Power Rankin's (week of 2/1/10)

Not much in the way of big movers this week. The Ottawa Senators keep rising, and the New York Rangers keep falling. Will the Blueshirts remain ahead of the Isles as we head toward the Olympic break? Stay tuned to find out!

We do, however, have a new top team in the Rankin's - The Washington Capitals. I've had them penciled in as this year's Stanley Cup champs for about 2 months now, so this is one commentator who is not surprised that they have finally taken over the top spot in this venerable list.

The Caps lone weakness might be in net, however they do rank 12th in the Goaltending Quality component of the Power Rankin's. This compares with their eventual Stanley Cup Finals opponent Chicago's 24th position in that department, so I'm pretty confident of my assessment there. The only problem they face is if Ottawa wins the Northeast and the Caps are somehow pitted against Buffalo and a headstanding Ryan Miller in an early round. For the time being though, look for the Red to be Rockin' atop the Power Rankin's index for the coming weeks (and not just because of the Olympics-related temporary cessation of hostilities).

1) (3) Washington
2) (2) Phoenix
3) (1) Chicago
4) (5) San Jose
5) (6) Buffalo
6) (4) Colorado
7) (8) Vancouver
8) (7) New Jersey
9) (9) Los Angeles
10) (10) Pittsburgh
11) (15) Ottawa
12) (11) Nashville
13) (14) Philadelphia
14) (13) Detroit
15) (12) Calgary
16) (16) Anaheim
17) (19) Minnesota
18) (18) Dallas
19) (20) St. Louis
20) (17) Montreal
21) (22) Boston
22) (24) Florida
23) (25) Atlanta
24) (21) NY Rangers
25) (23) NY Islanders
26) (26) Tampa Bay
27) (28) Carolina
28) (29) Columbus
29) (27) Edmonton
30) (30) Toronto

Power Rankin's (week of 1/25/10)

Chicago maintains top spot in this week's edition of The Power Rankin's. Phoenix, though, is rising fast. The Coyotes are the only team in the NHL to sport a top-10 ranking in all 5 contributing elements of the Power Rankin's index.

The past week's movers and shakers come from the Northeast Division. The Ottawa Senators have riden a 6-game win streak to the 15th slot in the Rankin's (up from 22nd last week). Their past week's results including 4 wins - 2 over division rival Boston. The Bruins, on the other hand, plummeted 9 slots to 22nd on the heels of 4 losses for the week, including 2 to the Blue Jackets and the Hurricanes (yuck!).

Sadly for Bettman's Nightmare's administrator, the Rangers remain a bottom-third team in the new week's results.

1) (1) Chicago
2) (3) Phoenix
3) (4) Washington
4) (8) Colorado
5) (7) San Jose
6) (2) Buffalo
7) (5) New Jersey
8) (9) Vancouver
9) (11) Los Angeles
10) (10) Pittsburgh
11) (6) Nashville
12) (12) Calgary
13) (14) Detroit
14) (15) Philadelphia
15) (22) Ottawa
16) (17) Anaheim
17) (19) Montreal
18) (23) Dallas
19) (18) Minnesota
20) (16) St. Louis
21) (20) NY Rangers
22) (13) Boston
23) (24) NY Islanders
24) (25) Florida
25) (21) Atlanta
26) (26) Tampa Bay
27) (27) Edmonton
28) (30) Carolina
29) (28) Columbus
30) (29) Toronto

Penguins/Phlyers, live in-game blog

Welcome to Bettman's Nightmare's first live in-game blogging extravaganza. Check in all game long for insightful commentary as today's Pens/Phlyers game unfolds.

12:29 PM (pregame) - NBC has no pregame for hockey. I guess since they've got the worst NFL pregame show in the history of that sport, perhaps we should be grateful.

12:38 PM (0:30, 1st period) - No surprise with the Staal line starting the game for Pittsburgh. They start every game, but usually get matched against the opponents top line.

12:44 PM (5:00, 1st period) - So much for the Black & Gold Rule. Crosby goes for a slash that results in the recently hot Jeff Carter scoring from behind the net. I hate backup netminders.

12:46 PM (5:40, 1st period) - Traditional thinking would call for a fight right now because the Penguins are lacking momentum. No?

12:51 PM (7:45, 1st period) - Whaddyaknow?! Scott Hartnell goes into the netminder. Surprise, surprise, surprise. I can't wait until Hartnell is traded to the Pens. Hartnell, by the way, went into Johnson a few seconds earlier of his own accord as well.

Stay classy, Philly.

12:53 PM (8:30, 1st period) - The Pens' power play is worst in the league, but it has been playing better of late... oh well, there goes that thought anyway as Pronger dives to the ice. Pronger is, quite literally, 3x the size of Alex Goligoski.

12:56 PM (10:40, 1st period) - No discpline for Pittsburgh today, as Staal takes a Tripping (Hooking?) minor. This is going to be bad. And Scott Hartnell is the worst skater I've seen since Happy Gilmore.

1:04 PM (13:45, 1st period) - Nice follow up by Richards on the goal. I think it should stand... but then again, bear-hugging Malkin may need to be called after all.

1:06 PM (14:00, 1st period) - It has been the subject of debate since Crosby's debut in the league. The NBC broadcast just mentioned Derien Hatcher knocking out 3 teeth of Crosby's. Yet, that was where Crosby's diving reputation was born. How, I ask, does someone dive while getting his teeth knocked out. Seems to me that a player would legitimately hit the deck when losing teeth.

Anyway, Pens score. Tie game. Maybe that'll shut the Philadelphia crowd up. They'll be booing Danny Briere and Donovan McNabb by the end of the period.

1:15 PM (19:10, 1st period) - No need at all for a fight. Clean hit on Goligoski.

1:21 PM (end of 1st) - Outside of the guys in Orange & Black not actually being able to stay upright (maybe they were out drinking too late last night), good action in the first. How Philadelphia fans can keep a straight face when talking about Crosby diving is really beyond me. I'm going to go walk my dog.

1:33 PM (1st intermission) - The 1st period stats show all momentum going Philly's way. Nonetheless, I predict a fight to open the second. It won't regain momentum for Philly, it won't avenge a dirty hit (Letang got what was coming to him from Darrol Powe during the fight). It might get the crowd back into it, but if they're out of it already, then shame on them in the first place.

Dan Carcillo just can't help himself. Following up on my 'The Code is Dead' post from a day or three ago, by the way, Dan Carcillo is a legitimate fighter. Yet, even I wouldn't be intimidated by him, underscoring my point that fighting is no longer a legitimate deterrant to running opposing players' stars. I'm not saying Carcillo wouldn't beat me to a pulp - just that I wouldn't look across the bar at him and shiver.

Back to game action as Hartnell goes into the netminder AGAIN.

1:40 PM (2:20, 2nd period) - Nice effort by Guerin, better save by Emery. One of Emery's legitimate strengths is tracking the play from side to side.

1:44 PM (6:00, 2nd period) - Nothing much going on in the second thus far. But no fights, which is surprising to me, at least. Emery is seeing absolutely everything coming at him.

1:48 PM (8:00, 2nd period - as 28-Orange loses the carry in and blows a saucer pass on back-to-back rushes) - Sorry, Mikey, but Giroux is a 3rd liner at best. If I were a Phlyers phan (I gag at the very notion) I would be on the JVR train, body and soul.

1:54 PM (11:40, 2nd period) - With Richards' penchant for headhunting, I don't know if I would want Crosby matched up against 18-Orange. Skills-wise, however, there's clearly no contest.

2:00 PM (14:30, 2nd period) - Pronger has nothing to do with it, but I think the matchups Philly have going against Crosby are really spot on. Crosby has shown some intensity this afternoon, but it hasn't resulted in points.

... The mustache on "Billy G" is the result of team-building exercise for Pittsburgh. The loser of the monthly shootout contest in practice is forced to wear the '70s 'stache for the month. Guerin was January's loser.

2:04 PM (17:03, 2nd period) - Diving count: Philadelphia 3, Pittsburgh 1

2:08 PM (19:55, 2nd period) - ABSOLUTE BULL SHIT! Boozehound Richards ducks away from the hit, and draws a penalty. Maybe Carter will give him a kiss and a backrup and Richards can come out with a spine in the 3rd.

2:15 PM (2nd intermission) - I agree with the NBC analysts that Ian Laperriere is one of the real strengths of Philadelphia. He does everything, as whatshisface was saying, but contrary to a Dan Carcillo, he does it with an identifiable respect for opponents and the game. I'm not sure I could point out a cheap shot taken by Ian Laperriere (ahem, Matt Bradley, Marian Gaborik).

2:20 PM (2nd intermission) - The NBC analysts must be reading Bettman's Nightmare. You heard them note that Pronger is one of the few players that are truly intimidating. I agree. He is one of the few players in the league that could actually act as a deterrent to taking a shot at a star player. Unfortunately, Pronger hasn't decapitated anyone this year, and he doesn't get in fights. I guess maybe he was truly intimidating to opponents a few years ago...

2:26 PM (open of the 3rd) - Big kill here. Pittsburgh has the capacity to come back in games, but Philly could go for 2 quick ones if they start with 1 on the PP to start the period.

2:29 PM (1:50 3rd period) - Another dumb penalty for Pittsburgh. Ho, hum.

Surprised Letang exited the scrum with all his fingers in place.

2:32 PM (4:00, 3rd period) - I've heard that big penalty kills can also provide momentum to a team. I've never really bought it. It would seem to me to be more of a big exhale after killing them - especially when the penalties are dumb and unnecessary like the ones the Pens have taken.

2:34 PM (4:55, 3rd period) - There's a thought. Ray Emery hasn't really been tested much in this game. That could result in a relatively weak goal for Pittsburgh if they would just put the puck on nete in any sort of unexpected way instead of shooting it squarely into Emery's pads from an unobstructred view.

2:36 PM (6:30, 3rd period) Absolutely filthy by Arron Asham. He should get thrown out of the game. I don't know who he was pummelling, but it was from behind, while that man was face down on the ice. Typical Orange & Black tactic.

As for Hartnell and Malkin, A) Its evidence of the code not existing (no deterrent to hitting opponents' star players) and B) I didn't see anything wrong with the two of them facing off. No punches thrown.

2:48 PM (11:10, 3rd period) - Mike Richards is also a liar. When asked by Pierre McGuire why he didn't shoot the puck, the correct answer was "Did you see my penalty shot against Carolina yesterday?!"

2:50 PM (12:40, 3rd period) - 2 bad calls in a row - but they even out. Emery just faced the first real tester of the game (other than Crosby's big slapper that caught the iron in the 1st - which really doesn't count anyway).

2:51 PM (14:00, 3rd period) - Too much passing, not enough shooting. No wonder they're one of the worst power play teams in the league, really. A Pittsburgh radio station actually made up a song spoofing the Pens' inability to shoot the puck - and that was 15 years ago!

2:58 PM (16:30, 3rd period) - I wonder if the two teams spent their respective loads in the 1st. The 2nd & 3rd periods have been largely uneventful from a hockey-relevant point of view.

2:59 PM (18:30, 3rd period) - Wow. Whaddyaknow? Put the puck on the net instead of passing it, and good things happen. 5-hole on Emery, even though he was screened.

3:01 PM (19:10, 3rd period) - Another horrible call. Gonchar's stick never even made contact with Giroux's flailing body.

3:05 PM (end of the game) - Philly really needed Scott Hartnell out there at the end to run over Johnson.

3rd star: Ray Emery
2nd star: Jeff Carter
1st star: Matt Cooke

3rd anti-star: Scott Hartnell
2nd anti-star: Alex Goligoski
1st anti-star: Arron Asham

3:10 PM (post-game) - Thanks for tuning in en masse, guys. I hope you enjoyed following as much as I enjoyed blogging.

Oh, how I love when the Pens beat the Phlyers!

The Code is Dead

As a fishing expedition riding the tails of "The Gaborik Incident," I'm curious exactly how "The Code" fit into Philadelphia's Saturday afternoon tilt against Carolina.

So, I'm watching the game. I'm being dazzled by Daniel Carcillo's offensive prowess. Then, out of the blue, Andrew Alberts and Ian Laperriere get into a fight - right in the middle of a hockey game, if you can imagine.

Now, neither Eric Staal or Scott Hartnell (the two superstars for their respective teams, obviously) had been hit by some unsuspecting or cheap-shot hit. There didn't seem to be any undue momentum swing - the Carcillo goal was just a dumb neutral zone giveaway and a few minutes of game time had passed since then anyway.

So, how does "The Code" fit into Laperriere and Alberts trying to beat each others' brains in fit into a hockey game, exactly?

My own suspicion is that the code doesn't exist. It used to exist, when there were superstar players not large enough to fend for themselves against monstrous, Ogie Oglethorpe types. But modern hockey involves years of physical training, year-round workout routines, and a level of physical demand never imagined by players in hockey's "Golden Age" when on-ice policing was a useful strategy.

These days, fighting is useless except for entertaining the brain dead fans of a few select North American cities whose teams haven't enjoyed the gleam of the Stanley Cup being carried through their streets for more than 30 years.

Hurrah for the Natural!

Just a quick shout out to phormer Philadelphia Phlyer Scottie Upshall for putting up the first natural hat trick I can recall in some time!

And he didn't even need a fight to inspire him to such heights. Imagine that...

If you're going to already top your career high in goals just past the season's halfway point, that's the way to do it in style, eh?

See what happens when you get out from under the Orange & Black Blanket o' Goonery?

Power Rankin's (Week of 1/18/10)

Chicago and Buffalo continue to battle it out at the top, with Chicago taking this week's poll position. And despite the hopes and dreams of you so-called hockey purists, Phoenix and Nashville are hanging tough in the top 10.

The week's big upside mover was St. Louis. The Blues shot up 6 spots on the strength of a 3-0 record for the week and a 9-2 goal differential (including 1 shutout).

On the other hand, the week's biggest fall goes to Dallas, which found itself sliding 6 spots on losses to Philadelphia and Montreal, though they did record a shootout win over a thusfar substandard Detroit squad (the validity of replay goals is not included in this index).

Each team's prior-week rankin' is provided in parentheses.

1) (2) Chicago
2) (1) Buffalo
3) (3) Phoenix
4) (5) Washington
5) (4) New Jersey
6) (8) Nashville
7) (7) San Jose
8) (9) Colorado
9) (6) Vancouver
10) (11) Pittsburgh
11) (12) Los Angeles
12) (10) Calgary
13) (13) Boston
14) (14) Detroit
15) (15) Philadelphia
16) (22) St. Louis
17) (18) Anaheim
18) (16) Minnesota
19) (19) Montreal
20) (20) NY Rangers
21) (23) Atlanta
22) (21) Ottawa
23) (17) Dallas
24) (25) NY Islanders
25) (24) Florida
26) (26) Tampa Bay
27) (27) Edmonton
28) (29) Columbus
29) (28) Toronto
30) (30) Carolina

Why not fight instead?

As I followed the fleeting moments of the Nashville/Calgary game on Friday night, a thought occurred to me:

Instead of pulling the goaltender to get an extra attacker on the ice, why not just start a fight?

I am told by my "real hockey fan" counterparts that fighting provides some value to the game. At various times and in various combinations, I am told it provides the potential for a momentum shift in a game, it gets the crowd "into it," it inspires teammates, etc., etc., etc.

So, in Calgary v. Nashville, we have the fighting-est team in the league taking on one of the least fight-prone teams. Calgary is down by one goal, at home, and has a Captain recognized leaguewide for his leadership skill which, on more than rare occassion, includes dropping the gloves.

Well? Isn't it obvious that instead of pulling Kiprusoff with a minute left in an effort to deposit the tying goal, Jarome Iginla should have beat the shite out of someone?

Nashville's lack of fights combined with their better-than-average record is arguably an indicator that even if fighting provides some value toward the goal of winning certain hockey games, they choose not to employ that particular strategy and would therefore not get the same lift as their pugilist opponents would from some fisticuffs.

Power Rankin's (Week of 1/11/10)

In order to accommodate Philadelphia Phlyers phans - all of whom apparently believe that the national sports media in its entirety is biased toward Pittsburgh teams (more on "The Black & Gold Rule" later, I'm sure), I present an entirely objective ranking of the NHL's 30 teams - The Power Rankin's:

1) Buffalo
2) Chicago
3) Phoenix
4) New Jersey
5) Washington
6) Vancouver
7) San Jose
8) Nashville
9) Colorado
10) Calgary
11) Pittsburgh
12) Los Angeles
13) Boston
14) Detroit
15) Philadelphia
16) Minnesota
17) Dallas
18) Anaheim
19) Montreal
20) NY Rangers
21) Ottawa
22) St. Louis
23) Atlanta
24) Florida
25) NY Islanders
26) Tampa Bay
27) Edmonton
28) Toronto
29) Columbus
30) Carolina

This calculation is a weighted sum of each team's ranking in five categories:

1) Wins * Strength of Victory (30% of total index)
2) Losses / Strength of Loss (30% of total index)
3) 0.5 * OT-Shootout Losses / Strength of OT-Shootout Loss (10% of total index)
4) Goal Scoring Depth (15% of total index)
5) Goaltending Quality (15% of total index)

'Goal Scoring Depth' is a measure of each team's scoring capacity from the top of its lineup to the bottom. Teams with one or two dominant goal scoring forces will not be as highly ranked in this category as teams that are more balanced across their lineup. However, each team's total goals scored is also balanced by the league average of team goals, preventing "balanced" teams that have scored very few goals but evenly across a relatively large number of players from gaining undue benefit.

'Goaltending Quality' takes account of each teams goals allowed at even-strength, while shorthanded, and while on the power play. The number of shots each team faces is also included in order to normalize goals allowed.

Unlike other major media outlets rankings, the Power Rankin's are entirely void of personal bias (trust me, if they weren't, Philly would be forever mired in the 25-30 range on pure principle). Debate them all you like, but statistics just don't lie.

Projected 2009-2010 Final Standings (midseason report)

Take an NHL team's up-to-the-minute season performance, weight its remaining games by its remaining strength of schedule, and throw in a time-weighted extrapolation of that team's much-noted "Last 10 Games" performance and what do you get? Why, a midseason projection of the final 2009-2010 NHL season standings, that's what.

Eastern Conference
1) New Jersey Devils (126 pts.; Atlantic Division Champion; President's Trophy winner)
2) Buffalo Sabres (119 pts.; Northeast Division Champion)
3) Washington Capitals (109 pts.; Southeast Division Champion)
4) New York Rangers (97 pts.)
5) Boston Bruins (97 pts.)
6) Philadelphia Flyers (91 pts.)
7) Montreal Canadiens (91 pts.)
8) Ottawa Senators (89 pts.)
---
9) Pittsburgh Penguins (87 pts.)
10) Tampa Bay Lightning (84 pts.)
11) New York Islanders (83 pts.)
12) Florida Panthers (75 pts.)
13) Atlanta Thrashers (72 pts.)
14) Toronto Maple Leafs (69 pts.)
15) Carolina Hurricanes (61 pts.)

Western Conference
1) Chicago Blackhawks (125 pts.; Central Division Champion)
2) San Jose Sharks (124 pts.; Pacific Division Champion)
3) Vancouver Canucks (111 pts; Northwest Division Champion)
4) Calgary Flames (104 pts.)
5) Nashville Predators (101 pts.)
6) Phoenix Coyotes (100 pts.)
7) Colorado Avalanche (94 pts.)
8) Detroit Red Wings (92 pts.)
---
9) Los Angeles Kings (90 pts.)
10) Dallas Stars (84 pts.)
11) Anaheim Ducks (79 pts.)
12) Minnesota Wild (78 pts.)
13) St. Louis Blues (74 pts.)
14) Columbus Blue Jackets (67 pts.)
15) Edmonton Oilers (57 pts.)