All over the Flames early, the Bruins would cash in first as fellow sophomore Tyler Seguin tapped home his 16th of the year after Patrice Bergeron outworked two Calgary defensemen and fed the puck to the front of the net. It didn’t take the B’s long to add to their lead as a mere 2:03 later Milan Lucic was credited with his 14th of the season after his shot redirected off the leg of Flames’ forward Olli Jokinen and past goaltender Leland Irving in what was one of the flukiest goals scored this season.

The Black and Gold did not stop there. After Zach Hamill — filling in for Marchand — drew a tripping penalty to Tom Kostopoulos, the B’s would add their third tally of the night as Rich Peverley connected with David Krejci on a beautiful cross-ice feed that would lead to a Bruins power-play goal. The goal was Krejci’s 9th of the season and extended his point streak to seven games (3-7-10).

In the second, the B’s did nothing but further the onslaught, pouring it on for four more goals as they chased Irving from the net in favor of veteran Finn Mikka Kiprusoff. Wasting little time, it was Patrice Bergeron collecting his third tally in two nights after a spin-o-Rama feed from Tyler Seguin. In what’s becoming a frequent habit for the B’s this season, Boston would score again only 0:47 seconds later thanks to Chris Kelly’s hard-work in front of the Flames’ net. This would mark the 13th time that the Black and Gold have scored back-to-back goals in under a minute.

From there it became the Nathan Horton show. The Welland, Ontario native would poke home two rebound goals in the second after attaining strong position in front of the opposing netminder. Criticized after a slow start to the season, no. 18 has come on strong as of late, scoring three goals and adding one assist in his past two contests.

“He had a good jump tonight and a good battle. He was shooting more – he went to the areas where he excels and because of that he was able to score a few goals.” – Claude Julien

The third period of this game became all about the “quest for ten”, as the 17, 565 Black and Gold enthusiasts began the “we want ten” chants. Unfortunately for Boston, those chants went unanswered as the Bruins were only able to add two more tallies in the final frame, and finished with a 9-0 victory. The win was Boston’s second in as many nights and improved their record to 23-3-1 over their past 27 games.

Undoubtedly the biggest reason for the Bruins’ success as of late has been their incredible depth and relentless commitment to the “team” mentality. B’s forwards Benoit Pouliot and Patrice Bergeron echoed those sentiments on Thursday evening.

“We’ve got depth and we back each other up when we’re missing one of our best players and our goalies have been playing awesome all year long.” — Benoit Pouliot

“I think it’s confidence honestly. I think the depth we’ve been talking about all year has been helping us a lot, and every line wants to contribute and go out there and find ways to score.” — Patrice Bergeron

From The Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Seguin

KEY STATS

Goals–                       CGY (0)                 BOS (9)

Shots–                       CGY (25)                 BOS (42)

Power-Play–           CGY (0-2)                BOS (1-2)

Penalty-Kill–           CGY (1-2)               BOS (2-2)

• Ben’s Three Stars– ….. 3.) Nathan Horton ….. 2.) Patrice Bergeron   ….. 1.) Tyler Seguin

What’s Next?

Up next for the Black and Gold is the heavily anticipated Stanley Cup rematch with the Vancouver Canucks that will take place on Saturday afternoon at TD Garden. With a little cooperation from the Rangers (In the form of a Thursday night loss) , Saturday’s matinee could be a battle for first place in the NHL standings. The Flames also have a big match-up slated for Saturday, as they return home to host the division rival Minnesota Wild.

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Tonight’s Line-Up (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Rask

Thomas

Scratches– ….. Hamill (Healthy) , Kampfer (Healthy)

NEWS & NOTES

– The Flames, losers of four striaght games, haven’t won a game since a 2-1 shootout victory in Columbus on December 27.

– Tonight marks the first and only time that these two squads will face-off this season. Boston won the only meeting last season, taking home a late February 3-1 victory at the ScotiaBank Saddledome.

– Tuukka Rask, who has only allowed one goal in 216:08  of ice time, is expected to get the start in net for Boston tonight, after Tim Thomas was given the nod last night in New Jersey.

– The Flames will be without one of their top-six wingers this evening, as Rene Bourque has been suspended by NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan after his elbow to the head of Washington Capitals centerman Nicklas Backstrom on Tuesday evening.

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The Bolts are in fourth place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by ten points. Tampa Bay has fallen to 13th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference.

After 32 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team in goals with 20 (1st in the NHL) and points with 37. Marc-Andre Bergeron is tops in assists with 19. Stamkos leads the team in rating with a +12.

Forward Steve Downie has accumulated 72 penalty minutes and goalie Mathieu Garon has eight wins, a 2.75 goals against average and a .905 save percentage. Dwayne Roloson is still struggling with six wins, a 3.67 goals against average and an .882 save percentage.

Defenseman Victor Hedman leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:04 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 114.

The Lightning have scored 85 goals (15th in the NHL) and allowed 105 goals (28th in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams numbers were a mixed bag this week. The power play improved slightly and is clicking at 15.3% (23rd in the NHL). The penalty kill slipped to a success rate of 81.2% (22nd in the NHL).

Box Scores

Game 30 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – New Jersey Devils 5

Game 31 – Tampa Bay Lightning 5 – Calgary Flames 4 OT

Game 32 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Columbus Blue Jackets 2

Three Stars of the Week

Steven Stamkos – Four goals and three assists.

Blair Jones – Two goals, and an assist.

Dana Tyrell  – Three assists.

Transactions

The Lightning signed former Stars and Wild forward Antti Mietinen to a two year, one way contract. He was then claimed off waivers by the Winnipeg Jets.

The Lightning recalled defenseman Evan Oberg from Norfolk, returned him and then recalled him again.

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR after undergoing surgery on both knees. Ohlund has had a major setback and his return this year is questionable.

Forward Martin St. Louis has facial and nasal fractures from getting hit with an errant shot in warm ups. He has been cleared to start working out but remains out indefinitely.

Defenseman Matt Gilroy is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Forward Nate Thompson is day-to-day with a lower body injury.

Bolt Notes

After losing to the Devils earlier in the week, the Bolts won two straight and added four points to their season total. This is the first time since Thanksgiving that Tampa Bay has won two straight.

Steven Stamkos is on fire. He had seven points in the three games this week (4G,3A) and looks to be taking more of a leadership role with the absence of his injured mentor Martin St. Louis.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay is at San Jose on Wednesday and at Colorado on Friday.

The Quarterdeck Log – Norfolk Admirals Week In Review

By Ken Peacock

About The Author

A man with an identity crisis. A full time fan of all things hockey and supporter of the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Washington Capitals. A fan of two NHL teams in the same division? Really? Yes, it can be done. It’s tough, but it can be done. I am also a full time husband, IT Professional, and a Norfolk Admirals Hockey Blogger at Vultures Row.

Weekly Log

The Norfolk Admirals opened up their week with a Friday night match at home against the Hershey Bears. The Bears dominated the Admirals for the first period and half of the second. They capitalized on two Norfolk penalties and jumped ahead with a 2-0 lead. Trevor Smith would put the Admirals on board with his 14^th goal of the season at 16:38 of the second. Hershey would answer back in the closing minutes of the second period. Norfolk would score twice in the third with goals from  Cory Conacher and Pierre-Cedric Labrie, but Hershey  scored to keep the lead and secure the win. Dustin Tokarski did not have his best night, letting in two soft goals that he should have stopped.

On Saturday the Admirals found themselves in Pennsylvaniato take on the East Division leading WB/S Penguins. The Admirals jumped out to an early lead with goals from Matt Fornataro and Carter Ashton  in the first period. The Penguins would answer back with a goal towards the end of the period and one to tie the game up at two early in the second. Tyler Johnson, Cory Conacher, and Michel Ouellet would put the Admirals ahead for good. Norfolk took their 5-2 victory and set sail for Hershey.

Norfolk was in Hershey for their second Sunday. They fell to the Bears last week and on Friday night back at the Norfolk Scope. The Admirals found themselves on the penalty kill two times to many early in the first. The Bears took advantage of the situation and put two goals up on the board. Michel Ouellet would score, but the Bears quickly regained the lead on a Chris Bourque goal with four seconds left in the first. Both teams were scoreless in the second period. The Admirals came alive and dominated the third period. The defense held the Bears scoreless while the offense lit the lamp five teams in the final period. The Admirals saw goals from J.T. Wyman, Philip-Michael Devos, Trevor Smith, Richard Panik, and Tyler Johnson. Mark Barberio is quietly racking up the point and had three assists.  Jaroslav Janus was solid in net as the Admirals coasted to a 6-3 win.

Michel Ouelette is Norfolk's first star of the week

Trevor Smith (15G 22A 37Pts +17) and Cory Conacher (18G 17A 35Pts +5) find themselves at the top of the Admirals scoring race. Mark Barberio (3G 23A 26Pts +19) leads all Norfolk defensemen in scoring and has moved ahead of forward Carter Ashton (14G 10A 24Pts +8).  Dustin Tokarski (11-7-0 2.50GAA) went 1-1 this week. Jaroslav Janus (7-4-1 3.14GAA) had a solid performance against the Bears on Sunday.

For the Season the Admirals are 18-11-3-2 with 37 points. They are currently in a three way tie for first in the East Division with the Hershey Bears and the WB/S Penguins. Evan Oberg was returned from Tampa Bay and is accumulating the air miles, but not getting any time on the ice.Norfolkis currently on a 2-0-0-0 streak and is 7-3-0-0 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Michel Ouelette – Two goals and two assists.

Trevor Smith – Two goals and two assists

Mark Barberio – Five assists and a +6 rating.

Transactions

Evan Oberg – Returned from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Charles Landry – Assigned to the Florida Everblades (ECHL).

J P Cote – Signed to an AHL contract.

Injuries

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed injury – Day-to-day

Kevin Quick – Lower body injury – Day-to-day

An Observation from the Stands

Playing against the Hershey Bears is never fun. For some reason the Admirals always struggle against them. The Friday night game was no exception. The Hershey Bears have one of the top rated power play and penalty kill units in the AHL. The Admirals got themselves in trouble and let the Bears power play have at them. While the offense managed to mount a comeback, their efforts were not enough to win the game. Tokarski dropped another game and allowed two soft goals. If the fans inTampaBayare looking for some help in goal I would suggest they look elsewhere, Tokarski is not ready for the NHL.

The Admirals redeemed themselves on Saturday against the Penguins. Tokarski got the start and played like a good AHL goalie; nothing fancy just a solid AHL performance. I don’t know what happened between Norfolk and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but whatever was said or done had an impact on the team. It was a great overall performance.

In the opening period of Sunday’s game, the Admirals put forth another dismal performance. The Bears quickly jumped on the Admirals, going up 3-1. The second period was a defensive struggle with no one scoring. Then something must have clicked.Norfolkcame alive and scored five unanswered goals and took home a rare win in Hershey. Janus was solid in net and the Admirals saw more goals from the role players rather than the stars. It was a great win for the Admirals.

The Week Ahead

Norfolk will enjoy the Christmas break, as their next game will be against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on December 28 at the Norfolk Scope.

Follow WB Philp on Twitter @LightningShout and “Like” Hockey Independent Lightning on Facebook.

Follow Ken Peacock on Twitter @VBKen.

Lubomir Visnovsky, Anaheim – $5,600,000 cap hit After his best offensive season in the NHL, during which he scored a league-leading 68 points among defensemen, Visnovsky has been a big disappointment this year in Anaheim. The talented rearguard had only four points in 16 games before he sustained a broken thumb that will put him on the shelf for at least a month.

Ville Leino, Buffalo – $4,500,000 cap hit Signed to a six-year deal as a free agent by the Sabres this summer, Leino has been a major disappointment in Buffalo. With only 6 points and a -5 differential in 24 games this season, Leino is considered the worst free-agent signing of 2011.

Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary – $6,680,000 cap hit Acquired from Florida by the Flames before the 2009-10 season, Bouwmeester’s offence has always been overrated, having never broke the 50-point barrier in a single season. Entering the third year of his five-year contract, Bouwmeester has only one goal and six assists for seven points in 23 games.

Eric Staal, Carolina – $8,250,000 cap hit Coming off a very good season, during which the Hurricanes captain recorded 76 points in 81 games, Staal has been slumping badly this season without his former line-mate Erik Cole, who has signed a multi-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens. Staal has a league-worse -18 ratio to go along with only 12 points in 26 games.

Tomas Kaberle, Carolina – $4,250,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Carolina in the off-season after winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins, Kaberle has only one goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 49 games since he got traded by the Maple Leafs last season. The offensive defenseman has zero goal this season to go with a dismal -12 ratio.

Ed Jovanovski, Florida – $4,125,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent to a four-year contract by Florida this summer, Jovocop is more like a mall guard these days. With only five points in 23 games this season, Jovanovski has seen his offensive output decline steadily since his 51-point campaign in 2007-08. The oft-injured rearguard finished 2010-11 with only 14 points in 50 games with Phoenix.

Dustin Penner, Los Angeles – $4,250,000 cap hit Entering the last year of a five-year deal he signed with the Oilers, the Penner experiment has been a major failure with the Kings. The oversized forward’s production has been nearly non-existent this season with only two assists in fourteen games, before he sustained a hand injury.

Marek Zidlicky, Minnesota – $4,000,000 cap hit The oft-injured Zidlicky missed 36 contests last season due to injury, recording only 24 points in 46 games. This year, Zidlicky’s production has been almost non-existent; in 18 games, the offensive-minded rearguard has zero goal and six assists for only six points.

Scott Gomez, Montreal – $7,357,143 cap hit Acquired prior to the 2009-10 season by Montreal, Gomez had an average year two years ago, recording 59 points in 78 games. However, since then, his play has been declining fast. Last year, he only managed seven goals and 38 points in 80 games, while the season he has yet to score a goal (4 assists) in 13 games. He’s currently sidelined with a groin injury.

Ilya Kovalchuk, New Jersey – $6,666,667 cap hit After signing a very expensive 15-year contract prior to the 2010-11 season, Kovalchuk’s production has been subpar at best. Known as a point-per-game player in Atlanta, Kovalchuk finished with only 60 points in 81 games last year, while this season, the Russian sniper has only scored four goals and 13 points in 17 contests with the Devils. This contract could prove very costly, as the Devils are rumoured to be bankrupted and all-star Zach Parise is slated to become a free agent at season’s end.

Brian Rolston, New York Islanders – $5,062,500 cap hit Acquired from the Devils in the off-season for his veteran leadership, Rolston’s production has been in steady decline since the 2005-06 campaign during which he recorded 79 points with Minnesota. This year, Rolston has been mediocre at best, notching only three goals and three assists for six points in 20 games with the Islanders.

Rick Dipietro, NY Islanders – $4,500,000 cap hit Re-signed to a 15-year contract prior to the 2006-07 season, Dipietro’s career has been marred with injuries. This season, Dipietro has been healthy, but he has not played much losing his starting to veteran Evgeni Nabokov first, and then to back-up Al Montoya who has been playing well. he’s also been mediocre posting a 3.44 GAA and a pathetic .885 save % in only seven games.

Ilya Bryzgalov, Philadelphia – $5,666,667 cap hit Acquired from the Coyotes before the season by the Flyers, Breezer has been colder than a winter night in January in Winnipeg. Bryzgalov, who was signed to a nine-year contract to stabilize the Flyers goaltending position has been more than shaky. In 15 starts, Breezer has eight wins with a subpar 2.89 GAA and a less than stellar .897 save %.

Paul Martin, Pittsburgh – $5,000,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent in the summer of 2010, Martin was brought for his steady and calm presence on the blue line. After a so-so campaign last year during which Martin managed 24 points in 77 games, the 30 year-old blue liner is having a tough season so far despite the Penguins’ success. Through 25 games, Martin has yet to find the back of the net, while adding only eight assists. He also has a team-worse -9 ratio.

Martin Havlat, San Jose – $5,000,000 cap hit Acquired in the off-season from the Wild for forward Dany Heatley, Havlat has had trouble adapting to his new team after a 62-point campaign in Minnesota last season. After 17 games, Havlat has scored only one goal and added eight assists for nine points in 17 games with the Sharks.

Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay – $7,727,273 cap hit Lecavalier was signed to a 11-year contract extension by Tampa Bay before the 2009-10 season. Lecavalier rewarded the Lightning with a paltry 70-point campaign in 2009-10 and an even less impressive season of 54 points in 2010-11. This season, Lecavalier has been inconsistent, scoring ten goals and adding seven assists for 17 points in 23 games, on pace for only 60 point, which is not enough for the face of the franchise.

Mike Komisarek, Toronto $4,500,000 cap hit After flourishing as a bruising defenseman alongside Andrei Markov, Komisarek joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2009. This year, Komisarek had only one goal and three assists for four points in 18 games before breaking his arm. After being made a healthy scratch a few times, now Komisarek will be sidelined for almost eight weeks.

Keith Ballard, Vancouver $4,250,000 cap hit Currently in only the third year of a six-year deal, Ballard has been far from impressive since his acquisition from the Panthers. Ballard was often made a healthy scratch during the Canucks cup run last spring. So far this year, Ballard has only recorded a mere two points in 22 games to go along with a -6 plus/minus ratio.

Roberto Luongo, Vancouver $5,333,333 cap hit Luongo’s play has been slowly fading in recent years, and his inconsistency in last year’s playoffs has planted a seed of doubt in the mind of the Canucks fans. With ten more years to go to his twelve-year contract and this season, Luongo is the clear #1 goaltender in Vancouver. Well, not necessarily as youngster Corey Schneider has started the past six games and doesn’t want to give the job to the struggling Luongo. Bobby Loo has a back-up calibre GAA of 2.97 to go along with a borderline .900 save % in 13 games this season.

Alexander Semin, Washington $6,700,000 cap hit The unpredictable Russian had a slumping season under former head coach Bruce Boudreau, scoring only ten points in 22 games. Semin was even made a healthy scratch once. Now that Boudreau is gone, Semin should find his motivation back and start producing offensively if he wants to cash in big at season’s end as he is slated to become an unrestricted free agent.

Please note that I omitted players who have been injured most of the season such as Jason Blake, Kristian Huselius, Andy McDonald, Ryan Whitney and Andrei Markov.

If you think I missed an overpaid NHLer, please let me know in the comments section.

———-
Fred is a freelance sports write and translator, as well as a featured Montreal Canadiens blogger on http://hockeyindependent.com/blog/ and a baseball columnist on http://www.dobberbaseball.com/. Fred also joined HabsAddict.com in time for the 2011-12 season.

Follow Fred on Facebook and Twitter

The Panel

Josh Sargent (@Josh_Sargent)- Minnesota Wild correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Andy Ajer (@FightNightAtJoe) – Detroit Red Wings blogger. Runs Fight Night At The Joe.

Mike Murgani (@Draft_Mike) – LA Kings correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Kevin Navarre (@Jabberwockkie) – Dallas Stars Correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

Brian Haenchen (@Brian_Haenchen) – Covering the St. Louis Blues on HockeyIndependent.com and operates HanksSportsBlog (@HanksSportsBlog).

Christina Roberts (@franzenmuth) – Detroit Red Wings Correspondent for NHLHotStove.com.

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Are the Red Wings back as an elite force in the conference after a slight let down in 2009-10? Why or Why not?

JS: I don’t think they have changed, the only difference between this year and last is that the talent in their division is a little lower, all last year they had to try and keep up with Chicago and may have put too much pressure on themselves.

AA: Yes, the let down last year was mainly because of the 311 games lost to injury, but this year’s team is scarily deep and once they get over their inability to play a full 60 minutes they are going to be even better than they are now.

MM: The Red Wings really never went anywhere. No team in the league drafts as well or develops talent better then Ken Holland. With a team decimated by injuries the Wings still managed to finish 5th in a tough conference and won a playoff series. That just proves the depth the Wings have in the system.

KN: Yes. The Red Wings are healthy again (until Datsyuk went down to injury) and doing what they do best which is intimidate every opponent with that winged wheel.

BH: When healthy, the Detroit Red Wings have proved themselves to be a very good team in the Western Conference. Just based on their experience and skill, I’d say they are the team to beat in the Central Division. However, I think it’s too early to label them as an elite force in the conference.

First of all, the Western Conference standings are such a mess right now. The top 12 teams are all within striking distance of each other meaning that a team currently sitting outside of the playoffs all together could find itself atop the conference with any sort of significant win streak.

Also, I’m not completely sold on Jimmy Howard. I think the juggernaut Detroit has offensively makes up for any shortcomings Howard has. Don’t get me wrong, Howard’s a damn good goaltender, but I question his consistency and it will be interesting to see how he and the team as a whole respond to the recent injury to star forward Pavel Datsyuk.

CR: At the start of the season, I would have immediately said yes, the Wings are an elite force. But the stuttering for the past few weeks has me thinking that they may not be “elite.” But they’re still a force to reckon with. Despite the losses as of late, they’ve only lost eight games in regulation. And their blue line is deadly. As of last Monday, they were ranked second for the most offensive with eighteen goals, just behind Atlanta’s twenty goals. The 2009-2010 season had everyone wondering if age was finally catching up with the Red Wings (which is thrown around after pretty much every season now), but if you look at the team’s stats from after the Olympic break, they were back in that prime form, having all of their major injuries back in play. And the second-round loss to the San Jose Sharks gave them a few extra weeks of well-needed rest. Pavel Datsyuk’s injury will also be a test of how well the team can cope without him and whether Datsyuk can come back and perform to the same level he had before; it was a Hart Trophy season prior to the injury

Are the Dallas Stars the biggest surprise or biggest overachiever in the conference?

JS: They are the overachiever in the Pacific but what is helping them out the most is that San Jose, Los Angeles, and Phoenix are not playing up to their levels. I think second half of the season Dallas falls out of the top.

AA: Surprise for sure. But they are dependent on staying healthy and their top players performing cause they definitely aren’t the deepest team in the league.

MM: I feel the Stars are the most over rated team in the NHL we are almost 3 months into the season and the Stars have played the most home games in the league and have yet to go on more the a 3 game road trip and that trip had 5 days off between games. Also the Stars have only played 2 back to backs fewest in the league. The Stars have no more the a 3 game trip the rest of the season and a season high 9 game home stand in March and only 3 more back to backs.

KN: The Stars are definitely surprising and turning heads and I follow the team and feel that way.  The big “if” this year was defense and goaltending and they’re getting a good effort in the former and an A++ in the latter with the same offense they ha last year.  We all thought they could be as good as they are but a couple years down the road.

BH: I have been shocked with how well Dallas has been playing this year. Heading into this season, I definitely thought the Stars were a playoff team, but I did not see them battling for the top spot in the Western Conference at any point during the season.

Right now, they’re a team that seems to have everything going for them. Brad Richards is having a solid year offensively and their goaltenders in Andrew Raycroft and (now that he has returned) Kari Lehtonen have been good enough in tight games to help ensure the team manages to get at least a point each game.

I don’t think anyone could have predicted the 30-year-old Richards to be having the season he’s been having. Right now, he’s on pace to set a career high in goals scored and could come close to matching his career high point total from last season.

It will be interesting to see if the Stars are able to maintain this pace over the long haul. I think these next few games will be very telling as to if this team is a legitimate Conference Title contender or just a flash in the pan.

Right now, I see Dallas sustaining this high level of play and contending with Vancouver for the Western Conference title. Between the one-two punch in net with Raycroft and Lehtonen and the offensive production from Richards, the Stars should have no problem hanging in there with the other division leaders.

CR: I would say neither, though I would probably lean more toward the overachiever part of it. But thinking about it, the Stars made it to the Western Conference Finals three years ago and had to struggle with injuries these past few seasons. Finally getting healthy and consistent and picking up some solid players they needed (like Adam Burish and Andrew Raycroft) and although it’s hard to say, getting rid of Mike Modano certainly helped them align themselves much better. They seem to have found that groove they’ve been grasping for the past two seasons and if people were paying closer attention, maybe it wouldn’t be such a surprise to them.

Which team is the biggest underachiever to date?

JS: With the addition of Jaroslav Halak to the Blues along with a healthy Erik Johnson I thought they would be a lot better but can’t completely place blame on the team when they are missing key players on IR.

AA: The Kings and Coyotes are both better teams than their point totals indicate at the moment. I’d say the Kings, I think they should be good enough to challenge for the division title.

MM: I feel the St Louis Blues getting a starting goaltender would improve the club, but the Blues have struggled all season.

KN: I’d have to go with LA.  they started off hot and dangerous but have fallen down quite drastically.  on paper I don’t see many weaknesses but maybe they lack the confidence or the expectations this year are weighing them down.

BH: Calgary Flames. Jarome Iginla is heating up, but it’s not enough to make up for the lack of production from his teammates and the underwhelming performance thus far from Miikka Kiprusoff.

CR: Calgary. This team has struggled the past few seasons and hasn’t really found its groove just yet to get on a hot streak and parade up the rankings. But with star players like Jarome Iginla, Miikka Kiprusoff, Jay Bowmeester, and Alex Tanguay, wouldn’t you think this team should be doing better than they are? Right now, they’re sitting three points above fifteenth in the conference, but look at the flip side and they’re only seven points out of eighth. They do still have a chance to make something of this season; it hasn’t hit the halfway point quite yet.

Who has done the best coaching job as of the end of December?

JS: Colorado’s Joe Sacco, at the start of the season I thought that Vancouver was the clear winner in the Northwest but he has this Avalanche team believing they can win the division.

AA: Hate to say it, but Marc Crawford in Dallas and Joe Sacco in Colorado have both gotten very good stuff out of rosters that should have holes and that in Sacco’s case have seen a flurry of injuries.

MM: Barry Trotz. Losing 2 of your best forwards one of your best blue liners and your starting goaltender and sill in play off contention amazing.

KN: I would like to be a homer and say Marc Crawford but I’m not a fan. Probably go with Alain Vigneault as the Canucks are even more dangerous this year and flying under the radar.

BH: Davis Payne. The Blues have been decimated by injuries and are playing with a roster chalked full of AHL call-ups. Yet, Payne has kept his team motivated and, as a result, in a position to make a run at a spot in the top 8 of the Western Conference.

CR: My initial response is Mike Babcock, just with how much he’s been able to help his team rebound from last year’s injury-riddled season (not to mention how he still managed to get them to yet another 100+ point season) and remain at the top of the Western Conference so far this season. Dealing with Pavel Datsyuk’s injury will be a difficult task to see how the team can fare; the loss of Modano is something Babcock has had to work around as well. Thankfully this season, injuries haven’t been as serious and numerous as last year and Babcock has enough “healthy scratch” players to come up and fill in the gaps to the best of their abilities. I’d throw Joe Sacco into the mix as well. Colorado’s a team that shouldn’t be undermined for how well they’re doing. But his challenge will be to see if the team can stay afloat with the injuries so far this season.

Who is the conference MVP to date?

JS: Tossup between Cory Perry and Brad Richards due to the fact that I didn’t see either of their teams being viable playoff contenders but both players giving their teams hope and leading by example along with averaging over a point per game

AA: The best player has probably been Pavel Datsyuk, he is really on this season, but Brad Richards is the one that is most valuable to his team. Without him Dallas would be in trouble.

MM: Henrik Sedin

KN: No question but Brad Richards is an elite force this year and has done and is going to do some amazing things. I can’t imagine where the stars would be without their MVP.

BH: Brad Richards – Dallas

CR: Honestly, you can name at least a dozen players that deserve the MVP title for the conference so far. But I’ll settle for the guy who received the Conn Smythe trophy in 2002: Nicklas Lidstrom. Last season, his play was mediocre to his normal standards of beyond-human defense. His offensive side struggled, too, and this led everyone to wonder if age was finally catching up to “The Perfect Human.” But it seems that it was due to half of his teammates being injured that hurt Lidstrom’s output last season. Look at his statistics after the Olympic break and you’ll see that he definitely was back on track once the team was healthy.

Contrary to all of that, so far this season he’s looked like a twenty-five-year-old playing hockey. He’s nearly everyone’s favorite to win the Norris for the seventh time. And just last week, he managed his first career hat trick at the nice young age of forty and currently has 28 points in 34 games; it puts him on pace for 66 points this season, just below his output in his Cup-winning 2007-2008 season. That sounds like a pretty good MVP, right?

The top 8 in the East were dramatically outscoring the top 8 in the West. Is the style of game play out west more about defense and goaltending than before?

JS: I think that style of play between the 2 conferences are starting to become more alike. Colorado is the highest scoring team in the league while only 2 teams out east have outscored the #8 seed Chicago at the moment. The lower scoring teams such as Nashville, Dallas, and Anaheim have to play more defensive to stay competitive and in the playoff hunt.

AA: The West plays a much sounder game with more focus on a two-way game, while the East is more run and gun with more sloppy play and turnovers.

MM: Simple, the goaltending in the west is much better also there is a tighter style played in the west. Take a look at the top teams in the East and how many have goaltending issues. Tampa, Philly, Washington, cant decide on a starter New Jersey Buffalo injuries. Other then Carey Price and Tim Thomas tell me who is playing well in the East.

KN: I think the quality of the teams in the west is better and so with fewer high quality teams in the east, the upper echelon east teams can score more against the bottom feeders.  The stars finished 12th last year in the west and had the same number of points as the 7th & 8th place teams in east. Enough said.

BH: The West is definitely more about defense and goaltending than before. While the East has an advantage in terms of star goal scorers, the West is far superior between the pipes. Teams seem to be much more balanced in the Western Conference compared to the East. Teams in the East (i.e. Washington) seem to rely completely on their offense while in the West you could look at teams like Detroit, Vancouver, and Dallas who have been successful due to their balance of goal scoring and solid goaltending.

CR: I think it’s more about the defense and goaltending in the West than the East for sure. Games in the West seem to be much closer than in the East. In the East, you have the scoring demons on particular teams that jettison them over their opponents (Crosby and Malkin, Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Semin to name the well-known combos); in the West, you have those same combination (Getzlaf, Ryan, and Perry, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, Sedin and Sedin), but even if these lines are dominant in a game, that doesn’t mean they’re the only ones scoring or even blowing the opposition out of the water. But I think more of the factor is how the conference standings are much tighter in the West. The top eight teams in the east are so much better than the bottom seven in the east. If you look at the standings, in there’s a decent gap. In the East, it’s ten points separating first and eighth and twenty points separating eighth and fifteenth. But compared to the West, it’s so much tighter; ten points separate eighth and fifteenth while six points separate first and eighth. The tight play makes for a harder push on solid defense and goaltending.

First impression of the kids out in Edmonton?

JS: Very bright future in Edmonton and can’t wait to see what they will do to build around Hall, Eberle, and Paajarvi. 2-3 years and the Oilers could be the class of the conference.

AA: They have played pretty well and are exciting, but they’re not gonna turn the team around without some help and a few seasons of experience.

MM: What impression? The Oilers are the Kansas City Royals of hockey. They are a very good AHL team playing with the big boys. Taylor Hall is just a skater and the rest of them will not stay around in Edmonton to see it threw. First chance they get there gone.

KN: Talented but green.  Fun to watch though.

BH: I haven’t seen enough of Edmonton this season to answer this question, but I will say from what I’ve heard and the few games that I have seen, they’re a team that’s headed in the right direction.

CR: Taylor Hall has some great potential in him for sure. I was lucky enough to see him play when he was on the Windsor Spitfires (I saw him play against Tyler Seguin, no less) and he impressed me then, too, even though he didn’t score on the penalty shot he received. He will definitely be a player to watch in the upcoming years. First overall draft picks are usually like that.

Jordan Eberle seems like a solid player. I haven’t been able to see as much of him as I would like, but to me he seems like he could be one of those excellent players that sneaks under the radar a lot of the time. But maybe not – I mean, his first NHL goal coming on a penalty kill will definitely make people look at him twice.

And Linus Omark just now caught people’s attention with flashy shootout attempts? Did people not see the one when he was playing in Sweden, the one that Datsyuk replicated against Chicago last season? Omark will be a great player for sure, just as long as his flashiness doesn’t get the best of him.

Which team in the league is the toughest to play when 100% healthy?

JS: Detroit is a stacked team from top to bottom and full of players that know what it takes to play at the top level of hockey.

AA: Detroit should be. Their lines can match their equivalent on any other NHL team. Vancouver can be a tough team too. For both of those it is as much about being ON as it is about being healthy though.

MM: Simple, Detroit Red Wings

KN: Detroit

BH: Detroit. They may not be an elite force in the West, but they’re still sick.

CR: I’ll go off on what could be considered a crazy limb here and say Montreal. After the upsets in last year’s playoff run, with Jaroslav Halak playing like a brick wall, and then proceeding to trade Halak away from the team and relying on Carey Price, everyone’s kept an eye on this team. And honestly, they are delivering. I went to the Original Six matchup game at Joe Louis Arena when the Habs visited and after the game, it was decided unanimously between me and my hockey-crazed brothers that a Wings/Habs Finals matchup would be absolutely epic. The Habs can definitely give the Red Wings a run for their money. Their play is amazing to watch.

The top line in the conference is?

JS: The Sedin line in Vancouver, it doesn’t matter who you put with them they are an unstoppable force that racks up points. I can’t prove it but I am pretty sure that they have some kind of twin ESP thing going on.

AA: I’m a total homer here, but Zetterberg-Datsyuk-Holmström, or the Circus line as we call it is probably the best. It has two of the best players in the league on both ends of the ice and they tend to play real well together. It also works great when Cleary plays instead of Homer. But Babcock has switched it all up lately, so who knows when we will see this one again.

MM: Getzlaf,Perry,Ryan

KN: Richards-Eriksson-Neal

BH: When Datsyuk’s in there, Detroit’s top line.

CR: Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan is definitely one of the top lines out there. This is one of the most annoying lines to play against. I honestly believe they are on the ice for about 57 minutes of every game; they are that annoyingly good. They dominate the play when they are out on the ice together; right now, they have a combined 46 goals and 58 assists. Compare that to the Sedin-Burrows-Sedin line, which has 33 goals and 68 assists, or the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line, which has 33 goals and 61 assists. The Getzlaf line definitely can be ranked up there among the elites.

Which team currently out of the top 8 (as of the Hlidays) has the best chance at making it back in?

JS: I don’t think Anaheim can keep up with everyone in the West. They are the only team that is in the top 8 with a minus in GF/GA and think that LA will make the jump in the second half to take their spot.

AA: The LA Kings will make the playoffs. They are way too good to miss them. The Coyotes should also have a pretty good shot.

MM: Los Angeles Kings

KN: Since 9 points separate 1st through 12th (as of this questions answering) I’d say at least 4 different teams.  Of the 4 currently out, I say for sure LA makes it back in by seasons end.

BH: St. Louis. Alex Steen is heating up. Oshie could be back sooner than expected. Defense is improving which only benefits an already solid goaltending tandem in Halak & Conklin. Oh, don’t forget they’re only 7 points out of first place despite all these injuries.

CR: With how close the standings are in the West, it’s honestly hard to say because one day, they could be in and the next day, they could be out. The St. Louis Blues seem fairly consistent and have a great chance. And with their goaltenders – Jaroslav Halak and Ty Conklin – always seeming to play solid games, it gives them a fighting chance. And their goalies have to be solid when their top guys like T.J. Oshie and David Perron are sidelined with injuries. When those guys come back, I’d watch out, honestly. This team can be dangerous.

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Look for further Q&A discussion regarding the West with another blogger as well as an Eastern Conference panel coming soon.

I’ll use the top seven defensemen of each team as a reference and will take the financial numbers from CapGeek.com. Players on the long term injury list are included in the calculation.

1. Philadelphia Flyers – $24,89M 15 games 9 wins 4 losses 2 OTL 20 points (2nd EC)
Kimmo Timonen – $6,333,333
Chris Pronger – $4,921,429
Andrej Meszaros – $4,000,000
Matt Carle – $3,437,500
Braydon Coburn – $3,200,000
Matt Walker – $1,700,000
Sean O’Donell – $1,300,000

2. Toronto Maple Leafs – $24.28M 13 games 5 wins 5 losses 3 OTL 13 points (11th EC)
Dion Phaneuf – $6,500,000
Mike Komisarek – $4,500,000
Tomas Kaberle – $4,250,000
Francois Beauchemin – $3,800,000
Luke Scheen – $2,975,000
Brett Lebda – $1,450,000
Carl Gunnarsson – $800,000

3. Vancouver Canucks – $23.35M 13 games 8 wins 3 losses 2 OTL 18 points (3rd WC)
Dan Hamhuis – $4,500,000
Keith Ballard – $4,200,000
Kevin Bieksa – $3,750,000
Sami Salo (LTIR) – $3,500,000
Alexander Edler – $3,250,000
Christian Ehrhoff – $3,100,000
Andrew Alberts – $1,050,000

4. Detroit Red Wings – $21.83M 13 games 9 wins 3 losses 1 OTL 19 points (4th WC)
Nicklas Lidstrom – $6,200,000
Brian Rafalski – $6,000,000
Brad Stuart – $3,750,000
Niklas Kronwall – $3,000,000
Ruslan Salei – $1,100,000
Jonathan Ericsson – $900,000
Jakub Kindl – $883,333

5. Calgary Flames – $21.59M 13 games 6 wins 7 losses 0 OTL 12 points (14th WC)
Jay Bouwmeester – $6,680,000
Robin Regehr – $4,020,000
Cory Sarich – $3,600,000
Ian White – $2,999,995
Steve Staios – $2,700,000
Mark Giordano – $891,667
Adam Pardy – $700,000

6. Chicago Blackhawks – $21.29M 17 games 8 wins 8 losses 1 OTL 17 points (5th WC)
Brian Campbell – $7,142,875
Duncan Keith – $5,538,462
Brent Seabrook – $3,500,000
Niklas Hjalmarsson – $3,500,000
Jordan Hendry – $600,000
John Scott – $512,500
Nick Boynton – $500,000

7. Atlanta Thrashers – $21.06M 14 games 6 wins 5 losses 3 OTL 15 points (8th EC)
Ron Hainsey – $4,500,000
Tobias Enstrom – $3,750,000
Johnny Oduya – $3,500,000
Zach Bogosian – $3,375,000
Dustin Byfuglien – $3,000,000
Brent Sopel – $2,333,333
Freddy Meyer – $600,000

8. Montreal Canadiens – $20.25M 14 games 8 wins 5 losses 1 OTL 17 points (3rd EC)
Andrei Markov – $5,750,000
Roman Hamrlik – $5,500,000
Jaroslav Spacek – $3,833,333
Hal Gill – $2,250,000
Josh Gorges – $1,100,000
Ryan O’Byrne – $941,667
P.K. Subban – $875,000

9. Pittsburgh Penguins – $19.11M 15 games 7 wins 7 losses 1 OTL 15 points (9th EC)
Paul Martin – $5,000,000
Zbynek Michalek – $4,000,000
Brooks Orpik – $3,750,000
Kristopher Letang – $3,500,000
Alex Goligoski – $1,833,333
Ben Lovejoy – $525,000
Deryk Engelland – $500,000

10. Boston Bruins – $18.58M 11 games 7 wins 3 losses 1 OTL 15 points (5th EC)
Zdeno Chara – $7,500,000
Dennis Seidenberg – $3,250,000
Andrew Ference – $2,250,000
Johnny Boychuk – $1,875,000
Mark Stuart – $1,675,000
Matt Hunwick – $1,450,000
Adam McQuaid – $575,000

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Find which defensemen are overpaid in the above list here The 20 most overpaid NHLers making more than $3.5M per year

1. Jason Blake, Anaheim – $4,000,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Toronto in 2007-08 and the traded to Anaheim last season, Blake has only 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 pts in 12 games this season.

2. Tomas Vanek, Buffalo – $7,142,857 cap hit Signed to an offer sheet in 2007-08 by GM Kevin Lowe, Buffalo GM Darcy Regier decided to match the offer. Since then Vanek’s play has regressed. He has 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 pts in 13 games this year.

3. Jay Bouwmeester, Calgary – $6,680,000 cap hit Acquired from Florida by the Flames before the 2009-10 season, Bouwmeester’s offence has always been overrated, having never broke the 50-point barrier in a single season. So for this year, he has only 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 pts in 12 games.

4. Brian Campbell, Chicago – $7,142,875 cap hit Coming as a free agent before the 2008-09 season, Campbell’s huge salary has caused many headaches to recently appointed GM Stan Bowman, who had to get rid of many key players following the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup victory. Campbell has only played two games this season due to injury, scoring one goal.

5. Scott Hannan, Colorado – $4,500,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Colorado in 2007-08, Hannan has only scored five goals in 255 games with the Avalanche. This campaign, Hannan has 2 assists in 12 games.

6. Mike Commodore, Columbus – $3,750,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Columbus in 2007-08, Commodore has never been known for his offensive talents. However, Commodore has been injured more often than not since coming to the Blue Jackets, playing only 2 games this season and scoring zero point.

7. Nikolai Khabibulin. Edmonton – $3,750,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Edmonton in 2009-10, the veteran netminder has been horrendous for the Oilers on the ice. He also got charged with DUI in Arizona, making things even worse for him. This year, the Bullin Wall has only three wins and a 3.45 GAA in nine games.

8. Scott Gomez, Montreal – $7,357,143 cap hit Acquired prior to the 2009-10 season by Montreal, Gomez had an average year last season, recording 59 points in 78 games. However, so far this campaign, Gomez is off to a horrendous start with only 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 pts in 12 games for the Habs.

9. Jaroslav Spacek, Montreal – $3,833,333 cap hit Signed as a free agent by Bob Gainey in 2009-10 to jumpstart the power play, Spacek has been steadily declining in a Hab uniform. This season, Spacek has been a turnover machine while notching only 2 assists in 12 games for Montreal.

10. David Legwand, Nashville – $4,500,000 cap hit Prior to the 2008-09, Nashville re-signed Legwand to a multi-year contract hoping for leadership and offensive production. Well, after two seasons of only 42 and 38 points respectively, Legwand has only scored 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 pts in 11 games this season.

11. Brian Rolston, New Jersey – $5,062,500 cap hit Signed as a free agent prior to the 2008-09 season, Rolston has been unable to reach the 40-point mark with the Devils. Rolston is currently on the LTIR for New Jersey, recording zero point in two games this season.

12. Rick Dipietro, NY Islanders – $4,500,000 cap hit Re-signed to a 15-year contract prior to the 2006-07 season, Dipietro’s career has been marred with injuries. This season, Dipietro has been healthy, but he’s also been mediocre posting a 4.21 GAA and a pathetic .854 save %.

13. Chris Drury, NY Rangers – $7,050,000 cap hit Signed by Glen Sather as a free agent in 2007. Drury’s offensive production has steadily declined in the past four years and his leadership qualities have also been questioned. He has only played one game this season, battling injuries.

14. Alexei Kovalev, Ottawa – $5,000,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent prior to the 2009-10 season by Ottawa, Kovalev has been a big disappointment so far for the Senators. As streaky as they come, Kovalev has only 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 pts in 13 games this year.

15. Andrej Meszaros, Philadelphia – $4,000,000 cap hit Acquired from the Lightning before the season by the Flyers, Meszaros’ offensive production has gone AWOL since leaving Ottawa for Tampa Bay. And things haven’t changed in Philadelphia, Meszaros notching only 2 assists in 12 games in 2010-11.

16. Eric Brewer, St. Louis – $4,250,000 cap hit Re-signed as a RFA by St. Louis in the summer of 2006, Brewer has never reached the 30-point plateau in his career. Moreover, he has been bit by the injury bug the past two seasons, missing 77 games due to injuries. This season, Brewer has recorded zero point in ten games for the Blues.

17. Brad Boyes, St. Louis – $4,000,000 cap hit Coming off a career-year during which he scored 43 goals and 22 assists for 65 points in 2007-08, the Blues re-signed Boyes to a multi-year contract hoping for offense. While Boyes scored 72 points in the first one his contract, his offensive production declined steadily last season, Boyes scoring only 14 goals and 42 points. This year, he has only 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 pts in 10 games.

18. Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay – $7,727,273 cap hit Lecavalier was signed to a 11-year contract extension by Tampa Bay before the 2009-10 season. Lecavalier rewarded the Lightning with a paltry 70-point campaign in 2009-10, not enough for the offensive leader of this franchise. This season, Lecavalier has struggled, scoring only 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points in 11 games.

19. Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay – $4,500,000 cap hit Signed as a free agent before the 2008-09 season by the Lightning, Malone’s production has been sub-par so far in Tampa Bay. Malone only recorded 45 and 47 points the past two seasons with his new team. This campaign, Malone has played on the third line and has only managed 1 goal despite adding 6 assists for 7 points in 11 games.

20. Mike Komisarek, Toronto $4,500,000 cap hit After flourishing as a bruising defenseman in Montreal, Komisarek joined the Maple Leafs as a free agent in 2009. Last season, he missed 48 games due to injuries in a season to forget. This year, Komisarek has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 pts in 12 games.

If you think I missed an overpaid NHLer, please let me know in the comments section.

The above general managers should also take the following notes: 7 ways to (legally) circumvent the NHL salary cap 101 and avoid throwing money out the window at overrated players.

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I was 11 when the Oilers hoisted the Cup in 1990 so my memories of those games between these two franchises during their glory days are limited to taped games only. Ironically all the games we had on tape were Oiler wins, I guess those are the only games worth watching. But even though the games weren’t live I could always feel the emotion in the game. What it must have been like in the building I can only imagine.

Now the Battle of Alberta is a battle in name only. There is more animosity in the stands than there is on the ice and that has more to do with what’s at stake than anything else, large quantities of barley soup doesn’t hurt either. With the exception of two surprising trips to the Stanley Cup – the Flames in 04 and the Oilers in 06 – fans on both sides haven’t had a whole lot to cheer about for the last 15 years.

Hope were high in Calgary when the season started. They’d added Bouwmeester to an already formidable defensive corps. But the results haven’t matched the hype. When the Flames take on the Oil tonight they will do so as the eighth place team in the Western Conference. That eighth place spot isn’t one that they won’t hold for much longer if they continue to play like they have this month though. The Flames are an ugly 3-6-2 in December.

But fans in the south should count themselves lucky that they aren’t Oiler fans. With 34 points in 38 games the Oilers will have to play like their hair is on fire to get into the NHL’s second season. If 95 points gets you eighth place, and it usually does give or take a win, the Oilers will need to play almost 0.700 the rest of the way. Thats a pretty tall order for a team playing 0.447 so far this year. Add in that Hemsky is done for the season and it’s starting to more and more like Khabibulin might be forced to have surgey that would end his season and the task becomes almost impossible. So on the 28th of December all that Oiler fans have left to cheer for is more losses and the hopes of a top three pick this June in Los Angeles.

Although it isn’t what it once was the Battle of Alberta does still mean something to me. They’re the games I circle first when the schedule comes out and I make sure I get to all the games here in Edmonton. In three games between the two clubs this season the Oilers are 0-3. And as much as I hope that the Oilers are bad enough to get a very high draft pick in June I still want them to win tonight simply because I don’t ever want the Flames (or really the City of Calgary) to ever win anything.

In order to win at the Olympic level, I believe Canada cannot be purely made up the top scorers across all four lines, defensively responsible forwards must also be added to ensure that the skill of Russian, Swedish and American top lines can be stopped. The Canadian team must also be carefully constructed in order to fill the locker room with integrity and leadership. Players must have a team first attitude, and be willing to do whatever it takes in order to secure a gold medal. With that in mind, this is the team I would ice in Vancouver.

Nash                                      Crosby                                  Iginla

I don’t think there can be much debate over this top line; all three skaters have proven to be consistent scorers in the NHL and on the international stage. The size of Rick Nash, the vision and finesse of Sidney Crosby, and the grit and leadership of Jerome Iginla can lead the way for Canada.

Heatley                                                Thornton                             Marleau

Line-mates in the NHL on the conference leading San Jose Sharks, the top line of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and Dany Heatley seems to be unstoppable. As the set up man, Thornton leads the NHL in points at 51 and assists at 41. His size, vision and perfect passing have made his line a scoring threat at all times, sending Marleau and Heatley to the top of the NHL scoring race where they sit 2^nd and 4^th overall with 23 and 22 goals respectively. With two lines full of such impressive scoring talent, the top six forwards for Canada will put up big numbers come tournament time in Vancouver.

Perry                                     Getzlaf                                 Stamkos

At 6’4” and 6’3” the Anaheim Ducks duo of Ryan Getzlaf are two of the best power forwards in the league. Throw in the scoring touch of the young and talented Steven Stamkos, and the third line looks just as dangerous as the top two. As a third line, this trio will also be looked towards for scoring, hitting and dominating shifts in the offensive zone, all three stand over 6’1” tall, which will make it tough to move any of these three off the puck. Throw in the mean-streak of Getzlaf and Perry especially, and this line will be extremely tough to play against.

Toews                                   Richards                               Doan

The fourth line for Canada will be looked towards to shut down the skill of oppositions top lines, this trio of forwards  has proven both at the NHL level and on the international stage that they can be counted on the come through for Canada.  All three have been great soldiers for Canada, representing their country at the World Junior Hockey Championships before making the jump to the NHL. Shane Doan has also represented Canada in five straight World Championships, and Jonathan Toews heroics at the World Juniors in 2006-2007 is just a taste of the leadership and clutch play that made him the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks. Richards, at a combined plus 40 over the last three years has proven he is defensively one of the best forwards in the NHL, his penalty killing skills are second to none, and will be looked towards with the game on the line to hold the lead when down a skater.

Pronger                                                Niedermayer

Familiar from their times in Anaheim, Pronger and Niedermayer are two veteran presences on the blue line that will lead Canada to Olympic glory. Pronger has had more than 40 points in 9 consecutive seasons (other than a 5 game, 4 point season in ‘02/’03) and is one of the toughest and most intimidating forces to play against. The smooth skating Niedermayer has four Stanley Cups, two Memorial Cups, and a gold medal at every level of international competition for Canada, his veteran leadership will be a key for Canada.

Keith                                     Bouwmeester

Duncan Keith has been above 30 in both points and plus/minus in the last two seasons, and can move the puck with the best of them, he understands how to man the point and set up skilled players considering the talent he is surrounded by in Chicago. Bouwmeester is a prototypical puck moving defenseman, he was a standout with 7 points in 9 games at the 2002-2003 World Junior Hockey Championships, and has put up more than 37 points in the last four seasons. Did I mention he’s 6’4” and he can hit too?

Green                                   Boyle

While the previous four defenseman can all man a power play with ease, no one can put more points on the board more than Mike Green and Dan Boyle. Mike Green led the NHL last season among defenseman in scoring, including an amazing 31 goals. Boyle, who finished 6^th in defenseman scoring last season is currently 3^rd this season (second among Canadians) and has been a catalyst for the high powered San Jose Sharks offense. Down a goal with the man advantage, Boyle and Green will be looked upon to quarterback the power play and get a goal the team needs.

Brodeur                               Luongo                                Fleury

No question here, these three are the best Canada has to offer. Brodeur and Luongo are #1 and #1a, but I believe both will get a start in the preliminary and pre-tournament rounds in order to determine the starter for the beginning of the tournament.

While the roster spots have been heavily debated, the captaincy is just as tight a race. However I think one player stands above the rest as the best leader of the team not only on the ice and through his play, but through his work ethic, and his dealings with the media. Jerome Iginla would be my Team Canada captain, at 32 years old he is old enough to lead the team and earn the respect of older players, but still young enough to be respected by younger players as well. His intensity and willingness to battle in games is second to none. He can lead Canada to a gold medal on home soil. Assistant captains Scott Niedermayer and Sidney Crosby bring leadership from both a veteran perspective as well as a youthful influence from Sid the kid.

There it is, that’s the team I would like to see hit the ice at GM place and take the hockey world by storm. I’m sure there will be many differences of opinion, so let me know what changes you would make in the comments section, or list off your full team if you so desire.

Below you will find the three groupings for the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament:

GROUP A: Canada, United States, Norway, Switzerland

GROUP B: Russia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovakia

GROUP C: Finland, Sweden, Germany, Belarus

The countries in bold are the four tournament favorites, without disrespect to the other eight countries.

Tournament format:
Each team will play the round robin portion of the tournament, facing the other three teams of their respective group and the best four records will advance to the quarter-finals.

Then the remaining eight teams will move on to play a qualifying playoff round to decide the other four quarter-final spots. The final eight teams will face each other in the quarter-finals until the Gold Medal Winner is decided.

Canada’s schedule will be fairly easy as they will play their first game on February 16th against a weak Norwegian team. Norway is most likely the tournament’s weakest team and should give Canada an opportunity to find some chemistry and chase those olympic butterflies.

After that game Canada has a day off, before they take on the Swiss on the 18th. Finally, Team Canada will conclude the round-robin portion of their tournament with a emotional match-up against their North American foe, the United States.

Who would you select as Team Canada’s captain?
Scott Niedermayer?
Jarome Iginla?
Sidney Crosby?

I would personnally give the C to Niedermayer as he is a proven winner with plenty of experience in the NHL and on the international level. Iginla and Crosby are great leaders too, but Niedermayer is the most experienced.

Potential final line-up for Team Canada:
Forwards:
R. Nash-S. Crosby-J. Iginla
B. Richards-R. Getzlaf-C. Perry
P. Marleau-J.Thornton-D.Heatley
R.Smyth-M. Richards-E. Staal
Jonathan Toews as the 13th forward.

Defensemen:
C. Pronger-S. Niedermayer
D. Keith-M. Green
D. Boyle-S. Weber
Drew Doughty as the 7th defensemen.

Goalies:
M. Brodeur
R. Luongo
M-A Fleury

Noteworthy considerations:
Forwards:
Shane Doan, Patrice Bergeron, Mike Fisher, Michael Cammalleri, Brendan Morrow, Martin St-Louis, Dustin Penner, Vincent Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Jeff Carter, Jordan Staal

Defensemen:
Brent Seabrook, Jay Bouwmeester, Dion Phaneuf, Stephane Robidas, Robyn Regehr, Brent Burns

Goaltenders:
Cam Ward, Carey Price, Steve Mason

Who would you pick on your team as of December 21st, 2009?

With a 6-2-1 record out of the gates, a loss tonight will still leave the Oilers with a surprisingly good record through their first ten games. With a new coach and a new system I’d have been very happy with a 0.500 record. Considering the injuries this team has suffered already I would have been thrilled with 0.500. So why is it that the Oilers really would like to win tonight? If they don’t the Flames will have all but locked up the season series on the 24th of October. At the end of the year the season series could be used as a tiebreaker, you’d hate to be losing tiebreaker already, and you’d really hate to give them up to the Flames.

Tonight will be a tough test though. Since the lockout the Oilers have posted just five wins in Calgary against ten losses. Calgary is one of the loudest buildings in the league and that atmosphere is about the only thing that Calgary has that I wish Edmonton had, everything else sucks. And Calgary knows they suck too, that is why the imported Edmonton born and bred players like Iginla, Phaneuf, and Bouwmeester to help build a decent squad in the south half of the province.

Besides the crowd in Calgary the Oilers will again have to use a depleted lineup. On Thursday the Oilers were left with no healthy scratches as the injury and flu bugs have destroyed the dressing room. Two days later things are actually worse and it looks as if Comrie might be unable to go. According to Jason Gregor’s twitter account, if that is the case then the Oilers might move Strudwick up to forward, playing on the fourth line with MacIntyre and Stortini, and recently recalled Theo Peckham would draw in as the sixth defenceman.

Another big performance from their new top line of Penner-Gagner-Hemsky would certainly help out the Oiles cause tonight. I’m not expecting another 13 point night, just seven or eight would be fine by me. Also if Khabibulin could return to his Flame killer form – 22-5-2 before joining the Oilers – that would be fantastic.

I’m also hoping that somebody grabs Iginla early on for some retribution for the hit on Souray. Souray hasn’t played since then and it doesn’t sound like he will be playing anytime soon. I’m not a supporter of guys hangvi to fight to defend a clean hit – like Mitchell did after destroying Toews on Wednesday night – but the hit Iginal threw on Souray was not clean. That night the Oilers did nothing about it other than a lame attempt at a fight by Moreau later in the game, hopefully someone decides to actually do something about it tonight. This is the Battle of Alberta, it’s supposed to be mean lets see some fights.