I actually think this series might be a little different, the closest thing we’ll see to pond hockey during the playoffs since the Oilers were rolling in the 80s. Both teams have some skill, speed and balanced scoring, but both teams also had very imbalanced regular seasons, Buffalo finishing with the league’s best record after the All Star break after a bad start, and the Flyers recording a dismal 9-9-7 record over their last 25 games.

The Flyers biggest edge on paper is down the middle. I like my Flyers much better at center even with Derek Roy playing for Buffalo, which he won’t be due to injury, but Mike Richards, Danny Briere and Claude Giroux/Jeff Carter have to go out there and outplay their counterparts, Tim Connolly, Brad Boyes and Paul Gaustad.

I would expect Philly coach Peter Laviolette to try to roll the Scott Hartnell-Briere-Ville Leino line against the Connolly line. Reason being, Leino is the Flyers’ best defensive winger, maybe forward, when he’s not trying to do too much in the offensive zone and turning the puck over. I think he’ll be the guy to try to contain top scoring LW Thomas Vanek, with or without RD Chris Pronger playing.

I think there’s also a chance Laviolette will flip Carter back to center considering Gaustad and, to a lesser extent, Boyes have some size as compared to the pint sized left wings Nathan Gerbe and Tyler Ennis. If there’s a sleeper forward Buffalo might have to watch out for, it’s LW James vanRiemsdyk.

The Sabres are going to need goals from right wings Jason Pominville and Drew Stafford. They have productive records against the Flyers and word is Mike Grier will be a go too, and he’s also a notorious Flyer-killer. The Flyers are better defensively on the right side, so I expect a lot of dumps going into the left D corner. Sean O’Donnell turns the puck over a lot and Buffalo is better off trying to wear down Kimmo Timonen and Matt Carle than Andrej Meszaros, Braydon Coburn and, sooner or later, Pronger. It’s Buffalo’s wingers who have to score the goals for them to win games. I don’t see them getting their finishing from the centers or Dmen.

Personally­, I think Pronger will be ready to go. There’s some talk here he’ll miss Game 1, maybe 2 as well, but I think he’ll go. They’re a much better team with Pronger in, but no excuses. Roy is hurt for Buffalo and they’ve still been winning.

Goalie Ryan Miller is obviously going to have to be Buffalo’s best player. The Flyers goaltending? If the pucks get stopped that goalie will stay in net. Sergei Bobrovsky gets the first call. They have backup, just in case.

Playoff series always come down to making shots and getting bounces. It doesn’t matter what the man power situation is when the puck goes in. The Flyers centers need to outplay their Sabres counterparts. At least at home, I expect Leino to shadow Vanek.

So those are your 3 keys:

1-Make shots, get bounces.
2-Flyers centers need to outplay Buffalo’s . . . . big time.
3-Leino needs to check Vanek into the ice.

Very easily.  Hockey is in our blood; in our marrow, as Canadians.

In that inimitable way that hockey behaves, it can go from providing pure, unadulterated bliss to a cold, swift stab in the back in the blink of an eye.  Not forty-eight hours after crossing back into the home country, riding a crest of elation at Canada’s pwning – as the kids say – of the host United States in the second semifinal, it seemed like a mere formality that Canada’s momentum would carry them past the game Russians in the Championship Final on Wednesday night.

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Canada jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and skated back onto the ice after the second intermission twenty minutes away from gold.  Even when Russia scored two quick goals to cut the lead down to one, they were up against the clock as well as the Canadians and still as time continued to countdown, Canada moved within twelve and a half minutes away from the title.

Twelve and a half minutes.

But when a pair of first-round NHL draft picks connected on the game-tying goal – Evgeny Kuznetsov to Vladimir Tarasenko, it is not a stretch to imagine that households across Canada, boisterous with excitement mere seconds before, fell as quiet as the stunned pro-Canadian crowd inside HSBC Arena in Buffalo.

Suddenly, the bleeding that every Canadian thought would be stopped by a player stepping up to cauterize this national wound, only flowed with more rage.  Artemi Panarin’s go-ahead and eventual game-winning goal with 4:38 left was like a bullet that opened another wound, irreparable, unstoppable.  By the time Nikita Dvurechensky iced the championship with a breakaway goal, sprung into the Canadian zone on the third assist of the game from Kuznetsov, the Canadian pulse had figuratively already flatlined.

In the sombre, devastated post-game atmosphere, coach Dave Cameron noted that his team seemed to get back on their heels even as the second period wound down – an omnious sign.  Forward Zack Kassian denied that Canada ran out of energy but said, “Hockey is a weird sport.  Sometimes you have momentum swings and you just can’t stop it.  They just kept coming and coming and we stopped getting the bounces and it made us look like we were standing still.”

Kassian was right.  The Russians seemed to repeat wave after wave of attacks in the offensive zone, playing with nothing to lose and an air of confidence.  Their confidence was buoyed by a late game comeback against Finland, powered by Kuznetsov, to win their quarterfinal.  Subsequently, these eyes watched live in Buffalo as Russia stunned Sweden in the semifinal in the final minutes of regulation to tie the game, then won in a shootout, despite being outplayed for most of the game by the Tre Kronor.

Did Russia pull the wool over everyone’s eyes this year?  Did they play coy like the Soviet team in the 1972 Summit Series, spotting Canada a lead in the opening game before blitzing the hosts into stunned submission?  Nobody really knows.  What every Canadian does know, however, is that they will be haunted for a second consecutive year by a World Junior gold-medal game loss.  The sound of Kuznetsov’s jubilant screams in the deathly silent arena as the final seconds ticked down will be in our ears until Christmas when the top under-20 squads reconvene in Calgary and Edmonton.

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While partisans on both sides of the border wished for the Canada v. U.S. game to take place in the gold medal game to set up an exact rematch of last year’s World Junior Championship final, the anticipation surrounding this year’s semifinal proved to be just as intense.  Canadians stewed over the crushing of their dashed dreams of an unprecedented sixth straight IIHF U20 title ending on home ice in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan last January when current Washington defenceman John Carlson scored in overtime giving the Americans a stunning victory.

The U.S. entered the 2011 tournament as the consensus choice to repeat as champions as eight players from last year’s champions returned to the roster.  Meanwhile, Canada stereotypically played the humility card, stating that this year’s squad would be a mixture of good old-fashioned grit, grease and size, a collection of four equal lines with no superstars that would have to grind out victories.  Moreover, neither of Canada’s two goaltenders, Olivier Roy and Mark Visentin, stood out like American Jack Campbell a returnee from last year.

And the preliminary games followed the script.  The U.S. went undefeated and Canada dropped their last game to Sweden forcing them into a quarterfinal which they won 4-1 over Switzerland.  On Monday, this writer made the trek across the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge not far from the area where British General Isaac Brock was slain during the War of 1812.  Arriving at HSBC Arena two hours before the Sweden vs. Russia semifinal began, an obligatory inspection of the nearby beer tent, ominously quiet, was made and a thick roast beef sandwich with a side of pickles and chips was quickly devoured.

If there’s one thing to take away from the first semifinal, it is this: Has Russia been playing coy the whole tournament?  They needed a final day victory over the Czech Republic to even guarantee themselves a spot in the playoff round then fell behind 3-1 to Finland on Sunday night before Yevgeni Kuznetsov, a first-round pick of the Capitals, took over.  He scored with under four minutes left then set up the game-tying goal with under two minutes left then scored in overtime to stun the Finns.

On Monday, Russia took a 2-0 lead until Sweden scored a late second period power play goal and an early third period even strength goal to tie up the game.  With 3:52 remaining in regulation, Dmitri Orlov of Russia took a costly slashing penalty and Patrick Cehlin made him pay by scoring 33 seconds later.  But once again, Russia refused to go quietly and Sergei Kalinin made a diving stab at the puck in the goal crease with 1:27 left to tie matters once more.  I looked over at a yellow-clad section of Swedish fans who watched the play right in front of them …. stunned.

Despite being outshot badly by Sweden 49-32 and 5-1 in overtime, Russian goaltender Dmitri Shikin shone in the shootout, keeping out all three Swedish attempts (with a little help from the post on the last shot) as Russia prevailed.

In the evening, well, it was like night and day.  The previously quiet beer tent was literally bursting with fans, virtually all red-garbed Canadians.  Foolishly, I found myself embedded in the centre of the area and it took me nearly ten minutes to even elbow my way back out.  From there, the ticket lines and concourses were also a Red Sea of Canadians, drowning out every “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chant with an emphatic ”Let’s go Canada!” rebuttal.  And in the stands, there was no question this was a “home” game for Canada.  Thunderous cheers greeted Team Canada as they took the ice for the pre-game skate and once again when they lined up for the opening faceoff.

Feeding off the crowd’s energy, Canada opened the game by swarming the Americans, denying them room to set up plays or skate and hitting every white jersey in sight.  Canada was rewarded for its hard work when Curtis Hamilton deftly picked up his own rebound and rammed it in the net at 2:38 of the first period.  Then, at 13:54, Brett Connolly sent a shot towards the net that was neatly tipped over Campbell’s right shoulder by a streaking Quinton Howden to give the Canadians a 2-0 lead, sending the crowd into another explosion of joy.

In the middle frame, Canada kept the pedal down, building on their 12-5 first period shot advantage with a volley of 16 more shots.  Two quick penalties committed by Charlie Coyle and Patrick Wey put the U.S. shorthanded by two men and Ryan Johansen made the Americans pay 1:01 into the 5-on-3 by netting his third goal of the tournament.

Early in the third period, Zack Kassian, a Sabres’ prospect who may one day call HSBC Arena his home, sealed the game when eight seconds after Canada killed off a minor penalty, he took a head-man pass from Calvin de Haan alone on Campbell and buried it to give the red and white a 4-0 lead.  Canadian netminder Mark Visentin lost his shutout bid with 10:23 remaining when Chris Brown scored on a power play but otherwise, the game was pure mastery by Canada.

The atmosphere from a fan’s perspective was simply electric.  Every time a Canadian delivered a crushing hit, the crowd roared with approval; every time Visentin gloved down a puck, the crowd roared with approval.  Every time Canada rushed into the U.S. zone, every fan behind the net would rise with anticipation.  Fortuitously, our seats were one section to the right of the Canadian players’ family area and like every other Canadian in the crowd, they cheered just as loudly.  Finally, in true fan fashion, there was nothing quite like exchanging high-fives after each goal and after the game with strangers around us, united by our common Canadian bond.

Tonight however, one final task must be accomplished or the euphoria from Monday will be moot.  Since the World Juniors became an official international championship in 1977, Russia has won 12 titles (as Russia/CIS/USSR) while Canada has won 15.  Under the current playoff format, the two titans opposed each other in 2002 and 2003 and from 2005 to 2007 with Russia winning the first two matches and Canada the latter three.

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Kuhnhackl, 18, was drafted in 2010 by the Penguins in the fourth round, 110th overall and is playing his first season with the two-time defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires of the OHL.  He is fourth on the team in scoring with 33 points and 17 goals.  Després, 19, was taken by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 2009 draft, 30th overall and is completing his fourth and final year with Saint John of the QMJHL.  His solid play on the blue line is a reason why the Sea Dogs (29-4-2) are the top-ranked team in the CHL.  Després leads all QMJHL defencemen in points per game.

After Canada defeated Sweden 4-1 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto last Tuesday evening in a pre-tournament exhibition game, Hockey Independent had a chance to speak with Després.

HI: What have you thought so far about your two games here at the World Juniors?

It’s unbelievable.  I’ve enjoyed the experience.  We have a very good team and we try to progress every day.

HI: You’ve competed in international tournaments before.  You were at the Under-18 summer tournament.  Do you find that the pace of this is just the same as other international tournaments or is it an adjustment getting to that level?

It’s a little adjustment.  I mean, the transition game of the Europeans is very different than our style.  You’ve just got to adjust to it and play inside the dots and play your positions well.

HI: Has [Canadian World Junior Team Head] Coach [Dave] Cameron talked to you about a specific role that he wants you to have?  I know you’re more of an offensive-minded defenceman in Saint John, but what role does he see you having once the games begin?

He wants me in more of a defensive role.  He wants me to play good defence.  He wants me to move ahead of the puck, play physical and use my big body.

HI: Back in September when you were at the Penguins’ camp, you were probably one of the last players to be cut.  What was that experience like, playing with world-class players like Crosby, Malkin and Letang?  What advice did they give you before you headed out to Saint John?

They told me, before I left, to keep working on my good habits.  Try not to get into bad habits in practice and just try to get better every day and come back at camp stronger next year.

HI: Was that the same thing [head coach] Dan Bylsma and [GM] Ray Shero might have told you?

Yeah, well it was longer than that but they told me to keep working on my game and play the same way as I played in Pittsburgh.  It’s hard to do it in Saint John but I try to work on that and I still play like that – good stick on puck, good body positioning.

The editor of Prospects Hockey magazine joined me in the mixed zone and asked Després some additional questions.

PH: How many exhibition games did you play [in Pittsburgh]?

I played in four exhibition games.

PH: We’ve seen 19-year olds come back, high draft picks … It’s tough to say if they struggle, but it can be a letdown coming back.  What was it like to go back and play in junior?

The first week was really rough.  I was down, but then I just practiced with my friends who went to the (QMJHL) Finals last year and I’m trying to enjoy as much as I can, the last year of junior, because junior is not the same as the NHL.  It’s a lot different: guys have families and stuff, so I just try to enjoy it as much as I can.

PH: How would you compare the Saint John team this year to last year?

I think it’s similar, very similar.  I think that we’ve got a lot of depth.  We can roll four lines and we’re able to produce a lot of offence and our young guys stepped up [in the place of Nick] Petersen and [Mike] Hoffman, who produced a lot of goals last year.

PH: What did you know about this guy (pointing to Sean Couturier of Drummondville) growing up?

Actually, I’ve played against him twice a year so I haven’t played against him a whole bunch.  Actually, this was the first summer that I met him.

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In contrast to last night’s cakewalk over Switzerland in Oshawa, Sweden was the team that came out firing.  In the first period, Sweden outshot Canada 15-5 and held the hosts without a shot on goal through the first 6:11 of the game until defenceman Calvin de Haan fired a long slap shot from the right point that was gobbled up by Swedish netminder Robin Lehner.

Sean Couturier took the opening faceoff and picked up where he left off last night by contributing, this time on the defensive end.  Just two minutes in, after Sweden broke into the Canadian zone on a partial 2-on-1, a shot came off the left pad of goaltender Olivier Roy.  Couturier, backchecking, slid to interrupt the shooting lane, preventing a scoring chance.

Canada opened the scoring at 7:32 when Jaden Schwartz made a head-man pass to Brayden Schenn along the left wing boards, springing Canada on a 2-on-1. With Ryan Ellis skating stride for stride with Schenn.  Schenn faked a shot, then fired the puck over the left shoulder of Lehner.  Schenn missed a second goal with about two minutes left in the period by inches when his backhand try from a Louis Leblanc pass was thwarted by Lehner.  His counterpart Roy stood tall late in the opening frame too.  When Swedish defenceman Fredrik Stryman cruised in from the point, deking his way to the net before unleashing a shot, Roy used his left shoulder to parry away a high backhand attempt.

The second period was marked by special teams almost from start to finish.  Eight penalties were called in total – five on Sweden and three on Canada.  The hosts doubled their lead to 2-0 at 6:43, 16 seconds into a 5-on-3 advantage.  Jaden Schwartz once again initiated the play when he fired a centre-point shot that was deflected to the right side of Lehner.  Zack Kassian pounced and stuffed the puck into the net.

Captain Ryan Ellis, known more for being an offensive-minded blueliner, showed his defensive skills less than four minutes into the period when he slid headlong, dislodging the Canadian net as he blocked a shot.  ”Everyone’s got to chip in and do their part.  I might not be the big shutdown kind of guy but [blocking shots] is huge for our team,” Ellis said, post-game.  He called the goal by his Windsor OHL teammate Kassian, “huge … it was a power play goal.  It was a big goal to get there at the end of the second.  He’s been playing well for our team, skating hard for our team.”

Later, defenceman Calvin de Haan showed hustle as well, backchecking during a botched moment in a late Canadian power play, racing back to pokecheck the puck off the stick of Swedish forward Oscar Lindberg.

In total, Canada received 7 of its 10 total power plays in the first two periods and overall converted just 1 of the 10 chances.  Coach Dave Cameron repeatedly deployed as his primary power play unit: Ellis at the left point, Schwartz at the right point, Schenn at the right half wall, Ryan Johansen as the screen and Kassian on the left side.  Cameron said, “I thought our power play was like our game: sluggish and sloppy,” noting that the key to effective power plays is traffic in front of the goal.  “That’s a component of it.  You’re not going to beat good goaltending just on straight shots too often.

“There’s a lot of good hockey teams here.  Sweden’s one of them and it’s a real challenge to beat them and they pushed us tonight.  We found a way [to win].  It was a real good test and that’s how you get better,” he continued, commending his players’ composure amidst the fire of a highly-physical game.  “We’re preaching discipline.  You’re not going to win this tournament being undisciplined and I thought we were real disciplined tonight.”

The final period was also marked by Canadian power play chances.  Canada received a 1 minute, 17 second 5-on-3 advantage midway through the period but was unable to convert.  “We had a lot of time to practice [the penalty kill],” Swedish head coach Roger Ronnberg joked.  “We played good but we drew too many penalties.  That’s the brutal truth.  We have to take down the penalties if we want to beat Canada … We have put this team together to have the best chance to beat those guys on the small rink.  My guys competed but we have to learn the lesson to compete under pressure and not go over the edge and draw those penalties.”

Ronnberg said that Schenn’s opening goal helped Canada more than it hurt Sweden, downplaying conjecture that Canada had a fast start to the game.  “I don’t think Canada started this game so good,” Ronnberg said, possibly alluding to Sweden’s 15-5 first period shot advantage.  “We had good control of the game.  They didn’t have any scoring chances before they scored.  It’s tough but I think my guys had good energy even after the goal, but I think it was a relief for Canada.”

Max Friberg cut Canada’s lead to 2-1 when the Swedish forward skated to the middle of the near circle and fired a slap shot that went right through Roy at 9:17 of the third period.

After Quniton Howden passed the puck through the slot from the left wing boards, Johansen gave Canada some breathing room with 4:05 left when he made a turning forehand shot from the far circle that sailed over Fredrik Petersson Wentzel, inserted as Sweden’s netminder at the start of the third period.

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Canada came out swarming Switzerland in the opening minutes of the first period and were rewarded when Marcus Foligno scored at 1:25.  Captain Ryan Ellis put a slap shot on net and Foligno found the loose puck at the left side of the net and tapped it in before Swiss goaltender Benjamin Conz could cover up.  Considered a long-shot to make the club, Foligno, a fourth round draft choice of the Buffalo Sabres in 2009, impressed Team Canada brass with a strong showing during selection camp intrasquad games.

The second goal for Team Canada was manufactured by its starting line.  After applying pressure deep in the Swiss zone, forward Louis Leblanc fired a pass from below the goal line to Jaden Schwartz at the dot of the far faceoff circle.  Schwartz one-timed a snap shot over the right shoulder of Conz.  Just one minute and 37 seconds later, Carter Ashton and Casey Cizikas skated through the slot together and Cizikas buried a pass from Ashton to give Canada a 3-0 lead.

Cizikas later emphasized the importance of contributions from every team member. “We got pucks deep, we took the body when we had the chance. It was a good start for our team. All four lines were going.  All four lines were doing what they had to do.  It was a great all-around effort for our team.  We had scoring from all four lines today. I think that was the biggest thing to our success tonight.”

Swiss head coach Richard Jost used his time out and it seemed to settle his players as they played a more tight defensive game throughout the rest of the period despite being outshot 15-6.

In the second period, Canada capitalized on the power play when they were gifted with a four-minute man advantage courtesy of a Gaetan Haas cross-check.  Tyson Barrie crept up to the top of the circle during the first half of the double-minor and one-timed a Cody Eakin cr0ss-seam pass past Conz to give the home side a 4-0 lead.

After Leblanc picked up his second point of the night with a goal at 8:05 of the middle frame, Couturier finished off a barrage of rapid-fire Canadian shots when he calmly lifted a wrist shot into the net from the bottom of the far circle.  Couturier picked up a secondary assist on Canada’s seventh goal when defenceman Calvin de Haan fired a point shot past a screened Conz for a power play goal just 16 seconds after Swiss forward Ryan McGregor went to the box for holding.

Couturier echoed Cizikas’ comments on a total team effort.  “The whole team did good.  All four lines contributed and that’s what we need.”  He said his forward line featuring himself centering Marcus Foligno and Zack Kassian used size and strength to their advantage.  “We’re big boys and we just try to use our bodies the most we can.  We try to create plays offensively and I think we’re doing a pretty good job so far.  There’s a lot of credit that goes to my teammates: Foligno and ‘Kass’ were making a lot of room for me and winning battles and it was a good line.

“We blocked some shots, we chipped pucks out, created a lot of things off our forecheck.  We just try to keep it simple: forecheck, create stuff … it’s just exhibitions right now but we’re just trying to get some momentum going.”

In the third period, Switzerland replaced Conz with Lukas Meili and he was solid, stopping 17 of 18 shots and superb early, the best Swiss penalty killer during a 5 on 3 Canadian man advantage that lasted 1:22.  His only blemish was allowing a goal by Carter Ashton at 8:45 when Ashton arced toward the Swiss net off the right wing boards, then tucked a forehand shot just past the right pad of Meili.

In between the Canadian pipes, netminder Mark Visentin had a light load, facing only 20 shots.  Visentin admitted that it can be hard to keep focus in a blowout.  ”It’s tough to stay focussed out there so what I do is try to stay vocal out there and talk to my teammates.  There were a couple bouncy pucks that I thought I should have done a better job of playing but at the end of the day, none went in.”  He praised his teammates for their effort.  “They were absolutely great, making the first pass out of our end … the biggest thing for us was that we were physical tonight, we outworked them, we wore them down eventually.  It was just the way we cycled the puck and created chances that was excellent.  I think we rolled all four lines well tonight so it was really great to see that.”

Head coach Dave Cameron was generally pleased with the effort of Team Canada.  “I think we were good start to finish.  Getting the early lead took a lot of the pressure off. We got pucks deep, we dominated.”  He admitted it was hard to gauge Visentin’s performance given the small amount of shots given up.  “What you see is what you get … I think it was a hard game for him because there were long stretches where there were no shots and then a flurry to start the third. But we won 8-0.”  As expected, he named Olivier Roy as his starter against Sweden tomorrow night at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Cameron was also satisfied with the physical play of the Couturier-Foligno-Kassian trio calling them a “big physical line that can dominate down low.  They were good at getting the puck low.  I thought their shifts were a little long but they’re big bodies and I thought that they played to their strengths.”

He cautioned that against Sweden, players cannot afford to stay on the ice as long as they did tonight.  “Because we had the puck so much, I thought our shifts got a little long.  That’s one thing we’ve got to be a little careful of.  [Facing Sweden], I think it will be a little bit better of a test, so we’ll have to be better.”

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Four of the team’s seven defencemen are 6’2″ or taller including 6’5″ 227 lb. Jared Cowen, a 2009 first-round draft pick of Ottawa who returns to Team Canada after winning silver last year.  Captain Ryan Ellis, back for his third tour of duty for Canada at the World Juniors, was named team captain today.  Ellis was an alternate captain on last year’s team and also won a gold medal in 2009.  He also won back to back Memorial Cups with Windsor in the OHL over the past two seasons.  Ellis’ alternate captains will be fellow blueliners Cowen, Calvin de Haan and forward Brayden Schenn.  The four players are the only ones to have previous World Junior Championship experience.

Sean Couturier, a talented 18-year old forward with Drummondville of the QMJHL, is the only non-drafted player on the roster.  Last season, he won the QMJHL scoring title and was the first 17-year old to do so since Sidney Crosby in 2005.  Couturier is tabbed as a prospect who could likely find himself as the first overall NHL draft pick in Minneapolis next summer.  Jeremy Sandler of the National Post, reported last Thursday that the following three forward lines were being used in practice:

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Tonight, Hockey Canada opened the intrasquad portion of its team selection camp and Team Red won 4-1 over Team White on the strength of two goals by Marcus Foligno, a 2009 draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres.  Foligno is hoping to follow the same career path as his brother Nick, an Ottawa Senators’ left wing, and their father Mike Foligno who played 1,018 games in the NHL.  Another prospect in camp hoping to crack the final roster is Simon Desprès, a defenceman drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins with the 30th and final pick of the first round in 2009.

Desprès was the last player cut from the Penguins’ pre-season training camp this fall and is now playing in his fourth year for the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL.  In both 2009 and 2010, he impressed Pittsburgh coaches at both the summer prospect camp and pre-season training camp.  His mobile skating ability, improved shot and poise with the puck are skills that stood out to observers at the camps and his stick-handling during the rookie tournament this September in London, Ontario was also noteworthy.

As a raw 16 year old rookie in 2007-08, Desprès played a mostly stay-at-home defensive style.  In his second season, he assumed more offence-generating responsibility including seeing time on the power play.  Last season, Desprès posted career-best scoring statistics (9 G+38 A, 47 PTS) despite playing the fewest games (63) of any of his three major junior seasons.  He was a key cog on a Saint John club that posted the best regular season record (53-12-3) in the QMJHL.  Although the Sea Dogs bowed to their New Brunswick provincial rival, Moncton Wildcats in six games during the QMJHL Championship, Desprès scored 19 points in 21 playoff games.

This season, despite missing nearly a month of Saint John’s games in September due to his pre-season tryout in Pittsburgh, Desprès is still the league’s third-highest scoring defenceman with 26 points and leads all blueliners in points per game at a 1.18 clip.  His +19 rating ranks him 9th overall among defencemen.  Unsurprisingly, Saint John has once again surged into the overall lead of the QMJHL at the approximate midpoint of the season with a 27-4-2 record.

With a relatively short time to make an impression, Desprès must hope that a strong showing in selection camp, his impressive QMJHL résumé and his previous appearance in front of Hockey Canada decision-makers at the 2010 National Junior Team Summer Development Camp, will work in his favour when selections for the final roster are announced this Wednesday.

Now, let’s get down to business, tonight the Bruins take the ice for the start of a three-game home stand as the improving Buffalo Sabres come to town.

Tonight marks the second match-up between these familiar playoff foes since their six-game series in last years Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Tonight also marks one of the most anticipated goaltending match-up’s of this still-young season as Tim Thomas (13-2-2, 1.46, .956%) will butt heads with co-US Olympian Ryan Miller(9-7-2, 2.26, .922%).

Projected Lines:

Boston Bruins
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Mark Recchi-Patrice Bergeron-Blake Wheeler
Michael Ryder-Marc Savard-Tyler Seguin
Brad Marchand-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Zdeno Chara-Andrew Ference
Dennis Seidenberg-Johnny Boychuk
Mark Stuart-Adam McQuaid

Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Buffalo Sabres
Nathan Gerbe-Derek Roy-Thomas Vanek
Cody McCormick-Luke Adam-Jason Pominville
Tyler Ennis-Jochen Hecht-Patrick Kaleta
Chris Butler-Paul Gaustad-Mike Grier

Andrej Sekera-Tyler Myers
Jordan Leopold-Steve Montador
Mike Weber-Shaone Morrisonn

Ryan Miller
Patrick Lalime

Bruins Game Notes:
- Yesterday, the Bruins sent rookie Jordan Caron back down to Providence (AHL)
- Nathan Horton will look to keep his offense on track after tally his first goal in 10 games in Toronto on Saturday night
- The Bruins lead the all-time series 115-103-29-5, and are 69-41-14-1 at home against Buffalo.

The Puck Drops At 7:30PM on VERSUS(TV) and 98.5 The Sports Hub (Radio)

Boston Bruins Video Of The Day:

Courtesy of BostonBsProductions on Youtube

Click here to view the embedded video.

1. May 25, 1991: Penguins vs. North Stars: Penguins claim their first Stanley Cup.
2. June 1, 1992: Penguins vs. Blackhawks: Penguins clinch back-to-back Cups sweeping the series in four games.
3. April 25, 1989: Penguins vs. Flyers: Mario Lemieux explodes for five goals and eight points in an epic playoff battle – Pittsburgh’s first playoff berth since Lemieux’s arrival.
4. Dec. 27, 2000: Penguins vs. Maple Leafs: Mario Lemieux emerges from retirement in dramatic fashion with a goal and two assists.
5. April 24, 1996: Penguins vs. Capitals: The Penguins and Capitals take four overtimes to decide Game Four of the ’96 Eastern Conference quarterfinals as the Pens come out on top, 3-2.
6. April 9, 1993: Penguins vs. Rangers: Penguins set NHL record with 16th consecutive win – Lemieux erupts for five goals.
7. Oct. 24, 2006: Penguins vs. Devils: The 18-, 19- and 20-year-old trio of Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin all score a goal; Malkin’s being a highlight for the ages, in a 4-2 win over Martin Brodeur and the Devils.
8. May 10, 2001: Penguins vs. Sabres: Darius Kasparaitis joins the rush and scores the OT winner in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
9. Dec. 13, 2006: Penguins vs. Flyers: Sidney Crosby has a six-point night to take over the NHL scoring lead in only his sophomore season.
10. April 13, 1991: Penguins vs. Devils: Frank Pietrangelo makes what is simply known as `The Save’ in a 4-3 win in Game Six of the Patrick Division semifinals.

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Many fans criticized the exclusion of games from the Penguins’ first two decades of existence.  Others wondered why their fellow fans voted in #7 and #9 – two exciting games, no doubt, but with little historic value.  For those still stewing three years later, a fortnight of redemption began at the end of October when the Penguins decided to create “Pittsburgh Penguins Greatest Games, Vol. 2″.  The team has created a provisional list of eleven games and fans can cast votes on pittsburghpenguins.com for their five favourite games.  Voting ends this Saturday, November 13, 2010.  The eleven games (with descriptions from the team website) are:

1. May 11, 1991 – Penguins vs. Bruins, Game 6 of Conference Finals at Civic Arena – Penguins win, 5-3, to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history, and Mike Lange proclaims, “We’re going dancing with Lord Stanley!”
2. May 9, 1992 – Penguins vs. Rangers, Game 4 of Second Round at Civic Arena – Trailing late, the Penguins stage a dramatic rally and Ron Francis scores the game-winner in overtime.
3. May 26, 1992 – Penguins vs. Blackhawks, Game 1 of Cup Final at Civic Arena – Pens rally from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1; Jaromir Jagr scores a breathtaking goal to tie it and Mario Lemieux bangs in the game-winner with seconds remaining.
4. January 26, 1997 – Penguins vs. Canadiens at Molson Centre – Lemieux ties an NHL record with four goals in the third period in a 5-2 win.
5. November 10, 2005 – Penguins vs. Canadiens at Mellon Arena – Rookie Sidney Crosby scores a dramatic shootout goal for the Pens’ first-ever shootout victory.
6. January 1, 2008 – Penguins vs. Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium – With the snow falling, Crosby beats Ryan Miller in a shootout for the game-winner at the inaugural Winter Classic.
7. June 2, 2008 – Penguins vs. Detroit, Game 5 of Cup Final at Joe Louis Arena – Max Talbot ties the score with less than a minute to play and Petr Sykora wins it in the third overtime as the resilient Pens force a sixth game in Pittsburgh.
8. April 25, 2009 – Penguins vs. Flyers, Game 6 of First Round at Wachovia Center – Talbot hushes the crowd and the Penguins storm back from a 3-0 deficit to eliminate the rival Flyers and advance to the second round.
9. June 9, 2009 – Penguins vs. Red Wings, Game 6 of Cup Final at Mellon Arena – Marc-Andre Fleury stars in net and Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy score the goals as the Pens win, 2-1, to force a decisive Game 7 in Detroit.
10. June 12, 2009 – Penguins vs. Red Wings, Game 7 at Joe Louis Arena – Talbot scores twice and Fleury makes a dramatic late save as the Penguins defeat defending champion Detroit on the road, 2-1, to claim the Stanley Cup.
11. April 8, 2010 – Penguins vs. Islanders at Mellon Arena – The highlight of the final regular season game in the history of Mellon Arena may have been the extensive pre-game ceremony, which featured more than 50 former Penguins. The current Pens went on to defeat the New York Islanders. The footage also includes a post-game tribute to the arena.

What is a bit puzzling is why the decision was made to only list eleven games on the voting list and to only include five games in the final Volume 2 DVD instead of sticking with the “Top Ten” format.  In addition, as painful as it might seem, there are some great games in which the Penguins lost that should deserve recognition.  Nonetheless, full disclosure: this writer checked the boxes beside #1, #2, #3, #7 and #10.

Purely for fun, I decided to add my own hypothetical bonus material to Volume 2: five extra games to double the total for Volume 2 thus producing another Top Ten Greatest Games compilation.  In the next post, these “Bonus 5 Games” will be listed along with a brief justification for each pick.

Word out of the Bruins morning skate indicates that Tim Thomas left the ice first, essentially confirming him as the starting goaltender for tonight’s contest. Thomas is 6-9-2 with a 3.24 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage versus Buffalo. The hot netminder will be looking for his first win against the Sabres since Nov. 17, 2007 when the Bruins defeated Buffalo 2-1 at the Garden.

Sabres star goaltender Ryan Miller is reported to be scratched tonight due to an undisclosed lower-body injury, most likely meaning that journeyman Patrick Lalime will get the start between the pipes for the second straight game.

Should Lalime not get the go, current Portland Pirate (AHL) goaltender Jhonas Enroth will get the chance to go. Interestingly enough, reports are surfacing as I write this that Enroth will in fact be starting, a questionable, but intriguing move by the Sabres.

Projected Lines:

Bruins

Forwards
Milan Lucic-David Krejci-Nathan Horton
Jordan Caron-Patrice Bergeron-Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler-Tyler Seguin-Michael Ryder
Brad Marchand-Gregory Campbell-Shawn Thornton

Defense
Zdeno Chara- Andrew Ference
Mark Stuart- Dennis Seidenberg
Matt Hunwick-Adam McQuaid

Goalies
Tim Thomas
Tuukka Rask

Sabres

Forwards
Jochen Hecht-Derek Roy-Jason Pominville
Thomas Vanek-Tim Connolly-Patrick Kaleta
Tyler Ennis-Rob Niedermayer-Drew Stafford
Cody McCormick-Paul Gaustad-Mike Grier

Defense
Jordan Leopold-Steve Montador
Shaone Morrisonn-Tyler Myers
Craig Rivet-Andrej Sekera

Goalies
Patrick Lalime
Jhonas Enroth

Who To Watch For:

Tyler Seguin – The fresh-faced Seguin is on a two game point streak with a goal in each of his last two contests. Mid-game Saturday night in Ottawa, veteran Mark Recchi was taken off of Seguin’s wing and replaced by Blake Wheeler. All reports indicate that those changes will remain for tonight’s game so look for Seguin to take full advantage of having a fast man skating on his off-wing as he tries to keep his streak alive.

Bruins Game Notes:

- The Bruins are undefeated so far this season on the road (4-0-0) and will look to make it five in a row tonight in Buffalo

- On the season the Bruins have outscored their opponents 24-11, giving them the best goal differential in the league at a +13

- Tim Thomas will be looking for his seventh straight win, which would improve his record to 7-0-0 on the season. If successful, Thomas would be the first Bruins goaltender to ever start a season with seven straight victories.

- The Sabres have fallen into a surprisingly disappointing slow start, with the Bruins not allowing a single goal to a divisional opponent yet this year the Sabres will look to end that streak early on home-ice.

The Puck Drops at 7:00pm EST on NESN(TV) and 98.5 The Sports Hub(radio)

Bruins Video Of The Day:

A great pump-up clip courtesy of BostonBsProductions on Youtube

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hockey Independent is reporting live from Dundas, Ontario on the final day of Kraft Hockeyville 2010.  Check back throughout the night for updates from the NHL pre-season game between Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators at J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas.

For the blog of Hockeyville events that occurred earlier in the day, click on the following link:
Kraft Hockeyville 2010 Tuesday: LIVE UPDATES from Dundas

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11:57 pm The Sabres record a 2-1 pre-season win over designated “home” team Ottawa, but without a doubt, the capacity crowd at J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas, Ontario were the winners on this night and for the previous two days.  As Kraft Hockeyville 2010, Dundas was able to live a veritable three-day hockey fantasy experience.  From the appearance of the Stanley Cup on Sunday to school and hospital visits by NHL alumni on Monday to the palpable enthusiasm given by Dundas schoolchildren, despite torrential rain, to the Sabres when they arrived on their team bus and the excitement throughout the public game-day skates and the game itself, the town of Dundas, by the outpouring of support for their community and for hockey, truly showed they were worthy recipients of the title of Hockeyville.

9:31 pm Despite a furious Ottawa rush at the end of the game with goaltender Lehner pulled for an extra attacker, Buffalo hangs on to win the Kraft Hockeyville 2010 pre-season game. Sabres 2, Senators 1. FINAL

9:27 pm Buffalo’s Dennis McCauley and Ottawa’s Matt Carkner draw roughing penalties.  Carkner receives an extra two with under two  minutes left in the game giving Buffalo a power play.

9:26 pm The Senators are pouring it on looking for the tying goal but Miller turns away each of their scoring chances or covers up, preventing rebounds.

9:18 pm Ottawa’s Chris Neil and Buffalo’s Mike Weber mix it up at the side of the net before being separated by the linesmen after Ryan Miller froze the puck after a Sens’ scoring chance.

9:11 pm A no-hesitation wrist shot from the right circle by Jason Pominville off a pretty pass from Luke Adam gives Buffalo the lead at 11:14 of the third period. Sabres 2, Senators 1.

9:04 pm Scoring chances have been limited so far in the final regulation period.

8:56 pm The 3rd period is underway in a 1-1 tie.

THIRD PERIOD

8:40 pm Dundas is formally presented with a $100,000 novelty cheque as part of its winnings in the Kraft Hockeyville program.  The money will be used towards renovations and upgrades to the Grightmire Arena.

8:36 pm With time winding down in the period and power play, defenceman Patrick Wiercioch fires a point shot through traffic at 19:47 of the second period to square up the game. Sabres 1, Senators 1.

8:33 pm McCormick fights again, this time getting the scrap he wanted against Eric Gryba and decisively defeating him to go 2-0 on the night.  McCormick picks up an extra two for roughing and Ottawa heads back to the power play.

8:26 pm In a battle of Codys, Buffalo’s McCormick wins a fight against Ottawa’s Bass.

8:25 pm As predicted by Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff this morning, players seem to be having trouble finding space to pass or shoot due to the narrower and less lengthy dimensions of the Grightmire Arena ice surface.

8:12 pm Ottawa defenceman Andre Benoit goes to the penalty box for roughing leading to Buffalo’s first power play of the night.

8:06 pm At 3:29 of the period, Ottawa’s Eric Gryba and Buffalo’s Cody McCormick collide, almost leading to a fight.  McCormick goes to the box for hooking.  This is Ottawa’s third power play of the game.

8:03 pm The second period has begun and both teams have turned up the physical intensity.  The first scrum occurs in front of the Ottawa net.

SECOND PERIOD

7:47 pm During the 1st intermission, special guests Don Cherry and Ron MacLean of CBC Hockey Night in Canada’s Coach’s Corner stroll out onto the red carpet.  Cherry pays tribute to a Canadian war veteran who fought in Afghanistan.

7:41 pm Miller makes another solid save, using his blocker to parry away a wrist shot from Jesse Winchester with about half a minute left in the opening frame.

7:33 pm Miller makes a nice left pad save on Senator Eric Gryba who fired a low shot from the point through traffic.

7:29 pm Buffalo takes another penalty as blueliner Steve Montador gets called for holding the stick at 11:14 but just 15 seconds into the penalty-kill, Sabre defenceman Rob Niedermayer slips a shot by Ottawa goalie Robin Lehner for a shorthanded tally. Sabres 1, Senators 0.

7:25 pm The Senators come up empty on their first power play.  Ryan Miller stopped a tip-in attempt just as penalty time expired.

7:22 pm Buffalo defenceman Mike Weber takes the first penalty of the game, a holding call at 7:55 of the first period.

7:10 pm The puck drops and the game is underway.  Buffalo rings a shot off the crossbar almost immediately.

FIRST PERIOD

7.03 pm NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was just introduced … to predictable booing.  Dundas residents, technically members of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, still stew about repeated legal wrangling that has prevented the region from realizing their eternal dream of landing an NHL club.  Former Canadian women’s team captain and current CBC broadcaster Cassie Campbell received prolonged applause.

6.59 pm STARTING LINEUPS: OTTAWA: LW Jarkko Ruutu, C Chris Kelly, RW Chris Neil, D Matt Carkner, D David Hale, G Robin Lehner. BUFFALO: LW Thomas Vanek, C Tim Connolly, RW Jason Pominville, D Shaone Morrisonn, D Tyler Myers, G Ryan Miller

6:47 pm The two teams have returned to their dressing rooms as the Zambonis clean up the ice for the final time before the first faceoff.  An announcement was just made thanking the NHL and Kraft Canada, but the biggest cheer was reserved for the Dundas organizing committee which spearheaded the drive to win the title of Hockeyville 2010.

6:29 pm Fans, many armed with “ThunderStix” noise-makers and air horns, cheer as the Senators take the ice first, followed by the Sabres.  The Grightmire Arena will be the site of the final and showcase event of Kraft Hockeyville 2010: the NHL pre-season game between the two clubs.

Hockey Independent is reporting live from Dundas, Ontario on the final day of Kraft Hockeyville 2010.  Check back throughout the day for updates.  Scroll to the entry at 1.11 pm for audio clips from Lindy Ruff, Ryan Miller and Chris Neil.

There is a new blog post tonight for live updates from the NHL pre-season game between Buffalo and Ottawa.  The link below is now active.
Kraft Hockeyville 2010 Tuesday: LIVE UPDATES Buffalo vs. Ottawa

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5:47 pm Market St. South has been transformed into a party zone for the pre-game rally.  Giant inflatable hockey players, slapshot speed tests, Kraft Dinner giveaways and live bands are just some of the attractions.

5:26pm Peter Puck and his handler, a woman from CBC Sports seek shelter inside a side door of the arena.  When I ask if Peter is doing so because he was swarmed by kids at the pep rally and pre-game party, the handler says it’s actually because the fabric of Peter’s costume would get musty and smelly in the rain.

4.12 pm J.L. Grightmire Arena, originally known as the Dundas Arena, was built in 1950 and officially opened on December 13 of that year.  Mr. Grightmire was the chairman of the building committee.  When the rink opened, Art E. Jerome, the arena’s first manager, wrote in The Dundas Star that citizens “will undoubtedly be impressed with [the arena's] utility and beauty; [it] will fill a need that has existed for many years”.

The seeds for the Grightmire Arena’s erection were sown on January 27, 1949 when Dundas civic groups including churchmen, town councillors and men’s groups were invited by the Dundas Lions Club to discuss the feasibility of building an arena for Dundas.  At that meeting, Harry McLeod, recreation director of Simcoe, described his town’s experience with raising funds to build an arena.  Persuaded, Dundas moved to start work and citizens responded, raising $105,000 in 1949.  The arena was constructed in 7 1/2 months at a total cost of $185,000.  When a $30,000 to $40,000 deficit for refrigeration equipment and other costs remained upon the rink’s completion, Grightmire appealed to Dundas citizens to help fund the balance.

The J.L. Grightmire Arena seats 1,500 with an additional 1,400 standing-room only spaces and the ice surface measures 190 feet by 80 feet.  (A standard NHL ice surface is 200 feet by 85 feet).

2:56 pm Some parts of Dundas still have that “Olde Towne” feel, with black-posted streetlights and numerous small, family-owned businesses, making it an idyllic location for Hockeyville.

2.11 pm The lights have been dimmed but the preparation and maintenance work continues as the Zamboni resurfaces the ice in advance of tonight’s NHL pre-season game between Buffalo and Ottawa.

1.11 pm Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff addressed the media at 11.20 am after his club’s game-day skate and said he warned his team to beware the smaller rink.  “I told the guys it’s a different type of game.  You’ll see battles in tight places.  It’ll be tough to get pucks to the net, not a lot of room to make a lot of plays.”  Ruff also noted that the rink is roughly 185 feet by 80 feet (NHL standard is 200′ x 85′).
   FULL AUDIO: 6 mins 23 sec

Buffalo starting goalie and star of the U.S. Olympic team Ryan Miller followed Ruff to the podium.  He does not think his preparation for this game will be any different though he did acknowledge the peripheral circumstances were certainly different.  “I think we just try and have fun with it.  I think we’re going to be excited to play a good hockey game and it will send you back a bit … It sends you back to when you were young, that really special spot when hockey is not a business and just what you like to do.  So it’s nice to see the kids here and [see them] wearing their hometown jerseys.”
   FULL AUDIO: 3 mins 07 sec

After the main media scrum, I had the chance to ask Miller whether he hoped to see a similar event take place in his home state of Michigan where he grew up and played his college hockey.
   FULL AUDIO: 0 min 54 sec

Following his team’s game-day skate, Ottawa forward Chris Neil fielded media questions at 12.30 pm.  Neil, who grew up in tiny Flesherton, Ontario, appreciated the enthusiasm of the children and looked forward to playing tonight.  “Coming from a small town, we only have 700 people in my hometown, so it’s not a big spot but it’s an opportunity to come up here and see the kids and see how they react to it and how I wish when I was a kid I had that opportunity.  So hopefully tonight they can have fun and enjoy it.  We’re definitely going to have fun out there for sure.”
   FULL AUDIO: 6 mins 44 sec

12.07 pm The Sens’ lineup for tonight’s game against Buffalo has been released.  Erin Pollina of sabres.nhl.com has all the names and numbers.  Ottawa fans may be disappointed to know that captain Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza did not make the trip to Hockeyville.

11:23 am The Ottawa Senators have hit the ice for their game-day skate.

Chris Neil takes a rest along the boards but keeps his eyes on the puck during the Sens' game-day skate.

11.03 am Buffalo has released their lineup for tonight.  Among the notables scheduled to play: forwards Thomas Vanek, Tim Connolly and Jason Pominville; Calder finalist defenceman Tyler Myers and goaltender Ryan Miller.  The lineup was reported by Erin Pollina of sabres.nhl.com approximately one-half hour ago.

10.24 am The Sabres are on the ice for their game-day skate.  The Sabres blue and gold uniforms match the sweaters of many Dundas fans, wearing Dundas Blues and Gotta be Dundas jerseys, watching the practice.

9.55 am It looks like the Ottawa Senators will arrive without fanfare as many fans have headed indoors, out of the rain, to watch the Sabres’ game-day skate, scheduled to begin shortly.

9.45 am Despite a driving downpour, hundreds of Dundas schoolchildren stand and wait for the team buses to arrive.  Their patience is rewarded when the Buffalo Sabres arrive.  Some players pause to sign autographs before hastily heading indoors to the dressing room to stay dry.

Sabres' coach Lindy Ruff (at centre, holding umbrella) heads into the J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas, Ontario to prepare his club for the game-day skate.

8.55am Out of the rain and inside a quiet J.L. Grightmire Arena where workers studiously prepare the rink for tonight’s exhibition match between Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators.  We are awaiting the arrival of the two teams who will surely be greeted by enthusiastic Dundas residents.

On a day filled with goodwill, the J.L. Grightmire Arena in Dundas provided one last touch of goodwill and wide-open hockey on Monday evening to provide a fitting end to the second day of Kraft Hockeyville events.  The senior AAA Dundas Real McCoys defeated the Junior C Dundas Blues 15-11 in an Alumni Game to benefit the “Gotta be Dundas Legacy Project”.  Ex-Toronto Maple Leaf captain and 3-time 50-goal scorer Rick Vaive was the headlining alumnus for the Real McCoys.  The game had the feel and flow of an NHL All-Star Game as it featured several end-to-end rushes, little contact and no penalties.

The ultimate winner was the Legacy Project which is attempting to raise $500,000 for upgrades to the Grightmire Arena.  Earlier in the day, Dave Andreychuk, a native of nearby Hamilton, Ontario, teamed up with several NHL alumni and made a visit to the Children’s Hospital of McMaster University.  It would not be incorrect to say that the entire town of Dundas has come to a standstill to focus excitedly on Hockeyville events.

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This evening, attending the Alumni Game, I was ushered out of the driving early autumn rain and greeted warmly by enthusiastic staff members and volunteers.  A large version of the “Gotta be Dundas” logo has been painted on the tiles just inside the main doors of the Grightmire Arena.  Other volunteers sold 50/50 and raffle tickets for a chance to win a jersey autographed by all members of the Blues and Real McCoys.  The sense of rallying around a common cause – the Legacy Project – was evident.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was how almost every man, woman and child wore the ubiquitous yellow and blue Gotta be Dundas hockey sweater.  Again, the focus on showing enthusiasm and passion for the community through the vehicle of hockey, was palpable throughout the night.

Tomorrow morning, the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators arrive and will likely find themselves swarmed by hundreds of enthusiastic Dundasians.  A pep rally will be held in the late afternoon before the marquee event, the exhibition match between the two clubs, takes place in the Grightmire Arena (7:00 pm EDT – TSN, NHL Network).

I will endeavour to file updates throughout the day on all the happenings at Hockeyville 2010.

While some disturbed Canadians avidly watch “Battle of the Blades”, an odd dance-off television program pairing figure skaters and ex-hockey players, “Kraft Hockeyville” has annually proved to be hockey’s best reality show.  Now in its fifth season, the Kraft food company, CBC, NHL, NHLPA and online voters joined forces once again to identify the Canadian town that demonstrates the highest degree of passion for hockey, community spirit and originality.  On Saturday, April 3, citizens of Dundas, Ontario gathered in their local rink, J.L. Grightmire Arena, and exploded with joy when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman named the town as winners of Kraft Hockeyville 2010.

In addition to winning the coveted label of “Hockeyville”, Dundas won $100,000 for upgrades to J.L. Grightmire Arena and the right to host a series of hockey-related community events that started this weekend, culminating in a pre-season game between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

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Earlier today former players signed autographs and participated in a day of festivities including an appearance by the Stanley Cup, a barbecue and skills clinics.  On the schedule tomorrow, NHL alumni will visit an elementary school and a children’s hospital before a game between the Senior AAA Dundas Real McCoys and the Junior C Dundas Blues’ Alumni.  The final day of celebrations, Tuesday, will feature the arrival of the Sabres and Senators and visits by some of their players to more local schools.  Lastly, a pep rally and skills challenge will precede the exhibition match at J.L. Grightmire Arena.

Beyond the exciting schedule of events, Kraft Hockeyville ultimately captures the essence of small-town Canada and nothing unites communities in this country like hockey.  Even to a greater degree than the Winter Classic, the annual New Year’s Day outdoor game that often is billed as ”bringing hockey back to its roots”, an event like Hockeyville truly highlights the roots of every NHL player’s career.  It is in the local minor hockey arena, under the tutelage of dedicated coaches and volunteers, where young children first learn to skate, handle a stick, pass, shoot and defend.  It is also in the local arena where hopefully, lessons in sportsmanship, fair play, respect, dedication and perseverance are taught and learned.

Hockey has continued to survive and thrive in Canada due to the existence and maintenance of local arenas and all the practices and games that they host.  This is why the charitable and fundraising-promotion angle of the Hockeyville program deserve credit.  In addition to the $100,000 grant for renovations at J.L. Grightmire Arena, Dundas is also determined to raise an additional $500,000 through donations from residents and businesses for the “Gotta be Dundas Legacy Project” which will be used for upgrades to arena signage, lighting and sound systems and the addition of a second floor lounge.  Revenue from tickets for the Monday night game will also go towards the Gotta be Dundas Legacy Project.

Note the eruption of pure enthusiasm and joy of Dundasians when Bettman announces the winner at approximately 2:02 of the video.  Also note the shiny Kraft Hockeyville winner’s trophy paraded onto the ice at 3:54.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For this writer, the awarding of Kraft Hockeyville to Dundas is special because the childhood years were spent in and around Dundas.  The town was where my brother attended middle school and high school and where I toiled in a part-time job during summers in between college terms.  It will be a trip down memory lane when I visit Dundas on Monday and Tuesday to cover the proceedings of Kraft Hockeyville for Hockey Independent.  However, the story will not be about a writer’s nostalgia, but rather, the commendable enthusiasm, excitement and pervasive hope centred in hockey that always exists in small-town Canada.

Morehouse noted that the Winter Classic will not just be one NHL game but instead, “a week full of events, a week long celebration of Pittsburgh and hockey in Pittsburgh.  [We will be] celebrating high school hockey, college hockey as well as the Winter Classic.”  He went on to thank the Steelers and then the Penguins for making Pittsburgh a hockey town.  “With the help of Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby and all of the players over the past few years on the Penguins, and the official announcement of hosting the Winter Classic, Pittsburgh has now become a hockey town and will always be a hockey town.”

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It is interesting to note that the winner of the first three Winter Classics (Pittsburgh ’08, Detroit ’09, Philadelphia ’10) went on to become the losing team in that season’s Stanley Cup Final.

Cynicism reigned in my brain when the Penguins last participated in the Winter Classic three years ago on New Year’s Day, 2008 in Buffalo.  Yet my opinion on the whole concept of an outdoor game changed 180 degrees as that game progressed.  Yes, there was risk of injury; yes, the playing conditions were unnatural, but it was a great spectacle.  The following are my thoughts on that game, originally written in a now-defunct personal, general-interest blog, twenty-four hours after Crosby slipped the puck through Ryan Miller’s pads to end the shootout.  Funny how Crosby seems to put the puck past Miller for game-winning goals when extraordinarily large numbers of people are watching on television.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008 – 7.38pm – “This is why I love winter”

Rare but welcome are the moments in life when some event, person or entity unexpectedly rekindles a time of innocence and unsullied recreation. I am a proud Pittsburgh Penguins hockey supporter cursed to dwell in an acidic blue sea of mouth-breathing, zombie-like Maple Leaf fans in the city of Toronto. Naturally, my exposure to Leaf information is unavoidable due to the Emmanuel Goldstein-like braying from three national cable television sports networks and the local all sports radio station.

Unashamedly, I spent hours upon hours last week on my brief Christmas break digging up every last scrap of Penguins intelligence on pittsburghpenguins.com. Penguin game stories, Penguin statistics, Penguin ringtones, Penguin wallpaper, Penguin uniform histories, Penguin audio highlights, Penguin discounted tickets, Penguin fan message boards…. Had I temporarily pronounced myself dead and ascended to Pittsburgh? Or Antarctica?

Yet I still could be counted with the cynics leading up to yesterday’s Winter Classic, a regular-season contest in which the Penguins would travel to Orchard Park, New York and play, not at the arena, but in front of 72,217 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of pro football’s Buffalo Bills. The National Hockey League waxed rhapsodic throughout the autumn, proclaiming that the game would once more return to its roots – evoking memories of youngsters playing pond hockey or night time hockey on a field covered in ice with picturesque snow falling gently down from the sky.

Pick your favourite metaphor – the NHL probably used it in some press release. Being a curmudgeon however, I fretted about pulled muscles as a result of Buffalo’s famous cold weather, twisted ankles from poorly manufactured ice, and a myriad of other injuries which might result and further deplete Pittsburgh’s already impairment-riddled roster.

My fears seemed to be confirmed as the game got underway yesterday, twenty minutes late due to a brisk snowstorm, even as the Penguins jumped to a quick 1-0 lead with a goal on the first shift of the afternoon. Repeatedly through the game, the Zambonis and grounds crew were called upon to clean, clear and patch up the ice amidst a persistent snowfall.

But as I turned on my television for the third period, the game now tied at one goal apiece, I found myself caught up in the spirit of the event. Yes, the game was a spectacle, a novelty event. But it was hockey; it was winter; it was a community of like-minded hockey fans, myself included, assembled at the stadium or watching on countless television sets throughout the continent who “got it”. That although the game conditions were inherently abnormal – just ask the goalies who had to battle the opposition and snow blowing through the openings of their face masks – we “got it”; we understood the event was supposed to be unique and pure fun.

When the game’s young superstar, Sidney Crosby, rose to the occasion and scored the shootout-winning goal for the Penguins, there wasn’t one fan who didn’t figuratively leap and cheer out loud as he did at the pure exhiliration of the moment. “When you see 70,000 people jammed into a stadium to watch hockey, it’s a good sign. The atmosphere and environment, I don’t think you can beat that.” Crosby reflected post-game.

You can’t beat it. You can’t beat the spectacle of standing with 70,000 others sometimes huddling for warmth, but mostly moving, waving, clapping, singing and cheering to ward off the cold. You can’t beat the sight of snow falling on the ice and players having to accommodate the abnormal skips and bounces to play the puck. You can’t beat the sight of goalies wearing tuques on top of their mask. Finally, you can’t beat the roar of joy from Crosby, the game’s marquee attraction, the look of pure enthusiasm on his face for playing the game of winter, our game, in its most natural climate and environment.

If the Sabres have anything to prove, it’s going to be during this 7-game road trip in January. It started in Atlanta and will end in this year’s Olympics host city, Vancouver. So far, the Sabres have managed to take 5 points of the potential 14 that lie within this trip.

Buffalo’s first game, at Atlanta, was a 2-1 OT win, followed by a SO loss at the New York Islanders. With tonight’s win, the Sabres are 8-0-3 in the last 11 and have thus earned a point in each of those games.

Buffalo had a blowout game against Phoenix, hounding the Coyotes to the tune of a 7-2 rout. With the two points earned in the game, the Sabres have currently squeezed into the #1 spot in the Eastern Conference, with 66 points. The Washington Capitals also have 66 points, but the Sabres have done it with one less game played.

Buffalo has another chance against Anaheim on January 20th, as the West Coast swing continues. The wins have been opportune, as the New Jersey Devils are currently on a rare losing streak- this Western Conference tour is the best moment possible for the Sabres, for two reasons:

1. The Sabres have the best record against Western teams, at 8-0-1. Many critics and Western fans have touted their supremacy, but Buffalo has the chance to prove that Eastern teams still have the mettle to tango with the West.

2. Buffalo has the opportunity to pull away, even if it is temporary, and claim the top spot legitimately. This stretch is one of the longest and toughest in this season, and if the Sabres emerge with a winning record, they will have proved much to the NHL.

Both Anaheim and Los Angeles have  experienced slides of their own, and while Anaheim has righted the ship, a streaking Buffalo team may have what it takes to steal 2 wins and 4 points from California-with the biggest test being at the Shark Tank.

So what has the Sabres going? What has made them an elite team?

No doubt, people are going to point out the stellar play of Ryan Miller, and he deserves all the accolades that he receives. But I’m going to try and focus on the players around Miller- he always tries to share the spotlight, and I’ll join him in his efforts.

While the Sabres’ defense is ranked 25th in terms of shots against per game [31.9], Buffalo has a huge star-in-the-making in Tyler Myers. He’s leading the entire team in ice time per game, and he also has been pegged as a favorite, or at least a legitimate contender, for the Calder Trophy. He added another tally during the Sabres’ rout of Phoenix, and now has scored 7 goals and 27 points.

The re-emergence of Tim Connolly and the rest of the Sabres offense has also been crucial to Buffalo’s success. Buffalo is currently ranked 9th in terms of shots on goal per game, averaging just under 31 shots/game. Connolly is on a points binge, adding at least one point in the last 12 contests. He’s at 11 goals and 31 assists for a team-high 42 points.

Lindy Ruff’s “scoring by committee” system has finally broken through and found success. In the last 11 games in which the Sabres have gained at least one point, Buffalo has scored 39 goals, averaging out to just about 3.5 goals per game. That has boosted their “goals for” ranking, from 19th up to the current 11th place spot.

Miller’s GAA is 2.01, so basic math tells us that the offense is doing it’s job.

The lack of an offensive superstar may be cause for concern, or at the very least some wishful thinking, but the Sabres currently have a system that works for them. The biggest danger is having the defense slide- then the team relies on Miller too heavily, which can wear him down.

The defense will also have to step it up, especially just before and after the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Ryan Miller’s position on the USA squad is practically a guarantee that Buffalo will see backup Patrick Lalime minding the net for quite a few games. If the Sabres want to continue winning, they must adjust their defense accordingly.

But in the grand scope of things, the Sabres are doing just fine. 66 points and a 30-11-6 record is proof of that.

Theodore Roosevelt has a famous quote, that states “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

The Sabres seem to be taking his advice quite well.

First and foremost, I would like to say that I am incredibly pleased with the way that the Sabres season has gone thus far. Buffalo is atop the Northeast Division and 3rd in the Eastern Conference, and boasts one of the best defenses in the league.

I’m also incredibly happy with some players on the team, such as star netminder Ryan Miller, and even his backup Patrick Lalime. Rookie sensation Tyler Myers has been absolutely stellar this season, and is picking up the most ice time per game than any other rookie in the league. He’s been a cornerstone on the blue and gold’s defense.

Clarke MacArthur has impressed this season also, with a team high 10 goals this season.

And that’s when I start to worry, after typing that sentence.

“…a team high 10 goals…”

And that sentence is why I’m writing this article. Again, I am not complaining or being pessimistic, I would just like to point this issue out.

League leaders in scoring include Gaborik, Marleau, Ovechkin, Crosby, etc…and while I realize that Buffalo may not get a player of that magnitude in the near future, I’m just concerned that the Sabres’ best goal scorer has less than half of the league leaders.

However, what is apparent among the Sabres and lacking in other squads is the “goals by committee” system that Lindy Ruff is pushing among his players, and so far it’s working just fine. As long as the defense keeps going the way it is.

Only 3 Sabres starters [Rivet, Mair, Butler] are without goals. Four players have scored 1 apiece, another four have scored 2, two have scored 6, three have scored 7, Derek Roy has 9 and MacArthur and Vanek both have 10.

The system of pushing towards the net and simply putting shots on goal has worked, especially in times of dire need [such as Buffalo's last win against Toronto].

Other times, when the system fails, the outcome is ugly [such as Buffalo's loss against Washington last night]. That was painfully obvious watching the Sabres fall to the Capitals, as Ryan Miller did all he could to stop Washington. But, a goalie can only do so much, and especially without the offensive help that’s needed.

That’s why I get this feeling that if Buffalo had that one stud forward, a power scorer that could ignite this Sabres offense, the team would be just about unstoppable. I’m trying not to be a homer, but I truly believe that.

One of the biggest disappointments so far is Buffalo’s supposed superstar, Thomas Vanek. He’s injured, yes, but only 10 goals so far? In many fans opinions, he is not earning the salary that Buffalo is shelling out for him.

Am I calling for a trade? Perhaps. Something, please something, to get this offense going. Buffalo is currently ranked 21st with just 94 goals for, compared to league-leader Washington’s 132.

There are many rumors about players like Lecavalier, Carter, and Kovulchuk being moved within or after this season, and the Sabres might want to consider pursuing a top-ranked offensive machine.

I’m not saying capturing one of the mentioned three is likely, but in my opinion the Sabres management needs to do something.

I want to open this up to the readers, Sabres fans or not. What do you think could help out this offense, and relieve some pressure on the defense?

And to those reading: A blessed and Merry Christmas to you and yours!

There is reason to celebrate tonight, despite the pre-Christmas rush a lot of us might be feeling. Despite the gaping hole in our pockets we know we’re going to feel come the end of the month, despite the big guts we’re certain to accumulate after Christmas dinners. Despite all that, Habs fans can wear a huge smile on their face on this Monday Morning.

Andrei Markov will be seeing doctors today, and if all goes according to plan, we could be seeing the Habs’ #1 defenseman in uniform as early as tonight! According to Pat Hickey of the Gazette, that’s unlikely, but Markov could likely dress either Wednesday when the Canadiens visit the Devils in New Jersey, or Thursday when they receive Guillaume Latendresse and the Minnesota Wild at the Bell Centre. Markov will have a full contact practice today and we should know more about his situation either later today or tomorrow.

But despite all of this rejoicing over what could be a Habs Holiday Miracle, there is still 4 nights of hockey to prepare for over the next six, and it all starts tonight against the red hot Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres lead the Northeast Division with 40 points, ahead of Boston with a game in hand. They’ve won 3 in a row and are 7-3-0 in their last ten. Ryan Miller is statistically the best goalie in the league, with an 18-6-2 record, a 1.83 GAA and a .939 SVP, and 4 shutouts through 26 games played. 18 year-old Tyler Myers is an early candidate for the Calder Trophy, playing top minutes as a rookie defenseman for the Sabres, and Centers Tim Connolly and Derek Roy are having good offensive seasons.

This is a team that’s rolling along, winning games and making themselves a cup contender. However, RDS was quick to point out that the Sabres haven’t played that well at the Bell Centre in recent times, going 0-3-1 against the Habs on the road. Carey Price, who will be in goal tonight, is 2-0-1 with a 1.95GAA against the Sabres at home. Miller vs. Price is certainly a match-up to watch tonight.

As for the Canadiens, they are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Atlanta Thrashers, giving up a 2 goal lead late in the game after a 2 goal performance from Andrei Kostitsyn, only to lose it on an outstanding individual play from none other than Ilya Kovalchuk to beat Price and win the game in OT. Prior to that, the Pittsburgh Penguins broke a Habs 3 game winning streak on Thursday night in a 3-2 loss. The habs have kept it close, but they are constantly outshot and outplayed, and you can tell that they’re just itching to get Markov back.

Line-up notes and Markov news to come, so for now, check out tonight’s stats:

STATS:

WHAT THE STATS SAY:

Tonight is all about special teams. Before Ilya Kovalchuk’s goal on Saturday, the Canadiens were on a 33 penalty streak where they hadn’t given up a goal. Buffalo’s 5th place PK speaks for itself. The Canadiens PP is slightly better than Buffalo’s so it will be interesting to see how they match up, especially if Bergeron ends up missing tonight’s game (although he will probably play). The Canadiens can’t fall into a 3 game losing streak, with 3 more games this week, so if I were a betting man, I’d expect this one to go to OT and for it to be a low scoring affair. Cammalleri and Roy are players to watch tonight, as is Andrei Kostitsyn, coming off a 2 goal performance.

FINAL PREDICTION: Habs 3 – Sabres 2 shoutout.

Sorry for the short blog today, I will try to have more news later in the day.

Enjoy the game,

Prax
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PS: VOTE