“When he got to 90 percent exertion in his workouts, he started having some headaches again.  At that point, his doctors and trainers altered his workouts accordingly.  He recently has visited specialists in Michigan and Georgia.”

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This latest statement from the Penguins follows a week of speculation on Crosby’s readiness to start training camp or the 2011-12 regular season on time.  Hockey analyst Josh Rimer tweeted “Also hearing from 3 sources now that Sidney Crosby won’t b ready 2 start season. I hope its not true because the NHL needs its best players!” on August 14.  The next morning, Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero answered media questions regarding Crosby, neither confirming nor denying the accuracy of the tweet simply because nobody accurately knows how Crosby will feel in mid-September.  Then last Monday, Crosby’s agent Pat Brisson denied reports that the Penguins’ captain stopped training due to recent recurrences of concussion symptoms stating that Crosby “hasn’t been shut down by anyone.”

Surprisingly, some have expressed displeasure that Crosby has seemingly not communicated properly with his teammates, coaches, Shero, co-owner Mario Lemieux or the media, saying it is “astonishing” that head coach Dan Bylsma has not been informed if Crosby is still skating.  The article proceeds to label Crosby’s lack of disclosure of “diligent, detailed updates on his health” as “indefensible” and “inexplicable”.

While the anticipation for a firm status update is growing within the Penguins organization and in everyone else with an interest in hockey, it is an overreaction to say that Crosby’s lack of communication on his health is indefensible.  Once again, the path of recovery from concussions is not as predictable as a bone break, an infection or a ligament tear.  There is no antibiotic to take or stretching routine that anyone can do to nurse the brain back to full health.  Time is the only known medication and still, the effective dosage of time varies considerably from person to person.

Thus, it would be pointless for Crosby to give a firm “No, I won’t be ready for training camp” when he might by mid-September, be consistently skating symptom-free at 100% effort.  Likewise, it would be foolish for him to presently declare “Yes, I’ll be ready” when on the eve of traning camp, the same nagging headaches might return to haunt him.  For these same reasons, it would be equally pointless for Crosby to constantly call Bylsma, Shero or Lemieux when quite possibly, in any given day of workouts, progress could turn into regress. Put another way, does the Pens’ braintrust actually want to receive daily, vague, non-specific phone updates from Crosby when everyone knows things can change dramatically day to day, week to week?

Boston centre Patrice Bergeron, who suited up for Team Canada with Sidney Crosby at the 2005 World Junior Championship and the 2010 Winter Olympics, was given ample time to recover from a concussion before returning to the ice with the Bruins.

On a daily basis, the most honest, medically-based statement Crosby could make is, “I felt good today at 90% but I don’t know how I’ll feel tomorrow morning when I get up.  Bye.”  What good would it do to say this over and over and over?  The only necessary calls are the ones informing the team of a change in his workout intensity level or if there has been a flare-up of symptoms.  But these are not daily occurrences.

As for not communicating with his teammates, I would be willing to bet that most of the other Penguins, some of them previous concussion victims, understand and respect Crosby’s lengthy silence.  As mentioned, they realize that symptoms can be absent for days or weeks but may suddenly crop up without warning.  There just is not that much in the way of firm statements that would necessitate constant communication.

On a final note, let’s also not jump to the alarmist conclusion that because Crosby is not fully recovered nearly eight months after the initial head hits and given what we now know about athletic brain injuries, it’s time for him to seriously contemplate retirement.  Former World Junior and Olympic teammate Patrice Bergeron of the Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins has suffered three concussions in his career.  He was smashed face-first into the glass in an early season game on October 27, 2007 by Philadelphia’s Randy Jones, receiving a concussion and broken nose.  Bergeron missed the rest of the regular season and playoffs, a total of 79 games, experiencing months of dizziness, headaches and nausea.

Brought along carefully by Boston during his recovery period, Bergeron was out for close to eleven months before being able to suit up for games. If Crosby needs a similar time frame to return safely to full health, then observers should be resigned to waiting until shortly before Christmas to next catch a glimpse of #87 in game action.

Retirement may be the safest option but the decision to weigh long-term health risks versus long-term safety and to weigh the happiness and fulfillment that comes from elite competition versus a premature end to his career is Crosby’s choice alone and nothing indicates that he will hang up his skates for good anytime soon.

Five days have passed since the shocking riots in Vancouver cast an indelible pall over the night of Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final and yet the shock still remains.  When looking back on June 15, 2011, future generations will probably not remember that Boston defeated the Canucks by a 4-0 score to win the Cup.  Instead, they should remember a night of sheer horror: unbridled thuggery, contempt for authority, assaults on police officers and firefighters, threats and intimidation against Good Samaritans, wanton property damage and theft, an orgy of destruction plus thousands of average citizens looking on with joyous approval.

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Yes, future generations should remember, but how will they react?

Will they invoke the mindless, dismissive one-word mantra of the times – “Whatever” – and shrug off the riots as a small, insignificant outlier in Vancouver’s history?  Will they excitedly and laughingly point at the screen of their hand-held devices as they recognize themselves proudly standing in front of a looted store or a burning car?  Will they be filled with latent satisfaction for a job well done, inciting others to join them at making a statement, wreaking havoc against a society they perceive as oppressive?

Or will they be filled with regret and sorrow and see what happened that night for what it truly was: a spectacularly base outpouring of unrestrained evil perhaps instigated by a few but shockingly perpetuated by many, many more.  And amidst the several conflagrations that roared on Vancouver streets, consuming vehicles and garbage, the last vestiges of the Canadian “goodness” myth also went up in flames, incinerated, immolated beyond recognition by the fuel pouring out of thousands of deceitful, desperately sick hearts.

Too harsh of a conclusion?  Ask the man who was savagely beaten for scolding and trying to hold back the mob that systematically smashed out the windows of the Hudson’s Bay store.  Ask the lady who was accosted and harassed as she calmly tried to talk reason into an equally brazen, senseless, rage-filled mob bent on looting another store.  Ask the many vehicle owners who watched helplessly on television as fires set by cowards rendered their cars and trucks a total write-off.  Ask the firefighter who was sucker-punched by an out-of-control drunken piece of excrement.  Ask the many police officers who were cursed at and jeered when they attempted to control the crowds while the throng cheered when thrown debris rained down on the police.

The Vancouver riots had nothing at all to do with hockey – the setting could have been baseball, soccer or basketball – but everything to do with causing chaos whether the Canucks won or lost.  It is also a pointless debate to decide whether the rioters were “true Canucks’ fans” or not.  Maybe some were; maybe some weren’t.  What matters is that the instigators – wearing Canucks’ colours or not – were people who harboured evil in their heart, looking for an opening to unleash it and finally, made a decision to give in and cause chaos.  These are the professional anarchists the chief of police and city officials referred to in their initial statements.  The types that armed themselves with weapons, destructive or incendiary material and masks to conceal their identities and mixed in with the crowds.

Yet most unsettling were the so-called average “normal” citizens on the streets – possibly a family member, a friend, a co-worker, a child, a neighbour – who at first may have watched in shock, disbelieving the sight of flipped cars and small fires, but then felt a rush of perverse excitement.

Wow!  A riot!  Cool!

In those fateful moments, those average citizens also had a choice: participate or abstain.  Unfortunately, a large majority chose the former, intoxicated by the emotional high of joining in the destruction.  Others mindlessly treated the riot scene as a tourist attraction, snapping video and pictures.  True, a small minority had the presence of mind to gather evidence but the much larger majority did so simply for a foolish thrill, a keepsake of the ‘best moment of their lives’ (as one ridiculous Facebook profile stated).  Consequently, police were often obstructed from stopping the perpetrators, firefighters blocked from putting out fires and yet the crowds of average citizens had the audacity to jeer.

In the aftermath that is just beginning, there will be those who claim innocence.

Hey, I was just taking a picture to show my buddies. I’ve never been in a riot.  It was awesome!

Well congratulations, King Ding-a-ling, I hope it was a Kodak moment.  You must feel real proud of yourself to have blocked the police and firefighters and it must feel great to have teamed up with your fellow gawkers, providing a large cloak of bodies to shield the identities of the more destructive types.

It was just one purse.  I’m in a low-income bracket.

Fantastic logic.  Let’s make a deal:  Since you think your income bracket justifies the theft of a purse then I think my income bracket prevents me from ever owning a house so I’m squatting in your house.

Canadians from Vancouver, Toronto or elsewhere must get rid of any self-congratulatory ideas about the general safety and goodness of our nation.  We all saw the images from last Wednesday.  That was not Libya or Afghanistan.  That was a Canadian city.  That was a Canadian city overrun for a few hours by Canadians bent on maximizing destruction abetted by many, many other Canadians who approved of what unfolded.

My hope is that the justice system will surprise me and crack down hard to the fullest possible extent of the law on all who were involved in the Vancouver riots.  However, it’s hard not to be cynical this week about a country in which some citizens demonstrate hatred, contempt and abuse of freedom and veritably spit upon those who stand on the side of what is right.

Forwards

Patrice Bergeron, L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que. (Boston Bruins)
Sidney Crosby, Cole Harbour, N.S. (Pittsburgh Penguins) Alternate captain
Ryan Getzlaf, Regina, Sask. (Anaheim Ducks)
Dany Heatley, Calgary, Alta. (San Jose Sharks)
Jarome Iginla, St. Albert, Alta. (Calgary Flames) Alternate captain
Patrick Marleau, Aneroid Sask. (San Jose Sharks)
Brenden Morrow, Carlyle, Sask. (Dallas Stars)
Rick Nash, Brampton, Ont. (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Mike Richards, Kenora, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers)
Corey Perry, Peterborough, Ont. (Anaheim Ducks)
Eric Staal, Thunder Bay, Ont. (Carolina Hurricanes)
Joe Thornton, St. Thomas, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Jonathan Toews, Winnipeg, Man. (Chicago Blackhawks)

Defence

Dan Boyle, Ottawa, Ont. (San Jose Sharks)
Drew Doughty, Ottawa, Ont. (LA Kings)
Duncan Keith, Penticton, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Scott Niedermayer, Cranbrook, B.C. (Anaheim Ducks) – Captain
Chris Pronger, Dryden, Ont. (Philadelphia Flyers) – Alternate captain
Brent Seabrook, Tsawwassen, B.C. (Chicago Blackhawks)
Shea Weber, Sicamous, B.C. (Nashville Predators)

Goalies

Roberto Luongo, Montreal, Que. (Vancouver Canucks)
Martin Brodeur, Montreal, Que. (New Jersey Devils)
Marc-Andre Fleury, Sorel, Que. (Pittsburgh Penguins)

- official roster posted HERE

While there were a few surprises when Steve Yzerman announced Team Canada’s 2010 entry into the Vancouver Olympics yesterday, the reality was that every single player selected to the roster was a viable candidate to represent Canada and while we can squabble over who was left off of the team, there’s no turning back now so we might as well get used to this lineup over the next 6 weeks as we get ready for the most anticipated Winter Games in history.

The deliberations were long and thought out and the group of men in charge of creating a winning team did their best to bring us, what they think, will be the best Hockey team in the world. Amen to that.

Canada is the money tree when it comes to hockey players and, although we lay claim to many records and winning teams, Canada always wins due to the strong work ethic that is instilled in young Canuck hockey players at the age of 3. Every single member of this Team Canada squad would hands down make any other roster submitted for the upcoming Olympic competition.

The reality is that Canada could very well have two elite squads participating in the Olympics. But that’s not how it works.

But if it did, this is how Pierre Lebrun of ESPN would have chosen Team Canada’s “B” Squad:

Forwards

Brad Richards
Ryan Smyth
Marc Savard
Vincent Lecavalier
Jeff Carter
Mike Cammalleri
Steven Stamkos
Martin St. Louis
Derek Roy
Jordan Staal
Dustin Penner
Mike Fisher
Patrick Sharp

Defensemen

Jay Bouwmeester
Mike Green
Dion Phaneuf
Stephane Robidas
Robyn Regehr
Dan Hamhuis
Francois Beauchemin

Goaltending

Cam Ward
Marty Turco
Carey Price

- For more of Pierre’s breakdown of Canada’s “Shadow Squad”, click here.

As interesting as it would be to see Mr. Lebrun’s team participate in the Games in Vancouver, that is obviously not a possibility.

What is certain is that with little to no practice time available for Team Canada, it is going to be up to the coaches and management to decipher which combinations will yield the greatest results.

So, with that in mind, let’s play the job of Mike Babcock and Steve Yzerman.

Below are my line combo’s as well as special team units, feel free to counter my lineup with one of your own.

Line 1:

Nash-Crosby-Iginla

- Crosby and Iginla…just seems right. Adding Rick Nash to Sid’s other wing could make this the most ferocious line in the tournament.

Line 2:

Staal-Getzlaf-Perry

- Eric Staal is a center, but he is also a left-handed shot and will provide an incredible compliment to one of the most solid duo’s in the NHL since the lockout. Staal will also compliment Getzlaf as a backup option at center, shoring up the line’s ability to win key face-offs. Oh yeah, and there’s all that offense…although Eric has had a slow start with a rocky Hurricanes team, his play of late has been nothing short of Olympian and it was clear to see why Stevie Y & co. chose the Thunder Bay native.

Line 3:

Marleau-Thornton-Heatley

- Yes, yes. This could very well be your first line, second line or the absolute best line in the tournament. They are, after all, the best line in the NHL this season. The versatility of this line will be in its ability to set the tone for Team Canada as well as provide them with 3 legitimate lines that could double as some of the strongest power play units ever assembled. Place this line wherever you want, the reality is that this is one combo that the coaches won’t have to worry about when it comes to chemistry.

Line 4:

Morrow-Richards-Bergeron/Toews

- Your ultimate checking line. Morrow is a solid two-way forward and may be the grittiest player on Team Canada. He will guide the trio of youngsters in Richards, Bergeron and Toews as they will combine to make Team Canada’s 4th line. With 3 centers on this line, it is plain to see that management focused on bringing in capable defensive minded forwards who can win key draws. Canada will not make the mistake of leaving their team vulnerable on the draw, so this 4th line will provide Coach Babcock with a tremendous arsenal of centermen.

Defense

1st Pairing:

Pronger-Boyle

- I personally would have loved to have seen a pairing of Pronger and Mike Green, but since Boyle proved the better offensive candidate to compliment Pronger(mainly because of his defensive awareness), it will be Danny boy skating with the nastiest defenseman in all of the tournament. The dynamic of the hard-hitting Pronger and smooth skating Boyle will force opponents to second guess their approach into Canada’s zone and will also force the opposition’s D-men to stay on their toes due to both Pronger and Boyle’s incredible ability to make brilliant stretch passes.

2nd Pairing:

Weber-Niedermayer

- Again, 1st or 2nd pairing, this combination of Shea Weber and Canada’s captain only makes sense. Weber is a younger version of Chris Pronger and given Chris and Scotty’s former chemistry with the Ducks, it’s a safe bet that if Neidermayer and Pronger do not end up as a regular combo that it will be Scott playing with Shea. Weber is an explosive hitter who possesses an incredible shot. Neidermayer, of course, is the ultimate defenseman, capable of performing every on-ice task that could be demanded from a premiere defender. Avoiding pairing Pronger and Neids together for awhile will help Canada have better balanced and quicker defensive pairings.

3rd Pairing:

Seabrook-Keith

- Although many people suggest that Seabrook got to ride Duncan Keith’s coat-tails onto Team Canada’s blue line, the truth is that the Tsawwasen, B.C. native is exactly what Babcock is looking for in a stable but dynamic 3rd pairing. Seabrook may lack in a few areas, but that can be made up by inserting Drew Doughty into the lineup occasionally.

Alternate:

Doughty

- Drew is the youngest member of Team Canada, but plays like a veteran. He, along with Patrice Bergeron and Jonathan Toews will not necessarily be regular fixtures in Team Canada’s lineup in February, but they will play their fair share and will be relied upon to provide their team-mates with excellent play when they do get their shot. Doughty is phenomenal shooter and one of the most defensively aware D-men in the NHL. The scary part is that this is only Doughty’s second year as a Pro and yet, his play has not suffered one iota from a “sophomore slump”, but rather only improved. His selection basically to this team basically denotes how much the play of guys like Jay Bouwmeester and Dion Phaneuf has fallen off in the last 2 seasons. Both are still tremendously capable and would have made fine additions to Canada’s roster, but not compared to Doughty. Drew is likely being groomed to take on a “Scotty Neidermayer-like” role in the future for Team Canada which also makes his selection a logical move. He will learn and mature in leaps and bounds this February so LA Kings should be very grateful for what Steve Yzerman has done for their hope for the future!

Power Play:

Unit 1:

Nash-Getzlaf-Heatley

Pronger-Neidermayer

- This trio has been a lightning rod for success for Team Canada in the World Championships in the past and should/will scare the hell out of the opposition.

- As for your top PP duo, the logical choice would be to play it safe and go with the greatest chemistry offensive chemistry on your blue line.

Unit 2:

Staal-Crosby-Perry

Keith-Boyle

- Smooth skating and quick, this power play unit is chalked full of slick passing and sniper shooting. Many people may suggest that Corey Perry isn’t much of a sniper, but I beg to differ. Pairing Crosby with Perry will confuse opposing coaches as this unit will not be able to contained through physical play. Eric Staal is a sniper and a play-maker and would be the ultimate ‘front of the net’ player. Using his size and hands, Staal is magical in close and blocks a lot of the goaltender’s view. With Keith and Boyle manning the points, I expect the tic-tac-toes to fly.

Unit 3:

Marleau-Thornton-Iginla

Doughty-Weber

- Marleau and Thornton have a strong connection on the power play and Jarome Iginla is the most dominant power-forward on the roster. Capitalizing on Thornton’s incredible passing and Marleau’s pin point accuracy, it only makes sense to have someone like Jarome Iginla manning the high slot or causing absolute havoc in the crease. Doughty and Weber may be a bit ‘green’ for an Olympic power-play unit, but Weber is a rock on defense and Doughty’s blasts from the point make him an obvious candidate to see some power play time.

Ok, so the I mixed and matched a lot of the top lines to create some new(and old) PP combinations. One thing I tried to do was to stay away from repeating the same combinations as the regular lines. In order for Canada to keep their opposition on their toes at all times, I feel that it would only make sense to move players around based on their specialties.

Of course it is easy to start with this types of combinations because with so many dynamic pairings on the team already, the coaches can always revert back to the safety of some predetermined power play units. For example, playing the Marleau-Thornton-Heatley trio together would make tons of sense, if it didn’t already make a lot of sense to use them together as a regular line combination.

The same can be said for keeping Perry and Getzlaf together as well as using Nash-Crosby-Iginla as a power play unit, but, in the end, if my proposed mixed power play units didn’t work, they could always revert to that.

As for the D pairings, I feel that it would be wise to use Neidermayer and Pronger together on the top unit. They have the chemistry, leadership and responsibility to handle the load of playing on the top PP unit. Team Canada also boasts a secret weapon in terms of chemistry if they want to pair Getzlaf and Perry together with Neidermayer and Pronger as they won a Stanley Cup together.

Boyle and Keith offer a near complete contrast of what Pronger and Neidermayer bring to the table as they are all about puck control and management. Both are adept stick-handlers who boast a bag full of tricks. Both are spectacularly quick on their feet and can win almost any foot-race you could think of. They are accurate shooters, but most of all, they have incredible vision on the power play and will compliment a Power Play General like Sidney Crosby, perfectly.

Finally, pairing Doughty and Weber together is a way of including these two into the offensive mix. As I mentioned, Doughty is an up and coming offensive juggernaut. He has the shooting and passing instinct to make him a dangerous addition to a power play unit while Weber’s shot is even more powerful and frightening than Doughty’s. Both play large and do a great job of stepping up at their own line to shut a play down, something that is very condusive to helping the Team capitalize on turn-overs and their ability to create odd-man rushes.

Penalty Kill

Unit 1:

Morrow-Richards

Pronger-Neidermayer

- Morrow and Richards are perhaps the two best shutdown-power forwards in the game and will create an incredibly antagonistic combination. Richards and Pronger have chemistry playing in Philly together, while Neidermayer is just as impressive on the penalty kill as he is on the power play.

Unit 2:

Crosby-Bergeron

Keith-Seabrook

- Yes, Sidney is all about the offense, but he and Bergeron share a chemistry from back in their days of Gold Medals with Canada’s World Junior squad. Bergeron is a fierce defender and excellent face-off man so by playing two centermen together who boast prior chemistry simply shores up the PK. Keith and Seabrook share chemistry from their time in Chicago and, although Seabrook doesn’t necessarily figure into the power play plans, he will be key in helping keep the puck out of Canada’s net when they are down a man.

Unit 3:

Staal-Toews

Neidermayer-Weber

- These three youngsters all boast excellent defensive skills, so it would not surprise me to see Babcock give them the occasional chance to kill off penalties together under the careful watch of Team Canada captain Scott Neidermayer.

Expecting chemistry on the penalty kill is always the hardest thing to do as a coach and it always takes a fair bit of time to put together succinct units that can be relied upon, but with so much defensive aggression in the bottom half of the lineup, Canada will likely have no problem mixing and matching combinations as the tournament progresses.

Oh yeah! My goaltenders rank in this order:

1. Brodeur
2. Luongo
3. Fleury

That’s it.

Those are my proposed line combinations for Team Canada as we bid adieu to 2009.

Of course, many things can change between now and mid-February, so we will re-visit this issue as we sit and watch these recently named members of Team Canada battle it out in the NHL.

Have at it folks!

Create your Team Canada combo’s and we’ll see who makes the right call.

Have a very Happy New Year everyone! Be safe and enjoy yourselves.

I will be back with full Capitals coverage over the next couple of days. There is beyond plenty to talk about so we will be sure to dig deep into a bunch of issues that have reared their head over the last 2 weeks.

This article was originally posted on Hockeybuzz.com and can be found HERE.

Go Canada!!!!!
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Go Caps!!!!!

- In case you missed it, please check out my Washington Capitals Quarter-Season Review.

Carlson Makes his NHL Debut – Varlamov to Start

The Capitals will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to the Verizon Center tonight at 7pm. This will be the first of 2 games in 8 days between these teams as the Capitals will pay the Canadiens a visit next Saturday.

Washington enters tonight’s game in 1st place in the Eastern Conference while the Canadiens currently sit mired in the bubble groups with 20 points in 21 games. Although they sit in 12th place at the moment, the Habs are only 5 points out of 1st place in the Northeast division, so they must not be counted out.

Montreal has been one of the most heavily criticized teams this season, and with good reason. The summer overhaul by Bob Gainey, the switch in ownership and the makeover of the coaching staff are clearly the largest wholesale changes in the entire league. It’s difficult to expect instant success when cooking without a recipe and that is exactly what it seems like Gainey has done. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, et voila! An expansion team!

I mean no disrespect to the Capitals opponents this evening as the Canadiens do boast some considerable weaponery, but without the services of Brian Gionta and Andrei Markov, the Habs are no better than a first year team trying to find its place in a new league.

Now, obviously the Canadiens are not an expansion team, but the point behind the assessment is that, if there is any team in the NHL that will be the hardest to read, it will be the Montreal Canadiens.

No one can really predict where they will finish because no one can truly gauge the chemistry of the team. It’s hard to focus on specific players when you don’t know who the most dangerous threat is.

And this in direct contrast to the Capitals.

Washington has a buffet of dangerous scoring weapons and everyone knows it.

The Habs are supposed to led by Cammalleri and Gomez, but at the moment are clearly being pulled along by Tomas Plekanec and some serious goaltending from Carey Price.

People can criticize Montreal all they want, but I will shy away from it.

I say they are an expansion team for the simple fact that with so many new faces in and around the team, it’s hard not to think of the Habs as the new kids on the block.

That said, they are in need of their respect or the Capitals will get their just dues.

The Capitals are without top guns Mike Knuble and Alex Semin as well as defensive studs Quintin Laing and Boyd Gordon. In their place, expect to see Tyler Sloan move up to forward while Flash should see time on the top unit and expect Fehr to skate on the 2nd line with Laich and Morrison. Jay Beagle and Mathieu Perreault will be the Caps wildcards tonight as they will likely skate together on the 3rd line with captain Chris Clark.

Jose Theodore will not suit up for the Capitals tonight as the team has recalled Michal Neuvrith and will likely insert him as the backup behind Semyon Varlamov tonight.

Varly made his NHL debut against the Habs last season and played an extremely strong game, so expect more of the same tonight as Semyon enters the game with a 8-1 record this season.

John Carlson makes his NHL debut and I could not be more excited for the 19 year old former London Knight. Carlson is an incredibly dynamic defender who can put up serious points. He is still young, but has already impressed everyone by putting up 14 points with the Bears and a commanding +14. John will skate in his NHL debut alongside Tom Poti and will be given every opportunity to succeed. He has a booming shot and quick feet. His addition to the Capitals blue line makes them a much stronger team.

Game Notes

Welcome to the show – Defenseman John Carlson is expected to make his NHL debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens. Carlson will be the 10th Capitals drafted player to suit up for Washington this season – Mathieu Perreault became the ninth player after making his NHL debut on Nov. 4 at New Jersey. Carlson was drafted in the first round, 27th overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. At 19 years old Carlson will be the Caps youngest player to make his NHL debut since Alexander Semin made his debut in 2003-04 season. The Natick, Mass. native has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) and is a +14 in 17 games for the Hershey Bears this season. Last season the Capitals had six players make their NHL debut – Karl Alzner, Jay Beagle, Sean Collins, Andrew Gordon, Oskar Osala and Tyler Sloan.

Balanced attack –Washington and San Jose are the only teams in the league with more than two players with at least 20 points; they each have four (Ovechkin, Backstrom, Laich and Green are Washington’s). Entering Thursday’s games 12 teams don’t have a single 20-point scorer.
Home run –Washington has won three home games in a row and is 6-0-3 in its last nine at Verizon Center. Its 7-1-3 home record on the year is tied with Philadelphia for the best in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals are 57-18-9 at home under head coach Bruce Boudreau (.732). Washington has just four home games in the next 33 days.
Flash flood –Tomas Fleischmann’s nine-game point-scoring streak is tied for the fourth-longest in the NHL this season; only Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom have had longer streaks for the Capitals since the 2004-05 work stoppage. Fleischmann ranks first in the league in shooting percentage (33.3%) and fifth in goals per game (0.70) and already has seven goals and 11 points despite missing more than half the season recovering from a blood clot in his leg.
Happy return –Alex Ovechkin scored just 15:16 into his return from injury Tuesday night and –despite missing six games and 15 days –still holds a share of the NHL lead in goals with 15. Ovechkin also leads in shots (87) and ranks tied for fourth in points (a team-high 24). Ovechkin has scored in four of the last five games he has played, the lone exception coming in the game when he was hurt.
Powerful stuff –The Capitals have scored a power-play goal in 10 of their last 11 games and are 14-for-38 (36.8%) in that time. They are 8-for-17 in the last six games (47.1%) with at least one PPG in each of those games.
Hitting 100 –Head coach Bruce Boudreau is the fourth-fastest NHL coach to reach 100 wins in his career and the fastest among coaches who made their debuts during the season. Boudreau won No. 100 in his 164th game (100-45-19), and did it after inheriting a team that had 70 points the year before he arrived. The coaches who reached 100 wins faster inherited teams that posted 99 points (Tom Johnson, 138 games), 98 points (Mike Keenan, 152 games) and 95 points (Terry Crisp, 158 games).

Lineups

Washington Capitals

Ovechkin-Backstrom-Fleischmann
Laich-Morrison-Fehr
Beagle-Perreault-Clark
Sloan-Steckel-Bradley

- With Semin, Knuble, Laing and Gordon out, expectations for Eric Fehr, Tomas Fleischmann and Mathieu Perreault will rise.

- I am completely uncertain what line combinations that Boudreau will use tonight against the Canadiens, but if I had to guess, Flash will be on the top line and Fehr will skate on the 2nd.

Green-Schultz
Poti-Carlson
Pothier-Erskine

- Jurcina and Morrisonn are nursing minor injuries and won’t make it into the lineup tonight.

- John Carlson will make his NHL debut as a 19 year old versus the Canadiens, Semyon Varlamov did the same thing last year, so hopefully the Russian netminder has some good advice for the first round pick.

*Varlamov
Neuvrith

- Varly will get the start and Neuvo will back him up.

- Theo has been practicing with the team all week, but since Neuvrith was called up, the Caps are going to at least give him a chance to backup Varly. It is uncertain as to whether or not Jose will be good to rejoin the lineup tomorrow. If he is not, then expect Neuvrith to get the nod.

Montreal Canadiens

Cammalleri-Gomez-Moen
Kostitsyn-Plekanec-Pacioretty
Latendresse-Lapierre-Pyatt
White-Metropolit-Laraque

- According to habsinside.out, Travis Moen will be skating on the 1st line tonight while Georges Laraque will be patrolling the 4th.
- The Habs have also been decimated by injuries, perhaps as bad as anyone else in the NHL this season, having now lost Brian Gionta for an undetermined amount of time thanks to a broken foot.

Hamrlik-Spacek
Mara-Gorges
O’Byrne-Bergeron

- Things get a little better for the Habs tonight as they will get a boost from the return of Ryan O’Byrne.
- Of course, Andrei Markov, the Canadiens best player, remains out recovering from surgery to repair a sliced tendon.

*Price
Halak

- Carey Price seems likely to get the nod versus the Caps tonight. Price has been phenomenal over the last little stretch, so if the Canadiens expect to get the better of the Capitals tonight, it will likely be because of their goaltender.

For the Habs perspective on tonight’s game, I highly suggest you check out Eric Engels’ coverage.

I will be back with more as I get it.

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Go Caps!!!!!

Tonight in the Hub, the Bruins and Devils took to the ice and the feeling among the crowd was that they could either be witnessing two varying degrees of extreme.

One being that the Bruins would light up Yann Danis, a rather inexperienced netminder. Whereas the other thought being that the Devils, coached by Jacques Lemaire, would keep this game close in typical Lemaire-fashion.

Unfortunately for Boston fans, it was the latter.

Nearing the end of the first period, the Devils broke out on a two on one as Nicklas Bergfors and David Clarkson led the rush up ice against B’s defensemen Andrew Ference. As Bruin toughguy Shawn Thornton chased after Bergfors, the Devils 1st round pick from the 2005 was able to fire away a shot B’s netminder Tim Thomas initially stopped but let slip through his legs as David Clarkson banged it home for his third goal of the season.

For Bergfors, it marked his fourth assist and sixth point in 11 games. You’ve come a long way since your days with the Lowell Devils, Nicklas.

As the teams headed to the dressing room at the conclusion of the first period, the Devils had a 1-0 advantage and the teams were near dead even in the shots on goal department with 12 for Boston and 13 for New Jersey.

A fun thing to note, during the intermission they had the kids from the “Mini 1-on-1″ tournament come out and show off their skills for the fans. Oliver Wahlstrom, the kid who performed an absolute circus act of a goal that gained notoriety through the internet and became a YouTube sensation attempted the same move again and failed, sending the puck sailing over the net.

In the second period, the Devils and Bruins went through a defensive struggle for nearly the entire period as the physicality picked up as the two teams fought and clawed for every possession. The high moment of the evening was without question when 6’4″ Andrew Peters tried to intimidate 5’11″ Andrew Ference by fake launching himself at him twice after a whistle but when Ference responded with a cross-check to the shoulders, Peters acted as if he got hit with a brick, clenching his face in hopes of drawing a call. Truly a pathetic display by someone considered to be a tough customer.

The Bruins lone goal of the night came from none other than alternate captain Patrice Bergeron, who continues to impress. Bergeron, sporting a new Thornton-like handlebar moustache, was set up with an absolutely beautiful no-look feed from Marco Sturm in front of the Devils net, Patrice wasted no time putting the puck in the top shelf of Danis’ net to knot the game up at one.

After two, the Devils and B’s were knotted up at one.

It was more of the same from the B’s in the third period as they had many chances, but were unable to capitalize on any of them. Nearing the end of the third, the B’s were seemingly prepping for an overtime when Danius Zubrus stuck a sloppy through the five-hole of Tim Thomas, killing the Bruins momentum and inevitably their chance for a point in a fourth straight game.

While tonight wasn’t pretty from an offensive standpoint, the effort put forth tonight by the Boston Bruins forwards was something to behold.

Often questioned for his size, Vladimir Sobotka played extremely well, arguably his best throughout his short stint with the club so far this season. He was throwing his body around at all ends of the ice, including a big hit on Devils toughguy David Clarkson. Also, the Boston fourth line continues to be the most tenacious trio of players in black and gold to play against as they simply grind out every second of every shift.

* While the Bruins were unable to leave tonight’s game with a win, many laughs were shared at the expense of the New York Yankees. In typical Garden fashion, during the trivia segment of the evening, the Jumbotron asked the question “Who Won The 2000 World Series” and give the following as three choices

1. New York Mets

2. New York Yankees

3. I don’t remember

Mets was eliminated first of the board, and the answer was in fact not the Yankees, but a simple, “I don’t remember”. The crowd erupted in Yankee-hating love. The cameramen throughout the Garden also didn’t make sure Yankees fans in the arena left unscathed as during off-play the camera zoomed in on a man draped in Yankees garb. Keeping the focus on him, the crowd booed thoroughly. During the same off-play, a fan decked out in a Phillies jersey and hat was shown and was cheered by nearly everyone in the building.

Dumb Quote of the Night

Tonight, there is no dumb quote. However, there is a dumb snackstand operations manager. As I got my Buffalo Chicken Fingers and fries tonight, I asked the incredibly polite (no sarcasm, seriously) cashier for some bleu cheese, she replied that they simply haven’t gotten any since the pre-season. I laughed it off and asked for some ranch dipping sauce, essentially the same thing, right? She gave me the same answer. What sort of arena charges eight dollars for some delicious buffalo chicken but fails to provide their customers with the proper dipping sauces for ultimate enjoyment? Shame on you Garden, shame on you.

What’s Next?

The Bruins will have Friday off before hosting the Edmonton Oilers in a Halloween matinee at the TD Garden. The Oilers are coming off a 6-5 shootout win over the Detroit Red Wings and are led by Dustin Penner and his 19 points in 13 games this season. Will the Oilers have the ‘Bulin Wall in net or give him a game off following a 40 save performance on Thursday?

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Ty

A successful team makes their own luck.  Tonight in Boston, the Bruins forced the puck to bounce their way.  An aggressive forecheck in the third period forced Nashville to play on their heels and turn the puck over and, with the assistance of the referee being in Shea Weber’s path to the puck, Boston capitalized on the turnover to score the game winning goal.

It was that kind of night for Nashville.

Nashville got off to a strong start in the first period with aggressive play from David Legwand as he drove the net 1 on 4.  Jared Smithson capitalized by following Legwand to the net and knocking the loose puck past Tim Thomas for the 1-0 lead.  Nashville received noticeably strong play from the top line of Steve Sullivan, Cal O’Reilly and J.P. Dumont as well as the entire blueline.

Nashville’s tendency to lose their edge in the second period reared its head again.  It all began 26 seconds into the period when Michael Ryder of the Bruins capitalized on the puck getting tied up in the linesman’s skates allowing him to grab the puck and race past Ryan Suter to tie the game at 1.  Nashville temporarily pulled back ahead 2-1 when Patric Hornqvist continued his strong play by driving hard to the net pulling Thomas to the edge of the crease.  Colin Wilson trailed on the play and smartly stopped right in front of the net allowing him to tap home the rebound into an empty net.  Then, at 12:38 into the period, Boston’s Patrice Bergeron scored from the side of the net when Chara’s shot wasn’t cleared tying the game again at 2 all.  That score remained knotted at 2 after the second period.

The third period saw Boston assert itself on the forecheck and do a great job at keeping the puck in the Nashville end.  At 8:33 into the third Boston’s hard forechecking harassed Weber and Francis Bouillon into a turnover that Steve Begin converted into a 3-2 lead.  That lead would hold up for the win.

What I Liked

Patric Hornqvist continued to show why he’s one of Nashville’s top forwards to this point.  He was all over the ice, battled hard in the corners and consistently put pressure on Tim Thomas by driving to the net.

I liked seeing both David Legwand and Colin Wilson contributing on the score sheet tonight.  Both points were created by their driving the net.  Wilson plays well with Patric Hornqvist.  Legwand had a really good game with the exception of the face offs.

I thought that Alexander Sulzer played a solid game, veteran-like game for his first game this season at the NHL level.

I liked seeing Ryan Suter with the third “A” tonight.

The effort and chances generated on the first two power play opportunities are what this team needs.  If they can consistently do that along with continually putting shots actually on net, they’ll begin to show some effectiveness on the power play.

Legwand is this teams best penalty killer- by far.

Great job by Jared Smithson following Legwand to the net and making all their hard work pay off.  Great to see him score one with his stick instead of his backside.

I liked Crispy’s breakdown showing Suter communicating with the forwards on the ice.  In truth, I wish they would do a little bit more of that kind of analysis.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t like the Sullivan, O’Reilly, and Dumont line at even strength.  They started really strong and had a great first period.  As the game wore on, however, they began to be hemmed in to the Nashville end and were on the ice for two of the goals that Boston scored.  They are too small to consistently be effective.

Cody Franson had a decent game, but he did take a step back tonight from the last game.  His skating difficulties were on display several times.  He even had a small stretch where he was having difficulty staying on his skates with little contact.

Martin Erat continues to play poor hockey.  I don’t think I can be more candid.  Right now, he’s a detriment on the ice.  He has the talent to turn it around, has had some success with Wilson and Ward.

Marcel Goc was just invisible tonight.  However, I think a fourth line of Scatchard, Goc, and Tootoo would be really interesting to watch.

That third power play opportunity was beyond bad.

Steve Sullivan needs to have someone else bring the puck up the ice.  Too many times, he’ll enter the zone with speed and get caught at the point only to turn the puck over.

Nashville continues their road trip tomorrow night in Ottawa.