Back on April 18, concerning the future direction of the Hawks I wrote….

Blackhawk management will first have to decide what style of game they want to play going forward. In my view the NHL is moving toward fewer penalties for interference as well as other infractions. That doesn’t help a non-physical, puck possession team.

So adding experienced players who are not as fast but more physical isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although at this point the roster isn’t close to being set and the degree of adjustment concerning style of play is still unknown.

There are a couple of things which we can be sure about.

When Brian Campbell finally said uncle and approved his trade to the land of sunshine and bloated contracts, the Blackhawks would have to adjust. Campbell’s impact on a game really can’t be measured by points alone.

His skating ability, vision and passing helped the offense to flow. Many times Campbell started a play which led to a goal but couldn’t get credited with an assist. He also turned plays which helped the Hawks transition from defense to offense quickly.

The other issue created from Campbell’s departure is how playing time will be distributed among Hawk defensemen. Campbell played a lot of minutes and they won’t be easy to replace. It’s too early to tell what is possible but my plan would be as follows.

One way or the other the ice time for Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook has to stay below 25 minutes in many games.

Maybe Niklas Hjalmarsson and Nick Leddy log about 20 minutes a night while the third pairing gets around 15 minutes of ice time. Whomever the third pairing is they need to contribute so the top four can be effective late in the season and in the playoffs. Lastly Keith and Seabrook need some help on the penalty kill, the hard minutes take a toll.

There is an unclear picture because the unsigned Chris Campoli might not be back. Filtering through the ambiguity and flip flopping of general manager speak the Hawks did address a specific need.

For those who were concerned about the Blackhawks lacking veteran leadership, Stan Bowman has dealt with your concern.

The additions of Andrew Brunette, Jamal Mayers and Sean O’Donnell will fill that void. Those players know what it takes to prepare for battle and they haven’t been known to take nights off. Brett McLean has experience too but he may start the season in Rockford.

Brunette is a smart veteran and former captain who should be able to chip in with some offense. The Hawks needed a player to provide net presence and Brunette could pick up a few goals by standing his ground in the slot area.

Mayers is a sly pro who can play rough by not stupid. He had a good season last year with San Jose and can contribute when called upon. It remains to be seen how many games Mayers will play. But when given the opportunity he will know his role and should be an effective fourth line player.

O’Donnell will give young Leddy an experienced mentor. He can still play at the age of 39, soon to be 40, and isn’t afraid to drop the gloves. O’Donnell has been involved in 12 fights the past two seasons, eight more than Brent Seabrook. O’Donnell fights the big boys when called upon and most often wins. He provides stability on the blueline and doesn’t take any crap.

The Hawks also added Dan Carcillo to the mix, but I’m not sure why. While with the Phoenix Coyotes, Carcillo was an impressive agitator who could play some hockey. Unfortunately over the years Carcillo has not grown wiser.

Maybe under Joel Quenneville’s tutelage Carcillo will understand the bigger picture. Up until now Carcillo’s focus has been shaky.

About three few years ago I had a conversation with a Hawk tough guy who knew Carcillo. The impression he shared was Carcillo is a good guy but “crazy”. He said you never could be sure what Carcillo would do on the ice.

If Carcillo can play with an edge but not be stupid he could be used as a good example for Kyle Beach. If Carcillo stays as scattered and selfish then there is a bad example for Beach to learn from. Beach should realize he will never be a consistent NHL perfomer by not playing with discipline.

When the season ended Bowman commented on some players.

A few months ago it seemed like Ben Smith and Marcus Kruger had likely roster spots come this fall. Now with the new additions, Smith and Kruger could begin the season in Rockford which wouldn’t be terrible. In any event training camp should be interesting.

Two other Hawks which were talked about as if they would be in Chicago for years were Campoli and Michael Frolik and both are still unsigned. Hockey logic tells me Frolik has little bargaining power so his chances of remaining a Blackhawk are better than Campoli.

With all the bloated contracts signed recently, Bowman may not be comfortable with Campoli going to arbitration. Campoli filed for arbitration last year while with the Senators and his intentions for this summer will be known later today.

****Reported after the blog was posted….
Campoli has filed for salary arbitration.

There was one perquisite for Bowman in regards to acquiring players on July 1.

Every new Blackhawk was signed for only one season and that was by design.

Al’s Shots

I shared the likelihood of Dany Heatley being dealt on June 24, but there aren’t any reliable whispers on the Blackhawk front except about Ice Hog head coach Bill Peters.

From what I have heard Peters and only a couple of others are on Mike Babcock’s list to become assistant coaches in Detroit. Babcock has two openings and it has been mentioned he will likely announce his decision this week.

If Peters leaves for Detroit the Hawks will have to make a good choice for his replacement.

I can’t remember a time when the Hawks have had more highly rated prospects in their system. The importance of a good teacher in Rockford can’t be discounted.

Although there aren’t any solid trade rumors I can provide some speculation.

I get a strong feeling that somewhere now John Scott is being coached up to enhance his playing skills. Maybe Scott can become something he hasn’t been or possibly the Hawks are beginning to go into a different direction.

Maybe the reports on Scott aren’t promising. That could be why Mayers and Carcillo were both signed. If Campoli is resigned, including Scott the Hawks would have eight defenders.

If Steve Montador is the replacement for Campoli and Brent Sopel isn’t brought back the Hawks would have seven defenseman including Scott.

But Jordan Hendry has been the forgotten man and maybe Bowman has a Sopel contract already in his desk drawer.

O’Donnell played in 81 NHL games last season….He isn’t going to get shuffled to the AHL.

The point is the Hawk blue line could be overcrowded….Maybe Scott will be entertaining fans in Rockford rather than Chicago??

The Rangers haven’t made a big reactionary trade as a result of acquiring Brad Richards.

Richards signed for a lower cap hit than I thought, which could mean there is little chance of acquiring a good center in Brandon Dubinsky….But I won’t give up yet.

The Sabres have a couple of centers who may have to be moved….Paul Gaustad and Derick Roy. Buffalo is bumping the salary cap ceiling.

A player who I would like more if he was bigger is Oiler center, Sam Gagne.

The Hawks have added some size so bringing Gagne to Chicago to team up with old buddy Pat Kane might be a possiblity.

Gagne centered for Kane in London and those two would be fun to watch….As long as they wouldn’t be defensive liabilities.

Frolik has been the subject of some trade rumors….But the Hawks aren’t backed into a corner with him.

Frolik isn’t arbitration eligible but he is aware of all the fat contracts being given out around the league.

The Campoli and Frolik negotiations are probably sticky and might stay that way for awhile.

Maybe Bowman gets tired of the drama and…

Packages the rights to Frolik and Campoli to acquire a center??

Let’s not forget Viktor Stalberg….He hasn’t been chatted up by the Hawk front office.

Stalberg could be another candidate to be included in a trade package.

Stalberg has potential and might worth hanging onto for the right price.

I would feel much more optimistic about the new season if the Hawks can ice three scoring lines.

Acquiring another goal scorer could be the ticket….

The Hawks offense may not be as potent without Campbell and to a lesser extent Brouwer.

Contract issues were probably not the main reason Brouwer and Kopecky are not with the Blackhawks. The trading of Brian Campbell might not have been fully anticipated but surely a plan to replace Brouwer and Kopecky was fully discussed.

The Hawks have shipped Brouwer and Kopecky out of town because they probably have replacements staked out.

Brooks Laich has resigned in Washington. I never considered him a strong possibility in Chicago…So those rumors can be put to rest.

Brad Richards is going to hit the jackpot and his addition to the Blackhawks would be a much bigger surprise than the Campbell trade.

Let’s take a look at some unrestricted free agents Stan Bowman could be considering.

UFA forwards….

Aaron Asham, Matt Bradley, Andrew Burnette, Erik Cole, Mike Comrie, Vern Fidler, Patrick Eaves, Ilari Filpulla, Tomas Fleischmann, Marcel Goc, Jeff Halpern, Chris Higgins, Zeno Konopka, Chad LaRose Ville Leino, John Madden, Drew Miller, Scott Nichol, Marty Reasoner, Mike Rupp, Micheal Ryder, Cory Stillman, Marco Sturm, Max Talbot, Scottie Upshall, Joel Ward, Kyel Wellwood.

If Fleischmann has fully recovered from a blood clot in his lung which kept him out for the final 36 games of the season ….He would be a solid acquisition. Fleishmann is a young, skillful top six forward. He could be the Czech addition for the Blackhawks this summer.

Leino could be a good pick up too and the Flyers may not be able to pay his price.

Now onto UFA defensemen…

I don’t think the Hawks will spend over $2.5 million on a third pairing defender, but there are some interesting options. Here are only a couple of possibilities.

Brent Sopel could be an affordable pick-up and would help out on the penalty killing unit a great deal. The Hawks missed Sopel a lot last season. He is Chicago guy so a discount is not out of the question.

Someone I often criticized for not being a smart hockey player has appeared to have matured. During the playoffs, Shane O’Brien kept his discipline for the most part and played very well. He could be a physical addition to the blueline.

The list of restricted free agents has caught my interest.

Andrew Ladd is still unsigned…

The ink was supposedly dry on Ladd’s contract almost two months ago. I thought that was a silly report as there wasn’t one good reason for Ladd to rush.

Ladd is a prime candidate for an offer sheet. Plus Winnipeg still has Zach Bogosian to resign this summer and Evander Kane will be due a big raise next year.

The Jets will not spend to the salary cap limit. Actually they may not commit more than $55 million to payroll. Something may have to give as there are already some big ticket contracts on the books.

The Rangers will most likely have to choose between keeping Brandon Dubinsky or Ryan Callahan if Brad Richards is signed in New York

Dubinsky would fit like a glove here.

Then there is the sometimes maligned TJ Oshie…

I’m not suggesting Bowman will go the offer sheet route. But this summer he does have the ability to throw a scare into a vulnerable franchise. That is when trades occur.

The Hawks are going to leave a little cap space available but my guess is they will still spend at least $60 million on payroll.

There are many possibilities to discuss, so please feel free to add your input.

Al’s Shots

On Friday, Hockey Independent will be holding a live chat similar to what took place on trade deadline day.

All are invited to participate as we look to have some great discussions.

The crew from Second City Hockey will be around to participate as well as some other recognizable writers.

As reported here awhile ago….The Chicago Wolves are officially the AHL affiliate for the Canucks.

Head coaching interviews will be going on into early July….

After the Brent Burns trade to San Jose the Wild’s GM Chuck Fletcher rattled off his defensemen that could fill the void.

One name conspicuously absent from the conversation was Cam Barker….
Today he was placed on waivers.

Sometimes the best info comes from what is not said….That was a tell for Brouwers’ departure as well.

Also my whispers the Sharks would be agressive were accurate.

Jake Dowell did not receive a qualifying offer from the Hawks. I hope the decision wasn’t based on any health concerns for Dowell.

Dowell always gave a strong effort so maybe he will be resigned to a two way contract. I would be surprised if the organization gives up on him.

There could be a slight possibility Kopecky could still resign wih the Hawks.

But the Panthers are still more than $20 million away from the salary cap floor…

That fact turns Dale Tallon into the gate keeper to Xanadu for players like Kopecky.

There was only one team that could swallow Brian Campbell’s contract and it was Dale Tallon’s Panthers. Stan Bowman somehow got Campbell to approve the deal and the rest is a math equation.

I hesitate to call this transaction a trade.

This wasn’t a talent for talent deal. This was about a huge, long term contract going one way with a lesser term, smaller contract coming back. The end result is the Blackhawks free up approximately $12 million in cap space over the next three seasons. The big savings comes into play during years four and five when the Hawks realize over $14 million in salary cap space.

I won’t criticize either trade from Friday because Bowman has to have a bigger plan. But the Hawks need to acquire some proven talent.

Unrestricted free agents, Brooks Laich, Chad LaRose, Chris Higgins, Brent Sopel and others could be on Bowman’s wish list. Maybe even a higher priced UFA….We will have to wait and see.

Besides being very active on July 1, the Hawks may do something they never have done in the past.

Bowman could line up a candidate for an offer sheet and take a swing.The young and very talented TJ Oshie is a restrictive free agent as is Rangers’ center Brandon Dubinsky.

For now here are the facts…

The Blackhawks are not a better team without Campbell and Troy Brouwer. But they are a franchise with many more options.

Give Tallon credit, by acquiring Campbell he can at least paint the illusion the Panthers are a playoff contender for next season. But I wouldn’t bet a nickel that three years from now the franchise will be playing in Florida.

Until proven otherwise Rusty Olesz is a classic first round underachiever. To complicate matters he is coming off ACL surgery. Not to mention he could be another one time center who would rather play the wing position.

When healthy the former seventh overall draft pick never accomplished very much. It would not be harsh to say the 25 year old Olesz has been a bust. Normally a top ten draft pick is not used to snag a bottom six forward.

So unless an epiphany for Olesz takes place over the next few months he could soon be wearing a Rockford Ice Hog jersey rather than the Indian Head.

Sending a $3 million salary to Rockford isn’t out of the question for Rocky Wirtz. Actually, after next season Olesz’ salary is closer to $4 million. The option of a contract buyout is a possibility also.

Until I watch a player for a number of games my opinion is usually reserved. But whenever I have seen Olesz perform he wasn’t very noticeable.

At first blush my choice would be to have Rob Klinkhammer patrolling the United Center ice rather than Olesz. Klinkhammer and others may have a more promising NHL future as third or fourth line players.

Troy Brouwer is coming off shoulder surgery and is an unsigned, arbitration eligible restricted free agent. Getting a first round pick for him isn’t terrible. The Hawks have some fine scouts, so hopefully Philp Danault will become an important addition within a few years.

The Blackhawks first selection, 18 year old center Mark McNeill looks physically more mature than his age would indicate. My first impression is McNeill looks like the player the Hawks thought Kyle Beach would be by now.

Stan Bowman needed to realign his defense.

Hawk management loves Nick Leddy and he needs ice time. So does the very talented Niklas Hjalamarsson, who now for sure is not a trade candidate. The Hawks did need to open up playing time for those two players and now they have.

Also, RFA Chris Campoli could become a key player on the Hawks’ blueline and there is only so many minutes to go around. Plus now there will be more cap space available for Patrick Sharps’ contract extension.

Bowman has some breathing room and can make this team “his” club.

There has to be more to come, because there is a lot more wood to chop.

Al’s Shots

For those who often booed Campbell and let his mega contract bother them…
The price of beer, frozen margaritas and jumbo pretzels at the UC is not going to be reduced.

The Hawks will always be close to the cap ceiling as long as the United Center remains sold out for every game.

My guess is the reason Campbell waived his no trade clause is because he was probably a bit hurt. Now he can play somewhere he is wanted. Campbell might be more comfortable being a big fish in a small pond.

Put yourself in Campbell’s place.

He comes to Chicago and struggles but then the team wins the Stanley Cup. The following year Campbell doesn’t have a Cup hangover, he has his best season as a Hawk….

Then Bowman asks him to waive his no trade clause.

Campbell makes a ton of dough to play the game he loves….

Although I don’t feel sorry for him, everyone has feelings. Some of us can hide them better than others.

I was surprised the deal was made last night. But after the trade rumor about Campbell to the Blue Jackets came out something was going to go down eventually.

Campbell was booed on opening night the season the Hawks won the Cup. People latched onto him as a whipping boy.

Imagine the abuse he would have been subject to if next season didn’t turn out well.

A no trade clause does hamper a GM’s ability to make trades. But once a player is asked to waive his no trade clause, although they may first refuse, soon after an address change often happens.

Obviously Panther center Stephen Weiss would have been a much better addition than Olesz…But Tallon must have other plans for him.

Hawk fans should stay tuned for the next seven days or so.

This game had it’s moments as the Devils did try to take advantage of the tired Rangers, but simply could not beat Henrik and on the offensive side, they got a pair from Dubinsky including a shorthanded goal which pretty much sealed the game.  This game was also one of the rare times through the years where they did not face Brodeur, who was out with an injury to his elbow.  The turning point of this game came after the Devils had put on tons of pressure and then were called for a penalty which resulted in the Rangers getting a PPG which made the score 2-0 late in the 2nd period.  Dubinsky now has 10 goals on the season, which is one of the tops in the league at this point and lets hope he keeps it up.  On another note, Gaborik is set to return to the team next week and it couldn’t be at a better time for the team and his offense is going to be welcomed.

In addition, it’s nice to see them bounce back after a lackluster perfomance the night before.  Their next game is Sunday night against St.Louis where they will face a very good Blues team at the Garden; game time is 7pm.  This is also the start of a 4 game homestand for them which I believe is the longest of the season.

Anyway, thats all for now folks, so until the next time,

Howie

Offensively, they have have done decently with Dubinsky and Callahan stepping it up as well as a couple of others.  One real disappointment has been Frolov who needs a GPS to find the net and has looked lost during some games.  In goal, they have gotten steady play from Lundqvist, but haven’t always given him enough support. 

If this type of play keeps up, the season may be over sooner than we think since they can’t continue to think they can win at all playing blah hockey like this.  I’m hoping that when Gaborik comes back that they can get back to some better efforts on the ice to stay in the race for a playoff spot.  I know it’s only late October, but playoff spots can be won and lost in the first 20-25 games and if they start to go in reverse, the last 70+ games could be agonizing to watch.

Well on the bright side, at least they have found ways to find the back of the net unlike last year, where it was a struggle to get goals from anyone besides Gaborik.  I do hope that this trend continues since it will keep them in games all season long.  I know that I have been rambling on for a bit, but I just wanted to get my points across about what I have seen so far. 

They finish the month tomorrow in Toronto where for some reason, they are meeting the Leafs for the 3rd time this year.  I am still at a loss to figure out how the league schedules these games, you’d think they would break them up so they meet early and late in the year.  Great going NHL Office, finding ways to screw things up on a daily basis. 

Anyway, that’s about it for tonight so until the next time,

Howie

The Calgary Flames forward lines can be likened to a doughnut: good stuff on the outside but a big hole in the center.

Despite the best efforts of GM Darryl Sutter it’s been a consistent nagging issue, one that hasn’t shown any significant improvement this season, especially with Daymond Langkow still sidelined from a cracked neck vertebrae, Matt Stajan just returning from injury, and Olli Jokinen continuing to show why he’s not a good fit on the first line with Jarome Iginla.

While Sutter looks for Stajan to develop first line chemistry with Iginla and Alex Tanguay, hopes Jokinen proves a better fit on the second line and awaits Langkow’s eventual return, the rumor mill will continue to churn out speculation of his shopping around for help at center.

The latest comes via Eklund of “Hockeybuzz”, claiming “out in Calgary talk is the Flames are trying hard to make a pitch for Rangers forward Dubinsky. The NY Rangers continued their struggles tonight prompting talk of “major changes” in NY to come…”

Changes are undoubtedly coming to the Rangers lineup because of the loss of Marian Gaborik, Vaclav Prospal, Chris Drury and Erik Christensen to injury but recent reports suggest those changes will likely come via call-ups rather than trades.

Even if the Rangers were in the trade market, moving Dubinsky – who has three goals and four points in his first four games – appears unlikely as such a move would further weaken the Rangers depth at center given the recent losses of Prospal and Drury to injuries.

Lyle Richardson

SpectorsHockey.net
twitter.com/spectorshockey

This team has shown offensive ineptitude too many times this year and the lack of scoring is one of the many problems that plague this team.  I’m finally saying that this team is way too flawed to do anything in the playoffs, should they somehow get there and I hope that they don’t so Sather can finally get what’s coming to him, a pink slip.  He has done a lot of horrible things to this franchise and has them further away from a cup than when Jagr was here playing.  I’m also sick of the Dolans who have turned the Rangers in to a joke since they have owned them, meaning that whatever they touch turns to crap.  In addition, the playoff invoices have come out and my $37 seats for the regular season are $65 for the 1st round of the playoffs.  I remember when the playoff tickets were not that much higher than the regular season tickets and I find the greed to be just sick at this point.  Nothing like continuing to raise prices to see an inferior product, it’s not like this team is gonna be a contender for a cup anytime soon.

Anyway, their next game is Wed. in NJ where it will be another low scoring defensive contest as they continue to wind up the post olympic portion of the schedule, which for me can’t come to an end soon enough.

Until next time,

Howie

After they had a somewhat sluggish first period, they exploded for 4 goals in the second to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead which they would not relinquish for the rest of the night.  The team defense limited the Sens big-time and kept the home crowd quiet for most of the evening.  It would be nice to see them carry this effort over into Thursday night, but that will remain to be seen since this team has been up and down all year.

What I hope doesn’t happen is that Sather does something foolish like trying to get a quick fix for a one and done playoff run.  I’d rather see this team build around its youth and turn this crap into a cup contender for years to come so we Ranger fans have something to look forward to.

One other thing, I’m still at a loss at Directv’s stubbornness at the whole Versus issue; come on already, the playoffs are 6 weeks or so away and subscribers can still not see the games on that channel.  Time for both sides to get it done and stop the BS that has been going on for now 6 months and newsflash – the ones who are suffering are the subscribers and no one else, so cut the s__t Comcast and Directv.

Well, their next few games are as follows:  home against the Pens and Sidney Crybaby on Thurs, in DC to face Ovie and the Caps on Saturday, and home against Ryan Miller and the Sabres on Sunday Night as they continue to wind down their season schedule.

Until next time,

Howie

TheFourthPeriod also states that the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators and Calgary Flames have all balked at the asking price for the Russian sniper.

Micheal A. Aldred

www.checkingfrombehind.com
twitter.com/michealaldred

Looking at this game tonight, the top performers for this game were:  Callahan, who had a pair of goals including a PPG, the first in 6 games as well as 2 assists; Dubinsky, who had a pair of goals including a SHG; Gaborik with a goal and 2 assists; Drury, who had a goal and 2 assists; Prospal who had a pair of assists, and Lundqvist; who once again was solid in net when he had to be as the Rangers D limited the number of chances to score the rest of the evening after allowing 2 in the first.

Callahan’s goal broke a 147 plus minute goalless drought and the floodgates just seemed to open with goal after goal coming.  It then became a boxing match with a few fights with Redden and Avery being some of the featured pugilists.  Hey even Drury scored tonight and he played solidly for a change and acted like the Captain that he is out on the ice.  It was nice to see the Garden rocking and really loud for a change as it has not been pretty in the building lately.

Going forward this month, they will face Tampa on Tuesday at MSG and then they are off to Philly on Thursday to take on the Flyers at the Wachovia Center.  I will be in the building on Tuesday evening for the Tampa game.

Anyway, that’s it for tonight folks.

Until next time,

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

This was a well earned win since they had a letdown game a couple of evenings ago in Atlanta, but it was to be expected as the game before that was quite a roller coaster of emotions against Dallas.  It’s not they lost 2 pts there, they did get one by losing in a shootout and hey, at this point of the year, it’s vital to continue to earn as many as possible.

So, now that they got 3 out of 4 pts on this brief 2 game trip, their next 2 games come at home vs. NJ on the 12^th and Ottawa on the 14^th.  Again, I want to reemphasize the importance of racking up as many points as possible, whether it comes as wins or OT/SO losses.  Hey points are points and that was their 8th win in the last 12 games since the 2 months of bad hockey.

Well, that’s it for now folks and until the next game,

Let’s Go Rangers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Howie

Amazingly, this was their first win on 12/31 in quite a long time and ironically, the last time they did win on this night, it was against these Canes.  Even after the horrid game vs. Philly, they are still 5-1-1 going into the New Year, which is amazing since they have played 2 duds in their last 8 games.

The one thing that drove me crazy tonight is that the officiating left a lot to be desired, but that shouldn’t shock anybody at this point as they have been bad all year.   Just watch any game and see players, coaches and hear the announcers just befuddled about some of the calls that these guys make.

I don’t want to take up any more time since I want to enjoy the rest of my night.

Anyway, their next games after Saturday are Monday where they will face the Bruins and the Stars on Wednesday at MSG.

Well folks, that’s it till next time.

Wishing Everyone a Happy New Year!!!

Your much calmer NYR blogger,

Howie

What I’m seeing over the streak is that this team looks like they are starting to build off of these wins and are beginning to make the climb up the standings as they have gone back over the .500 mark also after tonight.  The team played like they were one in these last 3 and I’m wondering if they possibly have turned a corner, but I guess I will just have to wait and see if this can carry over to the games at home, where they have not played quite as well and are currently 2 games under .500 there.  What they need to do is to make the Garden a place where opponents fear coming into going forward and it’s my belief that doing this can possibly help them in making the playoffs.

Anyway, their next game is at MSG on Wednesday evening where they will face the Panthers in the first game of another 3 game home stand where they will also see the Isles on the 26^th and the reeling Flyers on the 30th before they head back out on the road on New Year’s Eve to face the Hurricanes after which they come home for another 3 game home stand to begin the 2010 portion of the schedule in which they have 17 games in January due to the Olympics.

Well folks, that’s it till next Wednesday.

Your NYR blogger,

Howie

I want to give full marks to Lundqvist, who played well again last night and kept the Atlanta from getting a go ahead goal in the 3^rd when they were on a 3 on 5 shorthanded situation with some great saves.  Higgins also had a great game, but just can’t seem to finish the opportunities as the majority of the team has the exact same problem.  The need secondary scoring and continue to get none and it’s a huge concern now.  Another issue is that even though they scored 2 on the PP last night, they pass the puck way to much, flashing me back to last season’s inept PP.

As I’ve said before, its time that Captain Invisible (Drury) (2 goals, 7 assists) gets this team to step up already, they do have talent but the chemistry just doesn’t seem to be there and it’s a head-scratcher at this point.  Maybe it’s because our schmuck of a GM Sather put a lousy team together and this is what we are stuck with thanks to the awful, overpriced contracts of Drury, Redden and Rozsival, who are totally untradeable at this point.

This was their 6^th loss in their last 7 games and 4^th straight at MSG and the fans are getting restless with the team.  Again, the only thing that helps them is that nobody has pulled away in the conference yet as it’s a tightly packed bunch from 5^th place on down to 14^th.  There still is time, but it’s starting to run out on them as lost points cannot be regained and the worst of it is that they continue to lose at home where they should make it a house of horrors for the opposition.

Their next game is day at home vs. the Islanders on Wednesday in the first half of a home and home set.  This set will end on Thursday at the Coliseum (Mausoleum).  I’m hopeful that facing the Isles is maybe what this team needs to turn things around; it always seems to bring out better play so let’s hope for the best.

Until the next game,

Your NYR blogger,

Howie