Year-End Hiatus

Professional and personal reasons will keep me away from the computer for the most of the month so I wish everybody Happy Holidays and see you all in 2009

What to do with Luongo

This recent groin injury to Luongo could not have come at a better time for the Canucks and Mike Gillis. The season is still young, none of their NorthWest rivals are playing that well, the rest of the team is playing well and can support a weaker goalie and it gives a chance to see what the other goalies can do… because not to ring alarm bells but Luongo’s contract expires after next year and some major decisions will need to be taken with this team who has never won the Stanley Cup since inception in 1970.


Luongo so far

_____GP__ MIN___ W___ L___ GAA___ SV%____ SO
06-07_ 76___ 4490 ___47 ___22___ 2.28 ____.921 _____5
07-08_ 73___ 4233 ___35 ___29 ___2.38 ____.917 _____6
08-09_ 19___ 1076 ___11____ 5 ____2.17____ .928 ____ 5

Luongo has been as good as advertised in his 2 ½ years in Vancouver so far. He has played 90% of the team’s games with a save percentage around 920. The whole team outlook has changed and there is a definite swagger with such a stalwart behind them. He makes the big saves, challenges the shooters and control things near his goal. Even though it took time for the team to announce it, there was very little hesitation in that locker room about who was the captain of this team.

07-08 was a more difficult season as backend injuries and the easing in of many rookies (Edler, Raymond, Hansen among others) were coupled with a difficult pregnancy for Luongo’s wife which seemed to affect his play in the middle of the season. Of course, the whole makeup of the team was being changed too as Naslund & Morrison were being phased out due to declining play and desire to focus the team on the Sedins and strong, responsible defensive play.

Trading away locker-room cancer and overall troubled person Bertuzzi was already a plus for this team but obtaining an elite goaltender in return makes the trade one of the most lop-sided of the decade.


Schneider’s play

I focused my attention particularly on Schneider’s play during Sunday’s game versus Colorado and while a 4-3 shootout loss might not look like a great goalie performance, the kid did manage to play a very good game. What I mean by good game is that he made saves, kept his team in the game and the goals allowed were redirects he could not do much on… but his style is definitely not my cup of tea! He is a crouched butterfly guy: constantly down on his knees: the pads spread wide, bent over with his arms resting on his pads. I do not know if it was due to nervousness but he spent most of the night down, regardless of how imminent the danger was. From the way he made stops and moved around, I don’t think it was nervousness, I think that is his style… a style I am not sure he can succeed with in the NHL unless he has the quickest hands! Once he goes for his second tour across the league and teams start to know him, how will he handle teams constantly shooting high to avoid his pads? He made some nice saves during the game but it always seemed more reflex than positioning… and he looked seriously outmatched in the shootout as all 3 Avalanche guys beat him high stick side. I tried to look at it dispassionately and regardless of my aversion for goalies going down too early but I still do not see #1 nhl talent unless a top notch goaltending coach spends some heavy time with him to improve his style. You can get by in US College and the American league mainly on reflexes but in the NHL, with any good shooter able to lift the puck at will in any situation, it will become a glaring weakness easily exploited.


The view from Gillis’ office

While the recent groin injury was self-inflicted on a quite innocuous play, there is very little indication that the 29 year old goalkeeper will break down anytime soon and he should continue to be among the top 3 for the remainder of his contract which runs until summer 2010. With a cap hit of 6.75 but actual salary of 7mil this year and 7.5 next year, Luongo does not come cheap but is still a good deal for what he brings. His next contract will probably bring him even more money when you consider the state of many teams’ goaltending and the very rare goalies even reaching free agency. It wouldn’t be impossible to see 8.5 a year for a 31 year old goaltender in his prime.

What is the GM to do then? Luongo drove a hard bargain after the trade as he knew Nonis had no choice but to sign him long term and he seems to hold all the cards this time around too: A town crazy for him, a team built around him, performance good enough to carry a team and good examples that the team goes in the tank everytime he gets injured.

Can Gillis even afford to let Luongo go? Can he afford to approach the summer of 2010 with Luongo unsigned? Trading Luongo before he reaches Free Agency would bring a boatload of talent but what then? Is it back to the early 90s with a good offense and no goalie? Will this town even accept a trade of Luongo when the team had 10M of cap space unspent this year?

What will Luongo see as 2010 approach? Will he see the Canucks as a somewhat better Panthers squad still too crappy to get him to the Cup? Even though the team seems to have been extremely accommodating during the birth of his child last year, how will he view things… how will he view their actions in regard to his wife and child maybe in danger and in hospital?

Things look pretty clear from Gillis point of view: he must resign Luongo next summer before he even sniffs Free Agency and find a good trade partner on which to dump his touted prospect with great minor stats but lack of major league technique. Rebuilding this team makes sense everywhere except in goal.

Vegas does what California never could manage!

LAS VEGAS — O.J. Simpson, the one-time football great who was acquitted in perhaps the most-watched murder trial of the 20th century, was sentenced Friday to a minimum of nine years in prison for his role in a 2007 raid on a Las Vegas hotel room in which two collectibles dealers were robbed of a trove of sports memorabilia.

Shortly before the sentence, Mr. Simpson, wearing a blue prison jumpsuit, his arms handcuffed in front of him, made a surprise statement in which he told Judge Jackie Glass of Clark County District Court: “I didn’t want to hurt anybody. I didn’t know I was doing anything wrong.”“I stand before you somewhat confused,” Mr. Simpson, his voice breaking, said in the rambling statement in which he uttered the word “sorry” at least four times.

Judge Glass seemed unimpressed, “The evidence was overwhelming,” she said before pronouncing sentence first on one of Mr. Simpson’s five accomplices, Clarence Stewart, 54, and then on Mr. Simpson himself.

I guess it's easier to convict when nobody gets killed and the gun doesn't even get used! .... or maybe it's just because these district attorneys were actually trying to convince and impress the jury & judge, not the cameras as those incompetents Clark & Darden!

It's a good day but I think there are very high chances this will be overturned on appeal and a new trial will be required. Simpson's lawyers talked about jury selection and the lack of blacks on it but I think the fact all accused were tried together is the main point here. How can the co-defendant Stewart have been tried fairly when O.J. Simpson is on trial with you?! He should have had a seperate trial.... Does throwing out the sentence for one dude automatically throws the other one out too?

Sadly, this isn't the last we hear about that psychopath

Saves of the week 12/01 - too much details

10 - Schneider vs Moss
A goalie sometimes need to be like a clown with spring legs: that leg just needs to move out by reflex.

9 - Johnson vs Commodore
Good goaltenders will dare you to go top-corner glove side... not only because of the show elements involved but because it is the purest battle of skills: it's the shooter's precision and power versus the arm speed and hand strength.

8 - Anderson vs Drury
There is no reason for the going-nowhere Panthers to keep Vokoun around when you have a young guy like Anderson playing this well. They need to cash in the veteran (and for more than a broken down Bertuzzi this time!). Anderson follows the play perfectly, stays square to the puck and makes a very nice glove save

7 - Sanford vs Willie Mitchell
If you have no angle and nobody to pass the puck to, just shoot towards the net and hope for the puck to hit a skate. Perfect attempt by the Wings and perfect redirect by Mitchell's skate only saved by the quick reflexes of the Canucks backup. Watch after the play... Kesler is the one going to his goalie to give him a few good words. Mitchell, the guy who caused the play, is just skating away like nothing happened... not what I expect from a guy complimented for his leadership qualities.

6 - Hedberg vs Grabovski
Players have become so proficient at the saucer pass over the sprawling dman on odd-man rushes. You never saw that in the 80s except maybe from Gretzky or the top 10 players in the league... now everybody can pass it up anywhere to anybody... and only a great lateral move and snappy blocker move prevented a goal.

5 - Roloson vs Boyes
Another two-on-one rush, another great pass through the defenseless defenseman and another great save needed. This time a nice desperation glove save as Roloson came so far out of the net to cut off shot angles that he was completely out of position and had to get down on his knees to reach out.

4 - Turco vs Hemsky
Even when Turco was part of previous weekly top ten, I bashed him pretty hard for being out of position, scrambling and being lucky... but here, he played perfectly. Sadly, we can't say the same for his defense which stood around and watched Hemsky smoothly navigate the crease. Turco had no choice but to come out to challenge, cutting down any angle and controlling the crease, forcing Hemsky to the outside with a nifty move that only a strong paddle stopped.

3 - Osgood vs Hansen
Not many things are worse than a pointman with awful aim... there is no way you can be ready for a puck shot 20 feet wide and bouncing to the other side of the net!

2 - Theodore vs Bouchard
Brent Burns has some very soft hands for a big strapping guy. He made a perfect pass after a good fake and Bouchard completed the play perfectly by lifting the puck high but an incredible move by Theodore saves the day: great leg push, body still straight, glove held high... and with his center of gravity at the knee level... textbook lateral move

1- Leclaire vs Franzen
What more can a guy do? He feints the goalie out of his skates, sends him sprawling, circle around then lifts the puck! Yet somehow, it found Leclaire's stick and his strong hand stop that puck from going in. never give up!

Saves of the week 11/24 - too much details

10 - Kiprusoff vs McCormick
This save looks easier than it was. Wraparounds with traffic in front are always difficult as the goalie must not only hugh his post and cover the angle but also keep track of who is where close by... so a good first save then a quick rebound shot stopped by a great leg extension in perfect position. Nevermind throwing yourself across! Just extend and stay ready for any possible rebound.

9 - MacDonald vs Langenbrunner
This kid is making Dipietro irrelevant on Long Island... in every aspect except salary of course. His technique is excellent and while he needs to work on rebound control, his skills keep him ahead. This play is a great example: the first save from the point through traffic was already pretty good but he immediately gets back up and ready (the sign of a goalie used to seeing lots of rubber and not having his dmen handle rebounds maybe?), a great top corner shot from the slot suddenly becomes almost an easy showoff glove save.

8 - Tellqvist vs Richards
It was a nice lateral movement from the goalie but really, I'm not even sure that puck was going in! Look at the angle, it was going somwhere near the opposite post... Richards choked on the perfect pass from the point and an empty net.

7 - Boucher vs Koistinen
Now this is a good redirect into an empty net! That puck was on the Preds' stick for a fraction of a second and it was going straight in brushing the post... but the NHL record holder for consecutive shutout minutes had other ideas and did a nice controlled slide stopped gently by the post, his pads in perfect position and denying a certain goal. Look how straight up he ends up too, ready for any possible rebound.

6 - Budaj vs Glencross
This is only here because Budaj fundled the bouncy first shot as the 2nd save was jsut a spread eagle desperation sprawl that would have went in with a more patient shooter. There isn't much that can be taught or practiced about those bouncy pucks... They flip, bounce, change directions, slow and speed up randomly... All you can do is expect the weirdest bounce and stay ready for the rebound to go far away.

5 - Price vs Babchuk
Like the announcers said, somebody else than the sneaking-behind-coverage dman might have slapped this top corner but it doesn't take anything away from the nice save from the young kid. Check how he does that lateral move: a very gentle controlled push... he isn't shoving himself across the crease; he just gives himself some momentum and the leg extension does the rest. What this gives you as a much more straight position with your arms in position to grab the puck and your center of gravity still close to the middle so that you can get back in stance for any possible rebounds (unless your dman shoves the dude on you of course!). Good technique does not always look spectacular but the results are really what matters

4 - Kolzig vs Zajac
Long strong arms will allow you to use a paddle like this and make some great saves right there on the red line.

3 - Clemmensen vs Folik
The save was awesome but made this such a great stop? It was his bundling of the wraparound! There are two dmen around the guy, no other Panthers anywhere close yet the goalie decides to go down on one knee and stick his paddle down on the ice... that put him completely out of position and compromised against the post. Only the fact Frolik was way out there in the faceoff circle gave enough time for Clemmensen to get back up and stick out his hand.

2 - MacDonald vs Parise
5-on-3s are impossible. The offense can have an open player on both sides of the net at the same time. The only thing left is to play it deep in your crease and only come out when the threat level rise up... and even then, you cant go too far as you wont be able to cover the other side. MacDonald just stretched enough to make a great save

1 - Luongo vs Redden
Luongo plays an extremely aggressive game, stepping out of his crease all the time and only his strong technique, long limbs and refusal to give up allow him to make such saves.

Live Game Blog: Boston-Montreal

BOS
11 Axelsson 37 Bergeron 73 Ryder
17 Lucic 91 Savard 81 Kessel
12 Kobasew 46 Krejci 26 Wheeler

33 Chara 44 Ward
34 Hnidy 45 Stuart
48 Hunwick 6 Wideman

MTL
17 Laraque 11 Koivu 13 Tanguay
21 Higgins 14 Plekanec 27 Kovalev
6 Kostopoulos 20 Lang 46 Kostitsyn
* Carbonneau has been playing around with his LW, putting Laraque on everytime Lucic is on... then after egging the young Bruin punk at the faceoff and afterwards, Big Georges goes to the bench for the winger set for that line

79 Markov 26 Gorges
44 Hamrlik 3 OByrne
51 Bouillon 71 Brisebois


End of 1st period (BOS 0-0 MTL):
I've written above a bit about the Laraque-Lucic thing. That has been the most exciting thing in this first period. Lucic smacked Komisarek in a fight last week and was showboating after the fight... and just a really annoying dude overall so Laraque wants to show him how fighting is done in the NHL. There is constant yapping and shoving before faceoffs and Laraque seems to be goading the young guy but he doesn't want to go (rightfully so, Lucic is a valuable player, way too valuable to lose for a goon). As usual, the crowd in Montreal is well aware of what is going on and boos every time Laraque invites him to a fight and he skates away.

Carey Price hasn't been very busy but he has made two awesome saves. I was quite critical of the young goaltender last year as from the little I saw, he had a very slow glove... but I was wrong and the kid is stepping up aand making crazy stops. He will be one of my highlighted players at the end of the game with an in-depth analysis of his play.

Stuart & Ward are the only guys over 7mins of ice for Boston... Why oh why are those two getting more ice than Chara & Wideman!!

The Habs coach is an equal opportunity guy giving pretty much the same ice time to everybody. Obyrne and Hamrlik are the only ones over 6mins.

End of 2nd period (BOS 1-1 MTL)
Lucic stayed classy and did not taunt the crowd or Habs after scoring the tying goal on a bad play from Bouillon who pressed the attack and left Kovalev as the defenseman... which simply will not work against a big boy like Lucic.

Boston is one hell of a hardworking group. They outplayed the Habs in this period on almost every shift. They play physical, they skate continuously, they backcheck perfectly yet always seem right there pushing back the dmen in the neutral zone as soon as they get control of the puck in their zone. Might just be the Canadiens playing crappy! Their passes are missing the mark, they get stuck in their zone forever and they cant get set up in the offensive zone.

3rd period 12:50 left (BOS 1-1 MTL)
The Habs might have trouble getting into the offensive zone but once they are set-up, it's a very sharp team with great movement, crisp passes and constantly threatening.

Tim Thomas might have crazy stats so far this year but the guy gets flustered so easily. Koivu leveled Wideman along the boards and he seemed to lose his cool. Suddenly, he wasn't standing up anymore, he kept going down while the Habs were mucking about behind the net, then hi tried a pokecheck from 10 miles away and almost lost his stick... I wouldn't feel comfortable with that goalie for the playoffs. If he gets flustered now, what will happened when things really get important and stressful?

3rd period 10:00 left (BOS 2-1 MTL)
Bad transition and backchecking again by the Canadiens leave tons of room for Krejci to get in the zone and find Hunwick who catches Price unprepared. It was a nice slapshot but Price was weak, with a huuuge opening 5-hole and his stick nowhere near to help. Nice stuff for the kid D just recalled to replace injured Andrew Ference.

3rd period 3:00 left (BOS 2-2 MTL)
Why haven't the Habs played like this for the last 57 minutes? They have been unstoppable in the last few minutes and it ended up with a great deflection from Kostopoulos to tie the game.

Why is Julien playing Savard and Ryder with less than a minute to go?? Those are the most irresponsible players defensively! Don't you at least want a point Claude?? Come on dude

End of OT (2-2)

Except for Hunwick almost scoring in his own goal, it was a nice buzzing OT but not that many real scoring chances.

Shootout!

Wheeler dekes like hell, misses the puck once and it slides in the goal
Kovalev stopped by a good low glove save
Kessel saved
Markov saved
Bergeron saved
Koivu can't lift the puck on a nice deke to the backhand and the Bruins win again

I was planning to analyze Carey Price's game tonight... but the Bruins had trouble reaching 25 shots on goal and there was little play inside the Habs defensive zone so I couldnt really watch him as much as needed. Who I did see lots of tonight was Plekanec. The guy was the best player for the Habs, constantly moving and controlling the puck, pushing into the zone then dishing out the puck. Markov ended up with 27:32 of ice time, the most by 3mins for the Habs.

For the Bruins, it was hard to think of who really stood out... Wheeler had nice moments, Krejci too... Ryder did some very nice things with the puck even though it didn't amount to much. He was dangerous with the puck and creates room for his linemates... but Zdeno Chara was really the best Bruin on the ice. 31mins of icetime, on the PK, on the power play, being such a presence, a calming influence on everybody else.

Live Game Blog: Vancouver - Pittsburgh

This should be a great matchup: Crosby, Malkin & cie vs Luongo and the line of Burrows, Kesler & Hansen. Sad Fleury is out but it will be a battle of Luongo vs his old bench warmer, Dany Sabourin. Also my first chance to really watch closely the revamped Penguins this year.... and what better than watching hockey at 11am on a Saturday!


Most Common lines
* things got changed as Hansen & Cooke were kicked out 30secs into the game

VAN
22 Sedin 33 Sedin 38 Demitra
14 Burrows 17 Kesler
18 Bernier 42 Wellwood 9 Pyatt
21 Raymond

8 Mitchell 55 OBrien
23 Edler 2 Ohlund
32 Nycholat 4 Davison


PIT
9 Dupuis 87 Crosby 81 Satan
25 Talbot 71 Malkin 17 Sykora
48 Kennedy 11 Staal 15 Zigomatis

44 Opik 58 Letang
43 Boucher 13 Goligoski
4 Scuderi 2 Gill

1st period 15:06 left (VAN 0-0 PIT)

- The Penguins powerplay looks so incredibly disorganized... but it's only appereance. It's a very good scheme as the PK unit doesn't really know how to set up. Interestingly enough, Malkin is the QB distributing the puck and not Crosby. He sets up high in the face off circle with 2 wingers near the goal.

Jesus! Luongo looks hurt. He stretched out on a shot and seems to have sprained his left leg. Like Dallas with Morrow, if this turns out long term, their season is over; no offense to Curtis Sanford.

End of 1st (VAN 1-0 PIT)

Demitra scored on a weird bouncy play with 2mins left in the period. It was a lucky bounce but Demitra showed great presence to follow the puck, sneak in behind the net and shoot it in before Sabourin comes across. It's been heavy going in that first period with lots (and lots) of penalties (60mins so far) and very good PK preventing any exciting PP play.

Ohlund & Mitchell lead the Canucks with 8mins of ice time while Crosby is the only Pen over 8mins (Letang & Malkin are next at 7:45)

End of 2nd (VAN 2-0 PIT)

Daniel Sedin moves around the defense and sneaks the puck past Sabourin early in the 2nd to double the lead... and that was pretty much it for excitement in this period. Sanford has played well replacing Luongo (no update on injury but they said he isn't coming back for this game)

I like the two young dmen for the Pens. Letang & Goligoski look like keepers to me. Both are very mobile (speed is not the main thing for a defenseman, they need to be quick on turns, good to change direction and great quick bursts of speed), have good offensive sense and play a simple puck possession defensive game.

3rd period (VAN 2-1 PIT)

Zigomanis scored 30secs in going 5-hole a few seconds after the power play ended. Let's see how the two teams will react with this 1 goal game and 19mins left.

End of game (VAN 3-1 PIT)

Demitra closes the deal in an empty net. The Sedin brothers participated on all 3 goals for the Canucks who end up a 6-day 4-game road trip with 3 wins and 1 shootout loss. They play one hell of a boring game when ahead. This 3rd period was unbearable to watch. Even with Crosby, Malkin & company going full out, there probably was only 2 or 3 good scoring chances. A continuous stream of stick swinging, physical defensive play, cutting off the boards... and then when the Canucks get the puck, they skate midice, dump it in and go back to the bench. Mitchell played most for Vancouver with 26:54, most of it against Crosby's line.

I've watched the Canucks play both the Rangers and Penguins this week... and if those two teams are among the class of the Eastern Conference, the Stanley Cup is staying out West this year. The Penguins were unable to generate any offense all afternoon. They like to move in along the boards and pass it up the middle when reaching the face off circle... but that play is very predictable and a good defensive team will simply not leave any space in the slot like that. You need to get the puck down low to stretch out their defense... then you will end with open space in the slot... but coming straight into the zone? that spot will be occupied with a good defensive team. Philippe Boucher ended up with 26:17 of ice time... about 5mins too much for a guy acquired this week and on a contending team. The Pens need to beef up that blueline!

The Sedin with Demitra were great but Willie Mitchell played an awesome game. Wellwood (11mins of icetime) and Mason Raymond (16mins) were invisible.

Hard to find someone who played that good for the Penguins! Zigomanis played a nice 3rd line game and he is a beast on faceoffs... but Letang was the best guy: he skated great, made some awesome passes opening up the neutral zone, broke a few plays with good stickwork and plays "his" game defensively ie he knows he won't win many physical battles so he keeps his feet and stick moving and wins the battles in the corners that way.

and the question of the day: Who is Jordan Staal? ... and the question for the Pens, what is he worth especially he doesn't seem interesting in resigning before becoming a restricted Free Agent this coming summer! The guy has some skills: he has a crazy long reach, good possession skills, has an easy stride which make him look very slow... but it looks more and more like his 29 goal rookie season was a fluke. There isn't that much there offensively. I think Kesler is a better player than Staal... but both are shutdown defensive players. I just think that Staal might have more value in a trade than what he actually brings on the ice.

This game wasn't too fun to watch, hopefully the early night game will be better? what to watch?? NYI-BUF, CHI-TOR, PHO-PHI, CBJ-ATL, BOS-MTL?

I think the choice is easy... you have to go for the battle of the NorthEast in Montreal! especially after the Bruins bitchslapped the Habs Thursday last week 6-1 in Boston! See you back at 4:30

Saves of the week 11/18 - too much details

10 – Ersberg vs Erat
Leg strength is essential for a goalie. Reflexes & positioning will give you the tools to make saves but a strong leg allows Ersberg here to move quickly across the crease and close down a wide open net before a good player can wrist it past. It was a very nice controlled slide across, maybe a bit too crouched down but still alert and with a ready glove. Of course if the Kings weren’t running like chickens with their heads cut off, Erat might have been covered and this a complete non-play.

9 – Lundqvist vs Zubrus
One of my biggest pet peeves: the panic grabbing some goalies once they lose their stick. Chill out dude! You’ve got pads, a blocker and your glove still on, you will make it out if you keep cool! Here, Lundqvist loses his stick, gets one from his dman but that’s not good enough and he tells the defenseman to go grab his stick in the corner…. The Devils of course are uncaring about poor lil Henrik without his stick and uses that time to go for the now defenseman-less goal. Lundqvist does however keep some of his cool, follows the puck, moves nicely and is in perfect position, the puck hitting his outstretched leg.

8 – Ersberg vs Barch
Avery might be a douchebag but he plays a good physical game. Incredible pass across the crease but Ersberg shows off his lateral movement by pushing off and cutting off a perfect one-timer.

7 – Deslauriers vs Callahan
Goalies have gotten back at this in recent years but we still see some goalies freezing when they underarm the puck like that: they think they have it and don’t want to move in case the puck falls off. Nevermind the puck falling if you aren’t sure where it is! If you have the puck, stand still… if you aren’t sure, move, look, check around, make sure you have it!, don’t stand there until a whistle blows… or the red light goes in.

6 – Mason vs Vanek
This is how you handle the league top scorer barring down at you on a breakaway! You follow him without flinching, letting him do the first move and commit… of course when the shooter commits, you need to have the athleticism and quickness to stick your leg in time and deny him!

5 – Turco vs ??? (if anyone knows that was, I couldn’t make out the jersey)
Spectacular play but the save wasn’t that great. The shooter shot it in the middle of the net instead of the whole empty half. Turco basically didn’t move or do anything. Sometimes that’s all you need to look like a great goalie

4 – Bryzgalov vs Modin
Lateral moves need to be controlled. This is not a slide with inertia stopping you. It has to be a muscle controlled move that ends with the goalie in his stance ready to make a save. This rule applies to all goalie except Dominik Hasek. Bryzgalov shows how to do that as the Jackets play tic-tac-toe across the crease. Great athleticism bringing about a great pad save.

3 – Ward vs Little
Forget Bryzgalov! Now this is a pad save! All reflex too: a strong push from side to side with the leg outstretched and the young Thrasher is denied

2 – Theodore vs Parise
A great desperation save by a confused goalie, laying down his paddle to cover at least some of the completely empty net.

1 – Budaj vs Sedin
Look at #8 from two weeks ago. This looks like a set play for the Canucks as they pass the puck so quickly all over. Budaj is quick as a cat here and there simply is no way that puck could have went in

Live Game Blog: Vancouver - New York Rangers

Most common lines
VAN
22 Sedin 33 Sedin 38 Demitra
14 Burrows 17 Kesler 42 Hansen
18 Bernier 4 2 Wellwood 9 Pyatt

8 Mitchell 6 Salo
55 OBrien 23 Edler
2 Ohlund 32 Nycholat
* Took me until the 2nd period to find out who was the 6th dman is for the Canucks. I dont think he has played at all in the 1st!

NYR

24 Callahan 23 Drury 91 Naslund
13 Zherdev 17 Dubinsky 34 Voros
20 Sjostrom ??? ???
* down by 3 goals early in the 2nd, things get muddled

6 Redden 5 Girardi
3 Rozsival 45 Kalinin
27 Mara 24 Staal

1st period 9:15 left
(vid 0:45) Wellwood completely dekes Lundqvist out of his skates on a breakaway to give VAN the lead.

Mason Raymond gets denied on another breakaway 30secs later... is the Rangers D too slow to keep up?

(vid 1:01) Shorthanded breakaway... This should never happen. Burrows slaps it home stick side. Once again, the Rangers defense can't keep up.

End of the 1st period (VAN 2-0 NYR)
That line of Burrows, Kesler and Hansen is buzzing around like crazy and noone seems able to stop them... maybe be better to wait until they lose the puck on their own than attempt to chase them!

Wellwood might be great offensively but he makes bonehead moves in his own zone... and I don't mean bad bounce or losing the puck on the other guy's strong effort, I just mean stupid slow passes down the middle.

Luongo has been strong in the first. The Rangers shoots often and from lots of different angles, very quick release that surprises the goalie and tests their reflexes and preparedness.

2nd period 16:30 left (VAN 4-1 NYR)

Hold on here! I can't keep up! The Rangers keep losing the battles in their own zones and the Canucks keep passing it in front and slamming it in the back of the net! First, Burrows from Hansen then Johnson on a very similar play.

(vid 2:16) Drury shows why he was named captain. He carries the puck from the blue line, skates around a slow moving dman and dekes Luongo to bring a semblance of competiveness into the game

2nd period 13:00 left (VAN 5-1 NYR)

I guess the rest of the Rangers aren't too much into it! They take two penalties in a row for a long 5 on 3. The Canucks are using an extremely wide pentagon for the 5-on-3 with both wingers along the goal line. They pass it around and the dmen slowly move in to close things down.

A long review on a puck trickling in (vid 2:40) comes out no goal but the Canucks scores a few seconds later... and then Lundqvist just bolts out of the goal for the bench! I don't know if that was planned... It didnt look like it, just look like King Henrik had enough and decided to let Valiquette handle the rest of that 5-on-3 and a 5-1 losing proposition... gotta watch that GAA!

End of the 2nd (VAN 5-2 NYR)

The Rangers scored on a broken play and gave a much better effort at the end of the period. We will see how the Canucks react as I am sure the Rangers will come out strong.

3rd period 4:00 left (VAN 5-3 NYR)

Do you wanna bet Shane O'Brien isn't playing the next game? He just took his 5th minor penalty of the game, none of them "good" penalties. The kid seems to panic and grab when he gets beaten. The Canucks killing this penalty with 2mins left afterwards will seal the deal.

End of the 3rd (VAN 6-3 NYR)

Overall, the Canucks play a very good possession game, relentless pursuit and everybody backchecking. It's a team that works hard and has some good speed with Mason Raymond, Kesler, Burrows and the Sedins who look slow but somehow get around faster than their pursuers. The defense is adequate only. Ohlund & Salo are overrated and can be easily pushed around defensively. Of course, with Luongo in goal, anybody would look good.

The Rangers did not look like a contender tonight. With Gomez out, it became apparent that this team needs to have 3 good lines rolling offensively to have a chance. Their defense looks awful, especially Redden and Rozsival.

Burrows was the best player on the ice and pesky Ryan Callahan one of the rare bright spots for the blueshirts.

Blog Bat Around: an overwhelmed card collector

Gellman at the Sports Cards Uncensored blog has floated around a very cool idea of sharing topics to get the numerous sports card bloggers closer together. Let me share in on his first topic: what type of card collector are you?

My story is nothing special. Like most, I collected in my youth in the 80s but grew out of it and my moving on happened pretty much as the industry was changing in the early 90s. I remember collecting the first year or so of Upper Deck but that was pretty much my cutoff.

Trying to get back in the last few years has been completely overwhelming. So many different products! Hobby & retail boxes, Price points all over the place, concepts like Rookie edition or hot prospects actually filled with veterans, Legendary cuts filled with cards of Marcus Thames & Ramon Vasquez, a product like SP Authentic selling for $2.99 a pack at Wal-Mart and not really having much of Short Prints (isn’t that what SP means???) or Authenticity (unless a fake background counts as authentic).

So what is a guy to do? Ask the hobby shop dude? When I actually reached above the clerks who knew nothing and the manager and I had a chat, all he wanted was to push high-end products. What about going back to the bible of old times for advice? Needless to say Beckett was useless. Blogs and vids were a bit better but it takes time to find the good ones among all the crappy ones out there… and then you could probably find a blog praising any product if you look long enough.

… So without being much more informed, I decided to jump and bust a couple of wax. The hobby box of SP Authentic baseball was okay… The auto was okay… the signed letterman of Huston Street was very sweet… was sweet to get a K for a pitcher even though it’s not part of his name… but the base set looks awful and those authentic speed & authentic power subsets are just lame and stupid. Wow Iguchi had 11 stolen bases last year! … this is totally making me forget about the 130 SB record breaker card from Rickey Henderson! What a card!

The retail box of NHL O-Pee-Chee was pretty much as expected. OPC was what I collected as a kid so I thought I would go back to it… but that set was just a low-end set with no tie-in to the old OPC except the name (though this year seems much more retro and nostalgia oriented). One no name jersey card as the only insert… but with a 700 card set, I wasn’t expecting so many duplicates and I doubt I ended up even 1/5 of the way through the set. No way I was gonna bust another 3-4 boxes to even reach a manageable number to start looking for singles.

Hey, maybe busting wax isn’t my thing with “modern” products… so I dabbled into player singles. Got a sweet Vince Young two color swatch (and I keep looking for that straight jacket swatch from this year product or that draft bust manufactured logo patch!), added a few Sedin twins autos to my collection, got seriously outbid on some Luongo auto patches, got the two coolest autograph cards I could afford from Russell Martin to be part of the display with my signed ball… but the real awesome cards are quite expensive for my means and I somehow felt that my money was badly spent looking at the few insert cards making my collection… pretty damn weak collection for what I paid! I should have more than a few cards.

I stopped buying last year after that, still keeping up online and brooding until I could find exactly what I wanted and which product would really satisfy me… but there are still a bunch of unanswered questions on my mind: how to get re-acquainted with the hobby, how to find out what product is good for my taste and my budget, how to avoid the pitfalls of fake patches, meaningless grading services, the irrelevance of Beckett and the world of innumerable parallels.

Masterpieces looks awesome, has a cool concept and with a small base set, it might be the way to go but I feel completely overwhelmed by all that is out there …

Anyways, that’s the view from the booth of the overwhelmed collector… or maybe I’m just the confused old timer noob collector…

Live game blog: Chicago - Phoenix

Most common lines
CHI
32 Veersteeg 19 Toews 88 Kane
22 Brouwer 10 Sharp 24 Havlat
33 Byfuglien 36 Bolland 37 Burish

7 Seabrook 2 Keith
25 Barker 51 Campbell
8 Walker 23 Johnson

PHO
91 Turris 28 Reinprecht 19 Doan
13 Carcillo 12 Jokinen 88 Mueller
89 Boedker 11 Hanzal 23 Porter

4 Michalek 55 Jovo
3 Yandle 2 Klee
53 Morris 44 Sauer


First period (CHI 2-0 PHO):
What is Gretz doing? The Yotes are a freaking mess. It's only one period but they have been playing extremely crappy so far tonight. They are constantly struggling to get the puck out, more than half the time their zone entry play fails and their positioning in the neutral zone is awful. Things are not that better once they get set up in the offensive zone. They seem enamoured of that long cross pass in the middle of the defensive box... which can be a good play sometimes but not all the time! and especially not when the winger is so high that there is no possible shot (well, no dangerous shot)... it just becomes a way to move the defensive box around and relieve the pressure on the puck carrier. It's a cop out for weak players who can't make plays.

Which is really weird as Phoenix has a completely different mindset in two other aspects of the game: 1- lack of dumping: I think there was one play setting dumping of the puck deep in the zone... Even though it is boring compared to a player deking at the blue line, dump and chase is a very good way to get both the puck and all players deep in the zone and set up for a good opportunity (if you have the speed and guts to get the puck before the dmen of course). And two, while transitioning, the players are holding on to the puck a long time, letting their pursuer get closer and therefore giving more space for the other players... but either because of their lack of skill or because they hold on so long, they do not manage to get rid of the puck effectively: it either gets deflected by the pursuer or the play is so telegraphed that it gets intercepted (or quickly dismantled anyways)

Jovonovski showed off all he has to show in that one period: hail mary passes so hard & long, they have no chance of getting caught then boneheaded hit attempts instead of playing dman... then getting injured with nobody touching him (0:29 of the vid). The dude is so incredibly overated.

Update 2nd period (CHI 2-1 PHO)
Jokinen decided he had enough with one minute left in the 2nd and dropped the gloves with 4th liner Colin Fraser (vid 2:55). The big Finn totally initated that fight and it ended up being more of a wrestling bout. A weird move at a time that will not really pump his team. Jokinen was billed as that awesome player lost on an awful team in Florida... but I don't see that at all. He has size and some puck possession skills but his defensive game is awful because he always takes himself out of position by going for useless bodychecks. His offensive game also seems to lack polish and I think the fact the coach puts him with Carcillo shows he might be better equipped to be an offensively gifted sparkplug and agitator than a first line guy.

2nd period was better for Phoenix as they started to skate down the wings instead of meddle around at the blue line and forced Chicago to stretch out their defense... but the Hawks are still playing better and only the great play of Bryzgalov is keeping this game tight. I need to watch some more of him but I must say the Coyotes goalie is impressive, both with his positioning and his quick legs. He pushes very strongly and so many pucks just hit him in the chest or upper pads... Khabibulin has been okay, nothing more.

mid 3rd period (CHI 2-2 PHO)
Who the hell is that Veersteg guy! Always well positioned, strong in front of the net and getting the puck behind the net, the guy looks to have a bright future doing the dirty work alongside Toews, Kane & Sharp. He just hit the post on a great play (vid 3:11): playing the screen perfectly, the rebound goes wide side and Veersteg jumps, sprawls and spreads all the way and slaps the puck perfectly towards the empty net but it hits the post straight on.

Shane Doan ties the score with an awesome shot from the point on the PP (vid 3:40). You could feel him awaken in the last few minutes, he was hitting everything in sight and taking charge of things down low. When a guy like Doan, Brendan Morrow or Iginla gets going like that, there is very little you can do. Those power forwards are nasty and pump up the whole team. Let's see now if the Coyotes have what it takes to close the deal: they have some strong momentum right now.

End 3rd period (2-2)
Patrick Sharp is another talented guy. He has good wheels and seems to have the skills to hang on with Kane, Havlat and Toews. He puts the puck in the net but more than that, he seems very sharp (what a pun!) defensively. He just made an awesome play coming off the bench as the Coyotes rushed up ice. He threw himself down and his stick deflected a nice pass to the point that would have been dangerous as 3 players were near the net for deflections or rebounds.

Except for some nice buzzing down low in the last minute by Boedker, Hanzal & Porter, it was a pretty uneventful last 10mins. 4 on 4 sudden death should be interesting... I wanna see how Sharp & Toews use their speed and who Gretzky will send in... and how Jokinen will look with more space to display his "talent".


Overtime!
What the hell did I just say!!! Jovonovski can't control his stick and gets a penalty for stick in the face in OT. I told you the guy is dumb as a rock. 1:18 of 4 on 3... not much happened before that. I didn't really have time to see anybody's play.


The Hawks sends in Toews, Kane, Campbell & Barker initially then Sharp comes in for Barker with Toews moving to the point.

The Coyotes put in Michalek, Sauer and 19 year old youngster Hanzal! Pretty big vote of confidence from Gretz.

Nothing much happened... basically just shots from the point but the Yotes have a very tightbox and nobody is in front for the Hawks (you can view a few secs of it at 4:18 of the vid). A shootout will clear out the winners from the losers.

(4:28 to the end of the vid)
Toews scores on a weak play by Bryz where the puck hit his paddle but trickles through.
Turris saved on a stick side save
Sharp wrists it past the goalie, no big fake. Bryzgalov not looking good on this either.
Mueller stopped by a big trapper save.

The better team won: Chicago 3-2. Patrick Sharp was the best player on the ice... Shane Doan had a great 3rd period but that's not good enough.

Overall, the Blackhawks are developing into a very nice team. Toews, Kane, Sharp, Veersteg are good offensive guys and they have a very good energy line with Byfuglien & Burish. The defense group is looking good too with Keith, Seabrook & Barker on top of Campbell. They are quick on their feet and play hard. A very good nucleus to build around.

The Coyotes have some nice pieces up front too with Hanzal, Mueller and Boedker. Bodker especially seems to be a keeper. He is so incredibly fast and is a masters at going around the net and finding a hole to pass the puck through. I am not sold on Turris. He was pretty much invisible last night, his skating is nothing special and he does not ahve any special handling skills to seperate him from the pack. Apart from Michalek, the defense group is mediocre and should be rebuilt.

BuhBye Barry

Why is this such a surprise? Barry Melrose should never have been hired in the first place. He pretty much said exactly that in his recent interviews by saying he could not motivate this new generation of players.

It's not like he had a team of rookies looking for direction and a pep talk after every shift! Lecavalier, St Louis, Prospal, Roberts, Recchi, Gratton... This is a nice group of veterans to work with. Is motivation really what is missing with those guys?? Wouldn't it be a system that works? a coach that spends the time studying his opponents' schemes, find the right matchups and gets his team the tools and preparation they need to win night in and night out.

I do not have inside information here but it looks to me like Melrose did not put in the time needed to getback in a game he left more than a decade ago. Things have changed and the TV star couldn't adapt: Talking a nice rap (basically all you need to do sports TV) will not go well with professional athletes. Don't you think the Lightning's players wont see through the empty words of that guy??? I would tune him out pretty damn quickly.

And don't even get me started about 1993! The one real accomplishment on melrose's resume... Did he really do that great of a job in 1993? Wasn’t he really assistant coach to player/coach Gretzky? And let’s not forget the makeup of that team: Kurri, Robitaille, Granato, Sandstrom, Dave Taylor, Tim Watters, Huddy, McSorley, Mark Hardy…. This is no talentless group of youngsters that had to be picked up and carried through. This is a veteran core that probably allowed the coach to take it easy a bunch of days.

Melrose is a chump.

Saves of the week 11/10 - too much details

10 - Lundqvist vs Lecavalier
Henrik Lundqvist probably has the best lateral movement in the league. Everything is so smooth, in control and effortless... he just glides over, one defenseman right in his face blocking the whole side and another d-man dropping down in front... yet, that doesn't phase him at all, the puck is the only thing he sees and he makes a great glove save on one of the most lethal wrist shooters.

9 - MacDonald vs Rozsival
Perfect play by the Rangers Dman. He has a perfect lane and angle for his shot and does not waste one second to let it rip. MacDonald looked bad earlier being down way too early but recuperated and set up nicely (if late for the point shot). He did reach out quite a bit behind him and made a very nice save. A good example why goalies should keep their glove hand behind them, quite a while behind the pad to give them that extra second to grab those pucks out of the air.

8 - Hedberg vs Vanek
A funny play but this is not a save of the week. A great example of a flopping goalie though. A good week of practice with play behind the net would really help this guy. He had no clue what to do, just threw himself around hoping the player would go that way.

7 - Weekes vs Vanek
Stretch that leg... Find that spot in the crease where a stretched leg will fit perfectly against the post and you suddenly will stop everything that is not up in the air. This is not a reflex save as Vanek was fumbling a bit, its just a positioning play with a perfectly outstretched pad leaving nothing for the shooter.

6 - Anderson vs Getzlaf
I said in another post that the Panthers should trade Vokoun and give Anderson a shot. The kid has great stats in spot duty and for a team going nowhere, they really should get some value for a mid 30s guy like Vokoun. A nice first save with a controlled rebound but Corey Perry gets it first and it somehow ends right there for Getzlaf. Anderson plays it well even though he is way out of position, sprawled out sideways: he waits for Getzlaf to make the shot before moving. Most goalies in that position would scramble to move over to cover the net or flail their arms around but you should always wait out the shooter, regardless of the situation you are in.

5 - Bishop vs Pavelski
A young kid getting a chance in STL due to injury and he isn't doing so bad (2 games and a half, 2.41 and .917). Looking back behind you is not a sign of weakness, it's the fighting spirit of never giving up.... of course, a long ass arm really helps to be able to catch up to those pucks!

4 - Garon vs Penguins
One of the worst aim in history! Talbot is 10 feet out yet almost takes out Crosby 3 feet to the right of the net. A nice strong paddle stops the rebound shot

3 - Giguere vs Calder
One hell of a save. Giguere plays way up in the crease and with his defense uncaring for the rebound, he is suddenly way out of position for the goalline outlet guy... but he keeps his eyes on the puck and reaches out, somehow winning the strength contest against Calder's stick. I never really watched Calder play or understood what made him an underachiever but this play shows a softness and ... and just not putting 100% strength and effort into every play, even when it looks like an empty net. I guarantee you Ovechkin, Lecavalier, Iginla are shoving both the puck and Giguere's glove into the net on that play!

2 - Osgood vs Elias
Awesome reaction by Elias when he gets robbed. Why is it that so many guys barely seem to care when they get stopped like that? This game is all about passion! Words are not really necessary for a save like that... it's part luck, part anticipation, 100% game changer.

1 - Turco vs Thornton
I don't want to keep bashing a struggling Turco but there is so much wrong in this play. Look how early and purposelessly Turco goes down. Thornton is still behind the net, has a dman on his back... and this is Joe Thornton! he will make a pass 90% of the time! Turco is down against the post, his paddle paralel to the goal (so useless to stop a cross crease pass) and the whole other side of the goal is empty. He should have stayed up and this puck would have hit him in the chest for an easy save. Instead, he is down and stuck, the puck hits him on the head, the back and he contorts himself to make a save. It's a cool play but not a great save.

Saves of the week 11/03 - too much details

10 - Osgood vs Perry
Good technique will get you far. This is a perfect example of a post-to-post lateral movement done calmly and in control. Perry also showed his skills by not one-timing it towards the goal but setting his shot and going top corner... but Osgood excellent positioning allowed him to steal the show with a great glove save.

9 - Ward vs Horcoff
One of the most difficult thing for a goalie is to follow a bouncy puck like this. Even a tic-tac-toe play is easier to track as you know where the puck is going... but a bouncy puck like that is going wherever and you cannot anticipate... all you can do is react! exactly what Cam Ward does by stretching the leg on a great shot from Horcoff.

8 - Thomas vs Sedin
The Sedin twins are doing what they do best: controlling the puck then making no-look pass to a suddenly free brother. The shot looks a bit slow on the replay but it was a perfectly timed shot from Henrik and only Tim Thomas excellent reaction saved the day. Thomas must have seen where Sedin was beforehand because he did not do a Superman plunge like he usually does but did a nicely controlled slide, his upper body still facing the shooter and his glove hand ready to grab. The rest of the saves better be good to beat that!

7 - Luongo vs Moller
The quickest glove in the league! Frolov's nice little skate towards the back of the net makes the Canucks D fall asleep and a perfect crisp pass down the middle ends right on Moller's tape and he taps it nicely upwards... but Luongo made a nice lateral movement and his reflexes took over, sending his glove hand up to grab that puck.

6 - Nabokov vs Dupuis
Like the announcer said, this is the exact same shot Dupuis scored on in OT a couple weeks ago. The dude has a very powerful shot and seems to have found a sweet spot in that area up from the face-off circle as the puck just flies for the top corner. Nabokov is however showing why he is among the elite by stepping up, cutting off the angle and letting his glove do the talking. You can see Dupuis's OT goal here.

5 - Thomas vs Hemsky
The play is developing differently but Thomas makes a very similar save to #8 by sliding over in a control manner and keeping his glove up to block the whole net. It warms my heart to see a career journeyman finally get his chance in the NHL in his mid 30s and succeed so nicely... especially doing it with good technique and unbridled energy like Thomas is.

4 - Turco vs the Bruins
Turco has been awful overall this year and this save does show how unfocused he can be. Instead of having his stick flush against the ice, he is flat on his butt hoping the puck will hit him, scrambling about with his limbs flairing, throwing himself in the direction of the puck and somehow deflecting it softly to a spot where he can smother it.

3 - Olesz vs the Thrashers
This is why I disaprove of goalies stepping out of the crease when there are any chances for the play to switch sides. Vokoun is so far in front of the crease that his lateral movement takes him out of the play and the net is now completely empty. Look at that overhead shot! There are 3 Panthers in the shot, none of them the goalie. And somehow the winger (yes the winger!) Olesz ends up in the net, sees the puck bounce off Bouwmeester's behind and bats the puck away right on the red line! Best non-goalie save so far this year!

2 - Kiprusoff vs Stoll
Never make the first move! Kiprusoff got nervous and went down in his butterfly as soon as Stoll grabbed the puck, therefore putting him in a bad position as Stoll skated away to find a better angle... but he stopped short himself and went for an average shot that Kiprusoff was able to stop with his quick glove hand.

1 - Turco vs Yelle
Now this is a save! Turco still was scrambling, down early and forced to throw himself around but he was in the right place at the right time to stop that top corner shot. A better scorer might have waited for Turco's superman to fall flat on his face then shoot over an empty net... When you have a goalie scrambling, you better milk it for all its worth and let him get himself out of the play.

Very nice to see a bunch of glove saves this week! especially after the last couple weeks being almost only pad saves.

Monthly Evaluation: Western Creme de la Creme

San Jose (10-2-0): How nice. But will anybody cares until the playoffs how well the Sharks are playing? They have been teasing with great regular season play for many years yet still fail come playoff time.

The team is continuously developing excellent forwards and this year's new arrival is Devin Setoguchi who is leading the team with 12pts in 12 games. On top of those 2 powerful offensive top lines, the rest of the forward lines are extremely pesky and difficult to play against.

With the arrival of Dan Boyle & Rob Blake, the departure of massively overrated Kyle McLaren and the steady progress of Ehrhoff & Vlasic, the backend is also quite capable and perfectly matched to the forward group.

While Nabokov hasn't been great so far, his play has been good enough to make the Sharks the class of the West.

Rating: A
Outlook: same


Detroit (8-2-2): Just read any analysis from last year's playoffs and add Marian Hossa. The firepower is all over and this group is extremely annoying to play against.

The Wings are on their way to another season with over 100pts and even mediocre goaltending will not change that.

Rating: A
Outlook: same


Minnesota (7-2-1): Gaborik is hurt and in no hurry to resign while Eric Belanger is 4th in team scoring with 5pts in 10 games. That is the extent of the bad news in Minneapolis.

The team has been playing extremely well, the younger Koivu is thriving as the new captain and Nicklas Backstrom is on his way to the AllStar game as one of the best goalie in the league.

This team is built quick and tenacious, controlling the puck and feeding on mistakes. Whoever wants the NorthWest title will need to go through the Wild to get it.

Rating: A
Outlook: same


Calgary (7-4-1): Offense is always an issue in Calgary but some nice offseason acquisitions are bearing fruit and Iginla is finally getting some help. Now if only youngsters like Lombardi (well, not that young now but still with that prospect tag), Boyd, Moss & Nystrom would play better than 4th liners!

With this rough & tough defense and Kiprusoff actually playing well, the Flames can really focus their attention on the offense and hopefully generate enough offense to stick to 4th or 5th place and avoid meeting one of the big 3 in the first round of the playoffs.

Rating: B+
Outlook: same


Anaheim (7-5-1): Seriously handicapped by an awful cap situation, the Ducks still manage to win more often than they lose with a big physical group of guys and good possession skills.

The team is pretty much the same as the cup winning team... just with the veterans a bit older and the youngsters a bit older too (weird how that happens eh?!) which balances itself out.

Catching San Jose might be difficult but as long as the team ends the season healthy and rested, the Ducks will be a nasty team to face in the playoffs.

Rating: B
Outlook: same

Monthly Evaluation: Western Meddling Middle

Nashville (6-4-1): I was never a big Poile fan but he constantly finds players to replenish his team, even from surprise defection to Russia.

This group of forwards does not inspire me much but they somehow manage to score and buzz around enough to disrupt their opponents. What I appreciate much more is the quality of the young defensemen on this team. Weber has 12pts in 11 games so far and the confidence placed on him (by letting go of Timmonen & Zlidicky) is paying off. Ryan Suter plays a style quite different from his uncle but he is extremely effective.

6th place seems about right for the Predators but the Western Conference is not lacking on playoffs contenders so the battle will be fierce to keep that spot.

Rating: B
Outlook: same


Edmonton (6-4-1): While most pundits placed the Oilers right there in the thick of things, I simply do not see that in that team and predicted a last place finish in the NorthWest division.

The forwards are speedy, I'll give you that but there isn't much real scoring there apart from Hemsky & probably Gagner if he bulks up or gets better linemates to distract the opposition. Listen, when Ethan Moreau is your 2nd highest scoring forward with 3 goals & 7pts in 11 games, don't come tell me this is an awesome group of talent!

More to the point, no team should have 4 defensemen among their top 7 scorers. That defense is extremely mobile and supports the offense wonderfully but I am not sure how far that will take you with the makeup of this team. The nastiness that Pronger brought was never replaced and is sorely missing from this blueline.

The battle for a playoff spot has just started in Northern Alberta!

Rating: C
Outlook: going down


Chicago (6-3-3): Stop the presses! Martin Havlat has not yet missed a game! Not that he has helped the Hawks much as they ended up the first month 8th in the Western Conference.

The team is developing nicely around Kane, Toews & Sharp on offense and Campbell, Keith & Seabrook on defense. There is however much left to be done to transform this team into a contender. The Hawks have the best example right next door with the Wings.

How will this team hold up through the season? Very hard to predict where they will finish.

Rating: C
Outlook: same


Vancouver (6-6-0): Not bad for a team with no offense. What a wasteland this looked at the beginning of the year after the Sedin twins... but somehow some players are stepping up and providing some much needed secondary scoring. Strangely, all that happened once Demitra went down with injury: Wellwood was called up and is playing a very strong position game and gets all those workman goals that nobody used to get before.

Kesler & Burrows are also continuing their progression from late last year, transforming their line from a purely shutdown defensive unit into one of those most annoying line to play against.

The emergence of Bieksa & Edler on the blueline has masked the slow decline of Ohlund and Salo but this group is not as strong as it was previously.

Of course, all that is written above is somehow secondary in Vancouver. While he hasn't been Turco bad, Luongo has not had a great start... but with 2 shutouts in his last 4 games, this might indicate another of those hot streaks on the way and that is all the Canucks would need to jump from 9th to 3rd in the Western Conference.

There are some nice pieces in Vancouver but not enough so all will rest on Luongo's shoulders once again.

Rating: C
Outlook: going up


Saint Louis (5-5-0): The loss of Erik Johnson was a crushing blow, not only for this year but more importantly for long term development.

I am not a fan of rebuilding team filling up their top lines with veterans but maybe this is the best route for the Blues. They have some nice young talent up front but I dont know if they are ready for top line duties and the pressure it brings. Still, seing Kariya, McDonald & Tkachuk all with over 17mins tells me there is lots of ice time those kids could have and are not.

.500 feels like overachievement for the Blues so far and I can't see them do much better than that for the rest of the year.

Rating: C
Outlook: going down

Monthly Evaluation: Western Bottom Feeders

Colorado (5-7-0): The former powerhouse of the NorthWest division is going through a slow yet steady decline. Gone are the days of attracting big free agent fish with prospects of playing in June. Now what Denver attracts is Tucker & Raycroft. Ryan Smyth was a bigger fish but his play is gone dramatically down... or was it overhyped all that time among Edmonton's hockey fanatics?


Regardless, this group of forwards will not scare many especially as things quickly dry up after the first two lines. Veterans are occupying almost every spots and while they work hard, the upside is hard to find. With Sakic & Smyth already old and Hejduk creeping up too, this team cannot afford to lose Paul Stastny and must find ways to surround him with better talent.


The youngest member of the blueline group is John-Michael Liles at 28 and while the rest are very responsible defensively, such a slow moving group is simply not enough when your net is protected by the likes of Raycroft & Budaj.


This team looks old and seriously need an infusion of young talent. 11th in the Conference seems about right and this will be a very hard battle to find a playoff spot.


Rating: F
Outlook: same




Dallas (4-6-2): Who knew Sergei Zubov was so essential. Only Detroit looked stronger than the Stars late last year and many predicted a run at the Pacific division title with the arrival of Brunnstrom and Avery. This forward group is one of the strongest of the conference with talent, strength and nastiness.



The backend however is awful without Zubov. Boucher is looking old and slow (well, slowER than he already was) and the rest of them are not impressing anybody. Of course, that still does not excuse a .837 save percentage but unless there is some undisclosed injury, Turco should rebound and get back to being one of the most reliable puck stoppers in the league... hopefully, that rebound will happen before the Stars fall out of contention.

Rating: F
Outlook: same for November, it will take a few more weeks for things to kick into gear here


Columbus (4-6-2): "Things are looking up" has become a mantra in Columbus in the last few years... but it is true! Night-after-night production is an issue right now but I like a group formed by Nash, Brassard, Huselius, Voracek, Umberger, Chimera & Modin.

More depth and consistency is needed but you have a group worth building around.

Sadly, I don't see the same with the blueline. Tuytin, Commodore and Klesla are serviceable but they really belong further down the depth chart and not as the 20mins workhorses. Much has been expected from Kris Russell and comparaisons to Rafalski were numerous. Except similar size, it is time to let those go to rest and for the jackets to lay their hopes somewhere else for a powerplay quarterback.

Pascal Leclaire is not having the same success as last year but a kid with legs this quick and strong technique will rebound and give his team a chance to win most nights.

Rating: D
Outlook: same


Phoenix (4-5-0): That has to be a major disapointment in Arizona... if anybody cares about hockey at the overloaded sports area. With a full year of Bryzgalov, the arrival of Olli Jokinen and Patrick Kane 2.0 (Kyle Turris), this was supposed to be the year the Coyotes would actually compete.

There is some nice pieces up front but the talent falls off sharply and opponents can focus on stopping the big lines to stop the whole offense.

I do not know who is responsible for assembling this defense corps but their evaluation skills are seriously deficient. The two guys developed from within, Yandle & Michalek, are good pieces but the rest of the squad is one overrated veteran after another. Jovanovski anyone? two more years at 6.5mil for zeeeeroooo pt in 9 games and -6 rating! Mr overrated himself Derek Morris maybe? also 0 point in 9 games and only -4!! Ken Klee? David Hale? Kurt Sauer?? Where is Jyrki Lumme when you need him!

Rating: D
Outlook: same


Los Angeles (3-6-1): The roomy spot in the cellar was expected but did anyone expect this bunch to be this awful?? Will anyone reach 60pts?

I won't go into details about the awful lineup and the great young players on this team except to say that rebuilding is on the right track in LA but there is lots of work yet to be done.

Rating: F
Outlook: looks great for 2011!

Monthly Evaluation: Eastern Creme de la Creme

New York Rangers (10-3-1): I was never a Sather fan but I must admit he has built a very strong team in New York. The production of Jagr & Shanahan has been replaced and the bluieshirts can now count on two good offensive lines and two strong checking lines.


There are however a few dark clouds on the horizons: 1- Chris Drury is paid way too much to be a 3rd line center with 30 points a year but even more important is the minimal cap space available next summer, the same summer both Zherdev and Dubinsky become restricted free agents. Can the Rangers afford to lose those two young guns? Who will be sacrificed to keep them in the fold?


The defense is a nice mix of developing young talent (Girardi & Stall) and serviceable yet underachieving veterans (Redden, Kalinin & Mara) which accomplish enough to protect one of the best goaltender in the league in Henrik Lundqvist. Whispers of ankle troubles were worrisome in training camp but so far, the swedish man is been dominant for the Rangers.


Rating: A
Outlook: same




Montreal (8-1-1): With 4 games in hand and only 4 points behind New York, the Canadiens may well be in first place quite shortly and very few people would be surprised. This team is talented top to bottom and some players struggling for ice team in Montreal would be 2nd liners in other towns.

There is so much speed among those forwards and coupled with an extremely effective backcheck, it makes the Canadiens one of the hardest team to play against.

The defense is anchored by two veterans but there are a whole bunch of young extremely talented guys right behind them to provide steady help to the young goaltenders.

I was critical of Price last year, mostly of what I perceived as bad technique on lateral movement and a very slow glove hand but the kid seems to always find a way to stop the puck and he has been exceptional so far this year.

Halak has also played great and I cannot believe a team in need of goaltending has not made an offer Gainey could not refuse for him. The guy is young and looks like he has the tools to be a very good goalie in the league.

Gainey is the slow and steady improvement type but there has to be some crazy spark all over the Habs front office about going all the way in this 100th year.

Rating: A
Outlook: going up (there is still improvement to be had here)


Carolina (6-3-2): The affirmative action program of the NHL, the SouthEast division, once again propulses a middle of the road team to 3rd place.

Once old-timers Whitney & Brind'Amour retires, Eric Staal is going to feel extremely lonely on this team. There is a complete void of offensive talent and the prospect list is short too.

The defense is also awful to watch and lacks in talent and prospects (unless 28 year old Seidenberg is your idea of a talented prospect). Good thing Cam Ward is over his sophomore slump and playing so well or this team would be fighting with Florida for the 13th spot.

Rating: A
Outlook: going down


Buffalo (7-2-2): It took some time to get over all those free agent departures but this pesky ultra speedy team is back on track.

Vanek leads the league in goals and a lazy shift cannot be found anywhere on this team.

Ryan Miller is up to this usual tricks in goal and makes a weirdly constructed defensive squad look better than they are.

Rating: B
Outlook: same


Boston (6-3-3): Another rebuilding process going well. With Savard, Chara, Ryder and Wideman, the Bruins are adding nice pieces to their homegrown talent of Bergeron, Kessel, Lucic and Krejci.

Some more pieces are needed, especially on the blueline (Aaron Ward & Andrew Ference should enver be playing 20mins a night) but there is a very interesting core in Boston.

It will tough to keep this 5th place in the competitive Eastern Conference especially since Tim Thomas will not be able to keep that .944 save percentage all year but the Bruins have the talent to clinch one of the last playoff spots available.

Rating: B
Outlook: same