DEVILISH
Coach Brent Sutter has New Jersey Peaking At The Right Time
(Photo Credit: Newark Star-Ledger)
Here’s my morning routine: turn on computer, splash some milk on my Raisin Bran Crunch, pour myself some coffee, and then sit down to check the new NHL standings. They rearrange every night with 20 teams (sorry, not counting Ottawa) still alive for the 16 slots in the Second Season. Some teams are in one day, out the next. Others have home ice in round one, then don’t.
It is one of the best times of the NHL year…unless you are a head coach or GM that needs to make the playoffs to keep your job. Yes, we mean you, Bob Gainey, Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough1. But our current standings do not accurately reflect where teams stand around the League, in particular how capable they are of winning the Stanley Cup.
With that in mind, we give you our “true” NHL standings, using the eight qualifying teams as of Tuesday afternoon. The Eastern Conference is first:
1. Devils – Martin Brodeur has clearly recovered from the torn elbow tendon that knocked him out of the middle portion of the season. Monday night’s loss in Philadelphia was just Brodeur’s third defeat since returning to the ice. When you add in Zach Parise and Patrick Elias’ offense and the unsung Paul Martin & Co. on the blueline, the Devils may be the best team in either bracket.
2. Flyers – Martin Biron has only a few more skeptics to quiet as he keeps Philadelphia in the East’s top four. Biron is 10-4 over his last 15 starts, beating the Penguins and Devils in his last two.
3. Bruins – We’re thinking about breaking up with the Bruins, whom we promised would win the conference a few weeks ago. And while they still might, a 7-9-4 run has us worried. Claude Julien coerced a solid effort from his charges Sunday against the Devils; he needs a few more to show us he still cares.
4. Penguins – Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin have been better than expected alongside Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin leads the League in scoring. And we cannot forget that Marc-Andre Fleury took this team to the Finals last season.
5. Capitals – Jose Theodore’s shakiness still supersedes Alex Ovechkin’s majesty.
6. Rangers – This is a different team with John Tortorella behind the bench. Henrik Lundqvist is the same elite goalie between the pipes, which gives the Blueshirts the edge over Carolina.
7. Hurricanes – Carolina is arguably the hottest team on ice right now. The Erik Cole acquisition looks genius so far. And Cam Ward can win a series by himself.
8. Canadiens – There is nothing about Montreal’s play that would lead you to believe it could win four times in a seven-game series.
WEST
1. Red Wings – The defending champions deserve the benefit of the doubt over the Sharks for the moment, especially since Chris Osgood has to remember how to play goal eventually, right?
2. Sharks – San Jose seems to be back on track after their own prolonged slumped, but the calendar still doesn’t read April, May or June. Until it does, and the Sharks are still winning, we can be non-believers.
3. Calgary – There’s a fairly significant drop off from Detroit/San Jose to Calgary and friends. The Flames are still a one-line team, despite the deadline acquisition of Olli Jokinen
4. Canucks – Roberto Luongo
5. Blue Jackets – My head, fingers and keyboard can’t believe I just typed this.
6. Blackhawks – Patrick Sharp is back and Chicago’s five-game winless streak is over, but these late-season stumbles are a cause for concern. We once thought the Hawks were capable of winning multiple series this spring, but that may be too young for that this year.
7. Oilers – Their only chance at seeing round two is an unbelievable round one from Dwayne Roloson.
8. Predators – Just insert “Pekka Rinne” for “Dwayne Roloson” from the previous entry.
* * *
1 Yes, this is the first footnote in “Dropping the Gloves” history. As first suggested by our good buddy E.J. Hradek this week on NHL Live (on Sirius XM, the NHL Network and NHL.com), the Wild need a complete organizational makeover, probably even if they make the postseason. This franchise has clearly peaked and Lemaire’s defense-first style has reached its limit. This isn’t a knock on the Hall of Fame player and coach, his time is just up in Minnesota. As for Risebrough, too much talent has left town in free agency without reinforcements coming through the Draft and trades. The Wild need a new person building their team and a new one coaching it.
Finally, can everyone please relax about Alex Ovechkin’s celebration of his 50th goal. If you want the game to regain its significance alongside the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR, these things need to happen. It was entertaining and creative, and Ovechkin was not trying to be disrespectful. Plus, he’s more than willing to stand up to whomever wants to express their distaste for the act on the ice.
As always, thoughts, comments, critiques go to boguschhockey@gmail.com
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
Buffalo Sabres (35-30-8) over the Florida Panthers (35-28-11) 5-3
The Sabres rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd period with four goals and Mikael Tellqvist made 30 saves to keep the slumping Sabres bleak playoff hopes alive. Jason Pominville had a goal and two assists in the win while the Panthers are winless in eight of their last 10 games (2-5-3).
Carolina Hurricanes (41-28-7) over the Ottawa Senators (32-31-10) 2-1
Hurricanes D Anton Babchuk scored a power-play goal with 6:01 remaining and the Hurricanes won their season-high fifth straight game in a matchup of two of the NHL's hottest teams. Rod Brind'Amour tied it for Carolina at 3:15 of the third and assisted on Babchuk's winner to help the Hurricanes match a club record with their ninth straight victory at home, a mark set during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2005-06. The Hurricanes also moved a point behind fourth-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Senators, who were denied their season-high sixth straight win. They had won nine of 10 to move within nine points of the East's eighth playoff spot, but fell to 12-19-4 on the road.
Minnesota Wild (35-31-8) over the New York Islanders (24-41-8) 6-2
Wild winger Marian Gaborik, playing just his third game after missing three months following hip surgery, had two goals and two assists, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan each scored once and set up two others to snap a five-game road losing streak. Outside of the key win that kept Minnesota in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, much of the talk was about the Islanders, who featured a lineup of guys trying to make it in the NHL that took every chance to hit and rough up the Wild. "They tried to run us out of the building, but our guys kept coming," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said of the Islanders, who took 13 of the 23 penalties. "It'll be interesting next year when we play them." Things got so out of hand in the third period that the teams played 3-on-3 for a stretch. "I think it goes back 40 years ago when I was playing," said Lemaire, a 10-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens. "I was like numb. I didn't know what to tell them because we never play 3-on-3."
Pittsburgh Penguins (40-27-8) over the Calgary Flames (42-25-6) 2-0
Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Pens retained sole possession of 6th place in the East in the 2-0 win. Defensemen Kris Letang and Hal Gill each scored to improve to 4-1-1 on their franchise-record eight-game homestand. Evgeni Malkin had two assists, giving him a career-high 107 points and extending his NHL scoring lead to 11 points.
Chicago Blackhawks (39-22-11) over the San Jose Sharks (48-14-11) 6-5 (SO)
The Blackhawks escaped the United Center with two points over one of the best teams in the league despite blowing a 4-1 lead. Andrew Ladd scored twice for the 'Hawks while Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both scored in the shootout to give Chicago just their 2nd win in their last 15 meetings with San Jose (2-10-3). The Sharks had their three-game win streak snapped and remain tied with idle Detroit atop the West with 107 points. Sharks captain Patrick Marleau missed the game to be with his wife, who gave birth to their second son Wednesday. Rob Blake and Ryane Clowe were among Sharks who missed the game with injuries.
Anaheim Ducks (37-31-6) over the Colorado Avalanche (31-41-2) 7-2
Corey Perry scored twice and Andrew Ebbett had a goal and two assists as the Ducks tightened their hold on a playoff spot. Anaheim took care of business early. Coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Nashville on Tuesday night, they scored 2:11 into the game and led 3-0 after the first period. James Wisniewski tied a career high with three assists to help the Ducks move into seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race, a point ahead of idle Edmonton.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Paul Stastny's nightmare season continues as the Colorado Avalanche announced Wednesday that their young All-Star will miss the next 2-4 weeks due to a broken foot. "A CT scan taken yesterday (March 24) revealed the fracture in his foot," said Avalanche team physician Dr. Andrew Parker in a statement. The 23-year old Statsny suffered the injury blocking a shot during a loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 17th. Stastny also missed 26 games earlier in the season with a broken arm. In 45 games this season, the son of Hall of Famer Peter has 11 goals and 25 assists. The Avalanche recalled forward Matt Hendricks from Lake Erie of the AHL to take his spot on the roster.
-Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is scheduled to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, marking his first start after missing a month with a sprained left ankle. Coach Lindy Ruff provided the news before the team's home game against Florida on Wednesday. The game will be the 13th Miller has missed since being hurt in the third period of a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Feb. 21. The Sabres have gone 3-7-2 without Miller and have fallen out of playoff contention. They were tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference after beating New York and now sit in 10th place.
-Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Gerber has been suspended for three games without pay for an abuse of officials incident during Tuesday's Leafs victory over the Capitals. It was an automatic suspension for the Swiss-born netminder according to Rule 41.4 – Category III. The rule states: “Any player or goalkeeper who, by his actions, physically threatens an official by shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official shall be suspended for not less than three (3) games.” The incident occurred with just over one minute remaining in the third period as Gerber made contact with referee Mike Leggo then firing a puck at the official following Brooks Laich's disputed tying goal. Gerber will now miss the Leafs game Friday against the Buffalo Sabres, as well as March 28th game against the Boston Burins and April 1st contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Gerber will be eligible to return April 3rd when the Leafs play the Flyers in Philadelphia.
Coach Brent Sutter has New Jersey Peaking At The Right Time
(Photo Credit: Newark Star-Ledger)
Here’s my morning routine: turn on computer, splash some milk on my Raisin Bran Crunch, pour myself some coffee, and then sit down to check the new NHL standings. They rearrange every night with 20 teams (sorry, not counting Ottawa) still alive for the 16 slots in the Second Season. Some teams are in one day, out the next. Others have home ice in round one, then don’t.
It is one of the best times of the NHL year…unless you are a head coach or GM that needs to make the playoffs to keep your job. Yes, we mean you, Bob Gainey, Jacques Lemaire and Doug Risebrough1. But our current standings do not accurately reflect where teams stand around the League, in particular how capable they are of winning the Stanley Cup.
With that in mind, we give you our “true” NHL standings, using the eight qualifying teams as of Tuesday afternoon. The Eastern Conference is first:
1. Devils – Martin Brodeur has clearly recovered from the torn elbow tendon that knocked him out of the middle portion of the season. Monday night’s loss in Philadelphia was just Brodeur’s third defeat since returning to the ice. When you add in Zach Parise and Patrick Elias’ offense and the unsung Paul Martin & Co. on the blueline, the Devils may be the best team in either bracket.
2. Flyers – Martin Biron has only a few more skeptics to quiet as he keeps Philadelphia in the East’s top four. Biron is 10-4 over his last 15 starts, beating the Penguins and Devils in his last two.
3. Bruins – We’re thinking about breaking up with the Bruins, whom we promised would win the conference a few weeks ago. And while they still might, a 7-9-4 run has us worried. Claude Julien coerced a solid effort from his charges Sunday against the Devils; he needs a few more to show us he still cares.
4. Penguins – Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin have been better than expected alongside Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin leads the League in scoring. And we cannot forget that Marc-Andre Fleury took this team to the Finals last season.
5. Capitals – Jose Theodore’s shakiness still supersedes Alex Ovechkin’s majesty.
6. Rangers – This is a different team with John Tortorella behind the bench. Henrik Lundqvist is the same elite goalie between the pipes, which gives the Blueshirts the edge over Carolina.
7. Hurricanes – Carolina is arguably the hottest team on ice right now. The Erik Cole acquisition looks genius so far. And Cam Ward can win a series by himself.
8. Canadiens – There is nothing about Montreal’s play that would lead you to believe it could win four times in a seven-game series.
WEST
1. Red Wings – The defending champions deserve the benefit of the doubt over the Sharks for the moment, especially since Chris Osgood has to remember how to play goal eventually, right?
2. Sharks – San Jose seems to be back on track after their own prolonged slumped, but the calendar still doesn’t read April, May or June. Until it does, and the Sharks are still winning, we can be non-believers.
3. Calgary – There’s a fairly significant drop off from Detroit/San Jose to Calgary and friends. The Flames are still a one-line team, despite the deadline acquisition of Olli Jokinen
4. Canucks – Roberto Luongo
5. Blue Jackets – My head, fingers and keyboard can’t believe I just typed this.
6. Blackhawks – Patrick Sharp is back and Chicago’s five-game winless streak is over, but these late-season stumbles are a cause for concern. We once thought the Hawks were capable of winning multiple series this spring, but that may be too young for that this year.
7. Oilers – Their only chance at seeing round two is an unbelievable round one from Dwayne Roloson.
8. Predators – Just insert “Pekka Rinne” for “Dwayne Roloson” from the previous entry.
* * *
1 Yes, this is the first footnote in “Dropping the Gloves” history. As first suggested by our good buddy E.J. Hradek this week on NHL Live (on Sirius XM, the NHL Network and NHL.com), the Wild need a complete organizational makeover, probably even if they make the postseason. This franchise has clearly peaked and Lemaire’s defense-first style has reached its limit. This isn’t a knock on the Hall of Fame player and coach, his time is just up in Minnesota. As for Risebrough, too much talent has left town in free agency without reinforcements coming through the Draft and trades. The Wild need a new person building their team and a new one coaching it.
Finally, can everyone please relax about Alex Ovechkin’s celebration of his 50th goal. If you want the game to regain its significance alongside the NFL, NBA, MLB and NASCAR, these things need to happen. It was entertaining and creative, and Ovechkin was not trying to be disrespectful. Plus, he’s more than willing to stand up to whomever wants to express their distaste for the act on the ice.
As always, thoughts, comments, critiques go to boguschhockey@gmail.com
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
Buffalo Sabres (35-30-8) over the Florida Panthers (35-28-11) 5-3
The Sabres rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd period with four goals and Mikael Tellqvist made 30 saves to keep the slumping Sabres bleak playoff hopes alive. Jason Pominville had a goal and two assists in the win while the Panthers are winless in eight of their last 10 games (2-5-3).
Carolina Hurricanes (41-28-7) over the Ottawa Senators (32-31-10) 2-1
Hurricanes D Anton Babchuk scored a power-play goal with 6:01 remaining and the Hurricanes won their season-high fifth straight game in a matchup of two of the NHL's hottest teams. Rod Brind'Amour tied it for Carolina at 3:15 of the third and assisted on Babchuk's winner to help the Hurricanes match a club record with their ninth straight victory at home, a mark set during their run to the Stanley Cup in 2005-06. The Hurricanes also moved a point behind fourth-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference playoff chase. The Senators, who were denied their season-high sixth straight win. They had won nine of 10 to move within nine points of the East's eighth playoff spot, but fell to 12-19-4 on the road.
Minnesota Wild (35-31-8) over the New York Islanders (24-41-8) 6-2
Wild winger Marian Gaborik, playing just his third game after missing three months following hip surgery, had two goals and two assists, Andrew Brunette and Owen Nolan each scored once and set up two others to snap a five-game road losing streak. Outside of the key win that kept Minnesota in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, much of the talk was about the Islanders, who featured a lineup of guys trying to make it in the NHL that took every chance to hit and rough up the Wild. "They tried to run us out of the building, but our guys kept coming," Wild coach Jacques Lemaire said of the Islanders, who took 13 of the 23 penalties. "It'll be interesting next year when we play them." Things got so out of hand in the third period that the teams played 3-on-3 for a stretch. "I think it goes back 40 years ago when I was playing," said Lemaire, a 10-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens. "I was like numb. I didn't know what to tell them because we never play 3-on-3."
Pittsburgh Penguins (40-27-8) over the Calgary Flames (42-25-6) 2-0
Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Pens retained sole possession of 6th place in the East in the 2-0 win. Defensemen Kris Letang and Hal Gill each scored to improve to 4-1-1 on their franchise-record eight-game homestand. Evgeni Malkin had two assists, giving him a career-high 107 points and extending his NHL scoring lead to 11 points.
Chicago Blackhawks (39-22-11) over the San Jose Sharks (48-14-11) 6-5 (SO)
The Blackhawks escaped the United Center with two points over one of the best teams in the league despite blowing a 4-1 lead. Andrew Ladd scored twice for the 'Hawks while Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews both scored in the shootout to give Chicago just their 2nd win in their last 15 meetings with San Jose (2-10-3). The Sharks had their three-game win streak snapped and remain tied with idle Detroit atop the West with 107 points. Sharks captain Patrick Marleau missed the game to be with his wife, who gave birth to their second son Wednesday. Rob Blake and Ryane Clowe were among Sharks who missed the game with injuries.
Anaheim Ducks (37-31-6) over the Colorado Avalanche (31-41-2) 7-2
Corey Perry scored twice and Andrew Ebbett had a goal and two assists as the Ducks tightened their hold on a playoff spot. Anaheim took care of business early. Coming off a 2-1 shootout win in Nashville on Tuesday night, they scored 2:11 into the game and led 3-0 after the first period. James Wisniewski tied a career high with three assists to help the Ducks move into seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race, a point ahead of idle Edmonton.
OTHER HEADLINES
-Paul Stastny's nightmare season continues as the Colorado Avalanche announced Wednesday that their young All-Star will miss the next 2-4 weeks due to a broken foot. "A CT scan taken yesterday (March 24) revealed the fracture in his foot," said Avalanche team physician Dr. Andrew Parker in a statement. The 23-year old Statsny suffered the injury blocking a shot during a loss to the Minnesota Wild on March 17th. Stastny also missed 26 games earlier in the season with a broken arm. In 45 games this season, the son of Hall of Famer Peter has 11 goals and 25 assists. The Avalanche recalled forward Matt Hendricks from Lake Erie of the AHL to take his spot on the roster.
-Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller is scheduled to play against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday, marking his first start after missing a month with a sprained left ankle. Coach Lindy Ruff provided the news before the team's home game against Florida on Wednesday. The game will be the 13th Miller has missed since being hurt in the third period of a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Feb. 21. The Sabres have gone 3-7-2 without Miller and have fallen out of playoff contention. They were tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference after beating New York and now sit in 10th place.
-Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Martin Gerber has been suspended for three games without pay for an abuse of officials incident during Tuesday's Leafs victory over the Capitals. It was an automatic suspension for the Swiss-born netminder according to Rule 41.4 – Category III. The rule states: “Any player or goalkeeper who, by his actions, physically threatens an official by shooting the puck at or in the general direction of an official shall be suspended for not less than three (3) games.” The incident occurred with just over one minute remaining in the third period as Gerber made contact with referee Mike Leggo then firing a puck at the official following Brooks Laich's disputed tying goal. Gerber will now miss the Leafs game Friday against the Buffalo Sabres, as well as March 28th game against the Boston Burins and April 1st contest against the Philadelphia Flyers. Gerber will be eligible to return April 3rd when the Leafs play the Flyers in Philadelphia.
TONIGHTS ACTION:
Florida @ Philadelphia - 7PM
NY Rangers @ Atlanta - 7PM
%Calgary @ Columbus - 7PM
Tampa Bay @ Montreal - 7:30PM
San Jose @ Nashville - 8PM
Los Angeles @ Dallas - 8:30PM
Vancouver @ St. Louis - 8:30PM
Edmonton @ Phoenix - 10PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
Florida @ Philadelphia - 7PM
NY Rangers @ Atlanta - 7PM
%Calgary @ Columbus - 7PM
Tampa Bay @ Montreal - 7:30PM
San Jose @ Nashville - 8PM
Los Angeles @ Dallas - 8:30PM
Vancouver @ St. Louis - 8:30PM
Edmonton @ Phoenix - 10PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
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