Bettman's Nightmare

New York Rangers Defence Share of Team Shooting, 1983-84 through 2010-11

2012-01-17T11:48:00.003-06:00

Sortable Table

Team	Year	Total.S	Total.G	Def.S	Fwd.S	Sh%	Total.SA	Total.GA	Sv%	PDO	%D.Sh
NYR	1983.84	2552	314	849	1703	12.3	2514	295	88.3	1006	33.3
NYR	1984.85	2378	295	820	1558	12.4	2785	341	87.8	1002	34.5
NYR	1985.86	2546	280	937	1609	11.0	2398	274	88.6	996	36.8
NYR	1986.87	2472	307	595	1877	12.4	2556	316	87.6	1001	24.1
NYR	1987.88	2541	300	775	1766	11.8	2438	278	88.6	1004	30.5
NYR	1988.89	2721	310	827	1894	11.4	2457	299	87.8	992	31.4
NYR	1989.90	2385	279	614	1771	11.7	2403	265	89.0	1007	25.7
NYR	1990.91	2444	297	645	1799	12.2	2546	261	89.7	1019	26.4
NYR	1991.92	2633	321	652	1981	12.2	2536	239	90.6	1028	24.8
NYR	1992.93	2794	304	655	2139	10.9	2821	300	89.4	1002	23.4
NYR	1993.94	2871	299	851	2020	10.4	2325	228	90.2	1006	29.6
NYR	1994.95	1529	139	496	1033	9.1	1261	132	89.5	986	32.4
NYR	1995.96	2671	272	753	1918	10.2	2467	231	90.6	1008	28.2
NYR	1996.97	2528	258	698	1830	10.2	2577	220	91.5	1017	27.6
NYR	1997.98	2075	197	564	1511	9.5	2292	224	90.2	997	27.2
NYR	1998.99	2085	217	577	1508	10.4	2468	219	91.1	1015	27.7
NYR	1999.00	2416	218	756	1660	9.0	2439	239	90.2	992	31.3
NYR	2000.01	2345	250	515	1830	10.7	2568	283	89.0	996	22.0
NYR	2001.02	2392	227	631	1761	9.5	2612	252	90.4	998	26.4
NYR	2002.03	2465	210	717	1748	8.5	2418	223	90.8	993	29.1
NYR	2003.04	2416	206	732	1684	8.5	2392	246	89.7	982	30.3
NYR	2005.06	2448	257	561	1887	10.5	2354	207	91.2	1017	22.9
NYR	2006.07	2586	242	558	2028	9.4	2327	209	91.0	1004	21.6
NYR	2007.08	2579	213	642	1937	8.3	2119	185	91.3	995	24.9
NYR	2008.09	2658	210	696	1962	7.9	2428	207	91.5	994	26.2
NYR	2009.10	2425	222	508	1917	9.2	2440	204	91.6	1008	20.9
NYR	2010.11	2453	233	521	1932	9.5	2402	187	92.2	1017	21.2

Montreal Canadiens Defence Share of Team Shooting 1983-84 through 1990-91

2012-01-16T22:19:00.024-06:00

Sortable Table

Season	Shots.For	GF	Def.Sh	Fwd.Sh	Sh%	Shots.Against	GA	Sv%	PDO	%D.Sh
1983.84	2293	286	552	1741	12.4	2055	291	85.8	98.3	24.1
1984.85	2415	309	679	1736	12.8	1968	258	86.9	99.7	28.1
1985.86	2354	330	625	1729	14.0	2165	276	87.3	101.3	26.6
1986.87	2238	277	669	1569	12.4	2169	233	89.3	101.6	29.9
1987.88	2397	298	627	1770	12.4	2302	237	89.7	102.1	26.2
1988.89	2468	315	615	1853	12.8	2123	214	89.9	102.7	24.9
1989.90	2488	288	609	1879	11.6	2300	231	90.0	101.5	24.5
1990.91	2385	273	615	1770	11.4	2312	245	89.4	100.8	25.8
Totals	19038	2376	4991	14047	12.5	17394	1985	88.6	101.1	26.2

Farting Around

2012-01-16T21:26:00.008-06:00

Team	Year	Total S	Total G	Def S	Fwd S	Sh%	Total SA	Total GA	Sv%	PDO	%D Sh
MTL	1967-68	2324	236	420	1904	0.101549			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.180723
MTL	1968-69	2728	271	513	2215	0.09934			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.18805
MTL	1969-70	2590	244	525	2065	0.094208			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.202703
MTL	1970-71	2561	291	566	1995	0.113627			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.221007
MTL	1971-72	2623	307	676	1947	0.117042			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.25772
MTL	1972-73	2496	329	528	1968	0.131811			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.211538
MTL	1973-74	2355	293	632	1723	0.124416			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.268365
MTL	1974-75	2553	374	695	1858	0.146494			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.272229
MTL	1975-76	2733	337	824	1909	0.123308			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.3015
MTL	1976-77	2815	387	765	2050	0.137478			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.271758
MTL	1977-78	2621	359	652	1969	0.136971			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.24876
MTL	1978-79	2573	337	685	1888	0.130976			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.266226
MTL	1979-80	2531	328	667	1864	0.129593			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.263532
MTL	1980-81	2709	332	688	2021	0.122554			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.253968
MTL	1981-82	2702	360	787	1915	0.133235			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.291266
MTL	1982-83	2630	350	732	1898	0.13308			#DIV/0!	#DIV/0!	0.278327
MTL	1983-84	2293	286	552	1741	0.124727	2055	291	0.858394	0.983122	0.240733
MTL	1984-85	2415	309	679	1736	0.12795	1968	258	0.868902	0.996853	0.281159
MTL	1985-86	2354	330	625	1729	0.140187	2165	276	0.872517	1.012704	0.265506
MTL	1986-87	2238	277	669	1569	0.123771	2169	233	0.892577	1.016348	0.298928
MTL	1987-88	2397	298	627	1770	0.124322	2302	237	0.897046	1.021368	0.261577
MTL	1988-89	2468	315	615	1853	0.127634	2123	214	0.899199	1.026833	0.24919
MTL	1989-90	2488	288	609	1879	0.115756	2300	231	0.899565	1.015321	0.244775
MTL	1990-91	2385	273	615	1770	0.114465	2312	245	0.894031	1.008497	0.257862
MTL	1991-92	2443	267	713	1730	0.109292	2220	200	0.90991	1.019202	0.291854
MTL	1992-93	2669	326	794	1875	0.122143	2515	274	0.891054	1.013197	0.29749
MTL	1993-94	2621	283	802	1819	0.107974	2528	243	0.903877	1.011851	0.30599
MTL	1994-95	1376	125	432	944	0.090843	1529	145	0.905167	0.99601	0.313953
MTL	1995-96	2363	265	621	1742	0.112146	2650	242	0.908679	1.020825	0.262802
MTL	1996-97	2474	249	693	1781	0.100647	2775	271	0.902342	1.002989	0.280113
MTL	1997-98	2277	235	656	1621	0.103206	2133	206	0.903422	1.006628	0.288098
MTL	1998-99	2269	184	662	1607	0.081093	2204	206	0.906534	0.987627	0.291758
MTL	1999-00	2135	196	578	1557	0.091803	2260	190	0.915929	1.007732	0.270726
MTL	2000-01	2148	206	677	1471	0.095903	2288	223	0.902535	0.998438	0.315177
MTL	2001-02	2092	207	600	1492	0.098948	2588	200	0.92272	1.021669	0.286807
MTL	2002-03	2119	206	611	1508	0.097216	2670	226	0.915356	1.012571	0.288344
MTL	2003-04	2270	208	712	1558	0.09163	2340	188	0.919658	1.011288	0.313656
MTL	2005-06	2470	243	714	1756	0.098381	2502	239	0.904476	1.002857	0.289069
MTL	2006-07	2426	245	732	1694	0.100989	2678	244	0.908887	1.009877	0.301731
MTL	2007-08	2383	262	667	1716	0.109945	2583	210	0.918699	1.028645	0.279899
MTL	2008-09	2461	249	612	1849	0.101178	2597	236	0.909126	1.010304	0.248679
MTL	2009-10	2346	217	570	1776	0.092498	2630	214	0.918631	1.011129	0.242967
MTL	2010-11	2602	216	717	1885	0.083013	2530	198	0.921739	1.004752	0.275557

Fenwick Timeline 12-23-11

2011-12-24T08:36:00.000-06:00

Andrew Ladd's Death Face

2011-10-15T09:37:00.000-05:00

Please don't yell at me.

Stu-ed

2011-10-10T10:50:00.000-05:00

We got one of 'em little buggers...thank you, Mark Stuart.

That's One Way to Get to a Post About Mark Scheifele

2011-10-07T17:00:00.000-05:00

This is a screen capture from the one of the stats pages for the blog; it lists the posts being hit that day, and also shows some of the search terms people used to find the post. And guess what's one way to find Gabe's article critiquing the decision to keep Mark Scheifele up with the Jets?

Busted.

New Follower "Miller"

2011-05-06T14:51:00.000-05:00

My newest follower, "Miller", otherwise known as "Tahreem47", has admirable goals:

Apparently, the project is spam, and his skill is tweeting.

The Wheel of Discipline

2011-05-04T03:49:00.000-05:00

In the NHL, it is not illegal to hit someone in the head in the Danger Zone. On the other hand, it is illegal to insult someone's girlfriend (and, by extension, someone's mother, father, child), to mimic a BJ, have too much curve on your stick (before that rule, we were losing too many pucks to orbit), touch Sidney Crosby, play against Mike Gillis, be Chris Pronger, screen the goaltender in a way that looks too deliberate...

Failure to Launch

2011-04-25T11:25:00.000-05:00

Because I don't want to live in a world where an old joke can't be brought back to life.

Sedin Fission

2011-01-28T19:21:00.000-06:00

Sedin Fission has occurred January 28th, 2011 at 7:10pm Central Standard Time.

Faretheewell

2010-11-15T21:50:00.000-06:00

Looks like I, the former Matteau the Magic Wrap-Around, am becoming Bettman's Nightmare full-time over at Behind the Net. Somehow they got the impression that I'm good at writing stuff. We all know better, but I'm taking the position before they know what hit 'em. This leaves me out of time for this blog, but with any luck my compadres will take the reins and make something beautiful here. I can only hope for Rankin's and Cosby's sake that it isn't overrun by soft-core pictures of Jeff Carter and Daniel Briere, but the Flyers fans work in mysterious ways. Thanks for reading, and I hope to see you over at my new site!

For Those of Us With Lives: Your Weekly NHL Up-To-Speed (11-3-10 to 11-10-10)

2010-11-10T10:16:00.002-06:00

The News

Yeah, Boogaard scored. We know now. It was a long time coming.

Crosby fought, and won, against Matt Niskanen. I'm not his biggest fan, but I'll give the guy props to picking his opponents wisely. Of his five fights, all five opponents (Niskanen, Marek Zidlicky, Brett McLean, Keith Ballard, Andrew Ference) were nearly the exact same size as him. If your star player is going to get into a fight, that's what you want him doing.

GM's held their annual meeting where they shoot down ideas. They farted around with the All-Star Game, which is fine though it still will suck far more than the skills competition. They agreed that headshots were being handled correctly, which is fine also because I don't feel like talking about them anymore. I'll just assume they don't exist, like smallpox. They decided Dave Tallon is a dope and coach's challenges are clown shoes, so that gained no traction whatsoever. Also means GM's just gave up the right to whine about calls that were "missed."

Can I call shenanigans? Because I think Brian Burke is trying to mess with my Maple Leafs prediction. Toronto is sinking faster than Marty Brodeur's floorboards.

Loui Eriksson embarrasses Brent Johnson...don't hurt 'im, Lou! Oh yeah, the Crosby fight's tacked on the end:

How 'bout Ze Monster with ze monstrous save:

You know I'm putting this one up, because it cost $1.625 million:

This is the player Cal Clutterbuck needs to be:

And, let me tell you, this isn't hockey-related, but look at Andy Reid looking like a 15-year old Cuban Little Leaguer at a 1971 Punt, Pass, and Kick:

Self-Important Thoughts Section
- There's something to be said when a 1st rounder, instead of tanking horribly and chasing himself out of the league, finds a different way to be an effective player. Props to Manny Malhotra for his great start this year.

- Steven Stamkos was working out with Gary Roberts over the summer, which explains why he's stellar this year (what's your excuse, Del Zotto?). Highlight? Apparently, when Gary gets mad, Stamkos calls him "Scary Gary."

- In case you all didn't know, I've been posting like mad at Behind the Net, bam, bam, bam, and blammo, so you can see why I've only been a once-a-weeker around here.

- In case you feel that sufficient props haven't been given this week, mad props to Jake Plummer for finding a career path that didn't involve interceptions and pissed-off fans. You should probably be Ryan Leaf's life coach.

- Oh, and if you haven't seen the joke yet, go to Google Maps, type in "japan to china," and look at step 43.

Tweets of the Week
"Khabibulin is as good as there is in the league right now, and that includes Thomas, Halak."
- Damien Cox (@DamoSpin) Note: Wow, why do you have your own NHL blog...

"How is it in 2010 they don't have edible stickers on apples? We can eat underwear, for god's sake."
- Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy (@wyshynski)

"Playing the settlers of catan with a few of the boys. This syvret guy, what a strategist!"
- Bobby Ryan (@b_ryan9)

Fantasy Time (Yahoo standard scoring)
Note: This section has gotten a little labor-intensive, so I'm switching it now to one player at each position (and under 50% owned) that has played well the past week and deserves interest.

Goalie
Brian Elliott - 3 GP, 3 W, 1.67 GAA, 94.4 SV%, 0 SHO --- 47% owned
- Why should you doubt that Elliott can develop into a good goaltender? The critics were quick to hit him last year, despite it being his first season being truly leaned on. I'm not scared of Lehner (yet), and I'm definitely not scared of Leclaire. This Ottawa team is playing very well, so Elliott should be considered a viable option.

Left Wing
Viktor Stalberg - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +2, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 9 SOG --- 5% owned
- He's on the top line with Kane and Toews, and it wasn't long ago that the Leafs were ga-ga over this guy's potential. He's got the situation to go for a run.

Right Wing
Michael Frolik - 3 GP, 2 G, 2 A, +4, 0 PIM, 0 PPP, 17 SOG --- 8% owned
- The Panthers offense came out flat as a pancake this year, but they've picked up the mo' lately and regardless of their final record their top line will produce. Frolik has two years under his belt of 20 or more goals, is taking a ton of shots, and has the 1st-round pedigree; there are good reasons to think he could have a solid year at a thin position.

Center
Cal O'Reilly - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +2, 0 PIM, 1 PPP, 4 SOG --- 4% owned
- I've seen other fantasy "experts" say that O'Reilly is a mirage, or that he'll only give you assists, but at this point in the year, if you need a center, you aren't going to find people who are going to knock your socks off. That being said, O'Reilly is on the best line in Nashville, he will help you in assists, plus-minus, PPP, and he won't kill you in goals. He's played at a higher than point-per-game pace in the AHL, and he can do it at this level; that's about as good as you can get off the waiver wire in the center position.

Defensemen
Cody Franson - 3 GP, 1 G, 1 A, +2, 2 PIM, 0 PPP, 6 SOG --- 9% owned
- This one's only if you're desperate, because I was tempted to say there weren't any defensemen worth adding at under 50 percent ownership. Franson's points came in one game, and he doesn't have much for PP production just yet, but he's getting some PP time, he was a bit of a sleeper coming into the season, and he has 7 points over 13 games. You could do worse.

I'm going to take a powder (which doesn't mean what you might think it means). Don't forget to buy long johns this year.

For Those of Us With Lives: Your Weekly NHL Up-To-Speed (10-27-10 to 11-3-10)

2010-11-03T12:35:00.004-05:00

As the dust settles on another election in the U.S., we are finally free to watch hockey without being interrupted by campaign commercials. A definite plus. I'm waiting for the year we have a referendum on outlawing those things.

The News
Probably the biggest news is that sleazebag Graham James has officially been arrested. If you'll remember, he's the former junior coach that molested and intimidated his players, including future NHLers like Theoren Fleury and Sheldon Kennedy. He'd been on the run for quite awhile, but now hopefully the long arm of the law slams the barred door shut and throws away the key.

Also, Bettman and Bill Daly had a little chat with Yahoo about various things, spending way too much time on the Wild fan and Rick Rypien and whether the fan accepted a Bettman invitation to dinner and a game. Wow, that wouldn't be awkward as shit. When asked about the Coyotes and the fact that they struggle to get to 10,000 per game this year, Daly took the reins with:

"I will say we're light years better than where we were last year at this time in terms of how the fans have responded to the club."

Yeah, nope. We're in the same boat, maybe worse. Remember, Coyotes had an up-tick in attendence by December last year because they were in first place and playing incredibly well. They are definitely not in first place this time around. As each game passes, the opening and second-night booms are insufficient to keep the average home attendence above 10,000.
It's not like Bettman was without a fun quote of his own. How about this gem on the impending issue of the expiration of the CBA:

"And frankly, to segue, I don't see any reason why anybody who covers our game is focused at all on collective bargaining. I mean, we're starting to get to those questions. There are three other leagues that go before we do. (Laugh) We've got two years. Please."

Could you possibly manufacture a potentially more-ironic quote? Yes, god forbid that we worry when a.) we are less than a decade removed from a lockout, which itself was less than a decade removed from a lockout, b.) Donald Fehr's not afraid to strike, and c.) we are in a salary-cap league. "We've got two years." I think it would be wise to handle this seriously, and not like a college kid with a due date on his term paper.

Before I get too steamed, let's just admire the remarkable Pavel Datsyuk. This is precisely why he's one of the best in the league:

Now that I have pleased you, the less-graceful charge of Dustin Byfuglien. Let me be the first to say that this is probably the ugliest end-to-end I've seen in awhile:

Self-Important Thoughts Section
- Okay, I get it. Rinks and teams think that cheerleaders will draw fans, or at least keep them there. Edmonton fans don't want them, even though the Oilers are setting up to have them. The fans think cheerleaders are superficial business ploys and sexist, and they are. But a hockey team is about 75 percent dictatorship.

- Feeling good about my Patrick Sharp prediction; not so much about Nik Antropov.

- Wow, plus-minus is a weird category this year. Take a look at Joe Thornton, Patrick Kane, and even Nicklas Backstrom.

- This is probably the best costume out there right now.

- Speaking of costumes, I think I know what I'm going to be next year: Slutty Orville Redenbacher.

Tweets of the Week
"Just left 'the joe'. Tough skate today. I looked like datsyuk out there today. Minus the awesome hands, great shot, speed, and hockey sense."

"Baby wipes should become the worlds currency."

"gota text from a friend sayin a guy with his young son showed up trick or treating with a favre jersey and dildo hanging out of his pants"
- Paul Bissonnette (@BizNasty2point0)

Fantasy Time (Yahoo standard scoring)
Top Goalies last week
Tim Thomas - 2 GP, 2 W, 0.00 GAA, 100 SV%, 2 SHO --- 87% owned
Dan Ellis - 2 GP, 2 W, 0.00 GAA, 100 SV%, 1 SHO --- 48% owned
Niklas Backstrom - 3 GP, 2 W, 1.00 GAA, 96.6 SV%, 1 SHO --- 84% owned

Top Left Wings last week
Dany Heatley - 3 GP, 3 G, 4 A, +6, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 6 SOG --- 100% owned
Alex Ovechkin - 3 GP, 3 G, 2 A, +3, 2 PIM, 2 PPP, 16 SOG --- 100% owned
Patrick Sharp - 4 GP, 2 G, 3 A, -1, 0 PIM, 3 PPP, 21 SOG --- 93% owned

Top Right Wings last week
Ryan Callahan - 4 GP, 3 G, 4 A, 0, 2 PIM, 2 PPP, 16 SOG --- 47% owned
Jeff Carter - 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A, +4, 2 PIM, 0 PPP, 14 SOG --- 96% owned
Dustin Byfuglien - 3 GP, 2 G, 2 A, +1, 2 PIM, 2 PPP, 14 SOG --- 84% owned

Top Centers last week
Joe Thornton - 3 GP, 3 G, 5 A, +6, 0 PIM, 3 PPP, 7 SOG --- 99% owned
Nicklas Backstrom - 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, +4, 2 PIM, 2 PPP, 7 SOG --- 100% owned
Patrick Marleau - 3 GP, 2 G, 3 A, +6, 0 PIM, 0 PPP, 10 SOG --- 99% owned

Top Defensemen last week
Duncan Keith - 4 GP, 1 G, 8 A, +3, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 15 SOG --- 100% owned
Kimmo Timonen - 3 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +3, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 6 SOG --- 71% owned
Mike Green - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +3, 6 PIM, 2 PPP, 6 SOG --- 100% owned

Advice: Byfuglien is typically eligible as a D as well, and I'd advocate adding him for that position if he's available in your league. Just be ready when he locks into the doldrums again. Timonen would also be worth adding, and might be more helpful in the long run than Byfuglien.

I told you to add Tim Thomas a couple of weeks back. Now you'll just have to settle for Dan Ellis, who's the better goalie in Tampa and could ride the hot offense to 30 wins. Ratios will be suspect, though.

I like Ryan Callahan if I'm desperate for RW's, because nearly every winger that takes a ton of shots has a good year at some point in their career. Callahan has been over 200 shots the last two years, so he's bound to start finding the net. I'd give him a shot to see if he could put together a Jason Blake-ian year of around 25-30 goals and 55-60 points.

I voted. I voted hard. Peace out.

Mr. October

2010-11-01T13:14:00.004-05:00

Mike Brown

This 'stache is of the Fu-Manchu variety which "auto-magically" yields the power to intimidate upon sight. The thickness and density show dedication and resilience. This particular formation of the Fu-Manchu however, is also quite symbolic to the game of hockey. The handlebars are a representation of the goal, which is the case for almost any Fu-Manchu in the game of hockey, but this one is unique by implying a goal. The simple addition of the soul patch completes the effect Brown was going for: if you see this 'stache, I just scored. Renamed: The Goal-Manchu.

For Those of Us With Lives: Your Weekly NHL Up-To-Speed (10-20-10 to 10-27-10)

2010-10-27T15:13:00.003-05:00

The KHL is drawin' 'em like bugs to a light. I'm just waiting for some coach to go over there and revive his career, a la Bobby Valentine. I'd suggest Melrose, but I think you actually have to have a career in order to revive it.

The News

It rained hatties over the week, with Stevie Stam, Alfie, and a bunch of guys without nicknames (Rene Bourque, John Tavares, Brad Richardson, Alexander Semin, and Lee Stempniak) all posting trifectas over a span of three days. I guess the '80s really are back. Now if someone could just tell Fred Savage before he starts shooting.

Starting to see a lot of articles like Mike Chen's again, analyzing controversial hits side-by-side and looking at the NHL suspensions that have been levied. To be honest, I'm tired of even debating the point. The league has a Wheel of Discipline. Guess what? It has always had a Wheel of Discipline. It's just more fashionable to talk about it right now. We can choose to be outraged, or acknowledge that there is little we can do outside of getting outraged and just deal with it.

Big-time props to Alfie, by the way, scoring all 1,000 points on a roller-coaster of a team in Canada's capital. All three goals were things of beauty, even the empty-netter:

Not much else for hockey highlights. I guess everybody has to just stop sucking.

As Steve Buscemi says in Fargo, "Whoops!"

Self-Important Thoughts Section

- Just realized the refs really blew the whole Rypien thing. That was definitely a hold.

- Torts: "We are in the process of creating our identity as a hockey club." First off, shouldn't you be doing that in the preseason? Secondly, any identity involving Derek Boogaard getting paid $1.65 million and playing 3 minutes per game, rolling Ruslan Fedotenko like a scoring threat, and seriously considering Erik Christensen as your top center needs to seek counseling.

- More trouble in Ranger paradise. Torts and Sather at loggerheads, Fonzie needs to go out in a blaze of glory, killing Sather with a water bottle. Help us all, Fonzie, or sit on it.

- Hartnell received a haircut. He looks like a ginger preppy, aka geppy.

- There's nothing more satisfying than hearing Bob Probert's voice call to us from the afterlife. What's that, Bob? "Bettman's a friggin' asshole." RIP, sir.

- Steven Tyler is so soulful. Seriously though, Steven Tyler and a cappella have all the compatibility of a wolverine and Teddy Ruxpin.

- Next source for snooty assholes who drink 5 dollar bottles of water? The moon.

Tweet of the Week

Slow week on the funny, peeps...

"For sale: one in-home bowling alley, slightly stained with preacher blood. #DanEllisGarageSale"

- Fake Dan Ellis (@fakedanellis)

Fantasy Time (Yahoo standard scoring)

Top Goalies Last Week

Jaroslav Halak - 2 GP, 2 W, 0.99 GAA, 96.4 SV%, 1 SHO --- 95% owned

Carey Price - 3 GP, 2 W, 1.65 GAA, 92.6 SV%, 1 SHO --- 80% owned

Martin Brodeur - 3 GP, 1 W, 1.59 GAA, 94.7 SV%, 1 SHO --- 99% owned

Top Left Wings Last Week

Thomas Vanek - 4 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 0, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 15 SOG --- 95% owned

Scott Hartnell - 4 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 3, 16 PIM, 0 PPP, 7 SOG --- 79% owned

Dany Heatley - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, -1, 6 PIM, 4 PPP, 8 SOG --- 100% owned

Top Right Wings Last Week

Rene Bourque - 4 GP, 5 G, 2 A, 1, 6 PIM, 2 PPP, 18 SOG --- 66% owned

Daniel Briere - 4 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 3, 6 PIM, 2 PPP, 19 SOG --- 93% owned

Milan Hejduk - 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 0, 4 PIM, 3 PPP, 14 SOG --- 29% owned

Top Centers Last Week

Henrik Zetterberg - 2 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 5, 0 PIM, 2 PPP, 11 SOG --- 99% owned

Steven Stamkos - 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 3, 2 PIM, 2 PPP, 11 SOG --- 100% owned

Anze Kopitar - 4 GP, 3 G, 2 A, 0, 0 PIM, 3 PPP, 16 SOG --- 96% owned

Top Defensemen Last Week

Steve Montador - 4 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 5, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 13 SOG --- 23% owned

Dustin Byfuglien - 3 GP, 1 G, 2 A, -2, 19 PIM, 2 PPP, 12 SOG --- 73% owned

Lubomir Visnovsky - 4 GP, 1 G, 5 A, 1, 6 PIM, 0 PPP, 6 SOG --- 81% owned

Advice: Jump on the Bourque and Hejduk bandwagons immediately. Wings (especially on the right side) are too thin to let go. Both players are legit talent. Ignore the Steve Montador thing; 7 of those shots were in one game, and he's had mini-hot streaks before. Nothing to get over-confident about. Byfuglien is always intriguing, but his recent value was all because of the pims. I dropped Visnovsky earlier this week, and looking at his shot and power-play point totals, I'd do it again.

Have a fun, safe Halloween. Remember, always wear a costume you'd be willing to get drunk in.

For Those of Us With Lives: Your Weekly NHL Up-To-Speed (10-13-10 to 10-20-10)

2010-10-20T15:46:00.005-05:00

Obviously, this is just one big misunderstanding. That's the Order of Canada, silly!

The News
Rick Rypien did something.

The New Jersey Devils have already split up Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, a tandem I was pretty suspicious of (Note: look at the comments section) from the start. Will this solve their problems? I think what will make the bigger difference is when Brodeur rights the ship.

The Ducks have finally showed some life, but I don't like that their scoring is housed in the top line and they can't seem to stop allowing shots. They have yet to give up fewer than 30.
Note: And of course, they did it the same day I wrote this...and lost...against the Blue Jackets. Congrats.

Derek Boogaard apparently has a blog. Color me surprised that it doesn't involve incomplete sentences and written rendering of fart noises. One of the first things he did in New York? Took a tour on the double decker bus. Next stop? Climbing the Empire State Building and swatting away helicopters.

I'm not given to stroking my ego too much, but I did post an okay/not bad article on Behind the Net that my mother liked and Gabe put on the front page. Traditionalists will like it because it advocates outdoor hockey. Look out for some commenter named Bourque77, though; she/he's mounted an anti-rink crusade. Because apparently outdoor rinks are "inferior." What?

Otherwise, water is wet, Megan Fox/Brad Pitt is hot (we are equal-opportunity pervs here), and I'm kicking myself for not getting Steven Stamkos.

One quick note: I mentioned last week that I didn't think Wisniewski's act merited the suspension. It is pretty easy to make that comment in a hetero society, and it wasn't the right comment. Thanks to people such as James Gordon (@SensReporter) I can see how mimicking a BJ is homophobic. I was wrong to downplay it. I apologize. Oh, and Wisniewski's a douche.

Watch this freakin' pass and goal at about 5:13; that is what we call "threading the needle":

Avery giving Mike Komisarek a bit of chop suey:

I am utterly horrified...at Fedotenko. I've never seen him so upset.

Malkin gets his Bobby Orr on:

In my mind, this was far cooler than the Brent Burns goal.

Two non-hockey videos that were way too funny to let go...

Favre gets one in the "Little Wrangler":

I love a well-refereed game:

Self-Important Thoughts Section
- I, for one, am planning a Maple Leafs parade route.

- Would he call it "Luongo underwear?"

- CrowdWave technology is a great way to forget your goalie is Brian Boucher.

- Vanilla Ice on his new show for Do It Yourself Network: "I'm passionate about renovating homes." Word to your mother.

- I have to say, I did not expect there to be a site devoted to tubby Val Kilmer. I think he and Jeff Bridges are switching places, like Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsey Lohan did a few years back.

Tweets of the Week
"Only 2 more punches on my Subway Club card and I get a free photo of Jared blowing himself"
- Rob Huebel (@robhuebel)

"Is everyone wearing their green ribbons for Escrow Awareness Month?"
- Fake Dan Ellis (@fakedanellis)

"Charlize Theron is filming a movie in the next town over tomorrow & next Tues. Finally God has listened & now I can make my move."
- Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy (@Sean_Leahy) to which I responded "Hopefully it's not Monster 2."

Fantasy Time (Yahoo standard scoring)
Top Goalies last week
Tomas Vokoun - 2 GP, 2 W, 0.00 GAA, 100 SV%, 2 SHO --- 95% owned
Tim Thomas - 2 GP, 2 W, 1.00 GAA, 97.1 SV%, 0 SHO --- 61% owned
Brent Johnson - 3 GP, 3 W, 1.65 GAA, 94.3 SV%, 0 SHO --- 31% owned

Top Left Wings last week
Patrick Sharp - 4 GP, 5 G, 1 A, -1, 0 PIM, 2 PPP, 20 SOG --- 89% owned
Daniel Sedin - 4 GP, 4 G, 2 A, 0, 0 PIM, 3 PPP, 12 SOG --- 100% owned
Bobby Ryan - 3 GP, 1 G, 4 A, 5, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 8 SOG --- 99% owned

Top Right Wings last week
Corey Perry - 3 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 5, 4 PIM, 3 PPP, 13 SOG --- 99% owned
Chris Stewart - 3 GP, 4 G, 1 A, 0, 9 PIM, 2 PPP, 7 SOG --- 96% owned
Antti Miettinen - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 1, 4 PIM, 3 PPP, 11 SOG --- 9% owned

Top Centers last week
Steven Stamkos - 4 GP, 3 G, 3 A, 2, 6 PIM, 3 PPP, 18 SOG --- 100% owned
Sidney Crosby - 4 GP, 4 G, 3 A, 0, 2 PIM, 4 PPP, 18 SOG --- 100% owned
Ryan Getzlaf - 3 GP, 2 G, 6 A, 5, 0 PIM, 4 PPP, 4 SOG --- 98% owned

Top Defensemen last week
Kris Letang - 4 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 6, 17 PIM, 1 PPP, 9 SOG --- 73% owned
Alex Goligoski - 4 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 2, 2 PIM, 4 PPP, 9 SOG --- 96% owned
Marek Zidlicky - 3 GP, 1 G, 3 A, -1, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 5 SOG --- 40% owned

Advice: Don't touch the Wild, just like I said don't touch the Islanders last week. They are like those "Hot Hands" hand warmers: toasty one moment, bags of sand the next. Most of these are of the "nothing to see here, move along" variety, in part because good players are actually playing good. That being said, I'd take a shot at Letang if he were available, even if he's not a huge powerplay producer. He could be. Step away from the Brent Johnson.

Take the plunge on Tim Thomas if you can, by the way. The Bruins are kind of a 'tweener team, and they didn't hesitate to hand the reins to Rask when Thomas struggled last year, but Thomas was more a victim of phenomenal (and a bit lucky) goaltending on Rask's part rather than being horrible. Remember he's only a year removed from the Vezina.

See you around. RIP David the Gnome.

Rypien Him a New One

2010-10-20T09:13:00.001-05:00

Rick Rypien needs to be suspended for the rest of the season. Period.

Rick Rypien, if you're that upset that you're can't hang with the rest of the goons in the league - but also that your hockey-relevant skills are utterly sub-par - that you have to attack a fan that is SIMPLY CLAPPING that your sorry excuse for talent is being removed from the game, you have no place on the ice.

This is Todd Bertuzzi disgusting. Its not as violent as Todd Bertuzzi, but it is just as stomach-turning and game-tarnishing. Rick Rypien, if you want to attack the fans, grow about 9 inches and I'm sure The King will be glad to have your act on board his circus down in Southeast Miami.

... but wait, another thought just occurred to me. I've heard of this thing called "'roid rage." Maybe Rick Rypien and Alexander Ovechkin have the same hookup. Hmm... Nah, Rypien's not good enough to be suspected of being on the juice. He's just a whiny little [expletive deleted] that got his [expletive deleted] beat and felt the need to unleash his frustration elsewhere.

Once again, fighting reveals its true value to the game of hockey.

NHL Preview: Northeast Division Defense

2010-10-18T22:41:00.005-05:00

Boston Bruins
Defensemen
Zdeno Chara - Andrew Ference
Dennis Seidenberg - Mark Stuart
Johnny Boychuk - Matt Hunwick

Goaltender
Tuuka Rask - Tim Thomas

This is the most consistent set of blueliners in an otherwise rather deep crop of Northeast defensemen. I gave the edge to Boston because Chara will be a Norris candidate, while Toronto has a few guys that might be and Tyler Myers may be some day. Additionally, Rask played very solidly as a young goalie and if he suffers a slump, the Bruins have a Vezina Trophy winner keeping the bench warm.

Buffalo Sabres
Defensemen
Tyler Meyers - Shaone Morrison
Jordan Leopold - Steve Montador
Andrej Sekera - Craig Rivet

Goaltender
Ryan Miller - Patrick Lalime

Tyler Myers is a young, up-and-coming stud and will likely be a Norris Trophy candidate some day. The only reason I don't have the Sabres up higher is because we have only seen one season of young Tyler. The other guys are very solid -- Morrison, Leopold, Montador, Sekera, and Rivet aren't going to hurt the Sabres.

That said, the Sabres have the best goalie in the division -- and one of the best in the NHL in Sparty the Goalie. The returning Vezina Trophy winner has a steady blueline in front of him. Expect another fantastic year from Sparty -- and keep an eye on Myers.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Defensemen
Tomas Kaberle - Dion Phaneuf
Mike Komisarek - Luke Schenn
Francois Beauchemin - Jeff Finger

Goaltender
Jean-Sebastien Giguere - Jonas Gustavsson

Toronto is starting to put together a very respectable team on the blueline and are decent in net. They should start to shut some teams down with these respectable defensive pairings and if Phaneuf and Schenn can find the game that they are capable of playing, this team could be very scary in the back -- and that's even with Jeff Finger on the team!
Note: Finger has been since waived.

Giggy and the Monster are both capable goalies who have even more upside. If either of these guys find their games, the Maple Leafs may have the most stout defense in the Northeast. However, if neither of these guys find their game (or injuries linger for the Monster), this could be a very bad team, especially without much scoring up top.

Montreal Canadiens
Defensemen
Jaroslav Spacek - Roman Hamrlik
Josh Gorges - P.K. Subban
Hal Gill - Ryan O'Byrne

Goaltender
Carey Price - Alex Auld

The Candiens defense is pretty respectable. P.K. Subban is an interesting blueliner. He's young with a rocket of a slap shot and could be a stud waiting in the wings. Hal Gill is Hal Gill, which really isn't all that bad for a third-pair guy. Spacek and Hamrlik have been top-pair guys for quite a while.

Now we get to the netminding situation. Umm.... Hmm... Yeah... Carey Price is apparently the man again in Montreal, and he needn't worry about Jaroslav Halak taking his net from him -- not from St. Louis. As a Carey Price fan, this must make you incredibly enthusiastic. As a Montreal Canadiens fan, this must make you incredibly worried. Price is going to get his shot...again. If not, I guess Alex Auld is okay -- nah, not so much. Price better man up.

Ottawa Senators
Defensemen
Sergei Gonchar - Chris Phillips
Chris Campoli - Matt Carkner
Erik Karlsson - Brian Lee

Goaltender
Brian Elliott - Pascal Leclaire

The Senators goaltending and blueline situation is just as precarious as the Canadiens goaltending situation. Gonchar is awesome if this were 1998 and you were in a bet with your best buddy that a Senators blueliner wouldn't add 20 power play goals this season. A more respectable bet might be Gonchar going minus-15 this season, though Chris Phillips is a respectable pairing for him.

In net, Brian Elliott might as well be Billy Elliott and Pascal Leclaire has a lot of questions to answer.

Northeast Division Defense Rankings
1. Boston Bruins
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Toronto Maple Leafs
4. Montreal Canadiens
5. Ottawa Senators

NHL Preview: Northwest Division Defense

2010-10-17T23:17:00.000-05:00

This is my metaphor for the Flames being their own worst enemy. Amiright?

Vancouver Canucks
Defensemen
Alexander Edler - Christian Ehrhoff
Dan Hamhuis - Kevin Bieksa
Andrew Alberts - Keith Ballard

Goaltender
Roberto Luongo

With the exception of Alberts, all of these defensemen are sound, two-way players, maybe not having the flash of the forward lines but supplying a sturdy base for what those forwards create. Ehrhoff was a pleasant surprise last year, and he has the ability to duplicate last season. Edler has a very similar skill set to Ehrhoff, and is equally capable of doing what Ehrhoff's done. Hamhuis was a savvy add, essentially taking Willie Mitchell's place and adding a bit of offense. Bieksa's shot is underrated, and Keith Ballard would be top 4 on any other team in the league. Luongo, of course, is a regular season stalwart, and there's little reason for him to regress. Playoffs? Don't talk to me about playoffs...we're just trying to win a game.

Colorado Avalanche
Defensemen
Scott Hannan - Kyle Quincey
Kyle Cumiskey - Jonas Holos
John-Michael Liles - Ryan Wilson

Goaltender
Craig Anderson

The Avs have an interesting blend of offensive and defensive defensemen, which worked just fine for them last year. You essentially have to think of this group as including Adam Foote, who has slowed down and won't be playing every game. Foote is more of a figurehead nowadays, kind of like Derian Hatcher's last year where he could be effective one moment, pylon-esque the next (though, to be fair, Hatcher was wearing orange in the end). The biggest problem is physicality, which takes a pretty big hit (pun intended) if Foote is scratched. Anderson was the big surprise last year, and I think there a quite a few who think he'll regress. That rests squarely on this unit and the scoring, but I'd lean towards saying that this group can recapture the magic.

Calgary Flames
Defensemen
Robyn Regehr - Ian White
Jay Bouwmeester - Steve Staios
Mark Giordano - Cory Sarich

Goaltender
Miikka Kiprusoff

It was pretty close between the Flames and Oilers, but I have to give the Flames the edge because not even Oilers fans know who their main goalie will be this year. Regehr and White go unappreciated in this unit, only occasionally noticed when one of them takes it off the dome. I like them, though. Bouwmeester can't possibly be as bad as he was last year, can he? Kipper played above himself last year, so expect him to come back to earth a bit, but he's still a good goalie who can steal games.

Edmonton Oilers
Defensemen
Ryan Whitney - Kurtis Foster
Ladislav Smid - Tom Gilbert
Theo Peckham - Jim Vandermeer

Goaltender
Nikolai Khabibulin - Jeff Deslauriers

Buoyed by the solid player of 'Bulin early this year, the Oilers have shown flashes of talent that suggest good things for the future. That being said, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, as the defensive unit is not particularly good defensively and will yield a lot of opportunities for opponents. What they're best at is generating offense, and at any given point Whitney, Foster, or Gilbert can lead a fairly potent powerplay. Smid and Vandermeer are "hard hat" players that will go to work for the team, but they aren't enough to shut down some of the better offenses in the Northwest. The goalie situation, regardless of how it looks right now, is constantly in flux, and without options that bode well for the next couple of years.

Minnesota Wild
Defensemen
Brent Burns - Greg Zanon
Nick Schultz - Marek Zidlicky
Cam Barker - Justin Falk

Goaltender
Niklas Backstrom

What kind of baffles me is that the personnel here is almost identical to the pre-Todd Richards years, despite the fact that Richards has tried to revamp and remove the previously defensive-minded Minnesota system. Under Richards' tutelage, this group has looked out-of-place and outmatched at times. Burns is a talented player when healthy, but even he looks lost out there. Backstrom has also suffered with the shift, and in general I won't think highly of this unit until they get back to the old style.

The Northwest has a couple of very strong teams, one marginal team, and one that could surprise, and the defensive units reflect that. While stifling defense is not characteristic of this division, don't be surprised to see at least one Vezina candidate come out of here.

Northwest Division Defense Rankings
1. Vancouver Canucks
2. Colorado Avalanche
3. Calgary Flames
4. Edmonton Oilers
5. Minnesota Wild

The Pens' Net Outcome

2010-10-14T21:23:00.004-05:00

The Scene: I'm sitting in my living room, wearing my baby-blue Marc-Andre Fleury jersey, watching (with great satisfaction) Simon Gagne come 'home' to Philly and beat the Phlyers 3-2.

The Situation: Marc-Andre Fleury will sit for Friday night's game against the New York Islanders, and quite possibly - according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report on Thursday - for Saturday's tilt against the hated Phlyers.

I'm here to tell you that this is not a long-term problem. Pittsburgh fans, for some reason, go all Philadelphia when it comes to Marc-Andre Fleury. They look for problems no matter what when it comes to the Pens' netminder. I can't think of another Pittsburgh sports figure that has drawn this much active searching for criticism since maybe Kordell Stewart. But, like (the original) Slash, Fleury has done his best to earn Pittsburgh fans' ire in the early stages of this year.

Despite his slow start, I maintain that this is the transition year for Fleury. He's already shown his ability to come up enormous when it matters most. But, while my BN colleague Weagz' pointed out earlier today that Fleury should already be "grown up," I think this year's growing pains are intended - they are being prompted by the Pens' front office and coaching staff because Fleury clearly has more potential than he is living up to at present.

Everyone knows that goaltenders are odd creatures. They are said to mature into their true selves as they get closer to age 30. Fleury, at age 25, is getting there, but has also been a starter from a very early age. Now, the guys paying the bills have put the pressure on him to lift his game. He's changed his practice and gameday regimens in response, and his relationship with goaltending coach Gilles Meloche has been tweaked. All of this change is bound to wreck havoc on even the sturdiest-minded netminder (a contradiction in terms, I know). The point, though, is that by early December, Marc-Andre Fleury will emerge a stronger presence between the pipes, and then look 'aht, Atlantic Division!

My Philadelphia phan counterparts can attest to my "tolerance" of Marc-Andre Fleury to this point. I have been on record for the past several years for combining Fleury's potential and skill with his inconsistency, pretty much guaranteeing that if he were to give up one goal, he'd give up four. It has been either a shutout level of play, or something that leaves Pens fans thanking the hockey deities for a high-powered offense to overcome his play (especially his playing of the puck behind the net).

So, remember. You heard it hear first. Fleury's (apparent) benching is not unexpected by this Pens fan. But neither will his second-half dominance be a shock to me. Marc-Andre Fleury will be this year's Conn-Smythe Award winner.

Note: I'm adding some graphics for Rankin's argument. Cam Ward, a goalie many agree has played well for the Hurricanes, is a useful comparison for Fleury because they both became regulars at roughly the same time. The save percentages shown are split between even-strength and penalty-kill save percentages. The win percentages are of games started during this period. Click on the pictures for larger/clearer images. --- Matteau

Kinda Preseason Predictions

2010-10-14T13:28:00.008-05:00

Well, it’s time once again (at least it was last week) to make our ridiculous predictions for this season’s preseason prediction. Being the stout hockey observer that you obviously are, you can tell that the season has already started. Ya know what, I’m working with a bunch of monkeys here--so it took me a while to compile this half-cooked predictions. All predictions are based on equal parts hockey insight and homerism. It should be noted that all predictions were made during week 1. Thus, MTWRA wanted to make it abundantly clear to you guys that his Toronto prediction was made when they were 0-0, not 3-0. I, personally, really like the Leafs chances to win at least 4 games this year.

Regular Season

There are some consistent themes in our regular season predictions (VERY FEW). But, we have all made similar observations.

· We all have the Washington Capitals as the top seed in the East

· We all have the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs, though not all of us agree that each team is going to win their division.

· We all have the Atlanta Thrashers, Florida Panthers, and New York Islanders missing the playoffs.

· We all have the San Jose Sharks winning the Pacific Division (although not all of us agree that they will earn the top seed out west).

· We all agree that the Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, Phoenix Coyotes, and Vancouver Canucks will make the playoffs, although the position to which they place is very much in the air.

· We all agree that the Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers, and Minnesota Wild will not make the playoffs.

Note: Click on the photos to see an enlarged version.

This means that we all see the last few playoff spots shaking out this way.

· In the East, the Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Toronto Maple Leafs will be battling it out for 4 playoff spots. Based on a weighted ranking of places, the four gurus of Bettman’s Nightmare expect the New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Boston Bruins, and Carolina Hurricanes to fill these four spots.

· In the West, the Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Dallas Stars, Los Angeles Kings, Nashville Predators, and St. Louis Blues will be battling it out for 2 playoff spots. Based on a weighted ranking of places, the four gurus of Bettman’s Nightmare expect the Los Angeles Kings, and the St. Louis Blues to fill these two spots.

Postseason:

The only real consistent theme is that two of our gurus expect the Colorado Avalanche to win the west, but lose to their eastern conference counterpart. Our gurus see any of the following teams winning the east: New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Toronto Maple Leafs. Out west, our gurus like the aforementioned Colorado Avalanche, the San Jose Sharks, and the Vancouver Canucks.

Awards:

In keeping with the cooperation that is Bettman’s Nightmare--none of us see the post-season awards shaking out the same way.

Stanley Cup: New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and San Jose Sharks

President’s Cup: Washington Capitals (4)

Hart Trophy: Alexander Ovechkin (2), Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos

Vezina Trophy: Craig Anderson, Ilya Bryzgalov, Roberto Luongo, and Ryan Miller

Norris Trophy: Drew Doughty, Christian Ehrhoff, Mike Green, Chris Pronger

Calder Trophy: Sergei Bobrovsky, John Carlson, Jordan Eberle, Tyler Seguin

Selke Trophy: Pavel Datsyuk, Ryan Kesler, Mike Richards, Joe Thornton

Adams Trophy: Joe Sacco (2), Guy Boucher, Ron Wilson

Conn Smythe Trophy: Marc-Andre Fleury, Claude Giroux, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski

Individual Picks (click on photo to enlarge):

For Those of Us With Lives: Your Weekly NHL Up-To-Speed (10-06-10 to 10-13-10)

2010-10-13T15:24:00.004-05:00

This is going to be my main regular contribution during the NHL season. For the next week or so, we'll be sprinkling in the remaining previews, but then we'll lock into a less exhaustive (for us and you) approach. The thinking is it saves us both time, without losing pertinent detail.

The News
As you can see, Mike Ribeiro's having a great time in the Lone Star State. Sporting the orange pajamas after a few too many wine coolers at a Dallas sushi bar, Ribeiro gives us a 21st century interpretation of an ages-old axiom: "Sunday is a day of arrest." No word if there will be any repercussions; apparently, he was there with his wife and a friend, and he might just have been guilty by association. Also a part of the group was a guy whose name was Wayne but he spelled it "Wane." Highly suspicious. Tuck in your shirt, Mikey.

James Wisniewski mimicked a blowjob to Sean Avery, which means Avery is doing his job as per usual. It turns out, an act like that equals a suspension for two games. In other words, this hit by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Wisniewski's BJ are equally bad in the Wheel of Justice. The argument was that kids watch the games. My counter-argument is that kids wouldn't know what Wizzer was doing, and if they did they've already been "corrupted." I think the NFL offers a good template: hit them in the wallet. Wizzer will lose some money, but haven't the Islanders suffered enough without having to lose another player?

Bunch of kids rocking it hard early in the season:

Jordan Eberle

Sergei Bobrovsky

Derek Stepan

None of these guys are the second coming, but keep an eye out and see where they're at in the next couple of months. The Oilers in general have looked pretty lively, the Rangers don't believe in giving prospects PT, and I'm starting to think more and more that any good goaltending in Philly is more a function of those defensemen and defensive forwards than it is the guys between the pipes.

Slap fight:

That is the play...of...the week...werrrr!

Self-Important Thoughts Section
- Keith Jones, between periods of the first game (Wild-'Canes), expressed admiration for Mikko Koivu not diving during a high-stick. Jonesy promptly followed that by noting that he dove all the time. Followed that by saying "But it's a new league." I'll give him an 'A' for the introduction, maybe a 'D' for the body, and an 'F' for the conclusion. Weak sauce, Jonesy

- John Forslund and Billy Jaffe bored the feces out of me on Versus. You would have thought it was a 0-0 game if you hadn't looked at the scoreboard.

- There was major space in the Stockholm arenas between the fans and the player benches. Swedes are so friggin' smart.

- NHL.com's Matt Cubeta actually uttered the words "[Derek Stepan] could be a nice sleeper playing on a line with Ruslan Fedotenko and Sean Avery." Yeah, don't break that line up.

- Red Wings, don't tell me you're going to split starts between Howard's Jimmy and Chris Osmediocre.

- One week down, and I've already seen two headlines where somebody's "pair" helped their team to victory. I'm a child.

- Another gem from Versus: Brian Engblom predicting 50 goals for Phil Kessel, only to be trumped by Jonesy predicting 50 for Bobby Ryan. And here I was just going to joke about Engblom being on crack...

- Jerry Seinfeld must be tired of seeing all the ways in which his "European carry-all/man purse" joke has been ripped off lately.

- Physics lesson: the Miller Lite vortex only works if the bottle is completely upside down.

Tweets of the Week
"When he retires, all Geno Malkin interviews should go in a museum"
- Puck Daddy's Sean Leahy (@Sean_Leahy)

"stan lee created superheroes for every nhl team. can't wait to see calgary's: soft, overpaid veteran forward man. #nhlsuperheroes"
- Two Line Pass and Puck Daddy's Ryan Lambert (@twolinepass)

Fantasy Time (Yahoo standard scoring)
Top Goalies last week
Nikolai Khabibulin - 2 GP, 2 W, 1.00 GAA, 96.9 SV%, 1 SHO --- 62% owned
Tim Thomas - 1 GP, 1 W, 0.00 GAA, 100.0 SV%, 1 SHO --- 48% owned
Roberto Luongo - 2 GP, 1 W, 0.96 GAA, 97.3 SV%, 0 SHO --- 100% owned

Top Left Wings last week
Alexander Ovechkin - 3 GP, 3 G, 2 A, +2, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 16 SOG --- 100% owned
Blake Comeau - 2 GP, 3 G, 1 A, +3, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 8 SOG --- 10% owned
Josh Bailey - 2 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +1, 0 PIM, 2 PPP, 10 SOG --- 10% owned

Top Right Wings last week
Marian Hossa - 3 GP, 3 G, 2 A, +4, 4 PIM, 2 PPP, 11 SOG --- 98% owned
Todd Bertuzzi - 3 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +3, 2 PIM, 0 PPP, 7 SOG --- 24% owned
Johan Franzen - 3 GP, 3 G, 1 A, +3, 0 PIM, 0 PPP, 10 SOG --- 97% owned

Top Centers last week
Derek Roy - 3 GP, 4 G, 1 A, +2, 4 PIM, 1 PPP, 10 SOG --- 87% owned
Pavel Datsyuk - 3 GP, 2 G, 1 A, +2, 5 PIM, 1 PPP, 12 SOG --- 99% owned
Doug Weight - 2 GP, 1 G, 2 A, 0 +/-, 2 PIM, 3 PPP, 6 SOG --- 3% owned

Top Defensemen last week
Nicklas Lidstrom - 3 GP, 0 G, 3 A, +4, 0 PIM, 2 PPP, 8 SOG --- 99% owned
John-Michael Liles - 3 GP, 0 G, 5 A, +4, 0 PIM, 1 PPP, 5 SOG --- 56% owned
Jordan Leopold - 3 GP, 2 G, 2 A, +1, 2 PIM, 1 PPP, 10 SOG --- 26% owned

Advice: Don't trust the Islanders or Leopold yet; most of those points came in a single game. The Islanders can't play the Rangers every night (kidding, but seriously, 6 goals?). Bertuzzi, Khabibulin, and Thomas would make for great speculative adds, if you have the space.

I'll catch you all later. Watch Versus, they need the money.

NHL Preview: Atlantic Division Defense

2010-10-11T19:44:00.002-05:00

Beaten, bruised, relegated to minor-league millionaire status, possibly suspended for mimicking BJ's...the Atlantic defenses have been put through the blender already this year. And Rick DiPietro's actually healthy.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Defensemen

Paul Martin - Kris Letang

Brooks Orpik - Zbynek Michalek

Alex Goligoski - Ben Lovejoy

Goaltender

Marc-Andre Fleury

It pains me to put this group on top, but I have to grudgingly admit that they have redeemable qualities. Paul Martin had long been under-appreciated as a sound, two-way player, and Letang and Golisoski's offensive talents match up admirably with the defensive work of Orpik and Michalek. While neither Letang nor Goligoski have "taken off," they both have the possibility of giving positive contributions to the powerplay.

Fleury has always been a bit of a liability, but he's also been just good enough to stay the #1 goalie. His stats will look better this year because Michalek will block 1 million shots.

Philadelphia Flyers

Defensemen

Chris Pronger - Matt Carle

Kimmo Timonen - Braydon Coburn

Andrej Meszaros - Sean O'Donnell

Goaltender

Brian Boucher - Sergei Bobrovsky

I think this one hurts more. Now, we do have to keep in mind that Pronger is a bit gimpy right now, but the real reason this group is below the Pens is because a majority of these guys are about as consistent as Eli Manning. Overall, as they proved in the spring last year, they can be the best unit in hockey, but they can absolutely disappear during the regular season.

Please don't make me talk about their goalies. Okay, one sentence: Michael Leighton hurts but he's not that good anyways, Boosh is Boosh, and Flyers fans should consider calling the Russian guy "Robertrovsky."

New York Rangers

Defensemen

Marc Staal - Michal Rozsival

Michael Del Zotto - Dan Girardi

Steve Eminger - Mike Sauer

Goaltender

Henrik Lundqvist

You know what? Screw the Devils. Because I do think the Rangers have a lot of promise but I won't quite say they're there yet. Securing Marc Staal was a smart (gasp!) move by Slats, the Redden move makes me feel all warm and mushy inside, and Dan Girardi is a smart player when he's not letting Carcillo beat on Gaborik. MDZ is a future offensive stud, and even Rozy has his moments.

Not much to say about King Henrik, except to point out that he wins games the Rangers shouldn't.

New Jersey Devils

Defensemen

Anton Volchenkov - Mark Fraser

Henrik Tallinder - Andy Greene

Matt Taormina - Colin White

Goaltender

Martin Brodeur

I'm trying not to put too much into the beginning of the year, because this is supposed to be a preview, but if the first couple of games have been any indication, the Devils are a different team. Volchenkov might block 1 million shots and rack up 500 hits, but he still won't be able to make up for the fact that almost none of these guys know how to move a puck. Maybe Taormina makes me change my mind...or maybe Taormina adds to the recent Devils history of middle-sized, middle-talented defensemen.

Brodeur is who we thought he was. He won't be as bad as he has been so far, but this might be the first year of his career that we genuinely wonder if he's tailing off.

New York Islanders

Defensemen

Mike Mottau - James Wisniewski

Mark Eaton - Radek Martinek

Milan Jurcina - Andrew MacDonald

Goaltender

Rick DiPietro - Dwayne Roloson

BJ's aside, the Islanders were absolutely crushed by the loss of Mark Streit, but reports suggest that he could return in time for the playoffs...mmm...can't hold it...tchhhh...BWAHAHAHAHA

This group is a smattering of bit parts that slipped off the rosters of teams all over the league. Combined, I think these guys have played for all 30 NHL teams, and are getting prepped for sweeping the European leagues as well.

There's a part of me that is a little happy that DiPietro has a chance to prove he was a bad pick for reasons outside of his injuries. And let me be the one to say that it is a crime that Dwayne Roloson's career has had to take pit stops in every godawful team in the league. He's always been better than he will ever get credit for.

Overall, the Atlantic defenses could be a worse lot, but they also could be a lot better. The goalies alone put them ahead of the Southeast, and underrated talent makes this division still one of the defensively-tougher divisions in the League.

Atlantic Division Defense Rankings

1. Pittsburgh Penguins

2. Philadelphia Flyers

3. New York Rangers

4. New Jersey Devils

5. New York Islanders

NHL Preview: Southeast Division Defense

2010-10-09T18:59:00.007-05:00

Wrapping up our previews here at BN, I know we cheated a bit, but come on; Tim Brent is not scoring 82 goals this year. Never trust anyone whose name is two first names. We're putting this sucker on overdrive, mashing the defensive pairing with the goalies to provide you with a holistic concept of defense. Sounds philosophical, but we really are trying to wrap it up. Without further ado, the Southeast Division defense (snicker):

Atlanta Thrashers
Defensemen
Zach Bogosian - Johnny Oduya
Dustin Byfuglien - Tobias Enstrom
Brent Sopel - Ron Hainsey

Goaltender
Chris Mason - Ondrej Pavelec

So, I'm picking the Thrashers first, and you might be thinking this is a joke. The only joke is that the top defense in this division would be near the bottom in most of the others. I'm going with the Thrashers because they have a solid mix of potential, awareness, and scoring. Say what you will about Big Buff, but he has a booming slapshot that automatically gives this team some offense from the point. Bogosian is a rising two-way player who was 1st in hits and 3rd in blocked shots among rookie defensemen. He's still susceptible to mental lapses, but at 20 years old and one full season under his belt, he can take the next step this year. Enstrom and Oduya are quietly two of the better defensemen in this group, and Ron Hainsey has (gasp) added some defense to his skill set (his defensive GVT was ahead of Ed Jovanovski last year).

The goaltending situation was unfortunately complicated by the scary Pavelec incident yesterday, but Chris Mason is an underrated goaltender who, unlike Dan Ellis, can hold his own as the guy. He plays even better in a time-share, so getting Pavelec back is a priority. I'm going out on a limb here, but for the first time in Atlanta Thrashers history I might believe in their defense.

Washington Capitals
Defensemen
Mike Green - Jeff Schultz
John Carlson - Tom Poti
John Erskine - Karl Alzner

Goaltender
Michal Neuvirth - Semyon Varlamov

I know, I know, it was risky to put Washington below Atlanta, maybe it will be motivation. Besides, being the Devil's Advocate can be fun. In all seriousness, the Capitals have a world-class defenseman surrounded by a supporting cast and a couple of intriguing rookies. John Carlson and Karl Alzner could develop into excellent players themselves, but I'm not going to jump the gun. I'll just stick to naming one of them as a sleeper. If they get a full season of promising play, this group will be tops next year, no doubt. Another question mark is the young goalie tandem of Neuvirth and Varlamov, which is complicated by an early injury to Varlamov. We just don't know what to expect of them right now. In general, there's still too much uncertainty for me to give them top billing, but the potential is so high I can't bear to put them lower than the next team.

Tampa Bay Lightning
Defensemen
Victor Hedman - Brett Clark
Pavel Kubina - Mike Lundin
Randy Jones - Michael Vernace

Goaltender
Mike Smith - Dan Ellis

I've always had a soft spot for the Lightning...when I was a kid I loved their jerseys and Darren Puppa. In some circles, we called his catch glove the Puppa Scoopa. Anyways, that hasn't colored my judgment too much, but I have to say that the Lightning improved themselves substantially by bringing back an oldie in Kubina, a voluminous shot-blocker in Clark, and an intriguing talent in Jones. All three of these guys can make solid contributions when healthy, and I think Ohlund (who's currently injured) can rebound from a bad year if he has support from his mates. The pairings have holes in them, though, and then there's the question of goalies.

I'm of the belief that the goaltending can work for Tampa this time around. Both Ellis and Smith have excelled in time-shares in the past, and I think having Clark blocking shots and Kubina clearing creases can help them.

Carolina Hurricanes
Defensemen
Joni Pitkanen - Joe Corvo
Tim Gleason - Jamie McBain
Anton Babchuk - Jay Harrison

Goaltender
Cam Ward

This team will figure it out (again) one day. Pitkanen, Corvo, and Gleason are all second-pairing defensemen, at best, but in Carolina they swallow a ton of minutes. I think Carolina's management knows this full well, because when they had the chance to play McBain last year (due to injuries) they gave him all he could carry. Babchuk coming back into the fold improves this unit offensively, but his defensive was unremarkable at best in his season debut and could become a cause for concern. I'm high on Jamie McBain, of course, and he had a number of stellar plays so far. That being said, if Carolina continues to give its best minutes with its top line to Pitkanen and Corvo, Cam Ward's going to have his work cut out for him. And really, this season for the 'Canes rests squarely on Ward's shoulders. Can he be the guy who's carried them through otherwise-unwinnable games? Or will he be plagued by injuries and inconsistency? He looks good so far, but if you are banking on that you clearly don't know the definition of "inconsistency."

Florida Panthers
Defensemen
Bryan McCabe - Dmitry Kulikov
Bryan Allen - Dennis Wideman
Mike Weaver - Jason Garrison

Goaltender
Tomas Vokoun

Florida is nominally rebuilding, but a truly rebuilding team would have found a way to get Erik Gudbranson minutes. Gudbranson had a solid preseason and deserved better than to get shipped down before a cup o' tea. That being said, the kid's only 18 so I'll give them a break. Kulikov, their first-rounder from a couple of years back, is going to get big minutes to help him get experience, and he deserves it, but in general he's the only exciting thing going here. McCabe is really hitting the age wall these days, though there are moments when you can remember the time he was a Norris-level player. Wideman can make me laugh sometimes. Weaver was a sneaky-good add for Florida, as he was an underrated penalty-killer for St. Louis, but it's really a zero-sum gain after the loss of Dennis Seidenberg.

Vokoun, of course, is the hard-hat star on this team, and I think it's a shame that guys like him will never get their due. If there is justice in the world, the Penguins will flip Marc-Andre Fleury for Vokoun just to make things right.

In general, talking about the Southeast's defense is a painful undertaking, but it gives me an opportunity to hope for the future. Truth is, I like defense, and I don't think it's good hockey without it. Let's hope one or more of these teams gives us good hockey this year.

Southeast Division Defense Rankings
1. Atlanta Thrashers
2. Washington Capitals
3. Tampa Bay Lightning
4. Carolina Hurricanes
5. Florida Panthers

New Format, I Think

2010-10-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

So, to this point BN has been very analytical in nature, which works great when I have the time. I don't. I just started a PhD program and now I'm finding I have little energy to throw together data and info to be truly introspective and smartypants. I still like having season previews and predictions, because it makes us feel good when we're right about Darrol Powe sucking (me) or riding the white horse into Flyers fans perversions (Forsberg, Weagz). Same could be said about Mike Comrie (Rankin's) or Lube Visnovsky (Cosby), but I digress.

The new format is a frenetic, once-a-week mishmash of goals, a couple players to watch because they either suck a bit or rock a lot, sarcasm, and an update of our individual predictions versus where things really stand. Since Rankin's usually come out Sunday, I'll probably be doing mine on a Wednesday or Thursday. When I have the time, I might throw in some random commentary or a deeper piece on something.

It's just popped into my head, so it's worth mentioning before I forget: Joe Thornton has a really tall face.

NHL Preview: Pacific Division

2010-10-06T23:36:00.000-05:00

The NHL’s Pacific Division is two years into the reign of the San Jose Sharks. From where I sit, this has no chance of changing in the 2010-2011 season. While the Division on the whole will be more competitive than in years passed—perhaps even generating four of eight playoff spots in the West—San Jose will have little competition for its top spot.

The big question for San Jose this year will be leadership. The “C” remains unassigned for the Sharks. I suspect that Joe Thornton will resume the post he once held in Boston. But then, given Jumbo Joe’s tendency to disappear come the post-season, my suggestion that the team will lack leadership is given that much more weight. The Sharks are as talented a group as they come, and they upgraded their goaltending in the offseason by bringing in Antti Niemi. But the best they seem capable of is baby steps during their perennial visits to the playoffs. True to this template, maybe I’ll give them a 7-game loss in the West Finals this season.

Finishing second for the 2010-2011 season, we will have the no-longer-surprising Phoenix Coyotes. The Desert Dogs have the netminding to carry a sub-par offensive team to a run at the preseason, as Ilya Bryzgalov did with Phoenix’s 2.57 goals scored per game last year. The Coyotes’ addition of scoring winger Ray Whitney for this year should help the offensive effort, though. Outside of San Jose, the Pacific Division simply does not boast enough offensive firepower to knock Phoenix from its newfound success.

On the strength of goaltending, I’m going to take the Anaheim Ducks to move up to third place in the Pacific after missing the playoffs last year. Jonas Hiller had a solid 2008-2009 season in his first shot at significant NHL playing time, and had an even more impressive run in the post-season that year. With last year came the Olympics, and Hiller’s mind would likely have been a bit scattered as he represented his native Switzerland in international play (and we all know what slaves them goaltenders are to habit and routine). Look for Hiller to have a strong year in 2010-2011, with the help of newly signed Andy “Big & Filthy” Sutton and Paul Mara playing in front of him on the blue line.

Because Dallas is looking more and more like a candidate for the NHL’s upcoming European expansion, we have the Los Angeles Kings placing fourth in the Pacific for 2010-2011. I’m not sold on Jonathan Quick as a “bull by the horns” type of netminder. And neither does Anze Kopitar seem like he is every going to emerge as a truly reliable scoring threat. The Kings may well compete for a playoff spot again this year, but I think it is just as likely that they sink back into relative hockey obscurity by the end of the coming season.

Which leaves only Dallas to round out the Pacific. The Stars bring nothing to the table offensively, and they are chock full of backup goaltenders to start the season. I’m thinking sub-500 for Dallas in 2010-2011.

NHL Preview: Central Division Forwards

2010-10-05T08:58:00.005-05:00

Ahh, the Central Division. Home of the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks. I just puked all over my new Hextall t-shirt.

Chicago Blackhawks
Tomas Kopecky - Jonathan Toews - Marian Hossa
Troy Brouwer - Patrick Sharp - Patrick Kane
Viktor Stalberg - Dave Bolland - Fernando Pisani
Bryan Bickell - Jake Dowell - Jack Skille

While the "core" group of forwards remains for the defending champs, we saw plenty of departures up front from this group over the summer. Specifically, the Hawks come into this season without the services of Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, John Madden, Ben Eager, Colin Fraser, and Adam Burish. Hmm, who's left to call Pronger funny names? Despite these departures, the Blackhawks are dangerous up front. Toews and Kane lead the way in this department with Sharp and Hossa rounding out most of the scoring. Two guys that are going to have to step it up this year are Troy Brouwer and Dave Bolland. Brouwer put up a decent regular season last year (40 points), while Bolland got hot during the playoffs (16 points in 22 games). It looks like there's a void for a scoring winger on that 2nd line. Overall, this is still a dangerous group of forwards but they lack depth compared to last season.

Columbus Blue Jackets
Kristian Huselius - Antoine Vermette - Rick Nash
Nikita Filatov - Derick Brassard - Jakub Voracek
Ethan Moreau - Samuel Pahlsson - R. J. Umberger
Jared Boll - Andrew Murray - Chris Clark

While Antoine Vermette and Kristian Huselius had good statistical years last season (27G, 38A and 23G, 40A, respectively), I can't help but look at this lineup and think once again that Rick Nash doesn't have an adequate supporting cast around him. What would prove me wrong? Well, there are plenty of young developing forwards in the top 6 here, so one could always play the "potential" card. For example, 3rd-year man Jakub Voracek looks to improve on a 50-point campaign last year while leading what is a young and talented 2nd line. R.J. Umberger will likely be moved around a bit throughout this lineup. He's a guy who can fill in on top-line duty if needed, provide secondary scoring on a 2nd line, or be in more of a defensive checking role on the 3rd line. Long-time Oiler Ethan Moreau will provide a veteran presence to this lineup. Overall, we can expect this group to perform similarly to last year's group, unless the young forwards develop faster than expected. Columbus fans should just be happy that the Fat Man didn't eat Nikita Filatov before his departure.

This burger could have been Nikita Filatov.

Detroit Red Wings
Henrik Zetterberg - Pavel Datsyuk - Tomas Holmstrom
Johan Franzen -Valtteri Filppula - Todd Bertuzzi
Dan Cleary - Mike Modano - Jiri Hudler
Patrick Eaves - Kris Draper - Darren Helm

I know that our resident editor hates the Red Wings, but it's hard to look at this lineup and not be at least a little intrigued. Coach Babcock has the freedom to mix and match throughout this entire lineup, and he probably will. It remains to be seen how much gas is left in the tank for newcomer Mike Modano (prediction: not much), but that won't matter very much. The Red Wings got Jiri Hudler back from the KHL, where he had a point-a-game campaign last year. The guy still looks like a mutant, though. Overall, this is a group with plenty of scoring ability, well-roundedness, and depth, and Matteau hates that.

Nashville Predators
Steve Sullivan - Cal O'Reilly - Patric Hornqvist
Colin Wilson - Matthew Lombardi - Martin Erat
J.P. Dumont - David Legwand - Joel Ward
Sergei Kostitsyn - Marcel Goc - Jordin Tootoo

Let's be clear about this lineup: I hate it. They don't have a legit first line, the middle of the lineup seems disjointed, and there's a Kostitsyn on the 4th line. But, let's also be clear about the fact that Barry Trotz will prove me wrong by once again making due with a mediocre group, waving his magic wand, and allowing this team to be competitive. Realistically, this isn't a group that's going to score a ton of goals. They were 18th in goals scored last year, and I don't see many reasons to think that will improve. However, they might get decent scoring support throughout the lineup, but the strength of their team clearly lies outside of the forward department.

St. Louis Blues
T.J. Oshie - Andy McDonald - Patrik Berglund
David Perron - David Backes - Brad Boyes
Alex Steen - Jay McClement - B. J. Crombeen
Brad Winchester - Vladimir Sobotka - Cam Janssen

Warning: here's where my bias will be apparent. Whenever you have a guy tell the media that in preparation for the Olympics, he's trying to fight every Canadian from the Olympic roster he can, that guy jumps to "elite" status. I don't care if David Backes finishes with 4 goals and 8 assists this year. He's awesome. He'll be joined by T.J. Oshie, a scrappy little guy who will look to improve upon a 18G, 30A 2nd year. Brad Boyes had a disappointing season last year compared to his previous 2 seasons of 33 and 43 goals. He'll need to have a rebound season to help along youngsters Patrik Berglund and David Perron. One acquisition I like is Vladimir Sobotka. He was fiesty for the Bruins in the playoffs last year, and I think his rough upbringing along the docks in Baltimore will do him well in the NHL. Overall, this is still a young group that has some growing to do. But, if the pieces come together, they might surprise some people.

Central Division Forward Rankings
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. Chicago Blackhawks
3. St. Louis Blues
4. Columbus Blue Jackets
5. Nashville Predators

Thought of the Day

2010-10-03T21:52:00.000-05:00

These two players need to meet. Seriously. Severin Blindenbacher of the Stars and Korbinian Holzer of the Leafs. With their powers combined, they are Korbinian Blindenbacher. Actually, I feel like if they met they would unleash broadswords and start swinging. I haven't felt this way since Tore Vikingstad.

NHL Preview: Northwest Division Forwards

2010-10-03T16:33:00.003-05:00

It's simple, really. Jokinen plus Northwest Division equals oblivion. Scared yet?

Honestly, I have a weird thing with putting Jokinen into equations. Maybe it's because I think Jokinen consistently defies conventional logic and reason. And not in a good way.

Continuing on with those previews, which are going to bleed into being current-views, we take a look at the Northwest Division.

Vancouver Canucks

Daniel Sedin - Henrik Sedin - Alexandre Burrows

Mason Raymond - Ryan Kesler - Mikael Samuelsson

Raffi Torres - Manny Malhotra - Jannik Hansen

Darcy Hordichuk - Rick Rypien - Victor Oreskovich

The Canucks, like the Sharks in the Pacific, have the making of a team that will stay at or near the top of their division for awhile. The Sedins took a major leap last year in production, and there's little reason to think that they won't stick at least to a point-per-game pace. The curious thing with them is that Henrik took the leap without Daniel, but the fact that their major production was together suggests they will continue. The lines will be in flux early this year, as Burrows will miss roughly the first month of the season recovering from shoulder surgery. Burrows has been a bit of a catalyst for the Sedins, taking care of the muck and pitching in some sniping to boot, so it will be interesting to see how his absence affects the team. Nevertheless, this team boast two high-level lines (Raymond and Samuelsson are sneaky good) and one of the better shutdown 3rd lines in the league. Expect them to succeed more often than not.

Colorado Avalanche

T.J. Galiardi - Paul Stastny - Milan Hejduk

Brandon Yip - Matt Duchene - Chris Stewart

Cody McLeod - Ryan O'Reilly - David Jones

Daniel Winnik - Philippe Dupuis - Kevin Porter

Last year, the Avalanche played above expectations, to say the least. The trendy thing is to say they fall back to earth, but these forwards are a high upside bunch. As they did last year, the Avs can simply play their guys on a set of lines established at the beginning of the season and move up the ones that perform better without missing a beat. For example, Ryan O'Reilly came flying out of the gates in 2009, but fell off and out of minutes as Brandon Yip finished the hockey season strong. In general, the lines will be hurt by the loss of Peter Mueller, who suffered a concussion and has no set date for return, but I think that the top two lines are strong enough to succeed without him. Prediction: Matt Duchene will score as many, if not more, points than John Tavares this year. When others are saying "fluke," I don't think you should sleep on this young, talented squad.

Calgary Flames

Alex Tanguay - Olli Jokinen - Jarome Iginla

Niklas Hagman - Mikael Backlund - Rene Bourque

Curtis Glencross - David Moss - Ales Kotalik

Raitis Ivanans - Craig Conroy - Tim Jackman

This group is a little bit of a mess because both Daymond Langkow and Matt Stajan are out indefinitely, but there's a certain redemption in the depth and experience of these forwards. That being said, few of these players jump out at me, unlike the above two teams, as Iginla, Tanguay, and Jokinen have been declining for years (and played poorly together the last time), and nobody beyond them has point-per-game potential. Niklas Hagman scored 27 goals once (that's a Matt Moulson cautionary tale if I've ever heard one). The only guy I like of the bunch is Rene Bourque, a boomer with an equally booming slapshot. Since coming to the Flames, they've unleashed the beast, giving him ample opportunity to cut loose a few bombs. The result? 21 goals two years ago, 27 last year. At 28 years old, his upside is limited, but 30 goals isn't out of the question should he continue to get PP time. In general, this group could go either way...I'd bank on the blah.

Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall - Shawn Horcoff - Ales Hemsky

Dustin Penner - Sam Gagner - Jordan Eberle

Magnus Paajarvi - Andrew Cogliano - Gilbert Brule

Steve MacIntyre - Colin Fraser - Zack Stortini

Ladies and gentlemen, your poor man's Avalanche. Like really poor. In all seriousness, the Oilers can't get much worse than they were last year, and a slew of young players look to make that a reality. This team is guaranteed to have growing pains, particularly on the defensive side of the puck, but mixed in there will be flashes of promise. Hall needs to prove his pick, and he'll benefit from sharing a line with the ultra-talented Hemsky. Penner was amazing last year, and though he won't duplicate those numbers he has the talent to stick in the 50-55 point range. Eberle and Paajarvi are the "dark horses;" Eberle is coming off a 56-goal, 120-point campaign across 68 games in the WHL and AHL, and Paajarvi has paired 12 goals and 29 points in Sweden last year with a solid preseason. Either one could see themselves bumped into more-prominent roles should anyone else falter. This team is about 3 years away from the playoffs.

Minnesota Wild

Andrew Brunette - Mikko Koivu - Antti Miettinen

Guillaume Latendresse - Matt Cullen - Martin Havlat

Chuck Kobasew - John Madden - Cal Clutterbuck

Eric Nystrom - Kyle Brodziak - Brad Staubitz

Wha' happened? After many years of being a team to look out for, the Wild fell off the deep end last season. Pledging a new system under Todd Richards, the Wild proceeded to not simply fail to reflect their historical defensive approach; they obliterated it. Pair that with scoring the exact number of goals they had the previous year, and it becomes clear that they weren't really running a system at all. This year, there's a sense that the team either needs to "buy in" to Richards' system, or Richards is going to have to pack his bags. Let's hope that "system" involves defense somewhere. The lines, to say the least, are a bit hairy (unlike Miettinen's 'stache), and Pierre-Marc Bouchard fits in the top two if he can recover from his concussion. Havlat was not particularly effective, but if he can rebound, he'll join a nice crop of solid-if-unspectacular forwards, including the perennially underrated Brunette and Koivu, as well as upstart Latendresse (he of 25 goals in 55 games with the Wild last year). I like the addition of John Madden, though age will soon be a factor in his game. High-energy Clutterbuck needs to trade a few hits for pucks in the net to be truly effective, but he's one of the players you'd keep on your franchise. I think I need to see more promise before I get too excited about this team.

The Northwest Division is defined by the unbelievable number of injuries to key players. A few of these injuries will be healed over the season, but some will not, and that's unfortunate. It really keeps us from getting a sense of the true talent here. That being said, I'm on the fence on whether we'll see a team (outside of Vancouver) break out of this division.

Northwest Division Forwards Ranking

1. Vancouver Canucks

2. Colorado Avalanche

3. Calgary Flames

4. Edmonton Oilers

5. Minnesota Wild

A Little More Bang For Your Buck - Fantasy Hockey "Sleepers" (Goalie)

2010-09-29T00:25:00.003-05:00

I figured I should probably wrap this up...the season's almost here, fantasy drafts are going faster than Lohan's dignity, and we haven't got to the enigmatic part of the game: goalies. How the hell do you evaluate goalies in fantasy hockey? Do you have a dartboard?

In fact, the dartboard method might actually work, provided you have a particular group of goalies for your first tier dartboard and a particular group for your second. You see, I'm of the school that says that goaltending statistics vary such a great deal from year to year that it is simply not worth doing two things: a.) drafting a goalie in the 1st round, and b.) organizing your cheat sheet beyond identifying "solid" goalies (nearly guaranteed 30-40 wins, sub-2.75 GAA, and .905+ save percentage) and "high upside" goalies. As I've mentioned before, basically every year you have one or two goalies that are on the waiver wire that emerge to post top-5 numbers (Jimmy Howard, Tuukka Rask, and Antti Niemi last year, Steve Mason in 2008-09, and if you go far back enough, the soon-to-be-butt-of-Swiss-cheese-related-jokes Cristobal Huet). Note that some of these guys were available even late in the year, when fantasy championships are won or lost. It's simply not worth passing up a scarcer point-per-game wing for the kind of production you will be able to find later.

If you do choose to take a goalie early, or even if you wait awhile, pay more attention to situation than anything else. Martin Brodeur has been a great goalie for so long in part because of a marriage of playing style and a general manager that tailors the team to that playing style. Brodeur is a great goaltender, but even he would have had trouble if the Devils had made the kind of tactical switch the Wild pulled last year. Brodeur is draftable because he has a good situation (this is not a good situation), but he's drafted too high to be reasonable. Here's my list of goalies that will help you without taking your valuable early picks...

Goalies

Marty Turco - Chicago Blackhawks

Average draft position: 83rd pick

Could easily match the production of: Marc-Andre Fleury (41st pick) and Tuukka Rask (39th pick)

Turco very likely triggers some fantasy players' gag reflexes, as he's been toxic the last couple of years. Fact of the matter is, the quality of the Dallas defense has gone south (pun maybe intended, if funny), and it took around a year for Turco to adjust to it. Last season was actually solid for Marty; while his 2.72 GAA seemed high, he posted his highest save percentage since his glory years (.913). It suggests to me that, given the right situation, he still has some gas left in the tank. The Blackhawks give him that ideal situation, and having parted ways with Antti Niemi the 'Hawks will hand Turco the keys. The 'Hawks are still good despite their offseason subtractions, so don't hesitate on this guy.

2010-11 prediction: 70 games, 39 wins, 2.45 GAA, .912 SV%, 5 SHO

Antti Niemi - San Jose Sharks

Average draft position: 107th pick

Could easily match the production of: Niklas Backstrom (74th pick) and Jonathan Quick (67th pick)

Niemi moves into a highly favorable situation with a regular-season stalwart in the Sharks. Evgeni Nabokov might not have won many playoff fantasy pools, but he was a stud for the fantasy regular season. Niemi slides in to Nabokov's butt-warm seat and will catch a lot of those same juicy stats. A lot of people are concerned about the presence of Antero Niittymaki, but Nitty has always been more effective as the 40 of a 60-40 split. Fair warning: Niemi will not duplicate last year's astronomical stats. I guarantee he sees at least 45 starts (barring injury) and will give you serviceable numbers; his upside, though, could be a poor man's Nabokov.

2010-11 prediction: 50 games, 31 wins, 2.39 GAA, .909 SV%, 4 SHO

Dan Ellis/Mike Smith - Tampa Bay Lightning

Average draft positions: 158th and Not drafted, respectively

Could easily match the production of: Two Antti Niemi's (107th pick)

Like how I stacked onto the previous one? It might seem antithetical to call Niemi a sleeper and then use him to describe the production of time-share goalies in the next paragraph, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Lightning are going to exceed expectations defensively for the first time since some drunken, crazy-eyed goalie took them to the Cup a while ago. Guy Boucher's system is built on busy forwards and stay-at-home defensemen, which will play nicely into their personnel. The Lightning forwards have the talent to control and hold the puck for prolonged periods of time, which will keep shots down. In addition, Ellis and Smith are both guys that have always performed better as part-timers, and the rumor is that they are enjoying a cooperative partnership in the Tampa net. I'm going out on a limb here, but the bubbling bromance has a shot at working in a way not seen since the Manny and Timmy Show, which was really just the sequel to Fernando Rolo (<< "Between the Pipes?" haha...oh...kind of sick, now that I think about it).
2010-11 prediction: 40 games, 25 wins, 2.33 GAA, .906 SV%, 3 SHO apiece

So ends the ~~hopefully~~ sage advice. The BN group will be part of our own league this year, with a few friends, so don't be surprised to see us using the blog to gloat about our spectacular teams. The best part will be watching our resident Flyers homers (Weagz and Forsberg's Foot) fight over Darroll Powe, who looks like a fictional character.

A Little More Bang For Your Buck - Fantasy Hockey "Sleepers" (Defense)

2010-09-26T12:12:00.003-05:00

As we come to the last section of skaters, we are also coming to the less-heralded section in fantasy circles. Sure, there are some that argue that defense should be drafted early and often (ahem, Blog Cosby), and I think there's a little bit of merit there. The key is looking at what you're drafting as compared to the average player in each position. Mike Green, without a doubt, is worth an early pick; he is a point-per-game player, capable of scoring 30 goals. He is light years above any other defensemen, a gap worthy of waiting another round for a forward. Beyond Green, I have a hard time seeing the value of drafting defensemen high, for the simple fact that most of the top tier are subject to change from year-to-year (think Dion Phaneuf the last couple of years and Zdeno Chara last year). I could have drafted Phaneuf's or Chara's production in the last round (Stephane Robidas or Erik Johnson). The point is, given the volatility of defense production, the players beyond Mike Green will fluctuate between 35-60 points, and in any given year you can find 40-50 point defensemen on the waiver wire. Given how early you'd be drafting for potential 50-60 point defensemen (typically 3rd and 4th round), you'd be passing on a number of potential point-per-game wingers.

With that in mind, I'm devoting this sleeper section to one guy that has slipped a bit (undeservedly) and three D that can be had in the late or final rounds of your draft.

P.S. I am using Yahoo Sports 2010 fantasy draft rankings and positions in the mostly standard Yahoo 12-team format.

Defense

Shea Weber - Nashville Predators

Average draft position: 69th pick

Could easily match the production of: Dion Phaneuf (51st pick) and Chris Pronger (44th pick)

Weber was a popular early pick in last year's draft, so I think his draft position this year might be a vindictive one. Yes, he didn't crack 20 goals as he had the year before, but no defensemen topped 20, and Weber's 16 were good enough to tie Drew Doughty for 3rd best among defensemen. Weber's numbers suffered after some dings late in the year, but he still managed a +/- of 0 on a defensively-mediocre Nashville squad. Those injuries, mostly to the "upper body", affected his shot, which was used 30 fewer times last year than in 08-09. A healthy Weber still has a booming shot, and should still be considered capable of scoring 20 goals. It might not be Mike Green territory, but he is slipping in a lot of drafts, and if you can get him in the 6th or later round you could be getting great value. Those concerned about his PIM dropoff, I can assure you Weber's game will not often net him around 30 PIM per year. He booms too much for that. 80 PIM is a bit optimistic, though, because his value as a shooter means Trotz won't want him getting into fights or taking dumb penalties.

2010-11 prediction: 82 games, 22 goals, 32 assists, 54 points, +2, 22 PP points, 255 shots, 58 PIM

Pavel Kubina - Tampa Bay Lightning

Average draft position: 136th pick

Could easily match the production of: Erik Johnson (72nd pick) and Zdeno Chara (57th pick)

One of the more consistent heavy-shot defensemen of the 2000s, Kubina has always been valued a bit high in the past. After last year, though, he has dropped significantly on many draft cheat sheets, to the point of almost not being drafted. That is a serious mistake when you take into account his numbers and situation. Kubina has moved away from the sinking Thrashers to the surging Lightning, a team that has one of the best powerplays in the league. Kubina automatically becomes the quarterback for that powerplay, and his shot from the point will be ably screened by their big-bodied forwards (Lecavalier, Malone) and rebounded by their skilled snipers (Stamkos, St. Louis, Gagne). Recall, also, that his shooting % last year was about half his career %, so he is bound to get back to 7-8% shooting. His +/- will be tempered by a Tampa defense that is still finding itself, but expect Kubina's shots, goals, assists, and PP points to climb.

2010-11 prediction: 80 games, 13 goals, 39 assists, 52 points, +1, 28 PP points, 178 shots, 85 PIM

John Carlson - Washington Capitals

Average draft position: 157th pick

Could easily match the production of: Kimmo Timonen (117th pick) and Brian Campbell (99th pick)

I think this one is straightforward: Carlson is young blood, and the Capitals want to make him part of the powerplay (possibly the only PP unit better than Tampa Bay's). He had a strong showing in the playoffs and his 22 game trial last year, so this kid has great potential. Keep in mind, though, that he's not a big shooter right now, so he won't be a monster in the goals and shooting categories. An added bonus? He's been chippy in the past (over 1 PIM/G in the USHL & OHL).

2010-11 prediction: 72 games, 8 goals, 40 assists, 48 points, +15, 26 PP points, 125 shots, 72 PIM

Jamie McBain - Carolina Hurricanes

Average draft position: 180th pick

Could easily match the production of: Alex Goligoski (94th pick)

McBain was given a trial-by-fire last season, not only playing the 'Canes final 14 games, but averaging almost 26 minutes per game. He played on the powerplay, the penalty kill, and even-strength, and how'd he do? Just 3 goals and 7 assists (4 PP points). No biggie. Seriously though, McBain passed his test with flying colors, and it wasn't an anomaly; he has stormed through every level starting with NCAA hockey in 08-09 (37 points in 40 games) and continuing through the AHL in 09-10 (40 points in 68 games). The only question is situational: can the Hurricanes move aside some of their stiffs on the blue line (Corvo, Gleason) to give McBain a larger role? He's almost certain to slot into the powerplay, but if he can get top-pairing minutes he'll make a few people very happy as a last-round fantasy pick.

2010-11 prediction: 77 games, 10 goals, 35 assists, 45 points, -5, 22 PP points, 154 shots, 30 PIM

As you can see, the projections for these players are cautious, but could easily match some of the higher-profile names we're seeing drafted in the middle rounds. If you're confident your defensive draft pick can significantly outperform the second tier, by all means pick him early. If not, keep this list in mind.

NHL Preview: Northeast Division Forwards

2010-09-23T09:59:00.013-05:00

Note: The above pic is my creation, not Weagz's, so don't blame him. - Matteau

Toronto Maple Leafs

Kris Versteeg - Tyler Bozak - Phil Kessel

Nikolai Kulemin - Mikhail Grabovski - Colby Armstrong

Luca Caputi - John Mitchell - Fredrik Sjostrom

Mike Brown - Christian Hanson - Colton Orr

I gotta confess: I am a huge fan of the moves that front offices make and how they structure a team. I don’t know why it is, but I guess I think that success starts at the top. When the Maple Leafs named Burke their GM in 2008, I said to my friends--well, “our fun in the sun is over, we will not be able to laugh at how bad the Leafs are much longer…” Well, we’re still waiting, aren’t we? I would have thought that the Leafs forwards three years into the Burke experiment would look something like this…

Jagr - Gretzky - Hull

Bossy - Lemieux - Selanne

Kurri - Messier - Dionne

Nieuwendyk - Forsberg - Ciccarelli

By the way, in my bizarre world, Brian Burke also has superpowers. Yet, instead, we get Phil Kessel, some young guys, and a bunch of brutes.

Tyler Bozak is the most interesting of the young guys, putting up 27 points in 37 games last year and placing him alongside Kessel will obviously help to bring him along, but I’m not sure how well this line will do on the road against some of the big defensive pairings in this conference (Chara - Seidenberg; Myers - Leopold; Markov - Gorges). Versteeg is an interesting add to this team, but he does not scream “top-line scoring” guy to me.

On the second line, Kulemin is another young guy that might come into his own, but Grabovski and Armstrong are not really consistent scorers--this isn’t really a second line that’s going to pitch in that much. Caputi and Mitchell are too young to assess and Fredrik Sjostrom is well, a third-liner for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Colton Orr? Christian Hanson? Really? Come on Burke! The first line is an average second line for a decent team. The second line is an average third line for most teams. The third line is a fourth line for most teams and the fourth line doesn’t belong in hockey.

How much longer do we have to wait, Burke? Hockey needs the Toronto Maple Leafs to be relevant--and this group ain’t doin’ it.

Montreal Canadiens

Mike Cammalleri - Scott Gomez - Brian Gionta

Travis Moen - Tomas Plekanec - Andrei Kostitsyn

Tom Pyatt - Lars Eller - Maxim Lapierre

Benoit Pouliot - Jeff Halpern - Mathieu Darche

The Canadiens are an interesting group--at first glance you have to be somewhat impressed, especially since the Habs are about defense and goaltending, they do not need to roll four scoring lines. They appear to have a really nice top line; Cammalleri can do some damage, Gomez is a stud, and Gionta scored 48 goals. That’s when you start to pull back the covers on this thing. Gionta hasn’t gotten anywhere near 48 goals since 2005-06 and Gomez is a 6% shooter, folks. The second line is Travis Moen (huh? Who?), Andrei Kostitsyn, and Tomas Plekanec--admittedly, I’m impressed with Plekanec’s 70 points last year and 20 goals in each of the last five years. Yet, one man does not a line make. Then it gets dicey. Tom Pyatt, Lars Eller, Maxim Lapierre, Benoit Pouliot, Jeff Halpern, and Mathieu Darche are steady defensive-forwards, but let’s not expect more than a handful of goals from these guys.

I like some of the pieces for the Habs; Cammalleri and Plekanec are gamers, Gomez and Gionta are still riding off the coattails of the Devils success early in their career, Andrei Kostitsyn isn’t in prison--so that’s something. The rest of these guys--I just don’t see it.

Ottawa Senators

Milan Michalek - Jason Spezza - Daniel Alfredsson

Peter Regin - Mike Fisher - Alexei Kovalev

Nick Foligno - Chris Kelly - Chris Neil

Jarkko Ruutu - Jesse Winchester - Roman Wick

At first glance, this too looks like a well-constructed NHL team, but a closer look reveals that there are cracks in the ice. Spezza and Alfredsson are so good, though, that they instantly make this set of forwards better than the Habs. However, in his first season since coming over from San Jose, Milan Michalek greeted the fans in Ottawa by laying a fresh steaming -12 +/- rating turd on center ice--his first negative rating in his career. His points dropped precipitously as well. Hockey GMs have to start to realize that just because you put up points in Washington, San Jose, or Chicago, that doesn’t mean you are going to put up points everywhere.

On the second line, Mike Fisher married shorthanded in life, but he has to play with Dr. Alexei and Mr. Kovalev on his right side. Dr. Alexei is still capable of flashes of greatness, but Mr. Kovalev is often mired in long stretches of indifference. Peter Regin pitched in 29 points in 75 games, which is a nice contribution for a second-liner. This group is capable of generating a second scoring option, but as Kovalev goes, so does this line and I don’t think he’s capable of doing it much this year--and surely not for 82 consecutive games.

Nick Foligno, Chris Kelly, and Chris Neil do a yeoman's job on the third line. Jarkko Ruutu is on the fourth line--can somebody tell me why this guy is still in the league? Winchester and Wick are fourth liners.

If Michalek and Kovalev show up, this could be the best line of forwards in the Northeast, but I am guessing that they will each show up for about 20 games this year, which is not quite a full season.

Buffalo Sabres

Thomas Vanek - Derek Roy - Jason Pominville

Jochen Hecht - Tim Connolly - Mike Grier

Tyler Ennis - Paul Gaustad - Patrick Kaleta

Nathan Gerbe - Rob Niedermeyer - Drew Stafford

This is what I call a big-boy lineup. The Sabres have what you would want in a set of forwards--they’ve got a big-name sniper that can pitch in as much as 40 goals, they’ve got a center who can get him the puck, and even a winger on the other side that's not much of a slouch. The second line is centered by a guy that can find the back of the net and some wingers that aren’t strangers to the net themselves. The third line is young, but has already demonstrated that they know how to get the rubber past the goalie as well. The fourth line is centered by a guy who has made a career of being one of the best fourth line centers in the game and also pitching in more than a handful of goals himself, while getting limited ice time. When you consider that these guys historically play within their system and are often very solid defensively, the pieces are here for a very silent-but-deadly set of forwards.

Vanek gets the press, because he’s the sniper, but don’t discount the contributions by Roy, who has put up 81, 70, and 69 points in the last three years. Pominville has strung together three straight seasons of 20 goals and Hecht found twine 21 times last year. Connolly had almost 50 assists last year, to boot. Ennis only played 10 games last year, but he had 9 points in those games! Gaustad may reach 30 points on the third line. To be able to get 80 goals from a first line, 60 from a second line, 40 from a third line, and 20 from a fourth line is about as good as a team in the Salary Cap Era can hope for--Buffalo’s forwards might be able to make that happen.

Boston Bruins

Marco Sturm - Marc Savard - Nathan Horton

Milan Lucic - David Krejci - Mark Recchi

Blake Wheeler - Patrice Bergeron - Michael Ryder

David Paille - Tyler Seguin - Shawn Thornton

On talent alone, the Bruins are pretty tough to beat, especially down the middle. Savard was injured last year and the Bruins appeared to suffer across the board. Now Savard is back and they have also added Nathan Horton, who is often injured himself, but is a legit winger to add some scoring power along the wings to support the depth down the middle. Tyler Seguin is listed as the fourth line center, but he isn’t really a fourth-liner, but we can’t assume that he’s going to come into the league and be better than Savard, Krejci, and Bergeron.

Ed. Note: It appears that Savard might still be suffering from post-concussion syndrome, and will be out for a while. As of right now, Tyler Seguin has a good chance at being the replacement for however long Savard will be out.

Savard may be able to set Horton up for a big season (again, health issues aside)--Sturm will ride along for lots of points. Lucic will also get to ride shotgun for Krejci setting up Recchi--although it’s hard to say how much Recchi has left.

Blake Wheeler may take a few steps forward, he pitched in 38 points last year and he’s at that age where a lot of guys take their career to the next level. Ryder, Paille, and Thornton aren’t exciting but they aren’t going to hurt you that much either. Ryder can even add some scoring on the third line.

The question is whether or not their two dangerous wingers (Horton and Recchi) can stay healthy and contribute. It will also be interesting to see if Seguin gets some PP time as well. Overall, we are going to assume that Savard is going to come back to form and boost the Bruins to the best group of forwards in the Northeast.

Northeast Division Forwards Ranking
1. Boston Bruins
2. Buffalo Sabres
3. Ottawa Senators
4. Montreal Canadiens
5. Toronto Maple Leafs

A Little More Bang for Your Buck - Fantasy Hockey "Sleepers" (Wingers)

2010-09-22T14:45:00.004-05:00

Moving on to our next section of "sleepers" (for explanation of center "sleepers" and why I put quotes around "sleepers", go here), we come to the most important group in fantasy hockey in my opinion: wingers. The only other group even close is goaltending, but in a majority of leagues, goalies come and go, rise and fall. There are a couple of mainstays, but in competitive leagues where you have 12 or more teams, everyone is going to be playing the "find your goalie" game. One of the most stable statistics in goaltending, save percentage, testifies to the fact that there is very little variance in the performance of the top tier of goaltenders versus the middle and bottom. Therefore, every year, a savvy owner can get a top 5 goaltender off the waiver wire.

Wingers, on the other hand, are less volatile, but incredibly important because the difference between the top tiers and the lower tiers are much more substantial than any other position on the ice. The key is catching a winger on the rise in later rounds, who can hopefully either offset a disappointing winger or bolster an already-solid position on your team.

P.S. I am using Yahoo Sports 2010 fantasy draft rankings and positions in the mostly standard Yahoo 12-team format.

Wingers

Corey Perry - Anaheim Ducks - RW

Average draft position: 43rd pick

Could easily match the production of: Patrick Marleau (32nd pick) and Jarome Iginla (30th pick)

Corey Perry's annoying to some people, and I understand that. But those sentiments have no place in fantasy sports, where he has rapidly become one of the top RW's in the game. He has averaged 29 goals, 38 assists, a +7, 21 PP points, 251 shots, and 109 PIM over the last 3 seasons, and there is every reason to believe he will duplicate those numbers. Goal-scoring is a scarce commodity at any of the positions, so the prospect of having a 30+ goal scorer on your team is valuable. Not to mention a 30-goal scorer that can give you 70 points and 100+ PIM. It seems like splitting hairs, but a spread of 10 picks in the early rounds is too far apart between Perry and Marleau and Iginla. Marleau played a bit over his head last year, and will give you virtually no PIMs, whereas Iginla might give you more PIMs but will likely be joined again by Olli Jokinen who will take away a significant chunk of Iginla's shots. Perry, on the other hand, loses Bobby Ryan on the left wing and gains shot opportunities in the process. And really, I'm basing my analysis on what we know Perry can do (previous years' stats); there are some who believe he could build on last year.

2010-11 prediction: 79 games played, 33 goals, 45 assists, 78 points, +2, 25 PP points, 290 shots, 105 PIM

Ales Hemsky - Edmonton Oilers - RW

Average draft position: 103rd pick

Could easily match the production of: Daniel Alfredsson (56th pick)

Let me begin by saying that no one will lose their fantasy season if their drafting mantra is "Avoid all Edmonton Oilers." That being said, I do think that there might be at least one draft-able player in Hemsky. I think it's a little too easy to pass off Hemsky as "injury-prone", as he had one rough year after two full seasons (in today's NHL, anything above 71 games is a full season to me). Plus, he went under the knife and has looked good early in training camp. Recall that his injury was to his left shoulder and he shoots right; it would be a tougher injury to recover from if he were in a position that relies on slap-shot skills and physical play rather than wrist-shots and stick-handling. He was a point-per-gamer when paired with Penner, and that is likely where he'll play again. He's still only 27 years old and has a lot of gas in the tank after rehabbing much of last year. Alfredsson, I hate to say, is a bit past his prime and is not in an ideal offense to lift his point totals. Sneak Hemsky onto your team as a #2 right winger and don't be surprised if he becomes your best.

2010-11 prediction: 75 games, 24 goals, 52 assists, 76 points, +1, 33 PP points, 200 shots, 35 PIM

Brenden Morrow - Dallas Stars - LW

Average draft position: 125th pick

Could easily match the production of: Dustin Penner (86th pick)

How quickly we forget the Morrow of yesteryear. Before his ACL injury in 2008-09, Morrow was rising to a level of production consistent with some of the best fantasy LW's. Had he not lost his 06-07 and 08-09 seasons to injury, he could easily have posted 63 and 68 points, respectively, giving him four straight seasons of 20+ goals, 30+ assists, and 100+ PIM. Instead, his knee and wrist injuries interrupted him, and while he clearly recovered from the wrist injury the knee seemed to affect his play last year. It's very possible that his recovery was slow, and there are reasons to be optimistic. For one, he will be moving back into the same role as previous seasons as the top LW and, now healthy, will be able to play the physical game that brought him so much success. Don't forget that he logs significant minutes on the PP. Also, his shooting percentage last year was down from previous seasons, a stat that will likely rebound. While I can't guarantee Dallas will be a successful team, there's every reason to suggest that Morrow can return to his previous form. I look at this as not a condemnation for Penner, but rather an optimistic view of Morrow.

2010-11 prediction: 82 games, 28 goals, 40 assists, 68 points, -1, 25 PP points, 180 shots, 90 PIM

Tuomo Ruutu - Carolina Hurricanes - LW

Average draft position: Not Drafted

Could easily match the production of: Ryan Smyth (104th pick)

Ruutu was a popular pick last year that many assumed disappointed. Fact is, he was actually on roughly the same pace in 09-10 as he was in 08-09 across the board. This year, as according to the 'Canes team site, he will regain his prime position on the top line alongside Eric Staal and 09-10 revelation Jussi Jokinen. Even on bad teams, there is occasionally a little statistical enclave that could be called "success", and I think Carolina's first line will be a good example. Supposedly moving over to right wing, Ruutu will retain his LW eligibility and gain RW eligibility, a nice little perk to having him. I happen to think that not only will Ruutu regain his form, but he will benefit from a solid rebound season from Eric Staal, resulting in more assists and garbage goals. Like Perry, Ruutu is a pest, but that only spells more value for him in fantasy. Ryan Smyth, on the other hand, looks like a great pick on the surface but is really still just Ryan Smyth. Yes, he had a great start to the year, but by mid-season he was dipping back into the Smyth-y inconsistency we're all used to seeing. I think Kopitar and Dustin Brown will be the stars on that top line, and Smyth will continue to have cyclical "coming-out" parties (if you know what I mean, Goldilocks).

2010-11 prediction: 77 games, 24 goals, 36 assists, 60 points, -3, 21 PP points, 190 shots, 85 PIM

You'll notice some consistency across these picks, as most of the players are on mediocre-to-poor teams and have had some injuries in their past. Both are good reasons for caution, but not necessarily good reasons to entirely write them off. Remember, the big differences are between the top tier wingers and the bottom of the barrel, and these guys (except Perry) are examples of great safety valves to make sure that your wingers are all at or near the top tier.

NHL Preview: Atlantic Division Forwards

2010-09-17T23:34:00.011-05:00

New York Islanders

Matt Moulson - John Tavares - Kyle Okposo

Josh Bailey - Rob Schremp - Blake Comeau

Jon Sim - Frans Nielsen - Trent Hunter

Trevor Gillies - Doug Weight - Zenon Konopka

The Islanders are a team with no more than a top line. And really, it’s not much of a top line…I’m sure Scott Gordon can make something happen with these guys since he’s been coaching for two years in the NHL and is very consistent(ly bad). Ok, so maybe this won’t be the year for the Isles, and the same may go next year. But rebuilding a team is tough, and you have to live with a few shortcomings…or many shortcomings. The top line is very young and showed they know how to stir a defense when on top of their game last year. The only problem is they have no history of repeating that. 2010-11 will be the year that tests whether the top line is or isn’t for real. Players like Okposo and Moulson need to continue last year’s production or Gordon won’t be afraid to throw in replacements. Bailey, Shremp, Comeau, Nielson, and Hunter all showed signs of talent and really could fit anywhere on this roster. In fact if you put this roster through a random generator, I bet you’d come out with roughly the same output. They will be the team that whoops up on a high seed a couple times this year because of the consistent lines, but they most definitely will be at the bottom of this division…again.

New York Rangers
Vaclav Prospal - Erik Christensen - Marian Gaborik

Alexander Frolov - Brandon Dubinsky - Ryan Callahan
Sean Avery - Chris Drury - Todd White
Brandon Prust - Artem Anisimov - Derek Boogaard

The Rangers have been in limbo for the last 15 years and are due to challenge the division leader. Their top line will be great, and their second will be as good as the Isle’s first. Their third is perfect and their fourth is just plain scary (Boogeyman). The only problem is you never know what happens within the Rangers’ locker room (apart from Boogaard getting snapped in the ass with a wet towel). I don’t think the coach has real control over his team and I think his team is trying to figure him out, without success. Torts is such a strange fella (probably the guy on the other end of the wet towel). He will flip out, and he will sit with all his Torty looks:

These looks are what make the lines for the Rangers so unpredictable. When Torts stops shuffling lines and “teaching his players a lesson” the Rangers will level out into a strong competitor.

New Jersey Devils

Zach Parise - Travis Zajac – Ilya Kovalchuk
Patrik Elias – Jason Arnott – Jamie Langenbrunner
Brian Rolston – Dainius Zubrus – David Clarkson
Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond – Rod Pelley – Vladimir Zharkov

The rise of the Devils is always as scary as their top lines, and this year will be deadly. Parise has proven he is the young foundation of this team and Zajac will forever be at his side. With last year’s addition of Kovalchuk, and the possibility of Kovy moving over to the right to accommodate Parise, line 1 could be in the top 5 of the NHL. They have sufficient depth that was proven by big performances last year by Zubrus and occasionally Clarkson. The comeback of Arnott will solidify the defensive side of the game. Expect a rock solid performance that could land them in the top spot in this division.

Philadelphia Flyers
Scott Hartnell - Mike Richards - Nikolai Zherdev

James van Riemsdyk - Jeff Carter - Claude Giroux
Ville Leino - Danny Briere - Ian Laperriere
Darroll Powe - Blair Betts - Daniel Carcillo

The Flyers loss of Gagne may just work with the addition of Zherdev. Zherdev’s second attempt at the NHL could pay off after having a pretty good season in the KHL (52 games, 13 goals, 26 assists, and 39 points). The youngsters of years past should be primed enough to fulfill the roles they are expected to. If Hartnell gains back what he once had, the outlook for Philly could be a repeat with a better ending. Their depth is near perfection, and the only thing they don’t have is a forward who we know will put up a point-per-game, though at least two forwards certainly could. The possible addition of Guerin (signed to a tryout) would top the tank. Their depth is the strongest in the division.

Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Kunitz - Sidney Crosby - Mike Comrie

Eric Tangradi - Jordan Staal - Evgeni Malkin
Tyler Kennedy - Max Talbot - Pascal Dupuis
Matt Cooke - Mike Rupp - Arron Asham

Can the Penguins do it again? It’s hard to say. We all know they have two of the best in the league, and their power play is superb (though less now without Gonchar). They do have a new top-line right wing that we all don’t believe in. Comrie has proven he’s not what everyone hoped he’d be. I will be upset however if he’s the target of high expections just because he can occasionally fumble around with a pass from Sid. I know the Penguins try to create depth, but the truth of the matter is we’d like to see Malkin and Crosby together. It’s like taking Backstrom away from Ovechkin; no one needs to see that. Kunitz has proven he was a fluke in Anaheim and will continue his sub-Saku numbers here in the Pitts. I do like the last two lines because they play the way the team needs them to play. With the addition of Asham, I think the fourth line will get a little more time than most others in the league and it will show on the scoreboard. Look for them to squeak out a top spot in the division.

This division is a crap shoot for the top three, and I may even be inclined to say four, but the only thing I can say for sure is the Islanders will hold strong at number 5.

Atlantic Division Forwards Ranking
1. Pittsburgh Penguins
2. Philadelphia Flyers
3. New Jersey Devils
4. New York Rangers
5. New York Islanders

A Little More Bang For Your Buck - Fantasy Hockey "Sleepers" (Center)

2010-09-15T20:40:00.007-05:00

Like my sister has reminded me time and again, some people LARP, some people do fantasy sports. I always try to counter this with some feeble rationale that, because it's sport, it's more socially accepted. In reality, we substitute being imaginary Frodo's for being imaginary hockey experts and GMs. Hey, it's an excellent tool for procrastination. Could you imagine someone skipping out on work to lead a peasant revolt?

Admittedly, I like the speculation of fantasy sports from year-to-year, and how close it brings me to the sports I like. Which leads me to wonder, if I was to put anything on here fantasy sports-related, what would I put? Well, just so happens that two things occurred to me: a.) the most important thing in terms of fantasy sports advice is a well-explained and -supported "sleeper" list, and b.) all of us at BN are joining a fantasy league together. As the league is still a little ways off, I'll take a few posts to discuss what might be called a "sleeper" list.

The reason I put quotations marks around "sleeper" is because it is a bit of a misnomer for this list. A true "sleeper" is someone few people expect to succeed but ends up exceeding those expectations (usually significantly). Really, it is just as important to recognize players rebounding from injury-plagued seasons that others might have forgotten, or finding players of equal talent to others that could, nevertheless, fall further in drafts. A good way of identifying these players is by using comparisons. For example, a few smart people last year kept Patrick Marleau in the back of their mind and scooped him up in later rounds. The return, of course, was great. Here are a few players at each position capable of matching that kind of jump (or are simply under-appreciated as they are):

P.S. I am using Yahoo Sports 2010 fantasy draft rankings and positions in the mostly standard 12-team format.

Centers

Nikolai Antropov - Atlanta Thrashers

Average draft position: 148th pick

Could easily match the production of: Travis Zajac (104th pick) and Ryan Kesler (62nd pick)

I don't know why everyone's so sour on Antropov, as he has slowly but surely developed into a fairly impressive hockey player over the years. Let's try that again...people don't like him because he's on the Thrashers. But I think last year proved that there are many things about his production that are defensible. He's always been just a shade under point-per-game production, with above-average shooting ability (lifetime 14%). He's always thrown around his gargantuan (6'6", 240lb.) frame, accruing 527 penalty minutes in 603 games. He's perennially included in his team's PP unit and, coming into 2010-11, he'll be the most heavily-used forward in Atlanta. His 19% shooting will probably regress, but his shots will surely increase, and it is worth noting that he performed even better after Kovalchuk left town (11 goals and 25 points in the final 25 games). Finally, his +13 was a full 7 points higher than any other full-time Atlanta player. He's a late-rounder, but not necessarily a downgrade.

2010-11 prediction: 75 games, 30 goals, 37 assists, 67 points, +5, 28 PP points, 201 shots, 80 PIM

Patrick Sharp (C,LW) - Chicago Blackhawks

Average draft position - 100th pick

Could easily match the production of: Jeff Carter (39th pick)

A few years ago, the Flyers sent Sharp to the Blackhawks for the measly return of Matt Ellison and a 3rd round pick (which would be used to get possible AHL-lifer Jonathan Matsumoto). Sharp has since developed into one of the more complete players on the 'Hawks, getting loads of playing time on the power play and penalty kill. A talented shooter, when he moved to a secondary shooter role last year he learned the play-making aspects of the game to the tune of a career-high 41 assists. When many had Jeff Carter pegged to build upon his breakout 2008-09 season, Carter dropped to nearly the same points-per-game as Sharp (.82 to Sharp's .8) and 22 PP points (to Sharp's 16). There are reasons to believe that Sharp and Carter will stick very close to one-another this year, in terms of production, including the fact that it is becoming clear that Carter is much closer to the player he exhibited last year than the one he was in 2008-09. He's a career 10.9% shooter, a mark not far from the 10.3% he posted in 2009-10, and with as many weapons as the Flyers have, he might not reach the 300-shot level again. The emergence of van Riemsdyk and the addition of Zherdev and possibly Bill Guerin will eat into his shot totals, and it wouldn't be surprising to see Claude Giroux grow into more playing time and a greater role in the offense. Sharp, on the other hand, had a 3-year low in shooting percentage with 9.4%, after years of 17.2% and 14.1%. He's a career 12.5% shooter. The Blackhawks' off-season saw the departure of two bigger shooters in Byfuglien (211 shots) and Versteeg (184 shots) and little to take their place. While Carter's +/- took a substantial dip in 2009-10, I don't think he and Sharp will be significantly different this year, as the Blackhawks and Flyers are pretty close to each other skill-wise. Of course, the coup de grace for this argument is Carter's loss of dual- position eligibility, as he has improved his face-off taking skills.

2010-11 prediction: 82 games, 30 goals, 40 assists, 70 points, +10, 21 PP points, 280 shots, 45 PIM

Short list, huh? In general, I'm not too concerned with centers, because unlike many of the other positions you can usually add serviceable centers over the course of the fantasy season, even in deep leagues. You'll see far more players in the next installments of wingers and later defensemen, then a nice tidy finish with goaltenders.

NHL Preview: Southeast Division Forwards

2010-09-11T10:43:00.003-05:00

We're blowing the dust off the blog a bit as the NHL season's wheels get a-turning here at BN. The summer has crept by, sowing seeds of sensational stories (that's alliteration) in its wake. I pretty much agree with Battle of California that they were mostly lame, though I somewhat enjoyed poking fun at Dan Ellis before everyone (on both sides) decided they were offended by the charade. I think it's closely related to the phenomenon I call "reverse-pissed," where my wife gets angry at me for being angry at her. Anyways, it's all double rainbows for me now; he joins elite company with Sean Avery, Mike Commodore, Alexander Semin, and Jiri Tlusty as the butt of the occasional joke. Welcome.

I'm taking on the Southeast Division today in part because nobody else sounded very excited about it, and Forsberg's Foot straight out said he wanted to have nothing to do with the division. And I'll admit, figuring out the forward lines and defensive pairs is a little exhausting for teams that almost perennially have no depth. But someone has to do it, so here are the teams in my order of the top set of forwards to the bottom:

Washington Capitals
Alexander Ovechkin - Nicklas Backstrom - Alexander Semin
Tomas Fleischmann - Brooks Laich - Mike Knuble
Jason Chimera - Dave Steckel - Eric Fehr
D.J. King - Boyd Gordon - Matt Bradley

As we'll likely do with the other teams, I took a few liberties in making all the lines fit: Yahoo! and CBS have Fleischmann on the 3rd line, but that's not really his spot. Look for Fleischmann on the second line as either he or Laich will move over and take faceoffs. Laich was better than Fleischmann on the draw last year and the year before, so it's the more logical choice. Steckel is a superior faceoff taker than either, but he lacks the skill-set for 2nd-line duty and is a better fit on the 3rd line.

The song remains the same with the Caps, as the top line is the most dominant line in the league. While it would benefit the Capitals to spread their best forwards among the top 2 lines, Semin's production drops substantially when that happens. Unlike other teams, the top-heavy forward lines don't seem to be a major problem (except when you are playing the Canadiens in the playoffs). The second line is solid (literally, try to move Laich or Knuble), and even if Knuble experiences a decline because of his age, Eric Fehr is more than capable to take over. I loved the Chimera addition last year, and if he stays healthy this team has a great 3rd line complement to the top 2. Keep an eye on Mathieu Perreault, a speedy little center with little left to prove down in the AHL. He posted 9 points in a 21-game cup-o'-tea last year, and could sneak onto the 2nd line if Fleischmann is inconsistent (again).

Tampa Bay Lightning
Martin St. Louis - Steven Stamkos - Steve Downie
Simon Gagne - Vincent Lecavalier - Teddy Purcell
Ryan Malone - Dominic Moore - Sean Bergenheim
James Wright - Niklas Persson - Marc Pouliot

One of the stories of the year was Stamkos's jump from promising rookie (he ended 2008-09 strong) to full-blown star in 2009-10. Forcing his way ahead of Lecavalier, the expectations are huge for this season. On his right side will be another player that has a lot to live up to. Steve Downie's 22 goal season last year was a surprise to many who assumed he was beginning a slow descent to goon-dom. As a former first-round pick, nobody will be surprised to see another 20 goal season, though Lightning fans shouldn't get too excited. It will be hard to sustain the 19% shooting Downie experienced a year ago. What's much easier for him to sustain is the high number of boneheaded minor penalties, something that could land him in the doghouse and cause the Lightning to find a way to get expensive Ryan Malone off the 3rd line.

I like the top 2 lines and I like the addition of Gagne, but let's not forget that Gagne has a.) not scored more than 40 goals since 2007, b.) never scored more than 79 points, and c.) never played a full season. He's a potent addition to an already-good power play unit, but he's not likely to break any records as, at best, the fourth forward option on this team. The third and fourth line are bit-parts, with the exception of Malone who might find his way back onto the top 2 lines this season.

Carolina Hurricanes
Jussi Jokinen - Eric Staal - Tuomo Ruutu
Jiri Tlusty - Brandon Sutter - Chad LaRose
Zach Boychuk - Riley Nash - Erik Cole
Sergei Samsonov - Patrick Dwyer - Tom Kostopoulos

Now, before you get up in arms, I'm merely posting the depth chart as it is shown on the 'Canes web site. Yahoo and CBS have completely different renderings, both with Ruutu on the left side, but we'll just pretend. The big changes are the losses of two older players, Ray Whitney and Rod Brind'Amour, one of which was still pretty good, the other really bad. Sorry Rod the Bod. Distinct drop-offs from Ruutu (injury) and Samsonov (some say age, but I think he's shrinking) made this a really poor offense last year, and there will need to be a rebound for 2010-11 to be any better.

Jokinen's success last year needs to be sustained, even if his 18.8% shooting likely won't be. He will always be pretty good in shootouts, which is worth a win or two every year. I like the idea of Erik Cole on the third line, because I think he could legitimately re-invent his career by focusing on defense. The 2nd line here projects atrociously, but the potential is there for Sutter to at least match his 20 goals from the previous year. If LaRose can't hack it on the 2nd line, expect Cole and maybe Kostopoulos to be bumped up, and I'm almost certain that Riley Nash will not get regular 3rd line duty. The reserve players aren't pretty either, though Oskar Osala is good at not winning fights.

Atlanta Thrashers
Evander Kane - Nikolai Antropov - Niclas Bergfors
Andrew Ladd - Rich Peverley - Bryan Little
Fredrik Modin - Jim Slater - Chris Thorburn
Ben Eager - Jared Ross - Spencer Machacek

The Thrashers took a couple of major hits in 2010, losing Ilya Kovalchuk and Maxim Afinogenov. Add that to losing Kari Lehtonen, and these aren't your mother's Thrashers (which is a joke, because they haven't been around that long, get it?). Reports have Dustin Byfuglien playing defense at camp, which further thins out an already-spotty set of forward lines. Andrew Ladd and Fredrik Modin were added so that Atlanta could have both the biggest eyebrows and the strongest jaw on the planet.

Like the 'Canes, the Thrashers are relying on players getting back to form and others realizing their potential. Bryan Little had a lot of hype in last year's previews because of his 31-goal sophomore campaign, but failed to follow it with a strong third year. Antropov and Peverley were the lone bright spots that should continue their solid production; Antropov played surprisingly well even when Kovalchuk left town (11 goals, 14 assists in 25 games after the trade). We all love Evander Kane for obvious reasons, but now is his chance to justify his draft position and build upon the 26 points in 66 games and a +2 he posted last year. Even though he's a dickhead and nobody likes him, Patrice Cormier might sneak onto the big club before the year's out. Overall, the fact that this team doesn't even boast one complete, solid forward line puts them a notch below Carolina.

Florida Panthers
David Booth - Stephen Weiss - Michael Frolik
Cory Stillman - Steven Reinprecht - Radek Dvorak
Rotislav Olesz - Shawn Matthias - Steve Bernier
Christopher Higgins - Marty Reasoner - Michael Grabner

Like a lot of people, I have the Panthers pretty low on my 2010-11 expectations, but I think they are closer to the Thrashers and 'Canes than others might think. There is a lot of youth on the table in Florida, and I truly think they benefit in leaving behind the unfulfilled potential of Nathan Horton. Rather than waiting for a "click" that never came, they can give full-time minutes to up-and-comers like Frolik, Grabner, and (hopefully) Michal Repik. If Booth can fully recover from his concussion this year (a big "if"), he is the right person to get a primary-shooter role. Weiss is more of an in-the-shadows good, and Reinprecht and Stillman are solid-if-unspectacular veterans.

The biggest concern I have of the Panthers is the lack of a true 3rd line. Bernier isn't bad on a 3rd, but I see few other players that you could trust in a shut-down role. This was the same problem last year, hence why Weiss logged so many minutes against opposing teams' top lines. This year might not be the year for the Panthers, but down the road there may be reasons to believe the rats can come back.

This is still the Capitals' division to win, and true development on any of the other four teams is going to require the young players developing a thick skin. Ultimately, don't expect a lot of surprises out of the Southeast this year.

Southeast Division Forwards Ranking
1. Washington Capitals
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Carolina Hurricanes
4. Atlanta Thrashers
5. Florida Panthers

P.S. Today, we commemorate a great tragedy in the United States, one that changed many (if not all) of our lives. While debates, investigations, wars, and showy, overblown rhetoric have profoundly changed the event and our recollection of it, I hope we can all just pause and give our regards to those who have passed. R.I.P.

Cry, the Defensive Forward

2010-09-10T01:36:00.005-05:00

Re-reading Ken Dryden's The Game the other day, I came across his ode to Bob Gainey:

If there is such a thing as a "player's player," it would be Gainey. A phrase often heard and rarely explained, it is seldom applied to the best player of a sport, as Gainey is not, for performance is only a part of it. Instead, the phrase is for someone who has the personal and playing qualities that others wish they had, basic, unalterable qualities - dependability, discipline, hard work, courage - the roots of every team. To them, Gainey adds a timely, insistent passion, an enormous will to win, and a powerful, punishing playing style, secure and manly, without the strut of machismo. If I could be a forward, I would want to be Gainey.
- Ken Dryden, The Game, p. 82

As many of us know, Bob Gainey is in the Hall of Fame (a first-balloter, no less), enshrined for that very will to win as a solid defensive forward on some of the most successful teams in NHL history. He, by all means, deserved the accolades, winning the first four Selke Trophies (a record that still stands, pending a Datsyuk challenge), the Conn Smythe Trophy in 1979, and 5 Stanley Cups. The great architects of the Soviet hockey program, Anatoli Tarasov and Viktor Tikhonov, proclaimed Gainey to be the world's best all-around player in his prime. The Hockey News pegged him at #86 on their 1998 list of the greatest hockey players of all-time.

All of these honors are pretty incredible when you think of his career stats (as so many of the current HOF-eligible players are thus analyzed): 1,139 games, 239 goals, 262 assists, and 501 points as a left winger. In his best years, he averaged just over a point-every-other-game. He finished with an overall +196, a tidy number though small compared to some of his teammates (Lemaire - +349, Lafleur - +453, Shutt - +393, Robinson - +730). Inducted in 1992, his more dubious reputation as a GM was too late to influence any voters (I know it shouldn't regardless, but it does, people).

Thus, we know that Gainey's contributions were not measured by the final stats, but by the large volume of praise for his less-tangible accomplishments. He was the defensive forward, an essential component of any successful team in any period of NHL history. He's also unique, being one of the few HOF inductees of the NHL's last 40 years that was almost solely a defensive forward, the other being Bob Pulford (barely...he retired in 1972).

This all begs an important set of questions: Were Gainey and Pulford the only electable defensive forwards of the last 40 years? Are there no comparable talents that matched Gainey and Pulford's contributions and success? When we think of HOF-calibre players today, what does it take to consider a player with Gainey's career stats? Would a forward that scores many goals but completely neglects his own end of the rink be more likely to be elected than a forward that played solid (think, award-winning) defense in addition to the occasional goal/assist?

Since the 1980s, I'd argue that there's a reluctance to recognize the defensive forward, an important player lost in the astronomical offensive numbers we saw three decades ago, rarely to be recognized even when the defensive game re-emerged in the mid-90s. Sure, if there comes a player that joins point-per-game offense with relatively good defense, he enters the conversation, and when Selanne's opportunity comes around his average defense will be sufficient. But what about those defensive forwards?

Case in point is a player that entered the league in Gainey's waning years, and survived the 1980s and early 90s with his elite defensive reputation intact. Guy Carbonneau toiled over 19 NHL seasons, winning 3 Selkes and 3 Stanley Cups, all the while carrying the label of the league's best defensive forward. Beyond that, he did something incredibly well that Bob Gainey rarely ever did: win faceoffs. In the process, Carbonneau played 1,318 games, scoring 260 goals, 403 assists, and 663 points along with a career +/- of +186.

Another more-recent example is a player currently without a job, Jere Lehtinen. Also the recipient of 3 Selkes and a Stanley Cup, Lehtinen has had a more prolific scoring career than Gainey or Carbonneau, but this was certainly not to the detriment of his defensive game. For sure, if you were to ask 100 hockey experts on the best defensive players of the period 1995-2010, Lehtinen would enter the conversation for almost every one. With 875 games played, 243 goals, 271 goals, 514 points, and a career +176, who could argue? He only had one season where he finished with a minus (Gainey had two, and Carbonneau four) despite playing on a number of suspect Dallas teams. He and Modano were constants on teams that boasted some of the most incredible goaltending statistics in NHL history, including Ed Belfour's 1997-98 and 1998-99 and Marty Turco's 2002-03 and 2003-04. Yet it is unlikely that Lehtinen will get his due, much like Carbonneau sees each year come and go without a chance to join his Montreal brethren in the hallowed Hall.

In a time when statistical analysts are bringing us ever closer to defensive player value, it's time to remember that those Red Wings, those Devils, those Penguins, didn't get there without Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Jay Pandolfo, John Madden, Jordan Staal, etc. The defensive forward is still important, still integral to regular season success, playoff hockey, and the Silver of all Silvers. I'm not saying enshrine Michael Peca on principle, but I do believe that each generation boasts at least one defensive forward that deserves enshrinement along with the multitudes of point-per-gamers nominated from year-to-year by our hockey writers and dignitaries.

As the Wheel Turns: Kovalchuk Revisited

2010-07-21T15:20:00.002-05:00

Who is this above? Well, that's the real putz in this whole mess, apparently, Devils team owner Jeffrey Vanderbeek. You see, Devils GM Lou Lamoriello doesn't like these long-term contracts. While I, for one, think he's probably more supportive of them than he might seem, the point stands that Lou wants us to know it was the ownership's deal. And that falls on Mr. Vanderbeek.

As of today, the 17-year, $102 million dollar deal has been rejected by the Wheel of Justice that is the NHL, on the premise that it didn't believe that Kovalchuk would be playing until he was 44. Anyone who's paid attention to these mega-deals knows that the more-recent contracts to Zetterberg, Pronger, and Luongo (among others) have been approved on the premise that they would be playing into their 40s, so obviously there's little issue there.

So why did the Kovalchuk deal really get rejected? The Top 3...

3. Bettman's finally "awakening the giant within."

2. Wild night at The Cock Bar. "Reject" button sticky.

1. Didn't realize that Dean Lombardi's "You complete me" visit the night before was ripped off Jerry Maguire.

Promise me you'll take care of Jonathan Lipnicki...

Look, the reality is that the Kovalchuk signing was going to be a big deal, but it became a huge deal when the terms were disclosed. It brought a lot of unwanted attention even outside the league because the length was unprecedented (as was the Dipietro contract) and, when laid bare, the terms were as well. Yes, we saw similar structure to other lengthy deals, but seven years at-or-near league minimum? Come on.

I agree we shouldn't pin this one on Lou, as there's little doubt that James Vanderbeek's long-lost father is the more-likely culprit. That being said, let's hope that this becomes a case-in-point for the next CBA. If there is one.

Oh, and I'm still not too scared about Kovy being in the Atlantic.

A Kovalchuk Interactive Post

2010-07-19T12:57:00.001-05:00

Yay for the Devils, the Red Rocket is back! Kovy decides not to mirror the Great One's legacy of moving to the far coast to bring jubilation to the beach bums, opting instead to not have to move his shit at all. Having just moved about 3 times in the last month, I'd make the same choice.

Now that Kovy's broken the seal on the NHL free agent constipation, it begs the question of what happens next. Who are the next movers and shakers? Do Kings fans riot now or later? Do Montreal fans riot on their principled behalf? Why did Kovy choose Joisey? And most of all, how does this affect the standings?

Keep an eye on...

Simon Gagne

Possibly the second biggest name in player movement rumors over the last two weeks, Gagne has been rumored to go to the Rangers, the Lightning, or the Kings, among others. His regular season value is slightly above league average, tempered always by the possibility of injury, but his postseason contributions are underrated. He will move very soon.

Bobby Ryan

The Ducks and Ryan are still far apart in their negotiations, and Brian Burke smells blood over in Toronto (and it's not Kaberle eating his own head).

Kevin Bieksa

When healthy, Bieksa is a highly effective defensemen with a good shot and a mean streak. The Blue Jackets and Sharks are interested as well as the Ducks, and the Canucks would like to get Bieksa out of his locker so that they can gold-plate it for Hamhuis's arrival.

Mike Modano

No "old man" jokes here, though when he was drafted Patrick Kane was working his mother's uterine wall like it was a cab driver. The Red Wings and Wild are interested, though let's be realistic here: Modano will sell tickets and be a father-figure to the younger players (which pretty much makes Willa Ford the best MILF ever).

Top 3 Reasons Ilya Kovalchuk Chose Jersey Over Los Angeles

3. He knows nothing about U.S. geography.

2. Found a naked and bound Alexander Frolov in Dean Lombardi's closet.

1. Between the aging Mobsters, abandoned buildings, and smelly landfills, it's like he never left Russia.

What Does Kovalchuk in Jersey Mean for the NHL Standings?

Let's be clear: the fact that he signed exactly where he was the last two months of the season makes this a far-easier conclusion to reach. As far as the Atlantic Division rivals are concerned, this is one of the more innocuous places he could go. They were good, not great with Kovy on their team, and his deadly offensive prowess was somewhat dampened by the fact that the Devils are defensive-minded and Parise-focused in their attack. In all honesty, I think the Devils did more for themselves by the Arnott and Volchenkov signings.

The Devils will still be a solid team, as they were without him. But the fact is, he's not the guy in Jersey, and with fewer shooting opportunities and the usual questionable defense, he becomes a (likely) expensive complementary piece.

Free Agent Fiesta: Blog Cosby's Picks

2010-07-16T19:17:00.004-05:00

Needless to say I think the signings this year have been pretty lame, but since I feel I should point out the ones that show less lameness than the rest, here are my picks:

Favorite
Jaroslav Halak to the Blues
The Blues saw the capabilities of Halak in the playoffs, and they know how Mason played when Nashville was a playoff contender. This is a clear steal for a team that was in need of a change. Mason is a good goalie, but he didn't have enough, and his age is climbing beyond repair. Halak is young, shows great talent and very little sign of Raycroftism. This pickup will aid the ever long struggles of the Blues and their hopes for becoming a playoff contender by giving them a goaltending foundation that can easily serve them for many years. I have no clue why Montreal seems to think Auld and Price are going to satisfy them, but I guess sometimes you just make bad decisions and then you have to live with them.

Least Favorite
Christopher Higgins to the Panthers
Seriously? Has no one figured out that this guy's talent has faded with every move? Sure he had 52 points a few seasons ago, but he hasn't begun to show that anywhere else. The difference between Higgins and a player like Saku Koivu is that Koivu consistantly puts up 50-60 points season after season...Higgins did it once by miracle, or maybe he had a little help from Mr. Koivu, Streit, and Markov...Oh, yeah those guys. He's getting to the age that your hoping for a Tim Thomas breakout.

Dark-Horse Signing
P.A. Parenteau to the Islanders
I'm not sure why the Ducks like to make it a habit of trading away promising prospects, but here's one who's never been given a chance. Sure he's a 9th round pick, but he has shown great numbers in the AHL over the years and has great stickhandling skills that can aid a team in need of something. Finally he's on a team that will play him and I think you may all be amazed at what he will do this year on the second line of the Islanders...yes that's my prediction.

Free Agent Fiesta: Forsberg's Foot's Picks

2010-07-16T15:11:00.004-05:00

That was a strange title to write. The double possessive.

While the free agent period isn't over (thanks, Kovalchuk), there have been plenty of signings to talk about, analyze, and weep over(sorry about the Boogeyman, Matteau). Here are my picks:

Favorite
Anton Volchenkov to the Devils
Sure, there were flashier blueliners out there that signed for similar money (Gonchar, Hamhuis, Martin), but Lou made Anton a deal he couldn't refuse. Out of all the big free agents on the blueline, I expect Volchenkov to have the most pronounced effect on his new team. While the departure of Paul Martin in Swampland is notable, the guy only played 22 games last year. So basically, this was a team carried by Johnny freakin' Oduya until the trade deadline. Now they add a tough as nails, shot blocking, hard-hitting, vodka-guzzling maniac. The Sister Banger is very happy about this signing. Very happy indeed.

Least Favorite
Sergei Gonchar to the Senators
Maybe I'm being a bit biased here. I'll come clean. I'm not a Sergei Gonchar fan by any stretch of the imagination. And while his playoff performance this past summer was pathetic by anybody's standards, that's not why I'm choosing this to be the worst deal made so far. My biggest problem with this deal is that the Senators are now stuck with a 3-year, $5.5 million dollar per year deal with a rapidly aging defenseman when there were better options out there. Gonchar was given a no-trade clause, and since he was over 35 when he signed the contract, the cap hit remains throughout the life of the contract even if he retires or is waived. Younger, more well-rounded players like Paul Martin or Dan Hamhuis would have been better options.

Dark-Horse Signing
Nikolai Zherdev to the Flyers
Yeah, he's an ultra-talented Russian. Yes, there have been concerns about his work ethic, consistency, and attitude. Yes, he fled the NHL to spend a year in the KHL. Still, the $2 million dollar deal allows the flyers to add a creative and immensely-talented scorer in their top 9 with little risk because it's only a 1 year deal. $2 million is a low figure for a young guy who put up 61 and 58 points in his last 2 years in the NHL.

Free Agent Fiesta: Matteau's Picks

2010-07-16T13:45:00.002-05:00

The urge is always strong to call it a "Free Agent Frenzy," but Gary's trying to appeal to new markets so I'm going with "fiesta." I figure this is the first honest push towards the Latino audience since Luis Mendoza and maybe Scott Gomez.

I wanted to do a little up-to-speed on the free agent signings to this point, because I think we all know full well that it's aggravating to wait for the other shoe to drop on a potential Kovalchuk signing. It's (nearly) universally accepted that his will be the biggest signing of the offseason whether it be to the KHL or NHL, but perhaps this is the best time to weigh in on our picks for favorite/least favorite/potentially-good signings.

Matteau's Favorite
Andrew Ebbett to the Phoenix Coyotes
Initially I was going to say Olli Jokinen, because the news that he wouldn't be returning to the Rangers brought squeals of joy, but I think that was a given. Andrew Ebbett has been on my radar for a few years now, as he's always been a smart hockey player. Left undrafted after a decent hockey career at Michigan, Ebbett's size (5'9", 174 lbs.) has often stood (ha ha) in the way of his playing time. But after losing Matt Lombardi, Phoenix has an opening for a guy who could set up their goal-scoring wingers, and Ebbett could very easily beat out the under-performing Martin Hanzal and Kyle Turris. At worst, he'd end up on the second line with Shane Doan; in a similar playing-time scenario in Anaheim, he put up 32 points in 48 games. Signed at the league minimum, Ebbett is another smart budget move by the Coyotes owner, whoever that might be.

Least Favorite
Derek Boogaard to the New York Rangers
I'm not a huge goon fan, so the Brashear signing last year was annoying to me because, as we learned and I had suspected, it did nothing for the team. But there was something to be said for Brashear's scoring potential going into the season. The Boogeyman has no such potential, and will be saddling the team with over one-and-a-half-million dollars a year to remind us. I'd say I'm furious, but I think incredulous is more accurate, particularly since Sather had made such a good signing (Martin Biron as a backup) that same day. The "Fire Sather" supporters are growing in number exponentially now.

Dark-Horse Signing
Manny Malhotra to the Vancouver Canucks
He came at a premium for a defensive-minded player, but the former first-rounder Malhotra has a good chance at earning every penny of his $2.5 million per year over the next three years. If players like John Madden, Kris Draper, Jere Lehtinen, and Mike Richards are any indicator, teams have shifted to recognizing and rewarding the part that wins championships (Washington, pay attention). All have had long careers with basically one team (though Madden was paid handsomely to leave Jersey), and Malhotra's defense has deserved such recognition. One of the best faceoff men in the league, he won a whopping 62.5 percent of his puck drops last season. Never a threat to scored more than 35-40 points in a season, he's nevertheless a perfect 3rd liner, the kind of intelligent, big-bodied forward that can anchor a sound playoff team. Now if only he learned to be a goaltender...

The Kovalchuk signing will be big, and as I said it will be considered much bigger than any of the above. That being said, the acquisition of players like Ebbett and Malhotra (and in a way, Boogaard) go a long ways towards determining a team's fortunes in the following season.

Fire Sather!

Why?

2010-06-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

Breaking news: David Koci has been signed to another half-year of 5-minute-a-game appearances, a guaranteed team-leading amount of penalty minutes, and a few blood donations to boot. The Colorado Avalanche obviously feel that Koci and his 6 shots in 43 games are responsible for the strong play of their young core. I mean, what else would explain giving him a roster spot over another younger, far more talented player?

Let's have a comparison, shall we? The Bruins just resigned 32-year old enforcer Shawn Thornton, a guy who I generally consider your basic goon. In 74 games this year, Thornton recorded the same number of goals (1) as Koci, but tallied 9 assists as well. He took 119 shots, and spent 141 minutes in confession. In 43 games, Koci had 1 goal, no assists, 84 pims, and the aforementioned 6 shots. As Koci's mom might protest, little David has not received as much playing time as Thornton. Ok, Gladys, I see your point; Koci had a miniscule 3 minutes a game to Thornton's 9. So let's putz around with the numbers to bring them closer together...taking Koci's 6 shots in 43 games at 3 minutes a game, that equals 1 shot every 21-and-a-half minutes. Thornton's 119 shots in 74 games at 9 minutes a game puts him at 1 shot every 5-and-a-half minutes. Sorry, Mrs. Koci, but your son is useless.

You might remember that this argument of mine is nothing new; I just wanted to reiterate how terrible I think he is, and how much less value he contributes as oppose to not only younger players with more upside but even other goons.

Which brings me full circle to the initial question: Why?

Stanley Cup Preview

2010-05-28T14:38:00.006-05:00

Once again, a few comments on the round that was and on to the round that will be. We didn’t learn too much in the previous round. Many thought the Blackhawks were going to beat the Sharks, and they did—winning four very tight games. Chicago keeps rolling on two dynamic scoring lines, steady defense, and a strong goaltender. In the east, many expected Philadelphia to continue its run right through Montreal—and they did.

Stanley Cup Final:
(2) Chicago Blackhawks (12-4) [1.24 5on5, 22.6% PP, 86.6% PK] vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers (12-5) [1.39 5on5, 20.7% PP, 87.0% PK]

Chicago has solidified themselves as the best team in the NHL throughout this season, with a very impressive regular season and flashes of dominance in the playoffs. The forwards, led by Jonathan Toews (7G, 19A, +4) and Patrick Kane (7G, 13A, +2) are numbers 1 and 3 in playoff points (although they combined for only one goal against San Jose). The team can score from the blueline as well, and also play steady defense, led by Duncan Keith (1G, 9A, +3) and Brent Seabrook (3G, 6A, +8). Antti Niemi (12W, 2.33GAA, .921 Sv%) has been very good. The Blackhawks also have a second line of punch that the Flyers will have to deal with, including Patrick Sharp (7G, 9A, +3), Marian Hossa (2G, 9A, +8), and a surprising showing from Dustin Byfuglien (8G, 2A, -3). Chicago should be able to get goals and their defense is good enough to stop any rush that Philadelphia throws at them. If Seabrook, Keith, and the boys can stop the Flyers forecheck and Niemi plays like a Conn-Smythe winner, this will be a quick series and the Flyers will be forever known as that team as “who was that 7 seed that made a run in 2010?”

The seven-seed underdog Flyers continue their improbable run. The Flyers have found a way to get better throughout the playoffs and have since added their top goal scorer and their best penalty killer. Concerns about long minutes to a strong set of blueliners are the only concerns about this team’s health. The Flyers have regained sniper Jeff Carter (4G, 1A, +1) and sparkplug Ian Laperriere (0G, 1A, -2) and also survived without Simon Gagne (7G, 3A, +6). But the story of the Flyers has been the emergence of Mike Richards (6G, 15A, +6) as a force to be reckoned with, Claude Giroux’s (8G, 9A, +10) inauguration into an undeniable NHL superstar of the future (if not today), and Danny Briere’s reemergence (9G, 9A, +4). On the back end, Michael Leighton (6W, 1.45 GAA, .948 Sv%) continues his fairy tale run through the playoffs. Not to be outdone, the Flyers has been the steady of their top four defensemen, Chris Pronger (4G, 10A, +2), Matt Carle (0G, 10A, +10), Kimmo Timonen (0G, 8A, +6), and Braydon Coburn (1G, 2A, +7), who have kept their goaltenders workload in check. With Carter back healthy, scoring depth at forward, shut-down defense, and the steady Leighton in net, there isn’t anything that can stop the Flyers, except for mistakes on the back end and “beating themselves”.

All in all, the pundits have made it very clear that the Flyers don’t stand a chance. The Blackhawks have too much scoring depth, strong defense, and outstanding goaltending. While this is true, it’s also true about the Flyers. In fact the Flyers have three scoring lines, whereas Chicago has two. Keith and Seabrook are outstanding, but so are Pronger and Carle. Niemi has been outstanding, but Leighton has been even better. The Blackhawks have a dynamic power play and a shutdown Penalty Kill—so do the Flyers. The Blackhawks have the ability to exhibit a relentless forecheck—so do the Flyers.

Thus, I don’t see this as a landslide series—I see this as an outstanding series that could rejuvenate hockey in America. If you peel back the onion on hockey superstars (Ovechkin and Crosby are the obvious guys), Jonathan Toews and Mike Richards need to be in this conversation—one of those two will be instrumental in winning Olympic Gold and will have captained a team to the Stanley Cup title in the same year—this deserves more recognition.

The team that wins this series will be able to solve the other team’s goalie—and the way to beat Leighton and Niemi has been to get second-chance opportunities through a dynamic forecheck and relentless play in front of the crease that frustrates the other team’s defense. Chicago is more suspect to a relentless forecheck, based on a young core of defensemen that have made a lot of turnovers. While Byfuglien has gotten a lot of press for his in front of the crease antics, the Flyers have more than one guy capable and willing of going in front of the crease. Similarly, it will be interesting to see if Byfuglien is as prolific playing against Pronger.

Thus, I can’t believe I’m about to say this…

Flyers in 5.

2010-05-16T13:51:00.004-05:00

Once again, a few comments on the round that was and on to the round that will be. First and foremost, we’ve learned one thing—a hockey playoff round, moreso than any other playoff round is all about winning four games. No matter how effectively you win 3, you have to win that fourth one. Hockey is about bounces and luck and just as easily as the bounces can go your way, they can just as quickly turn the other way. Montreal has now outlasted Washington and Pittsburgh after being down 3-1. Goaltending issues permeate from Washington and Pittsburgh. Philadelphia outlasted Boston after being down 3-0 for only the third time in NHL History. Out west, Chicago got it rolling over Vancouver and San Jose finally got an inch of top-line production, plus a mile of second-line production to make it to the Western Final for the second time in history.

Western Final:

(1) San Jose Sharks (8-4) [.95 5on5, 19.3% PP, 84.2% PK] vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks (8-4) [1.05 5on5, 21.6% PP, 88.7% PK]

San Jose remains the enigma of the playoffs. The verdict has come in on the big three Dany Heatley (2G, 8A, -3), Patrick Marleau (3G, 4A, -1) and Joe Thornton (3G, 8A, -6)—these guys are not playoff players. After averaging 1.05 ppg and a combined +52 in the regular season, the trio has checked in at .90 ppg and a combined -10 in the playoffs (let it be known that the last series against the Red Wings saw an increased production from the trio—so baby steps in the right direction, I guess). The tight checking in the playoffs has spelled doom for the finesse trio. San Jose has gotten their production from a set of gritty forwards Ryan Clowe (2G, 8A, +5) and Joe Pavelski (9G, 6A, +7). The blueliners led by Dan Boyle (2G, 7A, +1) have been steady in front of Evgeni Nabokov (8W, 2.43GAA, .907 Sv%). San Jose needs to maintain its steady production from their second line of forwards, blue liners, and Nabokov. If they are able to get all of those things and also add a dynamic first line, there isn’t much that Chicago can do to stop them.

Chicago remains the scary potential team of the playoffs. The forwards, led by Patrick Kane (7G, 8A, +1) and Jonathan Toews (6G, 14A, +4) are as good as any two forwards left in the playoffs. The team can score from the blueline as well, and also play steady defense, led by Duncan Keith (1G, 5A, -1) and Brent Seabrook (2G, 6A, +5). Antti Niemi (8W, 2.57GAA, .909 Sv%) has been both good and bad, but overall very good. As if this isn’t enough to get the Sharks shaking in the boots (read: choking), they also have to deal with a steady dose of second line scorers, including Patrick Sharp (5G, 9A, +2), Marian Hossa (2G, 8A, +5), and a surprising showing from Dustin Byfuglien (4G, 2A, -3). Chicago should be able to get goals and their defense is good enough to stop any rush that San Jose throws at them. However, Niemi has shown that he can be beat. If Niemi plays like a Conn-Smythe winner, this will be a quick series and the Sharks will have an even-tougher time beating down their “choking legacy.”

All in all, I expect more of the same—San Jose’s top line will contribute sparingly, but their second line will carry the play. On the other hand, Chicago is going to get scoring from both lines. Both defenses are good enough to stop an offensive surge. Nabokov has been a little bit more steady than Niemi, but Niemi has shown more of an upside. Thus, I expect Chicago will win the series in six games, Niemi will give one away, but he will also steal one. The headline coming out of this series will be how the Sharks lost and didn’t get production from Heatley, Thornton, and Marleau.

(7) Philadelphia Flyers (8-4) [1.29 5on5, 21.7% PP, 83.6% PK] vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens (8-6) [1.04 5on5, 21.6% PP, 85.5% PK]

In an incredibly rare situation, a seven-seed will have home ice in the playoffs (the only way a seven ever gets home ice is if they make the conference finals and also if an 8 makes it too). The Flyers got to the Finals in typically Flyers fashion, by looking like world-beaters one day (destroying New Jersey and winning four straight against Boston to come back from a 3-0 series deficit to win) and looked complacent on other games. To be fair, the Flyers are dealing with some injuries (but who isn’t in the playoffs). The Flyers are without sniper Jeff Carter (2G, 1A, -3) and sparkplug Ian Laperriere(0G, 1A, -1) and played several games without Simon Gagne (4G, 3A, +3), who has returned to the lineup and then some. Philadelphia’s forwards have been led by Daniel Briere (7G, 8A, +3) who seems to be finding the net like it’s 2005, Captain Mike Richards (5G, 12A, +2), and newcomer Claude Giroux (5G, 6A, +3). A key story for the Flyers has been the steady of their top four defensemen, Chris Pronger (4G, 7A, +3), Matt Carle (0G, 7A, +7), Kimmo Timonen (0G, 5A, +1), and Braydon Coburn (0G, 1A, +1), who have kept their goaltenders workload in check. In goal, the Flyers have gotten steady play from the injured Brian Boucher (6W, 2.33 GAA, .915 Sv%) and his back-up Michael Leighton (2W, 1.55 GAA, .943 Sv%) didn’t skip a beat after being called into game 5 (which was elimination game), game 6 (which was an elimination game), and game 7 (which was an elimination game). With Gagne back healthy, scoring depth at forward, shut-down defense, and the steady Leighton in net, there isn’t anything that can stop the Flyers, except the Flyers…which they’ve demonstrated that they just don’t show up at time.

The Canadiens story is the story of Jaroslav Halak (8W, 2.42 GAA, .933 Sv%). He’s been sensational and he’s looked at more rubber than the Michelin Man. The Canadiens not only beat the best team in the east, and arguably the second-best team in the east in 7 games, but they did much of it with injuries on defense and virtually only one guy scoring goals. Mike Cammalleri (12G, 6A, -1) has been the one offensive bright spot for the Habs. Meanwhile, Hal Gill (0G, 1A, +2) and Josh Gorges (0G, 1A, +1) have shown that a team can win any game if they don’t give up any good shots. Montreal’s team defensive system makes them tough to crack, especially if they get up early. However, a team that isn’t prone to complete defensive lapses (read: Pittsburgh and Washington), should not get down against the Habs if they can stop Camalleri. That said, if Halak continues his hot streak, a team may only need four goals to win this series.

When push comes to shove, Philadelphia has more scoring depth than the Penguins, and nearly as many goal scorers as Washington. However, Philadelphia’s defense is far superior to that of Washington and Pittsburgh. Michael Leighton has stabilized this team. I’ve said this once, but I’ll say it again. Montreal will be outplayed in this series. Halak may be able to steal one game, but Pronger and Carle will shut down Camalleri et al., which means Montreal isn’t going to get the goal-scoring that they need to get up early to trap-to-win. Philadelphia in 5.

Joke of the Day

2010-05-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

This seems so very, very obvious, so many of you that travel in hockey circles may have heard it already. But I hadn't heard it until last night (thanks, Eric) and I just had to share:

--

A guy walks into a bar. The bartender asks him, "What'll ya' have?"

Guy says, "Give me an Ovechkin."

Bartenders says, "You got me. What's an Ovechkin?"

Guy says, "Ovechkin: A white russian without the Cup."

You Will Want to Get Your Hands on This Documentary

2010-05-03T11:57:00.001-05:00

HBO is airing a documentary on the Broad Street Bullies; here's the trailer:

Fan affiliation (Rangers) aside, I am going to try to find a way to catch this. I don't know how. It airs tomorrow (Tuesday) night.

* Props to Broad Street Hockey for getting the word out.

Mr. April

2010-05-02T13:38:00.004-05:00

Mr. April: Trevor Gillies

Even though Gillies' team is not in the playoffs, the Islanders made the push to get there, grabbing on to the handlebars supplied by this man. Notice the thicker bottom portion of this stache. This tells us it was not due to laziness or a mistake, but rather dominance.

A quick comment on the first round and then on to more analysis on the second round…

2010-04-28T22:31:00.007-05:00

We got mostly chalk out west and a truckload of upsets in the east.

Going into the first round—we at Bettman’s Nightmare all felt the same thing. Both #1 seeds seemed somehow fallable. The San Jose Sharks’s struggles in the playoffs are well-known, they’ve been called soft and their stars never seem to show up in April. The Presidents Cup Washington Capitals seemed somehow beatable as well, especially with lackluster goaltending and defense. Colorado is a young and exciting team capable of beating the Sharks and extending their choke series. The Canadiens don’t have much and are unsettled at goaltending—so the Caps should have been able to escape—or so we thought.

To Washington Capitals fans….HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA…I’m sorry, that was wrong, we are more professional than that here at Bettman’s Nightmare. Let me try that again—HA HA HA HA..Sorry, it’s just too funny. Remember after game 3, Norris Trophy Candidate Mike Green said “ When everyone plays like that -- they don't have much out there. Really, they don't." How does this guy get nominated for a Norris and Chara, Lidstrom, and Pronger do not? This is the most fundamental rule in sports—don’t discount your enemy. San Jose, meanwhile, despite the efforts of Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley, and Patrick Marleau actually found a way to win. At this point, these three should be trading salaries with Many Malhotra, Joe Pavelski, and Ryan Clowe. You’re soft Thornton—Boston knew it way back in the day, but I doubted them. They were right. MAN UP!

We are going to mix some things up here on Bettman’s Nightmare—we are going to start our round two forecasts in the west—east coast bias be damned!

#1 San Jose Sharks (19.2 PP%, 86.7 PK%, 1.33 5:5) vs. #5 Detroit Red Wings (23.5 PP%, 81.8PK%, 1.36 5:5)

San Jose in the playoffs? Detroit in the playoffs? I’ll take Detroit. That was easy. Let’s move on. But wait, Detroit is playing rookie Jimmy Howard (4 W, 2.59GAA, and .919 Sv %) between the pipes. San Jose has found good goal scoring behind their top line of Joe Thornton (0G, 3A, .5 Pts/Game), Dany Heatley (0G, 4A, .Pts/Game), and Patrick Marleau (1G, 2A, .5Pts/Game) (read: duds—1 Goal between these three!), their defense has improved, and Evgeni Nabokov (4 W, 1.76GAA, and .926 Sv %) has been playing well. Dan Boyle (2G, 4A, 1Pts/Game) has been leading the way for a much-improved San Jose defense. Still—how can you bet against Detroit? Well, Detroit’s top line played well, Pavel Datsyuk (5G, 3A, 1.1 Pts/Game) and Henrik Zetterberg (6G, 5A, 1.6 Pts/Game), but they did not get the stereotypical Detroit scoring from third-liners like Kris Draper (0G, 0A, 0Pts/Game), Dan Cleary (0G, 0A, 0Pts/Game) and Darren Helm (1G, 0A, .2GPts/Game). Nicklas Lidstrom (3G, 3A, .8Pts/Game) has been adding much-

needed offense from the blueline. Each Spring, somebody comes out of the word work in Hockey

Town—this year that didn’t seem to happen. Even Tomas Holmstrom (2G, 2A, .6Pts/Game) struggled to crack Ilya Bryzgalov.

There are three questions to answer: will Detroit find its second-tier goal-scoring, will San Jose find its first-tier goal-scoring, and which rookie Detroit netminder will show up? When push comes to shove, Detroit will find its second-tier goal scoring—San Jose isn’t as good defensively as Phoenix. Thornton will continue to choke—because Detroit is better defensively than Colorado. Howard will give away one game, but keep Detroit in the other five. Red Wings in Six!

#2 Chicago Blackhawks (17.4 PP%, 96.3 PK%, 1.10 5:5) vs. #3 Vancouver Canucks (25.0 PP%, 61.5 PK%, 2.43 5:5)

This matchup really excites me. Chicago is young and fast and very solidly defensively. Vancouver has got a pair of twins that I’ve heard are pretty good and a goaltender that likes to make highlight-reel saves. Chicago will go into this series as the likely favorites, after surviving a tooth-and-nail battle with the plucky Nashville Predators. Vancouver beat a very underrated and up-and-coming Los Angeles Kings team that took the Canucks to the brink and very nearly forced a pivotal game seven. For the Blackhawks, the big name forwards are all over a point a game Jonathan Toews (2G, 6A, 1.2 Pts/Game), Marian Hossa (1G, 6A, 1.1 Pts/Game), Patrick Sharp (3G, 4A, 1.1 Pts/Game), and Patrick Kane (4G, 3A, 1.1 Pts/Game). They are backed-up by a steady group of blueliners led by Brent Seabrook (0G, 4A, .7Pts/Game) and Duncan Keith (1G, 1A, .3Pts/Game). All of this offense is strongly supported by the stable

goalkeeping of Antti Niemi (4W, 2.15GAA, .921 Sv%). The Canucks, on the other hand are riding the hot hand of shoot-first Mikael Samuelsson (7G, 4A, 1.8 Pts/Game), who has been paired perfectly with the red-hot Sedin twins. Daniel Sedin leads the way (4G, 6A, 1.7 Pts/Game), while pass-first Henrik Sedin (1G, 7A, 1.2 Pts/Game) is in hog heaven, passing to Samuelsson and his twin brother. Ryan Kesler (1G, 5A, 1 Pts/Game) has been providing sufficientsecond-line scoring to support the top line. In the back, the Canucks have a team of steady blueliners led by Sami Salo (1G, 2A, .5Pts/Game) and Christian Ehrhoff (1G, 2A, .5Pts/Game). In net, Roberto Luongo (4W, 2.92GAA, .893 Sv%) has looked at times like the best goaltender in the league and somewhat average at other times.

There are several questions to answer: can the Canucks blueline give Luongo enough support to make him the bestgoaltender in the league again? Can Antti Niemi continue to find the hot hand? Can Ryan Kesler spearhead a second-line scoring arsenal that compares with the Sharp line in Chicago? Can Vancouver shore upthe penalty kill? Not likely, against Chicago’s attack! In short, Chicago has too much forward pressure and Luongo will steal a few games, but when push comes to shove—Chicago is going to score a lot of goals and win in six. Also, don’t expect Vancouver to dominate Chicago 5:5 as they did against Los Angeles.

#4 Pittsburgh Penguins (25.0 PP%, 68.2 PK%, 1.33 5:5) vs. #8 Montreal Canadiens (20.0 PP%, 97.0 PK%,.76 5:5)

For Pittsburgh, the question coming out of the regular season was—could Crosby maintain his hot season, could Malkin find his game, and more importantly could Fleury find his game? Well, Sidney Crosby (5G, 9A, 2.3Pts/Game) maintained his hot hand, Evgeni Malkin found his game (4G, 4A, 1.3Pts/Game), and Marc-Andre Fleury (4W, 2.75GAA, .890 Sv%) has not. Pittsburgh’s playoff formula is very

consistent—ride your superstars and rent an old winger to pitch in some goals and leadership. Bill

Guerin (2G, 4A, 1Pts/Game) has played the role of the old goal scorer quite well. On the back end, Sergei Gonchar (0G, 6A, 1Pts/Game) continues to forget that he’s supposed to play defense. Jordan Staal (1G, 2A, .5Pts/Game) has stepped up his game and given the Pens a much-needed checking-line center. The story for the Canadiens going into the playoffs was—where would they find enough goaltending to go punch-for-punch with the Capitals? Well, as it turns out, the Capitals took a different approach—they took every punch the Caps had to offer and merely asked Jaroslav Halak (4W, 2.46GAA, .939 Sv%) to shrug them away. Halak found his game and I think he found Patrick Roy’s game too. Montreal’s defense quite simply shut down the Capitals, led by Hal Gill (0G, 1A, .2Pts/Game), Josh Gorges (0G, 1A, .2Pts/Game), and Jaroslav Spacek (0G, 2A, .3Pts/Game). All of these stay-at-home defensemen took the best of what the Capitals had to offer and left them without a good shot. Michael Cammalleri paced the way on offense (5G, 5A,1.4Pts/Game), while Tomas Plekanec added scoring as well (4G, 3A, 1Pts/Game).

The questions are: Can the Canadiens defense shut down the Penguins attack like they did the Capitals? Can Jaroslav Halak forget that he’s Jaroslav Halak and not Patrick Roy? Can Marc-Andre Fleury find his game? Where will the Canadiens extra goal scoring come from? Will the Pens be able to crack the Canadiens Penalty Kill? Will the Pens be able to figure out their own penalty kill? I like the Penguins to get more offense than the Capitals—the Capitals have become quite predictable. Jaroslav Halak will continue to play well—but not as well. Marc-Andre Fleury will play better, but still not great and the Canadiens will struggle to score. The Penguins will escape in 7 games. Until Fleury finds his game, the Canadiens will score well on the Powerplay.

#6 Boston Bruins (27.3 PP%, 100 PK%, .57 5:5) vs. #7 Philadelphia Flyers (27.6 PP%, 87.5 PK%,2.00 5:5)

Boston was able to find enough goal-scoring and incredible goaltending to skate by the Buffalo Sabres, who continue to struggle to find goal-scorers. Tuukka Rask (4W, 2.18GAA, .927 Sv%) played admirably to carry the Bruins to a six-game series win. The Bruins spread their offense around amongst forwards Mark Recchi (3G, 2A .8Pts/Game), Miroslav Satan (2G, 3A, .8Pts/Game), Patrice Bergeron (2G, 3A, .8Pts/Game), David Krejci (3G, 2A, .8Pts/Game), Defensemen Dennis Wideman (1G, 3A, .7Pts/Game), and Zdeno Chara (2G, 1A, .5Pts/Game). For the Flyers, the team was paced by the stalwart play of Brian Boucher (4W, 1.59GAA, .940 Sv%). The playoff Boucher far outplayed the regular-season Boucher. The Flyers got goalscoring from Captain Mike Richards (2G, 6A, 1.6Pts/Game) and youngster Claude Giroux (4G, 2A, 1.2Pts/Game). The Flyers blueline was anchored admirably by Kimmo Timonen (0G, 3A, .6Pts/Game) and Chris Pronger (2G, 3A, 1Pts/Game). Unfortunately, the Flyers will be dealing with a heavy dose of enfermary visitors, including snipers Jeff Carter and Simon Gagne and penalty killer Ian Laperriere.

The questions are: will Boston be able to find goal scoring to go punch-for-punch with Philadelphia? Will Rask maintainhis hot hand? Which Boucher will show up? How will Philadelphia deal with the loss of stars like Carter and Gagne? Both teams have outstanding special teams, but how will the Bruins offset the Flyers significant 5:5 advantage? Boston will struggle to get shots against the shut-down blueliners tha

t Philadelphia puts on the ice. Rask will face a lot more rubber against the Flyers forecheck than Buffalo was able to create. Boucher should continue to show up, and Giroux, van Riemsdyk, Richards, Carcillo, and the rest of the forwards should be able to pick up the offensive slack for the Flyers. Philadelphia wins in five games. Boston’s 5:5 disadvantage is too significant to overcome.

Q: What do West Virginian's and Philadelphian's have in common?

2010-04-25T15:30:00.004-05:00

A: Not much.

However, they are linked in my stream of consciousness this afternoon as I watch the Phoenix Coyotes continue do what they've done all year - that is, win games no matter what overwhelming conditions are stacked against them.

But, to the point now. Being a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, one of my favorite jokes is:

Where was the toothbrush invented?
West Virginia, of course. Had it been invented anywhere else, they'd have called it a teethbrush!

This joke popped into my head as I was taking in the latest Geico commercial with Mike Green and one of the cavemen (you know, where the former is popping a puck into an empty net, and the latter is talking to the camera from the stands). It occurred to me that only a native of the City of Brotherly (Sh)ove could have come up with the idea for this commercial.

Why?
Because no hockey fan base other than Philadelphia's could so readily link together the idea of neanderthals and hockey.

--

PS - Being an economist, another of my favorite jokes is:

How many Marxist economists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
None. The lightbulb has within it the seeds of its own revolution.

How Do the BN Experts Look Right Now?

2010-04-20T06:34:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm anxious to post something because I'm mid-good post and it isn't ready yet, but I have time to throw something up and there's so damn much to say how the playoffs have gone so far. I'm feeling like a freakin' champ at the moment because the Kings are up 2-1 in the series, but you don't bet against The Sisters. We've had some controversial hits to sort out, and a couple hundred OT games. Just a few thoughts before we get to the brackets...

Andy Sutton's Check Was Legal

Jordan Leopold gets absolutely crushed on this play. Why is it that when a guy like Lindros plays with his head down and gets hurt, nobody seems to care too much, but when someone like Leopold does, people get up in arms? It reminds me of the second Booth concussion this year by Jaroslav Spacek, where you're thinking At what point in time did these guys stop thinking they would get hit when they have the puck? This is still a big man's league, and if you're little this means your head needs to be on a swivel. It also means that if you're little your head is going to be at the level of the hardest parts of any hitter, their tucked elbow and their butt (insert "hard-ass" joke here; insert "Matteau just used 'insert' and 'ass' in the same phrase" joke here). I look at a guy like Marty St. Louis and here's a small guy that is not getting hit like that. He plays a lot (only missed two games the last 8 years), I can't find a vid of him getting pwned without the check being away from the play, and even so we're not seeing the guy getting crushed. Now, say what you will about the Southeast, but it's rarely been short of big hitters. Ultimately, St. Louis is little, knows he's little, and plays like he knows he's little. Of course, next year Jon Erskine (or some slow, ogre-ish equivalent) will check him to oblivion, but he's my example of heads-up hockey right now, damnit!

Dan Boyle Needs to Settle Down

I think that if there's one element of the play that Dan Boyle will still be thinking about later in his life, it will be trying to understand why he had such a sense of urgency on a relatively inconsequential play along the boards. I leave the rest to (eternally) disgruntled Sharks fans. Hell of a shot, though.

I Love Me Some OT
I don't want to overload this post with vids, so I'll just link them up to YouTube. But it's always fun to watch the big goals.

San Jose 6 - Colorardo 5...Devin Setoguchi
Colorado 1 - San Jose 0...Dan Boyle
Vancouver 3 - Los Angeles 2...Mikael Samuelsson
Los Angeles 3 - Vancouver 2...Anze Kopitar
Montreal 3 - Washington 2...Tomas Plekanec
Washington 6 - Montreal 5...Nicklas Backstrom
Philadelphia 3 - New Jersey 2...Daniel Carcillo

So how are those BN experts looking now?

Colorado 2 games to San Jose's 1
- Expert: Cosby
- Receiver of Andy Sutton's Hate (RASH): Me, Weagz, Forsberg, Rankin

Chicago and Nashville knotted at 1 game apiece
- We are all experts

Los Angeles 2 games to Vancouver's 1
- Expert: Me, Forsberg
- RASH: Cosby, Weagz, Rankin

Phoenix 2 games to Detroit's 1
- Expert: ...
- RASH: All of us

Washington 2 games to Montreal's 1
- Expert: All of us
- RASH: ...

Philadelphia 2 games to New Jersey's 1
- Expert: Weagz, Rankin
- RASH: Me, Cosby, Forsberg

Boston 2 games to Buffalo's 1
- Expert: Rankin
- RASH: Me, Cosby, Weagz, Forsberg

Pittsburgh 2 games to Ottawa's 1
- Expert: Me, Cosby, Weagz, Forsberg
- RASH: Rankin

The BN Expert Rankings:
Weagz - 3-4
Me - 3-4
Rankin - 3-4
Forsberg - 3-4
Cosby - 3-4

...refreshingly consistent.

Thought of the Day

2010-04-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

What does green do for you?