Buffalo Sabres

Coming Into Focus….

Serenity now! That was a familiar phrase uttered on Seinfeld many times. Well that serenity will not come for a few more days but last night’s action brought things into focus just a bit more. Some more teams got eliminated last night and the picture has become more clear. So very quickly….here are the in’s and out’s.

IN:

New York Rangers, Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators

OUT:

Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks

BUBBLE:

Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, Boston Bruins

The Reality:

The nice thing now is there are five teams and only four spots left. So this is really musical chairs…one team is going to get left out in the cold. The other four teams will have a place to go to in the first round which starts April 9th. If Ottawa gets a point tonight at all VS. Boston…they are in. Boston needs an outright win then help if they are to clinch tonight (Philly would have to lose). Philly has to win out to make the playoffs unless Washington and/or Carolina stumble. Then they would still need 3 out of a possible 4 points. So for all intents and purposes…it is possible that Ottawa, Carolina, and Boston could clinch tonight if all breaks right.

As for the West….the 1, 2, and 3 seeds are all locked up. Detroit (1), San Jose (2), Minnesota (3)…have spots locked in. The rest are up for grabs. If Dallas loses in regulation tonight…Anaheim sews up the four seed. A point for Dallas gives them no worse than the 5 seed but they would have to win their last game and hope the Ducks lose out if they want to gain the four seed. Nashville can do no better than 7th and they have to win tonight to have a shot at it. Calgary has to win and hope Colorado loses outright to gain the 6th seed. If not, they are the 7th or 8th depending on Nashville. The chaos of so many interrelated events….you have to love it as a hockey fan. No worries, it will play out tonight and tomorrow night.

Back to the East real fast…the Devils just need 3 out of a possible 4 points in their last two games (AT PHI, Vs. NYR) to seal the 4 seed. The Rangers need to likely win out and hope Jersey loses tonight. The Rangers have the Isles and Devils to end the season…just the way to settle it honestly. As for seeds 6-8, that should start to come into more focus tonight and tomorrow night when the dust settles.

The NHL Arena has been debating the playoff push for awhile now. For now I leave you with a moment of zen…..

Top 10 hockey saves of the year……

Decision Day Part One

Yes it is only Thursday but tonight’s action will go a long way of determining who gets in and who stays home come April 7th. There are still so many scenarios but I believe tonight should start to bring this whole thing into focus just a bit more. First up, the poor teams that are battling for their playoff lives. You can hear the paddles going off in the back of the ambulance right now.

First up is Buffalo who plays at Montreal tonight. Montreal has the #2 seed clinched but they are playing for tops in the East right now….so every game counts. A win for the Habs tonight outright eliminates Buffalo and keeps the Habs tied with Pittsburgh. Even worse for the Sabres…last night’s questionable point (the Zubrus goal that was in but Toronto somehow could not see it) by Boston puts Buffalo’s postseason hopes in the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning of all teams. Yes, the same Lightning that got blown out in Carolina 6-2 last night travel to Washington tonight to face the Washington Capitals. Basically if the Caps win…Buffalo’s hopes are almost over and done because Washington will have 92 points and the at the time be tied for 6th (if Ottawa loses in regulation). All those shootout and OT losses (12 total) will indeed have come back to haunt the Sabres. Needless to say, Ryan Miller will not be sending Martin Brodeur a gift basket at the end of the year.  I said almost for this reason.*

There is even a possibility that the West could be all sewn up except for seeding by tonight. Chicago Blackhawk fans will be doing extensive scoreboard watching in Vancouver and Nashville. The Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers and Nashville hosts the St. Louis Blues. With Hannu Toivonen (Legace out with hip flexor injury) getting the start for St. Louis….Nashville fans are probably drooling already (Hannu gave up 4 goals on 18 shots the last time out against the Preds). A Nashville win and Vancouver loss in regulation eliminates both Vancouver and Chicago all in one shot. A Nashville loss or even a loss in extra time leaves the door open for both Vancouver and Chicago. There are so many permutations that you may need a scientific calculator and a professor from M.I.T. for this one.

Now for the other teams that could clinch. Simply…the Rangers and Senators can win and they are in. The Rangers have two cracks against the Isles (tonight and tomorrow night). The Sens play at Toronto and Toronto is without Mats Sundin (groin tear). The Rangers could even lose both in extra time and be in with 95 points total. Minnesota simply needs a point and they win the Northwest and the 3 seed. Calgary just needs a point to make the playoffs. Detroit just needs a point at home against Columbus tonight to win not only the West but the overall #1 seed in the league or a Sharks loss (whether it be in OT, SO or regulation don’t matter).

Tonight will go in a big way to tell the playoff fates of more teams…now seeding is a different matter entirely. I did want to thank ESPN for their concise tiebreaking procedures on their page. Now of course they are all chasing one thing and that is the only thing that ultimately matters. There is that nice, shiny, silver thing called the Stanley Cup.

Thank You Wikipedia for the pic.

So with ten big games tonight….may the DVR’s work some OT and so may your eyes as the regular season comes firing all guns a blazing to the end. The end is definitely very near…and for some more near than they hope.

* Editor’s Note:  Thanks to my friend Andrew from The NHL Arena.  If Washington wins tonight, that doesn’t eliminate the Sabres. Buffalo can jump Philly into 9th, and then jump Boston for 8th based on the THIRD tiebreak. They would be tied in wins, tied in head to head record (4-2-2), but Buffalo would actually win the tiebreak based on goal differential.

AHL, NHL, and Alphabet Soup!

Yesterday was a very interesting one in the NHL.  There were some surprises and some very solid play…..even a little physical stuff.  Then there was the AHL which saw some amazing performances.  It is time to take a look at some of the finest and random that these two leagues had to offer last night.

There was some history made in Colorado yesterday as Martin Brodeur continues to make an assault on the record books.  Win 534 came yesterday but more importantly so did win number 40 on the season in a 4-2 victory over Colorado at the Pepsi Center.  When you can start using the handle of your goalie stick to stop shots and then your elbow…you may just be one of the best ever.  There was a reason why Brodeur was named first star.  It was not the quantity of saves (24)…it was the quality.  I saw at least 7 or 8 glorious chances that Brodeur stopped down low.  Joe Sakic put it best…”he may just be better than Roy and many considered him the best money goalie ever.”   Time will tell if that statement is true but I will tell you one thing…Brodeur will be nominated for the Hart and Vezina and he may just win both.

The population has gone up in Pominville!  The Buffalo Sabres behind 3 points from Jason Pominville easily defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-2 last night at the Air Canada Centre.  Ryan Miller made 30 saves…stepping up from some awful performances he had earlier in the month.  This puts the Sabres right on the heels of the Flyers…only one point out of the eighth spot in the East.  Jochen Hecht also had a goal and 2 assists for the Sabres who are starting to look like a playoff team again.  Not many said that when Chris Drury and Daniel Briere left town and Brian Campbell was traded.  With the way the Flyers are playing right now….the 8 seed looks very attainable.

The kids are alright!!  Many lambasted Montreal GM Bob Gainey when he traded Cristobal Huet for a 2009 2nd round pick to Washington during the trade deadline.   Admittedly I was one of them.  Though I still think he could have gotten more for Huet….anyone has to admit the goaltending tandem of Price and Halak could be rather scary come playoff time.  These two netminders do not know fear.  With a skilled group of vets and youngsters, the Habs could easily win the East and beyond.  Quite a few pundits have picked them to advance to the Cup Finals and some to even win it.  Last night, Jaroslav Halak (who spent most of the season with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL) made 30 saves in a 3-0 shutout over the New York Islanders.  Roman Hamrlik scored the game winner on the Power Play and that first goal was bolstered with goals by Kovalev and Latendresse.  The save on Richard Park by Halak late in the third was what caught my eye.  Both him and Price play very similar and they are fast laterally which is essential come playoff time.  That may just really pay off for Montreal more than getting Hossa….who knew.

Speaking of the AHL…thanks once again to B2sports.  When you can’t get to watch the game…you can watch the video highlights.  I caught the Lake Erie game late last night and watched an amazing performance by Mike Wall.  Wall has faced 40 shots or more 8 times this season which doesn’t say much for their defense at times.  But last night he faced 50 against the Grand Rapids Griffins and only gave up a late power play goal in the third by Ryan Oulahen.  Not only did he make all those stops but he also got an assist on Lake Erie’s second power play goal which turned out to be the game winner in the second period.  Now Wall has only played 27 games this season but he is 6-3 in his last 9 starts proving maybe he is ready to take over the #1 spot for Lake Erie next season.

Has anyone seen the Providence Bruins?  If you haven’t, you are missing one hell of a team.  With their 6-2 win over the San Antonio Rampage (yes they play hockey in Texas), the Bruins now have 97 points and are 31 over .500.  The Chicago Wolves have 96 points and are 31 over .500 as well but the Baby B’s are the real surprise here.  Tukka Rask is 25-10 in 37 starts but the funny thing is his save percentage is only .902.  He hasn’t had to be outstanding because the offense is clicking at a clip of 3.57 goals per game.  Pascal Pelletier is not a household name but he may just become one eventually.  He has 64 points in 60 games including 31 goals.  He is a short guy (5 foot 11) but has some stature at 195 pounds.  Pellletier plays hard and at only 24 years of age has NHL potential written all over him.  I am honestly surprised that Boston has not called him up yet with all their injuries but maybe they are doing the right thing here.  The fact that the B’s only have one scorer in the top 10 proves their balance overcomes any defensive gaps they may have.  They will be dangerous come playoff time.

Lastly, from what feels like the files of Alphabet Soup.  Who do the fans feel has better TV coverage as far as the NHL?  Is it VS. or NBC?  Both have considerable flaws but I really do wonder what the readers think so make your voices known.  One thing is for sure I hope the coverage and quality ramps up as the playoffs approach because the fans are ready…that is for sure.

Just an update…Sykora and Malkin connect again….as both have 4 points each as the Pens are destroying the Flyers midway into the 3rd…6-1.  This is a certain way to end up on the golf course Philly!  Enjoy the rest of the day of afternoon and evening hockey.

Brodeur Goes Home — Big Tilt In Little Montreal

                                      VS.

Two teams that came from the lower half of the East, well according to the fine folks at The Hockey News anyway, are now in a battle for the Eastern Conference #1 seed along with Pittsburgh, Ottawa, and even the New York Rangers.  The Devils will face the Habs tomorrow at 7:30pm on Versus.

The New Jersey Devils come in with a 40-23-6 record and are 7-2-1 in their last 10.  Their last loss came on March 1st at Montreal where Brodeur made a ton of saves in a 2-1 loss that saw Devils fans, coaches, and players alike see red after a very questionably called third period.  It was so bad apparently that Don Koharski will not be at this game.  Gee…I wonder why the NHL took that step….hmmmmm!  The calls on Rupp and particularly the hook on Langenbrunner were questionable at best.  Coach Brent Sutter went as far to say…”The Refs decided this game…period…all I have to say.”  Montreal’s Power Play is lethal and went 2 for 6 in the matchup but many wonder what would have happened if the game was called a little closer to the vest.  The Devils are no slouches themselves and the duo of Elias and Parise are hotter than any combo in the NHL right now.   Parise had 5 goals last week and Elias had 4 points and was a +4.  Montreal will have a tough time completely containing the two of them.

Montreal comes in with a 38-23-9 record and 85 points.  Carey Price was outstanding…only giving up one goal in the process in his last time out against Jersey and Montreal connected twice on the Power Play in the 2-1 victory.  Alexei Kovalev might get some Hart consideration for his tour de force effort this season.  Also, Montreal’s defensemen have tallied 44 goals and 131 assists for a total of 175 points this season…talk about a ton of offense coming from your back line.  That is good for #1 in the league in all three categories by the way.  Did I mention that Montreal (24.8%) is still #1 in the league on the power play?  Oops I guess I did.  With guys like Komisarek, Markov, Koivu, Plekanec. etc…etc.  Montreal is fast and very balanced.  They are a scary team and can play physical at times….look out below!

Everyone knows that Brodeur’s record in Montreal is near obscene.  However, Carey Price is 3-1 since the deadline….something is going to give in this tilt.  Someone has to win the East…..RIGHT??  Well yes they do.  This game and the divisional gauntlet that both teams will face at the end of the season will tell the tale.

Now on to something a little more individualistic if you will.  Will Martin Brodeur win the Hart?  Here are his stats.

38-21-5  2.12 GAA  .922 save percentage and 4 shutouts.

Did I mention he was named second star in the NHL last week?  He has also started 25 straight times for New Jersey and yes this year is a bit different as the team rests him more on practices and “off days”.  The guy is just 19 wins from the all-time goalie win record and just seven shutouts from Terry Sawchuk’s record…and there are so many others that are within reach..I could go on.  He could be like Brett Favre as far as goalie records when all is said and done.

As for this year….here is who could be in the running for the Hart….I believe it will be Alexander Ovechkin who will likely hit 60 goals and Evgeni Malkin who will likely top 100 points for Pittsburgh.  Question is being that it is the MVP….V being for Valuable…if you took Brodeur out of the lineup…would Jersey make the playoffs?  I don’t think they would truthfully.  However, if the Caps make the playoffs, I may have to tip my cap to Ovechkin but as it stands now…..my voting would be as follows…..

1. Brodeur  2. Ovechkin  3. Malkin

I hope everyone enjoys the Versus tilt between the Sabres and Rangers tonight and the big game tomorrow!

Trade Deadline Fun!!!

The deed has been done…they day is now over…here is what happened.

TRADES AND SIGNINGS THAT HAPPENED TODAY!!

– Mike Comrie resigned 1 year…4 million with the Isles.
– Actual Trade: Bryce Salvador to New Jersey and Cam Janssen goes to St. Louis.
– Wade Belak goes to Florida for a 5th round 08 draft pick.
– Defenseman Brian Campbell to San Jose for Steve Bernier and a 2008 first round pick.
– Brad Richards goes to Dallas…also going with him will be goalie Johan Holmqvist…Tampa gets goalie Mike Smith, center Jeff Halpern and winger Jussi Jokinen and a 4th round pick.
– Goalie Cristobal Huet has been traded to Washington for a second round pick in the 09 draft.
– Andrew Ladd has been traded from the Canes to the Blackhawks for Tuomo Ruutu.
– The Colorado Avalanche have acquired Ruslan Salei from the Panthers for Karlis Skrastins and a third round pick.
– Chicago has moved Martin Lapointe to Ottawa….Chicago return a 6th round 2008 pick.
– Colorado acquires Adam Foote from Columbus…for a first round conditional pick and more.
– Sergei Fedorov has been traded to Washington…..for defenseman Ted Ruth.
– Rob Davison has been traded to the Isles from the Sharks for a 7th round pick in 08.
– Washington traded Matt Pettinger for Vancouver’s Matt Cooke.
– Toronto trades Hall Gill to the Pens….. for a 2nd rounder and 5th rounder in 09.
– Backman to the New York Rangers….Blues get a 4th rounder in return.
– WOW! The big one. Hossa and Pascal Dupuis to the Pens….for Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, and a first round 2008 pick.
– Chris Simon to the Minnesota Wild for a 6th round pick.
– Brad Stuart has been traded to the Detroit Red Wings…Kings get back a 2nd and 4th rounder.
– Chad Kilger has been traded to Florida for a third round draft pick.
– Sjostrom, Leneveau and Josh Gratton going to the New York Rangers for Al Montoya and Marcel Hossa.
– Marc-Andre Bergeron has been traded to the Ducks for a 3rd round pick.
– JS Aubin has been traded for a 7th round draft pick to the Anaheim Ducks.
– Joe Motzko has been traded from the Thrashers to the Caps for Alexandre Giroux.
– Jan Hlavac was moved to Nashville for a 7th round pick.
– Brandon Bochenski traded to Nashville for future considerations.

ANALYSIS OF TRADES:

– Devils bolster their defensive depth with stay at home defenseman Salvador while Janssen goes home to St. Louis to add some grit to the Blues lineup.
– Florida finally gets a fighter that they need to add some physicality to the mix.
– Campbell does indeed get dealt and the San Jose blue line gets that much stronger with a QB on the Power Play. Buffalo gets a good forward with upside and a much coveted first rounder in this year’s draft.
– Dallas gets the center of attention they feel they need and a decent backup in Holmqvist…they do give up on Smith and Jokinen though. But you have to give to get something in the trade deadline.
– This is a precursor for bigger things in Montreal but you have to give major points for Washington in securing a #1 netminder with very good upside. And they only gave up a second rounder to boot.
– Carolina wanted more grit well they got it and Ladd provides Chicago with a little punch.
– The Avs get bigger on defense but they do get a little slower while the Panthers make a pretty smart trade in getting a vet like Skrastins.
– Ottawa gets a little stingier with Lapointe and for next to nothing…not bad.
– Colorado gets the old boys together as Foote helps them out on the defensive end….but pays for it with a conditional first rounder. An 08 if Avs make playoffs and an 09 if they don’t…plus Columbus gets another pick if Foote resigns with Avs…not as good of a move as it first looked to be.
– Fedorov provides a bit of veteran leadership to Washington as they try to win the Southeast…and trade not much for him.
– Isles needed defenseman help….and get a bit here. Just some depth to help the injuries mounting on the D side.
– Cooke provides the Caps with a little grit…it makes me wonder why the Canucks would do such a deal.
– The Pens get a big physical d-man but for a couple picks…a curious price to say the least but he will help in his own end.
– Rangers get a pretty good one with some upside….and the Blues get a decent pick.
– The Pens make 2 trades..the second one being an even bigger risk than the first one will be interesting one way or the other for Shero. Hossa will provide them with undeniable offensive punch…but trading away some of these character guys may hurt the Pens in the long run. A very curious move and if you are Montreal, why trade Huet now? But that is second guessing.
– Why Minnesota why? That is all I will say. I do not get it at all.
– Stuart gives the Wings some much needed defensive depth given all the injuries the Wings have sustained.
– A bit of a curious move for a third rounder but Florida does get a pretty good vet.
– Maloney had to give up a bit to get Montoya…hopefully he thinks it is worth it because I think Sjostrom could be pretty darn good.
– Isles did not like Bergeron of late but maybe the Ducks can turn him around…Bergeron will help some on the Power Play.
– I don’t get this one at all Burke….I just don’t.
– Another trade that seemed just a trade for trade’s sake.
– Hlavac will help the Preds just a little bit but the Preds seemed content to stay out of the fray on this trade deadline.
– I guess Bochenski was just interchangeable parts for Burke.

Dominoes Starting To Fall??

With two days left until the trade deadline….it appears some dominoes are already starting to fall.  The path has been made for some trades to get the green light even though destinations are currently unknown as of right now.

First up is the saga of Marian Hossa.  Hossa will now definitely be traded after Atlanta GM Don Waddell failed to sign him yesterday in an 11th hour attempt to keep him.   Where will he end up?  Montreal?  Ottawa?  Somewhere else?  I am apt to go with Montreal right now but I think a third party may snatch him up if the price is right.  Remember, the team that does trade for him will have the inside track in resigning him in the offseason.

Next we have Brian Campbell of the Sabres.  It appears Darcy Regehr is going to make an offer later today or this evening in the 4 year, 22 million dollar range.  If Campbell does not bite and at this point there is no guarantee the offer made will even be that high….Campbell could be out of Buffalo as soon as Monday afternoon.  He could end up in New Jersey, San Jose, or even Detroit…depending on what breaks when.

The Los Angeles Kings will be active sellers and I see at least 2 or 3 players being dealt at the deadline besides Jaroslov Modry.  Though Rob Blake will not go anywhere….players like Tom Preissing and even Alexander Frolov might.  This team is in rebuild mode yet again.  So I scanned up and down their roster a bit.  Brad Sturart, Ladislav Nagy, and even Brian Willsie could all be trade deadline casualties for the Kings.

Tampa is now definitely in sell mode.  Not only do I expect to see Vaclav Prospal moved but I expect either Dan Boyle or Brad Richards to be moved as well by the deadline.  Richards might go to Columbus or even St. Louis.  Boyle may also go West to San Jose, Detroit, or even Calgary…who knows at this point.  The only thing for sure is Tampa will be sellers.

Finally, the Flyers may be pressed into one or more trades with their losing streak hitting ten and their recent rash of injuries.  The latest is a crucial one with Mike Richards getting sidelined for three weeks with a torn hamstring.  They will bid heavy in many sweepstakes and may be a darkhorse as they may be more willing to give up more than the asking price.  Playoff desperation makes GM’s do some very strange things.

Well one thing for sure…is there is only 51 hours till the deadline and it is awfully quiet…maybe too quiet for my liking.  That calm will end soon and probably in a big way as it always does every year.

Sorry Folks….

Hello everyone….when you’ve been sick for a couple weeks…things start to slip a bit.  Trying to work everything in….I notice that you tend to forget things that are important sometimes.  Today is the first day of the NHL GM Meetings.  This is usually the time where trades are worked on and consummated.  Now, for the most part, the trade doesn’t happen till right before the deadline but if the fire is going to smart…it has to start smoking right here…right now.

One thing that is for sure is Peter Forsberg is not coming back to the Flyers or the NHL this season.  Thank you TSN for the confirmation.  His agent said the following.

”The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn’t where it needs to be at this moment,” Baizley told TSN. ”As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.”

I had been saying this for awhile.  Even when his little 14 second video came out, I just wasn’t that blown away by it.  It is for the best that he has decided not to give it a go this season and avoid risking further injury.  Of course now, this has led to further speculation (as it always does) that Forsberg may now retire.  I say never say never, especially with him as I don’t even think Forsberg knows what Forsberg is going to do on a day to day basis.  His dad will be relieved I am sure.

A team that really could have used Forsberg was obviously the Flyers…they are hurting right now…their defense slowed down…and with Joffrey Lupul out again (ankle) for 2-3 weeks…they need some scoring punch to offset their below average defense.  Biron can’t carry this team like he did early in the season….so the Flyers did indeed call up Claude Giroux today….and that should make things interesting in Philly.  

Claude Giroux is only 5 foot 11 and about 180 pounds but has the speed and skill that Lupul brings to the table.   He has scored 12 points in his last 3 games for Gatineau of the QMJHL.  A number of Flyer fans that I have been talking to have been clamoring for Giroux for a couple months now.  I admit I am curious to see what he can do in a Flyers uniform and if he can make an immediate impact for a team that is in dire need of one.  The Flyers are now eight points out of first in the Atlantic Division….time to act.

Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that this month’s Hockey Around The Horn will center around the trade deadline.  We will have a 3 on 3 battle…single elimination…till first a team wins and then an individual.  I am wondering what the readers think as far as the big trade that is going to happen.  I still think the Devils will wind up with Prospal or Liles or both….unless Brian Campbell of the Sabres suddenly becomes available in the 11th hour.  All in all…eight days to go…and the train is starting to pick up steam!  Enjoy what’s left of the holiday folks.