After Max Pacioretty scored the second goal in the Montreal Canadiens' 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers, viewers watching the NBC Sports Network feed witnessed the most controversial several-fractions-of-a-second in the NHL on Sunday night.
From SNY Rangers Blog: "WATCH: PK Subban SPITS At Michael Del Zotto." (The 25-second mark.)
So terrible, so deplorable was this act that … the Rangers had no idea it happened, and specifically Michael Del Zotto had no idea it happened, according to Pat Leonard of the NY Daily News.
"Just asked PK Subban about video. Unaware of incident time or location. Surprised to be asked about it. Not just unintentional, but unaware."
So, in summary: Derek Dorsett accused Alex Ovechkin of spitting in his face recently, and Ovechkin denied it. People on Twitter, via Deadspin, accused Sean Avery of spitting on his AHL coach, and everyone involved denied it (including Avery, as "gentlemen don't spit"). And now, NBC viewers/Rangers fans have accused PK Subban of spitting at (or around) Michael Del Zotto, and no one is denying it, exactly, because no one seems to be aware it happened without the benefit of YouTube.
Sounds like the NHL might need to add a new event to the skills competition …
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Since Dec. 13, 2011, the Minnesota Wild have two victories, nine losses and four overtime losses.
They were leading the Western Conference with 44 points on Dec. 14. Now, they're eighth in the West with 51 points; a Colorado Avalanche victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Monday, and the Wild are on the outside of the playoff bubble.
That's bad. This is worse: The Star Tribune reported on Sunday that captain Mikko Koivu, the team's captain and catalyst, will be sidelined for at least a month with a left shoulder injury suffered on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues.
The injury will cause Koivu to miss this month's All-Star Game, but he is expected to travel with the Wild during its upcoming father-son trip to Philadelphia and Toronto because his father, Jukka, is scheduled to meet the team in Philadelphia.
With the Wild down to no extra forwards and already without injured second-line wingers Guillaume Latendresse and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, it will have to make a roster move Monday. However, nobody was recalled as of Sunday night, and there was a sense Fletcher was burning up the phone lines in an attempt to make a trade.
Russo mentioned on "Marek vs. Wyshynski" last week — before the injury — that losing Koivu would be devastating to a Wild team that's in a tailspin. They're 22-19 with Koivu in the lineup this season; 0-0-4 without him. Last season, the Wild were 35-36 with Koivu and 4-0-7 without him.
"The Wild's most disappointing efforts during their 2-9-4 stretch have come when they got away from their scrappy approach. Now, they might be beholden to it, especially if Koivu is out."
Losing your best player can be a rallying point. Problem is, the Wild are arguably missing three of their top six forwards right now. That's tough to overcome.
On a much more superfluous note, the Koivu injury will necessitate a roster replacement for the 2012 NHL All-Star Game.
He's the only Wild player that made the cut; assuming they would choose a Minnesota player to replace a Minnesota player … well, second in points and first in goals would be Dany Heatley.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.No. 1 Star: Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
For all the reasons we listed earlier, Malkin's 5-point game — including a natural hat trick — in the Penguins' 6-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning was the performance of the day.
No. 2 Star: Jason Blake, Anaheim Ducks
The Ducks continue their post-"GM says everyone must go!" run with a 4-2 win at the Vancouver Canucks, powered by Blake's 2 goals and 1 assist. After Bobby Ryan scored in the second period to give the Ducks a 2-1 lead, Blake sniped one past Roberto Luongo on a 2-on-1 and then followed that with a third-period dagger on the power play, the third goal of his injury-plagued season.
No. 3 Star: Tomas Vokoun, Washington Capitals
The veteran netminder continues to find his groove under Coach Dale Hunter, stopping 43 shots in the Caps' 2-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. He made 18 saves in the final period to make Dmitry Orlov's first NHL goal stand as the game-winner.
Honorable mention: Max Pacioretty had two goals and an assist as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the New York Rangers, 4-1. He scored 2:39 into the game and then answered John Mitchell's goal with his own 3:54 into the second period. He later had the primary helper on David Desharnais's clincher in the second. Peter Budaj made 28 saves. … Jonathan Toews and Viktor Stalberg had a goal and an assist and Andrew Shaw had the eventual game-winner in the third period as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-3. Joe Pavelski scored his 17th and Tommy Wingels scored his first NHL goal in the loss. Also, Antti Niemi was strong despite giving up four goals, making 36 saves including this awesome one on Patrick Kane. … Shawn Horcoff's terrific pass on an overtime power play set up Taylor Hall's game-winner, as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1. Josh Green and Justin Williams had the other goals; Devin Dubnyk made 20 saves in the win. … James Neal had two goals for the Penguins, while Matt Gilroy scored his first as a Bolt. ... This Alex Ovechkin hit nearly makes up for his rapping:
Did you know? "Vancouver forward Jannick Hansen got Gene Simmons to autograph a stick during the pregame warmup. He then exchanged fist bumps with the KISS rocker." (AP)
Fight of the Night: Not the best fight, but any time the creaky bones of Sean O'Donnell are throwing punches, worth a look. His first fight as a Blackhawk came against Brad Winchester:
Dishonorable mention: Not sure if the dishonorable mention is for PK Subban or the fans making a federal case over an alleged spitting incident against Michael Del Zotto. … Wojtek Wolski was a minus-3 for the Rangers. … Neither Dustin Penner nor Ryan Smyth registered a point against their old clubs (neither did Colin Fraser, for that matter). … Did Rene Bourque deliver a head-shot on Carl Hagelin or was this the result of his stumbling?
James Neal and Pavel Kubina earned misconducts in the Penguins/Bolts game, as did Vincent Lecavalier. … Finally, here are the NBC guys talking about Evgeni Malkin's incident with Vincent Lecavalier. Our favorite part is when "good clean hockey player" Lecavalier sucker punches Malkin in the face while the linesmen are trying to separate them:
When Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane get behind the defense, good things are usually going to happen for the Chicago Blackhawks. On Sunday night against the San Jose Sharks, Toews found a lane to feed Kane for a one-timer … but an old friend was there to deny him.
Antti Niemi, who won a Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, made that 'save of the season' candidate in the first period against Chicago, which eventually defeated San Jose, 4-3. It was a save that left Patrick Kane grinning with his mouthpiece dangling from his lip; after the game, Kane was just as flabbergasted.
"I thought I had the whole open net," Kane said. "And usually a one-time in the middle of the net goes in, but he made a great save on it. I thought I was going to get off the bench and go to the locker room and take off my equipment to be honest with you."
… "I don't know if I wanted to smile or cry afterwards," Kane said. "Great goaltender. We witnessed that here a couple years ago. He had some great games in this building."
Kane had an assist in the game, but has just one goal since Dec. 20. He has Niemi's glove to thank for that drought continuing.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.
Things have been markedly different since Darryl Sutter took over.
A lot of people thought replacing the stern voice of Terry Murray behind the bench with the sterner (and mumblier) voice of Darryl Sutter was a foolish decision by Dean Lombardi, but instead it has transformed the Los Angeles Kings into a truly terrifying, borderline-great power in the Western Conference.
Now, 13 games, seven wins and 19 points later, the Kings are closing in on San Jose's lead in the Pacific, though admittedly the Sharks have five(!) games in hand.
They were just 15-14-4 when Sutter took over, sitting tied for 10th in the West with Calgary (imagine the indignity). But after a little less than a month they just have one regulation loss, are putting together strong defensive efforts and making a very legitimate case that come playoff time, this will be a team to be reckoned with, particularly if they can make up enough ground to get up to the four or five spot.
(Coming Up: Contract drama for Carey Price; BREAKING … Teemu Selanne is really good; travel excuses; the Sharks take their shot; Radim Vrbata is underrated; the Flyers media reaps what it sowed; the awesome nicknames of Ryan O'Reilly; the Devils' money troubles; the Sabres keep finding ways to lose; Flames lose with Cammalleri, but are winners; in praise of Mike Rupp; Tampa is terrible; Malkin is quite good; and a hilarious solution to the Blue Jackets' problems.)
Understandably, there are probably a lot of people who will say that this run of success is just regression. That a team as good as the Kings are on paper couldn't have continued blundering along, playing sub-.500 hockey, for an entire season or even a stretch of more than 25 games or so. It would be pretty easy to say that shots are going in for them now, and staying out for their opponents. They sure don't give up three or more goals a night like they used to.
And if it were under the same coach, that would probably be true. But Darryl Sutter is known for jamming up opposing offenses more than he is for promoting scoring from his own charges. To that end, it's no surprise that Sutter's Kings have allowed three goals or more exactly twice in these 13 games, and only lost one of them. In fact, they've allowed 22 goals since the takeover, with four coming in a shootout loss to Dallas, so they still got a point out of that one too.
It's no coincidence, however, that much of the most recent success has come because guys like Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, Jason Williams and Mike Richards have actually started producing points again. For whatever reason, they hadn't been doing much of that under Murray but in the last week or so have been driving possession and more importantly scoring goals, which was the most common complaint when the Kings weren't winning.
Drew Doughty's return to form hasn't hurt either, with four points in his last six games (not a ton, but certainly an improvement), big time minutes being gobbled up and the type of strong defensive performance we've come to expect from a Norris candidate. And of course, Jonathan Quick, thanks to playing in a beneficial system, has continued to shine well enough to be in the Vezina conversation alongside Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist, which is no small feat.
Not that the Kings don't have their problems though. Sunday night was the 15th time this season the Kings have gone to overtime, and they've also played in eight shootouts, which leaves far too much to chance through the gimmick skills competition, and therefore given away points of some kind or another more often than they've needed to. More problematically, many of these instances have also been against teams with whom the Kings will likely be competing for a playoff spot (Dallas, San Jose, Colorado, and the like.
It will obviously take more than the phenomenal run the team has been on since Sutter took over for the Kings to become one of the top teams in the West, and they've begun to get the look of a team that can do some serious damage.
What We Learned
Anaheim Ducks: Oh like there was even the slightest chance that a story about how great Teemu Selanne is wouldn't lead WWL this week. Please. Oh and I guess the Ducks are 4-0-1 in their last five and scoring by the boatload or whatever too. But Teemu, you guys.
Boston Bruins: For some inexplicable reason, the Bruins absolutely cannot beat the Hurricanes. Three times this season they have tried, and three times this season they have failed. Carolina has scored 11 goals against Boston in those games, 13.6 percent of their total goals allowed this season. In three games.
Buffalo Sabres: Give the Sabres credit -- they keep finding new and inventive ways to lose at hockey. The most recent comes by giving up two goals to the Islanders in the final 183 seconds to lose 4-2, and having Thomas Vanek hit the post on a penalty shot (on a bogus call) when it was still 3-2.
Calgary Flames: Well the Flames lost their first game since the big trade, 4-1 to LA, but at least that one goal came from Mike Cammalleri, who was playing on the Iginla line by the end of the night. Big win for Feaster. You can really tell the team is going for it now.
Carolina Hurricanes: Jeff Skinner played his first game since Dec. 7 yesterday and everyone was very happy to see it. That includes the Capitals, because Skinner was, perhaps understandably, not especially effective in his first game back (0 for 3 at the dot, just one SOG, minus-1).
Colorado Avalanche: Ryan O'Reilly has been the Avs' best player this season and with 32 points and a whopper defensive résumé, that's pretty much a given. But more importantly, he also has actual creative nicknames: "Radar" and "Factor." Because I guess O'Reilly-y and O'Reilly-sie don't work.
Columbus Blue Jackets: Rick Nash scored against San Jose on Saturday and that was the first time he had scored in back-to-back games all season. Hell, he's only had seven multiple-point games.
Dallas Stars: The reason the Stars lost to Colorado is because of the scheduling. They've had three whole games since Tuesday! And the travel between Anaheim and Los Angeles is just brutal. Grueling stuff. Surprised they didn't lose by 40.
Detroit Red Wings Presented by Amway: The Red Wings are now tied for the longest home winning streak in franchise history, which gives reporters the terribly easy job of asking stuff like, "Are you worried about breaking that record?" and then writing tap-in columns when Mike Babcock says no. And guess what: That potentially record-breaking home game is tonight against Buffalo. Talk about tap-ins.
Edmonton Oilers: The Oilers are terrible again and everyone is lamenting that their several-year rebuild hasn't worked. Well guess what idiots, there's three reasons for that: 1) They don't draft game-changing defensemen with their high picks and therefore have no ability to prevent goals, only score them, 2) injuries and 3) Steve Tambellini is terrible at his job.
Florida Panthers: Jose Theodore will probably be back tonight after missing the last few games with a knee injury. Of course, that game is against Boston, which put four past him in 20 minutes last time these teams met.
Los Angeles Kings: Pretty decent second effort on this goal from Anze Kopitar.
Spinning and falling down at the same time, he still puts it in the back of the net. What a player.
Minnesota Wild: Mikko Koivu had his arm in a sling following Saturday's game and could be out a while (and is, in fact, out for at least a month). Which means that the Wild now officially have a 0.0 percent chance of making the playoffs. But that also allows Wild fans to continue acting like injuries and not the team being poorly constructed are the reason it failed.
Montreal Canadiens: So apparently Carey Price was offered the Pekka Rinne contract to stay in Montreal but turned it down (link is in French, which should make the fanbase happy). And it's because he wanted 10 years at $7 million per, not seven. Hey, that Ilya Bryzgalov is working out great in Philly, right? Oh that was only for nine? Haha okay.
Nashville Predators: Boy the Predators got hot very, very quietly, huh? They've won seven of their last eight and allowed just 16 goals in that stretch. More impressively, they've scored 16 goals in their last four. Of course, all but two of those games were at home.
New Jersey Devils: No the Devils aren't on the brink of going bankrupt or anything like that but they're definitely in a financial quagmire. And their biggest financial backer, co-owner Ray Chambers, wants to pull out and will likely do so within the next six or eight months. "[A] new business model will have to be discovered." Trade Kovalchuk.
New York Islanders: Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves on 25 shots Saturday night to pick up his 300th career victory. Only 101 short of Chris Osgood now.
New York Rangers: Oh man, the passing on this goal from Mike Rupp. Just phenomenal.
Ottawa Senators: Hey look people are starting to write stories about how the Senators aren't that good and they're just lucky most of the East is so damn bad this year. They've won 10 of their last 13 — which is good, obviously — but if several of the teams widely considered mortal locks to make the playoffs (Pittsburgh and Washington, in particular) weren't struggling so mightily, things would be a lot different for their playoff hopes. Oh and also they've played more games than all but two teams in the entire league, which helps as well.
Philadelphia Flyers: Goals off a deflection and a bad bounce were the difference in the Flyers' loss to Nashville, but that would never prevent the Philly media from meeting Ilya Bryzgalov in the postgame scrum like Roman senators waiting for Julius Caesar on March 15. Who was it again that was banging the "This team needs a real goaltender" drum?
St. Louis Blues: Saturday was St. Louis' first shootout win of the season, which seems a little surprising. They were 0 for 5 prior to that one, which was iced by Kevin Shattenkirk's winner. In addition, they'd scored just on just one of 17 shootout attempts entering the game.
Tampa Bay Lightning: It's been a really bad year for the Bolts, who as of today are tied for dead last in the East (and the Islanders have two games in hand). They're now winless in their last seven, with a shootout loss to Vancouver standing as their only point in that stretch.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Clarke MacArthur wasn't happy with the way the Rangers beat the Maple Leafs 3-0 on Saturday. "You can see why they win a lot of games -- they just try to bore you out of the rink almost." Oh that's so sad. If only they played a more exciting game you could have lost 3-1.
Vancouver Canucks: David Booth came back last night, which is good for the Canucks, who need to get Ryan Kesler going again, and bad for everyone else in the league.
Washington Capitals: It took far longer than it had any right to, but Tomas Vokoun is now officially the No. 1 guy in Washington. If he gets hot, the Caps can go a long, long way.
Winnipeg Jets: The Jets lost again, this time to New Jersey, keeping them with just one win in six during the month of January and a goal differential of minus-12. But hey, at least they're "brave."
Gold Star Award
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Evgeni Malkin had a third-period natural hat trick to turn a 3-3 game into a 6-3 win in a hurry. Guess that's pretty good, especially since he assisted on two of the first three as well. Monstrous performance.
Ryan Lambert publishes hockey awesomeness rather infrequently over at The Two-Line Pass. Check it out, why don't you? Or you can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter if you so desire.
Before you watch this unconscionable act of unsportsmanlike conduct after North Dakota's 6-2 home loss to Minnesota, let's just all agree on the obvious: Ben Blood is, without question, one of the greatest hockey names currently in circulation, both because of the sport he plays and as a benefit for headline writers (see above).
That established: Blood, a 2007 Ottawa Senators fourth rounder, was a bit of an [expletive] after the game, going after Florida Panthers' pick Kyle Rau (2011, No. 91 overall) in the handshake line and then fighting with Seth Ambroz (2011, Columbus Blue Jackets, No. 128).
This Saturday night game marked the final meeting between the teams at Ralph Engelstad Arena ice as conference rivals, and it was an emotionally charged series. (The teams split). From Goon's World, a Fighting Sioux blog:
As for Ben Blood going nuts this weekend, I would be willing to bet that he probably regrets that move today as he looks back on that incident. Not the smartest move on Blood's part and it didn't portray him in a very positive light. We are all human beings and we all make mistakes. The near brawl at the end of the game also put a damper on an otherwise great series.
… I don't think we are going to see Ben Blood do that again, and I am sure most of us would not like to see that again.
If nothing else, this incident reestablishes something we've always said: The handshake line, despite being put over as the grandest of grand traditions in hockey, is begging for trouble.
The majority of the NHL All-Star Game roster selection coverage said that the process was not to be take seriously and that "snubs" weren't anything to get irate over. The veteran players who opted out of the 2012 festivities in Ottawa — like Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings and Teemu Selanne of the Anaheim Ducks — were seen as having made understandable decisions in light of their age and service to the NHL.
What a difference three years makes. Back in 2009, Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk were given a one-game "suspension" for skipped out on the All-Star Game in Montreal, thanks to a new League mandate that excused injury only if a player missed the game immediately preceding the All-Star break. It sparked a controversy over both the players' role in promoting the game and the All-Star Game's function as a midseason exhibition.
Call me jaded, but the league might just have given Lidstrom and Selanne a thing or two along the way, too. They have become ambassadors for the game because of what they have done and for what the league has done for them, as well.
It seems to me like the fans have paid their dues, too. In the form of expensive tickets to see the best of the best, even if it is an exhibition game. If the best don't want to come, why bother having a game?
Does he have a point? Or are Lidstrom and Selanne as far beyond reproach as they are beyond an average NHL All-Star?
A few thoughts on this:
• It's naïve to assume that it's the players driving some of these decisions. Brian Campbell told me that in 2009: "It's not just players; it's teams that are telling them they don't want to go and play either. It's both. So do you penalize the teams or the players?"
• Warren is correct that at the time of the NHL "rule change" in 2009, the All-Star Game was being plagued by star players who didn't want to take part. The previous season in Atlanta, Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo, Henrik Zetterberg and Sergei Zubov did not play despite being selected; three other players missed the game due to injury. So the ruling against Lidstrom and Datsyuk, at the time, seemed mandatory.
• Here's also correct that the All-Star Game is an orgy of marketing, glad-handing of sponsors and face time with the media. Which is why player participation, as superfluous as it is, becomes important for the NHL. If players want family time, Warren suggests bringing their families to the All-Star Game.
• That said, an important distinction: Datsyuk and Lidstrom had been named to the All-Star Team in 2009 before bowing out. Selanne and Lidstrom asked not to be considered. Can it be considered "shirking your responsibilities" if you were never formally named to the game?
• But the larger question: Are Lidstrom and Selanne exempt from this sort of criticism?
They might both in their NHL victory lap. They have 21 All-Star Game appearances between them. This isn't Steven Stamkos telling the NHL to buzz off; these are two guys that have helped market the game for the last 20 years.
Does that excuse them?
Back in 2009, I thought the NHL was right to punish Datsyuk and Lidstrom (although very wrong in not allowing the Red Wings to replace them for a game through a roster exemption). The NHLPA and Paul Kelly were making noise about how important marketing stars was to the League's success; it was tough to square that with two players opting not to play and not to show up for the carnival when an injured Sidney Crosby did.
In 2012 … I don't know, I think the Game has changed. The fantasy draft aspect has stripped away the last semblances of this being some type of honor or a product of the fans' will. Is it important that star players participate in the NHL All-Star Game? Absolutely, and especially under this star-[expletiving] format.
Is it essential that Teemu Selanne and Nicklas Lidstrom participate in 2012? I'd say "no"; if nothing else, if allows younger talent (Corey Perry, perhaps Dan Girardi) to have their spotlight.
Had Lidstrom and Selanne been voted in by the fans, this is a different conversation. Ditto if Lidstrom hadn't gone beyond the call and captained an All-Star team last season.
Give credit to Warren for voicing what is an extreme minority opinion on this matter, but it's misguided.
Dobber checks in every Monday to force-feed you the latest fantasy hockey trends. The founder of DobberHockey.com and a columnist for The Hockey News website, he long ago immersed himself into this rollercoaster world and is unable to escape.
Roster alert — from Monday through Sunday, Boston plays five times. And just like Boston is the only team to line up five times over the next week, the Canucks are the only team to line up just twice. There. That tough 'Benoit Pouliot or Jannik Hansen?' question was just answered for you.
Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed Matt Moulson and John Tavares going nutty. I mean Matt Moulson, who was all but left for dead in the AHL, is suddenly looking like he'll push for 40 goals and 70 points at the NHL level. How many other gems are rotting in the AHL right now? I gotta wonder.
Anyway, I was curious to see how this line ranks league-wide. Using Frozen Pool, I selected a tool that gives me the top line production and set it for the last three weeks. Here are the results:
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Studs...
These fellas are wielding a hot stick. Take that into consideration when you go after them in trade talks...
John Tavares, New York Islanders (8-4-11-15, plus-7, 0 PIM, 32 SOG) — Your time to trade for him would have been around the 22-game mark, in which he had just 16 points. After seasons of 54 and 67 points, to hit the quarter pole on pace for about 60 wasn't exactly impressing. But Tavares has now emerged as a point-per-game player and next year he'll take that one step further.
Milan Lucic, Boston Bruins (7-4-5-9, plus-3, 14 PIM, 9 SOG) — Lucic has run hot/cold throughout his short career and this year has been no exception. He was held off the scoresheet in 19 of 40 games so far, yet still has 34 points which is on pace for a career high. His penalty minutes are off the charts with 77. The next highest point getter with that many PIM is Steve Ott, who has 20 points and 90 PIM.
Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks (4-1-6-7, plus-7, 0 PIM, 16 SOG) —Boyle broke his foot on November 10 but continued playing. He then managed just one point in 12 games after that. The foot has obviously healed, given his nice run of 13 points in 15 games since then.
"Sell High" pick of the week: Jason Spezza, Ottawa Senators. After missing an average of 11 games over the each of the last six seasons, Spezza has managed to avoid the injury bug so far. If I was a Spezza owner, I'd be feeling a little nervous, as if I'm pushing my luck each game I hold onto him.
Duds
Somebody wake these guys up — their fantasy owners are counting on them...
John Carlson, Washington Capitals (11-0-1-1, minus-4, 8 PIM, 19 SOG) — That honeymoon that he was having with his former-and-now-current coach Dale Hunter is now over. Hunter has a new favorite in Dennis Wideman and Carlson is left talking with Dale about the old London (OHL) days while sitting on the bench during power plays.
Artem Anisimov, New York Rangers (11-0-0-0, minus-2, 2 PIM, 11 SOG) — I didn't know it was possible to play the majority of 11 games with either Marian Gaborik (mostly) or Brad Richards (a few times) and not manage a single point, but here we are.
Jaromir Jagr, Philadelphia Flyers (5 GP, 0-1-1, minus-2, 2 PIM, 6 SOG) — The 39-year-old pulled his groin a few games ago trying to keep up with the young pups. Let that be a lesson to ya, Jaromir.
"Buy Low" pick of the week: Stephen Weiss, Florida Panthers. He has four points in his last 14 games, which has dropped his pro-rated pace down to 63 points. Although that kind of number is about what we get from Weiss each year, it's hard to imagine that's all he'll get this year. After all, he's in his prime, he's in a contract year and he's got some solid linemates. He's a streaky player who you can get for cheap, but do it quick before he hits his next hot run.
The Wire...
Mostly short-term grabs here, but as always some potential steals...
Lauri Korpikoski, Phoenix Coyotes (4-1-3-4, plus-2, 0 PIM, 5 SOG) — Korpikoski's a player I find myself owning two or three times each season. Often reluctantly. He'll never be a top sixer, but at the same time he's often one of the better choices available on the wire in deeper leagues. He's steady in terms of plus/minus and getting you a point every two games. Nothing to write Mom about, but a decent stopgap when you need one for a week or two.
Patrick Kaleta, Buffalo Sabres (4-1-2-3, plus-1, 6 PIM, 8 SOG) — Normally a one-category wonder, the PIM machine has found some offense lately. But then, playing with Paul Gaustad and Matt Ellis, who wouldn't? Actually, given his ice time lately, which was a season high 18:57 Saturday, I think he'll be closer to a 30-point player in the coming weeks than the five-point player he was until now. And if I'm wrong, you still get a wackload of penalty minutes.
Sean Couturier, Philadelphia Flyers (4-4-1-5, plus-4, 0 PIM, 8 SOG) —Although the youngster is still seeing ice time that makes even Biz Nasty point and laugh, Couturier has been making the most of it. His plus/minus is going to be ridiculous by season's end.
Derick Brassard, Columbus Blue Jackets (12-4-5-9, minus-7, 6 PIM, 22 SOG) — Now that the pesky 'healthy scratch' stuff is behind him, Brassard has been playing like a decent 60-point guy. A decent 60-point guy who will kick the snot out of your plus/minus, but in Columbus that's really all you can ask.
Kyle Turris, Ottawa Senators (13-2-7-9, plus-10, 15 PIM, 32 SOG) — Turris is playing inspired hockey now that he's in Ottawa. His plus/minus alone could help turn your team around. And the penalty minutes are a nice bonus.
Justin Faulk, Carolina Hurricanes (9-3-3-6, plus-2, 4 PIM) — Faulk has seen at least 20 minutes of ice time in each of his last 28 games, and at least 21 minutes in 24 of those games. In the nine games shown here, he has four power-play points. He has unseated sophomore Jamie McBain.
Josh Harding, Minnesota Wild (3 GP, 1-1-1, 10 GA on 108 shots) — The Wild are struggling and although Harding's numbers haven't dazzled, he is coming off his best game since returning from a head/neck injury in December. He stopped 47 of 49 shots that game, and while Niklas Backstrom struggles Coach Mike Yeo is leaning more on Harding.
For more fantasy hockey tips, take a gander at DobberHockey. And while you're at it, follow Dobber's fantasy hockey musings on Twitter. For midseason help in your fantasy league, get some second-half projections, prospect info and more in Dobber's sixth annual Midseason Fantasy Guide.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Please recall back in April 2009 the story of Ladislav Scurko, the Slovak player who was charged with murdering referee Marek Liptaj and burying his body in a forest.
After spending two and a half years in prison, Scurko was released last month with a new trial pending. While out of prison, he signed to play with his hometown club, HK Slovan Gelnica, a third division team in Slovakia. In six games, Scurko scored 11 times and finished with 12 points before moving on to HK Trebisov of the Slovak 1 Liga
Scurko originally confessed to the crime after claiming that Liptaj had moved into his home and later lied about having cancer. The 2004 sixth round draft pick of the Philadelphia Flyers, who also spent three years in the Western Hockey League with Seattle and Tri-City, tried to get Liptaj move out upon learning the cancer story was lie, but a dispute during a drive ended with Scurko allegedly stabbing him 19 times with a kitchen knife.
This past July, Scurko recanted his statement and claimed duplicity by local police forced him to confess and that he was intoxicated as his club at the time, HC Kosice, had just won the league championship.
Scurko insisted he stands by his last statement where he identified two men, whom he saw there (at the crime scene) for the first time in his life. "He just saw them putting Liptaj's body into his trunk. Then one of the men commanded him to drive to Kezmarok."
"His associate followed them in his own car. Somewhere between Huncovce and Velka Lomnica they stopped and got rid of the body. They let him live because, as Scurko stated, they said 'it would be a shame to kill a hockey player'. According to Farkasovsky (Scurko's attorney), Scurko changed his statement in July because he was afraid for his life and didn't find the courage before.
According to our translation helper, Tomas K., the Slovakian legal system permits those arrested to ask to be released on the promise of staying clean. The charges brought against you may be worthy of keeping you in prison as the investigation exists, but those in custody can receive probation with a written, legal promise and the promise of not traveling abroad.
After being imprisoned for so long and not convicted on his charges, Scurko was finally released.
Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.
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• Thanks to Graham Vanderwoerd and the few dozen readers that sent this Jersey Foul from the Pittsburgh Penguins/Tampa Bay Lightning game on Sunday. Novocain cannot dull this pain.
• Sidney Crosby's still having post-concussion symptoms: "Sidney Crosby will meet this week with Dr. Ted Carrick, a specialist in chiropractic neurology who treated him in August. Crosby, who has not played since Dec. 5 because of concussion-like symptoms, accompanied the Penguins on their recent road trip and skated on Friday and Saturday. He mentioned in an interview Friday that he was still having some issues with motion and balance — areas where Dr. Carrick had helped him previously." [Penguins]
• How patriotic is Jonathan Quick? So patriotic that the national anthem made his nose bleed, that's how! [LA Kings Insider]
• Ryan Suter was pulled from today's Nashville Predators game with an upper body injury. [Cooper]
• You know how good the Boston Bruins have been for the last few weeks? Joke's on you: Claude Julien thinks they stink. [NECN]
• Peter Laviolette says Ilya Bryzgalov is the Philadelphia Flyers starter: "Now Bryz has gotten a majority of the starts. I don't know if that answers your question or not…Bryz was brought here to be a horse, and he's received a majority of the games. I don't see that changing." [Broad Street Bull]
• Ken Campbell on Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning: "My guess is that Yzerman, who learned at the foot of Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland and assistant GM Jim Nill, took the goaltending blueprint from Detroit and applied it to Tampa Bay. Not since the days when they had the three-headed monster of Dominik Hasek, Curtis Joseph and Manny Legace in 2003-04 have the Red Wings devoted a lot of financial resources to goaltending. But that's clearly all right when you have Nicklas Lidstrom on defense and a bunch of forwards who always have the puck. It doesn't work so well when your guys give up 30 shots a game." [THN]
• The Minnesota Wild face life without Mikko Koivu, who is officially out 4-6 weeks. [Star Tribune]
• Scott Lewis offers a sneak peak at what Leafs/Red Wings 24/7 would look like next year. [The Score]
• Your 2012 KHL All-Stars! Fedorov! Zherdev! Kuznetsov! Jeff Platt! [KHL]
• Ottawa Senators goaltender Craig Anderson, Chicago Blackhawks left wing Viktor Stalberg and Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin and have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending Jan. 15. [NHL]
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.According to JT Utah, this is the cake that Anne-Marie Carbonneau, Brendan Morrow's wife, gave Sheldon Souray squeeze Kelly Kelly of WWE over the weekend. [25 Stanley]
• Michael Cammalleri on his "losers" comment about the Montreal Canadiens. "I thought I was making more of a theoretical hockey point - about how a team feels when they're tight and losing and you go into a game with that mentality and it's hard to break. A winning team goes into it with a different mentality. I thought I was stating the obvious - we were sitting in 12th place; we had a losing record. So I didn't think I was breaking any ground by making these comments. It was more an assessment of the psyche of a team. And I know I said 'we' so I was including myself in there." [Globe & Mail]
• Taking on Gare Joyce's essay about the demise of the Montreal Canadiens. [Eyes On The Prize]
• James Reimer gets the call for the Toronto Maple Leafs against Ottawa. [The Star]
• Somewhere, the Peverley hillbilly weeps. [Bruins Blog]
• Jesse Spector continues his concussion series. [Sporting News]
• Sami Salo misses the Vancouver Canucks and the feeling is mutual. [Sun]
• Dave Davis on the lament of the Buffalo Sabres fan: "If you want an honest opinion about this roster, call me when half the defense isn't consistently sidelined. Let me know when Tyler Ennis and Nathan Gerbe, the two secondary scorers who added a much needed speed element to Buffalo's attack last season and were big players in the late season surge, can both stay healthy enough to play five games together. Look me up when all of those prospects who were slated for seasoning in Rochester are actually playing in Rochester." [KK]
• Mike Ribeiro is put on IR by the Dallas Stars. [Stars Blog]
• "The New Mexico Renegades are pleased to announce that they will be taking part in the first-ever Western States Hockey League outdoor game on February 4th, 2012 in Los Alamos, NM. The 2012 Renegade Fusion Series will feature the New Mexico Renegades taking on the Cheyenne Stampede." New Mexico Winter Classic! Make it so! [Junior Hockey]
• VooX takes on that Ken Warren All-Star Game column as Abel To Yzerman would be expected to. [A2Y]
• Finally, we know nothing of this video other than it has something to do with the Leuven Chiefs of Belgium, that's it's a well-shot slice of hockey live and that it involves beer. Which is good enough for us.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Mark Madden's fun. The Pittsburgh WXDX radio personality/hockey columnist interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero on Monday and gleaned some interesting information: Like the fact that Shero expects injured defenseman Kris Letang to return to full practice on Tuesday.
But the juiciest stuff was, naturally, the Sidney Crosby stuff. Shero said Crosby is visiting Ted Carrick — that chiropractic neurologist that "Sid's a big believer in, [so] so are we," according to Shero — to correct some balance issues related to his concussion protocol.
Will he play again this season?
"I think so," said Shero. "Whenever he comes back, we'll have a spot for him and he'll be a huge addition."
After a joke about his having lead the meeting, Shero also denied its existence. But even if the Penguins had met about a temporary captaincy, Shero explained why it would never happen.
SHERO: "Here's my take on this whole thing Mark, which I think is … Dejan wrote the article, and I only started dealing Dejan this year. I follow his stuff because I'm a big baseball fan and he was covering the Pirates, so I have a lot of respect for him. I don't think that meeting ever took place [in] our locker room. You know, I've been here six years. I know our players. I know our room. I don't think that would ever happen. But Dejan had somebody or some people tell him that a certain thing and he wrote something …
MADDEN: "I'm not gonna lie to you: I've had a lot people tell me the same thing. That the meeting did take place. It was a more informal gathering to talk about the need for captaincy, not as sinister as a full meeting [in the locker room.] But it seems to me something did happen."
SHERO: "My information tells me that it didn't.
"Irregardless (Ed. Note: Ugh.), Mark. No. 1, for any of that to ever be executed, in terms having an interim captain, it would have to be my decision. And I'm just saying that would never happen. And No. 2, I'm going on the information I got from our players and … this has nothing to do with Dejan or anything like that. I had a nice conversation with him on the weekend for about 45 minutes, went through everything.
"… We've moved forward. Pour team's moved forward. Our guys had a lot of fun with it on the weekend — everybody wearing the 'C' and Geno wearing the 'K'. I like our room a lot, and I've said that many times.
"We have a few A's [on the ice], whether it's Kunitz, Orpik, Malkin. These guys are leaders.
"The only thing I can say is that if I actually went to any of these players and said, 'I have an idea. I've been talking to coach, and we should have a temporary captain while Sid is out,' I'm telling you, because I know our team, there's that not a guy that would want to do it because it's Sid's team. It wouldn't happen. Which is why when the report came out, I didn't really give it much credence or much thought until I had to. We're 100 percent behind Sidney being our captain and our leader."
Here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.• Here's Jose Theodore's new Tiki-riffic mask painted by Dave Gunnarsson.
Preview: Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues, 7:30 p.m. ET. A win for the Blues would put them atop the Western Conference standings with the Chicago Blackhawks at 60 points. Not bad for a team who was sitting 14th on Nov. 6th, the day Ken Hitchcock was hired as head coach. St. Louis is 20-5-6 since then and face off with a hurting Stars team. Jamie Benn is out indefinitely after undergoing an appendectomy over the weekend and Mike Ribeiro was put on injured reserve today with a knee injury. A struggling and injury-plagued Dallas team was No. 1 in the West on Nov. 6 and today sit 10th.
Preview: Boston Bruins at Florida Panthers, 7:30 p.m. ET. The Panthers watched last night as the Washington Capitals overtake them for the Southeast Division lead for the first time since Nov. 18. Heading into tonight's tilt with the Bruins, Florida has dropped seven of their last 10 games and sit on the brink of dropping out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. After winning 21 of 24, Boston has cooled of dropping three of their last seven games. A loss would mean two in a row for the first time in over a month, while a win would put the Bruins one point behind the New York Rangers for the Eastern Conference lead.
Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET. If there's one place the Red Wings love playing, it's Joe Louis Arena. With a 17-2-1 record at home, Detroit tries for their 15th straight at The Joe as the Sabres come to town. Four of the five Central Division teams are within six points of each other in the Western Conference, with a win putting the Red Wings one point behind the Chicago Blackhawks. Buffalo continues to toil outside the East playoff picture and try to begin reversing their recent luck against Detroit. In their last 22 games against the Sabres Detroit is 18-2-1.
Preview: Winnipeg Jets at Ottawa Senators, 7:30 p.m. ET. The surprising Senators play their final home game tonight before a six-game road trip that will take them past the All-Star break. Going for their fifth in a row, Ottawa looks for their third win this season against the Jets. Winnipeg has lost five of six will be without Blake Wheeler who took a puck to the throat on Saturday against New Jersey.
• Mike Green of the Washington Capitals will miss the next 4-6 weeks as he's soon to undergo abdominal surgery. [@VogsCaps]
• In response to the hit on Minnesota high school hockey player Jack Jablonski that left the 16-year old paralyzed, the Minnesota State High School League announced immediately that "checking from behind will now be a five-minute major penalty, instead of a two-minute penalty. Boarding, defined as any move that sends a player violently into the boards, will be an automatic five-minute major penalty instead of an optional two- or five-minute penalty. Contact to the head also becomes an automatic five-minute major penalty, instead of allowing an official to use discretion in choosing between two- or five-minute penalties." [KARE]
• Frank Seravelli on Chris Pronger's situation and how it might affect the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline. [Frequent Flyers]
• The Carolina Hurricanes and Jeff Skinner are holding a very interesting contest tonight. [Deadspin]
"Maybe it's time for an over 40 rule. If you're over 40 you get a pass if you request it. There deserves to be some respect given to these players that turned their careers into a marathon that doesn't seem to have an end."
Thoughts?
Bold Prediction: Boston, Detroit and Ottawa all win in shootouts.
There have been a number of tough calls for Brendan Shanahan and the Department of Player Safety when handing out supplemental discipline this season. But Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dane Byers gave Shanahan and his crew a lay-up with his shoulder-to-the-head of Andrew Desjardins of the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night.
The hit earned Byers a three-game suspension, which was announced Monday evening.
Here's Shanahan explaining his decision:
From the NHL:
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dane Byers has been suspended for three games without pay for delivering an illegal check to the head of San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins during NHL Game #654 in Columbus on Saturday, Jan. 14, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.
Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Byers will forfeit $8,918.91. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.
The incident occurred at 3:01 of the second period. A match penalty for attempt to injure with an illegal check to the head was assessed on the play.
Byers was last suspended one game in Nov. 2009 for his participation in a scrum with the Vancouver Canucks while he was a member of the New York Rangers.
Ryan Miller was pulled in the second period of the Buffalo Sabres' loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Monday night, having given up all five goals during the 5-0 defeat in just 24:32.
It was the Sabres' 11th loss (including two overtime losses) in their last 14 games.
"Yeah, well, it's not good hockey. It's not good from top down," Miller told reporters after the game, played in front of friends and family of the Michigan native. "I need to be better. Just can't seem to find a night where I can get in a groove. It's just … I don't know what the hell it is."
So what's the solution? A huge trade? A change behind the bench?
Miller said there's no external move that can reverse the Sabres' fortunes; that the responsibility lies within their dressing room.
From Miller after Buffalo's loss to the Wings:
"That's not my decision. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen in the locker room. If you guys really think there's going to be any kind of trade made anywhere that's going to affect this team any more than we can affect it in this locker room, you guys are just … I don't know what to think, because there's no such trade.
"There's not ever going to be a trade in the history of the NHL that's going to affect anything like that. There's no chance anybody comes into this team and just shakes it up or we can even move multiple players and get any kind of return … If you want to just destroy a team and just go out and be reckless and do something, yeah.
"But then there's going to be new guys in here, but other than that, this locker room's going to be pretty much the same, if not completely the same, and we've got to find it from in here. [Points to chest] We can't sit and wait for somebody else to f--king do it."
Miller had played better in recent games, giving up two goals in each game of a split against the Toronto Maple Leafs. But this was the second time in the last month he was pulled after giving up five goals.
Overall, Miller has a 3.29 GAA since being run over by Milan Lucic on Nov. 12, missing several games and suffering concussion-like symptoms.
As he said, there's no quick fix for this team coming from the outside. It begins with the players on this roster; more to the point, it should begin with Miller … but the Sabres have been waiting for that to happen all season.
Additional reporting by Nick Cotsonika/Yahoo! Sports.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.No. 1 Star: Jaroslav Halak, St. Louis Blues
Halak's 22 saves and T.J. Oshie's goal with 8:34 remaining in the third period helped give the Blues a 1-0 win over the Dallas Stars and put them atop the Western Conference standings.
The shutout was Halak's third of the season and 19th of his career. St. Louis has won six of their last seven games and won their NHL-best 19th game at home this season.
No. 2 Star: Chris Mason, Winnipeg Jets
Helping to end Winnipeg's three-game losing streak, Mason recorded his second shutout of the year by stopping 25 shots as the Jets blanked the Ottawa Senators 2-0. The win also snapped Ottawa's four-game win streak in the process. Goals from Tobias Enstrom and Jim Slater were enough to help give the Senators their first regulation loss in 10 games.
No. 2 Star: Jimmy Howard, Detroit Red Wings
The NHL's leader in wins picked up his 27th with a 27-save performance during a 5-0 shutout of the Buffalo Sabres. It was the fifth shutout of the season for Howard and helped extend Detroit's win streak at Joe Louis Arena to 15 games. Todd Bertuzzi and Pavel Datsyuk each recorded three points with the dangle master's third helper helping him reach the 700-point plateau.
Honorable mention: Pekka Rinne stopped 36 shots, including 19 in the second period, as the Nashville Predators downed the New York Islanders 3-1. The Predators scored on their first two shots of the game and opened up a 3-0 lead within the first 12 minutes of the opening period ... Gilbert Brule scored his first goal of the season and Shane Doan recorded the 40th two-goal game of his career as the Phoenix Coyotes routed the Colorado Avalanche 6-1. Boyd Gordon also chipped in a pair of goals and rookie Chris Summers added two assists, the first points of his NHL career. Mike Smith made 38 saves for only his second win in six starts ... Patrice Bergeron scored a pair in regulation and one in the shootout to help boost the Boston Bruins to a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers. Tuukka Rask made 38 saves and has won his last seven starts.
Did you know? "The Red Wings have the longest single-season winning streak by an NHL team at home since 1976 when Philadelphia won 20 in a row to match a league mark set by Boston during the 1929-30 season, according to STATS, LLC." (AP)
Dishonorable mention: According to MSG, the Islanders have allowed a goal on the first shot of the game nine times this season ... Ryan Suter left the game after the first period with an upper-body injury and did not return ... After surrendering five goals through 24 minutes, Ryan Miller was pulled in favor of Jhonas Enroth ... Ed Jovanovski injured his hand in a fight with Daniel Paille and could be out some time ... Unlike Miller, Semyon Varlamov wasn't pulled and was in net for all six Phoenix goals ... Over their last 12 games, the Stars power play has converted on just three of 39 opportunities. They failed on three chance against the Blues.
But few items can claim to be as creep-tastic as this:
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No, they're not part of a hockey-centric knock-off of Mr. Potato Head. No, they're not spare parts grown from clones to extend the lives of aging fan bases. No, this isn't the world's freakiest ice cream cake.
This is a face you put on a tree. To make a tree into a Detroit Red Wings or Pittsburgh Penguins fan.
No, seriously, that's what this is. A face. For a tree.
This is called "Forest Face." It's created by Team Sports America, and presumably Satan's Magic Top Shop. Here's a description:
The officially licensed Forest Face is sure to be a hit with the fans. Made of weather resistant resin and measuring 12 inch x 7 inch, each forest face wears the team's cap with official team logo. Each piece of the Forest Face comes with a durable hook to make hanging easy. Pick up a few for your trees today.
(Please note that the Minnesota Wild, the only NHL team to feature actual trees on its logo, does not have a Forest Face. Then again, neither do the Leafs.)
Team Sports America appears to mostly carry NCAA-inspired Forest Faces, and the Michigan one here gives you an idea of how these things look when applied to bark. Think of the Ents from "Lord of the Rings" if they were in your graduating class at Michigan and were constantly stoned ...
These suckers retail for $29.99, which is a small price to pay for a lifetime of therapy once you start having conversations about the second power play unit with a sequoia.
It's also a mere pittance when you consider all of the other neat places you can hang your Forest Face besides the forest.
Like, for example, on a pile of triceratops dung on Isla Nublar.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Chaos theory strikes again! With that:
Pass or Fail: The NHL tree-decorating Forest Face from Team Sports America.
After his team took a 4-1 lead in the third period on Sunday, Corpus Christi IceRays Coach Justin Quenneville observed the Texas Tornado changing personnel for the ensuing faceoff at center ice. Enforcer Mico Solarzano hopped over the boards, as did "one of their other meatsticks," he recalled.
Quenneville knew what was coming. Sure enough, Texas forward Skyler Spiller stalked Perry D'Arrisso of the Ice Rays after the draw and then sucker-punched him from behind, sparking an energetic line brawl between the NAHL rivals:
"Oh what a move by Texas … that's brave." Homer announcers rule. That's Corpus Cristi's Rob Lippolis,by the way, who's rather dedicated to his craft.
"I have absolutely no idea (why it happened)," D'Arrisso said. "I went to the faceoff and (Spiller) didn't say anything to me.
"The puck dropped and I was looking at it the whole time and I turned around and he was coming right me. I just turtled before I got knocked in the face and everybody jumped in."
The bad blood also spilled off the ice, with IceRays general manager Pat Dunn engaging in a shouting match with Tornado coach Tony Curtale and assistant Jason Bloomingburg, who briefly played in Corpus Christi during the IceRays' minor-pro years.
Team Executive Fight would have made up for the frustrating lack of Goalie Fight in that clip.
By now, it's apparent that the Philadelphia Flyers have more faith in Sergei Bobrovsky than Ilya Bryzgalov. This isn't some feeling or notion to that effect; this is Kimmo Timonen telling CSN Philly on Monday:
"He plays with confidence, you can tell when he gets in net," Timonen said of Bobrovsky last week.
"He's calm. Every save he makes, you see the confidence. He has control, he knows where the puck is, even if he doesn't make the first save. He knows where the rebound is."
"He helps the defense, like he made a couple of breakup passes under pressure. That obviously helps. His puck-handling skills are way better. I don't know what he did over the summer. When a goalie plays with confidence, you can tell as a player."
When have you heard a player say that about Bryzgalov? Not recently; like, as a Flyer?
The only thing Bryzgalov has successfully established in Philly is that (a) he's an eccentric to the point where he should have an honorary Joaquin Phoenix beard and (b) he had a nine-year contract and a team owner that lobbied for it, so Peter Laviolette needs to say things like "Bryz was brought here to be a horse and has received the majority of games. I don't see that changing," despite having a save percentage of .891 and a GAA of over three.
Reader Tyler Richardson offered a theory on the rise and fall of Bryz in Philly, such as the rise was. And he links it to that infamous first episode of HBO "24/7" in which the goalie revealed how huMANGous big the universe is.
Tyler believes that Episode 1 of HBO "24/7," which debuted on Dec. 14 and turned Bryzgalov into a national sensation/punchline/cult hero, marks the point in which Bryzgalov began to fall apart.
To that end:
Bryzgalov, Pre-Universe Speech: 14-5-2, 2.74 GAA
Bryzgalov, Post-Universe Speech: 2-5-1, 3.97 GAA
There are, of course, mitigating circumstances: Injuries, slumps, schedules, all of it. But those are the numbers.
From Tyler:
Those are the raw numbers for Bryzgalov. In addition, Bryzgalov was 12-2 (2.21 GAA) leading up to the Universe episode! Do you think it was chance that has caused this drastic turn-around? Or, is it more likely that he was singled out and ostracized on HBO in front of the whole hockey community? Be honest. Isn't one of the biggest factors for a goalie his confidence? It seems it would be hard to have confidence when all of your teammates appear to genuinely dislike you and have no problem showing it.
Well, the dislike in the locker room thing is all speculation. The Flyers I've spoken to about Bryz see him as a crackpot, no doubt, but any ill will is probably cured with a few more victories and standout performances.
Unless, of course, they just resent his contract, in which case we can already welcome him to next year's Sports Illustrated players' survey Overrated List.
That said it is time for Bryzgalov to reward that faith. It feels like it has been a long time since he had a strong performance. With this little endorsement, he should feel more confident. When the Flyers host the Wild, Bryzgalov needs to come up with a strong game. He is due for a spectacular effort and he really needs one. The criticism of his play only intensifies with each passing game. There are no more HBO cameras to make us laugh at his antics. All we see now is a goalie that is struggling. I have faith that Bryzgalov can turn thing around and start playing great hockey. But faith only goes so far. He needs to show everyone that he is the number one goalie. No one else can say he is.
Josh Janet on GCobb.com is "a huge supporter of Bobrovsky, but this is the week to let Bryzgalov put his $51 million where his mouth is and show he deserves the starts." He writes:
Randy Miller of the Courier-Poststated yesterday, "Bryz has told me he needs the work. That's what he thinks gets him sharp and keeps him sharp."
This is the week to let him prove it. It's early enough that the team can bounce back if teams like the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins gain points against them. The schedule also works out conveniently as a benchmark for Bryzgalov.
The cameras are long gone. The coach has given him a vote of confidence. Is it make or break time for Bryzgalov as the Flyers battle in the East? Maybe. Is this week a huMANGous big chance for him to rein in his game? Definitely.
As a New Jersey Devils fan, I used to rue the day when Martin Brodeur would hang up the pads, pick up a pizza and start cobbling together his Hall of Fame reception invitations list.
Not so much anymore. There was a time when I couldn't picture a Devils roster without Marty Brodeur; now, with him on it, I see the franchise hopelessly tethered to a history it can't match.
I've come to terms with the diminishing returns, fragility of body and slow descent from best in the world to Martin Brodeur in-name-only. He can still dazzle you with a save and frustrate the hell out of an opponent; he can also be a liability, which is something you never expected Martin Brodeur to be for the Devils. Well, outside of the playoffs since 2003.
The last four games tell the tale: Six goals allowed in a home loss against Boston; 41 saves and a sterling win at Pittsburgh; pulled within eight minutes at Calgary after two goals on five shots; and then 22 saves at Winnipeg in a win over the Jets.
Consistency has been supplanted by feast and then famine. Dependability has been replaced with silent prayers that the Devils receive a vintage performance rather than a rickety one. He moves slower in the crease. He whiffs on more shots. There's still undeniable reverence for an NHL legend, but there's also a sense that we're nearing the last page of the fable.
But at age 40, in the final year of his contract, with nothing else to prove, Martin Brodeur is leaning towards another year in the NHL.
From the New York Post, Brodeur's strongest indication yet that 2011-12 isn't the final chapter:
"I'm having fun," said Martin Brodeur, expected to be in goal for the Devils tonight when the Jets visit Prudential Center. "I feel differently about it now than I did last summer, or at the start of the season," Brodeur said. "It's not 100 percent, but I'm definitely leaning toward coming back next year."
The possibility of a lockout next season could muddle his plans, but Brodeur previously insisted he was undecided about playing after his contract ($5.2 million) ends this season.
"There's a bigger chance now than before," said Brodeur, 13-10-1 in this, his 18th NHL season. "A few people I've spoken to have told me that if you think you still have that little flame, keep it going, because once it's out, it's out."
It's the same thing you hear from other athletes, and from many other hockey players. The question then becomes whether Brodeur becomes a franchise lifer or if circumstances change.
To play Devils' advocate for a moment (har-dee-har), Brodeur makes $5 million this season. While that's already a hometown discount, it's hard to imagine the Devils paying anything near that (or over it) for a 41-year-old's swan song season. Yes, they'll have oodles of cap space next year even if they resign Zach Parise (a miracle on ice, it's increasingly sounding like); but will Brodeur take a discount on a discount to stay?
Outside of the ownership concerns for the team, the economics probably aren't a factor. Lou Lamoriello will gladly have Brodeur back as long as the goaltender wants to play, and then will likely have him in the organization in some capacity afterwards.
Some Devils fans want Brodeur back simply because the future of the position is so frightening without him. Both he and Johan Hedberg are unrestricted free agents. AHLer Keith Kinkaid was an NCAA standout and a late bloomer as a prospect, but isn't yet NHL-ready. The unrestricted free-agent alternatives are … well, they look like this.
There's no ready solution if he hangs 'em up. The Devils' style of play could turn an average goalie into an above-average one — hello, Scott Clemmensen — as a stop-gap. But there's no one ready to inherit the throne, as if anyone could hope to fit that crown.
He's the franchise, from the achievements to the system in front of him. It's always been about Marty, and Marty's always been about the Devils. As his skills diminished and the end nears, that hasn't changed.
He's earned the right to decide when it's over and to have the Devils act accordingly. But I can't shake the notion that "one more year" is going to look like a bewildered Brett Favre tossing the ball to the other team or the last two seasons of Mantle in the Bronx.
It's not how we'll remember him, but it's how we're likely going to see him. Yet he's earned the right to drink up well past the expiration date. And, hopefully, the chance to shut me up with one last run.
