Last Wednesday night in St. Paul the two best teams in the Western Conference faced off in a nationally televised contest.
You had the Chicago Blackhawks, who were second in the West with 40 points taking on the Minnesota Wild who leads the NHL with 43 points.
Chicago being near the top of the standings is a surprise to no one. They are only one season removed from being Stanley Cup champions have one of the best duos in the NHL in Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
Minnesota on the other hand has been the surprise team of the NHL this season. Having changed coaches in the off season and trading away two of their better players in Brent Burns and Martin Havlat, most people thought at best the Wild would be a fringe playoff team on the outside looking in. Instead the Wild came into the game as the top team in the NHL.
While Minnesota came into the game with the best point total in the NHL, I was curious to see how they matched up against one of the elite teams. So far this season the Wild have gotten where they are by beating the teams they need to beat.
That's not a knock on what they have accomplished, two points is two points and they are a lot easier to get in October and November than they are in March or April.
But if you are going to be taken seriously as a Stanley Cup contender you need to be able to beat the teams like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Boston all who have recently won the Stanley Cup and figure to be in the mix this spring.
After watching the game on Wednesday I still don't know what kind of team Minnesota is.
Yes they lost to the Blackhawks in a shootout 3-2 and yes they got a point in the contest. The Wild were also held without a shot for the first seventeen minutes of the contest. It's hard to score goals when you don't have a shot on net.
But I have to give Minnesota credit as well. When they fell behind 2-0 in the second period they could have mailed it in. Instead the Wild fought back and scored two goals in two and a half minutes to tie the game. When Toews scored in the 3rd period Minnesota kept pressing until Mikko Koivu tied it with five minutes to play.
A few weeks ago a reader asked me how many teams did I think the Wild had a legit shot at beating in the playoffs. If you go by the top five teams in the West according to my Power Poll (Which you can read every Monday afternoon) I think the Wild would beat St. Louis and Dallas in a best of seven series.
Against Vancouver it depends whether it's Good Luongo or Bad Luongo in net. As for Detroit or Chicago, well let's just say Minnesota has a ways to go before being in their class.
Speaking of the Canucks, the Wild will get another shot at them tonight in Vancouver. In the meantime here is the Week 10 Power Poll with a little Christmas twist of what every NHL team wants for the holidays.
1. Chicago 21-8-4 46 points
Christmas Wish: To stay on top as the best team in the NHL.
2. Boston 21-9-1 43 points
Christmas Wish: To have more months like November where they went 12-0-1.
3. Detroit 20-10-1 41 points
Christmas Wish: That Nicklas Lidstrom returns to play another season.
4. Minnesota 20-8-5 45 points
Christmas Wish: That the Wild can overcome their injuries and stay on top in the Northwest Division.
5. Philadelphia 20-8-3 43 points
Christmas Wish: A defenseman to join the team and pick up the minutes usually played by Chris Pronger.
6. Vancouver 19-11-2 40 points
Christmas Wish: That Roberto Luongo starts playing like he did in the 2010 Olympics for Team Canada.
7. St. Louis 19-9-4 42 points
Christmas Wish: That Matthew Hulsizer's purchase of the franchise goes through before the trade deadline.
8. Pittsburgh 18-11-4 40 points
Christmas Wish: That Sidney Crosby returns to full health and is free of concussion symptoms.
9. N.Y. Rangers 18-8-4 40 points
Christmas Wish: That they can take advantage of Pronger and Crosby being out with injuries and become the top team in the Atlantic Division.
10. New Jersey 18-13-1 37 points
Christmas Wish: That Zach Parise signs an extension and stays a Devil for many years to come.
11. Dallas 18-12-1 37 points
Christmas Wish: That their start to this season leads to a playoff berth instead of stumbling down the stretch last year and missing the playoffs.
12. Florida 18-9-6 42 points
Christmas Wish: That the new players on the Panthers roster can keep up this pace and end the longest playoff drought in the NHL. (11 seasons)
13. San Jose 17-10-3 37 points
Christmas Wish: That the Sharks can get over the hump and finally reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
14. Nashville 17-11-4 38 points
Christmas Wish: Contract extensions for Shea Weber and Ryan Suter.
15. Buffalo 16-13-3 35 points
Christmas Wish: That Ville Leino starts playing like he did in the 2010 and 2011 playoffs for Philadelphia.
16. Toronto 16-13-3 35 points
Christmas Wish: That Phil Kessel can continue to lead the NHL in scoring (39 points) and leads the Maple Leafs to their first playoff berth in six seasons.
17. Washington 16-14-1 33 points
Christmas Wish: That they could go back to October when they started 7-0-0.
18. Phoenix 16-13-3 35 points
Christmas Wish: Somebody to buy the franchise and end the speculation of will they stay in the desert or will they move.
19. Winnipeg 15-13-4 34 points
Christmas Wish: You have the NHL back in Winnipeg, you don't need to make a wish.
20. Ottawa 15-14-4 34 points
Christmas Wish: That Kyle Turris can reach his potential as the 3rd pick overall in the 2007 NHL Draft. A change of scenery can only help.
21. Colorado 15-17-1 31 points
Christmas Wish: That Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog can be to this generation of Avalanche fans what Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg was to the previous generation.
22. Los Angeles 14-14-4 32 points
Christmas Wish: That Darryl Sutter being hired as head coach gives the Kings the swift kick in the ass that this team needs.
23. Tampa Bay 14-16-2 30 points
Christmas Wish: A goaltender to come in and do what Dwayne Roloson did last year for the Lightning.
24. Edmonton 14-15-3 31 points
Christmas Wish: A number one defenseman so this team can take the next step.
25. Calgary 14-15-4 32 points
Christmas Wish: An NHL team to make an offer they can't refuse for Jarome Iginla so they can start rebuilding.
26. Montreal 13-13-7 33 points
Christmas Wish: A coach that can come in to restore the tradition of the Canadiens and lead them to their 25th Stanley Cup title. Bonus points if he can also speak French.
27. N.Y. Islanders 10-14-6 26 points
Christmas Wish: Some help for John Tavares, preferably a wing who can score.
28. Carolina 10-18-6 26 points
Christmas Wish: That they can turn things around without having to trade Eric Staal or Cam Ward.
29. Anaheim 9-18-5 23 points
Christmas Wish: That somebody other than the first line can start scoring goals for the Ducks.
30. Columbus 9-20-4 22 points
Christmas Wish: A reset to the 2011-2012 NHL season.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Week 9 Power Poll
We might have another coaching change in the NHL by the time you read this column.
A report from the Los Angeles Times says the Los Angeles Kings are preparing to fire Terry Murray perhaps as early as tomorrow night.
Los Angeles is 13-12-4 on the season with 30 points and sit in 12th in the Western Conference, just two points out of the final playoff spot.
But the problem for the Kings is they have enough talent on their roster where they should be one of the top five teams in the West instead of struggling for a playoff spot.
I watched Los Angeles play Minnesota on Thursday night. The Wild scored 24 seconds into the game and 1:25 into the start of the 2nd period. Once that happened the Kings seemed to be just going through the motions and didn't put up much of a fight.
That might be the thing that is Terry Murray's undoing, the lack of passion being shown by the players on the Kings roster. What Los Angeles needs is a guy to come in and give the roster a swift kick in the ass. The perfect coach for that job just so happens recently was coaching in Orange County.
Randy Carlyle led the Anaheim Ducks to five playoff berths in six seasons and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. He won a Norris Trophy as best defenseman back in 1981 and coached two defenseman, Chris Pronger & Scott Niedermeyer that have won Norris Trophies.
The Kings have two potential Norris Trophy defenseman on their roster in Drew Doughty & Jack Johnson. The Kings also have a deep group of forwards on their roster who are having trouble putting the puck in the net. Anaheim may have had their issues scoring this season but it wasn't because their top forwards weren't producing.
Right now the LA Times says Carlyle isn't a candidate to replace Murray should a coaching change be made. The Kings should take a hard look at Carlyle. With the NBA returning in a couple weeks the Kings run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle in LA behind the Lakers and Clippers.
Hiring Carlyle could not only save their season but make them relevant for the first time since Gretzky skated at the Great Western Forum.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 9.
1. Minnesota 20-7-3 43 points
Have won four straight on current road trip. Faces Chicago on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center.
2. Detroit 18-9-1 37 points
Fourteen different Red Wings record a point in 7-1 win over Winnipeg on Saturday.
3. Boston 18-9-1 37 points
Zdeno Chara listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury.
4. Chicago 18-8-4 40 points
Game against Minnesota on Wednesday night is a match-up of the top two teams in the NHL.
5. Vancouver 18-10-1 37 points
Canucks have scored at least three goals in last nine games.
6. Philadelphia 18-7-3 39 points
Claude Giroux expected to miss at least one game with concussion like symptoms.
7. Pittsburgh 17-9-4 38 points
Sidney Crosby also out indefinitely with concussion like symptoms.
8. N.Y. Rangers 17-6-4 38 points
6-1 win over Florida has Rangers one point out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
9. St. Louis 17-9-3 37 points
Brian Elliott is tied for the league lead in shutouts with four on the season. Not bad for the former Badger.
10. Dallas 16-11-1 33 points
Penalty Kill is a big part of the Stars success so far this season.
11. Florida 16-9-5 37 points
Congrats to Erik Gudbrandson on his first NHL goal.
12. San Jose 15-10-2 32 points
Sharks have one win in their last five games.
13. Washington 15-12-1 31 points
John Carlson (1G, 6A) named NHL 3rd star of the week.
14. Buffalo 15-12-2 32 points
Upcoming 10 day stretch should tell us what kind of team the Sabres are.
15. Toronto 15-11-3 33 points
Maple Leafs ranked 29th in the NHL in Penalty Kill (74.3%)
16. Phoenix 15-11-3 33 points
Coyotes have allowed eight power play goals in their last eighteen penalty kills.
17. New Jersey 14-13-1 29 points
Devils will retire Scott Niedermeyer's number Friday night. (long overdue)
18. Nashville 14-11-4 32 points
Jordin Tootoo returns from a two game suspension, scores game winning goal over Anaheim.
19. Edmonton 14-13-3 31 points
Big challenge ahead for Oilers as eight of next ten games are on the road.
20. Calgary 14-13-2 30 points
Jarome Iginla has four goals and nine points in his last five games.
21. Los Angeles 13-12-4 30 points
Having Mike Richards out of the lineup is not helping the Kings.
22. Winnipeg 13-12-4 30 points
New Jets in Winnipeg, same result against Detroit.
23. Colorado 13-16-1 27 points
Avalanche are 0-7-1 in their last eight road games.
24. Ottawa 13-13-4 30 points
Senators say they aren't giving up on Nikita Filatov despite lending him to CSKA Moscow of the KHL.
25. Montreal 12-11-7 31 points
Swapped defenseman with Carolina sending Jaroslav Spacek to the Hurricanes in exchange for Tomas Kaberle.
26. Tampa Bay 12-15-2 26 points
Lightning signs Antti Miettinen to a two year contract. Should add depth at forward.
27. N.Y. Islanders 9-12-6 24 points
Evgeni Nabokov close to returning after being on injured reserve for the last month.
28. Carolina 9-18-4 22 points
Jaroslav Spacek had two assists in his first game with the Hurricanes.
29. Anaheim 8-16-5 21 points
Ducks trade Kurtis Foster to New Jersey as they try to shake up their roster.
30. Columbus 8-17-4 20 points
Blue Jackets are 7-5-2 when scoring first. They should try to do that more often.
A report from the Los Angeles Times says the Los Angeles Kings are preparing to fire Terry Murray perhaps as early as tomorrow night.
Los Angeles is 13-12-4 on the season with 30 points and sit in 12th in the Western Conference, just two points out of the final playoff spot.
But the problem for the Kings is they have enough talent on their roster where they should be one of the top five teams in the West instead of struggling for a playoff spot.
I watched Los Angeles play Minnesota on Thursday night. The Wild scored 24 seconds into the game and 1:25 into the start of the 2nd period. Once that happened the Kings seemed to be just going through the motions and didn't put up much of a fight.
That might be the thing that is Terry Murray's undoing, the lack of passion being shown by the players on the Kings roster. What Los Angeles needs is a guy to come in and give the roster a swift kick in the ass. The perfect coach for that job just so happens recently was coaching in Orange County.
Randy Carlyle led the Anaheim Ducks to five playoff berths in six seasons and won a Stanley Cup in 2007. He won a Norris Trophy as best defenseman back in 1981 and coached two defenseman, Chris Pronger & Scott Niedermeyer that have won Norris Trophies.
The Kings have two potential Norris Trophy defenseman on their roster in Drew Doughty & Jack Johnson. The Kings also have a deep group of forwards on their roster who are having trouble putting the puck in the net. Anaheim may have had their issues scoring this season but it wasn't because their top forwards weren't producing.
Right now the LA Times says Carlyle isn't a candidate to replace Murray should a coaching change be made. The Kings should take a hard look at Carlyle. With the NBA returning in a couple weeks the Kings run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle in LA behind the Lakers and Clippers.
Hiring Carlyle could not only save their season but make them relevant for the first time since Gretzky skated at the Great Western Forum.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 9.
1. Minnesota 20-7-3 43 points
Have won four straight on current road trip. Faces Chicago on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center.
2. Detroit 18-9-1 37 points
Fourteen different Red Wings record a point in 7-1 win over Winnipeg on Saturday.
3. Boston 18-9-1 37 points
Zdeno Chara listed as day-to-day with a lower body injury.
4. Chicago 18-8-4 40 points
Game against Minnesota on Wednesday night is a match-up of the top two teams in the NHL.
5. Vancouver 18-10-1 37 points
Canucks have scored at least three goals in last nine games.
6. Philadelphia 18-7-3 39 points
Claude Giroux expected to miss at least one game with concussion like symptoms.
7. Pittsburgh 17-9-4 38 points
Sidney Crosby also out indefinitely with concussion like symptoms.
8. N.Y. Rangers 17-6-4 38 points
6-1 win over Florida has Rangers one point out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
9. St. Louis 17-9-3 37 points
Brian Elliott is tied for the league lead in shutouts with four on the season. Not bad for the former Badger.
10. Dallas 16-11-1 33 points
Penalty Kill is a big part of the Stars success so far this season.
11. Florida 16-9-5 37 points
Congrats to Erik Gudbrandson on his first NHL goal.
12. San Jose 15-10-2 32 points
Sharks have one win in their last five games.
13. Washington 15-12-1 31 points
John Carlson (1G, 6A) named NHL 3rd star of the week.
14. Buffalo 15-12-2 32 points
Upcoming 10 day stretch should tell us what kind of team the Sabres are.
15. Toronto 15-11-3 33 points
Maple Leafs ranked 29th in the NHL in Penalty Kill (74.3%)
16. Phoenix 15-11-3 33 points
Coyotes have allowed eight power play goals in their last eighteen penalty kills.
17. New Jersey 14-13-1 29 points
Devils will retire Scott Niedermeyer's number Friday night. (long overdue)
18. Nashville 14-11-4 32 points
Jordin Tootoo returns from a two game suspension, scores game winning goal over Anaheim.
19. Edmonton 14-13-3 31 points
Big challenge ahead for Oilers as eight of next ten games are on the road.
20. Calgary 14-13-2 30 points
Jarome Iginla has four goals and nine points in his last five games.
21. Los Angeles 13-12-4 30 points
Having Mike Richards out of the lineup is not helping the Kings.
22. Winnipeg 13-12-4 30 points
New Jets in Winnipeg, same result against Detroit.
23. Colorado 13-16-1 27 points
Avalanche are 0-7-1 in their last eight road games.
24. Ottawa 13-13-4 30 points
Senators say they aren't giving up on Nikita Filatov despite lending him to CSKA Moscow of the KHL.
25. Montreal 12-11-7 31 points
Swapped defenseman with Carolina sending Jaroslav Spacek to the Hurricanes in exchange for Tomas Kaberle.
26. Tampa Bay 12-15-2 26 points
Lightning signs Antti Miettinen to a two year contract. Should add depth at forward.
27. N.Y. Islanders 9-12-6 24 points
Evgeni Nabokov close to returning after being on injured reserve for the last month.
28. Carolina 9-18-4 22 points
Jaroslav Spacek had two assists in his first game with the Hurricanes.
29. Anaheim 8-16-5 21 points
Ducks trade Kurtis Foster to New Jersey as they try to shake up their roster.
30. Columbus 8-17-4 20 points
Blue Jackets are 7-5-2 when scoring first. They should try to do that more often.
Friday, December 9, 2011
Radical Realignment: What You Need To Know
This past Monday in Pebble Beach, California the NHL Board of Governors approved Radical Realignment for the 2012-2013 NHL season.
The breakdown for conferences goes like this.
Conference A:
Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver
Conference B:
Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
Conference C:
Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Conference D:
Carolina, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.
Realignment hasn't happened in the NHL since the last wave of expansion over 10 years ago. Naturally it has left a lot of questions about how and why this was done the way it was and what can be expected from this.
Lucky for you I am here to help answer your questions and provide you with a better understanding of how things went down.
Why did the NHL decide to realign?
This past summer the Atlanta Thrashers were bought and moved to Winnipeg where they became the Jets. The deal took place right around the time the 2011-2012 schedule was coming out so Winnipeg was still in the Southeast Division for one more season with the NHL deciding to realign in time for the 2012-2013 season.
Couldn't the NHL just swap out a team in the West with Winnipeg instead of blowing up the current six division set up?
That was the NHL's original plan. There were two problems with this.
1. Three teams (Detroit, Columbus, Nashville) wanted to take Winnipeg's spot in the East.
2. A few other franchises out of place in the West (Dallas, Minnesota) said if we are going to realign let's take a look at the whole setup and see if we can find something that works better.
My personal belief is the NHL did want to do a one for one swap but it takes 20 of 30 votes for anything to pass. I don't believe Detroit had the votes to go from the West to the East.
Putting Nashville in the East would have not been fair to the two teams in the West that play in the Eastern time zone. Moving Columbus would have been the lesser of three evils but by doing that you risk upsetting one of your better owners, Mike Illitch, of one of your marquee franchises.
So, the NHL decides to just to move Winnipeg to the West and not another team to the East leaving one conference with 16 teams and one with 14 teams?
Not Exactly.
Instead of dividing the teams by divisions, the NHL will now divide the teams by conferences. Each team will play the majority of games within their conference with the rest of their games being played against teams from different conferences.
Does that mean every team will play each other twice next year?
Yes, next year every team will play everyone at least twice.
That means if you are in the West, Crosby & Ovechkin will play in your building next year instead of having to wait two or more seasons like some cities have done to see them. If you are in the East, Detroit & Chicago will be paying you a visit every season instead of every other season and vice-versa.
To me this makes nothing but sense. Every team should have to play each other twice. Here in Minnesota if seeing Crosby & Ovechkin every season means having Carolina & Florida come to Xcel Center once a year I'm fine with it.
If there are four conferences how will the post-season work?
Think of it as the way it was when the NHL had the Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe Divisions.
The first two rounds of the playoffs will be within conference with the top four teams from each conference making it. After that there is talk of the NHL re-seeding the final four teams that advance from their respective conferences.
Is there any chance the NHL goes back to the Original division names of Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe as the names for the conferences?
As much as I would love this to happen I doubt it. From what I hear the conferences will be named Pacific, Central, Eastern and Atlantic.
Of course I was also hearing Winnipeg being named the Manitoba Moose when they moved instead of the Jets so anything is possible.
Getting back to re-seeding, does this mean we could have a Boston-Pittsburgh Stanley Cup Final?
If the NHL does decide to re-seed we could absolutely see a Boston-Pittsburgh Final one year. You could also see a Vancouver-Chicago Final or a Detroit-San Jose Final, both of which would have a lot of drama because of recent playoff meetings.
On the downside the door would be open for a Carolina-Florida final or a Phoenix-Nashville Final. The NHL might want to re-think this one.
Speaking of Phoenix, does this mean they are staying in the desert?
Not Exactly. The Coyotes still have ownership issues that need to be straighten out.
One thing this realignment set up does allow is that if Phoenix should move to another city the NHL can just place them in a different conference without having to dramatically realign the other conferences.
If the Phoenix franchise happens to end up in Conference B because of a move then either Detroit or Columbus would probably be placed in Conference C.
Is there any chance the NHL could expand by two more teams to give each conference eight teams?
I think NHL expansion is a stronger possibility under the conference format than it was under the division format. A lot of things have to fall in place though before it is a reality.
The NHL has to see what and where Phoenix ends up before any realignment talk can seriously take place. Then the NHL has to see what cities can and would be willing to support a new franchise.
The last thing the NHL wants is a situation like the one they have in Phoenix or had in Atlanta.
What cities would be in line for expansion?
I'll save that question for another column.
The breakdown for conferences goes like this.
Conference A:
Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver
Conference B:
Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
Conference C:
Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Conference D:
Carolina, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington.
Realignment hasn't happened in the NHL since the last wave of expansion over 10 years ago. Naturally it has left a lot of questions about how and why this was done the way it was and what can be expected from this.
Lucky for you I am here to help answer your questions and provide you with a better understanding of how things went down.
Why did the NHL decide to realign?
This past summer the Atlanta Thrashers were bought and moved to Winnipeg where they became the Jets. The deal took place right around the time the 2011-2012 schedule was coming out so Winnipeg was still in the Southeast Division for one more season with the NHL deciding to realign in time for the 2012-2013 season.
Couldn't the NHL just swap out a team in the West with Winnipeg instead of blowing up the current six division set up?
That was the NHL's original plan. There were two problems with this.
1. Three teams (Detroit, Columbus, Nashville) wanted to take Winnipeg's spot in the East.
2. A few other franchises out of place in the West (Dallas, Minnesota) said if we are going to realign let's take a look at the whole setup and see if we can find something that works better.
My personal belief is the NHL did want to do a one for one swap but it takes 20 of 30 votes for anything to pass. I don't believe Detroit had the votes to go from the West to the East.
Putting Nashville in the East would have not been fair to the two teams in the West that play in the Eastern time zone. Moving Columbus would have been the lesser of three evils but by doing that you risk upsetting one of your better owners, Mike Illitch, of one of your marquee franchises.
So, the NHL decides to just to move Winnipeg to the West and not another team to the East leaving one conference with 16 teams and one with 14 teams?
Not Exactly.
Instead of dividing the teams by divisions, the NHL will now divide the teams by conferences. Each team will play the majority of games within their conference with the rest of their games being played against teams from different conferences.
Does that mean every team will play each other twice next year?
Yes, next year every team will play everyone at least twice.
That means if you are in the West, Crosby & Ovechkin will play in your building next year instead of having to wait two or more seasons like some cities have done to see them. If you are in the East, Detroit & Chicago will be paying you a visit every season instead of every other season and vice-versa.
To me this makes nothing but sense. Every team should have to play each other twice. Here in Minnesota if seeing Crosby & Ovechkin every season means having Carolina & Florida come to Xcel Center once a year I'm fine with it.
If there are four conferences how will the post-season work?
Think of it as the way it was when the NHL had the Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe Divisions.
The first two rounds of the playoffs will be within conference with the top four teams from each conference making it. After that there is talk of the NHL re-seeding the final four teams that advance from their respective conferences.
Is there any chance the NHL goes back to the Original division names of Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe as the names for the conferences?
As much as I would love this to happen I doubt it. From what I hear the conferences will be named Pacific, Central, Eastern and Atlantic.
Of course I was also hearing Winnipeg being named the Manitoba Moose when they moved instead of the Jets so anything is possible.
Getting back to re-seeding, does this mean we could have a Boston-Pittsburgh Stanley Cup Final?
If the NHL does decide to re-seed we could absolutely see a Boston-Pittsburgh Final one year. You could also see a Vancouver-Chicago Final or a Detroit-San Jose Final, both of which would have a lot of drama because of recent playoff meetings.
On the downside the door would be open for a Carolina-Florida final or a Phoenix-Nashville Final. The NHL might want to re-think this one.
Speaking of Phoenix, does this mean they are staying in the desert?
Not Exactly. The Coyotes still have ownership issues that need to be straighten out.
One thing this realignment set up does allow is that if Phoenix should move to another city the NHL can just place them in a different conference without having to dramatically realign the other conferences.
If the Phoenix franchise happens to end up in Conference B because of a move then either Detroit or Columbus would probably be placed in Conference C.
Is there any chance the NHL could expand by two more teams to give each conference eight teams?
I think NHL expansion is a stronger possibility under the conference format than it was under the division format. A lot of things have to fall in place though before it is a reality.
The NHL has to see what and where Phoenix ends up before any realignment talk can seriously take place. Then the NHL has to see what cities can and would be willing to support a new franchise.
The last thing the NHL wants is a situation like the one they have in Phoenix or had in Atlanta.
What cities would be in line for expansion?
I'll save that question for another column.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Week 8 Power Poll:
The NHL Board of Governor's are meeting today in California and the main thing that is on the agenda is realignment.
Back in October I wrote about teams that could be affected by realignment based on the current six division scenario. The only thing for sure was Winnipeg would be moving to the Western Conference and one team from the West would be moving to the East.
Since then another plan that has come up with the NHL going back to a four division format with two divisions having eight teams and two divisions having seven teams. The only problem with this plan is which teams are grouped in what divisions.
The latest proposal has teams grouped in the following divisions:
Division 1: Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, Phoenix
Division 2: Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, St. Louis, Minnesota, Nashville, Winnipeg, Columbus
Division 3: Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida
Division 4: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, Washington, New Jersey, Carolina
Basically what is being proposed is the previous four division format that was in place before the last round of expansion with the NHL trying to figure out where to place teams that are in Non-Traditional Markets. While this proposal looks reasonable my guess is there will be some tweaking to it.
One thing to keep in mind is it takes 20 of 30 votes to agree on any realignment scenario. I have talked to people that cover the NHL and the only certain thing is nobody has any idea what will happen. Some think there is no way the four division format will happen while others think it is likely depending on how teams are grouped together.
My only request is if the NHL decides to go with a four division format they bring back the original division names Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 8:
1. Minnesota 17-7-3 37 points
The Wild are a much better hockey club than people give them credit for.
2. Pittsburgh 16-7-4 36 points
Penguins are 5-1-1 since Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup.
3. Detroit 16-8-1 33 points
Red Wings had won seven in a row before losing to Colorado on Sunday.
4. Boston 16-7-1 33 points
Bruins finished the month of November 12-0-1 and has secured a point in it's last 14 games.
5. Chicago 16-8-3 35 points
Jonathan Toews (9G, 9A in November) named 2nd Star of the month.
6. N.Y. Rangers 15-5-3 33 points
Rangers have won five in a row and 12 out of their last 14 games.
7. Vancouver 15-10-1 31 points
It was this time last season the Canucks got hot en route to the President's Trophy. They have won six of their last seven games.
8. Philadelphia 15-7-3 33 points
The worst thing about Chris Pronger being out with knee surgery is we won't see him on 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic.
9. Dallas 15-10-1 31 points
A barrage of injuries will challenge the Stars depth as they try to stay on top in the Pacific Division.
10. San Jose 14-8-1 29 points
The more I watch Logan Couture (10G, 9A) the more I'm convinced he is destined for great things in the NHL.
11. Buffalo 14-11-1 29 points
Nice to see the Sabres stand up for their goalie after Ryan Miller was run by Jordin Tootoo.
12. Toronto 14-10-2 30 points
The return of James Reimer in goal is a welcome sight for Leafs fans.
13. St. Louis 14 -9-3 31 points
Blues are 8-2-3 since Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach. So far the coaching change is working.
14. Florida 14-8-4 32 points
Panthers are tied for most road wins in the NHL with Philadelphia (9 wins)
15. Washington 13-11-1 27 points
Dale Hunter 1-2 in his first week as coach of the Capitals.
16. Los Angeles 13-9-4 30 points
Jonathan Quick (2-0, 0.50 GAA, .987 save percentage) named 3rd Star of the week.
17. Phoenix 13-9-3 29 points
Coyotes had given up 10 1st period goals in 24 games before giving up four goals in the 1st period against Philadelphia.
18. Edmonton 13-11-3 29 points
Oilers went 0-6 on the Power Play Saturday against Calgary. Currently ranked 4th in the NHL.
19. Colorado 13-13-1 27 points
Ryan O'Reilly (Seven points in four games) named 2nd Star of the Week.
20. Nashville 12-10-4 28 points
Predators have scored nine power-play goals in their last eight games.
21. New Jersey 12-12-1 25 points
I went to Xcel Center on Friday looking forward to watching Martin Brodeur play. He lasted a little over 8 minutes before being pulled after giving up three goals in the 1st period.
22. Ottawa 12-11-3 27 points
Milan Michalek is tied for first in the NHL with 16 goals. Nobody expected that.
23. Tampa Bay 11-12-2 24 points
Steven Stamkos is also tied for first in the NHL with 16 goals. Nobody is surprised by that.
24. Montreal 11-11-5 27 points
Canadiens finished California Road Trip 1-1-1.
25. Winnipeg 11-11-4 26 points
The wait was 15 years for fans in Winnipeg but no win this season will be sweeter than the 1-0 victory over Phoenix last Thursday.
26. Calgary 11-13-2 24 points
Welcome back to the NHL Joe Piskula.
27. N.Y. Islanders 8-11-5 21 points
Matt Moulson (4 goal game Saturday night) named 1st Star of the week.
28. Carolina 8-16-4 20 points
Kirk Muller has a long rebuilding task ahead in Carolina.
29. Anaheim 7-14-5 19 points
Still looking for first win under Bruce Boudreau (0-2)
30. Columbus 7-16-3 17 points
Blue Jackets lineup should get a boost with the return of Kristan Huselius from IR. Missed the first 25 games of the season after injuring pectoral muscle while lifting weights in the off-season.
Back in October I wrote about teams that could be affected by realignment based on the current six division scenario. The only thing for sure was Winnipeg would be moving to the Western Conference and one team from the West would be moving to the East.
Since then another plan that has come up with the NHL going back to a four division format with two divisions having eight teams and two divisions having seven teams. The only problem with this plan is which teams are grouped in what divisions.
The latest proposal has teams grouped in the following divisions:
Division 1: Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Colorado, Phoenix
Division 2: Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, St. Louis, Minnesota, Nashville, Winnipeg, Columbus
Division 3: Montreal, Ottawa, Buffalo, Boston, Toronto, Tampa Bay, Florida
Division 4: Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers, NY Islanders, Washington, New Jersey, Carolina
Basically what is being proposed is the previous four division format that was in place before the last round of expansion with the NHL trying to figure out where to place teams that are in Non-Traditional Markets. While this proposal looks reasonable my guess is there will be some tweaking to it.
One thing to keep in mind is it takes 20 of 30 votes to agree on any realignment scenario. I have talked to people that cover the NHL and the only certain thing is nobody has any idea what will happen. Some think there is no way the four division format will happen while others think it is likely depending on how teams are grouped together.
My only request is if the NHL decides to go with a four division format they bring back the original division names Patrick, Adams, Norris & Smythe.
Here is the Power Poll for Week 8:
1. Minnesota 17-7-3 37 points
The Wild are a much better hockey club than people give them credit for.
2. Pittsburgh 16-7-4 36 points
Penguins are 5-1-1 since Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup.
3. Detroit 16-8-1 33 points
Red Wings had won seven in a row before losing to Colorado on Sunday.
4. Boston 16-7-1 33 points
Bruins finished the month of November 12-0-1 and has secured a point in it's last 14 games.
5. Chicago 16-8-3 35 points
Jonathan Toews (9G, 9A in November) named 2nd Star of the month.
6. N.Y. Rangers 15-5-3 33 points
Rangers have won five in a row and 12 out of their last 14 games.
7. Vancouver 15-10-1 31 points
It was this time last season the Canucks got hot en route to the President's Trophy. They have won six of their last seven games.
8. Philadelphia 15-7-3 33 points
The worst thing about Chris Pronger being out with knee surgery is we won't see him on 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic.
9. Dallas 15-10-1 31 points
A barrage of injuries will challenge the Stars depth as they try to stay on top in the Pacific Division.
10. San Jose 14-8-1 29 points
The more I watch Logan Couture (10G, 9A) the more I'm convinced he is destined for great things in the NHL.
11. Buffalo 14-11-1 29 points
Nice to see the Sabres stand up for their goalie after Ryan Miller was run by Jordin Tootoo.
12. Toronto 14-10-2 30 points
The return of James Reimer in goal is a welcome sight for Leafs fans.
13. St. Louis 14 -9-3 31 points
Blues are 8-2-3 since Ken Hitchcock took over as head coach. So far the coaching change is working.
14. Florida 14-8-4 32 points
Panthers are tied for most road wins in the NHL with Philadelphia (9 wins)
15. Washington 13-11-1 27 points
Dale Hunter 1-2 in his first week as coach of the Capitals.
16. Los Angeles 13-9-4 30 points
Jonathan Quick (2-0, 0.50 GAA, .987 save percentage) named 3rd Star of the week.
17. Phoenix 13-9-3 29 points
Coyotes had given up 10 1st period goals in 24 games before giving up four goals in the 1st period against Philadelphia.
18. Edmonton 13-11-3 29 points
Oilers went 0-6 on the Power Play Saturday against Calgary. Currently ranked 4th in the NHL.
19. Colorado 13-13-1 27 points
Ryan O'Reilly (Seven points in four games) named 2nd Star of the Week.
20. Nashville 12-10-4 28 points
Predators have scored nine power-play goals in their last eight games.
21. New Jersey 12-12-1 25 points
I went to Xcel Center on Friday looking forward to watching Martin Brodeur play. He lasted a little over 8 minutes before being pulled after giving up three goals in the 1st period.
22. Ottawa 12-11-3 27 points
Milan Michalek is tied for first in the NHL with 16 goals. Nobody expected that.
23. Tampa Bay 11-12-2 24 points
Steven Stamkos is also tied for first in the NHL with 16 goals. Nobody is surprised by that.
24. Montreal 11-11-5 27 points
Canadiens finished California Road Trip 1-1-1.
25. Winnipeg 11-11-4 26 points
The wait was 15 years for fans in Winnipeg but no win this season will be sweeter than the 1-0 victory over Phoenix last Thursday.
26. Calgary 11-13-2 24 points
Welcome back to the NHL Joe Piskula.
27. N.Y. Islanders 8-11-5 21 points
Matt Moulson (4 goal game Saturday night) named 1st Star of the week.
28. Carolina 8-16-4 20 points
Kirk Muller has a long rebuilding task ahead in Carolina.
29. Anaheim 7-14-5 19 points
Still looking for first win under Bruce Boudreau (0-2)
30. Columbus 7-16-3 17 points
Blue Jackets lineup should get a boost with the return of Kristan Huselius from IR. Missed the first 25 games of the season after injuring pectoral muscle while lifting weights in the off-season.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Coaching Carousel Spins Again
Three weeks ago I wrote about potential coaching changes in the NHL after the St. Louis Blues fired Davis Payne and replaced him with Ken Hitchcock. When I wrote the blog I identified four coaches that I felt were on the hotseat.
Well we had three coaching changes this past week in the NHL. One of the firings was one of the coaches I identified in my previous blog. The other two coaching changes I did not expect, at least at this present time.
Well cover the two coaches I wasn't expecting to be fired in a moment but let's start with the one that I felt was on borrowed time.
Paul Maurice:
When I wrote about Maurice three weeks ago I left it was only a matter of time before Carolina made a coaching change. Time finally ran out on Monday when Maurice was relieved of his duties and replaced by Kirk Muller.
Maurice finishes his second tenure in Carolina with a record of 116-110-30 and one playoff appearance. While I have never been impressed with Maurice as a head coach I have seen lesser coaches receive multiple opportunities to coach in the NHL. If another team hires Maurice it wouldn't surprise me.
Hired to take his place in Carolina is Kirk Muller who played 19 seasons in the NHL and was an assistant with Montreal from 2006-2011.
Muller's name was mentioned throughout the summer as being a potential head coach in the NHL. He took over as head coach of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals this year in hopes the experience would lead to a head coaching position. After two months he finds himself behind the bench in Carolina.
Muller is probably best known in coaching circles for coming up with the game plan to contain Alex Ovechkin in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and shut down the Capitals offense during the last three games of their playoff series against Montreal. That's important to remember as Carolina has to face Ovechkin six times a season.
Any success Muller will have in Carolina will depend on the play of Eric Staal. Staal is having a miserable season scoring 12 points (5G, 7A) on the season and is a -18 on the ice. He is on pace for his lowest point total since his rookie season in 2003-04 (31 points).
The Hurricanes are currently 14th in the East but only six points out of the final playoff spot. This next month will determine whether Carolina has a chance to be a playoff contender. Either way Muller will have the rest of the season to put his system in place as the Hurricanes move forward.
Bruce Boudreau:
Going into the 2011-2012 NHL season I felt Boudreau had to survive the 1st two rounds of the playoffs to keep his job in Washington.
Turns out he only lasted two months.
Boudreau was fired on Monday after four seasons as coach of the Capitals. He leaves with record of 201-88-40 and reached the 200 win plateau faster than any coach in NHL history.
The Capitals started the season by winning their first seven games of the season but were 3-9-1 in the last 13 games before General Manager George McPhee decided to make a change.
McPhee felt that the Capitals needed a new voice and that Boudreau had done all he could with the roster he had to work with. There had been speculation that Boudreau and Alex Ovechkin had not been seeing eye-to-eye although neither one has indicated that was the problem.
Replacing Boudreau as head coach of the Capitals is former player Dale Hunter who played with Washington from 1987-1999 and was the team captain for five seasons. Hunter had spent the last eleven years as the head coach of the London Knights of the OHL leading them to a Memorial Cup win in 2005.
Hunter is best known for in hockey circles for this hit on Pierre Turgeon in the 1993 playoffs which resulted in a 21 game suspension at the start of the 93-94 NHL season.
With hiring Hunter as head coach, McPhee is hoping the fire he played with on the ice will carry over to the bench and give the Capitals the swift kick in the ass this team needs. As for Boudreau it wouldn't take him long to find another job.
Randy Carlyle:
There has been speculation about the job security for Randy Carlyle all season but I thought he would have a little more leeway after what he had accomplished in Anaheim.
He had lead the Ducks to the Stanley Cup title in 2007 and had made the playoffs in five of his six seasons as head coach in Anaheim.
But the Ducks are 7-13-4 on the season and sit 14th in the West, ten points out of the final playoff spot. They are having trouble scoring goals and have the worst team plus/minus in the NHL at -22.
The talk around the Ducks for the past week was whether they would trade star forward Bobby Ryan. That may still happen at some point but it's easier to fire the coach than turnover an entire roster and that is what happened here.
My opinion is that this coaching move for Anaheim is similar to the one St. Louis made earlier this season where a coach was available and they made a decision to go get him before another team did.
Boudreau did a great job with the Capitals offense when he took over in Washington. My guess is he'll be able to do the same in Anaheim especially with having a first line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf & Bobby Ryan (provided Ryan isn't traded)
On the blueline he'll have a couple young defenseman to work with in Cam Fowler and Lucas Sbisa. With Boudreau as coach I could see Fowler becoming Anaheim's version of Mike Green.
As for Carlyle, the situation he is in now is similar to the one in Washington where a new voice was needed and a change was made. Carlyle's record speaks for itself and it won't be long before he is coaching again.
Unlike Boudreau and Maurice, at least Carlyle was able to win his final game as head coach.
Well we had three coaching changes this past week in the NHL. One of the firings was one of the coaches I identified in my previous blog. The other two coaching changes I did not expect, at least at this present time.
Well cover the two coaches I wasn't expecting to be fired in a moment but let's start with the one that I felt was on borrowed time.
Paul Maurice:
When I wrote about Maurice three weeks ago I left it was only a matter of time before Carolina made a coaching change. Time finally ran out on Monday when Maurice was relieved of his duties and replaced by Kirk Muller.
Maurice finishes his second tenure in Carolina with a record of 116-110-30 and one playoff appearance. While I have never been impressed with Maurice as a head coach I have seen lesser coaches receive multiple opportunities to coach in the NHL. If another team hires Maurice it wouldn't surprise me.
Hired to take his place in Carolina is Kirk Muller who played 19 seasons in the NHL and was an assistant with Montreal from 2006-2011.
Muller's name was mentioned throughout the summer as being a potential head coach in the NHL. He took over as head coach of the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals this year in hopes the experience would lead to a head coaching position. After two months he finds himself behind the bench in Carolina.
Muller is probably best known in coaching circles for coming up with the game plan to contain Alex Ovechkin in the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs and shut down the Capitals offense during the last three games of their playoff series against Montreal. That's important to remember as Carolina has to face Ovechkin six times a season.
Any success Muller will have in Carolina will depend on the play of Eric Staal. Staal is having a miserable season scoring 12 points (5G, 7A) on the season and is a -18 on the ice. He is on pace for his lowest point total since his rookie season in 2003-04 (31 points).
The Hurricanes are currently 14th in the East but only six points out of the final playoff spot. This next month will determine whether Carolina has a chance to be a playoff contender. Either way Muller will have the rest of the season to put his system in place as the Hurricanes move forward.
Bruce Boudreau:
Going into the 2011-2012 NHL season I felt Boudreau had to survive the 1st two rounds of the playoffs to keep his job in Washington.
Turns out he only lasted two months.
Boudreau was fired on Monday after four seasons as coach of the Capitals. He leaves with record of 201-88-40 and reached the 200 win plateau faster than any coach in NHL history.
The Capitals started the season by winning their first seven games of the season but were 3-9-1 in the last 13 games before General Manager George McPhee decided to make a change.
McPhee felt that the Capitals needed a new voice and that Boudreau had done all he could with the roster he had to work with. There had been speculation that Boudreau and Alex Ovechkin had not been seeing eye-to-eye although neither one has indicated that was the problem.
Replacing Boudreau as head coach of the Capitals is former player Dale Hunter who played with Washington from 1987-1999 and was the team captain for five seasons. Hunter had spent the last eleven years as the head coach of the London Knights of the OHL leading them to a Memorial Cup win in 2005.
Hunter is best known for in hockey circles for this hit on Pierre Turgeon in the 1993 playoffs which resulted in a 21 game suspension at the start of the 93-94 NHL season.
With hiring Hunter as head coach, McPhee is hoping the fire he played with on the ice will carry over to the bench and give the Capitals the swift kick in the ass this team needs. As for Boudreau it wouldn't take him long to find another job.
Randy Carlyle:
There has been speculation about the job security for Randy Carlyle all season but I thought he would have a little more leeway after what he had accomplished in Anaheim.
He had lead the Ducks to the Stanley Cup title in 2007 and had made the playoffs in five of his six seasons as head coach in Anaheim.
But the Ducks are 7-13-4 on the season and sit 14th in the West, ten points out of the final playoff spot. They are having trouble scoring goals and have the worst team plus/minus in the NHL at -22.
The talk around the Ducks for the past week was whether they would trade star forward Bobby Ryan. That may still happen at some point but it's easier to fire the coach than turnover an entire roster and that is what happened here.
My opinion is that this coaching move for Anaheim is similar to the one St. Louis made earlier this season where a coach was available and they made a decision to go get him before another team did.
Boudreau did a great job with the Capitals offense when he took over in Washington. My guess is he'll be able to do the same in Anaheim especially with having a first line of Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf & Bobby Ryan (provided Ryan isn't traded)
On the blueline he'll have a couple young defenseman to work with in Cam Fowler and Lucas Sbisa. With Boudreau as coach I could see Fowler becoming Anaheim's version of Mike Green.
As for Carlyle, the situation he is in now is similar to the one in Washington where a new voice was needed and a change was made. Carlyle's record speaks for itself and it won't be long before he is coaching again.
Unlike Boudreau and Maurice, at least Carlyle was able to win his final game as head coach.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Week 7 Power Poll
I've been out of town this past weekend so today's blog will be brief. I'll share my thoughts on Monday's coaching changes later this week but I will give you this week's Power Poll.
For all the latest news on each team you can click on NHL.com
Here is the Power Poll:
1. Pittsburgh 14-6-4 32 points
2. Chicago 14-7-3 31 points
3. Detroit 14-7-1 29 points
4. Boston 14-7-1 29 points
5. Toronto 14-8-2 30 points
6. Minnesota 14-7-3 31 points
7. Dallas 14-9-1 29 points
8. San Jose 13-7-1 27 points
9. Vancouver 13-9-1 27 points
10. Buffalo 13-9-1 27 points
11. Philadelphia 13-7-3 29 points
12. St. Louis 13-8-2 28 points
13. NY Rangers 12-5-3 27 points
14. Washington 12-9-1 25 points
15. Los Angeles 12-8-4 28 points
16. New Jersey 12-9-1 25 points
17. Edmonton 12-10-2 26 points
18. Florida 12-7-4 28 points
19. Phoenix 12-7-3 27 points
20. Tampa Bay 11-10-2 24 points
21. Nashville 11-8-4 26 points
22. Ottawa 11-10-2 24 points
23. Montreal 10-10-4 24 points
24. Colorado 10-13-1 21 points
25. Winnipeg 9-10-4 22 points
26. Calgary 9-12-1 19 points
27. Carolina 8-13-4 20 points
28. Anaheim 6-13-4 16 points
29. NY Islanders 6-11-4 16 points
30. Columbus 6-14-3 15 points
For all the latest news on each team you can click on NHL.com
Here is the Power Poll:
1. Pittsburgh 14-6-4 32 points
2. Chicago 14-7-3 31 points
3. Detroit 14-7-1 29 points
4. Boston 14-7-1 29 points
5. Toronto 14-8-2 30 points
6. Minnesota 14-7-3 31 points
7. Dallas 14-9-1 29 points
8. San Jose 13-7-1 27 points
9. Vancouver 13-9-1 27 points
10. Buffalo 13-9-1 27 points
11. Philadelphia 13-7-3 29 points
12. St. Louis 13-8-2 28 points
13. NY Rangers 12-5-3 27 points
14. Washington 12-9-1 25 points
15. Los Angeles 12-8-4 28 points
16. New Jersey 12-9-1 25 points
17. Edmonton 12-10-2 26 points
18. Florida 12-7-4 28 points
19. Phoenix 12-7-3 27 points
20. Tampa Bay 11-10-2 24 points
21. Nashville 11-8-4 26 points
22. Ottawa 11-10-2 24 points
23. Montreal 10-10-4 24 points
24. Colorado 10-13-1 21 points
25. Winnipeg 9-10-4 22 points
26. Calgary 9-12-1 19 points
27. Carolina 8-13-4 20 points
28. Anaheim 6-13-4 16 points
29. NY Islanders 6-11-4 16 points
30. Columbus 6-14-3 15 points
Thursday, November 24, 2011
News & Notes: Thanksgiving Edition
First of all if you are reading this I want to wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving. If any of you are Canadian I hope you are enjoying your Thursday.
There is a lot happening this week in the NHL so here's a notes column to get you through this holiday weekend.
Sidney Crosby returns for the Penguins:
I briefly talked about his return at the start of Monday's Power Poll but I wanted to wait until his first game before sharing my thoughts. After watching on Monday night I just walked away shaking my head in amazement of what I saw.
Crosby scored the first goal of the game 5:24 into the 1st period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. He would score another goal in the 3rd period with two assists sandwiched in-between en route to Pittsburgh's 5-0 win over the Islanders. All that was missing for Crosby was a fight to give him a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick.
Watching Crosby skate on Monday you couldn't tell he had missed 10 months of NHL action. It looked like he had only been gone for 10 minutes.
I'm always a little leery of the hype a player receives when he enters a professional league because it usually comes with expectations that are nearly impossible to achieve. Not only has Crosby lived up to the level of play people expected, he is exceeding it.
Granted it was the Islanders he was facing but the way Crosby played showed why he is the best player in the NHL. His return makes a deep Penguins team already deeper. If they can stay healthy I don't see anyone in the East beating them.
Welcome back Sid, the NHL missed you.
Minnesota Wild sign a 51 year old goaltender:
Yes, you read that headline correctly.
When I arrived at Xcel Energy Center last night I learned that Nicklas Backstrom would not play due to personal reasons leaving Josh Harding to get the start.
The Wild called up Matt Hackett from Houston to back up Harding. Only problem was because Wednesday is considered one of the busiest travel days of the year there was no guarantee he would make it to Xcel in time for the game.
Enter Paul Deutsch, a 51 year old who operates a screen printing shop and plays goalie in a beer-league in Bloomington.
Deutsch, who is friends and played hockey in high school with former Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey, has filled in at goal in the past at Wild practices when other goalies have been out with injuries.
He received a call yesterday afternoon and because he had no professional experience he was able to sign a contract for an amateur tryout and take place in warm-ups before the game against Nashville.
Hackett did arrive at the arena at around 7:00 PM and was on the bench a minute into the hockey game backing up Harding meaning Deutsch ended up being a healthy scratch.
But stories like this are why I love the NHL. I can't think of another professional league where any average person could be signed to a contract, even for just one day, in case of an emergency.
Discover Showdown:
On Friday afternoon the Detroit Red Wings travel to Boston to take on the Bruins in the first ever Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown.
Now this isn't the first time an NHL team has played on a Friday afternoon. In fact for many years the Bruins have been playing on the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving. (Usually against the Hartford Whalers before they moved to Carolina.)
What makes this game unique is for the first time ever this game will be shown on National Television.
As part of the NHL's new TV Contract signed last spring NBC will now air an NHL game on Black Friday. With Boston being the defending Stanley Cup Champions and traditionally playing at this time it was a no-brainer for them to host the game. As for the opponent, you can't go wrong bringing in an Original Six team that has the fan following Detroit does.
What I like most about this idea is the NHL looks to create an event on a date where a lot of people are able to watch. The NHL has done a nice job of making the Winter Classic a must-see event on New Year's Day which in the past has been reserved for College Bowl Games.
The day after Thanksgiving has usually been reserved for College Football Rivalries. (Nebraska vs. Oklahoma/Colorado) As College Football keeps re-inventing itself (not for the better I might add) a place at the table has opened up for the NHL.
I'm not going to say the NHL is going to draw more TV viewers than any of the college football games but Detroit vs Boston should capture some interest especially with the Bruins on a 10 game winning streak.
If anything it will serve as a good warm-up for Arkansas vs. LSU later that afternoon.
That's all for today. I'll be back next week with the Week 7 Power Poll. In the meantime enjoy your holiday weekend & enjoy the hockey.
There is a lot happening this week in the NHL so here's a notes column to get you through this holiday weekend.
Sidney Crosby returns for the Penguins:
I briefly talked about his return at the start of Monday's Power Poll but I wanted to wait until his first game before sharing my thoughts. After watching on Monday night I just walked away shaking my head in amazement of what I saw.
Crosby scored the first goal of the game 5:24 into the 1st period to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. He would score another goal in the 3rd period with two assists sandwiched in-between en route to Pittsburgh's 5-0 win over the Islanders. All that was missing for Crosby was a fight to give him a Gordie Howe Hat-Trick.
Watching Crosby skate on Monday you couldn't tell he had missed 10 months of NHL action. It looked like he had only been gone for 10 minutes.
I'm always a little leery of the hype a player receives when he enters a professional league because it usually comes with expectations that are nearly impossible to achieve. Not only has Crosby lived up to the level of play people expected, he is exceeding it.
Granted it was the Islanders he was facing but the way Crosby played showed why he is the best player in the NHL. His return makes a deep Penguins team already deeper. If they can stay healthy I don't see anyone in the East beating them.
Welcome back Sid, the NHL missed you.
Minnesota Wild sign a 51 year old goaltender:
Yes, you read that headline correctly.
When I arrived at Xcel Energy Center last night I learned that Nicklas Backstrom would not play due to personal reasons leaving Josh Harding to get the start.
The Wild called up Matt Hackett from Houston to back up Harding. Only problem was because Wednesday is considered one of the busiest travel days of the year there was no guarantee he would make it to Xcel in time for the game.
Enter Paul Deutsch, a 51 year old who operates a screen printing shop and plays goalie in a beer-league in Bloomington.
Deutsch, who is friends and played hockey in high school with former Wild assistant coach Mike Ramsey, has filled in at goal in the past at Wild practices when other goalies have been out with injuries.
He received a call yesterday afternoon and because he had no professional experience he was able to sign a contract for an amateur tryout and take place in warm-ups before the game against Nashville.
Hackett did arrive at the arena at around 7:00 PM and was on the bench a minute into the hockey game backing up Harding meaning Deutsch ended up being a healthy scratch.
But stories like this are why I love the NHL. I can't think of another professional league where any average person could be signed to a contract, even for just one day, in case of an emergency.
Discover Showdown:
On Friday afternoon the Detroit Red Wings travel to Boston to take on the Bruins in the first ever Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown.
Now this isn't the first time an NHL team has played on a Friday afternoon. In fact for many years the Bruins have been playing on the Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving. (Usually against the Hartford Whalers before they moved to Carolina.)
What makes this game unique is for the first time ever this game will be shown on National Television.
As part of the NHL's new TV Contract signed last spring NBC will now air an NHL game on Black Friday. With Boston being the defending Stanley Cup Champions and traditionally playing at this time it was a no-brainer for them to host the game. As for the opponent, you can't go wrong bringing in an Original Six team that has the fan following Detroit does.
What I like most about this idea is the NHL looks to create an event on a date where a lot of people are able to watch. The NHL has done a nice job of making the Winter Classic a must-see event on New Year's Day which in the past has been reserved for College Bowl Games.
The day after Thanksgiving has usually been reserved for College Football Rivalries. (Nebraska vs. Oklahoma/Colorado) As College Football keeps re-inventing itself (not for the better I might add) a place at the table has opened up for the NHL.
I'm not going to say the NHL is going to draw more TV viewers than any of the college football games but Detroit vs Boston should capture some interest especially with the Bruins on a 10 game winning streak.
If anything it will serve as a good warm-up for Arkansas vs. LSU later that afternoon.
That's all for today. I'll be back next week with the Week 7 Power Poll. In the meantime enjoy your holiday weekend & enjoy the hockey.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Week 6 Power Poll
January 5th, 2011, it was the last day Sidney Crosby would play in an NHL game.
Coming off a hit from Washington's David Steckel in the Winter Classic, Crosby would suffer another hit from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman four days later.
Because of these two hits Crosby missed the rest of the 2010-2011 season and the start of the current NHL season. After weeks of speculation as to when he would return word came down yesterday afternoon that Sidney Crosby would make his season debut tonight at home against the New York Islanders.
How big of a deal is this?
The CBC network announced they were going to air a special edition of Hockey Night in Canada tonight broadcasting Crosby's return. An hour later Versus announced they were dropping their coverage of Boston vs. Montreal so they could also air Crosby's return.
There isn't another player in the NHL, not Ovechkin, not Stamkos that could make this happen. Come to think of it I'm having trouble finding a current athlete in any sport where a TV network would change their broadcasting schedule just because he is returning from injury.
I'll have more on Crosby's return later this week. Here is the Power Poll for Week 6:
1. San Jose 12-5-1 25 points
Marc-Edouard Vlasic named 2nd star of the week. (1G, 6A, +7 on ice)
2. Minnesota 12-5-3 27 points
Simply put the Wild are beating the teams they need to beat.
3. Chicago 12-6-3 27 points
Gave up 5 goals in Calgary and 9 goals in Edmonton on back to back nights.
4. Buffalo 12-8-0 24 points
Defenseman Tyler Myers out one month with a broken wrist.
5. Pittsburgh 11-6-3 25 points
Welcome back Sid.
6. Detroit 11-7-1 23 points
Ended a five game road losing streak with a win in Los Angeles on Saturday. Followed that up by defeating the Ducks in Anaheim.
7. Boston 11-7-0 22 points
Hottest team in the NHL has won eight in a row.
8. Philadelphia 11-5-3 25 points
Five goals in four games for Matt Read is the best stretch for a Flyers rookie since Mikael Renberg scored five goals in three games from Feb. 15-18, 1994.
9. Toronto 11-8-2 24 points
Phil Kessel (16G, 13A) leads the NHL in scoring with 29 points.
10 Dallas 11-8-0 22 points
Big disparity in special teams is a factor in the Stars recent struggles.
11. Los Angeles 10-7-3 23 points
Mike Richards has goals in five of his last six games (6g) and has 14 points (7G, 7A) in his last 17 games.
12. N.Y. Rangers 10-4-3 23 points
Loss against Montreal ends Rangers seven game win streak.
13. Vancouver 10-9-1 21 points
Daniel Sedin has 11 points (2G, 9A) in November.
14. Washington 10-7-1 21 points
Capitals are 3-7-1 since starting the year with seven straight wins.
15. Nashville 10-5-4 24 points
Top line is producing for the Predators.
16. New Jersey 10-7-1 21 points
Devils finish up road trip tonight in Florida. My guess is former Panthers coach Pete DeBoar really wants this one tonight.
17. St. Louis 10-7-2 22 points
Blues forward David Perron is cleared for contact and closer to returning to the lineup. He hasn't played since November 4th, 2010 because of a concussion.
18. Edmonton 10-7-2 22 points
9-2 win over Chicago ends the Oilers four game losing streak. Hoping to continue momentum as the team starts a four game road trip tonight in Dallas.
19. Phoenix 10-5-3 23 points
Game winning goal against Buffalo scored by Paul Bissonnette. I'm pretty confident I'll never type that sentence in my life again.
20. Florida 10-6-3 23 points
Your eyes aren't deceiving you. Right now the Panthers are in 1st in the Southeast Division.
21. Ottawa 10-9-2 22 points
Senators are 3-1-1 on current road trip.
22. Tampa Bay 9-8-2 20 points
Lightning have the fourth ranked home power play in the NHL at 22.6 percent.
23. Montreal 9-8-3 21 points
Carey Price (2-0-1, 0.67 GAA, .972 save percentage) named first star of the week.
24. Colorado 9-11-1 19 points
This goal by Matt Duchene might be the prettiest goal of the season.
25. Winnipeg 8-9-3 19 points
15 goals in two games this year against Philadelphia. The Flyers do know these are the Thrashers in better uniforms don't they?
26. Calgary 8-9-1 17 points
Goaltending and defense has been good for the Flames. They just can't score enough goals to win games.
27. Carolina 7-11-3 17 points
Hurricanes are 0-5-1 in last six road games as they travel to Philadelphia tonight.
28. Anaheim 6-10-4 16 points
Ducks are 1-5-3 in the month of November.
29. N.Y. Islanders 5-9-3 13 points
I'm not a fan of the Islanders 3rd jersey.
30. Columbus 4-13-2 10 points
The record doesn't show it but the Blue Jackets are starting to play better.
Coming off a hit from Washington's David Steckel in the Winter Classic, Crosby would suffer another hit from Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman four days later.
Because of these two hits Crosby missed the rest of the 2010-2011 season and the start of the current NHL season. After weeks of speculation as to when he would return word came down yesterday afternoon that Sidney Crosby would make his season debut tonight at home against the New York Islanders.
How big of a deal is this?
The CBC network announced they were going to air a special edition of Hockey Night in Canada tonight broadcasting Crosby's return. An hour later Versus announced they were dropping their coverage of Boston vs. Montreal so they could also air Crosby's return.
There isn't another player in the NHL, not Ovechkin, not Stamkos that could make this happen. Come to think of it I'm having trouble finding a current athlete in any sport where a TV network would change their broadcasting schedule just because he is returning from injury.
I'll have more on Crosby's return later this week. Here is the Power Poll for Week 6:
1. San Jose 12-5-1 25 points
Marc-Edouard Vlasic named 2nd star of the week. (1G, 6A, +7 on ice)
2. Minnesota 12-5-3 27 points
Simply put the Wild are beating the teams they need to beat.
3. Chicago 12-6-3 27 points
Gave up 5 goals in Calgary and 9 goals in Edmonton on back to back nights.
4. Buffalo 12-8-0 24 points
Defenseman Tyler Myers out one month with a broken wrist.
5. Pittsburgh 11-6-3 25 points
Welcome back Sid.
6. Detroit 11-7-1 23 points
Ended a five game road losing streak with a win in Los Angeles on Saturday. Followed that up by defeating the Ducks in Anaheim.
7. Boston 11-7-0 22 points
Hottest team in the NHL has won eight in a row.
8. Philadelphia 11-5-3 25 points
Five goals in four games for Matt Read is the best stretch for a Flyers rookie since Mikael Renberg scored five goals in three games from Feb. 15-18, 1994.
9. Toronto 11-8-2 24 points
Phil Kessel (16G, 13A) leads the NHL in scoring with 29 points.
10 Dallas 11-8-0 22 points
Big disparity in special teams is a factor in the Stars recent struggles.
11. Los Angeles 10-7-3 23 points
Mike Richards has goals in five of his last six games (6g) and has 14 points (7G, 7A) in his last 17 games.
12. N.Y. Rangers 10-4-3 23 points
Loss against Montreal ends Rangers seven game win streak.
13. Vancouver 10-9-1 21 points
Daniel Sedin has 11 points (2G, 9A) in November.
14. Washington 10-7-1 21 points
Capitals are 3-7-1 since starting the year with seven straight wins.
15. Nashville 10-5-4 24 points
Top line is producing for the Predators.
16. New Jersey 10-7-1 21 points
Devils finish up road trip tonight in Florida. My guess is former Panthers coach Pete DeBoar really wants this one tonight.
17. St. Louis 10-7-2 22 points
Blues forward David Perron is cleared for contact and closer to returning to the lineup. He hasn't played since November 4th, 2010 because of a concussion.
18. Edmonton 10-7-2 22 points
9-2 win over Chicago ends the Oilers four game losing streak. Hoping to continue momentum as the team starts a four game road trip tonight in Dallas.
19. Phoenix 10-5-3 23 points
Game winning goal against Buffalo scored by Paul Bissonnette. I'm pretty confident I'll never type that sentence in my life again.
20. Florida 10-6-3 23 points
Your eyes aren't deceiving you. Right now the Panthers are in 1st in the Southeast Division.
21. Ottawa 10-9-2 22 points
Senators are 3-1-1 on current road trip.
22. Tampa Bay 9-8-2 20 points
Lightning have the fourth ranked home power play in the NHL at 22.6 percent.
23. Montreal 9-8-3 21 points
Carey Price (2-0-1, 0.67 GAA, .972 save percentage) named first star of the week.
24. Colorado 9-11-1 19 points
This goal by Matt Duchene might be the prettiest goal of the season.
25. Winnipeg 8-9-3 19 points
15 goals in two games this year against Philadelphia. The Flyers do know these are the Thrashers in better uniforms don't they?
26. Calgary 8-9-1 17 points
Goaltending and defense has been good for the Flames. They just can't score enough goals to win games.
27. Carolina 7-11-3 17 points
Hurricanes are 0-5-1 in last six road games as they travel to Philadelphia tonight.
28. Anaheim 6-10-4 16 points
Ducks are 1-5-3 in the month of November.
29. N.Y. Islanders 5-9-3 13 points
I'm not a fan of the Islanders 3rd jersey.
30. Columbus 4-13-2 10 points
The record doesn't show it but the Blue Jackets are starting to play better.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Are The Minnesota Wild Really This Good?
This past week when I did my power poll I had the Minnesota Wild ranked 8th. One of my readers said "Love your optimism, but I don't think they're that good."
Before we continue you should know that when I do my power poll each Monday my rankings are based on what each team has done on the ice not what I think they are going to do & how talented they are especially early in the season when so many teams are bunched together. As the season goes on and teams start to separate themselves, we get a better idea of which teams are good and which teams are bad.
But we are nearly one-forth of a way through the season and right now the Minnesota Wild are first in the Northwest Division and second in the Western Conference. They are tied with Pittsburgh & Philadelphia for the second highest point total with 25 and the trail Chicago by one for most wins this season.
That got me thinking, Are the Minnesota Wild really this good?
I guess that depends on what your definition of good is. If you go by talent then the answer is no. There are at least five teams in the West (Chicago, San Jose, Vancouver, Detroit, & Los Angeles) that are all better from a talent standpoint than Minnesota. But let's compare the Wild to the other playoff teams in the West from last season Nashville, Phoenix, & Anaheim.
Nashville has one of the deepest bluelines in the NHL led by Shea Weber & Ryan Suter and they have one of the best goaltenders in the NHL in Pekka Rinne. That alone should keep the Predators in the playoff hunt.
Phoenix is off to another strong start under coach Dave Tippett although I have my doubts whether Mike Smith can play well enough in goal to lead them to another playoff berth. In Anaheim the Ducks can't stop the puck and only their top line can score. That combination usually means you are watching hockey and not playing in the spring.
So right now in my opinion there are at least two playoff spots that are up for grabs in the West. Minnesota's strong start should keep them in the playoff hunt for the rest of the season.
But that begs the question, Why are the Wild playing so well this season?
You can start with the men in net. The Wild have gotten great goaltending this season from Niklas Backstrom (7-4-2, 1.97 GAA, .935 save percentage) & Josh Harding (4-1-1, 1.78 GAA, .948 save percentage)
Minnesota also has two forwards, Dany Heatley & Devon Setoguchi, that are legit first line players. I love Andrew Brunette as a player but he did not belong on a first line last year with Mikko Koivu. I did not love Antti Mietinen and he also should not have been on a first line. The Wild don't have that problem this season.
I also think the Wild blueline is better overall this season despite the loss of All-Star Brent Burns. Last year both Burns and Cam Barker finished the season a team worst -10 on the ice. So far this year only one Wild player, Marco Scandella is on the minus side and he is at -1 on the ice. That's a stark contrast from a year ago when Clayton Stoner was the only defenseman with a plus rating of +5.
But I think the biggest reason the Wild are playing so well is because of the man behind the bench, Mike Yeo.
Last year with Todd Richards as coach the Wild seemed to be uninspired on the ice. They would play well in the 1st period, struggle mightily in the 2nd period and try to comeback in the 3rd period usually falling a goal or two short.
There were many post-game press conferences that I sat in last year where Richards stood at the podium and had a "deer in the headlights" look on his face. He seemed more relived after a win because it meant he wouldn't be getting grilled with questions of why his team was struggling and what did they need to do to turn it around.
Enter Mike Yeo who seems like he has a plan, he knows what he wants his team to do and he's not shy about telling his team how he wants them to play. More importantly the players seem to be buying into his system.
Now I realize there is still a lot of hockey to be played. Injuries are going to happen and The Wild are going to hit a slump at some point. Then we will find out what character this team has when facing that adversity.
Right now the Wild are beating the teams they need to beat. Do I expect the Wild to win the Northwest Division? No, Vancouver has way too much talent and within the next month I expect them to take charge in the Northwest.
But I do think Minnesota is better than Calgary, Colorado & Edmonton. That should be good enough for second in the Northwest and keep them hanging around the playoff picture in the West. If you hang around long enough good things can happen.
Before we continue you should know that when I do my power poll each Monday my rankings are based on what each team has done on the ice not what I think they are going to do & how talented they are especially early in the season when so many teams are bunched together. As the season goes on and teams start to separate themselves, we get a better idea of which teams are good and which teams are bad.
But we are nearly one-forth of a way through the season and right now the Minnesota Wild are first in the Northwest Division and second in the Western Conference. They are tied with Pittsburgh & Philadelphia for the second highest point total with 25 and the trail Chicago by one for most wins this season.
That got me thinking, Are the Minnesota Wild really this good?
I guess that depends on what your definition of good is. If you go by talent then the answer is no. There are at least five teams in the West (Chicago, San Jose, Vancouver, Detroit, & Los Angeles) that are all better from a talent standpoint than Minnesota. But let's compare the Wild to the other playoff teams in the West from last season Nashville, Phoenix, & Anaheim.
Nashville has one of the deepest bluelines in the NHL led by Shea Weber & Ryan Suter and they have one of the best goaltenders in the NHL in Pekka Rinne. That alone should keep the Predators in the playoff hunt.
Phoenix is off to another strong start under coach Dave Tippett although I have my doubts whether Mike Smith can play well enough in goal to lead them to another playoff berth. In Anaheim the Ducks can't stop the puck and only their top line can score. That combination usually means you are watching hockey and not playing in the spring.
So right now in my opinion there are at least two playoff spots that are up for grabs in the West. Minnesota's strong start should keep them in the playoff hunt for the rest of the season.
But that begs the question, Why are the Wild playing so well this season?
You can start with the men in net. The Wild have gotten great goaltending this season from Niklas Backstrom (7-4-2, 1.97 GAA, .935 save percentage) & Josh Harding (4-1-1, 1.78 GAA, .948 save percentage)
Minnesota also has two forwards, Dany Heatley & Devon Setoguchi, that are legit first line players. I love Andrew Brunette as a player but he did not belong on a first line last year with Mikko Koivu. I did not love Antti Mietinen and he also should not have been on a first line. The Wild don't have that problem this season.
I also think the Wild blueline is better overall this season despite the loss of All-Star Brent Burns. Last year both Burns and Cam Barker finished the season a team worst -10 on the ice. So far this year only one Wild player, Marco Scandella is on the minus side and he is at -1 on the ice. That's a stark contrast from a year ago when Clayton Stoner was the only defenseman with a plus rating of +5.
But I think the biggest reason the Wild are playing so well is because of the man behind the bench, Mike Yeo.
Last year with Todd Richards as coach the Wild seemed to be uninspired on the ice. They would play well in the 1st period, struggle mightily in the 2nd period and try to comeback in the 3rd period usually falling a goal or two short.
There were many post-game press conferences that I sat in last year where Richards stood at the podium and had a "deer in the headlights" look on his face. He seemed more relived after a win because it meant he wouldn't be getting grilled with questions of why his team was struggling and what did they need to do to turn it around.
Enter Mike Yeo who seems like he has a plan, he knows what he wants his team to do and he's not shy about telling his team how he wants them to play. More importantly the players seem to be buying into his system.
Now I realize there is still a lot of hockey to be played. Injuries are going to happen and The Wild are going to hit a slump at some point. Then we will find out what character this team has when facing that adversity.
Right now the Wild are beating the teams they need to beat. Do I expect the Wild to win the Northwest Division? No, Vancouver has way too much talent and within the next month I expect them to take charge in the Northwest.
But I do think Minnesota is better than Calgary, Colorado & Edmonton. That should be good enough for second in the Northwest and keep them hanging around the playoff picture in the West. If you hang around long enough good things can happen.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Week 5 Power Poll
This past Wednesday in Tampa an incident took place that has all of the NHL talking.
In the 1st period of the game between Philadelphia & Tampa Bay the Lightning would set up in the 1-3-1 defensive mode waiting for the Flyers to bring the puck into the neutral zone.
The Flyers would respond by skating around in their own zone daring the Tampa Bay forward to come in after the puck.
What we had as a result of this is a stalemate that in all my years of watching hockey I have never seen.
This would happen numerous times throughout the 1st period where the referee would have to whistle the play dead and have a face-off only to have the process repeat itself.
I have read numerous opinions as to which team, Philadelphia or Tampa Bay, was right in the way they played. My personal opinion is the blame starts with the Flyers.
What happened last Wednesday is nothing new if you follow the Lightning. When Guy Boucher was hired to coach Tampa Bay he implemented a 1-3-1 defensive system where one forward play up front near the blue line of he offensive zone and one defenseman plays behind the blue line of the team's defensive zone. The other three players play between the blue lines waiting for the opponent to bring the puck into the neutral zone hoping to force a turnover.
That system if you recall helped Tampa come within one game of the Stanley Cup. It's not like the Lightning just started playing this way on Wednesday night.
If you watch all 30 teams in the NHL at least half of them use some sort of trap during the game and there is no rule in the rulebook against using a trapping system.
When you are a head coach in the NHL your job is to win games. If the 1-3-1 gives Tampa Bay the best chance to succeed then so be it. It's the other coaches job to figure out a way to beat the Lightning. The Flyers lead the NHL in goals scored. They shouldn't have a problem figuring out a way to play against the 1-3-1.
Because of this incident debates have come up as to whether the NHL needs to implement a rule so this doesn't happen again. A few of the suggestions I have heard was to call illegal defense against teams that use trapping systems or to institute a 10 second clock where teams have to move the puck out of the defensive zone.
My response to this is for everyone to take a deep breath and calm down.
Right now this is an isolated incident. Philadelphia is the first team to do this against Tampa Bay. St. Louis didn't try any stall tactics against the Lightning on Saturday and they won 3-0. My guess is the teams Tampa Bay plays the rest of the year will find a way to move the puck against the Lightning instead of stalling and waiting for them to make the first move.
I have no problem with the General Manager's having a discussion about this when they meet in December but I don't think anything needs to be done. We don't need them to reinvent the wheel just because Philadelphia refused to play the puck against Tampa Bay.
And people wonder why I hate the Flyers.
Here's your Power Poll for Week 5.
1. Chicago 11-4-3 25 points
Three-game point streak by Jonathan Toews has the Blackhawks on top of the Western Conference.
2. Pittsburgh 10-4-3 23 points
Penguins still keep moving along while waiting for Sidney Crosby to return.
3. Dallas 11-5-0 22 points
Stars follow up big road win in Washington with back-to-back losses in Pittsburgh & Detroit.
4. Washington 10-4-1 21 points
Capitals are finding a way to win despite injuries on the blueline.
5. N.Y. Rangers 9-3-3 21 points
Rangers have won six in a row.
6. Philadelphia 9-4-3 21 points
JUST PLAY THE FREAKIN PUCK ALREADY!!!!
7. Toronto 10-6-1 21 points
The secondary lines for the Maple Leafs are having trouble scoring right now.
8. Minnesota 9-5-3 21 points
2-2 on current road trip but are beating the teams (Calgary, Anaheim) they need to beat.
9. Buffalo 10-6-0 20 points
Ryan Miller gets laid out and nobody on the Sabres rushes in to stand up for him? Hmm..
10. Edmonton 9-6-2 20 points
Oilers finish 2-4 on six game road trip.
11. San Jose 9-5-1 19 points
Joe Pavelski is tied with three other players for most multi-point games in the NHL this season with eight.
12. Detroit 9-5-1 19 points
Don't look now but the Red Wings have won four in a row.
13. Vancouver 9-8-1 19 points
Once again the Sedin Twins have cracked the 20 point barrier.
14. Los Angeles 8-6-3 19 points
If the Kings can play most of their games the way they did against Minnesota Saturday night they might be the team to beat in the West.
15. Nashville 8-5-3 19 points
Playoff hero Joel Ward returns to Nashville on Tuesday night when Washington comes to town.
16. Phoenix 8-4-3 19 points
Upcoming four game road trip out East should tell us what we need to know about the Coyotes.
17. Florida 8-5-3 19 points
Hard to win against Philadelphia when you go 0-5 on the power play.
18. Tampa Bay 8-6-2 18 points
Good for you Guy Boucher for sticking to your system of play.
19. New Jersey 8-6-1 17 points
Adam Henrique has 12 points in seven games this season. The puck is finding his stick right now.
20. St. Louis 8-7-1 17 points
Blues go 2-0-1 in first week under Ken Hitchcock.
21. Colorado 8-8-1 17 points
Congrats to Milan Hedjuk for being named the 3rd captain in Avalanche history.
22. Ottawa 8-9-1 17 points
Nice bounce back for Craig Anderson making 31 saves in win over Toronto after being pulled two minutes into the previous game against Buffalo.
23. Boston 8-7-0 16 points
While there is still plenty of work to do the Bruins are at least over .500.
24 Montreal 7-7-2 16 points
Good news for the Canadiens as Mike Cammalieri and Scott Gomez returned to action on Saturday night.
25. Anaheim 6-8-3 15 points
Ducks claim Niklas Hagman off waivers from Calgary hoping he can provide scoring depth that is needed amongst forwards.
26. Carolina 6-8-3 15 points
Of the four coaches I listed in Friday's column my guess is Paul Maurice is the next to be fired.
27. Calgary 7-8-1 15 points
If only they could play Colorado every game. (eight wins in a row)
28. Winnipeg 5-9-3 13 points
People of Winnipeg we promised you the NHL would return. We didn't say the team would be good.
29. N.Y. Islanders 4-7-3 11 points
Islanders are 0-7-2 in their last nine road games.
30. Columbus 3-12-1 7 points
Bright spot for the Blue Jackets is Ryan Johansen (5G, 2A) in last nine games.
In the 1st period of the game between Philadelphia & Tampa Bay the Lightning would set up in the 1-3-1 defensive mode waiting for the Flyers to bring the puck into the neutral zone.
The Flyers would respond by skating around in their own zone daring the Tampa Bay forward to come in after the puck.
What we had as a result of this is a stalemate that in all my years of watching hockey I have never seen.
This would happen numerous times throughout the 1st period where the referee would have to whistle the play dead and have a face-off only to have the process repeat itself.
I have read numerous opinions as to which team, Philadelphia or Tampa Bay, was right in the way they played. My personal opinion is the blame starts with the Flyers.
What happened last Wednesday is nothing new if you follow the Lightning. When Guy Boucher was hired to coach Tampa Bay he implemented a 1-3-1 defensive system where one forward play up front near the blue line of he offensive zone and one defenseman plays behind the blue line of the team's defensive zone. The other three players play between the blue lines waiting for the opponent to bring the puck into the neutral zone hoping to force a turnover.
That system if you recall helped Tampa come within one game of the Stanley Cup. It's not like the Lightning just started playing this way on Wednesday night.
If you watch all 30 teams in the NHL at least half of them use some sort of trap during the game and there is no rule in the rulebook against using a trapping system.
When you are a head coach in the NHL your job is to win games. If the 1-3-1 gives Tampa Bay the best chance to succeed then so be it. It's the other coaches job to figure out a way to beat the Lightning. The Flyers lead the NHL in goals scored. They shouldn't have a problem figuring out a way to play against the 1-3-1.
Because of this incident debates have come up as to whether the NHL needs to implement a rule so this doesn't happen again. A few of the suggestions I have heard was to call illegal defense against teams that use trapping systems or to institute a 10 second clock where teams have to move the puck out of the defensive zone.
My response to this is for everyone to take a deep breath and calm down.
Right now this is an isolated incident. Philadelphia is the first team to do this against Tampa Bay. St. Louis didn't try any stall tactics against the Lightning on Saturday and they won 3-0. My guess is the teams Tampa Bay plays the rest of the year will find a way to move the puck against the Lightning instead of stalling and waiting for them to make the first move.
I have no problem with the General Manager's having a discussion about this when they meet in December but I don't think anything needs to be done. We don't need them to reinvent the wheel just because Philadelphia refused to play the puck against Tampa Bay.
And people wonder why I hate the Flyers.
Here's your Power Poll for Week 5.
1. Chicago 11-4-3 25 points
Three-game point streak by Jonathan Toews has the Blackhawks on top of the Western Conference.
2. Pittsburgh 10-4-3 23 points
Penguins still keep moving along while waiting for Sidney Crosby to return.
3. Dallas 11-5-0 22 points
Stars follow up big road win in Washington with back-to-back losses in Pittsburgh & Detroit.
4. Washington 10-4-1 21 points
Capitals are finding a way to win despite injuries on the blueline.
5. N.Y. Rangers 9-3-3 21 points
Rangers have won six in a row.
6. Philadelphia 9-4-3 21 points
JUST PLAY THE FREAKIN PUCK ALREADY!!!!
7. Toronto 10-6-1 21 points
The secondary lines for the Maple Leafs are having trouble scoring right now.
8. Minnesota 9-5-3 21 points
2-2 on current road trip but are beating the teams (Calgary, Anaheim) they need to beat.
9. Buffalo 10-6-0 20 points
Ryan Miller gets laid out and nobody on the Sabres rushes in to stand up for him? Hmm..
10. Edmonton 9-6-2 20 points
Oilers finish 2-4 on six game road trip.
11. San Jose 9-5-1 19 points
Joe Pavelski is tied with three other players for most multi-point games in the NHL this season with eight.
12. Detroit 9-5-1 19 points
Don't look now but the Red Wings have won four in a row.
13. Vancouver 9-8-1 19 points
Once again the Sedin Twins have cracked the 20 point barrier.
14. Los Angeles 8-6-3 19 points
If the Kings can play most of their games the way they did against Minnesota Saturday night they might be the team to beat in the West.
15. Nashville 8-5-3 19 points
Playoff hero Joel Ward returns to Nashville on Tuesday night when Washington comes to town.
16. Phoenix 8-4-3 19 points
Upcoming four game road trip out East should tell us what we need to know about the Coyotes.
17. Florida 8-5-3 19 points
Hard to win against Philadelphia when you go 0-5 on the power play.
18. Tampa Bay 8-6-2 18 points
Good for you Guy Boucher for sticking to your system of play.
19. New Jersey 8-6-1 17 points
Adam Henrique has 12 points in seven games this season. The puck is finding his stick right now.
20. St. Louis 8-7-1 17 points
Blues go 2-0-1 in first week under Ken Hitchcock.
21. Colorado 8-8-1 17 points
Congrats to Milan Hedjuk for being named the 3rd captain in Avalanche history.
22. Ottawa 8-9-1 17 points
Nice bounce back for Craig Anderson making 31 saves in win over Toronto after being pulled two minutes into the previous game against Buffalo.
23. Boston 8-7-0 16 points
While there is still plenty of work to do the Bruins are at least over .500.
24 Montreal 7-7-2 16 points
Good news for the Canadiens as Mike Cammalieri and Scott Gomez returned to action on Saturday night.
25. Anaheim 6-8-3 15 points
Ducks claim Niklas Hagman off waivers from Calgary hoping he can provide scoring depth that is needed amongst forwards.
26. Carolina 6-8-3 15 points
Of the four coaches I listed in Friday's column my guess is Paul Maurice is the next to be fired.
27. Calgary 7-8-1 15 points
If only they could play Colorado every game. (eight wins in a row)
28. Winnipeg 5-9-3 13 points
People of Winnipeg we promised you the NHL would return. We didn't say the team would be good.
29. N.Y. Islanders 4-7-3 11 points
Islanders are 0-7-2 in their last nine road games.
30. Columbus 3-12-1 7 points
Bright spot for the Blue Jackets is Ryan Johansen (5G, 2A) in last nine games.
Friday, November 11, 2011
The Coaching Carousel
As I wrote earlier this week we had our first coaching change of the season when St. Louis fired Davis Payne and brought in Ken Hitchcock to coach the Blues.
At 4th place in the Central Division it was a move the Blues felt they had to make to stay in the Western Conference playoff race before it was too late. Yes there are still five months left to play on the NHL calendar but usually by Thanksgiving you have an idea of what type of team you have. If you are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in & don't make any adjustments there is a good chance you won't be playing once spring comes around.
I still don't see St. Louis finishing ahead of Detroit, Chicago or Nashville in the Central Division but right now they are only two points out of the final playoff spot. A team coached by Ken Hitchcock has a better chance to hang around than a team coached by Davis Payne.
That being said I don't think the St. Louis Blues will be the only team making a coaching change this season. Here are a few other teams that could make changes if things don't improve in the near future.
Montreal Canadiens:
When the Canadiens started the year 1-5-2 speculation was Jacques Martin was going to take the fall. On October 26th Montreal called a press conference to announce that assistant coach Perry Pearn was being relived of his duties.
The move was a little different but the message sent was that General Manager Pierre Gauthier believes in Martin as head coach and that this move would give him a little more time to straighten things out.
Since then Montreal has gone 5-2 and is currently four points out of a playoff spot in the East. The problem I see is I'm not sure if the Canadiens are good enough to overtake any of the teams currently sitting four through eight in the East.
Montreal right now looks like they are a mediocre hockey team that is capable of playing good in spurts and nothing more. That won't sit well with the Habs faithful. As long as Jacques Martin can keep them in the playoff hunt he should be safe but if they go through another struggle like they had to start the season his job will be in jeopardy once again.
Carolina Hurricanes:
Paul Maurice is 44 years old and is in his 14th season as an NHL coach, his 2nd stint with the Hartford/Carolina franchise.
In that time he has lead the Whalers/Hurricanes to two Southeast Division titles, an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2009 and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2002. He has also missed the postseason 10 of the 14 years he has coached.
Right now Carolina is 13th in the East and five points out of a playoff spot. They are 4th in the Southeast Division behind Florida, Washington, and Tampa Bay.
Right now the Hurricanes have the same problem Montreal has and that they aren't better than any of the teams sitting four through eight in the East. What makes it worse for Carolina is they are in a non-traditional hockey market where the people will show up as long as you are winning.
The Hurricanes have missed the playoffs four out of the last five years since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. In that time span the Southeast Division has become one of the stronger divisions in the NHL. If things don't improve within the next month I don't see how the Hurricanes can keep Paul Maurice on as head coach.
Calgary Flames:
Brent Sutter isn't on this list because he is doing a poor job as coach. He is on this list because the Flames window has been closed for the last couple seasons.
Sutter was hired in 2009 by his brother Darryl to give the franchise a kick start after losing in the 1st round of the playoffs from 2006-2009. Instead the Flames have missed the playoffs both seasons Sutter has been head coach of the team.
At this moment Calgary is last in the Northwest Division and 13th in the Western Conference. The Flames were thought to be the toughest challenge the Vancouver Canucks would face in the Northwest Division. Instead Calgary has seen both Edmonton and Minnesota get off to strong starts this season leaving Flames fans to wonder when the rebuilding will start.
With Jay Feaster now in charge as General Manager changes are likely in Calgary. When the rebuilding begins remains to be seen but you can bet when that happens there will be a new coach for the Flames.
Los Angeles Kings:
Now I know a few people reading this will be surprised to see the Kings on the list of teams that may make a coaching change. After all they are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the West and more than likely will be in the post-season come this spring.
But the issue with Los Angeles isn't measured in wins & losses. It's measured by how big of a footprint they can make in the LA market.
With the Lakers & Clippers locked out and the Dodgers have their own struggles with ownership issues The Kings have a very small window to become the talk of the town and create a buzz they haven't had since Wayne Gretzky played for them.
Management realizes this and if the Kings continue to hover around the bottom of the playoff ladder in the West it isn't far fetched to think a coaching change could be made.
At 4th place in the Central Division it was a move the Blues felt they had to make to stay in the Western Conference playoff race before it was too late. Yes there are still five months left to play on the NHL calendar but usually by Thanksgiving you have an idea of what type of team you have. If you are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in & don't make any adjustments there is a good chance you won't be playing once spring comes around.
I still don't see St. Louis finishing ahead of Detroit, Chicago or Nashville in the Central Division but right now they are only two points out of the final playoff spot. A team coached by Ken Hitchcock has a better chance to hang around than a team coached by Davis Payne.
That being said I don't think the St. Louis Blues will be the only team making a coaching change this season. Here are a few other teams that could make changes if things don't improve in the near future.
Montreal Canadiens:
When the Canadiens started the year 1-5-2 speculation was Jacques Martin was going to take the fall. On October 26th Montreal called a press conference to announce that assistant coach Perry Pearn was being relived of his duties.
The move was a little different but the message sent was that General Manager Pierre Gauthier believes in Martin as head coach and that this move would give him a little more time to straighten things out.
Since then Montreal has gone 5-2 and is currently four points out of a playoff spot in the East. The problem I see is I'm not sure if the Canadiens are good enough to overtake any of the teams currently sitting four through eight in the East.
Montreal right now looks like they are a mediocre hockey team that is capable of playing good in spurts and nothing more. That won't sit well with the Habs faithful. As long as Jacques Martin can keep them in the playoff hunt he should be safe but if they go through another struggle like they had to start the season his job will be in jeopardy once again.
Carolina Hurricanes:
Paul Maurice is 44 years old and is in his 14th season as an NHL coach, his 2nd stint with the Hartford/Carolina franchise.
In that time he has lead the Whalers/Hurricanes to two Southeast Division titles, an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2009 and a Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2002. He has also missed the postseason 10 of the 14 years he has coached.
Right now Carolina is 13th in the East and five points out of a playoff spot. They are 4th in the Southeast Division behind Florida, Washington, and Tampa Bay.
Right now the Hurricanes have the same problem Montreal has and that they aren't better than any of the teams sitting four through eight in the East. What makes it worse for Carolina is they are in a non-traditional hockey market where the people will show up as long as you are winning.
The Hurricanes have missed the playoffs four out of the last five years since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. In that time span the Southeast Division has become one of the stronger divisions in the NHL. If things don't improve within the next month I don't see how the Hurricanes can keep Paul Maurice on as head coach.
Calgary Flames:
Brent Sutter isn't on this list because he is doing a poor job as coach. He is on this list because the Flames window has been closed for the last couple seasons.
Sutter was hired in 2009 by his brother Darryl to give the franchise a kick start after losing in the 1st round of the playoffs from 2006-2009. Instead the Flames have missed the playoffs both seasons Sutter has been head coach of the team.
At this moment Calgary is last in the Northwest Division and 13th in the Western Conference. The Flames were thought to be the toughest challenge the Vancouver Canucks would face in the Northwest Division. Instead Calgary has seen both Edmonton and Minnesota get off to strong starts this season leaving Flames fans to wonder when the rebuilding will start.
With Jay Feaster now in charge as General Manager changes are likely in Calgary. When the rebuilding begins remains to be seen but you can bet when that happens there will be a new coach for the Flames.
Los Angeles Kings:
Now I know a few people reading this will be surprised to see the Kings on the list of teams that may make a coaching change. After all they are currently tied for the final playoff spot in the West and more than likely will be in the post-season come this spring.
But the issue with Los Angeles isn't measured in wins & losses. It's measured by how big of a footprint they can make in the LA market.
With the Lakers & Clippers locked out and the Dodgers have their own struggles with ownership issues The Kings have a very small window to become the talk of the town and create a buzz they haven't had since Wayne Gretzky played for them.
Management realizes this and if the Kings continue to hover around the bottom of the playoff ladder in the West it isn't far fetched to think a coaching change could be made.
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