WEEKLY TV Viewer Guide - Week of 3/14

Capitals LW Mike Knuble scores the game-winning OT goal against the Blackhawks on national TV on Sunday. The Caps will be featured twice more this week.

MONDAY - Sharks @ Blackhawks - 8PM - Versus

The week's national TV slate opens with a rematch of last year's Western Conference Finals. While the Blackhawks took care of business last year, Chicago is 0-2-1 in the three meetings with the Sharks so far this season. The Hawks have followed an eight game winning streak with a three game losing streak, but have earned a point in two of those three losses. San Jose has had a similar streak, going 9-1-2 in their last 12. San Jose sits in the Pacific Division lead and in 3rd in the West while the Blackhawks are in 7th but only a point out of 4th.

TUESDAY - Hurricanes @ Sabres - 7:30PM - Versus

These two teams are still battling it out for playoff positioning. This will be their 3rd of 4 meetings this season with Buffalo going 1-0-1 so far. The Hurricanes have lost four in a row and have only earned one point in that stretch while the Sabres are 7-2-2 in their last 11. Buffalo is playing like a team that's trying to consistently stay in the top 8 while Carolina is trying to regain their midwinter form. The Sabres sit in 7th in the East with 76 points while the 'Canes have 72 points and trail the 8th place Rangers by 4 points.

WEDNESDAY - Capitals @ Red Wings - 7:30PM - Versus

Talk about a clash of two titans. Both teams have 90 points, both are in 2nd place in their respective conferences, and both seem to pulling away in their respective divisions. The Caps have won 8 in a row and 11 of 14. Detroit has won two in a row after losing four in a row. This will be their only meeting of the season. 

THURSDAY - NO GAME

FRIDAY - Capitals @ Devils - 7PM - NHL Network 
For the 2nd time this week we get a chance to see Ovechkin and the Capitals. While the Caps are the hottest team in the NHL right now, they are playing one of the hottest teams in the league since mid-January. The Devils are still clutching on to the slim hope of sneaking in the playoffs, but every point counts now. This is their last meeting of the season with the first three coming very early in the year. Washington took the two games in DC by a combined score of 12-3 while the Devils won the won meeting at The Rock 5-0.

SATURDAY - Bruins @ Maple Leafs - 7PM - NHL Network

Games within the Northeast Division are always physical. While Toronto is still trying to chase the 8th spot in the East, time is running out and they need to go on a winning streak soon. The Leafs snapped a three game losing streak with a big win over Buffalo on Saturday night, but host Tampa Bay and travel to Carolina and Florida before this game. Boston has skidded a bit lately. Despite the great moves they made at the deadline, they are 2-2-2 since then. The rival Canadiens only trail by two points for the division lead. They have split their four match-ups so far with the last game in the season series coming later this month. 

SUNDAY - Rangers @ Penguins - 12:30PM - NBC
This one will be a big match-up for both teams. Despite losing Evgeni Malkin for the season and Sidney Crosby for a long time (he started skating today, but best case scenario is an early May return), they have hung on to the 4th spot in the East. With Philly slumping, the banged up Penguins only trail 1st place by three points and can still make a run at the top spot in the East.  After losing six of seven, the Pens have won three of four. The Rangers have won three of four after losing three in a row and are holding on to 8th in the East. The Blueshirts have taken three of the five meetings this season and this will be their last meeting.

NHL's Most Wanted: Zdeno Chara

Bruins D Zdeno Chara has become public enemy #1 in the hockey world

I wanted to let this Chara-Pacioretty stuff sit for a couple of days and see what the fallout was before I commented on it. But the combination of the Montreal police opening a criminal investigation in to this is AND Air Canada threatening to pull their sponsorship, that's enough for me. Everyone needs to get off of Zdeno Chara's back. If the league wants to suspend him to shut people up, then fine. But this was a bang-bang play where it was unfortunate timing and positioning on the ice.

If you've been under a rock for the past couple of days, here's the hit (sorry for the French):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlJ0Ca6SIj8

If the 6'9"  260lb Chara makes that hit anywhere else on the ice, Pacioretty goes down, gets up, maybe there's a 2 minute interference call, and the majority of the mainstream sports media wouldn't know Max Pacioretty if he spit on them. Do you have to be aware of where you are on the ice, absolutely. But to think that there was any sort of intent to injure from Zdeno Chara is ludicrous. If you feel that way, you need to watch more than two or three hockey games in your entire life.

Max Pacioretty spoke for the first time publicly on TSN in Canada today. From his hospital bed, he said "I am upset and disgusted that the league didn't think enough of (the hit) to suspend him. I'm not mad for myself, I'm mad because if other players see a hit like that and think it's okay, they won't be suspended, then other players will get hurt like I got hurt. It's been an emotional day. I saw the video for the first time this morning. You see the hit, I've got a fractured vertebrae, I'm in hospital and I thought the league would do something, a little something. I'm not talking a big number, I don't know, one game, two games, three games...whatever, but something to show that it's not right."

I understand his frustration. His career is in jeopardy, he almost had his neck snapped, it's a natural reaction. And like I said earlier, while I don't agree with it, I can understand the league deciding to hand out a minor suspension to save face. The part that bothers me is when he talks about other players seeing a hit like that and "thinking it's okay." I would bet that not even Matt Cooke, Trevor Gillies, or Sean Avery would think smashing someones head in to the stanchion is "okay." It was an accident. And Max, if you want to get on your pulpit about players thinking that dirty hits are okay, you should check your own closet. Last time I checked, leading with your elbow to hit someone in the back of the head in to the boards is not okay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1IDI1lTrBc

While I hope that Pacioretty makes a full recovery and is able to play again, I hope the NHL doesn't go the way of the NFL where it begins to become a "weeny" league (I wanted to use a much stronger word there). The NFL handed out numerous fines this year for hits that were "dirty". Just like the NHL, there are plays in the NFL where when you have big guys moving full speed with people changing direction at the drop of a dime. Impacts can happen in ways that weren't desired with players getting hurt. It's an unfortunate part of the game, but it is a part of the game.

The Montreal Police opening an investigation in to this is a partial reaction by the hometown police who are Habs fans. It makes them look silly. If the tables had been turned, where it was a Canadien hitting a Bruin like that, there wouldn't be a whisper about it. When former NHL'er Chris Simon took a baseball swing at the head of former Ranger Ryan Hollweg in a game between the Islanders and Rangers a few years ago, having a police investigation in to that would have been slightly more understandable. What Simon did was assault with a weapon and he's lucky there wasn't more damage done to Hollweg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esETGHljQi4). Chara didn't do anything remotely close to that. He made contact and extended his arm a bit. Yes, that's interference. But the last time I checked, an interference penalty was two minutes in a penalty box, not a felony.

And as for Air Canada threatening to pull its sponsorship...I would love to see them follow through on that. The NHL needs their money more than they need to advertise in the NHL. But if you're going to do something, you better make damn sure you do it all the way. That means finding a way out of your naming rights agreement with the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs play. The Leafs are kind of a popular team in Canada and the exposure they get from having their name on that building is pretty valuable. NHL games are played in that building, so if you want to disassociate yourself with a "violent sport", that's part of the package, too. If you're going to take a moral stand against something, you can't do it when it's convenient. Stop the empty threats and keep your nose out of something that's not even your business. As much as I don't like Gary Bettman's decision making sometimes, he took a hard line with Air Canada and I applaud him for it.

"Air Canada is a great brand, as is the National Hockey League, and if they decide they need to do other things with their sponsorship dollars that's their prerogative, just like it's the prerogative of our clubs that fly on Air Canada to make other arrangements if they don't think Air Canada is giving them the appropriate level of service." Bravo Mr. Bettman.

The bottom line is that it was a very unfortunate result of a play in a game where physicality is as natural as skating and scoring. Pacioretty had an idea of where Chara was coming from and was in a bad place. If you follow hockey, you've often heard the phrase "Don't skate with your head down". Why? Because that's asking to get leveled. And that's considered a clean hit as long as you don't target the player's head or lead with your elbow. While I completely agree with that logic, how can hitting someone who isn't paying attention be considered okay, but it not be okay when a defenseman is trying to make a play to slow down an attacking forward in a way he's been taught to his whole career.

According to Bruins staffers, Chara is clearly shaken by the whole incident. You can call bull and say that's just PR damage control, but we'll see how much it's affected his game tonight when the Bruins take on Buffalo. You hope he's not tentative, but I'm willing to bet he's going to show hesitation at least once tonight, and that's a shame.

NHL WEEKLY TV Viewer Guide - Week of 3/7

Alexander Ovechkin moves the puck in on the Lightning. It's a battle for first place between these two teams on Versus Monday night (each team is televised twice this week on national television)

Capitals @ Lightning - 7PM - Versus
The Caps come in to this game on a four game winning streak and have won six of their past seven. The win over Florida last night put Washington back in 1st place in the Southeast Division and 2nd place in the East. Tampa comes in having lost three in a row and dropping down to 5th in the East. This will be the last meeting of the season between these two teams as the Caps have taken three of the first five. If you like physical, fast-paced hockey between two division rivals, this is your game.

Avalanche @ Wild - 8PM - Versus
This is another division game where the teams will be meeting of the last time this season. Minnesota has taken three of five in the series so far. The Wild have gone 4-2-2 in their last 8 but will need a winning streak to get some control of their own fate (they sit one point out of 8th but are in 9th in the West). Colorado's season has taken a drastic turn south since the beginning of February. Since February 1st, Colorado is 1-12-2 and have lost five in a row. The Wild are still alive for a playoff spot, but need to take care of business against bad teams if they want to keep chasing one of those 8 spots.

Blackhawks @ Lightning - 7:30PM - Versus
This will be the first of two games that we'll see the Blackhawks take on a Southeast Division team on national television this week. The Lightning get a nice tune-up on Monday against the Capitals while the Hawks will be on their 3rd game of the four game road trip (they play at Florida on Tuesday night). Going in to Monday, Chicago has won eight in a row and vaulted themselves to 4th place in the Western Conference. These teams will meet again in Chicago on Sun 4/3.

NO GAME THURSDAY OR FRIDAY

Sabres @ Maple Leafs - 7PM - NHL Network
This will be the 5th meeting of the season for these Northeast Division teams with Buffalo taking 3 of the four games so far. The Leafs are still alive for a playoff birth, but will need to win this game to keep pace with the other teams (including the Sabres) chasing the 8th spot. They play at the Islanders and host the Flyers before this game. The Sabres have earned at least a point in seven straight games (5-0-2) and now lead Carolina by a point for 8th in the East (Buffalo and Carolina have two more meetings this season).These two finish their season series on 3/29.

Blackhawks @ Capitals - 12:30PM - NBC
This is a rare late-season inter-conference match-up between the defending champs and a top team in the league. As of this posting, both are riding winning streaks (Capitals 4 games, Blackhawks 8 games) and are looking to accumulate any points they can and stay hot down the stretch. Washington plays at Tampa and hosts Edmonton and Carolina before this game while Chicago plays at Florida and Tampa Bay before this game. Maybe President Obama will take in his hometown defending champions as they come to town for their lone meeting of the season

Today's Flyers-Rangers contest @ MSG should be the physical battle it usually is (as demonstrated by Rangers D Dan Girardi and Flyers C and Captain Mike Richards). I will be live-tweeting from MSG, so check out @TheHockeyPress.

2012 TRADE DEADLINE RECAP & WEEKLY TV VIEWER GUIDE

Winger Dustin Penner is taking the Gretzky turnpike from Edmonton to Los Angeles...

  ...while Panthers GM Dale Tallon is trying to keep track of which player he just sent packing out the door

ANAHEIM: Acquired W Brad Winchester (STL), F Joel Perrault and a 3rd round pick in 2012 (VAN)
-A solid move by Bob Murray. The Blues get a serviceable forward to give them some depth beyond their top two lines. Perrault is a prospect.

ATLANTA: Acquired W Radek Dvorak and a 5th round pick in 2011 from Florida, claimed D Rob Schremp off of waivers (NYI), acquired D Brett Festerling (MON)
-The Thrashers already have a solid blueline, but it's mostly offensive. Festerling and Schremp gives them depth and a bit of grit. I really like the addition of Dvorak. It gives them some offensive punch up front, its an upgrade from the recently traded Freddy Modin, and Dvorak is plenty experienced. Rick Dudley did a nice job of acquiring pieces that could help without giving up a whole lot.

BOSTON: Acquired G Anton Khudobin (MIN)
-A prospect addition. The Bruins have made plenty of moves already.

CALGARY: Acquired W Freddy Modin (ATL), claimed D Brett Carson off of waivers (CAR)
-GM Jay Feaster wasn't in a position to do much, but he added quality depth up front with Modin. Modin is a streaky player but has a knack for scoring timely goals. The Flames have a good mix of wingers.

CAROLINA: Acquired D Bryan Allen (FLA)
-They had to give up Sergei Samsonov, but getting one more quality defenseman was more important than holding on to the streaky Samsonov (also, the Cory Stillman acquisition made Samsonov expendable). Jim Rutherford is great at making minor tweaks that go a long way, and this fits the mold.

CHICAGO: Acquired D Chris Campoli (OTT)
-Stan Bowman didn't have room to do much, but he's taken care of his blueline. Campoli brings a good balance of a steady defenseman that can also contribute at the other end of the rink. With rookie Corey Crawford having to be the guy for the defending champs, adding quality to the blueline was a big need.

COLUMBUS: Acquired W Scottie Upshall and D Sami Lepesto (PHX); F Greg Moore and F Michael Chaput (PHI)
-Upshall gives the Blue Jackets a good forechecker that can mix it up and produces in bursts. Lepesto is a young defenseman that is still coming along but has shown signs of being a solid rearguard. This isn't a move that will put Columbus over the top, but it will certainly help them a bit. The players from Philly are prospects. 

EDMONTON: Acquired D Kevin Montgomery (COL); D Colten Teubert, 1st round pick in 2011, and a conditional 3rd round pick in 2012.
-Montgomery was a young defenseman swap with Colorado for fellow D-Man Shawn Belle - nothing major of note there. As for the treasure chest they got for Dustin Penner...wow. Steve Tambillini knew that the Kings needed to add a big piece and got all he could for the big winger. Steve Tambillini is starting to get the the pieces he needs to build around 1st overall pick Taylor Hall.

FLORIDA: Acquired F Jake Hausworth and a 3rd round pick in 2011 (WAS); D Evan Oberg and 3rd round pick in 2013 (VAN); F Niclas Bergfors and F Patrick Rissmiller (ATL); W Sergei Samsonov (CAR)
-You don't see a team pull of three trades within the division in one day, but Dale Tallon pulled it off. The goal of the Panthers is to completely rebuild around the young talent they have coming up over the next couple of seasons, and they've accomplished that with new young talent and picks. Florida could be a powerhouse in 2-3 seasons. I was shocked that Tomas Vokoun wasn't dealt. Good luck to the Panthers TV and Radio PBP Voices while they learn a drastically new roster.

LOS ANGELES: Acquired W Dustin Penner (EDM)
-The Kings needed to make a big addition, and they did in multiple ways (6'1" - 245lbs, 39 points on the season). Penner uses his size to park himself in front of the crease and clean up the garbage. He also brings a Stanley Cup ring that he won with the Kings crosstown rivals back in 2007. Dean Lombardi got what he needed, but he definitely overpaid for Penner.

MINNESOTA: Acquired D Jeff Penner and F Mikko Lehtonen (BOS)
-Propsect additions.

MONTREAL: Acquired G Drew MacIntyre (ATL)
-After Carey Price, it's Alex Auld and Curis Sanford on the depth chart. Sanford got hurt, so MacIntyre gives them a goalie that the Hamilton Bulldogs can use down the stretch.

NEW JERSEY: Acquired F David Steckel and a 2nd round pick in 2012
-Lou Lamoriello has done it yet again. It's not a flashy move, but he gets a productive forward that fits right in to the Devils and a high draft pick.

NY RANGERS: Acquired F John Mitchell (TOR)
-The Rangers one glaring weakness is depth at Center. Mitchell probably won't get called up to Broadway anytime soon, but he'll get some quality time with the Connecticut Whale. Mitchell had been playing with the Toronto Marlies in the AHL.

OTTAWA: Acquired G Curtis McElhinney on waivers (TB); F Ryan Potulny and a conditional 7th round pick in 2011 (CHI)
-Potulny is a journeyman that has bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL numerous times. Getting McElhinney will make for a nice back-up for Craig Anderson next season.

PHILADELPHIA: Acquired F Tom Sestito (CLB)
-Sestito is a tough guy that fits the Flyers mold perfectly. He'll spend a lot of time with Adirondack (AHL).

PHOENIX: Acquired D Rotislav Klesla and F Dane Byers (CLB)
-Klesla gives them more experience and depth on the blueline. Byers was a player that Don Maloney drafted back when he was the Rangers assistant GM. Byers will see more time next season. I don't like this move for Phoenix because as good as Klesla can be, losing Upshall and Lepisto was a steep price to pay.

ST. LOUIS: Acquired a 3rd round pick in 2012 (Anaheim)
-The Blues have given up for this season and are building towards next season. It's the right move for the team this year.

VANCOUVER: Acquired F Maxim Lapierre and F MacGregor Sharp (ANA); W Chris Higgins (FLA)
-The Canucks are officially stocked for a deep playoff run. Lapierre is a gritty winger that can score the occasional goal. Higgins is a playmaker with a scoring touch that will fit right in to Alain Vigneault's system. The only thing that can stop Vancouver is themselves right now. 

WASHINGTON: Acquired F Jason Arnott (NJ); D Dennis Wideman (F)
-Arnott provides the Capitals with veteran leadership that can produce and is a savvy playoff vet. Wideman is a well-rounded defenseman and can be pretty productive when he doesn't have one of his bad turnover spells. George McPhee did a good job of making upgrades without giving up too much.

^Brad Richards is staying put in Dallas. After all the hoopla about whether he'd stay or go, GM Joe Nieuwendyk was stuck with Richards suffering from concussion symptoms. Hopefully Richards can make it back in time to contribute for Dallas down the stretch.

**Contract extensions handed out to: Red Wings Goalie Jimmy Howard (2 years, $4.5 million - a fair deal for both sides); Kings winger Justin Williams (4 years - $14.6 million - when he's healthy, he's worth that. Let me know when he stays healthy for a full season)

WEEKLY TV VIEWER GUIDE - WEEK OF 2/28

9 Nationally Televised Games spread out over 7 days (highlighted by a classic Original 6 match-up between the Hawks and Leafs on Saturday night)...yeaaaaa for the NHL stretch run!

MONDAY
Blackhawks @ Wild - 8PM - Versus

This is their last meeting of the season. They split at the United Center and Chicago won in Minnesota back in October. The Blackhawks have won 4 in a row while Minnesota is 3-3-1 in their last seven. Both have with 72 points, but the Wild are in 7th place while the Hawks are down in 9th. A regulation win would mean a whole lot to either winner.

Red Wings @ Kings - 10:30PM - NHL Network
This could be shaping up to be a playoff preview. A great 2nd game in the Monday night doubleheader (these are the lone two games in the NHL tonight). The Kings have taken both meetings this season (winning 3-2 in OT at home and 5-0 at Joe Louis Arena) and .The Red Wings snapped a two game losing streak with a shootout win in Buffalo on Saturday night (they had won 5 in a row before the mini-skid). Los Angeles has won three in a row and this will be the third game of a six game stretch at the Staples Center.

TUESDAY
Sabres @ Rangers - 7PM - Versus
This is the beginning of a seven game road trip for Buffalo. The good news is that they only have five road games the rest of the way. Buffalo has had an up and down month but has managed to remain in playoff contention. The Rangers will be coming off a 2-1 loss to the Lightning at home and will be happy to see February go (4-7-1 for the month). It should be a great goalie showdown between Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist. The Rangers have taken both meetings this year so far. Brad Boyes makes his Sabres debut in this game.

WEDNESDAY
Penguins @ Maple Leafs - 7PM - Versus

The Maple Leafs have earned at least a point in their last 7 games and won four of those games. Goalie James Reimer has been a nice find for Toronto and is the main reason the Leafs haven't fallen out of playoff contention. Toronto won the first meeting of the season, but Pittsburgh has won both since, including a wild 6-5 shootout win at the ACC on Saturday night. The Penguins injuries have finally caught up with them as of late, going 2-4-2 in their last eight.

THURSDAY
Blues @ Capitals - 7PM - NHL Network

The Blues have been a streaky team all season long. They've managed to keep themselves alive in the playoff race, but one more bad streak could leave them looking ahead to 2011-12. St. Louis comes home to play Calgary tomorrow to finish the home-and-home before heading to DC. The Capitals have won four of their past six and host the Islanders on Tuesday. The Caps won their lone meeting with the Blues 4-1 back on 12/1.

FRIDAY

Penguins @ Devils - 7PM - NHL Network

The Penguins get their 2nd nationally televised game of the week against one of the hottest teams in the NHL. The Devils are 17-2-2 in their last 21 and get a chance to avenge one of those regulation losses against Tampa Bay on Wednesday night. The Devils remain 9 points out of 8th in the East and can afford to only lose a couple of games down the stretch if they want to continue their miraculous run to the playoffs. Pittsburgh is 8-7-2 within the Atlantic this year while the Devils are 6-10.

SATURDAY
Blackhawks @ Maple Leafs - 7PM - NHL Network
No matter what the circumstances, Original 6 match-ups are always enjoyable. This is their only match-up of the season. Look for a battle between two of the best young goalies in the NHL between James Reimer (10-4-3 record with a 2.31 GAA and a .929 save percentage) and Corey Crawford (22-12-3 record with a 2.23 GAA and a .923 save percentage), but both teams are also capable of scoring goals quickly. 

SUNDAY
Flyers @ Rangers - 12:30PM - NBC
The NHL gives us our 2nd pseudo-doubleheader of the week, this time with NBC being the lead-in instead of Versus. While capturing the Atlantic Division lead from Philly is a dream that won't come true for the Rangers, a win against the Broad Street Bullies would give them a shot in the arm. The Flyers are 4-0 against the Rangers this year and this will be their last meeting in MSG for the regular season. This will be the third game in four days for Philadelphia.

Capitals @ Panthers - 5PM - NHL Network

This will only be the 4th meeting of the season between these two Southeast Division rivals. Washington has gone 1-1-1 so far against Florida this season. Florida has lost five of their past seven and will play @ Carolina, vs. Montreal, and @ Atlanta before this game. Both teams have played well inside the division this year (Washington is 10-6-2, Florida is 9-6-2). This will be Caps D Dennis Wideman's first game against his old team.

TRADE DEADLINE PREVIEW

 The big name that was supposed to move in the NBA this year was Carmelo Anthony. He now sets up shop at Madison Square Garden. Will we be able to say the same about Brad Richards by tomorrow afternoon?

A lot of teams have already made their big moves before the deadline tomorrow, but here is a quick synopses of what each team needs to do at the deadline...

ATLANTIC
Philadelphia: With the Flyers playing as well as they are right now, you don't want to tweak things too much. Acquiring winger Kris Versteeg from Toronto a couple of weeks ago was their big move. They claimed D Nick Boynton off of waivers this weekend which gives them some veteran depth on the blueline. I wouldn't expect any other moves to happen.

Pittsburgh: They acquired LW James Neal and D Matt Niskanen from Dallas and winger Alexei Kovalev from Ottawa. They were all good moves, but it was all in an attempt to fill the production void left by the Sidney Crosby concussion. You can't replace his numbers, but they have some depth at forward. Losing D Alex Goligoski hurts, but they are deep enough on defense to overcome it. Maybe one more minor move, but they are probably done making moves.

NY Rangers: This is another team that should be done making moves. They acquired winger Wojtek Wolski a few weeks ago and picked up D Bryan McCabe yesterday. McCabe gives them the veteran/puck-moving rearguard they've been craving. The Marc Staal injury prompted GM Glen Sather to pull the trigger on acquiring McCabe asap. John Tortorella keeps saying he loves his team, let's see how they perform.

New Jersey: Lou Lamoriello is a master of making minor tinkers to his Devils to get them ready for a deep playoff run. This year is a bit different for him. Unless the Devils rattle off another eight game winning streak, they are probably going to miss the playoffs. Unless he can shed an old veteran (basically, Jason Arnott), he should leave the team as-is.

NY Islanders: The Isles are probably done with their annual sell-off. Maybe D Radek Martinek will attract some suitors, but they sold off their two attractive pieces months ago (G Dwayne Roloson, D James Wisniewski). They have acquired a 2nd, 5th, and 7th round pick, added D Ty Wishart (playing alright) and G Al Montoya (played well in limited action).

NORTHEAST
Boston: The Bruins have been very active traders this year and acquired the pieces they need to make a deep playoff run. Centers Rich Peverley and Chris Kelly were added and so were D Tomas Kaberle and Boris Valabik. Boston gave up a decent amount of draft picks, but G Tim Thomas isn't a spring chicken. This team is good enough to have a shot at a championship now. Pete Chiarelli should be done making moves.

Montreal: They could make another move, but I don't see it happening. They've acquired a bunch of defensemen (James Wisniewski, Paul Mara, Brett Festerling, Brent Sopel). They have good depth at forward, but adding one more wouldn't hurt.

Buffalo: How will new ownership handle it's first trade deadline two weeks in to it's new toy? The Sabres aren't far out of the playoffs, but the team isnt built for a playoff run. They've already waived D Craig Rivet but added RW Brad Boyes from the Blues. C Tim Connolly and LW Mike Grier have been names that have come up in trade rumors, but it appears Dary Reiger is making moves that would give this team a boost for a playoff push. I can't see them dealing away Connolly or Grier unless they received assets they could use immediately.

Toronto: Brian Burke has traded away all of the tradeable assets he can probably handle (Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, Versteeg) and has gotten a lot of high draft picks in return. He also got winger Joffrey Lupul and D Jake Gardiner. While the Leafs are a rag-tag bunch that are kidding themselves in to thinking they can get in the playoffs right now, I wouldn't rule out one move for Burke tomorrow.

Ottawa: Another team that has traded away most of it's quality assets (Chris Kelly, Kovalev, Jarkko Ruutu, Mike Fisher) for a variety of draft picks. The only big name that would have moved on the roster was D Chris Phillips, but inking a 3 year-$9.25 million extension ends the chances of that. Getting Craig Anderson from Colorado is a HUGE upgrade between the pipes.

SOUTHEAST
Tampa Bay: GM Steve Yzerman has done a fantastic job in his first year running the team. He needed a goalie, he went out and got Dwayne Roloson. He needed some improvements  on the blue-line, he traded for Eric Brewer and signed Marc-Andre Bergeron off the trash heap. He was even able to get rid of a bad contract in G Dan Ellis for a quality back-up in Curtis McElhinney. The Lightning are built for a deep run.


Washington: Will the Capitals finally stop kidding themselves and add the goalie they've wanted for years? They can say they're happy with the young duo they have now (Varlamov and Neuvirth), but they've become so focused on playing defense that they can't score anymore. Having a veteran presence in the crease will allow them to get back to their puck-rushing ways. The name that comes up on and off is Panthers G Tomas Vokoun. George McPhee has a lot to think about tonight.

Carolina: They added a veteran winger in Cory Stillman, but does the injury to Eric Staal make them add another forward? Jim Rutherford is not one to make impulse decisions, so if they do add a center, it won't be a huge addition (wouldn't it be something if they got Brad Richards though?)

Atlanta:  The Thrashers played too well early in the season for Rick Dudley to give up on the season. He acquired the talented RW Blake Wheeler and young D Mark Stuart in the deal that sent Peverely and Valabik to Boston. Adding a center would help, but they aren't in the market to pay a lot. If Atlanta decides to sell, look for RW Niclas Berfors to be on the move.


Florida: The Panthers filled the space left by Bryan McCabe with former Predators D Alexander Sulzer. They dealt Stillman to Carolina, and Michael Frolik to Chicago (they main piece they got back from Chicago was D Jack Skille). Dale Tallon is clearly in rebuilding mode for this team and is getting as young as he can. There are still a couple of movable pieces, but nothing that would fetch a huge return.

CENTRAL
Detroit: Getting C Mike Modano back is like adding a veteran center at the deadline. I don't think Ken Holland will make any moves since the team is built for the long haul. I could see him acquiring a quality back-up goalie (since the Evgeni Nabokov deal fell through), but that's it.

Nashville: This is another team I see being pretty boring at the deadline. Acquiring Mike Fisher earlier in the year was a big need that David Poile addressed. The Preds could use a veteran winger (bring back Jason Arnott, perhaps?) but not at any large cost.

Chicago: Not having a lot of cap flexibility hurts Stan Bowman from really making any upgrades. The Blackhawks have their core in place (a very nice 5-year extension for D Brent Seabrook over the weekend) and will add and move pieces around it as they see fit for the next few seasons. Already acquiring forward Michael Frolik will be their big addition for this season.


Columbus: For some reason, I get the feeling the Blue Jackets could make a couple of below the radar moves tomorrow. They wanted to add a veteran presence on the blueline and addressed that need with claiming Craig Rivet from Buffalo. They could certainly use some more scoring talent up front.

St. Louis: This is another team who made their big moves and should be quiet tomorrow. They acquired D prospect Brock Beukeboom, D Kevin Shattenkirk, and F Chris Stewart. They did say goodbye to D Eric Brewer, former first overall pick D Erik Johnson, and C Jay McClement. It appears that the Blues have their focus on next season, so they shouldn't do anything unless they feel it improves them for next season and beyond.


PACIFIC
San Jose: The amount of talent on the Sharks is never in question. They have a great mix up front and added D Ian White from Carolina recently to add some veteran depth. A few weeks ago, goalie was a cause for concern. But Antti Niemi has finally found his playoff form from last season. They also added some grit with Ben Eager back in January.


Phoenix: Coyotes GM Don Maloney is one of the more underrated GMs in the league. Winger Wojtek Wolski wasn't performing well, so he turned a problem in to filling a void with former Rangers D Michal Rozsival (they needed a veteran defenseman). Phoenix has been a hot team lately and is one quality forward away from having a team many wouldn't want to see in a seven game series. Even with the new ownership, I expect a move to be made.


Los Angeles: This team is desperate to get one more talented forward. It may cost them one of their great young defenseman. Dean Lombardi is notorious for not wanting to make big deals that shake things up too much, but he's going to have to if he wants to get the top-notch producer his team craves.

Dallas:  Ahh yes, what will Joe Nieuwendyk do with C Brad Richards. Coming in to the season, it was as sure as anything that Richards would be moved by the deadline. Then Dallas made a surprising storm to the top of the Pacific Division standings, and moving Richards would have been seen as giving up on a potentially prosperous season. Then the Stars hit the skids and Richards suffered a concussion. Now nobody knows what to think. Nieuwendyk certainly won't get as much back as he would have originally with this concussion lingering. He did get the puck moving D-man he needed in Alex Goligoski and adding winger Jaime Langebrunner earlier in the season was a no-brainer. Tick Tock, Joe.

Anaheim: Bob Murray has done a good job of making small tweaks to this team while not taking away too much. Adding forward Jarkko Ruutu gives them an edge, and bringing back D Francois Beauchemin gives them a steady, reliable presence on an overachieving blueline this season. G Jonas Hiller was having a career year before dealing with what is essentially vertigo. Getting Ray Emery isn't the entire answer, so Murray went out and got Dan Ellis to give him a 2nd chance. Anaheim is done with moves, and will need either Ellis or Emery to get VERY hot if they want to make the playoffs. 

NORTHWEST
Vancouver: The Canucks are the best team in the league and have incredible depth. I don't see Mike Gillis doing anything to shake this bunch up. I can see him adding a depth defenseman cheaply because of all of the injuries they've dealt with on the blueline, but that's it.

Minnesota: The Wild are another team on the "Add A Center" wishlist. The rumor I've heard is Tim Connolly from Buffalo. I don't see Chuck Fletcher making a huge move, but this team definitely needs a center, especially with Mikko Koivu hurt. They're playing well enough that the playoffs are within reach without any additions, but one more move could give them some separation in the tight West.


Calgary: What will interim GM Jay Feaster due in his first trade deadline in years is the big question. Calgary has played fantastic hockey lately and has put themselves in the drivers seat to earn a playoff birth - after spending much of the season in the conference basement. With all the teams in the league needing a center, maybe they can find someone willing to take C Matt Stajan to add some depth to the 3rd and 4th lines.


Colorado: The moves Greg Sherman has made over the past month have left some scratching their heads. Sending G Craig Anderson to Ottawa for G Brian Elliott made it seem like the Avs were giving up on the season after a 9 game losing streak. When they made the deal with St. Louis to acquire D Erik Johnson and C Jay McClement, it resembled more of a move to make sense for this season. McClement is an excellent penalty killer and gives them depth up the middle. D Erik Johnson has shown brief flashes of why he was once a #1 overall pick, and maybe a change of scenery helps him. This is a team that should be selling at the deadline. Teams could always use defensemen, and the aging veteran Adam Foote would net them a decent draft pick and Sherman could get a decent package for John-Michael Liles.

Edmonton:  The worst team in the NHL won't be making any impact additions for this season, that's for sure. The big names that could move from Edmonton are RW Ales Hemsky, LW Dustin Penner, and C Sam Gagner. They could get a lot back for those three and all three are players that many teams wouldn't mind adding for the right price. I expect Steve Tambillini to be very busy tomorrow.

Former Panthers D Bryan McCabe makes his Rangers debut against the Lightning @ Madison Square Garden in Sunday's Game of the Day

First off, I apologize for the lack of blogging this week. I will make up for that in the next 24 hours...

-I'll be tweeting my thoughts on Sunday's Game of the Day - Rangers-Lightning - LIVE from MSG. Follow @TheHockeyPress. The acquisition of Bryan McCabe pretty much means that D Michael Del Zotto will spend the rest of his season with the Connecticut Whale of the AHL.

-A complete transaction recap from the week AND whether teams should make a move or stand pat at tomorrow's trade deadline coming tonight

-Of course, the weekly TV Viewer guide and complete trade deadline updates and analysis tomorrow

STARS-PENGUINS TRADE

James Neal is bringing his grinding talents to Pittsburgh

DALLAS GETS:

D Alex Goligoski (9 G, 21 A, +20) - The one thing the Dallas stars line-up was lacking was a puck-moving defenseman. This is something GM Joe Nieuwendyk wanted for a long time and finally found the right piece. It cost him a quality LW, but the Stars are deep at forward. Goligoski isn't an instant cure for the Stars woes right now, but he should be able to help them in time from free-falling out of a tight Western Conference race.

PITTSBURGH GETS:

LW James Neal (21 G, 18 A, 8 PPP) - Pittsburgh will be without Evgeni Malkin for the remainder of the season and we still don't have a timetable on Sidney Crosby. Even with Chris Kunitz coming back, the Pens needed some punch up front. Neal was a top-6 forward in Dallas and can make an immediate impact on keeping Pittsburgh competitive.

D Matt Niskanen (6 A, -1) - While times have been tough for Niskanen over the past couple of seasons, a change of scenery might do him some good. His style of play will be a better fit in the Penguins system and that should get him going. Pittsburgh is so deep on the blueline, he won't have the same pressure on him that he did in Dallas.

All in all both parties got what they needed, but had to give something up. That's how a good trade is supposed to work. Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero may add another forward before next Monday, but the big question is whether or not the Stars move C Brad Richards.

HERITAGE CLASSIC THOUGHTS & NHL WEEKLY TV VIEWER GUIDE - WEEK OF 2/21

Flames Winger Rene Bourque scores one of his two goals on Canadiens Goalie Carey Price in Calgary's 4-0 win over Montreal in the 2nd Heritage Classic

(Canadian Press)

Not to say the Canadiens didn't try or play hard, but you could clearly see that this game meant a lot more to the Flames than Montreal. The Canadiens did manage to pepper Miikka Kiprusoff with 39 shots, but their style of game didn't translate to the hard ice that they were dealing with. Calgary plays more of a deliberate, puck-possession game while Montreal's style is to rush the puck up the ice. Despite giving up four goals, Carey Price made some tough saves for the Habs. I think it's pretty funny that the problem with the Winter Classic was that the warm weather made the ice too soft, while the extreme cold made the ice too hard in Calgary for the ice to even be zambonied. While I liked the Flames throwback jerseys, the thigh pads looked like they were wearing khaki shorts. The 41,000 fans that attended yesterday's game deserve a mention for sitting through the bitter cold. The temperature at puck drop was 14 degrees Fahrenheit and it only got colder from there.

For Montreal - they've lost six of 7 now, and thing's don't get any easier as they finish their road trip in Vancouver tomorrow night before getting some home cooking against Toronto and Carolina. Calgary is in the midst of a 11-1-2 stretch and continues their five game homestand with games against Boston, San Jose and St. Louis.

NHL WEEKLY TV VIEWER GUIDE

The Pittsburgh Penguins are featured three times on national television this week (you'll get your Blackhawks fix on Sunday)

Getty Images

Washington Capitals @ Pittsburgh Penguins - 7:30PM - Versus 

This will be the last of the four meetings between these two bitter rivals this season. The Caps have won the last two meetings since losing the first one in a shootout in DC back in December. Pittsburgh has been hanging tough, despite the injuries to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Washington is treading water in the middle of the East, going 4-5-1 in it's last 10.  The NHL could get their dream, as this could be a potential playoff preview the way the standings are shaping up.

New Jersey Devils @ Dallas Stars  - 8:30PM - Versus 

This game features two teams going in completely opposite directions. After New Jersey looked like the worst team in the NHL for the entire first half of the season, they have come out guns blazing in the new year. The Devils have won seven in a row and are 15-1-2 in their last 18. New Jersey remains 10 points out of 8th in the East. The Stars have lost four in a row and are 2-9-1 since a four game winning streak in January. This is also Jamie Langenbrunner's first game against the Devils since he was traded to Dallas.  This is their 2nd and last meeting of the season (the Stars won 4-3 in overtime on Opening night).

San Jose Sharks @ Pittsburgh Penguins - 7:30PM - Versus 

The Sharks have been a streaky team in 2011. They won on New Years Day, lost six in a row, won 8 of 9, lost two, and are now in the midst of a three game winning streak. Their efforts have vaulted them to fourth in the West and one point behind Phoenix for first in the Pacific.  This will be the 2nd game on a three game road trip (@ Detroit the night before). Pittsburgh has lost five of seven, but earned a point in Sunday's loss at Chicago and will play at Washington on Monday night. This will be their only meeting of the season.

Dallas Stars @ Detroit Red Wings - 7:30PM - NHL Network 

Detroit is on a tear, having won five in a row and six of their past seven heading in to the week. They have a firm hold on 2nd place in the West and don't appear to be in danger of losing it any time soon. Dallas has struggled, but has beaten the Red Wings in two of their prior three meetings this season.  The Red Wings host San Jose and the Stars host New Jersey before this match-up (both on Tuesday). Detroit heads on the road for five games after this one.

New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals - 7PM - NHL Network 

The Capitals only game of the week before this is when they travel to the Steel City on Monday. The Capitals won the first meeting of the season between these two clubs, but have lost both at MSG since then. The Rangers have had a rough February, going 2-6-1 (four of those losses on the road). The Blueshirts travel to Carolina play the 8th place Hurricanes on Tuesday before this game and need a win to give themselves a bit of a cushion between 7th and 8th. 

Pittsburgh Penguins @ Toronto Maple Leafs - 7PM - NHL Network
The new look Leafs will get a chance to pounce on the wounded Penguins on national television across North America. Toronto hosts the Islanders and goes to Montreal before this game. This is their 3rd meeting of the season with the team's splitting the two match-ups in Pittsburgh earlier in the season. Toronto will continue to test out young goalie James Reimer, who is 8-4-2 with a 2.20 GAA this season.

Phoenix Coyotes @ Chicago Blackhawks - 7PM - NHL Network

The Blackhawks are clawing their way back in to the top 8 in the Western Conference, going 4-3-2 in February and are tied for the last playoff spot (they'll travel to St. Louis and Nashville before this game). Phoenix is red-hot, winning seven in a row heading in to the week. Phoenix clings on to 3rd place and the Pacific Division lead by one point over San Jose. This game closes out a five game road trip for the Desert Dogs. The Coyotes have won both meetings this season and they'll finish out the season series on 3/20. 

TRANSACTION RECAP FROM THE WEEK

G Craig Anderson and D Tomas Kaberle were the big names moving this week

The NHL trade-deadline may not be until February 28th, but there was a flurry of action this week. Lets start off by going back to Tuesday...

-Atlanta signs Dustin Byfuglien to a five year contract extension worth $26 million: Atlanta is clearly trying to build a cheap, effective team (based on moves we'll see later in the week) and have decided to make Byfuglien a center piece. He's certainly earned it so far (17 goals, 27 assists), and if they ever acquire too many defenseman, Byfuglien can always move back to the wing.

-Toronto acquires F Aaron Voros from Anaheim for a conditional 7th round pick: Voros is a Brian Burke type of player and it cost the Leafs almost nothing. Anaheim gets another pick for a guy they hardly use, everyone wins

-Boston acquires Chris Kelly from Ottawa for a 2nd round pick: Boston needed a center, and they got a quality one in Chris Kelly (12 goals, 11 assists). He may be a -12, but he's played on an awful Senators team. The Bruins were hoping for a top-flight center, but Kelly gives them the depth up the middle that they wanted. Ottawa gets a high pick, as they are clearly in rebuilding mode.

WEDNESDAY - NOTHING OF NOTE

THURSDAY:

-Anaheim acquires F Jarkko Ruutu from Ottawa for a 6th round draft pick: The Ducks replaced the tough guy they lost in Voros with Ruutu. Ruutu can play every night (unlike Voros) and he plays a little bit of offense. Ruutu is a pest, and in a very tight Western Conference, he should be able to draw some penalties to give the Ducks more power play opportunities. Ottawa continues to add to their collection of draft picks.

-The Islanders signed a one year contract extension with F PA Parenteau: He's played well for the Isles this year (14 goals, 21 assists) and has earned another year with the squad.

FRIDAY (a busy day):

-Colorado acquires G Brian Elliott from Ottawa for G Craig Anderson: this trade makes ZERO sense for the Avalanche. Craig Anderson is a quality goaltender. While the Avs have been slumping lately, they are VERY alive in the playoff race. Giving up Anderson for a goalie who is a decent back-up and can be effective in small bursts is not the way to get to the playoffs (and it's not like Peter Budaj is a viable option either). As for Ottawa, goaltending has been an issue for them for a few seasons, and while they are rebuilding the rest of the team, they now have the goalie to build around.

-San Jose acquires D Ian White and future considerations from the Hurricanes for a 2nd round pick in 2012 and D Derek Joslin: San Jose needed some help and depth on the blueline, and Ian White gives you both. He can control the puck and is responsible in his own end. I'll never question Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford (one of the best in the league), but this move is a little head-scratching. Carolina is very alive in the playoff race and I can't imagine why he'd think White wouldn't be a help to the team down the stretch. That being said, Joslin is a young prospect for a team who has a young and very promising blueline. White is playing for his 4th time in a year (Toronto, Calgary, Carolina, San Jose).

-Tampa Bay acquires D Eric Brewer from St. Louis for D Brock Beukeboom and a 3rd round pick: The Lightning are clearly going for it this year and addressed the one area of need they had yet to address. Their squad of rearguards was good, now it's very good. The Blues have clearly given up on this season (as you'll see in a bit), but get a very good D prospect and another pick.

-Atlanta acquires F Blake Wheeler and D Mark Stuart from Boston for C Rich Peverely and D Boris Valabik: The Bruins wanted a quality center, and Peverley provides them with what they need (wins face offs, can move the puck, passes well), get some cap relief with sending Wheeler out of Beantown, and get a useable D-man in Valabik. Atlanta gets a quality gunner in Wheeler and a very good young defenseman in Stuart. This is one of those rare times where both sides get what they need.

-Boston acquires D Tomas Kaberle from Toronto for F Joe Coloborne, a 1st round pick, and a conditional pick in 2012: With this deal, the Bruins are officially ballers in the Eastern Conference. They needed a puck-moving defenseman and they got one of the best in the league. After years of Kaberle "on the move" rumors, it finally happened. As for Toronto, they get a talented, but raw prospect in Colborne (41 points in 39 games in his last season at the University of Denver) and get the Bruins 1st round pick (Boston still holds Toronto's 1st round pick from the Phil Kessel trade). Leafs GM Brian Burke is stockpiling picks and prospects, Boston is going for the Cup this year. While seeing a trade where both sides win is rare, it's even rarer to see a deal like that happen between division rivals and Original 6 rivals.

SATURDAY:

-St. Louis acquires F Chris Stewart, D Kevin Shattenkirk, and a conditional 2nd round draft pick in 2011 or 2012 from Colorado for D Erik Johnson, F Jay McClement, and a conditional 2011 or 2012 1st round draft pick: This deal confuses the hell out of me for Colorado. While Erik Johnson is a top-notch defenseman and McClement gives you some quality depth on the wing, they sent out their top goalie earlier in the week. It's like they're shoring up for the playoffs while rebuilding at the same time (which never works). Avs GM Greg Sherman may have something else up his sleeve, but his moves this week contradict one another. As for the Blues, they're making quality moves to be a good playoff team next season. They were ravaged by injuries this season, so trying to make moves for this season would have been silly. They get a big, tough, productive winger in Stewart. Captain Kirk has had a fantastic rookie season and good be one of the game's best blueliners in the foreseeable future. They sent out quality D-Men in Johnson and Brewer, but they get back a young D man they can use now in Shattenkirk and someone they can use in a year or two in Beukeboom.

There will be a full break down of all of the trades since the Versteeg deal (the busy Bruins, the active Avs, the moving Maple Leafs...okay I'll stop) later on today. And if you're confused the the moves Colorado is making, you aren't alone.
-Adam

Random Musings - Tuesday 2/15

 Peter Forsberg at his retirement press conference. His comeback lasted two games.  

I'll never fault an athlete for wanting to give it another shot (unless you do it in the fashion that Brett Favre does it) as long as he's still physically able to. Forsberg practiced for a few weeks before he saw any game action, so he didn't rush in to it, either. With the foot problems he's had, his time away from the game, and his age all working against him, he didn't stand much of a chance. It didn't help that he tried to make his return in February when teams are beginning to make their playoff pushes and Forsberg was in October form at best. At least he had the dignity to walk away (-4 in two games) before things got real bad. He only took a roster spot for two games, and the Avs are slumping anyways, so it's not like he took them off their game. Forsberg is a hockey icon in Sweden and will always be held in high regards among the Avalanche faithful.

Avalanche Head Coach Joe Sacco is trying to get his team out of a 1-9 slump in their last 10 games

On a related note, to the people calling for Joe Sacco's job, give the guy some time. It was just a year ago that he was being talked about for the Jack Adams Award (and probably would have won it if not for the spectacular job Dave Tippett did in Phoenix) and how he was getting the most out of a young bunch. Nobody thought Colorado was a playoff team last year and they pushed San Jose to 6 games in the first round. The Avs were without G Craig Anderson for a long period of time and they couldn't sneak up on anyone this year. Unless Colorado really bottoms out, let Sacco finish out the season and if things don't look better next season, then give him the ax. I recognize it's a tight playoff race in the West and anyone but Edmonton could get in, but the Avs weren't making a deep run this season anyways. What's the rush.

Winger Kris Versteeg is playing for his 3rd team in the past year (no fault of his own though)

 

The Philadelphia Flyers are certainly trying their best to follow up last year's Stanley Cup Finals appearance with hoisting the Cup this year. The Flyers already have some of the best forwards in the league and the addition of Versteeg gives them three legitimate scoring lines. I'd love to see Versteeg play alongside Mike Richards (Versteeg makes his debut tonight in Tampa Bay). Philly's blueline is deep and as long as goalie Sergei Bobrovsky continues to play well, there really is no stopping the boys from Broad Street.

As for Toronto...wow. Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke has had to rebuild his rebuilding plan. Trading away guys on the last year of their contract or older veterans is one thing. Trading away a 24 year-old, productive winger that is three years removed from being a Calder finalist, won a Stanley Cup last season, AND has another whole season left on his contract, is another thing. There are a lot of directions that you can blame Toronto's woes on (Ron Wilson, Phil Kessel, the goaltending, etc), but Brian Burke has made a mess and needs to clean it up, quickly. He doesn't have the benefit of being in a lax hockey market like Anaheim. Maple Leafs fans have been waiting and are getting impatient (rightfully so). Getting a 1st and 3rd round pick back for Versteeg certainly helps, but more needs to be done. I've lost track of how many trade deadlines that D Tomas Kaberle was supposed to be traded, but this needs to be the one. Trade Jean-Sebastian Giguere away and see what James Reimer is made of (he may need to address his goaltending, too. Jonas Gustavsson hasn't exactly panned out).

NHL WEEKLY TV VIEWER GUIDE - WEEK OF 2/14

 

McMAHON STADIUM IN CALGARY IS PREPARING FOR THE 2011 HERITAGE CLASSIC. 41,000+ WILL BE ON HAND FOR THE NHL'S SPOTLIGHT GAME OF THE WEEK - CAPPING A GREAT WEEK OF NATIONALLY TELEVISED GAMES.

MONDAY: Capitals @ Coyotes - 9PM - VERSUS: This is a mirror match up, as both teams  like to score but have focused more on keeping other teams out of the net this season. Phoenix hasn't lost in regulation yet this season when holding a team to two goals or less. Washington has lost two in a row coming in to this match up. Phoenix can move in to first place in the division and 3rd in the conference with a win and has won four in a row.
 
TUESDAY: Sabres @ Canadiens - 7:30PM - VERSUS: Buffalo has played themselves back in to striking distance of a playoff spot, but still have some work to do. Montreal snapped a three game losing streak by shutting out the Leafs on Saturday night. The Sabres finally beat Montreal in their fourth try this season in overtime at home just a couple of weeks ago. This and the last game in the season series are at the Bell Centre. The Sabres four game winning streak was snapped against the Islanders on Sunday night. A Canadiens win puts them in 3rd place in the East.

WEDNESDAY: Wild @ Blackhawks - 8PM - VERSUS: Minnesota has won three in a row to vault themselves in to 8th place in the West at the time of this posting. The Wild have won 9 of their past 11 and host Vancouver tonight. The Hawks have depth issues and are currently in  11th place in the conference but are only 3 points behind Minnesota. Chicago has lost four of their past five with the past two coming in the shootout. This is their 3rd meeting and each has won in the other's building.

THURSDAY: Kings @ Rangers - 7PM - NHL NETWORK: The Kings are on quite the hot streak, winning 7 of their past 9 with both losses coming in the shootout. Los Angeles is in the midst of a season-long 10 game road trip and play in Columbus the night before this game. The Rangers snapped a six game losing streak on Sunday at home against the Penguins and won for the first time in the month of February. The Blueshirts are in 7th place in the East but only four points out of 9th. The Kings are tied for 8th place in the West but would be left on the outside looking in in the playoffs started as of this writing. This is their first and only meeting of the season.
 
FRIDAY: Flyers @ Hurricanes - 8PM - NHL NETWORK: This is a playoff match-up preview in all likelihood. They just played each other this past Thursday night, but it was the Flyers 3rd win in three tries against Carolina this season. This is their last meeting of the regular season. Carolina snapped a three game losing streak at Atlanta yesterday and have a tough road game against the red-hot Devils on Wednesday. This will be the 3rd game of a four game road trip for the Flyers, who won four or five before leaving Philly.

SATURDAY: Senators @ Maple Leafs - 7PM - NHL NETWORK: This is a match -up of two awful teams this year. It will be interesting if either team makes any deals this week, as both are clearly in sell mode. Both made trades last week: Ottawa dealing C Mike Fisher to Nashville, Toronto dealing D Francois Beacuhemin to Anaheim. They have split the first four meetings and this will be the last game in Toronto this season.

SUNDAY: Penguins @ Blackhawks-3:30PM-NBC/Canadiens @ Flames-6PM- VS: The NHL is dubbing Sunday "Hockey Day in America" (Canada's was this past Saturday). They gave two great match-ups to build it around. Even if the Penguins are banged up, they play tough. The Hawks have had some tough sledding as of late, so this will be a good time to try and build some confidence. Calgary is hosting Canada's version of the Outdoor Classic in the "Heritage Classic"  at McMahon Stadium. The first time Heritage Classic was in 2003 when Montreal traveled to Edmonton. Calgary was one of the hottest teams in the league coming in to February, but has cooled off as the month has gone on. Montreal won 5-4 in overtime at the Bell Centre in their only other match-up of the season. NBC Is really starting to use Versus properly as a hockey outlet.

NHL All-Star Break Team Recaps

POWERHOUSE TEAMS

 Henrik and Daniel Sedin are the backbone of the league-leading Canucks

Vancouver (31-10-9; 71 pts) -Things are finally coming together for the Canucks. They've got the Sedin Twins, a rested Luongo for the playoffs, depth, and two top 10 special teams units. Nothing short of an injury or themselves (the past two playoffs were the latter) can stop them from making a deep run this postseason.

Philadelphia (33-13-5; 71 pts) - The Flyers are proving that their Stanley Cup run last year was not a fluke. The only differences are: Claude Giroux for Simon Gagne and Sergei Borbosky for Michael Leighton. Both spots are an upgrade. They've been getting nice production from Andreas Nodl and Ville Leino, tooGetting Chris Pronger back is like acquiring a great defenseman before the trade deadline.

Detroit (30-13-6; 66 pts) - The Red Wings continue to impress despite the team getting older and everyone expecting their age to catch up with them each season. Their power play is clicking at 21.8% (good for 5th in the league) and G Jimmy Howard quietly has posted 23 wins and a 2.86 GAA. I'm curious to see what GM Ken Holland does before February 28th to help keep this team clicking.

Pittsburgh (32-15-4; 68 pts) - The winning streak that spanned late November to late December is coming in handy for the Penguins now. Evgeni Malkin has been in and out of the line-up, Sidney Crosby is out indefinitely with a concussion, and Marc-Andre Fleury was horrible between the pipes early in the season (although with great play over the past month). Kris Letang is having a great season on the blueline. If the Pens can get healthy, Pittsburgh is built for another deep run.

Boston (29-15-7; 65 pts) - Boston has had a great season in a bad division. A team that plays good defense and has a great Penalty Kill (3rd in the league) will always be in the thick of the playoff hunt. Tim Thomas has been nothing short of being the top Vezina candidate He's #1 in GAA and save percentage and is 5th in wins. The Bruins are beatable in a 7 game series, but they can play against any team's style in the league

ON THE MARK TEAMS

A healthy Craig Anderson is crucial for the Avalanche to make any sort of post-season run

Colorado (25-19-6; 56 pts) - Colorado is in the same spot they were last season. The only reason why that isn't bad is because G Craig Anderson missed a good stretch of the season. A 6th ranked power play gets offset by a 28th ranked penalty kill. They are a young team that has a taste of the playoffs now. Now they just need to survive the West. I'm one of the few people that think adding Peter Forsberg to this club might be a perfect fit since he only has to play half a season.

Washington (27-15-10; 64 pts) - It's been an up and down season in Washington. The Caps got off to a great start but hit a cold spell before the holidays. While the Capitals are so deep at the forward position, their blueline is still a little wet behind the ears. Their goalie committe of Semyon Varlamov, Michal Neuvirth, and Braden Holtby are holding the fort, but the one of these guys to stay healthy and establish himself as the #1. It wouldn't hurt for Ovechkin to get back to his usual scoring pace either.

Montreal (28-18-5; 61 pts) - The Habs lost two key guys in Andrei Markov and Josh Gorges, but the entire team has stepped up in their absence. Montreal plays fast, tough, and consistent hockey . Carey Price would be the toast of the league if it wasn't for Tim Thomas of the rival Bruins. They could make another spectacular playoff run again.

Chicago (27-20-4; 58 pts) - The Blackhawks still have all of their top players from their championship season. The problem is they lost a lot of their depth players and the replacements aren't producing at the same pace. The Marty Turco signing isn't working out, but Corey Crawford is doing a nice job of growing in to a #1 goalie. It's a tight race in the West and Chicago has hung tough.

Phoenix (25-18-9; 59 pts) - The Coyotes can put the puck in the net (2.8 goals per game -good for 10th in the league), they have the goaltending in Ilya Bryzgalov (19 wins, 2.74 GAA, .914 save percentage), and Dave Tippett is one of the better coaches in the NHL. D Keith Yandle has grown in to one of the better, young defenseman in the NHl and has a solid core of blueliners around him. The problem is, just like every other team in the West, it's a tight race this season. A minor losing streak could drop you down to 13th place in the blink of an eye. The Coyotes have been consistent, but not in the way they'd probably like. They've had alternating bad and good months so far this season (October: 3-4-3, November: 8-3-2, December: 6-6-2, January: 8-4-2). If they want to see the post-season again, Phoenix needs to be at least a couple of games above .500 in both February and March.

Carolina (25-20-6; 56 pts) - The Hurricanes are a very young team but still have key players from their 2006 Championship on their roster (Cam Ward, Eric Staal, Erik Cole, Tuomo Ruutu to name a few). Jeff Skinner is the youngest player in the league but his play is making it tough to give anyone else the Calder Trophy. When Cam Ward he gets hot, he's almost unbeatable. I think Carolina will move past Atlanta in the standings permanently.

OVERACHIEVERS

Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are keeping Tampa Bay on pace for their third division title in franchise history

Tampa Bay (32-15-5; 69 pts) - A lot of people expected the Lightning to be back in the playoffs this season. I don't think anyone expected them to lead the Caps in the Southeast by four points going in to the All-Star break. Steven Stamkos is proving himself to be one of the league's best and Martin St. Louis is still playing at a high level. As bad as Tampa's goalie situation was, they survived it and now have a legit post presence with Dwayne Roloson. The Lightning are a dangerous team and will be come playoff-time.

Dallas (30-16-5; 65 pts) - You could make the argument that the Pacific Division standings are upside down (Stars, Ducks, Coyotes, Sharks, Kings in descending order). This was a team whose biggest question coming in to the season was "how much can they get for C Brad Richards?" Now they can't deal Richards (which is fine except that his contract ends this season) unless they get players back that can help now. That will be tough to find at the deadline. G Kari Lehtonen is living up to his potential now that he's out of Atlanta. Dallas is getting offensive contributions from across the roster. Getting Jamie Langenbrunner from the Devils will be a big help down the stretch.

NY Rangers (29-20-4; 62 pts) - Considering the players that have missed a significant amount of time this year (Gaborik, Drury, Callahan, Dubinsky, Fedotenko, Prospal), the Blueshirts performance has been great. Coach Tortorella has a knack for tinkering with line combinations to get them just right and his plan of getting younger while remaining productive is working. Marty Biron has taken some of the load off of Henrik Lundqvist as well. The Rangers will be the dangerous team in the playoffs that no one wants to see this season.

Nashville (27-17-7; 61 pts) - The Central Division is arguably the toughest division in the NHL, and Nashville sits in 2nd place. They're fourth in a very tight and strong Western Conference and are consistent. Barry Trotz is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the league in what he gets out of his roster every night. They have the goaltending in Pekka Rinne and have one of the best bluelines, but they need to improve a 28th ranked power play. It'll be tough for GM David Poile to add one more scoring forward for a playoff run, but he's pulled off solid deadline deals in the past.

Anaheim (28-20-4; 60 pts) - Going 17-7-1 in your home building goes a long way in a tight race. G Jonas Hiller has had the best year out of any goalie in the West. They have the 2nd best power play in the league, the defensemen have exceeded expectations, and the Ducks top two lines can hang with any other top set of lines in the league. Getting C Ryan Getzlaf back will be like adding a big player at the deadline.

Atlanta (24-20-9; 57 pts) - While the Thrashers have been slipping lately (3-4-3 in their last 10); the fact that they hung around from the middle to the top of the East for most of the first half of the season is impressive. It's great that Dustin Bfuglien moving to defense paid off, but it's a problem when your top two scorers are defensemen (both he and Tobias Enstrom have 41 pts). G Ondrej Pavelec has had a great season after an early health scare. I do think this team is starting to come down to earth and Carolina will move past them in the standings.

UNDERACHIEVERS

This infamous shootout blunder by Ilya Kovalchuk was a microcosm of their season...have they finally turned the corner?

New Jersey (17-30-3; 37 pts) - This team is a perfect example of an underachieving team. Adding one of the game's prolific scorers (Ilya Kovalchuk leads the team with 14 goals) plummeted this team to the depths of the NHL for the entire season. Marty Brodeur's age seems to finally be gaining on him, as well. LWs Patrik Elias and rookie Mattias Tedenby have been the lone bright spots for this team. Zach Parise's future in Newark should be the Devils main focus, and probably is at this point.

San Jose (26-19-6; 58 pts) - When you see this team's point total, you wonder how this could be underachieving? The Sharks have too much talent throughout their skaters to be jumping in and out of 8th in the West. I know the goalie tandem of Niittymaki and Niemi has fallen short on expectations, but this team is predicated around offense. While they have a power play ranked 4th in the league, they are 15th in goals per game. If the Sharks sticks don't start warming up soon, this team could be sold off at the deadline with the emergence of guys like Devin Setoguchi, Ryan Clowe, Joe Pavelski and Logan Coture.

Los Angeles (27-22-2; 56 pts) - Minus the goaltending situation (Jonathan Quick responded to the pressure of the hype of Jonathan Bernier), you could use the Sharks capsule here. While they are in no risk of being dismantled, everyone on this team needs to get back to their early season form. Their play of late (they won three in a row heading in to the All-Star break) could be an indication of good things to come.

Calgary (25-21-6; 56 pts) - This team has had the polar opposite season of the Thrashers. They played miserable out of the gates for a very long time, but have woken up lately, going 6-1-3 in their last 10. Calgary sits two points out of 8th and won four in a row heading in to the break. Flames fans can breathe a sigh of relief: Calgary is playing too good to even think about dealing Jarome Iginla now.

Toronto (20-25-5; 45 pts) - I was one of the only idiots that though the Leafs would be a much improved team this season (I even went as far to say they would win the division). Toronto lost three in a row heading in to the break and dropped six of their past seven. GM Brian Burke is in a place he's never been before: he has a bad team and doesn't know how to fix it. Anytime you're thinking about trading a 24 year old guy you just signed this off-season (Kris Versteeg), that's a problem. The Leafs need to see what they have in James Reimer before they commit to improving their goalie situation. It desperately needs to be addressed.

THE AVERAGE BUNCH

Getting TJ Oshie back will help the Blues for the last 10 weeks of the regular season

St. Louis (22-20-7; 51 pts) - It's tough to get an accurate gauge on this team because of all of the injuries they have dealt with (C Andy MacDonald, D Carlo Colaiacovo, LW David Perron, C TJ Oshie, D Barret Jackman, D Roman Polak - all are missing or have missed a significant amount of time). G Jaroslav Halak came out of the gates standing on his head but came back down to earth and is 17-6-5 on the season. The All-Star break came at a good time for the Blues since they lost four in a row heading in to it. Despite their struggles, they are only 5 points out of 8th in the West.

Buffalo (23-21-5; 51 pts) - This year has been more about the sale of the team than anything else. The season-ending injury to C Derek Roy hurt this team bad because he was one of their few forwards with some offensive punch. LW Thomas Vanek is doing his part (41 pts), RW Jason Pominville is chipping in with 28 points, and rookie LW Tyler Ennis has 12 goals and 16 assists. Drew Stafford and Tim Connolly need to produce more (D Jordan Leopold has been a nice find, but he's producing more than both of those guys). Ryan Miller is still a great goalie, but he's certainly not in the same form he was last season (playing almost 30 consecutive games will have that effect on you). Buffalo should hang around the 9th or 10th spot for the rest of the year in the East. They could make a run at the post-season if the chips fall right (they were 7-3-0 in their last 10 heading in to the break), but I wouldn't count on it.

Florida (22-22-6; 50 pts) - The Panthers lost five of six heading in to the break, but earned 5 points in that six game stretch and four of those losses were one goal games. They aren't a playoff team, but Peter DeBoer has this young team playing tough hockey every night (7th in PL, 10th in Goals Against). Having G Tomas Vokoun gives you a chance to win every night. That being said, lets see if Vokoun gets dealt before the deadline. He has a lot of trade value and, for a rebuilding club, Scott Clemmensen can be a reliable starter for the rest of the season. The Panthers have some good talent that could have them in the top 8 next season.

Minnesota (26-19-5; 57 pts) - Believe it or not, the Wild are only one point out of 7th or 8th in the West. They aren't a sexy team to watch (their Goals For and Goals Against are both 2.7), but their power play is ranked 6th in the league and they have one of the most underrated goalies in the league in Nicklas Backstrom (15-11-3, 2.52 GAA, .922 Save percentage). Losing winger Guillaume Latendresse early in the year hurt, but Marty Havlat (leads the team in goals, assists and points), Mikko Koivu and Brent Burns (14 G and 17 A out of a defenseman in 47 games is top notch) are all taking care of business in the offensive end. I don't think they have the horses to get in to the playoffs, but stranger things have happened. They followed up a 6-5-3 December with an 8-4-0 January.

Columbus (23-22-5; 51 pts) - You have to feel for Rick Nash. He's one of the best players in the league and a franchise cornerstone, but he's not the cornerstone of a franchise you'd want to be built around. The Blue Jackets play hard, but they are in a very tough division and can't seem to take that next step. They finally made the playoffs two season ago, but were simply outmatched by the Red Wings. Since then it's been nothing good. G Steve Mason needs to find his form from two season ago. If they can bolster their special teams (PP is ranked 27th, PK is ranked 24th) and start scoring a little more, they could be competing for 8th place down the stretch. Another 3-6-2 month (what they did in January) will surely eliminate them from playoff contention.

WAITING FOR 2011-12

Will Jason Spezza be looking back on his Senators days before the trade deadline?

Ottawa (17-26-8; 42 pts) - This organization needs an overhaul from the GM on down. It looks like they'll get what they need as GM Bryan Murray takes apart this team like an auto chop shop. The only big question marks are if Daniel Alfredsson will finish his career in Ottawa and if Jason Spezza will finally be dealt. Coach Corey Clouston will make it to the end of the season, but that's it.

Edmonton (15-26-8; 38 pts) - While things haven't been great this season, this was to be expected. Coach Tom Renney is in his first year coaching a very young bunch (only seven guys on the roster were born before 1983). While some of the younger vets have struggled a bit, if they get one really productive line out of this bunch, the rest can fall in to place quickly. Addressing the goaltending is a must in the off-season.

NY Islanders (16-27-7; 39 pts) - While the Isles aren't as nearly as bad as their record shows, they were too banged up for too long this season. The Islanders barely scrape by as it is and don't have the depth to overcome the season-long injury to D Mark Streit and 1/2 of a season to winger Kyle Okposo. Oh, and Rick DiPietro still can't stay consistently healthy. GM Garth Snow says he's making progress in the free agent front, this off-season is the time to show it.