HIGH 5 / LOW 5
(Photo Credit: AP)
Chris Mason has been the dominant force in St. Louis' recent playoff push
High 5
New Jersey Devils {41-19-3}
If there has ever been a season where everything has gone right for the Devils, it's this year. They lose one of the best goalies of all time, and Scott Clemmensen plays as good as any other starting goaltender in the league in Brodeur's absence. A team that is normally offensively challenged has Zach Parise, who is 2nd in the league in goals scored. Brodeur comes back after not playing for four months, and shows no rust, posting shutouts in two of his first three starts back (the Devils won all three). New Jersey might be the best team in the East now with Brodeur back between the pipes.
Calgary Flames {37-19-6}
Before the loss to Tampa on Sunday, Calgary had won four in a row and is cruising in the Northwest Division. If the Flames get through their seven game road trip (starting tonight in Ottawa), they will be ready for a deep playoff run. Mike Cammalleri's 30+ goals has been a pleasant surprise and Jarome Iginla is hitting his stride in the 2nd half of the season.
Vancouver Canucks {32-22-8}
Since an eight game losing streak, the Canucks have rebounded big, winning ten of twelve games. Goalie Roberto Luongo has found his zone again. It will be interesting to see what additions the Canucks make at the deadline tomorrow.
Pittsburgh Penguins {32-26-6}
With the Penguins winning five of their past six, it looks like that Dan Bylsma has this team back on the path to where their talent level should have them. Pittsburgh's schedule the rest of the way provides them with a good chance to make up points in the East. If they can get someone to ride shotgun for Crosby and if Marc-Andre Fleury plays the way he did in the playoffs last year, uh oh...
St. Louis Blues {28-26-8}
Almost everyone (including myself) left this team for dead just a few weeks ago. Coincidentally, once goalie Chris Mason got a chance to be THE guy in St. Louis (18 starts in a row), the rest of the Blues began falling in to place (it all starts with goaltending, right?) The Blues have won six of eight and are 11-3-4 during Mason's streak. Good job John Davidson.
Low 5
Colorado Avalanche {28-35-1}
The Avs are back to the team we've seen out of Colorado for most of the season. They've lost five in a row and nine of twelve. I was at Colorado's loss to the Rangers on Saturday night and that might have been one of the worst games I've seen a professional hockey team play. Colorado will not improve until they take care of their goaltending situation.
Los Angeles Kings {26-27-9}
While the Kings aren't out of it yet and their bursts of great play were fun to watch, LA is coming back down to earth as we wind down the season. While I'm not writing off the Kings yet, because they have proven all of us wrong before, no matter what happens, this season has been a success in the Staples Center.
Dallas Stars {29-26-7}
After an incredible run that vaulted them right in to the middle of the Western Conference playoff pack, Dallas has lost five in a row and have only scored six goals in those give games. The one catalyst has been the loss of C Brad Richards, but he can't have that much of an impact on the team, can he?
Phoenix Coyotes {27-31-5}
Wayne Gretzky is hoping this team has hit rock bottom by now, but who knows at this point. They finished February with only three wins (1-0 @ Dallas, 4-3 in a SO vs. Atlanta, and 6-3 @ Los Angeles) and haven't scored more than one goal in a loss since Valentines Day against the Flames. Things don't get easier for Phoenix as they embark on a give game road trip with all of thegames in the Eastern time zone.
Buffalo Sabres {31-25-7}
This may be a bit of a pre-emptive Low 5, but they've played three games since losing Ryan Miller and have lost all three. Nothing against Patrick Lalime, but the Sabres go as Miller goes. This is the exact wrong time to go cold with Pittsburgh warming up and Carolina not going away. I wouldn't be shocked to see Buffalo make a deal for a goalie within the next 30 hours.
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
-Ryan Smith scored twice for the Avalanche (once on the PPG) in a return visit to a place he called home for six weeks but it wouldn't be enough as the worst in the East (Islanders - 20-36-7 ) beat the worst in the West (Avalanche - 28-35-1) 4-2. Dean McAmmond, Bruno Gervais and Jeff Tambellini all scored for the Isles and Jesse Joensuu scored his first goal in his first NHL game. Islanders winger Jon Sim had three assists in the win.
OTHER HEADLINES
-The Atlanta Thrashers have traded defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for blueliner Anssi Salmela. The 35-year-old Havelid is heading to his third NHL team in nine seasons, including five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks who drafted him in the 3rd round (83rd overall) in 1999. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Stockholm, Sweden native has two goals and 13 assists with a plus- 4 rating in 63 games this season. In 613 career games in the NHL, Havelid has 34 goals and 133 assists with a minus- 29 rating. Havelid's resume also includes being part of Sweden's gold medal effort at the 2006 Torino Olympics. He also helped Sweden capture the silver medal at the 2004 World Championships. Salmela, 24, signed with the Devils as a free agent on May 30, 2008. He is in his third stint with NHL club this season after being called up from the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters on February 19. Salmela has three assists in 17 games with the Devils.
-The Edmonton Oilers received some good news Monday as the team learned that forward Ethan Moreau will not require surgery to repair a scratched cornea and bruised retina. "He saw the doctor again today and everything went well," head coach Craig MacTavish told reporters. "All the news so far has been really positive. It's hard to completely anticipate and project how it's going to go but everything to this point has really gone well." The 33-year old Moreau was taken to Edmonton hospital on Saturday night after he received a stick to the eye during the Oilers' victory over the Minnesota Wild. Doctors had to wait for the swelling and bleeding in the eye to come down before they could determine the best course of action. The team was encouraged by the fact that there was no serious damage to the eye and that surgery would not be required, but no timeline for Moreau's return was outlined. "Everything looks to be pointing towards a complete and full recovery," MacTavish said. "How long that is depends on the next few days with an obstacle every couple of days to get over." Oilers head medical trainer Ken Lowe stated that Moreau's vision is slowly returning and he will see the eye specialist again on Thursday.
-Forward Andrew Conboy, suspended by Michigan State University this season for an attack on a Michigan player, has signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Conboy opted to turn pro with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, Montreal's top farm team, after he was suspended. The six-foot-four 200-pound left-winger has one assist and four penalty minutes in seven AHL games. The 20-year-old Conboy and teammate Corey Tropp, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, were suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs by the Spartans on Jan. 26 after an incident with less than one minute to play in a 5-3 Michigan win. After Michigan's Steve Kampfer knocked Tropp down with an open ice hit, he was punched to the ice from behind by Conboy and Tropp then swung his stick at the Anaheim prospect's neck or head. Kampfer was taken to hospital with a sprained neck, but there was no concussion. Conboy, a Burnsville, Minn., native who was considered the Spartans enforcer, was selected 142nd overall by Montreal in the 2007 draft. He had three goals, two assists and 76 penalty minutes in 21 games as a freshman at MSU.
-The New York Rangers may well have cleared the way to allow Sean Avery to make his return to the Big Apple by assigning forward Mark Bell to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL on Monday. Avery was placed on waivers by the Dallas Stars' earlier in the day, with all signs pointing towards the Rangers willing to pick up the controversial forward for his second tour of duty in New York. By sending Bell to the AHL, the team has freed up some space under the salary cap. The 28-year old Bell was claimed off of waivers from the Maple Leafs last week after spending the entire season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In 56 games this season with the Marlies, Bell has 12 goals and 15 assists.
-Marian Gaborik is closer to a return in Minnesota:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3947112
-The Phoenix Coyotes recalled center Kyle Turris on Tuesday from San Antonio of the AHL. Turris, the third overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft, recorded six goals and 10 assists in 50 games this season for the Coyotes before getting sent down to the Rampage. In an eight-game stint in the AHL, Turris tallied four goals and three assists.
RUMOR MILL
-With Nashville and Los Angeles being some of the few teams that can take on salaries, look for them to be very active in the next day or two.
-Don't expect Martin St. Louis to be leaving Tampa Bay. Vinny Lecavalier, on the other hand...
-The Flyers, who goaltending is always an issue, is looking at Predators goalie Dan Ellis.
-No big shock here but the Penguins are still fishing for someone to ride shotgun for Sidney Crosby.
Chris Mason has been the dominant force in St. Louis' recent playoff push
High 5
New Jersey Devils {41-19-3}
If there has ever been a season where everything has gone right for the Devils, it's this year. They lose one of the best goalies of all time, and Scott Clemmensen plays as good as any other starting goaltender in the league in Brodeur's absence. A team that is normally offensively challenged has Zach Parise, who is 2nd in the league in goals scored. Brodeur comes back after not playing for four months, and shows no rust, posting shutouts in two of his first three starts back (the Devils won all three). New Jersey might be the best team in the East now with Brodeur back between the pipes.
Calgary Flames {37-19-6}
Before the loss to Tampa on Sunday, Calgary had won four in a row and is cruising in the Northwest Division. If the Flames get through their seven game road trip (starting tonight in Ottawa), they will be ready for a deep playoff run. Mike Cammalleri's 30+ goals has been a pleasant surprise and Jarome Iginla is hitting his stride in the 2nd half of the season.
Vancouver Canucks {32-22-8}
Since an eight game losing streak, the Canucks have rebounded big, winning ten of twelve games. Goalie Roberto Luongo has found his zone again. It will be interesting to see what additions the Canucks make at the deadline tomorrow.
Pittsburgh Penguins {32-26-6}
With the Penguins winning five of their past six, it looks like that Dan Bylsma has this team back on the path to where their talent level should have them. Pittsburgh's schedule the rest of the way provides them with a good chance to make up points in the East. If they can get someone to ride shotgun for Crosby and if Marc-Andre Fleury plays the way he did in the playoffs last year, uh oh...
St. Louis Blues {28-26-8}
Almost everyone (including myself) left this team for dead just a few weeks ago. Coincidentally, once goalie Chris Mason got a chance to be THE guy in St. Louis (18 starts in a row), the rest of the Blues began falling in to place (it all starts with goaltending, right?) The Blues have won six of eight and are 11-3-4 during Mason's streak. Good job John Davidson.
Low 5
Colorado Avalanche {28-35-1}
The Avs are back to the team we've seen out of Colorado for most of the season. They've lost five in a row and nine of twelve. I was at Colorado's loss to the Rangers on Saturday night and that might have been one of the worst games I've seen a professional hockey team play. Colorado will not improve until they take care of their goaltending situation.
Los Angeles Kings {26-27-9}
While the Kings aren't out of it yet and their bursts of great play were fun to watch, LA is coming back down to earth as we wind down the season. While I'm not writing off the Kings yet, because they have proven all of us wrong before, no matter what happens, this season has been a success in the Staples Center.
Dallas Stars {29-26-7}
After an incredible run that vaulted them right in to the middle of the Western Conference playoff pack, Dallas has lost five in a row and have only scored six goals in those give games. The one catalyst has been the loss of C Brad Richards, but he can't have that much of an impact on the team, can he?
Phoenix Coyotes {27-31-5}
Wayne Gretzky is hoping this team has hit rock bottom by now, but who knows at this point. They finished February with only three wins (1-0 @ Dallas, 4-3 in a SO vs. Atlanta, and 6-3 @ Los Angeles) and haven't scored more than one goal in a loss since Valentines Day against the Flames. Things don't get easier for Phoenix as they embark on a give game road trip with all of thegames in the Eastern time zone.
Buffalo Sabres {31-25-7}
This may be a bit of a pre-emptive Low 5, but they've played three games since losing Ryan Miller and have lost all three. Nothing against Patrick Lalime, but the Sabres go as Miller goes. This is the exact wrong time to go cold with Pittsburgh warming up and Carolina not going away. I wouldn't be shocked to see Buffalo make a deal for a goalie within the next 30 hours.
ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...
-Ryan Smith scored twice for the Avalanche (once on the PPG) in a return visit to a place he called home for six weeks but it wouldn't be enough as the worst in the East (Islanders - 20-36-7 ) beat the worst in the West (Avalanche - 28-35-1) 4-2. Dean McAmmond, Bruno Gervais and Jeff Tambellini all scored for the Isles and Jesse Joensuu scored his first goal in his first NHL game. Islanders winger Jon Sim had three assists in the win.
OTHER HEADLINES
-The Atlanta Thrashers have traded defenseman Niclas Havelid and forward Myles Stoesz to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for blueliner Anssi Salmela. The 35-year-old Havelid is heading to his third NHL team in nine seasons, including five seasons with the Anaheim Ducks who drafted him in the 3rd round (83rd overall) in 1999. Scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, the Stockholm, Sweden native has two goals and 13 assists with a plus- 4 rating in 63 games this season. In 613 career games in the NHL, Havelid has 34 goals and 133 assists with a minus- 29 rating. Havelid's resume also includes being part of Sweden's gold medal effort at the 2006 Torino Olympics. He also helped Sweden capture the silver medal at the 2004 World Championships. Salmela, 24, signed with the Devils as a free agent on May 30, 2008. He is in his third stint with NHL club this season after being called up from the AHL's Lowell Lock Monsters on February 19. Salmela has three assists in 17 games with the Devils.
-The Edmonton Oilers received some good news Monday as the team learned that forward Ethan Moreau will not require surgery to repair a scratched cornea and bruised retina. "He saw the doctor again today and everything went well," head coach Craig MacTavish told reporters. "All the news so far has been really positive. It's hard to completely anticipate and project how it's going to go but everything to this point has really gone well." The 33-year old Moreau was taken to Edmonton hospital on Saturday night after he received a stick to the eye during the Oilers' victory over the Minnesota Wild. Doctors had to wait for the swelling and bleeding in the eye to come down before they could determine the best course of action. The team was encouraged by the fact that there was no serious damage to the eye and that surgery would not be required, but no timeline for Moreau's return was outlined. "Everything looks to be pointing towards a complete and full recovery," MacTavish said. "How long that is depends on the next few days with an obstacle every couple of days to get over." Oilers head medical trainer Ken Lowe stated that Moreau's vision is slowly returning and he will see the eye specialist again on Thursday.
-Forward Andrew Conboy, suspended by Michigan State University this season for an attack on a Michigan player, has signed a three-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. Conboy opted to turn pro with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL, Montreal's top farm team, after he was suspended. The six-foot-four 200-pound left-winger has one assist and four penalty minutes in seven AHL games. The 20-year-old Conboy and teammate Corey Tropp, a Buffalo Sabres prospect, were suspended for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs by the Spartans on Jan. 26 after an incident with less than one minute to play in a 5-3 Michigan win. After Michigan's Steve Kampfer knocked Tropp down with an open ice hit, he was punched to the ice from behind by Conboy and Tropp then swung his stick at the Anaheim prospect's neck or head. Kampfer was taken to hospital with a sprained neck, but there was no concussion. Conboy, a Burnsville, Minn., native who was considered the Spartans enforcer, was selected 142nd overall by Montreal in the 2007 draft. He had three goals, two assists and 76 penalty minutes in 21 games as a freshman at MSU.
-The New York Rangers may well have cleared the way to allow Sean Avery to make his return to the Big Apple by assigning forward Mark Bell to the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL on Monday. Avery was placed on waivers by the Dallas Stars' earlier in the day, with all signs pointing towards the Rangers willing to pick up the controversial forward for his second tour of duty in New York. By sending Bell to the AHL, the team has freed up some space under the salary cap. The 28-year old Bell was claimed off of waivers from the Maple Leafs last week after spending the entire season with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. In 56 games this season with the Marlies, Bell has 12 goals and 15 assists.
-Marian Gaborik is closer to a return in Minnesota:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3947112
-The Phoenix Coyotes recalled center Kyle Turris on Tuesday from San Antonio of the AHL. Turris, the third overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft, recorded six goals and 10 assists in 50 games this season for the Coyotes before getting sent down to the Rampage. In an eight-game stint in the AHL, Turris tallied four goals and three assists.
RUMOR MILL
-With Nashville and Los Angeles being some of the few teams that can take on salaries, look for them to be very active in the next day or two.
-Don't expect Martin St. Louis to be leaving Tampa Bay. Vinny Lecavalier, on the other hand...
-The Flyers, who goaltending is always an issue, is looking at Predators goalie Dan Ellis.
-No big shock here but the Penguins are still fishing for someone to ride shotgun for Sidney Crosby.
TONIGHTS ACTION:
%Philadelphia @ Boston - 7PM
Carolina @ Washington - 7PM
Florida @ Atlanta - 7PM
Los Angeles @ Columbus - 7:30PM
Calgary @ Ottawa - 7:30PM
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
New Jersey @ Toronto - 7:30PM
Edmonton @ Nashville - 8PM
Anaheim @ Chicago - 8:30PM
Detroit @ St. Louis - 8:30PM
Minnesota @ Vancouver - 10PM
Dallas @ San Jose - 10:30PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
*My weekly power rankings comes out Mondays or Tuesdays
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
%Philadelphia @ Boston - 7PM
Carolina @ Washington - 7PM
Florida @ Atlanta - 7PM
Los Angeles @ Columbus - 7:30PM
Calgary @ Ottawa - 7:30PM
Pittsburgh @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
New Jersey @ Toronto - 7:30PM
Edmonton @ Nashville - 8PM
Anaheim @ Chicago - 8:30PM
Detroit @ St. Louis - 8:30PM
Minnesota @ Vancouver - 10PM
Dallas @ San Jose - 10:30PM
% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern
*My weekly power rankings comes out Mondays or Tuesdays
~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays
TO EMAIL FTS, write fromtheslot@gmail.com
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