see the ice at the beginning of the second period, when we'd given up three in the first but Johnny MacLean stubbornly left Brodeur in until the fourth goal went by. Granted, Hedberg was no better when he got in but really, what's the difference? Either way the offense stinks and the defense isn't much better regardless, so why run a 38-year old into the ground?
As a team, the Devils hit rock bottom in Atlanta - not only by losing 7-1 but also for the coup de grace, giving up a hat trick to Eric Boulton (yes, really), the career enforcer who'd never so much as had a multi-goal game. At that point I was mad at myself for turning it back on late in the third period, just to get a head start on the postgame. I tuned it on right in time to see Boulton's third off a misplay from Hedberg behind the net. If that isn't rock bottom, I'd hate to see what is...losing 10-0 to the Rangers? Actually falling into last place below the ECHL-quality Islanders?!
I never would have thought the latter possible but it just may happen now. When you have a veteran team who's known nothing but success (in the regular season at least) that is in a hopeless situation, that's the worst kind of season you have to endure as an organization. At least if you have young kids you've got hope and they're learning how to play at the NHL level. The only neophyte we have with any promise - Mattais Tedenby - has basically been given the shaft by MacLean. Heaven forbid he actually score some goals and create some excitement.
Our other rookies, including defensemen Matt Corrente and Mark Fayne just flat can't play at this level. Early-season revelation Matt Taormina has all but dissapeared after having a setback from a high-ankle sprain suffered more than a month ago. Same for teen center Jacob Josefson, who hasn't been cleared to practice yet after his wrist injury was supposedly a 6-8 week prognosis. He's been out for two months now.
At least we will find out whether MacLean can truly coach at this level, cause even if he manages to coach another fifteen years after this odds are he'll never have the kind of challenge he's facing now - to get a veteran team to play for pride when all is lost, and to develop the youngsters (supposedly his trademark last year) when they do come back into the lineup. Though I wanted him fired earlier in the year and still don't like what I've seen from him, really it wouldn't have been fair to can him after 20-30 games. Even in professional sports nobody gets just 20-30 games. I know Barry Melrose got 16 for the Lightning a few years ago, but that was a dysfunctional organization and he was already a known quantity as a coach with prior NHL experience anyway.
And who knows, maybe down the road once this team's shaken off the depression over missing the playoffs they'll play for some pride down the stretch. Surely, not all of them will be here - maybe a couple or more will move on just before the trade deadline and maybe it'll be a full youth movement by the end of the season. That would at least add energy to a lifeless team, though it doesn't help matters when MacLean continues to do nutty things like putting career AHL'er Tim Sestito on a line with Kovy and Tedenby. Can we just once have a coach that doesn't pick his lines out of a hat?!
One thing I want to make clear though, I'm not for an outright tank...I don't think your players learn anything by constantly losing (at least some of them have to be here next year, no matter what) and no draft pick is a sure thing anyway. And I'm just flat tired of losing, it's now been a full calendar year of it. With four games coming up that I have to attend I shudder to think of what the crowd will be like for those games - especially with one of them being a Ranger game and at least another being a near-sellout around the holiday weekend.
Oh well, at least my football Jets have meaningful games in December and hopefully beyond. And there's still plenty to watch hockey-wise for entertainment, specifically HBO's 24-7 series on the Penguins and Caps leading to the Winter Classic. I'll probably have thoughts on that at a later date though.
Only one of those games really annoyed me though...I thought we gave effort against the Preds even though we only managed to get nine shots on goal in the first forty five minutes of the game. Our accuracy was particularly bad that night and we were facing a good defense. No shame there. However it seemed like that game was finally the tipping point for vets that have known nothing but chasing division titles who are now staring down a long, black abyss.
Specifically two things annoyed me in Atlanta, the first was starting Martin Brodeur over ex-Thrasher Johan Hedberg. Is it really neccesary anymore to play a 38-year old Marty in the second end of a back-to-back on the road? When we're more than double digits under .500 and hopelessly out of it and Brodeur's just coming off a major injury?! Typical of this organization, even now we're letting Marty dictate playing time. Just give Hedberg an opportunity to shine where he played a few years for crying out loud. Our esteemed head coach gave Mike McKenna, a career AHL goalie more respect than he has Hedberg all season...case in point Hedberg being pulled after less than two minutes against Montreal.
Of course by the time he did get in it was 4-0 and the horse was out of the barn. Even Chico Resch was saying that Hedberg should see the ice at the beginning of the second period, when we'd given up three in the first but Johnny MacLean stubbornly left Brodeur in until the fourth goal went by. Granted, Hedberg was no better when he got in but really, what's the difference? Either way the offense stinks and the defense isn't much better regardless, so why run a 38-year old into the ground?
As a team, the Devils hit rock bottom in Atlanta - not only by losing 7-1 but also for the coup de grace, giving up a hat trick to Eric Boulton (yes, really), the career enforcer who'd never so much as had a multi-goal game. At that point I was mad at myself for turning it back on late in the third period, just to get a head start on the postgame. I tuned it on right in time to see Boulton's third off a misplay from Hedberg behind the net. If that isn't rock bottom, I'd hate to see what is...losing 10-0 to the Rangers? Actually falling into last place below the ECHL-quality Islanders?!
I never would have thought the latter possible but it just may happen now. When you have a veteran team who's known nothing but success (in the regular season at least) that is in a hopeless situation, that's the worst kind of season you have to endure as an organization. At least if you have young kids you've got hope and they're learning how to play at the NHL level. The only neophyte we have with any promise - Mattais Tedenby - has basically been given the shaft by MacLean. Heaven forbid he actually score some goals and create some excitement.
Our other rookies, including defensemen Matt Corrente and Mark Fayne just flat can't play at this level. Early-season revelation Matt Taormina has all but dissapeared after having a setback from a high-ankle sprain suffered more than a month ago. Same for teen center Jacob Josefson, who hasn't been cleared to practice yet after his wrist injury was supposedly a 6-8 week prognosis. He's been out for two months now.
At least we will find out whether MacLean can truly coach at this level, cause even if he manages to coach another fifteen years after this odds are he'll never have the kind of challenge he's facing now - to get a veteran team to play for pride when all is lost, and to develop the youngsters (supposedly his trademark last year) when they do come back into the lineup. Though I wanted him fired earlier in the year and still don't like what I've seen from him, really it wouldn't have been fair to can him after 20-30 games. Even in professional sports nobody gets just 20-30 games. I know Barry Melrose got 16 for the Lightning a few years ago, but that was a dysfunctional organization and he was already a known quantity as a coach with prior NHL experience anyway.
And who knows, maybe down the road once this team's shaken off the depression over missing the playoffs they'll play for some pride down the stretch. Surely, not all of them will be here - maybe a couple or more will move on just before the trade deadline and maybe it'll be a full youth movement by the end of the season. That would at least add energy to a lifeless team, though it doesn't help matters when MacLean continues to do nutty things like putting career AHL'er Tim Sestito on a line with Kovy and Tedenby. Can we just once have a coach that doesn't pick his lines out of a hat?!
One thing I want to make clear though, I'm not for an outright tank...I don't think your players learn anything by constantly losing (at least some of them have to be here next year, no matter what) and no draft pick is a sure thing anyway. And I'm just flat tired of losing, it's now been a full calendar year of it. With four games coming up that I have to attend I shudder to think of what the crowd will be like for those games - especially with one of them being a Ranger game and at least another being a near-sellout around the holiday weekend.
Oh well, at least my football Jets have meaningful games in December and hopefully beyond. And there's still plenty to watch hockey-wise for entertainment, specifically HBO's 24-7 series on the Penguins and Caps leading to the Winter Classic. I'll probably have thoughts on that at a later date though.
Calder Hopefuls
As we approach Christmas, there's plenty to be jolly about. Especially when it comes to this year's exciting rookie crop. While all the hype surrounded Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin, some other fresh faces have come in and taken the league by storm. While maybe no one is on last year's level that saw Buffalo blueliner Tyler Myers steal the show away from last year's top three picks John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchene, there's probably more depth this season, making for an even more exhilerating race. Who will take home the Calder? Let's look at 10 hopefuls!
BATTLE CALDER TOP 10
1.G Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers-Seemingly out of nowhere, the 22 year-old undrafted Russian netminder has been a godsend for first overall Philly, posting a 15-5-3 mark with a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He's responsible for 68.2 percent of the Flyers' 22 wins which are tied for the league lead with Pennsylvania rival Pittsburgh. If goaltending was a question mark entering due to Michael Leighton on IR and Brian Boucher as the only proven guy, that's no longer the case. Ochenb xoposho to the Pyccku!
2.C Logan Couture, Sharks-While it's true the 21 year-old '07 first rounder got into 25 games last season, fact is he's become one of their most reliable finishers. Not easy to do when you're behind Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. Amazingly, it's Couture who's 17 markers pace a club that's underachieved thus far. In fact, the 17 tie him for fifth best in the league. His five game winners lead all rookies. He also has five power play goals (leads rookies) and his plus-eight is second best to teammate Ryane Clowe. It's hard to ignore the rookie scoring leader (17-7-24). If the Sharks make the playoffs, Logan's fingerprints will be all over why.
3.RW Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes-The most daunting thing about the seventh overall pick is that the former figure skater rose up the charts where the Canes scooped him up and haven't regretted it. The 18 year-old Markham, Ontario native has a gift, combining superb skating with a ton of skill. He victimized Henrik Lundqvist already with a highlight reel goal. For so long, it was just Eric Staal that teams had to worry about. Now, there's another talent who looks legit, giving them a nice 1-2 punch. Word of advice to defensemen. Don't get Skinned!
4.RW Jordan Eberle, Oilers-The 20 year-old '08 first rounder who the Oilers stole 20th overall should be quite familiar to puckers. He dominated the WJC scoring big goals for Team Canada, leading them to golds and a silver in last year's championship classic against Team USA. If not for Eberle's late heroics in regulation, current Cap rook John Carlson never gets to play ultimate hero. To think in one game, you also had Ranger freshman Derek Stepan, who led everyone in scoring. That's three top rookies. Keeping with Eberle who scored one of the best goals this season in his NHL debut, the speedy right wing who plays a like ex-Devil Brian Gionta has wheels to burn. His two shorthanded goals rank second to Boston first-year player Brad Marchand (3). For years to come, we'll be talking about Hall to Eberle and also triumverate member Magnus Paajarvi Svensson (4-10-14). Eberle is third in rookie scoring with nine goals and 13 assists with his 22 points right behind club leader Ryan Whitney.
5.D Kevin Shattenkirk, Avalanche-Somewhat under the radar with Cam Fowler getting most of the accolades in Anaheim, the 21 year-old from Greenwich, Connecticut has been one of the biggest reasons why Colorado is proving that last year was no fluke. Selected in the '07 first round 14th overall, Shattenkirk has really emerged since scoring a second straight game against the Rangers in a home win. During a brilliant stretch in which he recorded points in nine consecutive games, Shattenkirk netted 13 points (4-9-13) including four of his five goals. Since, he's been a consistent threat, aiding Norris candidate John-Michael Liles. His 19 points (5-14-19) pace all rookies- two better than Fowler.
6.G Anders Lindback, Predators-With top goalie Pekka Rinne going down, another unheralded Swede who was taken in the seventh round has gotten the chance to shine in Music City. This rags to riches story seems too good to be true for the 22 year-old goalie taken 207th overall two years ago. In his first season, Lindback's been brilliant winning nine of his first 13 starts between the pipes, helping lead Barry Trotz' latest surprise up a crowded West. Their 40 points are tied for fifth with Anaheim while trailing Detroit by four for the division. Lindback is 9-2-2 with a 2.27 GAA, .927 save percentage and two shutouts. That's more than half Nashville's 17 wins for an unknown. Though to hear rookie countryman and Devil Mattias Tedenby tell it, he really impressed at home in the Swedish Elite League. Could we have another Lundqvist? Rinne's hoping not.
7.C Derek Stepan, Rangers- Where would the Rangers be without the heady 20 year-old from Hastings, Minnesota who started with a bang becoming only the third player to post a hat trick in his NHL debut. The gritty American with superb vision and instincts was selected in the '08 second round 51st overall. He starred for both Wisconsin and Team USA, doubling as the captain that led our country to its second WJC. After his hat trick, D-Step hit a rough patch that saw his ice time dwindle under John Tortorella. But he's worked his way back up, earning more responsibility including playing the right point on the power play. Locked in a three-way tie for fourth in rookie scoring with 19 points (9-10-19), Stepan already is his team's best center. Look for him to see more time with struggling star Marian Gaborik. Once USA 'mate Chris Kreider gets here, the Rangers will become a lot more interesting.
8.LW Taylor Hall, Oilers-It's taken some time for the first overall pick to settle in. Once he has, the talented 19 year-old who's living a dream playing in his hometown for the rival Oilers, has been as advertised. His 10 goals trail only Couture with all of them coming since Oct.28 when he finally found twine at Columbus, also recording his first two-point game. Hall owns five multi-point contests including a career high three assists and a plus-three rating in a recent 6-3 home win over the Blue Jackets. He also had his first two-goal game in Toronto. A night he won't soon forget. Four of his 10 have come this month with over half since over the last 13 contests. The top pick will only get better along with a new crop of Oilers who will put the franchise back where it belongs. Beware Colorado and Vancouver!
9.D Cam Fowler, Ducks-When the gifted scoring defenseman was passed over by a slew of teams including the Rangers who went for more rugged Dylan McIlrath, most curious observers couldn't fathom why. After all, this was a player who impressed at the WJC, showing off his gamebreaking speed and playmaking ability on a deep USA roster that won it all. Ironically, gold medal winning teammate and goalie Jack Campbell was taken by Dallas before Anaheim finally allowed the 12th overall pick to exhale. Considering that a great player in Scott Niedermayer who retired that he reminds us of, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, giving Fowler extra incentive. Nobody's saying he'll fill those big shoes but the 17 points (3-14-17) with seven on the power play along with 40 blocked shots is a nice start for the Michigan kid. Imagine what he, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan can do. Yikes.
10.G Michal Neuvirth, Capitals-Entering the year, the 22 year-old Czech who was selected in the second round four years ago was expected to split time with incumbent Semyon Varlamov. Having impressed with nine wins and a .914 save percentage in 17 appearances (16 starts) last season with the injury prone Varlamov in the press box, you can't say he's inexperienced. With his teammate again missing significant time, Neuvirth (pronounced New-worth) is largely responsible for the Caps hanging in despite a brutal stretch that was just snapped in Ottawa with the goalie making 24 stops in a comeback win. Of the club's 19 victories, he's won a lucky 13- accounting for 68.4 percent. With Varlamov finally healthy, it'll be interesting to see how Bruce Boudreau uses the young duo. Our guess is he'll go with the hot hand in what's suddenly not a given they'll win the Southeast.
That concludes our first series of rookies. Many other first-year players are deserving of inclusion. So with that, our honorable mentions.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
11.LW Bryan Bickell, Blackhawks-9-9-18, 17 PIM, 17 hits
12.LW Tyler Ennis, Sabres-7-9-16, 16 hits, 78 SOG
13.D P.K. Subban, Canadiens-2-9-11, 2 PPG, 33 PIM, 49 hits, 35 blocked shots
14.D John Carlson, Capitals-3-12-15, +6, 32 PIM, 70 blocks, 32 hits
15.LW Magnus Paajarvi, Oilers-4-10-14, 55 SOG
16.C Alex Burmistrov, Thrashers-5-8-13, +3, 23 PIM, 30 hits, 55 SOG
17.C Jake Dowell, Blackhawks-4-9-13, +8, 40 PIM, 46 hits, 18 blocks
18.C Brad Marchand, Bruins-4-8-12, 3 SHG, +5, 34 hits, 53 SOG
19.C Mark Letestu, Penguins-6-9-15, 2 PPG, 28 hits, 73 SOG
20.C Tyler Seguin, Bruins-5-6-11, +2, PPG, 54 SOG
21.LW Mattias Tedenby, Devils-4-4-8, 2 PPG, 4 PPP, 10.5 Pct.
22.RW Michael Grabner, Islanders-7-3-10, 16 hits, 9 blocks, 47 SOG
23.C Phillippe Dupuis, Avalanche-3-7-10, +6, 19 PIM, 52 hits, 10 blocks
24.C Kyle Wilson, Blue Jackets-4-5-9, 10 PIM, 12 hits
25.RW Evgeny Dadonov, Panthers-2-4-6 in 6 GP, +6, 10 SOG
BATTLE CALDER TOP 10
1.G Sergei Bobrovsky, Flyers-Seemingly out of nowhere, the 22 year-old undrafted Russian netminder has been a godsend for first overall Philly, posting a 15-5-3 mark with a 2.44 GAA and a .919 save percentage. He's responsible for 68.2 percent of the Flyers' 22 wins which are tied for the league lead with Pennsylvania rival Pittsburgh. If goaltending was a question mark entering due to Michael Leighton on IR and Brian Boucher as the only proven guy, that's no longer the case. Ochenb xoposho to the Pyccku!
2.C Logan Couture, Sharks-While it's true the 21 year-old '07 first rounder got into 25 games last season, fact is he's become one of their most reliable finishers. Not easy to do when you're behind Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau. Amazingly, it's Couture who's 17 markers pace a club that's underachieved thus far. In fact, the 17 tie him for fifth best in the league. His five game winners lead all rookies. He also has five power play goals (leads rookies) and his plus-eight is second best to teammate Ryane Clowe. It's hard to ignore the rookie scoring leader (17-7-24). If the Sharks make the playoffs, Logan's fingerprints will be all over why.
3.RW Jeff Skinner, Hurricanes-The most daunting thing about the seventh overall pick is that the former figure skater rose up the charts where the Canes scooped him up and haven't regretted it. The 18 year-old Markham, Ontario native has a gift, combining superb skating with a ton of skill. He victimized Henrik Lundqvist already with a highlight reel goal. For so long, it was just Eric Staal that teams had to worry about. Now, there's another talent who looks legit, giving them a nice 1-2 punch. Word of advice to defensemen. Don't get Skinned!
4.RW Jordan Eberle, Oilers-The 20 year-old '08 first rounder who the Oilers stole 20th overall should be quite familiar to puckers. He dominated the WJC scoring big goals for Team Canada, leading them to golds and a silver in last year's championship classic against Team USA. If not for Eberle's late heroics in regulation, current Cap rook John Carlson never gets to play ultimate hero. To think in one game, you also had Ranger freshman Derek Stepan, who led everyone in scoring. That's three top rookies. Keeping with Eberle who scored one of the best goals this season in his NHL debut, the speedy right wing who plays a like ex-Devil Brian Gionta has wheels to burn. His two shorthanded goals rank second to Boston first-year player Brad Marchand (3). For years to come, we'll be talking about Hall to Eberle and also triumverate member Magnus Paajarvi Svensson (4-10-14). Eberle is third in rookie scoring with nine goals and 13 assists with his 22 points right behind club leader Ryan Whitney.
5.D Kevin Shattenkirk, Avalanche-Somewhat under the radar with Cam Fowler getting most of the accolades in Anaheim, the 21 year-old from Greenwich, Connecticut has been one of the biggest reasons why Colorado is proving that last year was no fluke. Selected in the '07 first round 14th overall, Shattenkirk has really emerged since scoring a second straight game against the Rangers in a home win. During a brilliant stretch in which he recorded points in nine consecutive games, Shattenkirk netted 13 points (4-9-13) including four of his five goals. Since, he's been a consistent threat, aiding Norris candidate John-Michael Liles. His 19 points (5-14-19) pace all rookies- two better than Fowler.
6.G Anders Lindback, Predators-With top goalie Pekka Rinne going down, another unheralded Swede who was taken in the seventh round has gotten the chance to shine in Music City. This rags to riches story seems too good to be true for the 22 year-old goalie taken 207th overall two years ago. In his first season, Lindback's been brilliant winning nine of his first 13 starts between the pipes, helping lead Barry Trotz' latest surprise up a crowded West. Their 40 points are tied for fifth with Anaheim while trailing Detroit by four for the division. Lindback is 9-2-2 with a 2.27 GAA, .927 save percentage and two shutouts. That's more than half Nashville's 17 wins for an unknown. Though to hear rookie countryman and Devil Mattias Tedenby tell it, he really impressed at home in the Swedish Elite League. Could we have another Lundqvist? Rinne's hoping not.
7.C Derek Stepan, Rangers- Where would the Rangers be without the heady 20 year-old from Hastings, Minnesota who started with a bang becoming only the third player to post a hat trick in his NHL debut. The gritty American with superb vision and instincts was selected in the '08 second round 51st overall. He starred for both Wisconsin and Team USA, doubling as the captain that led our country to its second WJC. After his hat trick, D-Step hit a rough patch that saw his ice time dwindle under John Tortorella. But he's worked his way back up, earning more responsibility including playing the right point on the power play. Locked in a three-way tie for fourth in rookie scoring with 19 points (9-10-19), Stepan already is his team's best center. Look for him to see more time with struggling star Marian Gaborik. Once USA 'mate Chris Kreider gets here, the Rangers will become a lot more interesting.
8.LW Taylor Hall, Oilers-It's taken some time for the first overall pick to settle in. Once he has, the talented 19 year-old who's living a dream playing in his hometown for the rival Oilers, has been as advertised. His 10 goals trail only Couture with all of them coming since Oct.28 when he finally found twine at Columbus, also recording his first two-point game. Hall owns five multi-point contests including a career high three assists and a plus-three rating in a recent 6-3 home win over the Blue Jackets. He also had his first two-goal game in Toronto. A night he won't soon forget. Four of his 10 have come this month with over half since over the last 13 contests. The top pick will only get better along with a new crop of Oilers who will put the franchise back where it belongs. Beware Colorado and Vancouver!
9.D Cam Fowler, Ducks-When the gifted scoring defenseman was passed over by a slew of teams including the Rangers who went for more rugged Dylan McIlrath, most curious observers couldn't fathom why. After all, this was a player who impressed at the WJC, showing off his gamebreaking speed and playmaking ability on a deep USA roster that won it all. Ironically, gold medal winning teammate and goalie Jack Campbell was taken by Dallas before Anaheim finally allowed the 12th overall pick to exhale. Considering that a great player in Scott Niedermayer who retired that he reminds us of, maybe it was a blessing in disguise, giving Fowler extra incentive. Nobody's saying he'll fill those big shoes but the 17 points (3-14-17) with seven on the power play along with 40 blocked shots is a nice start for the Michigan kid. Imagine what he, Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan can do. Yikes.
10.G Michal Neuvirth, Capitals-Entering the year, the 22 year-old Czech who was selected in the second round four years ago was expected to split time with incumbent Semyon Varlamov. Having impressed with nine wins and a .914 save percentage in 17 appearances (16 starts) last season with the injury prone Varlamov in the press box, you can't say he's inexperienced. With his teammate again missing significant time, Neuvirth (pronounced New-worth) is largely responsible for the Caps hanging in despite a brutal stretch that was just snapped in Ottawa with the goalie making 24 stops in a comeback win. Of the club's 19 victories, he's won a lucky 13- accounting for 68.4 percent. With Varlamov finally healthy, it'll be interesting to see how Bruce Boudreau uses the young duo. Our guess is he'll go with the hot hand in what's suddenly not a given they'll win the Southeast.
That concludes our first series of rookies. Many other first-year players are deserving of inclusion. So with that, our honorable mentions.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
11.LW Bryan Bickell, Blackhawks-9-9-18, 17 PIM, 17 hits
12.LW Tyler Ennis, Sabres-7-9-16, 16 hits, 78 SOG
13.D P.K. Subban, Canadiens-2-9-11, 2 PPG, 33 PIM, 49 hits, 35 blocked shots
14.D John Carlson, Capitals-3-12-15, +6, 32 PIM, 70 blocks, 32 hits
15.LW Magnus Paajarvi, Oilers-4-10-14, 55 SOG
16.C Alex Burmistrov, Thrashers-5-8-13, +3, 23 PIM, 30 hits, 55 SOG
17.C Jake Dowell, Blackhawks-4-9-13, +8, 40 PIM, 46 hits, 18 blocks
18.C Brad Marchand, Bruins-4-8-12, 3 SHG, +5, 34 hits, 53 SOG
19.C Mark Letestu, Penguins-6-9-15, 2 PPG, 28 hits, 73 SOG
20.C Tyler Seguin, Bruins-5-6-11, +2, PPG, 54 SOG
21.LW Mattias Tedenby, Devils-4-4-8, 2 PPG, 4 PPP, 10.5 Pct.
22.RW Michael Grabner, Islanders-7-3-10, 16 hits, 9 blocks, 47 SOG
23.C Phillippe Dupuis, Avalanche-3-7-10, +6, 19 PIM, 52 hits, 10 blocks
24.C Kyle Wilson, Blue Jackets-4-5-9, 10 PIM, 12 hits
25.RW Evgeny Dadonov, Panthers-2-4-6 in 6 GP, +6, 10 SOG
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