H5L5 / FTS - 2/17/09

HIGH FIVE/LOW FIVE

The Same Senators that were in the Low 5 last week are in the High Five this week
(Photo Credit: AP)

HIGH FIVE

New Jersey Devils (37-17-3 - 77 points)
You can try and sell me on San Jose or Boston, but the New Jersey Devils are THE hottest team in the NHL right now. They've won four in a row, 13 of their past 15, and have beaten the two best teams in the NHL in their last two games. They get a potential playoff preview match-up in Florida tonight.

Washington Capitals (36-16-5 - 77 points)
The Caps have won six of their past eight and just won two important road division games. The team is firing on all-cylinders and AO is on his way to another 60 goal season. If the goaltending holds up in the nations capital, the Capitals can make a deep run. They are also fortunate enough to play in the Southeast where they could be one of the first teams in the NHL to wrap up their division.

Ottawa Senators (22-25-8 - 52 points)
The same Ottawa Senators that were written off a week ago have now won five in a row. If the Senators really have gotten their act together, they've got the talent and depth to cause match-up problems up and down the Eastern conference standings. While the Sens aren't all the way back yet, they are now on their way to being to smell the playoff hunt.

Columbus Blue Jackets (28-23-6 - 62 points)
Despite the 3-2 SO loss to Dallas last night, Columbus had won four in a row before that and vaulted themselves in to 8th in the Western Conference standings. They get a chance to continue their winning ways with games against St. Louis, @ Toronto, and vs. Anaheim to wrap up the week.

Florida Panthers (28-20-8 - 64 points)
They've won five of their past seven and have pushed themselves in to 7th place in the East. They will get a real test of how strong they are in the remainder of their February schedule, as they host New Jersey, Chicago, Boston and then head to Boston, the NY Rangers and New Jersey.

RUNNER UP - Dallas Stars (28-21-7 - 63 points)

LOW FIVE

Phoenix Coyotes (25-28-5 - 55 points)
It's amazing how the Coyotes went from looking like they'd battle for the 2nd best team in the Pacific Division but now are battling to stay out of last place in the West. They've lost nine of their past ten and it now looks like they will be selling off some of their bigger assets (Olli Jokinen, Derek Morris) at the trade deadline. They get Atlanta at home, three on the road at LA, St. Louis and Nashville, and then close the month with St. Louis at home. That five game stretch will be their last chance to right the ship before it's too late (they open up March with a tough five game road trip at Boston, Buffalo, NY Islanders, Detroit and New Jersey).

New York Rangers (30-22-6 - 66 points)
The Rangers have lost seven in a row on the road (0-6-1) and have managed to score two or less goals in eight of their past nine games (all losses except the 5-4 SO win over the Capitals). A change MUST be made at MSG, and it has to be something besides Sean Avery.

Montreal Canadiens (30-21-6 - 66 points)
Les Habitents are winners of only two games in their past eight in February and both of those wins came over non-playoff teams. The acquisition of D Mathieu Schneider should help get Montreal's meager power play going, but they still need to make another big move.

Colorado Avalanche (26-30-1- 53 points)
Before the 6-5 shootout win over Detroit, the Avs had lost four in a row. Dallas proved that when a team has some talent depth, you can't write them off too early in the season, but I have a feeling the Nuggets won't have any playoff scheduling conflicts at the Pepsi Center.

Pittsburgh Penguins (27-25-6 - 60 points)
They may have played their best game of the year against San Jose, but the Penguins are a mess right now. They are playing well enough that they are always within striking distance of the playoffs, but this team needs to make a move (besides firing Michel Therrien) to shake up the lineup. As long as they can tread water until that happens, the Penguins will be in the playoffs again.

RUNNER UP - Anaheim Ducks (28-25-5 - 61 points)

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

-The NHL head coaching debut of Dan Bylsma was spoiled by a 35 save performance by Islanders (17-33-6) goalie Joey MacDonald as the Isles skated by the Penguins (27-25-6) 3-2 in a shootout. Center frans Nielsen had a goal and an assist (and a shootout goal), LW Sean Begenheim had two assists, and Jeff Tambellini scored the shootout winner.

-The Rangers (30-22-6) road woes extended to seven straight losses as BJ Crombeen scored the game winner at 14:46 of the 3rd to give the Blues (24-25-7) a 2-1 win. Chris Mason made 19 saves in the win and Carlo Colaiacovo scored the other St. Louis goal. Lauri Korpikoski scored the lone Rangers goal and Henrik Lundqvist made 31 saves in the loss.

-RJ Umberger scored twice for Columbus, but it wouldn't be enough for the Blue Jackets (28-23-6) as James Neal scored the shootout winner past Steve Mason to give Dallas (28-21-7) a 3-2 win. Marty Turco made 41 saves for the Stars and LW Loui Eriksson had a goal and an assist in the win. Brad Richards scored the other goal for Dallas but left the game with a wrist injury (see below)

-Both Nick Foligno (10th of the season) and Dany Heatly (26th of the season) scored in the 1st period and Alex Auld made 24 saves to help the Senators (22-25-8) to a 2-0 win over Nashville (27-27-3). It was Auld's first shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. Ottawa is on a season-high five game winning streak.

-Ales Hemsky (PPG) and Shawn Horcoff each had a goal and an assist while defenseman Sheldon Souray scored the game winner on the power play to give the Oilers (29-23-4) a 3-1 win over the struggling Phoenix Coyotes (25-28-5). Ed Jovanovski scored a power-play goal for the Coyotes, who lost their sixth straight at home and ninth in 10 games since the All-Star break. Phoenix has fallen from fifth place in the Western Conference to tied for 13th with St. Louis during that span.

-You knew Atlanta (21-32-5) and Los Angeles (24-22-9) would be a high scoring game and the two high octane offenses combined for 12 goals, but Erik Christensen scored the shootout winner in a 7-6 thriller from the Staples Center. Ilya Kovalchuk had two goals and an assist and rookie D Zach Bogosian had three assists for the Thrashers while Anze Kopitar had two goals and two assists and Alexander Frolov had a goal and two assists for the Kings.

OTHER HEADLINES

-The Atlanta Thrashers have traded defenseman Mathieu Schneider to his former team, the Montreal Canadiens. In exchange, the Thrashers receive a second round draft pick in 2009 and a third round selection in 2010. In addition to Schneider, the Canadiens will receive a conditional draft pick from the Thrashers. The draft pick is conditional on how far the Canadiens go in the playoffs. If Montreal loses in the first round or doesn't make the playoffs, the Canadiens get a third-round pick from Atlanta. If Montreal wins one round, it becomes a fourth round pick. If Montreal wins two rounds or more, it becomes a fifth-round pick.

-Dallas Stars forward Brad Richards left the game against Columbus last night in the second period after being drilled into the boards by Jakub Voracek. He has been diagnosed with a broken wrist and will meet with a specialist on today to determine the extent of the injury and necessary treatment.

-Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny, who has missed the last seven weeks with a broken right forearm, skated with the team Monday and could return to the lineup as early as Friday against the Washington Capitals. Stastny was injured in the final minute of regulation of Colorado's 5-4 overtime win against Phoenix on Dec. 23. He had surgery a week later and has missed the Avalanche's last 23 games. Stastny worked with assistant coach Dave Barr on conditioning, puck-handling and shooting drills Monday. He also practised with the team on other drills. Coach Tony Granato said Stastny has made progress, but will sit out tonight against Ottawa. "He was on a regular line today," Granato said. "He will not play tomorrow. He'll have a full practice with us on Thursday and then see where he's at." The Avalanche host the Senators before heading out on a six-game, 11-day road trip against Eastern Conference teams. "He'll be on the trip," Granato said of Stastny. "Seven weeks since the surgery and a six- to eight-week time frame we'd thought he'd be back, so he's getting close." Stastny had 10 goals and 21 assists this season.

-Chicago Blackhawks left winger Patrick Sharp is expected to miss at least 2-to-3 weeks after suffering what the team is calling a lower-body injury in Saturday's 6-2 win against the Dallas Stars. The talented 27-year-old leads the team with 23 goals this season and ranks fifth on the 'Hawks with 38 points through 54 games. He exited the game in the first period and did not return.

-Wayne Gretzky wants no part of Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics (courtesy of TSN):
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=267413&lid=sublink08&lpos=headlines_nhl

RUMOR MILL

-There could be a big deal coming out of Pittsburgh, stay tuned

-Leafs C Dominic Moore's name is coming up with Vancouver being the top suitor

-With the Coyotes slumping as bad as they are, they will be entertaining offers for Olli Jokinen. Minnesota, New Jersey, Buffalo, Montreal and Edmonton are the top suitors.

-If the Rangers take on Sean Avery, look for a high priced defenseman to head back to Dallas. Wishful thinking wants this to be Wade Redden, but it would more likely be Michal Rozsival.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
Boston @ Carolina - 7PM
Buffalo @ Toronto - 7PM
Chicago @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
New Jersey @ Florida - 7:30PM
%Vancouver @ Calgary - 9:30PM
Ottawa @ Colorado - 9:30PM
Edmonton @ San Jose - 10:30PM

% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern

*My weekly power rankings comes out Mondays

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays

TO EMAIL FTS, EMAIL FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

FTS - 2/16/09

TOP STORY

THERRIEN GETS THE COLD SHOULDER

Michel Therrien, not even one year after leading the Penguins to the Stanely Cup Finals, is out in Steeltown

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3909857.

This is a typical "You can't fire the team, so we have to fire the coach to shake the team up" firing. Pittsburgh () has grossly underachieved this year, but I'm not sure if it's Therrien's fault. I've said it a couple of times over the course of FTS, but the Penguins lost their toughness up front when they lost Ryan Malone and George Laraques. They replaced those guys with Ruslan Fedotenko (hasn't been able to stay healthy) and Miroslav Satan (underachieving this season). Erik Goddard is a good fighter and D Brooks Orpik is a scary person to go in to a corner with, but the Pens just aren't tough enough, and that is where their problems lie. Dan Bylsma was a good coach at the AHL level and we have yet to see what he can do as an NHL coach, but is he really going to a be a difference maker in Pittsburgh? With the amount of talent on the Penguins roster, you can't count them out of the playoffs this early, but the clock starts ticking in March, and we're only two weeks away from 3/1.
Also, the past four Eastern Conference Champion coaches have now been fired (Therrien - Pittsburgh, Bryan Murray-Ottawa, Peter Laviolette-Carolina, John Tortorella-Tampa Bay)

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

-The Philadelphia Flyers (30-16-9) put the clamps on the Rangers (30-21-6) midway through the 2nd period with a five goal lead and never looked back for a 5-2 win. Winger Claude Giroux had a goal and two assists and Mike Richards added a shorthanded goal. Flyers G Martin Biron made 35 saves in the win. The Rangers have been held to two or less goals in seven of their last eight games while the Flyers earned their first regulation win over the Rangers in their last seven meetings.

-In a seesaw battle of high scoring vs. low scoring, the low scoring Devils (37-17-3) beat the high scoring Sharks (37-8-9) at their own game 6-5. Devils RW David Clarkson had two goals (1 on the PP) and Patrik Elias and Jaime Langenbrunner each had a goal and an assist (each had their goals on the PP) to lead the Devils to their 13th win in their last 15 games. The Sharks ended their five game road trip 1-1-3.

-The Colorado Avalanche (26-30-1) won their third straight game over the Detroit Red Wings (37-12-8) with a 6-5 shootout win in Detroit. The Avs got goals from five different players and D Jordan Leopold scored the shootout winner. Dan Cleary and Marian Hossa each had two goals in the loss while Colorado G Andrew Raycroft turned away 40 shots in the win.

-Alexander Oveckin's hat trick (goals 39, 40, 41 on the season) proved to be the difference in a Capitals (36-16-5) 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers (28-20-8). RW Eric Fehr had the other Capitals goal while Jose Theodore made 29 saves to lead Washington to a 9-2-2 record in their last 13 games. Mike Green failed to score for the first time in nine games, capping his NHL record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenseman.

-Hurricanes (28-24-5) G Cam Ward made 36 saves to shutout the Buffalo Sabres (29-22-6) 3-0. Center and captain Eric Staal had a goal and two assists while Chad LaRose and Sergei Samsonov scored the other two goals for Carolina.

-Thrashers (20-32-5) RW Ilya Kovalchuk netted a hat trick in a 6:51 span of the 2nd period to lead Atlanta past the Anaheim Ducks (28-25-5) 8-4. Colin Stuart and Bryan Little each had a goal and an assist in the win while Teemu Selanne had two goals and an assist in the loss.

-The Vancouver Canucks (27-21-8) controlled the game from midway through the 1st period and never looked back in a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens (30-21-6). The Sedin twins each had a goal and an assist while Alexander Edler and Ryan Kesler had the other goals for Vancouver. Roberto Luongo made 25 saves in the win.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Pittsburgh Penguins D Philippe Boucher is out indefinitely after undergoing left foot surgery on Saturday. The Penguins acquired Boucher from Dallas for defenceman Darryl Sydor on Nov. 16, but Boucher has been limited to two goals and two assists in 23 games with Pittsburgh. He has not played since Jan. 30. Boucher's operation came on the same day defenceman Sergei Gonchar returned to the Penguins' lineup after being out all season with a dislocated left shoulder.

-Four-time Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur practiced with the New Jersey Devils for the first time since having elbow surgery in November, and hopes to play in a game within 10 days. The 36-year-old Brodeur even quipped that if fellow goaltenders Scott Clemmensen and Kevin Weekes either got lost or fell ill over the next 24 hours, he would tell coach Brent Sutter to put him in on Sunday against the San Jose Sharks. "I know I am not ready, shooting the puck and there are a couple of little things in my game," Brodeur said after the short practice. "But if everybody goes down, OK, I'll go." "Wishful thinking," Sutter said when told Brodeur's offer, adding he probably would not use him until after the team finishes an upcoming three-game road trip. Brodeur will make the trip with the team. The first game after that would be here against Colorado on Feb. 26.

-Rangers D Paul Mara injured his right shoulder Sunday during a third-period fight with Philadelphia's Arron Asham and stayed home from New York's trip to St. Louis after the game. Mara had a brief examination of his shoulder at Madison Square Garden, but swelling prevented a closer look. He was immediately ruled out of Monday's road game against the Blues and left the arena with his right arm in a sling. The fight was stopped when Mara was injured 6:14 into the third period of Philadelphia's 5-2 victory. "The first two punches I was swinging and I could feel something in there and I stopped," Mara said. "Give Arron a lot of credit. The respectful player that he is, he stopped. It was a very good character thing on his part." Mara, who conveyed that sentiment in a conversation with Asham, said he has never had a shoulder injury and held out hope he could return quickly from this one. The six-foot-four Mara has been one of the Rangers' most consistent defencemen this season and has played with an added measure of snarl throughout his 56 games. "We'll take it day by day and see how it feels in the next couple of days," the 29-year-old veteran of 10 NHL seasons said. "Right now it's pretty painful so they'll wait a couple of days, wait for the swelling to go down and assess it." Mara has five goals and 11 assists this season with a minus-2 rating. He had been a plus until Sunday, when he was on the ice for three Flyers goals.

RUMOR MILL

-With Michel Therrien out in Pittsburgh, even though Dan Bylsma has taken over, plenty of names will start swirling for a long term replacement. The first one out of the gate is Pat Quinn.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
Pittsburgh @ NY Islanders - 2PM
NY Rangers @ St. Louis - 7PM
%Dallas @ Columbus - 7PM
Ottawa @ Nashville - 8PM
Edmonton @ Phoenix - 9:30PM
Atlanta @ Los Angeles - 10:30PM

% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern

*My weekly power rankings comes out tomorrow this week

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays

TO EMAIL FTS, EMAIL FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

HAPPY PRESIDENTS DAY TO ALL WHO HAD OFF FROM WORK (MYSELF NOT INCLUDED)

FTS - 2/13/09

TOP STORY

PANTHER PUNISHMENT

(Photo Credit: AP)

Florida Panthers G Tomas Vokoun leads the way over division rival Carolina

The Florida Panthers (27-19-8) scored five goals, but they'd only need one. G Tomas Vokoun made 42 saves for his fourth shutout of the season (29th of his career) and became the first goalie to shutout the Hurricanes (27-23-5) this season. Nathan Horton and Richard Zednik scored in the 2nd period while Anthony Stewart, Gregory Campbell and Michael Frolik added goals in the 3rd period. The Panthers improved to 6-2 since the All-Star break while picking up a critical two points in the Eastern Conference standings. They lead Carolina by three points in the race for the eighth playoff spot in the East. Cam Ward stopped just nine of the 13 shots he faced before he was pulled midway through the second for Michael Leighton, who made nine saves and allowed Florida's fifth goal. With the win, the Florida Panthers take the lead in the season series 3-2. The Hurricanes have scored two or fewer goals in 28 of their last 43 games.

The Florida Panthers have a problem that no GM would envy. Do you ride this great play out and try and make the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons or do you deal one of the most sought after players in the league (D Jay Bouwmeester). Either way, GM Jacques Martin is going to have one of the tougher 11th hour decisions to make in a few weeks. (I haven't decided what Martin should do yet, that's why I have no commentary on it)

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

-Dany Heatley scored twice and Jason Spezza had a goal and an assist to lead the Ottawa Senators (20-2-5-8) over the Philadelphia Flyers (28-16-9) 5-2. Senators G Brian Elliottt made 34 saves to improve to 7-3-2 and help Ottawa to the 3rd straight win.

-A three goal explosion in the 2nd period by the Red Wings (37-11-7) courtesy of Jiri Hudler, Kris Draper and Ville Leino helped Detroit past the Wild (28-23-3) 4-2. Mikael Samuelsson had the other Red Wings goal while Brent Burns (PPG) and Mikko Koivu (SHG) had the two Minnesota goals.

-The Tampa Bay Lightning (19-25-11) scored four goals in the 1st period, held off a 2nd period rally by Toronto (20-25-10) and iced the cake in the 3rd period for a 6-4 win. Martin St. Louis had a goal and three assists and Ryan Malone scored twice in a :54 second span.

-The Predators (26-26-3) rallied with two 3rd period goals (Kevin Klein and Jason Arnott) and Steve Sullivan scored the lone shootout goal to help Nashville to a 4-3 SO win over St. Louis (22-25-7). Nashville improved to 12-0-2 in it's last 14 home games against St. Louis. Blues RW Brad Boyes played in his 300th career game.

-Three goals in the 3rd period courtesy of Pavol Demitra, Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin (PPG) helped lead Vancouver (26-20-8) past the Coyotes (25-26-5) 4-3. Sami Salo, Daniel Sedin and Kevin Bieksa each had two assists for the Canucks.

-Flames winger Mike Cammalleri scored his 29th goal of the season on the power play midway through the 1st period and that would be all Calgary (32-18-5) would need in a 2-0 win over the Kings (24-22-7). Rene Bourque added an empty net goal and Miika Kiprusoff made 36 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and 30th career shutout .Jonathan Quick made 18 saves in the loss for Los Angeles.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Martin Brodeur was cleared by doctors on Wednesday to participate in full-team practices, reports the Newark Star-Ledger. The problem was most of his teammates had the day off. Brodeur did get some time in net and according to the newspaper, faced shots from Bobby Holik, David Clarkson, Mike Rupp, Jay Leach, Jay Pandolfo and some of the coaches including head coach Brent Sutter. The Devils are in the midst of a three-week, 10-game, run and Sutter decided to give his players some time to rest. While he would like to get into a full practice, Brodeur understands the decision. "I can't ask for a full practice. The team has to do what it has to do," Brodeur told the Star-Ledger. "But this is more work than a full practice. Six guys shooting non-stop for 40 minutes. If I get that many shots in a game, we'll be in trouble." Sutter explained getting his star goaltender into a full practice was not a factor in his decision. "We have to do what's right for the team," Sutter told the Star-Ledger. "The guys who went out, we felt were the guys who could use it. We have to do what's right for the hockey club. That's first and foremost." According to the newspaper, Brodeur will skate with the team on Friday morning ahead of their game against the Boston Bruins. The first full practice since he was injured on November 1 against the Atlanta Thrashers should come on Saturday. The 36-year-old had surgery on November 6 to repair a torn tendon in his elbow and says he is feeling better.

-The New York Islanders will be without centre Doug Weight for six weeks the result of a knee injury. The Islanders placed Weight on the injured reserve list retroactive to Wednesday, when he suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament after colliding with New Jersey's Brian Gionta in the second period of the Devils' 4-2 win. Weight, in his 17th NHL season, has nine goals and 26 assists in 44 games this season with New York and is the club's second-leading scorer.

-Montreal Canadiens forward Tomas Plekanec has been suspended for two games without pay by the NHL. Plekanec slew footed Edmonton Oilers D Denis Grebeshkov in the second period of Wednesday night's 7-2 Canadiens loss. Plekanec was assessed a minor penalty for tripping on the play, and Grebeshkov has a high ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least two weeks. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Plekanec will forfeit $17,204.30. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

-The Phoenix Coyotes have demoted former third overall draft pick Kyle Turris to San Antonio of the AHL. The 19-year-old C has six goals and 10 assists with a -12 rating in 50 games this season. He has been a healthy scratch in the last two games and had not registered a point in the six games prior to that. Recently, Turris had been used sparingly on the fourth line and needs more quality playing time to assist in his development. Last season, Turris managed one assist in three games, after leaving the University of Wisconsin to sign with the Coyotes late in the year. Defenseman David Schlemko was recalled from the Rampage.

-Former NHL star Peter Forsberg returned to pro hockey Thursday night, scoring the opening goal in a 4-1 win for hometown club Modo against Skelleftea in the Swedish Elite League. Forsberg, one of the few players to win a Stanley Cup, Olympic gold medal and world championship, said he almost forgot how to score. "It was such a long time ago that I almost forgot what to do afterward," he told Swedish news agency TT. Forsberg, 36, made a late-season return to the Colorado Avalanche last year, but injuries kept him out of nine of 18 regular-season NHL games and three of four games in the second round of the playoffs. Playing before a sellout crowd at Swedbank Arena, Forsberg scored at 15:21 in the first.

RUMOR MILL

-Look for Leafs D Tomas Kaberle to be dealt at the deadline (from the Obvious Dept). Montreal and Buffalo are the top suitors, but San Jose is making a push and could be dangling winger Milan Michalek (they would also likely ask for Antropov back as well)

-Another D the Canadiens are looking at is Mathieu Schneider. He would definitely aid their power play woes.

-In the "Why Would They Do This" department, the Blackhawks seem to be dangling G Nikolai Khabibulin and the Flyers are the team that wants him the most.

-Two Atlantic Divison rivals appear to be working out a deal. The Rangers would send Petr Prucha to the Penguins for D Ryan Whitney. This deal would be a big help to both sides.

-The Stars appear to be interested in Senators winger Antoine Vermette.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
%Boston @ New Jersey - 7PM
Detroit @ Columbus - 7PM
San Jose @ Buffalo - 7:30PM
NY Rangers @ Florida - 7:30PM
Vancouver @ Dallas - 8:30PM
Chicago @ St. Louis - 8:30PM
Montreal @ Colorado - 9PM

% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern

*My weekly power rankings comes out Mondays

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays

TO EMAIL FTS, EMAIL FROMTHESLOT@GMAIL.COM

DROPPTING THE GLOVES w/ ANDREW BOGUSCH & FTS 2/12/09

A-Very Risky Proposition

(Photo Credit: Hartford Courant)

The Circus Comes to NYC in April, but it could be coming to MSG early this season

Sloppy seconds weren’t Gary Bettman’s thing, but apparently Glen Sather doesn’t mind them all. The Ranger general manager allowed the Dallas Stars to assign Sean Avery to his AHL affiliate in Hartford Tuesday, seemingly the first step towards Avery rejoining the Rangers.

We could applaud Sather for providing Avery an opportunity to revive his career, but there is more than altruism at play here. Sather thinks Avery can help his floundering team. But why? The last thing a team that has been outscored 13-2 over its last two games needs is a visit from the Avery circus.

The Rangers are in real trouble of missing the playoffs after earning a single point over their last five outings. They are sixth in the Eastern Conference (going into Wednesday night), but only six points better than 10th-placed Pittsburgh. They need a top-line center, some wingers who can actually finish a play, or a blueline upgrade. They do not need to answer question after question about Avery.

And they certainly do not need to be part of Avery’s next misstep, which will happen. The NHL and NHLPA’s behavioral modification program is probably helpful, but three months isn’t likely enough time to “fix” all the issues that led the Stars to basically throw Avery overboard after his “sloppy second” remarks. As Mike Modano, Marty Turco and others let us know in the aftermath of those comments, Avery had worn out his welcome in that locker room long before dissing Elisha Cuthbert.

Now Glen Sather is contemplating inviting Avery back into a locker room that apparently did not want him in the first place. The Rangers hardly fought for Avery last summer in free agency, presumably because someone whispered in Sather’s ear that he was not worth the trouble. Now he is because the team cannot score enough goals to support Henrik Lundqvist?

And let’s not forget that claiming Avery off re-entry waivers puts his Stars contract on your books. Yes, Dallas would pay half the remaining salary, but there are three years left on the deal. Three years is a long time to cross your fingers that Avery behaves.

This is not to say Avery should be avoided at all costs. He deserves to be an NHL player again. But the smart course of action for a team is letting Avery finish this season in the minors, proving he can act properly for a longer stretch of time. Then let the Stars buy him out in the offseason and sign him to a safer contract for your organization.

Ranger fans should be hoping Glen Sather is smarter than we think he is.

* * *

The Shootout…We still need the Sharks to have playoff success to erase our doubts about them, but Tuesday night’s win in Boston may be a sign of good things to come. A four-goal third period on national television in a rather hostile setting is a very nice W for Todd McLellan…

As A-Roid rage sweeps through Major League Baseball, let’s take a moment to applaud the lack of such controversies in the NHL. Credit goes to all involved: the Commissioner’s office, the Players’ Association and the players themselves – assuming they’re not all just taking undetectable performance-enhancing drugs…

Smart move by the Blues to lockup Andy McDonald earlier this week for four years and $18.8 million. That is a lot of money for a 31-year-old center who’s never had more than 85 points in a season. And who is coming off a broken ankle. But McDonald has 54 points in 65 games in Saint Louis, and this young team can use his veteran leadership…

And how about those Los Angeles Kings? They continue to make us look bad for counting them out in our recent playoff predictions. The Kings have won seven of eight games, including a 4-1 East Coast road trip.

As always, any comments, questions, etc. go to boguschhockey@gmail.com

ACTION FROM AROUND THE LEAGUE...

-The New York Rangers (30-20-5) snapped a five game losing streak thanks to a big night from winger Ryan Callahan (1G, 1A, SO GW goal) and center Lauri Korpikoski (1G, 1A) in the 5-4 Shootout win over the Capitals (34-16-5). The Rangers improved to 9-3 in shootouts this season and managed to avoid a season sweep by Washington. D Mike Green scored two goals and tied Mike O'Connell's record for defenseman of consecutive games with a goal with 7.

-Devils (35-17-3) LW Zach Parise scored twice (once on the PP) and assisted on New Jersey's other two goals in a 4-2 win over the Islanders (16-32-6). Jamie Langenbrunner also had two goals and D Paul Martin chipped in with three assists. This was the Devils 5th straight win over the Islanders.

-G Nikolai Khabibulin made 36 saves to lead the Blackhawks (30-14-8) past the Thrashers (19-32-5) 3-1. Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews each scored power play goals in the 1st period for Chicago's 6th win in their past 8 games. Atlanta has now lost four straight at home.

-Rookie Head Coach Cory Clouston won his 2nd straight game as Ottawa's bench boss as the Senators (19-25-8) beat the Sabres (28-21-6) 3-1. Jason Spezza (PPG), Shean Donovan, and Daniel Alfredsson (PPG) each scored for Ottawa and G Bill Elliott made 31 saves in the win.

-Sharks goalie Brian Boucher made 35 saves, but he would fall one short in the shootout as Sidney Crosby scored the SO winner in the Penguins (27-24-5) 2-1 win over San Jose (37-7-8). Bill Thomas scored the lone goal for the Pens while Joe Pavelski scored his 14th of the season for San Jose. Penguins G Marc-Andre Fleury made 36 saves in the win.

-Ryan Smith scored twice (once on the power play), but it wouldn't enough as the Wild (28-22-3) beat the Avalanche (25-29-1) 3-2 on a late one-timer goal from Antti Miettinen. Owen Nolan and Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored the other Wild goals as Minnesota has now won five of their past seven. Colorado is 6-13-0 in their last 19.

-Coyotes (25-5-5) G Ilya Bryzgalov made 33 saves for his eighth career shutout to stop the red-hot Stars (26-20-7) 1-0. Enver Lisin scored the games lone goal early in the 2nd period as the Coyotes have now won four straight regulation games at Dallas. The Stars lost for just the second time in their last fourteen home games (11-2-1)

-Ales Hemsky, Dustin Penner, Andrew Cogliano and Kyle Brodziak each had a goal and an assist and Sam Gagner, Zack Stortini and Liam Reddox also scored to help the Oilers (27-23-4) snap a two-game skid and tie Vancouver for eighth place in the Western Conference with a 7-2 win over Montreal (29-20-6). Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov had to be helped off the ice early in the second after being run feet-first into the boards by Tomas Plekanec. Grebeshkov didn't return. The game was the 3,000th road game in Montreal franchise history.

-Ducks D Scott Niedermayer scored 55 seconds in to overtime to give Anaheim (28-24-5) a 3-2 win over Calgary (31-18-5). It was his second goal of the game. Duck C Brendan Morrison scored the tying goal early in the 3rd period. Todd Bertuzzi and Curtis Glencross scored the two goals for the Flames as they dropped to 1-13-1 in their last 15 visits to Anaheim. Calgary C Craig Conroy played in his 900th career game.

OTHER HEADLINES

-Pittsburgh Penguins D Sergei Gonchar has been cleared to play after missing the season to date with a dislocated left shoulder. According to Sam Rosen on the Rangers broadcast last night, all indications point to a Saturday return to the line-up in Toronto. "I will take it day by day," Gonchar said following the Penguins' morning skate.Gonchar was injured on a hit by Tampa Bay's David Koci in the Penguins' first preseason game Sept. 20. It was originally thought he would be out until late February or early March. A four-time all-star, Gonchar finished second in scoring among defensemen for the second successive season with 12 goals and 53 assists for 65 points in 2007-'08. He also was second among defencemen in playoff scoring with 14 points. Going into this season, the 34-year-old Gonchar's streak of eight consecutive seasons with 50 or more points was tops in the league among defencemen.

-Center Daniel Briere practiced with the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday, the first time the cener has worked out with teammates since having groin surgery three weeks ago."There's still lots of pain and a lot of discomfort, depending on what I do," Briere said. "But just from skating this past weekend (by himself) to today was way better. I was able to do a little bit more with the puck and shoot a little harder and skate a little harder." Briere hopes to return by Feb. 24, for a game against Washington. Briere also had surgery in late October to repair a torn abdominal muscle. He injured his groin against Tampa Bay on Dec. 2, his last game with the Flyers, and had surgery Jan. 22. Briere has five goals and nine points in nine games this season. Last season, he had 31 goals and 41 assists.

-Canadiens legend Guy LaFleur will stand trial for obstruction of justice:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=266660&lid=sublink010&lpos=headlines_nhl

RUMOR MILL

-Oilers power forward Dustin Penner's name is coming up in trade rumors. No word on what teams yet.

-Montreal NEEDS to make a move soon. Still the same names with Vinny Lecavalier and Marian Gaborik, but now Keith Tkachuk's name is starting to surface.
-The Rangers are quietly shopping Michal Rozsival. Tampa and Buffalo are the two interested teams so far.

-It's no secret the Penguins need help, and Martin St. Louis is one name that is coming up. We've heard Ilya Kovalchuk would be an option, too (despite Thrashers GM Don Waddel insisting he won't be dealing him) and if that were to happen, it looks like Jordan Staal would be the centerpiece heading back.

-The Canucks need to make a shake up with their bad slump as of late. It looks like the Devils would be a partner in a swap of D Mattias Ohlund heading to Newark for winger Brian Gionta. Another suitor would be the Rangers, sending C Brandon Dubinsky for D Kevin Bieksa.

TONIGHTS ACTION:
%Florida @ Carolina - 7PM
Ottawa @ Philadelphia - 7PM
Minnesota @ Detroit - 7:30PM
Toronto @ Tampa Bay - 7:30PM
St. Louis @ Nashville - 8PM
Vancouver @ Phoenix - 9PM
Calgary @ Los Angeles - 10:30PM

% = Game of the Night
^All Times are Eastern

*My weekly power rankings comes out Mondays

~Dropping the Gloves with Andrew Bogusch comes out on Thursdays

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