Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh
First Period
13:08: Brooks Orpik with the first good scoring chance of the day rings a shot off the post. It rang like a church bell, echoing throughout the CONSOL Energy Center. Quite possibly the best noise in hockey, the super-quick, high-pitched ping is a symphony to a goalie.
16:57: Beautiful rush by Tampa with Simon Gagne, Teddy Purcell and Vinny Lecavalier. Six quick passes, a shot off both posts and an easy tip in on the rebound by Gagne. They could have easily taken a shot five times, but showed amazing patience on the play spreading out the defense.
17:43: Lightning does strike the same place twice as Steven Stamkos scores his first career playoff goal on a rebound in front. Like I said about Ovechkin last week, these are the goals he's going to have to score as those one-timers and snipes aren't going to work often in the playoffs.
19:28: The penguins do an amazing job of keeping control of the puck on a delayed penalty, effectively increasing their power play by about 25 seconds.
End of period: Though the Lightning scored two quick goals, the period belonged to Dwayne Roloson whose play early on kept them from being in a hole early. The Lightning were out-shot 13-8 in the period, with most of their coming in the last five minutes of play. By the way, I love P.J. Stock as an announcer. Known more for fights like this, once he gets used to talking on air (he stumbles and pauses at times) I think you'll see him behind a desk for a while.
Second Period
1:55: Tremendous pass from Stamkos to Lecavalier for their third goal of the game. Once again patience is key as Stamkos waits with the puck in the corner while three defenders are on him before making a centering pass to a wide open Lecavalier.
5:31: Like he did last year against Boston, Gagne saves his best for when his team needs it the most. He scored four goals in the final four games of that series after coming back from injury and he has two today. His second goal ended Marc-Andre Fleury's day and Tampa has taken complete control of the game.
7:00: Stamkos does it again, going to the net for a rebound on the power play. Right now the Lightning are outworking the Penguins in every facet; outracing them to loose pucks and winning battles in the corner. Wins in these areas are directly leading to goals. Stamkos is known more for scoring with his wicked one-timer and superior skill, but is doing exactly what he needs to do in the playoffs and is having the type of domination game he is more than capable of.
9:39: With Pittsburgh on the power play, Kris Letang takes an ill-advised cross checking penalty negating their man advantage after just 19 seconds. They needed a goal there to have any chance at a comeback. It seems like a stretch, but there has already been a four-goal comeback and several three-goal comebacks this year, proving anything is possible at this time of the season.
End of period: The Lightning out-shot the Pens 10-7 in the second, but the advantage seems way higher in their favor. Tampa seemed to dominate and Pittsburgh looked lost for most of the middle frame.
Third Period
2:54: An awful penalty by Alexei Kovalev leads to another power play goal for the Lightning. He high-sticked Dominic Moore on the backcheck even though the puck was nowhere near him. Pavel Kubina scored on an absolute blast from the top of the circle. Along with Roloson's strong play early on, one of the biggest stories of the game is the power play for both teams. Tampa Bay is now 2-for-3 while Pittsburgh is 0-for-5.
5:45: Another bad penalty, another power play goal for Kubina, this time from right in front of the net. Goalie Brent Johnson took a roughing call after getting tangled with Sean Bergenheim.
6:36: Rupp scores and the Pens have finally showed up. The crowd, which is half-empty now, has something to cheer about for the first time since early in the game. The goal came on a shot from the slot off a pass from Kovalev who finally showed some kind of emotion a little too late as the game is already out of reach.
8:22: Pittsburgh takes advantage of terrible defensive zone coverage by Tampa. They had all five skaters and Roloson chasing the puck, leading to an easy goal for Chris Conner.
11:00: There is no chance of the Pens coming back in this game, but they have really turned on the forecheck and have the Lightning scrambling in their own end. They are hitting and attacking, sending a message for Game 6 that they will not be beaten as easily on Monday. If they can keep the Bolts on their heels and let them know goals will be much harder to come by and they will fight harder to score themselves, they may have an advantage in the next game.
13:46: In an attempt hit everything that moves, Max Talbot takes another bad penalty for Pittsburgh, this time for hitting Victor Hedman from behind. Dominic Moore responds, proving that stupid and unnecessary penalties are so much harder to kill off. Coach Guy Boucher has finally taken Stamkos and Marc-Andre Bergeron off the points on the power play, giving his role players their rare minutes with the man advantage.
16:35: The Pens are cutting ruts to the penalty box and Kubina nearly gets a hattrick as he rings one off the post. Orpik and Steve Downie get thrown from the game as the refs are making sure the game doesn't get out of hand and turn into the type of retaliation game the NHL has tried so hard to get rid of. For the second time this game, Rolson tries to settle down his teammates, taking time to get his equipment adjusted so thye can get a breather.
Final score: Lightning-8 Penguins-2
Story of the game: After dominating most of the first period, the Penguins lost focus after two quick Lightning strikes. They started pressing way too much even though they had penalty of time to settle down, play their game and tie it up. Instead they gave up the puck way too much and the Lightning's best players played like they should, creating tons of chances and scoring on most of them. Every member of their top two lines and their offensive blueliners were dangerous all day and the steady attack wore on the Pens before long. When they Pens tried to respond in the third period by playing a physical game, their plan backfired and they took too many stupid penalties, digging themselves into a hole impossible to climb out from. Each team had six power play opportunities; the Lightning were shorthanded early and were able to kill them off and buried their chances on the power play later in the game, netting four goals while the Penguins didn't get one.
Player of the game: Steven Stamkos was a bull in the first two periods, crashing the net and scoring his first two career playoff goals in a game where they absolutely needed him to be their best player. he showed patience with the puck and didn't let the Pens' physical game discourage him early on.
New York at Washington
First Period
5:59: Mike Green scores his first playoff goal in almost two years as the Caps get off to a quick start. they are determined not to collapse this year like they have the past two years against Pittsburgh and Montreal. Right now the Caps are letting Rangers fans know they can in fact hear them and have responded appropriately by dominating play with five unanswered goals since that point in Game 4.
7:55: Capitals fans respond to New York with their own "We are louder" chant. Gotta love when fans of each franchise go against each other like that. One of my favorite memories ever is from last year when Flyers fans did their own ole chant after dominating each game in Philly. It definitely makes the games a more fun and intense experience.
13:49: Green takes his second shot off the face this season, he missed 26 of the last 28 regular season games after taking a Brooks Oprik shot near the eye on Feb. 6 and an elbow to the head from New York's Derek Stepan a few games later. If he's hurt badly this could be a devastating injury for the Caps as he has had points in every game this series after pulling a disappearing act that would make Houdini proud in each of the past two playoff years. They showed a replay of the shot and several screws on the helmet came undone revealing the type of courage hockey players have and what they will do to win just one more game in the spring.
End of the period: Just like the rest of the series, this period was tight and hard-fought. The Caps out-shot the Rangers 13-6, but most of them were from far out and easy stops by Lundqvist.
Second Period
0:43: Amazing play by Marc Staal to take a great scoring chance away from Alex Ovechkin. It could easily be 2-0 Caps right now, but Staal's quick stick saves the day. The Rangers are going to have to be that attentive all game as they are not going to get many scoring chances against this hard-hitting Capitals team so they need to keep chances against to a minimum.
7:04: Ovechkin gets another chance and flys by a tired Staal before pulling the puck across the crease and scoring on a backhand. It's only two goals, but the Rangers are in a hole now. Both times the Rangers have scored three goals have been at MSG. The two previous games in Washington, they have a combined two goals. And with Michal Neuvirth playing as calm as he is and sucking up any shot near his glove hand like a black hole, it will be tough for them to fight back.
9:10: "We are louder" chant starts again, but I don't think this will backfire like it did in New York.
14:37: Great news for the Caps as Green has returned to the bench. It will be interesting to see how much he plays the rest of the game. Seeing him back indicates it is a facial injury, not a head/concussion problem as he likely wouldn't play the rest of the game if that were the case, especially with the Caps in control like this.
17:19: John Erskine with a hard hit on Brandon Prust leads to an interference call. A solid hit, but a little too early as the puck hadn't reached Prust yet. This is a huge power play for the Rangers as their offense desperately needs to show some signs of life and this is the time to do it.
End of the period: The Caps learned quite a bit last year and it shows in their play. They are not trying to win this game 8-0, they are playing solid in all three zones and making sure everyone is back on defense while capitalizing when they have a chance to score. It will take an unbelievable effort in the third period for the Rangers to come back from this.
Third Period
7:00: Pierre McGuire notes Mike Green is still on the bench, but has not played a shift since taking the puck off the face. There is a pretty good bruise on the side of his face. It's a good call not playing him. The Capitals are doing just fine and there is no need to rink injuring him even further.
9:35: Marcus Johansson shows amazing speed and nearly sets up a goal by Jason Chimera. I have never seen anyone skate that fast, he made it from his own goal line to the top of the faceoff circle in the Rangers zone in about five seconds flat. He looked like Pavel Bure out there.
16:23: Johansson does it again this time setting up Semin who buries the shot past Lundqvist. This officially seals the win for the Caps. It was a beautiful pass as Johansson channeled Adam Oates this time, saucering the puck over Staal who had fallen to the ice in an attempt to block the pass.
18:52: Boyd Gordon makes a great play in the crease to put the puck out of danger as the Rangers were pressing hard. This is exactly the type of play you wouldn't have seen last year and it looks as if they have gotten used to playing defense first when they have to.
19:28: Wojtek Wolski breaks up the shutout bid for Neuvirth, but it doesn't matter as there is only 30 seconds remaining in the game. Sean Avery shows his true colors by starting a scrum after the fight, putting the Capitals on the power play for the remainder of the Rangers season.
Final score: Washington-3 New York-1
Story of the game: Ovechkin continues to get stymied when trying to score on far shots, but is cashing in on chances down low. He should take notice and stop taking those shots. The Caps have learned how to win playoff games, holding the puck in the corner in the offensive zone, taking valuable time off the clock and grinding their way to a win. This was especially evident during the last three minutes when Lundqvist was pulled. Instead of trying to score the fourth goal, they just made sure to get the puck out of the zone without icing it. It is the first time an Ovechkin-led Capitals team has played a series that went less than seven games as Washington becomes the second team, and first from the East, to advance to the second round. Right now they are looking like a good bet to make the Stanley Cup final.
Player of the game: The whole team played well, but Michal Neuvirth was there to keep the Rangers off the board until the game was all but over. The Caps were out shot in each of the last two periods by a combined 21-14. Neuvirth was a vacuum and helped control the pace of the game. He made some key saves and gave the Caps the confidence they needed to close out the series like they haven't been able to the past two years.
Montreal at Boston
First Period
8:05: With Thomas way out of position, Michael Ryder makes a save on Tomas Plekanec. The first goal is going to be huge and Ryder, not known for his work in his own zone, keeps it a scoreless game. Maybe he should do that full time.
10:38: A bad giveaway by Carey Price lead to a glorious chance in front for David Krejci. Price gets into the game in a big way as he made a good recovery and stoned Krejci. Looks like goals are going to be hard to come by today.
End of the first: It must be a warm day in Boston and the ice seems chippy and the puck is taking a lot of bounces. The ice should get better as the game goes on and it gets cooler, but for now it is going to be difficult to make plays. They are better off throwing the puck on net and crashing for the rebounds.
Second Period
19:08: The game is heating up as Tomas Plekanec and Brad Marchand exchange a couple blows and get matching minors for roughing. This has been a very physical series and plays such as this are to be expected. It will be interesting to see if the ensuing 4-on-4 will open up the game and create a few more scoring chances.
End of the period: There was not too much action to report as both teams were very cautious on the bad ice. Plus I was eating dinner. Shots were nine-six in favor of Boston compared to a 12-10 advantage for them in the first. This game is going to come down to either a missed defensive assignment or a bad bounce near the goal. With the second period starting 4-on-4, the teams may try for a quick strike to start the final frame. This is just the fourth game to go scoreless in the first two periods, with the other three coming in the first two days of the playoffs.
Third Period
0:33: The Canadiens have a gaping net with a loose puck in front, but no one is around to tap it in. Moments later the Bruins would have a great chance of their own. Just like I thought, the game really opened up 4-on-4 and it's been an exciting start to the third.
4:33: Marchand opens up the scoring with his first career playoff goal. Mark Recchi is a beast in the offensive zone, creating chances and dishing the puck well throughout the entire shift. He gets a luck break off a broken stick in front, but the puck bouncing right back to him after trying to make a centering pass left him and the net wide open for the easy goal.
11:02: There has already been as many shots this period as in the second. Both teams have ramped up their attack as they can sense the end of the game.
13:56: Jeff Halpern answers for Montreal and the third line scores a rare goal for the Habs. They needed a goal from them as they have had little depth during the series after their first line who has been shutdown this game. Mike Cammalleri had the first line's best chance earlier in the period, but ripped a shot over the net on a shot from just above the slot.
End of the period: Both teams found the net this period, but it remained a strong defensive battle forcing the game into overtime. The Bruins tried to win the game 1-0 after their goal, so naturally Montreal was able to come back and score. It's just like prevent defense in football, what it prevents is you from winning. When they were forechecking hard they were keeping play in the Montreal end and had the opportunity to increase their lead. Instead their will play more hockey tonight.
Overtime 1
1:40: Nice save by Thomas on a tricky Mathieu Darche shot that changes speed on its way to the net. Didn't look dangerous, but those are the type of shots that go in in overtime.
5:00: The Habs sustain some serious pressure in the Boston zone as they were out for a long shift. This is most clear when Lucic can't get the puck away from a Canadien tied up with another Bruin when he is just a few feet away from him.
8:08: Terrible miscue by Price almost leads to a Boston goal. Trying to handle a puck near his crease, he loses it in his feet, but falls on it after colliding with Marchand trying to shove the puck in. Looked for a moment the overtime winner would be similar to this play.
11:15: Thomas makes a great save, snatching the puck headed towards the top corner on a one-timer by James Wisnieuski. Shortly thereafter Mike Cammalleri make a great play on the backcheck, poking the puck away from Lucic who had the opportunity to take a shot from the slot. Both teams are playing great, trying to limit their chances and showing the desperation and determination you would expect when a Game 5 in a 2-2 series is in overtime.
13:45: Bergeron and Chara combine to block a shot on another empty net opportunity for Montreal. Thomas is lucky this game hasn't ended already.
16:12: Bergeron has a great chance all alone in front and gets tripped trying to take a shot. This is the perfect time for them to get their power play in order as they haven't scored on it yet. Personally I think it could have been called for a penalty shot.
End of the period: This looks like a game that could go on for a while as both teams refuse to give an inch. Both goalies have made some mistakes, but have been able to recover. Boston had a great chance to end it, but their power play was abysmal.
Overtime 2
2:51: Roman Hamrlik takes a shot from the point, but pauses before taking it allowing Price time to square up to the shot. I have been seeing that all day, they would be better to take a wrist shot with the rolling puck than to wait for it to settle down so they could take a slapshot. When puck is rolling and the goalie is not ready, it can dip and dive and cause them fits.
5:35: the save of the season as Thomas stones Brian Gionta one a one timer from the slot on a 2-on-1 rush. A great pace so far this period considering the players must be getting very tired by this point.
9:03: Nathan Horton ends it on a rebound in front. Both goalies have been in such a zone, especially Price who wasn't running and scrambling around nearly as much as Thomas. It's unfortunate to see anyone lose a game like this.
Final score: Bruins-2 Canadiens-1
Story of the game: This was a defensive battle all the way. Both Thomas and Price were on top of their game and when they weren't, their teams were the to bail them out, especially Boston. This may have been the best goaltending performance of the playoffs yet. Every inch of ice was fought for and it was a pretty much perfectly played game on both sides. The few mistakes that were made were covered for
Player of the game: This could have gone to either goalie, but it was Thomas who came out with the win. His save on Gionta was fantastic, while Price let up a rebound that went straight to Horton. Those stiff pads aren't treating him well at the moment. Thomas ended up with 38 saves on 39 shots while Price countered with 42 on 44. Thomas showed tonight he is a battler as he was all over the net, smothering Montreal's best chances all game.
Los Angeles at San Jose
First Period
3:36: Wayne Simmonds opens the scoring on a deflection of a Rob Scuderi, huge goal for the Kings who are looking to avoid another meltdown today. I'm not watching this game, just checking the boxscore and seeing the highlights as the Bruins-Habs game is not yet over.
7:14: Kyle Clifford this time. I wish the other game would end so I can watch this one. Very similar start to Game 3.
8:42: Look who decides to show up. Dustin Penner scores his first of the playoffs and his first in 18 games.
17:38: I finally get to tune into the game after the damage has been done early.
18:39: Just noticed Antero Niittymaki is in goal when they showed Niemi on the bench. He allowed three goals on just four shots and I think the fact he owns a purple Sharks hat is a reason for his bad performance. The hockey gods would surely smite anyone wearing that thing.
End of the period: They did an interview with Kyle Clifford during intermission. He has a huge bruise on his face and his eye is red. Looks pretty good for a guy in the playoffs. Jonathan Quick has a good period, stopping all 19 shots fired his way.
Second Period
3:07: Niclas Wallin takes a hit from Kevin Westgarth and goes through the plexiglass, which then pins his arm keeping him stuck in the corner. A pretty funny sight, though he is lucky it wasn't the heavy glass still found in some arenas or he would be in some serious trouble.
5:43: Marleau scores as Jonathan Quick takes his skate off the post for just a second after he makes a save on Wallin.
End of the period: It was a well played period for the Kings who didn't sit back and defend their lead. Despite being outscored 1-0 in the middle frame, they played much better than the first. They were outshot 15-12, but in the first it was worse at 19-six. A terrible start by Niemi is a big reason they are up, but it looks like they won't squander another big lead.
Third Period
1:19: Niittymaki makes an unbelievable save on Drew Doughty keeping it at a two-goal deficit. It looked as if he was down and out after losing his stick, but he manages to get his glove on it. It is a huge save as it looks like it will be tough for the Sharks to beat Quick tonight.
8:32: Quick answers Niittymaki with a huge save on Logan Couture who was left all along in front. It looked like he didn't know just how much room he had as he rushed the shot when he had more than enough time to make a quick move.
18:12: Dany Heatley makes a save on Jarrett Stoll with Niittymaki pulled for the extra attacker. This is the first time I even noticed him tonight.
Final score: Kings-3 Sharks-1
Story of the game: After three quick goals, the Kings were able to hold on for the win and extend their season for another game. The best thing was, while they were certainly out played at times, they never sat back and solely focused on defense, attacking whenever they got the chance, though Niittymaki was perfect in relief keeping the Sharks in the game.
Player of the game: Jonathan Quick tied a career high with 51 saves as he was under siege all night and responded admirably. Many of the shots were quality chances, especially late in the game. He stopped all five shots from Joe Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi and eight of nine from Patrick Marleau. After two bad games in Los Angeles, Quick showed he has the ability to forget about bad games and looked calm despite the barrage he faced.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Friday, 22 April 2011
Bahston Announcahs
Before I get into it, let me just say this. I'm not trashing Jack Edwards because he's a homer. Pretty much every team announcer is, that's what they get paid for. However, there is a major difference in in announcing a game while focusing more on the home team and being a fan with a microphone. I am writing this because he is arrogant, does not know hockey well and (this goes more for Andy Brickley) people with Boston accents should not be on TV. I've been to a few Bruins games, but I still can't find this Gah Den place they seem to play at when I'm not there.
I tweeted a link a few days ago from the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Sports. But Twitter is not enough, this deserves a full blog post. The video shows Jack Edwards being his usual loud-mouthed, pretentious self. He is almost as bad at announcing as Mike Milbury is at being a GM. Let's break down the video.
0:53 He's (Benoit Pouliot) trying to make a name for himself here in the playoffs. He's lining up against Andrew Ference, he's a much bigger man and he's got a real tussle on his hands here. Going for a wrestle and Ference gets the takedown, no surprise.
The first part of that, when you read it, sounds like a complement, but Edwards is ripping on him. Since when is fighting someone bigger than you, trying to help out your team and give them some momentum, a bad thing? Pouliot should be lauded, instead Edwards slights him. And after that, is overcome with joy that Ference won the fight even though he was talking about how Pouliot is not a fighter literally seconds earlier. He should be commended for going after Ference who has 20 career fights compared to three for Pouliot.
Then Brick comes in talking about Pouliot's "gutless hit" moments before the fight. This after Edwards made such a big deal of Pouliot missing the hit. While watching the replay Brick was complaining the hit was from behind even though that very replay showed Pouliot making contact with the spoked B on the front of Johnny Boychuk's jersey.
2:02 Gives it away to Peverly, he scores. Rich Peverly, isn't that rich.
Wow, did you come up with that all by yourself? Because that's genius. Isn't that rich. His name is Rich. That took me a while to figure out, I guess it's just too complicated a connection for me.
2:42 The last time the Bruins had a three goal lead in the playoffs...I'm sorry, we had some kind of electrical interference I couldn't complete that sentence.
Well Jack, allow me to help you out there. The last time the Bruins had a three goal lead in the playoffs, they chocked badly, leading the the biggest collapse in sports history. Still don't remember? Yep, it did indeed happen and too many men on the ice burned your beloved franchise again.
2:55 Hamrlik goes down as if SHOT. GET UP! Here comes Cammalleri, Montreal trying to nurse RIDICULOUS calls out of the referees. Just a great hit in the Montreal zone and Hamrlik trying to dive for a penalty.
OK, first thing. If it is such a great hit, then how is he diving? If a hit is hard enough, the guy is supposed to go down. The video on Yahoo! cuts it off, but you can see the hit here. In that video Michael Ryder and Roman Hamrlik blatantly hit the boards and go down at the same time, yet somehow only Hamrlik is diving. He calls it a great hit, but Ryder is the one getting hit. I wonder how deep into his ass he had to go to pull that call out. Seriously, Ryder has the puck, Hamrlik comes up on him, gives him a shove and they both fall into the boards. Awkwardly too, right at the base of the boards where they don't give at all, but there's no respect for that, instead it's "GET UP." I'm willing to bet if he didn't play for Boston, Edwards would call Patrice Bergeron a wimp.
3:13 HE SCORES! P.K. SUBBAN GOES INTO THE NET AND MONTREAL CAN HEAD TO THE STREETS QUIET!
I know they're both the same color, but you're supposed to be excited when the puck goes in the net, not Subban. And who gets that excited over an empty net goal? If the goal seals the Stanley Cup then sure, scream all you want, but this is Game 3 of the quarterfinal. He's more excited than the first time a 13-year-old sees a naked girl.
Change your underwear and get over yourself.
I tweeted a link a few days ago from the Puck Daddy blog on Yahoo! Sports. But Twitter is not enough, this deserves a full blog post. The video shows Jack Edwards being his usual loud-mouthed, pretentious self. He is almost as bad at announcing as Mike Milbury is at being a GM. Let's break down the video.
0:53 He's (Benoit Pouliot) trying to make a name for himself here in the playoffs. He's lining up against Andrew Ference, he's a much bigger man and he's got a real tussle on his hands here. Going for a wrestle and Ference gets the takedown, no surprise.
The first part of that, when you read it, sounds like a complement, but Edwards is ripping on him. Since when is fighting someone bigger than you, trying to help out your team and give them some momentum, a bad thing? Pouliot should be lauded, instead Edwards slights him. And after that, is overcome with joy that Ference won the fight even though he was talking about how Pouliot is not a fighter literally seconds earlier. He should be commended for going after Ference who has 20 career fights compared to three for Pouliot.
Then Brick comes in talking about Pouliot's "gutless hit" moments before the fight. This after Edwards made such a big deal of Pouliot missing the hit. While watching the replay Brick was complaining the hit was from behind even though that very replay showed Pouliot making contact with the spoked B on the front of Johnny Boychuk's jersey.
2:02 Gives it away to Peverly, he scores. Rich Peverly, isn't that rich.
Wow, did you come up with that all by yourself? Because that's genius. Isn't that rich. His name is Rich. That took me a while to figure out, I guess it's just too complicated a connection for me.
2:42 The last time the Bruins had a three goal lead in the playoffs...I'm sorry, we had some kind of electrical interference I couldn't complete that sentence.
Well Jack, allow me to help you out there. The last time the Bruins had a three goal lead in the playoffs, they chocked badly, leading the the biggest collapse in sports history. Still don't remember? Yep, it did indeed happen and too many men on the ice burned your beloved franchise again.
2:55 Hamrlik goes down as if SHOT. GET UP! Here comes Cammalleri, Montreal trying to nurse RIDICULOUS calls out of the referees. Just a great hit in the Montreal zone and Hamrlik trying to dive for a penalty.
OK, first thing. If it is such a great hit, then how is he diving? If a hit is hard enough, the guy is supposed to go down. The video on Yahoo! cuts it off, but you can see the hit here. In that video Michael Ryder and Roman Hamrlik blatantly hit the boards and go down at the same time, yet somehow only Hamrlik is diving. He calls it a great hit, but Ryder is the one getting hit. I wonder how deep into his ass he had to go to pull that call out. Seriously, Ryder has the puck, Hamrlik comes up on him, gives him a shove and they both fall into the boards. Awkwardly too, right at the base of the boards where they don't give at all, but there's no respect for that, instead it's "GET UP." I'm willing to bet if he didn't play for Boston, Edwards would call Patrice Bergeron a wimp.
3:13 HE SCORES! P.K. SUBBAN GOES INTO THE NET AND MONTREAL CAN HEAD TO THE STREETS QUIET!
I know they're both the same color, but you're supposed to be excited when the puck goes in the net, not Subban. And who gets that excited over an empty net goal? If the goal seals the Stanley Cup then sure, scream all you want, but this is Game 3 of the quarterfinal. He's more excited than the first time a 13-year-old sees a naked girl.
Change your underwear and get over yourself.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Thoughts From The First Weekend Of Playoff Action
- If Ovechkin really want to have an impact these playoffs, he needs to go to the net more. His attempts to shoot the puck past everyone from beyond the faceoff circles isn't working and it probably won't do him any good any time soon, especially on a goalie like King Henrik. If he is going to end up on the scoreboard, he is going to have to crash the net with more regularity like he did in Game 1 and when he deflected a goal in during Game 3. Teams have learned to get in the way of his shots, limiting his effectiveness. He needs to start scoring goals from 3-5 feet from the net or the Caps are going to underacheive again.
- Martin St-Louis, despite his 5-foot-8 and 176 pound frame, easily one of the toughest and strongest players in the league. He's the first player this year to show why hockey players are the toughest, especially come playoff time. After taking a stick to the face from Pittsburgh's Zbynek Michalek, he underwent a double root canal and played two nights later. He didn't hold back either as he led the charge for the Lightning, ending the night with a goal and two points, both of which came on the power play. In true hockey player form, he played down his effort in the post-game interview, saying he was more motivated by being down by a game than trying to avenge his injury on which there was no penalty called.
- Seven inches taller and 46 pounds heavier than St-Louis, Detroit's Johan Franzen took a hit from Shane Doan in the first period of their Game 2 matchup and went headfirst into the boards and opening a cut that took 23 stitches to close. The crowd showed their appreciation when he came back with a bandage on his forehead and a bloody nose and took a brief skate just to stretch out a little. They roared again when he led a rush a few minutes later. Later, he took a facewash from Doan and didn't even flinch as he crashed the net like usual.
- Speaking of Doan, I really wish he played in a market where more people could watch him. I haven't seen him too often myself; I have read plenty of good things about him, but it wasn't until Game 2 that I realized just how good he is. He played a tremendous physical game and nearly single-handedly brought the Coyotes back when they were down four goals, registering two goals and three points before their comeback attempt fell short. He deserves to play somewhere more than 12,208 people can appreciate what he can do. Some place like, say, I don't know...Winnipeg.
- After losing John Madden, Adam Burish, Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager, many thought the Blackhawks would be able to overcome their sudden loss of depth. After all, they have one of the best cores in the NHL with Jonathan Toews, Patricks Kane and Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The Canucks have been exposing the rest of the Hawks, flying all over the ice and causing last year's champs to run around, often looking lost. They 14 players signed for next season and only $8.4 million to sign the rest, so they will have the same issues next season. One place they really needs to spend money on though is a goalie not named Marty Turco. I have a hard time beleiving they won't keep Corey Crawford, but they need a reliable veteran to give him a break. He started 27 consecutive games down the stretch as they didn't trust Turco and his .897 save percentage, but now he looks tired and is not inspiring the confidence in the team Antti Niemi did last season.
- Brent Seabrook took two hits worthy of following the NHL's new concussion protocol and spending 15 minutes in a quiet room for diagnosis. He didn't go after the first one and you could clearly see him and one of the officials talking about the hit on the ice. One of the criticisms of the rule was what would happen in the playoffs when a team's best player may have to be out at a critical moment of a game. I'm sure Canucks management were upset to see Seabrook out there but that is what happens when you have a subjective rule like that. However, it is great to see some progression and even if the rule needs some tweaks, they are certainly going in the right direction.
- Lastly, here is a quote from Flyers coach Peter Laviolette after Game 2 against Buffalo. I believe it sums up the playoffs perfectly. "As far as that emotion and intensity you're talking about, it's called the Stanley Cup. And it's worth fighting for."
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
The March Madness Method
It was brought to my attention right before the March Madness tournament this year that there are plenty of people who fill out brackets even though they know very little about college basketball. They don't know enough to pick the winners by the best team, so a popular method is to choose by which mascot can defeat the other. For example, when UCONN Huskies and Butler Bulldogs faced off in the Championship, you would have to decided who would win in a fight, a husky or a bulldog. Clearly, by this method, that would be a very close game (for the record I know UCONN won and the game was last week, I'm just using this as a for-instance. Also, I can't believe I'm writing about basketball at the moment).
I thought it would be an interesting idea to try this with the Stanley Cup playoffs. So here is how the playoffs will turnout if the teams with the most dominant nicknames win. For the record, I was 12 of 16 in predicting playoff teams including five of six division winners (everyone but Philly, I chose Pittsburgh) and seven teams in the exact position they finished (Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Vancouver, Phoenix, Calgary and Edmonton).
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
1. Washington Capitals vs. 8. New York Rangers
This first series poses a problem that will come up a few times and that is what exactly is the nickname. A capital is more of a symbol than anything else, but since their secondary logo features an eagle, I'm going to go with that. A Ranger to me brings up images of an Army Ranger. This will be a hard-fought series as both are incredibly proud. The Capitals may not be that big, but they are fierce and if you enter their territory uninvited, you will be in trouble. Plus they can fly like the wind and have amazing vision that can spot even the smallest openings. The Rangers have technology at their disposal, but if they have vision anywhere near an eagle, that's good for them. However, they definitely have an edge in coordination and teamwork as well as a number of tools at their disposal.
Result: In a series that goes the distance, the Rangers pull off the right attack at the right time and comes away victorious - Rangers in seven.
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 7. Buffalo Sabres
Once again, what exactly is a Flyer? Their speed and power conjures up images of fighter jets and that will go up against...a sword? A sabre is a highly finesse weapon and when used correctly, can inflict lethal damage. But can it fly? If I have a fighter pilot bearing down on me, guns blazing, I want a little more than a sword on my side.
Result: It doesn't matter who is guiding the Sabres, the Flyers, with a barrage of high-tech weapons, will make quick work of them - Flyers in five.
3. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Montreal Canadiens
A proud province versus a bad bear. Bruins are ferocious, powerful and massive and can physically dominate opponents without batting an eye. There's not much you can do to come away in one piece other than run the other way. Then you have the French-Canadiens. If there's one group crazy enough to take on a bruin, its them; remember these people burn police cars when they win the first round. They will definitely not back down from this battle and will bring plenty of reinforcements. However, they are definitely known more for their elegance than their power and will most certainly have trouble with the bruins' claws.
Result: They won't go down easy, but the Canadiens simply lack the brute strength and savageness of a bruin - Bruins in six.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5. Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning lives by the quick-strike attack. You can easily miss it; blink and you're done. A penguin is among the toughest animals on earth. They withstand the most extreme conditions in the Antarctic where few other animals can possibly survive, but their strength is nearly all defense while the Lightning is a powerful offensive force. Penguins can deal with freezing cold, but extreme heat is way out of their element.
Result: One of the most powerful forces of nature going up against a bird that can't fly? Easy - Lightning in five.
Western Conference Quarterfinals
1. Vancouver Canucks vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks
Here we have English-speaking Canadians and a fictional WWII hero against an actual WWI infantry division. Johnny canuck may have defeated a cartoon version of Hitler, but the original Black Hawks were true heroes.
Result: An actual army? C'mon, no contest - Blackhawks in four.
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 7. Los Angeles Kings
A shark may be the greatest predator in the world. They not only inflict a ton of damage themselves, but they can smell something wounded a mile away. They strike fast and hard and when they have you in their grip, rarely are you coming back. A king has the respect of everyone and can control armies. However I don't think swimming is a major qualifier for being a king which give a shark a bit of an edge in the water.
Result: Royalty may have people who will do anything for them, but fighting a shark is probably not one of them - Sharks in five.
3. Detroit Red Wings vs. 6. Phoenix Coyotes
It's something that can fly, but what it is specifically isn't known. I have a feeling if it were something dangerous like and eagle or hawk, they would say so rather than covering it up with the car back story of Detroit. A coyote is a scavenger and while it may not be one to openly attack something while it is at full strength, but it knows how to survive.
Result: The Red Wings have the advantage of flight, but the Yotes are used to surviving difficult situations in the desert - Coyotes in seven.
4. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5. Nashville Predators
Ducks are simple creatures and unless you're hiding bread from them, they won't bother you much. A sabre-tooth tiger was one of the greatest hunters back in the day and even if it is one against an entire flock, ducks won't do much more than annoy it.
Result: Ducks fly together...then get eaten by sabre-tooth tigers together - Predators in four.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8. New York Rangers
This is a tough one. One one hand you have an air attack dropping bombs on the ground, on the other you have the army launching land-to-air rockets back at them. I'm sure the ground defenses are fine, but the speed and ability to fly have to be an advantage in this series.
This is going to be a hard series to win, but you have to give the advantage to the one that flys - Flyers in seven.
3. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
As vicious as bruins are, its hard to believe they can do much against lightning. They will certainly offer more of a fight than a penguin, but attempting to claw at the hottest element on the planet most likely won't end well.
Result: Much like the Penguins series lightning is just too powerful - Lightning in six.
Western Conference Semifinals
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks
Each of these teams have a solid attack and a tough defense. The advantage comes in where the fight is. A shark, as skillful a hunter as they are, won't have much of an effect on land. Once in the water however, it's the U.S.S. Indianapolis all over again. This infantry division will find out the hard way
Result: This series will come down to home ice advantage - Sharks in seven.
5. Nashville Predators vs. 6. Phoenix Coyotes
Desert dogs may be scrappy, but how will they handle a 900 pound cat with fangs? My guess is not very well. Coyotes can gang up on them and chip away here and there, but their attack is weak compared to the Predators.
Result: They will just be too powerful to handle - Predators in five.
Eastern Conference Final
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
The most explosive force nature has to offer against the very best of human ingenuity makes for a great series. Surely modern aviation technology can absorb most lightning strikes, but when is enough enough? Flyers can take hit after hit, but something will go askew somewhere.
Result: It may take a while, but lightning will eventually cripple the Flyers - Lightning in seven.
Western Conference Final
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 5. Nashville Predators
These are two of the top hunters in history. In terms of attack and defense, these teams are evenly matched. It all comes down who can go into the other team's territory and come out on top. The Sharks have home ice in the series which will certainly help. However, a tiger has been known to take down animals that rule the water while sharks aren't known to go on land.
Result: San Jose can't win in Nashville, but Nashville can steal a win in San Jose - Predators in six.
Stanley Cup Final
5. Nashville Predators vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
The final matchup is intense. Lightning continues with white-hot offense while these tigers have survived some of the harshest conditions in history. They should be able to take anything the Lightning can throw at them. They should also be able to dish out a healthy attack of their own, probably the best one the Lightning have seen all playoffs. This will be an epic duel featuring two of the top forces nature has ever had to offer.
Result: Predators may have been one of the top carnivores in history, but nature eventually won over and it will happen again as an extremely lethal attack carries the Lightning to the Cup - Lightning in seven.
I thought it would be an interesting idea to try this with the Stanley Cup playoffs. So here is how the playoffs will turnout if the teams with the most dominant nicknames win. For the record, I was 12 of 16 in predicting playoff teams including five of six division winners (everyone but Philly, I chose Pittsburgh) and seven teams in the exact position they finished (Washington, Boston, Atlanta, Vancouver, Phoenix, Calgary and Edmonton).
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
1. Washington Capitals vs. 8. New York Rangers
This first series poses a problem that will come up a few times and that is what exactly is the nickname. A capital is more of a symbol than anything else, but since their secondary logo features an eagle, I'm going to go with that. A Ranger to me brings up images of an Army Ranger. This will be a hard-fought series as both are incredibly proud. The Capitals may not be that big, but they are fierce and if you enter their territory uninvited, you will be in trouble. Plus they can fly like the wind and have amazing vision that can spot even the smallest openings. The Rangers have technology at their disposal, but if they have vision anywhere near an eagle, that's good for them. However, they definitely have an edge in coordination and teamwork as well as a number of tools at their disposal.
Result: In a series that goes the distance, the Rangers pull off the right attack at the right time and comes away victorious - Rangers in seven.
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 7. Buffalo Sabres
Once again, what exactly is a Flyer? Their speed and power conjures up images of fighter jets and that will go up against...a sword? A sabre is a highly finesse weapon and when used correctly, can inflict lethal damage. But can it fly? If I have a fighter pilot bearing down on me, guns blazing, I want a little more than a sword on my side.
Result: It doesn't matter who is guiding the Sabres, the Flyers, with a barrage of high-tech weapons, will make quick work of them - Flyers in five.
3. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Montreal Canadiens
A proud province versus a bad bear. Bruins are ferocious, powerful and massive and can physically dominate opponents without batting an eye. There's not much you can do to come away in one piece other than run the other way. Then you have the French-Canadiens. If there's one group crazy enough to take on a bruin, its them; remember these people burn police cars when they win the first round. They will definitely not back down from this battle and will bring plenty of reinforcements. However, they are definitely known more for their elegance than their power and will most certainly have trouble with the bruins' claws.
Result: They won't go down easy, but the Canadiens simply lack the brute strength and savageness of a bruin - Bruins in six.
4. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. 5. Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning lives by the quick-strike attack. You can easily miss it; blink and you're done. A penguin is among the toughest animals on earth. They withstand the most extreme conditions in the Antarctic where few other animals can possibly survive, but their strength is nearly all defense while the Lightning is a powerful offensive force. Penguins can deal with freezing cold, but extreme heat is way out of their element.
Result: One of the most powerful forces of nature going up against a bird that can't fly? Easy - Lightning in five.
Western Conference Quarterfinals
1. Vancouver Canucks vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks
Here we have English-speaking Canadians and a fictional WWII hero against an actual WWI infantry division. Johnny canuck may have defeated a cartoon version of Hitler, but the original Black Hawks were true heroes.
Result: An actual army? C'mon, no contest - Blackhawks in four.
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 7. Los Angeles Kings
A shark may be the greatest predator in the world. They not only inflict a ton of damage themselves, but they can smell something wounded a mile away. They strike fast and hard and when they have you in their grip, rarely are you coming back. A king has the respect of everyone and can control armies. However I don't think swimming is a major qualifier for being a king which give a shark a bit of an edge in the water.
Result: Royalty may have people who will do anything for them, but fighting a shark is probably not one of them - Sharks in five.
3. Detroit Red Wings vs. 6. Phoenix Coyotes
It's something that can fly, but what it is specifically isn't known. I have a feeling if it were something dangerous like and eagle or hawk, they would say so rather than covering it up with the car back story of Detroit. A coyote is a scavenger and while it may not be one to openly attack something while it is at full strength, but it knows how to survive.
Result: The Red Wings have the advantage of flight, but the Yotes are used to surviving difficult situations in the desert - Coyotes in seven.
4. Anaheim Ducks vs. 5. Nashville Predators
Ducks are simple creatures and unless you're hiding bread from them, they won't bother you much. A sabre-tooth tiger was one of the greatest hunters back in the day and even if it is one against an entire flock, ducks won't do much more than annoy it.
Result: Ducks fly together...then get eaten by sabre-tooth tigers together - Predators in four.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 8. New York Rangers
This is a tough one. One one hand you have an air attack dropping bombs on the ground, on the other you have the army launching land-to-air rockets back at them. I'm sure the ground defenses are fine, but the speed and ability to fly have to be an advantage in this series.
This is going to be a hard series to win, but you have to give the advantage to the one that flys - Flyers in seven.
3. Boston Bruins vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
As vicious as bruins are, its hard to believe they can do much against lightning. They will certainly offer more of a fight than a penguin, but attempting to claw at the hottest element on the planet most likely won't end well.
Result: Much like the Penguins series lightning is just too powerful - Lightning in six.
Western Conference Semifinals
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 8. Chicago Blackhawks
Each of these teams have a solid attack and a tough defense. The advantage comes in where the fight is. A shark, as skillful a hunter as they are, won't have much of an effect on land. Once in the water however, it's the U.S.S. Indianapolis all over again. This infantry division will find out the hard way
Result: This series will come down to home ice advantage - Sharks in seven.
5. Nashville Predators vs. 6. Phoenix Coyotes
Desert dogs may be scrappy, but how will they handle a 900 pound cat with fangs? My guess is not very well. Coyotes can gang up on them and chip away here and there, but their attack is weak compared to the Predators.
Result: They will just be too powerful to handle - Predators in five.
Eastern Conference Final
2. Philadelphia Flyers vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
The most explosive force nature has to offer against the very best of human ingenuity makes for a great series. Surely modern aviation technology can absorb most lightning strikes, but when is enough enough? Flyers can take hit after hit, but something will go askew somewhere.
Result: It may take a while, but lightning will eventually cripple the Flyers - Lightning in seven.
Western Conference Final
2. San Jose Sharks vs. 5. Nashville Predators
These are two of the top hunters in history. In terms of attack and defense, these teams are evenly matched. It all comes down who can go into the other team's territory and come out on top. The Sharks have home ice in the series which will certainly help. However, a tiger has been known to take down animals that rule the water while sharks aren't known to go on land.
Result: San Jose can't win in Nashville, but Nashville can steal a win in San Jose - Predators in six.
Stanley Cup Final
5. Nashville Predators vs. 6. Tampa Bay Lightning
The final matchup is intense. Lightning continues with white-hot offense while these tigers have survived some of the harshest conditions in history. They should be able to take anything the Lightning can throw at them. They should also be able to dish out a healthy attack of their own, probably the best one the Lightning have seen all playoffs. This will be an epic duel featuring two of the top forces nature has ever had to offer.
Result: Predators may have been one of the top carnivores in history, but nature eventually won over and it will happen again as an extremely lethal attack carries the Lightning to the Cup - Lightning in seven.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
Team MVPs - Western Conference
Central Division
Detroit Red Wings - Nicklas Lidstrom
Where would the Wings be without Lidstrom's steady influence? The soon-to-be-41-year-old is second on the team with 62 points and still plays over 23 minutes a night. His hot start (3 goals, 20 points in 18 games) is a big reason Detroit didn't find itself in a battle to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Runners up: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg.
Playoffs: The big question mark here is goaltending. Jimmy Howard has had an average season and it is highly unlikely Chris Osgood will be able to deliver like he did in the Springs of 2008 and 2009. Unless he improves his play in a hurry, don't expect Detroit to be much of a threat. Unless Johan Franzen gets out of his funk, they may not reach the Conference final.
Nashville Predators - Pekka Rinne
If it weren't for Tim Thomas, Rinne would be the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy. In 63 games, he is second in save percentage (.930), third in goals-against average (2.12) and fifth in shutouts (six). He sees an average of 30 shots a game and receives little goal support (Nashville's 2.63 goals per game is 21st in the NHL) making he performance much more meaningful. Runners up: Shea Weber, Ryan Suter.
Playoffs: Rinne is going to have to be even better as it gets harder to score in the playoffs. They had the chance to put Chicago on the ropes last year, but allowed a shorthanded goal to tie Game 4 while on a five-minute power play. Surely that will motivate them. Their defense, lead by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter had better be nasty if they hope to win a round for the first time in their history. If they play Phoenix in the fird round they'll have trouble, but if they face Los Angeles, they should be able to take advantage of injuries to Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.
Chicago Blackhawks - Jonathan Toews
With the Hawks in danger of not making the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup last season. Then their captain went on a run with 13 goals and 39 points in 24 games; they went 14-6-4 over that span and can clinch a playoff spot with a point tomorrow against Detroit. He is more than just points as he leads Hawks forwards in plus-minus (plus-25) and ice time (20:44) and is fifth in the league in percentage of team draws taken (35.4%), winning winning 56.7% of them, the best winning percentage of any player in the top 10 in team draws taken. Runners up: Patrick Sharp, Corey Crawford.
Playoffs: It looks as though they will play Vancouver in the first round, a best-case scenario for them as they defeated the Canucks in each of the past two Springs. They are going in with momentum and while defeating the Canucks won't be easy, should they get past the first round they can certainly do some damage. As the eighth seed, Edmonton made the Stanley Cup final in 2006 and Montreal made the eastern Conference final last season and the Hawks are way better than each of those teams.
St. Louis Blues - David Backes
It was a disappointing season for the Blues as injuries derailed a promising start. Backes was one of the lone bright spots, returning to 30-goal form and leading the team in plus-minus (plus-30) by 13 points. He was physical, leading the team with 211 hits and is third with 93 PIM while taking nearly a quarter of the faceoffs. The 2010 Olympian is also one of only two players to play in every game. Runners up: Andy McDonald, Jaroslav Halak.
Offseason: They need to get a veteran defender. They have good young defensemen, but Barrett Jackman and Carlo Colaiacovo are the only two who have played at least 300 games. they will benefit largely from having a healthy forward unit as five forward missed significant time, including David Perron who only got into 10 games, scoring five goals.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Rick Nash
He's gonna get help one of these years. Until he does, it's up to Nash to do everything for the Jackets. He led the team in goals (32), assists (34), GWG (7), shots (305), take aways (47), even strength (14:59) and power play (3:39) time on ice for forwards. Runners up: R. J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette.
Offseason: They need a number one center more than any other team in the league. They also need scoring depth and defense. Steve Mason wasn't terrible this year so they will probably hold on goaltending.
Northwest Division
Vancouver Canucks - Daniel Sedin
Pretty much anything you need to know can be found here. Runners up: Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler
Playoffs: If the don't get to at least the Western Conference final this year, they will almost certainly be labeled as chokers along with San Jose, Washington and Ottawa in years past. Losing Manny Malhotra will hurt, but they have Ryan Kesler who is more than capable of stepping into the checking role. The West is an extremely tough conference, but the Cancusk look like they are primed to go on a serious run.
Calgary Flames - Jarome Iginla
Iginla has 15 more goals and 17 more points than the next closest Flame. Take away his poor start and he has 40 goals in just 66 games, a 50-goal pace. He more than doubles the next closest player in power play goals (13) and plays two more minutes per game than any other forward at even strength (16:50). The Flames have gone 21-8-5 since Jan. 21 to get within sniffing distance of a playoff spot with Iginla scoring 23 goals and 43 points in those 34 games. Runners up: Alex Tanguay, Miikka Kiprusoff.
Offseason: They only have $6 million to work with, so it might be a better idea to not go after many free agents. Spending too much money for a quick fix will only mean many more years of mediocrity. It starts with the draft this year which is extremely important as the Flames are ranked 27th in THN's Future Watch for the team with the best prospects.
Minnesota Wild - Mikko Koivu
Koivu is one of only three players to have a positive plus-minus for the Wild this year. He leads the team with 43 assists, 21 power play points and 0.86 points per game and all forwards in ice time (19:29). He plays in every situation as only Matt Cullen is also among the top five in power play and shorthanded ice time. Runners up: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns.
Offseason: Their top three defensemen of Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky and Nick Schultz aren't bad, but it gets pretty thin after that. They are 25th in shots against per game (32). They also need a goal-scoring winger to play with Koivu to improve their 2.44 goals per game.
Colorado Avalanche - Matt Duchene
This was a tough one as not a single regular finished the season with a positive plus-minus. Runners up: Paul Stastny, John-Michael Liles.
Offseason: They need to start a rebuild this summer. With Duchene and Stastny, they have the potential to have one of the best one-two punches at center in the league and should Erik Johnson develop like he was supposed to in St. Louis, he could be their defensive anchor for years to come. They need to find a goalie, they were spoiled getting Patrick Roy in the first year of the franchise and haven't found a suitable replacement since he retired in 2003.
Edmonton Oilers - Taylor Hall
The first pick of 2010 was on his way to a very good rookie season before getting hurt in a fight. His negative-9 rating was respectable for a first-year player on a bad team. despite missing a number of games, he leads the Oilers in power play goals (eight), shots (186), and is third among forwards in time on ice (18:12). This most certainly would have went to Ryan Whitney who had two goals, 27 points and a plus-13 before getting injured and playing just 35 games. Runners up: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Whitney.
Offseason: They are rebuilding and it looks as though they have a solid core of forwards to work with and Devan Dubnyk's save percentage of .916 shows promise in net. Should they get the number one pick, they should use it on Adam Larsson, a defenseman playing in Sweden. They were horrible in their own end this season, 28th in goals-against per game (3.16) and 21st in shots-against per game (31.8).
Pacific Division
San Jose Sharks - Logan Couture
Couture was second with a plus-19 and only Patrick Marleau had more goals, power play goals and game winning goals, but it was Couture who carried the team early in the season when all the veterans were struggling. He was very consistent and not counting April, he only had fewer than four goals in a month once. Runners up: Patrick Marleau, Antti Niemi.
Playoffs: THN's Ryan Kennedy pointed out in a blog the Sharks below average regular season could mean a strong playoff. They now have a goaltender who has on the Stanley Cup and have faced long-term adversity for the first time in years. They could easily make the Conference final or the second consecutive year.
Phoenix Coyotes - Keith Yandle
Yandle has led the Yotes in scoring for most of the season and will most likely be a Norris candidate. He leads the Coyotes and is second among league defensemen with 48 assists and is tops on the team in ice time by almost three minutes (24:20). He was consistent all season and helped the team that finished 24th in offense last season climb to 13th this year. Runners up: Ilya Bryzgalov, Shane Doan
Playoffs: The Coyotes are hoping to win just the second playoff round in their history and first since 1985 when they were the Winnipeg Jets. Their offense has greatly improved and though their defense dropped slightly, they should be in good shape to play to Game 8 this Spring.
Los Angeles Kings - Jonathan Quick
The Kings didn't have a whole lot in the way of offense this season, finishing 24th in the league with 2.54 goals per game. Quick is fourth in the league in goals-against average (2.23), 11th in save percentage (.919), fifth in shutouts (six) and ninth in wins (35). With 60 games played, only Tim Thomas, Tomas Vokoun (56 each), Jonas Hiller (49) and James Reimer (34) have played fewer games among goalies ranked higher than Quick in those categories. Runners up: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown.
Playoffs: They did a good job at not burning out Quick during the regular season, so he should be refreshed for the playoffs. Losing Kopitar and Williams to injury is a big blow. Kopitar is their best skater and Williams is one of only two players with a Stanley Cup ring. According to rotoworld.com, Kopitar is still out for another four weeks, but Williams could be back in round one.
Anaheim Ducks - Corey Perry
Perry bested his career high in goals by 18 to become the only 50 goal scorer of the season. Of those, he had a team leading 11 game-winning goals, 4 shorthanded goals and was second with 14 power play goals. He also plays more than any other Ducks forward (22:13 per game) and is second on the team overall. HIs 25 goals in the past 29 games is a big reason the Ducks were able to overcome Hiller's vertigo and secure a playoff spot. Runners up: Teemu Selanne, Jonas Hiller.
Playoffs: The status of both Hiller and Ray Emery is unknown, but with the best line in hockey (Ryan, Getzlaf, Perry), they should be a challenge for whatever top-ranked team they face in the first round. They were able to upset the President's Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in the first round of 2009 and don't be surprised if they can do it again this year.
Dallas Stars - Brad Richards
Every game is important to the Stars as they have been on the bubble for most of the season, so when Richards went down with an injury, its no surprise they lost the first four games without him. Points lost in those game could mean the difference between making the playoffs and playing golf next week. Richards has a career high 27 goals while playing in a career low 71 games. He leads the team with 75 points, 21 power play assists, 5:19 minutes per game on the power play and is first among forwards with 21:42 played per game. Runners up: Loui Eriksson, Brenden Morrow.
Playoffs: Should they make it in, it is hard to believe they will do much damage. While Richards is a Conn Smythe winner, Kari Lehtonen only has two games of playoff experience when he went 0-2 with a 5.59 goals-against average and .849 save percentage against the Rangers in 2007. It would be surprising to see them win a round.
Detroit Red Wings - Nicklas Lidstrom
Where would the Wings be without Lidstrom's steady influence? The soon-to-be-41-year-old is second on the team with 62 points and still plays over 23 minutes a night. His hot start (3 goals, 20 points in 18 games) is a big reason Detroit didn't find itself in a battle to make the playoffs for the second straight year. Runners up: Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg.
Playoffs: The big question mark here is goaltending. Jimmy Howard has had an average season and it is highly unlikely Chris Osgood will be able to deliver like he did in the Springs of 2008 and 2009. Unless he improves his play in a hurry, don't expect Detroit to be much of a threat. Unless Johan Franzen gets out of his funk, they may not reach the Conference final.
Nashville Predators - Pekka Rinne
If it weren't for Tim Thomas, Rinne would be the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy. In 63 games, he is second in save percentage (.930), third in goals-against average (2.12) and fifth in shutouts (six). He sees an average of 30 shots a game and receives little goal support (Nashville's 2.63 goals per game is 21st in the NHL) making he performance much more meaningful. Runners up: Shea Weber, Ryan Suter.
Playoffs: Rinne is going to have to be even better as it gets harder to score in the playoffs. They had the chance to put Chicago on the ropes last year, but allowed a shorthanded goal to tie Game 4 while on a five-minute power play. Surely that will motivate them. Their defense, lead by Shea Weber and Ryan Suter had better be nasty if they hope to win a round for the first time in their history. If they play Phoenix in the fird round they'll have trouble, but if they face Los Angeles, they should be able to take advantage of injuries to Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams.
Chicago Blackhawks - Jonathan Toews
With the Hawks in danger of not making the playoffs after winning the Stanley Cup last season. Then their captain went on a run with 13 goals and 39 points in 24 games; they went 14-6-4 over that span and can clinch a playoff spot with a point tomorrow against Detroit. He is more than just points as he leads Hawks forwards in plus-minus (plus-25) and ice time (20:44) and is fifth in the league in percentage of team draws taken (35.4%), winning winning 56.7% of them, the best winning percentage of any player in the top 10 in team draws taken. Runners up: Patrick Sharp, Corey Crawford.
Playoffs: It looks as though they will play Vancouver in the first round, a best-case scenario for them as they defeated the Canucks in each of the past two Springs. They are going in with momentum and while defeating the Canucks won't be easy, should they get past the first round they can certainly do some damage. As the eighth seed, Edmonton made the Stanley Cup final in 2006 and Montreal made the eastern Conference final last season and the Hawks are way better than each of those teams.
St. Louis Blues - David Backes
It was a disappointing season for the Blues as injuries derailed a promising start. Backes was one of the lone bright spots, returning to 30-goal form and leading the team in plus-minus (plus-30) by 13 points. He was physical, leading the team with 211 hits and is third with 93 PIM while taking nearly a quarter of the faceoffs. The 2010 Olympian is also one of only two players to play in every game. Runners up: Andy McDonald, Jaroslav Halak.
Offseason: They need to get a veteran defender. They have good young defensemen, but Barrett Jackman and Carlo Colaiacovo are the only two who have played at least 300 games. they will benefit largely from having a healthy forward unit as five forward missed significant time, including David Perron who only got into 10 games, scoring five goals.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Rick Nash
He's gonna get help one of these years. Until he does, it's up to Nash to do everything for the Jackets. He led the team in goals (32), assists (34), GWG (7), shots (305), take aways (47), even strength (14:59) and power play (3:39) time on ice for forwards. Runners up: R. J. Umberger, Antoine Vermette.
Offseason: They need a number one center more than any other team in the league. They also need scoring depth and defense. Steve Mason wasn't terrible this year so they will probably hold on goaltending.
Northwest Division
Vancouver Canucks - Daniel Sedin
Pretty much anything you need to know can be found here. Runners up: Roberto Luongo, Ryan Kesler
Playoffs: If the don't get to at least the Western Conference final this year, they will almost certainly be labeled as chokers along with San Jose, Washington and Ottawa in years past. Losing Manny Malhotra will hurt, but they have Ryan Kesler who is more than capable of stepping into the checking role. The West is an extremely tough conference, but the Cancusk look like they are primed to go on a serious run.
Calgary Flames - Jarome Iginla
Iginla has 15 more goals and 17 more points than the next closest Flame. Take away his poor start and he has 40 goals in just 66 games, a 50-goal pace. He more than doubles the next closest player in power play goals (13) and plays two more minutes per game than any other forward at even strength (16:50). The Flames have gone 21-8-5 since Jan. 21 to get within sniffing distance of a playoff spot with Iginla scoring 23 goals and 43 points in those 34 games. Runners up: Alex Tanguay, Miikka Kiprusoff.
Offseason: They only have $6 million to work with, so it might be a better idea to not go after many free agents. Spending too much money for a quick fix will only mean many more years of mediocrity. It starts with the draft this year which is extremely important as the Flames are ranked 27th in THN's Future Watch for the team with the best prospects.
Minnesota Wild - Mikko Koivu
Koivu is one of only three players to have a positive plus-minus for the Wild this year. He leads the team with 43 assists, 21 power play points and 0.86 points per game and all forwards in ice time (19:29). He plays in every situation as only Matt Cullen is also among the top five in power play and shorthanded ice time. Runners up: Martin Havlat, Brent Burns.
Offseason: Their top three defensemen of Brent Burns, Marek Zidlicky and Nick Schultz aren't bad, but it gets pretty thin after that. They are 25th in shots against per game (32). They also need a goal-scoring winger to play with Koivu to improve their 2.44 goals per game.
Colorado Avalanche - Matt Duchene
This was a tough one as not a single regular finished the season with a positive plus-minus. Runners up: Paul Stastny, John-Michael Liles.
Offseason: They need to start a rebuild this summer. With Duchene and Stastny, they have the potential to have one of the best one-two punches at center in the league and should Erik Johnson develop like he was supposed to in St. Louis, he could be their defensive anchor for years to come. They need to find a goalie, they were spoiled getting Patrick Roy in the first year of the franchise and haven't found a suitable replacement since he retired in 2003.
Edmonton Oilers - Taylor Hall
The first pick of 2010 was on his way to a very good rookie season before getting hurt in a fight. His negative-9 rating was respectable for a first-year player on a bad team. despite missing a number of games, he leads the Oilers in power play goals (eight), shots (186), and is third among forwards in time on ice (18:12). This most certainly would have went to Ryan Whitney who had two goals, 27 points and a plus-13 before getting injured and playing just 35 games. Runners up: Jordan Eberle, Ryan Whitney.
Offseason: They are rebuilding and it looks as though they have a solid core of forwards to work with and Devan Dubnyk's save percentage of .916 shows promise in net. Should they get the number one pick, they should use it on Adam Larsson, a defenseman playing in Sweden. They were horrible in their own end this season, 28th in goals-against per game (3.16) and 21st in shots-against per game (31.8).
Pacific Division
San Jose Sharks - Logan Couture
Couture was second with a plus-19 and only Patrick Marleau had more goals, power play goals and game winning goals, but it was Couture who carried the team early in the season when all the veterans were struggling. He was very consistent and not counting April, he only had fewer than four goals in a month once. Runners up: Patrick Marleau, Antti Niemi.
Playoffs: THN's Ryan Kennedy pointed out in a blog the Sharks below average regular season could mean a strong playoff. They now have a goaltender who has on the Stanley Cup and have faced long-term adversity for the first time in years. They could easily make the Conference final or the second consecutive year.
Phoenix Coyotes - Keith Yandle
Yandle has led the Yotes in scoring for most of the season and will most likely be a Norris candidate. He leads the Coyotes and is second among league defensemen with 48 assists and is tops on the team in ice time by almost three minutes (24:20). He was consistent all season and helped the team that finished 24th in offense last season climb to 13th this year. Runners up: Ilya Bryzgalov, Shane Doan
Playoffs: The Coyotes are hoping to win just the second playoff round in their history and first since 1985 when they were the Winnipeg Jets. Their offense has greatly improved and though their defense dropped slightly, they should be in good shape to play to Game 8 this Spring.
Los Angeles Kings - Jonathan Quick
The Kings didn't have a whole lot in the way of offense this season, finishing 24th in the league with 2.54 goals per game. Quick is fourth in the league in goals-against average (2.23), 11th in save percentage (.919), fifth in shutouts (six) and ninth in wins (35). With 60 games played, only Tim Thomas, Tomas Vokoun (56 each), Jonas Hiller (49) and James Reimer (34) have played fewer games among goalies ranked higher than Quick in those categories. Runners up: Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown.
Playoffs: They did a good job at not burning out Quick during the regular season, so he should be refreshed for the playoffs. Losing Kopitar and Williams to injury is a big blow. Kopitar is their best skater and Williams is one of only two players with a Stanley Cup ring. According to rotoworld.com, Kopitar is still out for another four weeks, but Williams could be back in round one.
Anaheim Ducks - Corey Perry
Perry bested his career high in goals by 18 to become the only 50 goal scorer of the season. Of those, he had a team leading 11 game-winning goals, 4 shorthanded goals and was second with 14 power play goals. He also plays more than any other Ducks forward (22:13 per game) and is second on the team overall. HIs 25 goals in the past 29 games is a big reason the Ducks were able to overcome Hiller's vertigo and secure a playoff spot. Runners up: Teemu Selanne, Jonas Hiller.
Playoffs: The status of both Hiller and Ray Emery is unknown, but with the best line in hockey (Ryan, Getzlaf, Perry), they should be a challenge for whatever top-ranked team they face in the first round. They were able to upset the President's Trophy-winning San Jose Sharks in the first round of 2009 and don't be surprised if they can do it again this year.
Dallas Stars - Brad Richards
Every game is important to the Stars as they have been on the bubble for most of the season, so when Richards went down with an injury, its no surprise they lost the first four games without him. Points lost in those game could mean the difference between making the playoffs and playing golf next week. Richards has a career high 27 goals while playing in a career low 71 games. He leads the team with 75 points, 21 power play assists, 5:19 minutes per game on the power play and is first among forwards with 21:42 played per game. Runners up: Loui Eriksson, Brenden Morrow.
Playoffs: Should they make it in, it is hard to believe they will do much damage. While Richards is a Conn Smythe winner, Kari Lehtonen only has two games of playoff experience when he went 0-2 with a 5.59 goals-against average and .849 save percentage against the Rangers in 2007. It would be surprising to see them win a round.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Team MVPs - Eastern Conference
With the NHL season entering its final weekend, let's take a look at each team's MVP and what to expect in the playoffs. For those teams outside the top eight, I'll take a look at what they need to improve on in the offseason.
Atlantic Division
Philadelphia Flyers - Claude Giroux
This was a tough one because the Flyers don't rely on any one player in order to win. If Danny Briere gets shut down, then Mike Richards produces, or Jeff Carter, or Ville Leino, or...you get the idea. Each player has gone through their hot streaks, but Giroux has been the most consistent player all season leading the team with 51 assists and 76 points. He's the only one of their top five scorers to play in every game. Runners up: Mike Richards, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Playoffs: The Flyers are struggling, 2-4-4 in their past 10 games. They have only scored 2.4 goals per game in that span, off their season average of 3.08. Should they face Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers or Ryan Miller of the Sabres in the first round, they might be in trouble. Good news for them, Chris Pronger should be back for the first round, it's just a matter of when. Should this team get focused again, they can easily make it four years in a row with a Pennsylvania team in the final.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Marc-Andre Fleury
The pens had to change their philosophy after Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin went down, but their defensive approach wouldn't have mattered if Fleury wasn't able to hold down the fort. In 64 appearances, Fleury posted some of the best numbers of his career with a 35-20-5 record, 2.31 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Take away his terrible start and those numbers improve to 34-14-5, 2.15 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. He meant everything to this team considering their top three players have only played half a season each and their highest active scorer is Kris Letang with eight goals and 49 points. Runners up: Dan Bylsma, Sidney Crosby.
Playoffs: They are going to get home ice against Tampa Bay in the first round. With their newfound commitment to defense, they should have no problem against the slumping Steven Stamkos. Unless Crosby comes back however, their lack of depth, especially at center, will be exposed. With Sid, you can never count them out of making the Stanley Cup final. Without him, they will have a hard time winning two rounds.
New York Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist
King Henrik leads the league with 11 shutouts and while the Rangers offense isn't terrible, at 2.70 goals per game (17th in the league) they aren't great either. The Rangers only managed one goal in three of his shutouts and two in two others (one where the second goal was an empty-netter) so they clearly depend on him for wins more often than not. He is a wall every night in net and the driving force behind their season. Runners up: Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan.
Playoffs: They aren't certain to make the playoffs, but should they get in they could give a top-ranked team a lot of trouble in the first round. Lundqvist can win a round or two by himself, but losing Callahan with a broken ankle will hurt as he is first in points per game (0.80), second in hits (224), second among forwards in blocked shots (77) and third among forwards in take aways (42).
New Jersey Devils - Patrik Elias
One of the most overlooked and underrated players since 1999-2000, Elias' seven game point streak (3G, 8P) was the first sign of consistency in for the Devils all season and help ignite a run that saw them salvage a respectable season while being in shouting distance of the playoff race for a little bit. Like many of the Devils, he ended the season strongly, his hat trick against the Flyers on April 1 was his first since April 5, 2006. He not only provides the offense, but is the heart and soul of the Devils as well. Runners up: Jacques Lemaire, Johan Hedberg.
Offseason: Aside from convincing Jacques Lemaire to come back, the Devils need to shore up their defense. When Andy Greene and Henrik Tallinder lead the defense in ice time, you have a problem. They also need to find a replacement for Brodeur soon. Hedberg had a good year, but he is clearly not a long-term solution. Their offense should be fine. Expect bounceback seasons from Elias, Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and David Clarkson while Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson continue to develop.
New York Islanders - Michael Grabner
Grabner's second half (25 goals since Jan. 1) allowed the Islanders to escape a dreadful season with 30 wins. They were 13-4-1 when he scored during that streak and made them look dangerous for brief stretches. The Canucks and Panthers castoff was one of the few bright spots in the season. Runners up: John Tavares, Frans Nielson.
Summer: Where to begin? If Al Montoya can play like he did in limited action this year, their goaltending will be OK. They need help everywhere, especially on defense. Their top offensive players will be good, but they need more depth. Getting rid of Trevor Gillies would be a solid game plan too.
Northeast Division
Boston Bruins - Tim Thomas
Pretty much a no-brainer here. Thomas was the most dominant player for a strong Bruins team. While Tuukka Rask's stats weren't bad, but he finished with a sub-.500 record while Thomas had 34 wins in just 54 games. His numbers are even more amazing because only Carolina allowed more shots per game than Boston (32.7). Runners up: Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron.
Playoffs: The Bruins are going to be a fierce team and will certainly win a round, most likely two. The Bruins were fine until Krejci got hurt exposing their lack of offensive depth. This is Nathan Horton's first foray into the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how he handles it. They can't expect a surge of goals from Mark Recchi (his six last year was the most in four years and he's 43) and Miro Satan (unsigned, now playing in KHL). Despite one of the strongest overall defenses in the East, they are a Conference final team at best.
Montreal Canadiens - Carey Price
Price was one of the busiest goalies this season and he made the most of it making Habs fans forget about last year's hero Jaroslav Halak. Thanks to his strong play, Montreal had a much easier time making the playoffs this year. Their offense has dried up at times and they rank 24th in the league with 2.58 goals per game while allowing 31 shots per game. Runners up: Brian Gionta, P.K. Subban.
Playoffs: As good a regular season as they had, they will be hard-pressed to do much in the playoffs. The odds of Price repeating what Halak did last year are slim and they were recently shut out three games in a row. They could upset a team in the first round, but since they will most likely play the Bruins, that is unlikely.
Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Miller
He wasn't lights-out like he was last year, but Miller turned up his play when it mattered most. They went from a struggle to make the playoffs, now they only need one more point to secure a playoff spot. With Derek Roy out since game 35 and Thomas Vanek their only consistent scorer, they need Miller to be at his best and while he struggled early, his play in the past two months saved the Sabres from missing the playoffs for the third time in four years. Runners up: Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford.
Playoffs: Despite their late-season surge, the Sabres could be looking at a second consecutive first round loss. They are still too small to do much damage in the playoffs. Their only chance is for Miller to play like he did all last season, but even that likely won't be enough.
Toronto Maple Leafs - James Reimer
Reimer was the only reason the Leafs even got a sniff at the playoffs. He far outplayed J-S Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson and helped the Leafs to their best point total since 2006-07. He started winning almost instantly after being called up from the Marlies and the rookie gave the Leafs look respectable for three months. Runners up: Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel.
Offseason: They really need to work on their bottom six forwards. From the looks of things, they have plenty of players capable of filling the net on the top two lines, but they were exposed after that. They also need a number one center who can play with Kessel and feed him the way Savard did back in Boston.
Ottawa Senators - Craig Anderson
He has only played 18 games, but who else is there? On a team where only one regular finished with a positive plus-minus, bright spots were few and far between. Anderson has played great, posting a .939 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against average after coming over from Colorado. If nothing else, he got the team out of last place in the East. Runners up: Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson.
Offseason: In a word, everything. The rebuild is starting in Canada's capital and it may take a while. the interesting story to watch is what they do with Daniel Alfredsson. He wants to stay and don't get me wrong that's very noble of him, but it also may hurt the team like when Mats Sundin didn't accept a trade out of Toronto.
Southeast Division
Washington Capitals - Michal Neuvirth
Washington ditched their high-flying approach to the game this season in exchange for a philosophy that might get them some wins past April. Varlamov was hurt for a portion of the year and with only 22 games of experience prior to this season, Neuvirth held his own. He also had a much better winning percentage than Varlamov. Runners up: Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson
Playoffs: This is what they have been waiting for all season, the chance to see if their change into a defensive club works. They are 7-2-1 in their past ten and 15-2-1 since March 1. They are going in on fire and will have home ice in every round. The Caps definitely have the best chance to represent the East in the Stanley Cup final.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Martin St-Louis
Steven Stamkos seems like the obvious pick, but St-Louis is the driving force behind the Bolts. He's second in the league with 66 assists and the main reason Stamkos has at least 44 goals in each of the past two seasons. St-Louis leads the team in take aways and is second among forwards in blocked shots and only has 12 penalty minutes this season. Runners up: Steven Stamkos, Dwayne Roloson.
Playoffs: GM Steve Yzerman did a great job getting the Bolts back into the playoffs, but there is still work to be done. They don't quite have the defense or secondary scoring, so they will likely be out in the first round, second in a best case scenario.
Carolina Hurricanes - Cam Ward
No goalie has played more minutes this season and he really kept them from sinking early in the season. He faces more shots per game than anyone and still posted the best save percentage (.923) and second best goals-against average (2.56) of his career. Runners up: Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner.
Playoffs: They may still sneak into the eighth spot and while they won't be a pushover, don't expect much either. They don't have a lot of secondary scoring behind Stall and Skinner and their defense clearly needs work. Though Washington is more defensive this year, their firepower is still there and can get a lot of shots on Ward. If they do get in, they'll be out early.
Atlanta Thrashers - Dustin Byfuglien
'Big Buff' was spectacular in the first half of the season and while he ended on a sour note, was still the most important player for the Thrashers this season. He recorded his first 20 goal season after moving back to defense and as he went this season, so did the Thrashers. Byfuglien is second on the team in ice time (23:17) and hits(139), first in PIM (93), power play goals (eight) game-winning goals (six), shots (342) and take aways (85). Runners up: Tobias Enstrom, Ondrej Pavelec.
Offseason: Their defense isn't terrible, they just need a high-end scorer. Andrew Ladd, Nik Antropov and Blake Wheeler are good, but none of them are game-breakers. If they don't get someone in free agency, they have to depend on continued development from Anthony Stewart and Evander Kane and a return to 30-goal form for Bryan Little.
Florida Panthers - Tomas Vokoun
Take away Vokoun and this is by far the worst team in the NHL. Despite playing on a team that gave up the seventh most shots (31.9 per game) and scored the fourth fewest goals (2.35 goals per game), Vokoun had a respectable 21-28-5 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average. It's hard to say where this team would be without him because they certainly can't get much worse. Runners up: Stephen Weiss, David Booth.
Offseason: True, this has been going on for 11 years, but the Panthers are in rebuilding mode. They parted ways with a number of players and almost certainly won't keep Vokoun in the fold. They need help everywhere, plain and simple.
Atlantic Division
Philadelphia Flyers - Claude Giroux
This was a tough one because the Flyers don't rely on any one player in order to win. If Danny Briere gets shut down, then Mike Richards produces, or Jeff Carter, or Ville Leino, or...you get the idea. Each player has gone through their hot streaks, but Giroux has been the most consistent player all season leading the team with 51 assists and 76 points. He's the only one of their top five scorers to play in every game. Runners up: Mike Richards, Sergei Bobrovsky.
Playoffs: The Flyers are struggling, 2-4-4 in their past 10 games. They have only scored 2.4 goals per game in that span, off their season average of 3.08. Should they face Henrik Lundqvist of the Rangers or Ryan Miller of the Sabres in the first round, they might be in trouble. Good news for them, Chris Pronger should be back for the first round, it's just a matter of when. Should this team get focused again, they can easily make it four years in a row with a Pennsylvania team in the final.
Pittsburgh Penguins - Marc-Andre Fleury
The pens had to change their philosophy after Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin went down, but their defensive approach wouldn't have mattered if Fleury wasn't able to hold down the fort. In 64 appearances, Fleury posted some of the best numbers of his career with a 35-20-5 record, 2.31 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. Take away his terrible start and those numbers improve to 34-14-5, 2.15 goals-against average and .925 save percentage. He meant everything to this team considering their top three players have only played half a season each and their highest active scorer is Kris Letang with eight goals and 49 points. Runners up: Dan Bylsma, Sidney Crosby.
Playoffs: They are going to get home ice against Tampa Bay in the first round. With their newfound commitment to defense, they should have no problem against the slumping Steven Stamkos. Unless Crosby comes back however, their lack of depth, especially at center, will be exposed. With Sid, you can never count them out of making the Stanley Cup final. Without him, they will have a hard time winning two rounds.
New York Rangers - Henrik Lundqvist
King Henrik leads the league with 11 shutouts and while the Rangers offense isn't terrible, at 2.70 goals per game (17th in the league) they aren't great either. The Rangers only managed one goal in three of his shutouts and two in two others (one where the second goal was an empty-netter) so they clearly depend on him for wins more often than not. He is a wall every night in net and the driving force behind their season. Runners up: Brandon Dubinsky, Ryan Callahan.
Playoffs: They aren't certain to make the playoffs, but should they get in they could give a top-ranked team a lot of trouble in the first round. Lundqvist can win a round or two by himself, but losing Callahan with a broken ankle will hurt as he is first in points per game (0.80), second in hits (224), second among forwards in blocked shots (77) and third among forwards in take aways (42).
New Jersey Devils - Patrik Elias
One of the most overlooked and underrated players since 1999-2000, Elias' seven game point streak (3G, 8P) was the first sign of consistency in for the Devils all season and help ignite a run that saw them salvage a respectable season while being in shouting distance of the playoff race for a little bit. Like many of the Devils, he ended the season strongly, his hat trick against the Flyers on April 1 was his first since April 5, 2006. He not only provides the offense, but is the heart and soul of the Devils as well. Runners up: Jacques Lemaire, Johan Hedberg.
Offseason: Aside from convincing Jacques Lemaire to come back, the Devils need to shore up their defense. When Andy Greene and Henrik Tallinder lead the defense in ice time, you have a problem. They also need to find a replacement for Brodeur soon. Hedberg had a good year, but he is clearly not a long-term solution. Their offense should be fine. Expect bounceback seasons from Elias, Kovalchuk, Zach Parise, Travis Zajac and David Clarkson while Mattias Tedenby and Jacob Josefson continue to develop.
New York Islanders - Michael Grabner
Grabner's second half (25 goals since Jan. 1) allowed the Islanders to escape a dreadful season with 30 wins. They were 13-4-1 when he scored during that streak and made them look dangerous for brief stretches. The Canucks and Panthers castoff was one of the few bright spots in the season. Runners up: John Tavares, Frans Nielson.
Summer: Where to begin? If Al Montoya can play like he did in limited action this year, their goaltending will be OK. They need help everywhere, especially on defense. Their top offensive players will be good, but they need more depth. Getting rid of Trevor Gillies would be a solid game plan too.
Northeast Division
Boston Bruins - Tim Thomas
Pretty much a no-brainer here. Thomas was the most dominant player for a strong Bruins team. While Tuukka Rask's stats weren't bad, but he finished with a sub-.500 record while Thomas had 34 wins in just 54 games. His numbers are even more amazing because only Carolina allowed more shots per game than Boston (32.7). Runners up: Zdeno Chara, Patrice Bergeron.
Playoffs: The Bruins are going to be a fierce team and will certainly win a round, most likely two. The Bruins were fine until Krejci got hurt exposing their lack of offensive depth. This is Nathan Horton's first foray into the playoffs and it will be interesting to see how he handles it. They can't expect a surge of goals from Mark Recchi (his six last year was the most in four years and he's 43) and Miro Satan (unsigned, now playing in KHL). Despite one of the strongest overall defenses in the East, they are a Conference final team at best.
Montreal Canadiens - Carey Price
Price was one of the busiest goalies this season and he made the most of it making Habs fans forget about last year's hero Jaroslav Halak. Thanks to his strong play, Montreal had a much easier time making the playoffs this year. Their offense has dried up at times and they rank 24th in the league with 2.58 goals per game while allowing 31 shots per game. Runners up: Brian Gionta, P.K. Subban.
Playoffs: As good a regular season as they had, they will be hard-pressed to do much in the playoffs. The odds of Price repeating what Halak did last year are slim and they were recently shut out three games in a row. They could upset a team in the first round, but since they will most likely play the Bruins, that is unlikely.
Buffalo Sabres - Ryan Miller
He wasn't lights-out like he was last year, but Miller turned up his play when it mattered most. They went from a struggle to make the playoffs, now they only need one more point to secure a playoff spot. With Derek Roy out since game 35 and Thomas Vanek their only consistent scorer, they need Miller to be at his best and while he struggled early, his play in the past two months saved the Sabres from missing the playoffs for the third time in four years. Runners up: Thomas Vanek, Drew Stafford.
Playoffs: Despite their late-season surge, the Sabres could be looking at a second consecutive first round loss. They are still too small to do much damage in the playoffs. Their only chance is for Miller to play like he did all last season, but even that likely won't be enough.
Toronto Maple Leafs - James Reimer
Reimer was the only reason the Leafs even got a sniff at the playoffs. He far outplayed J-S Giguere and Jonas Gustavsson and helped the Leafs to their best point total since 2006-07. He started winning almost instantly after being called up from the Marlies and the rookie gave the Leafs look respectable for three months. Runners up: Mikhail Grabovski, Phil Kessel.
Offseason: They really need to work on their bottom six forwards. From the looks of things, they have plenty of players capable of filling the net on the top two lines, but they were exposed after that. They also need a number one center who can play with Kessel and feed him the way Savard did back in Boston.
Ottawa Senators - Craig Anderson
He has only played 18 games, but who else is there? On a team where only one regular finished with a positive plus-minus, bright spots were few and far between. Anderson has played great, posting a .939 save percentage and 2.05 goals-against average after coming over from Colorado. If nothing else, he got the team out of last place in the East. Runners up: Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson.
Offseason: In a word, everything. The rebuild is starting in Canada's capital and it may take a while. the interesting story to watch is what they do with Daniel Alfredsson. He wants to stay and don't get me wrong that's very noble of him, but it also may hurt the team like when Mats Sundin didn't accept a trade out of Toronto.
Southeast Division
Washington Capitals - Michal Neuvirth
Washington ditched their high-flying approach to the game this season in exchange for a philosophy that might get them some wins past April. Varlamov was hurt for a portion of the year and with only 22 games of experience prior to this season, Neuvirth held his own. He also had a much better winning percentage than Varlamov. Runners up: Alex Ovechkin, John Carlson
Playoffs: This is what they have been waiting for all season, the chance to see if their change into a defensive club works. They are 7-2-1 in their past ten and 15-2-1 since March 1. They are going in on fire and will have home ice in every round. The Caps definitely have the best chance to represent the East in the Stanley Cup final.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Martin St-Louis
Steven Stamkos seems like the obvious pick, but St-Louis is the driving force behind the Bolts. He's second in the league with 66 assists and the main reason Stamkos has at least 44 goals in each of the past two seasons. St-Louis leads the team in take aways and is second among forwards in blocked shots and only has 12 penalty minutes this season. Runners up: Steven Stamkos, Dwayne Roloson.
Playoffs: GM Steve Yzerman did a great job getting the Bolts back into the playoffs, but there is still work to be done. They don't quite have the defense or secondary scoring, so they will likely be out in the first round, second in a best case scenario.
Carolina Hurricanes - Cam Ward
No goalie has played more minutes this season and he really kept them from sinking early in the season. He faces more shots per game than anyone and still posted the best save percentage (.923) and second best goals-against average (2.56) of his career. Runners up: Eric Staal, Jeff Skinner.
Playoffs: They may still sneak into the eighth spot and while they won't be a pushover, don't expect much either. They don't have a lot of secondary scoring behind Stall and Skinner and their defense clearly needs work. Though Washington is more defensive this year, their firepower is still there and can get a lot of shots on Ward. If they do get in, they'll be out early.
Atlanta Thrashers - Dustin Byfuglien
'Big Buff' was spectacular in the first half of the season and while he ended on a sour note, was still the most important player for the Thrashers this season. He recorded his first 20 goal season after moving back to defense and as he went this season, so did the Thrashers. Byfuglien is second on the team in ice time (23:17) and hits(139), first in PIM (93), power play goals (eight) game-winning goals (six), shots (342) and take aways (85). Runners up: Tobias Enstrom, Ondrej Pavelec.
Offseason: Their defense isn't terrible, they just need a high-end scorer. Andrew Ladd, Nik Antropov and Blake Wheeler are good, but none of them are game-breakers. If they don't get someone in free agency, they have to depend on continued development from Anthony Stewart and Evander Kane and a return to 30-goal form for Bryan Little.
Florida Panthers - Tomas Vokoun
Take away Vokoun and this is by far the worst team in the NHL. Despite playing on a team that gave up the seventh most shots (31.9 per game) and scored the fourth fewest goals (2.35 goals per game), Vokoun had a respectable 21-28-5 record with a .921 save percentage and 2.60 goals-against average. It's hard to say where this team would be without him because they certainly can't get much worse. Runners up: Stephen Weiss, David Booth.
Offseason: True, this has been going on for 11 years, but the Panthers are in rebuilding mode. They parted ways with a number of players and almost certainly won't keep Vokoun in the fold. They need help everywhere, plain and simple.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Ten Worst Contracts (Until The Summer, Anyway)
Good news for Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier, he has had no permanent damage to his right eye after taking a high stick to the face from Chicago's Michael Frolik. He received stitches, was seen with an eye patch after the game and had an eye contusion, but should be ready to go when the Bolts face the Buffalo Sabres tonight. After a slow start to the season, Lecavalier is heating up at the right time and has 25 points in his past 25 games.
Unfortunately for Lecavalier, despite his strong play lately, he is still not doing nearly enough to earn his contract. Not only is he overpaid, but in the salary cap era, it hurts his team even more because it leaves less space to sign other players to help out the team. He shouldn't worry though, he is not alone in having a big contract that is hurting his team. Here are the 10 contracts in the NHL that hurt teams the most.
10. Kimmo Timonen, Phi: Six years, $38 million ($6,333,333 cap hit)
One of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, Timonen plays a smart, mistake-free game, makes an excellent first pass out of the zone and can quarterback the powerplay. So why am I including him? Since joining the Flyers in 2007, Timonen has recorded 22 goals in 318 games, an average of just under six goals every 82 games. Obviously there is more to his game than just goals, but at 5-foot-10, 194 lbs. he has trouble handling the bigger forwards. On a team that features seven players with a cap hit of over $4 million and struggles to fit under the ceiling, they could use any space they could find. Not that they should get rid of him, but GM Paul Holmgren will surely be breathing easier when his contract is up.
9. Brian Rolston, NJ: Four years, $20.25 million ($5,062,500 cap hit)
The only thing keeping Rolston from being higher on this list is that his contract is up after next season. He looked attractive after three straight seasons of 30+ goals after the lockout to go along with solid all-around play. Rolston has recorded only one season of 20 goals since signing the contract and is nearly invisible most games. All he really does is take slapshots whenever he gets open and is too slow to have much of an effect anywhere. After next season, they should have cap space in order to give Zach Parise a contract raise.
8. Ryan Smyth, LA: Five years, $31.25 million ($6,250,000 cap hit)
After failing to come to term with the Edmonton Oilers and the subsequent trade to the New York Islanders in 2007, Smyth signed a monster deal with the Colorado Avalanche. After an injury-shortened first year, Smyth has reached 20 each season since, but a cap hit of over $6 million for a player no longer the dominant crease crasher he once was. Although his contract is up after next season, they will surely need the cap space a year earlier to sign RFAs Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds; the $4 million they have now won't be enough to sign both.
7. Derek Boogaard, NYR: Four years, $6.5 million ($1,625,000 cap hit)
Sure, the cap hit isn't huge, but, well...what does he do? He has only appeared in 22 games this season and was scratched four times before a shoulder injury derailed his season. Even when he was playing he only fought the other teams' tough guys; he's too slow to really put a scare into anyone useful as sppedy forwards can easily get around him. This could have easily been switched with the Jody Shelley contract with Philadelphia.
6. Shawn Horcoff, Edm: Six years, $33 million ($5,500,000 cap hit)
Horcoff is very luck to be getting the paycheck he is receiving. A $5.5 million price tag is pretty high for someone who has onyl reached the 20 goal mark twice. The Oilers are going to have some potentially expensive RFAs to resign in the next few years, including Devin Dubnyk, Andrew Cogliano, Linus Omark and Sam Gagner and, if their rebuild is going as planned, they will want to add some key free agents to build towards a playoff run. That will be hard to do with Horcoff, who has scored 22 goals in two seasons after signing the deal, causing such a big cap hit.
5. Eric Staal, Car: Seven years, $57.75 million ($8,250,000 cap hit)
Only three players, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, have a higher cap hit than Eric Staal. It is good they got their franchise player locked up for the long-term and while they still have plenty of cap space at the moment, they may be in trouble once Jeff Skinner, Brandon Sutter and Jamie McBain are up for pay raises. As impressive as his resume is with a 100 point season and Stanley Cup under his belt, it is hard to believe he is making more per season than Brad Richards, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Lundqvist and the Sedins.
4. Rick DiPietro, NYI: Fifteen years, $67.5 million ($4,500,000 cap hit)
Truth be told, if it wasn't for his injury woes DiPietro's contract wouldn't be that bad. A $4.5 million cap hit for a reliable goalies isn't a bad deal. The key word there is reliable. In the five years since signing the deal, DiPietro has only played 162 games, an average of 32 per season, and twice failed to play 10 games due to lingering groin problems. The Islanders are still stuck with him for another decade. Should he finally stay healthy and become anywhere near the caliber goalie worth being the number one pick, this contract won't seem that bad. Until then, 15 years will seem like 30 as he spends most of his time on the shelf. Some good news for the Islanders though, next season Alexei Yashin, even though he hasn't played in four years, ceases to be their highest paid player. That distinction will fall to DiPietro who has pretty much done the same thing.
3. Scott Gomez, Mtl: Seven years, $51.5 million ($7,357,143 cap hit)
How can a guy who has only reached the 20 goal mark once in seven seasons get a contract that big? Even for Glen Sather, that's bad. He hasn't scored more than 16 since signing the deal and won't even score 10 this year. He makes almost $2.5 million more than Brian Gionta who brings a lot more to the table and is the main reason the Canadiens are so close to the cap ceiling this season. the Canadiens have to sign at least 11 players in the offseason and only $25 million to work with. Losing Gomez's cap hit would be a big help, but it's hard to imagine another team willing to take him on, especially after declining numbers the past four seasons.
2. Vincent Lecavalier, TB: Eleven years, $85 million ($7,727,273 cap hit)
Lecavalier's contract is going to be a burden on the Lightning for the next nine seasons. They have about $9 million in cap space this season, but even with Simon Gagne's $5.25 million coming off the books, that number will surely get closer to the ceiling as GM Steve Yzerman has to give raises to Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell and sign a number one defenseman and two goalies. I don't know what Lecavalier did to earn this contract. He is a good player, but take away his 52 goal season in 2006-07 and he averages just 26.8 goals per season. Not exactly Michael Jordan-like stats, so why is he receiving Michael Jordan-like money?
1. Brian Campbell, Chi: Eight years, $57.143 million ($7, 142,875 cap hit)
Campbell is one of the biggest winners of the idea of supply and demand in free agent history. The only puck-mover on the market three years ago, Campbell benefited greatly from a strong contract year, including 19 points in 20 games to end the season with the San Jose Sharks. A weak free agency class surely made him appear more attractive than he should have been to then-GM Dale Tallon. At 6-foot, 189 pounds, Campbell has trouble with bigger forwards and isn't overly physical (though I bet R. J. Umberger would love to argue that point). With five players making over $5 million and less than $30,000 in cap space, GM Stan Bowman would love for Campbell's contract to disappear. His is clearly the most burdensome in the NHL.
Unfortunately for Lecavalier, despite his strong play lately, he is still not doing nearly enough to earn his contract. Not only is he overpaid, but in the salary cap era, it hurts his team even more because it leaves less space to sign other players to help out the team. He shouldn't worry though, he is not alone in having a big contract that is hurting his team. Here are the 10 contracts in the NHL that hurt teams the most.
10. Kimmo Timonen, Phi: Six years, $38 million ($6,333,333 cap hit)
One of the most underrated defensemen in the NHL, Timonen plays a smart, mistake-free game, makes an excellent first pass out of the zone and can quarterback the powerplay. So why am I including him? Since joining the Flyers in 2007, Timonen has recorded 22 goals in 318 games, an average of just under six goals every 82 games. Obviously there is more to his game than just goals, but at 5-foot-10, 194 lbs. he has trouble handling the bigger forwards. On a team that features seven players with a cap hit of over $4 million and struggles to fit under the ceiling, they could use any space they could find. Not that they should get rid of him, but GM Paul Holmgren will surely be breathing easier when his contract is up.
9. Brian Rolston, NJ: Four years, $20.25 million ($5,062,500 cap hit)
The only thing keeping Rolston from being higher on this list is that his contract is up after next season. He looked attractive after three straight seasons of 30+ goals after the lockout to go along with solid all-around play. Rolston has recorded only one season of 20 goals since signing the contract and is nearly invisible most games. All he really does is take slapshots whenever he gets open and is too slow to have much of an effect anywhere. After next season, they should have cap space in order to give Zach Parise a contract raise.
8. Ryan Smyth, LA: Five years, $31.25 million ($6,250,000 cap hit)
After failing to come to term with the Edmonton Oilers and the subsequent trade to the New York Islanders in 2007, Smyth signed a monster deal with the Colorado Avalanche. After an injury-shortened first year, Smyth has reached 20 each season since, but a cap hit of over $6 million for a player no longer the dominant crease crasher he once was. Although his contract is up after next season, they will surely need the cap space a year earlier to sign RFAs Drew Doughty and Wayne Simmonds; the $4 million they have now won't be enough to sign both.
7. Derek Boogaard, NYR: Four years, $6.5 million ($1,625,000 cap hit)
Sure, the cap hit isn't huge, but, well...what does he do? He has only appeared in 22 games this season and was scratched four times before a shoulder injury derailed his season. Even when he was playing he only fought the other teams' tough guys; he's too slow to really put a scare into anyone useful as sppedy forwards can easily get around him. This could have easily been switched with the Jody Shelley contract with Philadelphia.
6. Shawn Horcoff, Edm: Six years, $33 million ($5,500,000 cap hit)
Horcoff is very luck to be getting the paycheck he is receiving. A $5.5 million price tag is pretty high for someone who has onyl reached the 20 goal mark twice. The Oilers are going to have some potentially expensive RFAs to resign in the next few years, including Devin Dubnyk, Andrew Cogliano, Linus Omark and Sam Gagner and, if their rebuild is going as planned, they will want to add some key free agents to build towards a playoff run. That will be hard to do with Horcoff, who has scored 22 goals in two seasons after signing the deal, causing such a big cap hit.
5. Eric Staal, Car: Seven years, $57.75 million ($8,250,000 cap hit)
Only three players, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, have a higher cap hit than Eric Staal. It is good they got their franchise player locked up for the long-term and while they still have plenty of cap space at the moment, they may be in trouble once Jeff Skinner, Brandon Sutter and Jamie McBain are up for pay raises. As impressive as his resume is with a 100 point season and Stanley Cup under his belt, it is hard to believe he is making more per season than Brad Richards, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Lundqvist and the Sedins.
4. Rick DiPietro, NYI: Fifteen years, $67.5 million ($4,500,000 cap hit)
Truth be told, if it wasn't for his injury woes DiPietro's contract wouldn't be that bad. A $4.5 million cap hit for a reliable goalies isn't a bad deal. The key word there is reliable. In the five years since signing the deal, DiPietro has only played 162 games, an average of 32 per season, and twice failed to play 10 games due to lingering groin problems. The Islanders are still stuck with him for another decade. Should he finally stay healthy and become anywhere near the caliber goalie worth being the number one pick, this contract won't seem that bad. Until then, 15 years will seem like 30 as he spends most of his time on the shelf. Some good news for the Islanders though, next season Alexei Yashin, even though he hasn't played in four years, ceases to be their highest paid player. That distinction will fall to DiPietro who has pretty much done the same thing.
3. Scott Gomez, Mtl: Seven years, $51.5 million ($7,357,143 cap hit)
How can a guy who has only reached the 20 goal mark once in seven seasons get a contract that big? Even for Glen Sather, that's bad. He hasn't scored more than 16 since signing the deal and won't even score 10 this year. He makes almost $2.5 million more than Brian Gionta who brings a lot more to the table and is the main reason the Canadiens are so close to the cap ceiling this season. the Canadiens have to sign at least 11 players in the offseason and only $25 million to work with. Losing Gomez's cap hit would be a big help, but it's hard to imagine another team willing to take him on, especially after declining numbers the past four seasons.
2. Vincent Lecavalier, TB: Eleven years, $85 million ($7,727,273 cap hit)
Lecavalier's contract is going to be a burden on the Lightning for the next nine seasons. They have about $9 million in cap space this season, but even with Simon Gagne's $5.25 million coming off the books, that number will surely get closer to the ceiling as GM Steve Yzerman has to give raises to Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell and sign a number one defenseman and two goalies. I don't know what Lecavalier did to earn this contract. He is a good player, but take away his 52 goal season in 2006-07 and he averages just 26.8 goals per season. Not exactly Michael Jordan-like stats, so why is he receiving Michael Jordan-like money?
1. Brian Campbell, Chi: Eight years, $57.143 million ($7, 142,875 cap hit)
Campbell is one of the biggest winners of the idea of supply and demand in free agent history. The only puck-mover on the market three years ago, Campbell benefited greatly from a strong contract year, including 19 points in 20 games to end the season with the San Jose Sharks. A weak free agency class surely made him appear more attractive than he should have been to then-GM Dale Tallon. At 6-foot, 189 pounds, Campbell has trouble with bigger forwards and isn't overly physical (though I bet R. J. Umberger would love to argue that point). With five players making over $5 million and less than $30,000 in cap space, GM Stan Bowman would love for Campbell's contract to disappear. His is clearly the most burdensome in the NHL.
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