Eastern Conference

(8) Ottawa Senators vs. (1) New York Rangers

Cohen– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Brandon Dubinsky

Muscat– Rangers win in 6. X-Factor –> Ryan Callahan

Philp– Rangers win in 5 . X-Factor –> Henrik Lundqvist/Rangers’ Physicality

Woodward– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> Chris Phillips/Filip Kuba

(7) Washington Capitals vs. (2) Boston Bruins

Cohen– Bruins win in 6. X-Factor –> Nicklas Backstrom

Muscat– Bruins win in 4. X-Factor –> Brad Marchand

Philp– Capitals win in 7. X-Factor –> Alexander Ovechkin

Woodward– Bruins win in 6. X-Factor –> Boston’s Power-Play

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (3) Florida Panthers

Cohen– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> David Clarkson

Muscat– Devils win in 5. X-Factor –> David Clarkson

Philp– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> A Healthy Martin Brodeur

Woodward– Devils win in 6. X-Factor –> Florida’s Secondary Scoring

(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins

Cohen–  Penguins win in 7. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Muscat– Penguins win in 6. X-Factor –> Marc-Andre Fleury

Philp– Penguins win in 5. X-Factor –> Pittsburgh’s Depth/Matt Cooke

Woodward– Flyers win in 7. X-Factor –> Ilya Bryzgalov

Western Conference

(8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (1) Vancouver Canucks

Cohen–  Canucks win in 6. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Muscat– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Philp– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Woodward– Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

(7) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) St. Louis Blues

Cohen– Blues win in 6. X-Factor –> Andy McDonald

Muscat– Blues win in 5. X-Factor –> Alex Pietrangelo

Philp– Sharks win in 6. X-Factor –> Joe Thornton Exorcising Playoff Demons

Woodward– Blues win in 5. X-Factor –> Antti Niemi

(6) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

Cohen– Blackhawks win in 6. X-Factor –> Keith Yandle

Muscat– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith

Philp– Coyotes win in 6. X-Factor –> Mike Smith/Phoenix Defense

Woodward– Coyotes win in 7. X-Factor –> Corey Crawford

(5) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) Nashville Predators

Cohen– Predators win in 6. X-Factor –> Alexander Radulov

Muscat– Red Wings win in 7. X-Factor –> Pavel Datsyuk

Philp– Red Wings win in 6. X-Factor –> Detroit’s Special Teams

Woodward– Predators win in 7. X-Factor –> Detroit’s Second Line

Stanley Cup Finals

Cohen– Penguins Over Predators

Muscat– Red Wings Over Penguins

Philp– Red Wings Over Penguins

Woodward– Rangers Over Predators

Things got off to a slow start for the Black and Gold, who looked an awful lot like a team that had just endured a grueling cross-country flight. After a brutal bluline turnover by Milan Lucic and a few more defensive zone mistakes than bench boss Claude Julien would have liked,  the B’s found themselves down 1-0, just inside the four minute mark of the opening frame. It would be the American-born Joe Pavelski who would put San Jose ahead early after finding himself uncovered in front of the Bruins’ net thanks to some slick puck work from Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton.

It wasn’t until the 2:17 mark of the third period that the Sharks would double their lead when former University of New Hampshire standout Daniel Winnik would fire an off-angle shot over the glove of Tim Thomas and into the back of the Boston net.

Late in the final frame, the B’s would get one back when a fluky bounce went their way as captain Zdeno Chara bounced a bad-angle wrister off the pads of Niemi and into the San Jose goal.

Unfortunately for the hoards of Bostonians that burnt the midnight oil in watching Thursday’s game telecast, the B’s simply couldn’t solve Niemi for a second time as they fell 2-1 to a desperate San Jose squad.

Registering a season-low 17 shots on goal, the Bruins clearly looked like a tired team on Thursday. After a long travel day on Wednesday, the B’s simply couldn’t muster the energy or intensity necessary to outlast a team currently engaged in a heated battle. Speaking from experience, it is indeed awfully tough to recover from the six/seven hour flight from Boston to California. Couple that with the three hour time change and it makes for an unfavorable scenario for anyone, especially hockey players competing against a team that’s been comfortably at home since March 14. Look for a much stronger effort from the Black and Gold on Saturday in Los Angeles, after they’ve had a solid seventy-two hours to adjust to life in the Golden State. Also, one would expect that Marty Turco could get the start at the Staples Center against an offensively challenged Kings squad.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Antti Niemi (16 Saves)

2) Joe Pavelski (1 Goal/Plus-2 Rating)

3) Brian Rolston (1 Assist/Plus-1 Rating)

What’s Next?

– The Black and Gold will now trek south through the state of California for a Saturday showdown at the Staples Center with the Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks will continue their home-stand with a match-up against the Coyotes on Saturday.

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Records: Boston 42-27-3 (87 Points) , San Jose 36-27-10 (82 Points)

Location: HP Pavilion, San Jose, California

Time: 10:30 P.M. (EST)

TV/Radio Info: NESN (Edwards, Brickley, Funayama) – 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers)

Last Game: Toronto Maple Leafs 0 , Bruins 8 ……. Sharks 2 , Los Angeles Kings 5

Tonight’s Lineup (Subject To Change):

FORWARDS:

Lucic–Krejci–Caron

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Rolston–Kelly–Pouliot

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE:

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Ference

McQuaid–Zanon

GOALTENDER:

Thomas

Turco

Scratches– …… Mike Mottau, Trent Whitfield, Joe Corvo

Injuries:

Nathan Horton (Concussion) – Boston’s top right winger remains sidelined with a concussion he suffered back on January 21.

Rich Peverley (MCL) – Peverley has begun skating and has joined the team on their West Coast road trip, but has not yet been cleared for contact.

Tuukka Rask (Groin) — The B’s back-up ‘tender is slated to be out of commission until mid-April with a lower abdomen/groin strain.

Last Time We Met:  Sharks 4 , Bruins 2

– Despite overcoming a 2-0 hole in the final period, the B’s were defeated by the Sharks back in October by a 4-2 score at the TD Garden. Essex, MA native Benn Ferriero would account for the game winning goal at the mid-way point of the third when he pushed home a rebound for his first tally of the season.

Prediction: The Sharks are a team with a tremendous amount of talent, up and down the lineup. In fact, you could make a case for them having the greatest “on-paper” roster in the Western Conference. However, talent doesn’t always translate into winning. As of late, it seems that the Sharks have been playing with an almost nonchalant attitude, something that should be the farthest thing from the mind of a team engaged in a heated battle for a playoff spot.  If you’ve seen any recent San Jose games, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about. Look for the B’s to come out with a relatively easy win to kick off their three-game Western road swing.

Bruins 4 , Sharks 2

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Pekka Rinne started in net for the Predators while the Sharks went with Antti Niemi.

Once again, the Predators were facing a desperate team in the Sharks, who at the outset of this game were sitting 3 points out of a playoff spot with 78 points. For the Predators, this was going to be another contest where they had to match the intensity of a team that was fighting for their playoff life.

Early in the contest, the Sharks dominated the contest with puck possession and a good cycle game. Through the first nine minutes of the contest, the Sharks out shot the Predators 6-1.

Certainly an ominous start for the Predators.

The Predators would start skating and getting into the contest, and their first break came when Marc-Edouard Vlasic was called for high sticking Sergei Kostitsyn.

The Predators red hot power play made the Sharks pay for their transgression as Mike Fisher skated off the half wall and got the puck to Patric Hornqvist alone at the top of side of the net. Hornqvist was not challenged by the Sharks D, and he spun and put the puck in the top corner at 13:18 of the first period to give the Predators a 1-0 lead. This was Hornqvist’s team leading 22nd goal of the season.

Throughout the first period, the Sharks did a good job in the neutral zone of slowing down the Predators speed and consequently the Predators had a difficult time setting up their offense. This was reflected in the shot totals for the first period, with the Sharks out shooting the Predators 13-6.

Going into the second period, it was going to be important for the Predators to control the puck and have crisp breakouts. The Sharks were going to keep coming at the Predators, and their offensive effort was going to have to improve.

The second period opened as the first had ended with the Sharks swarming the Predators, who seemed to be back on their heels at the start.

Although the Sharks were controlling the puck in the Predators zone, the Predators defense did a good job of keeping the Sharks to the outside and limiting quality scoring chances. The Predators had a few good scoring chances as well, but could not get anything past Niemi.

Pekka Rinne made a huge stop on Martin Havlat, who was alone at the side of the net to keep the game scoreless at the 14 minute mark of the second. Rinne was sprawled on the ice and manage to get his glove on Havlat’s shot to deny the goal. Rinne had made some big stops in this game, none bigger than that.

Martin Havlat tripped Pekka Rinne in a dirty play and a scrum broke loose involving all the players on the ice. The result was a power play for the Predators, but the power play was ineffective, mounting only one shot on net.

A truculent second period ended with the Predators still leading 1-0 but on the penalty kill with David Legwand in the box for interference. The Sharks would have 1:49 of power play time to start the third period. The Sharks out shot the Predators 15-14 in the second period.

The third period would be one where the Predators had to match the intensity of the and desperation of the Sharks and keep up their offensive pressure. Niemi had been giving up rebounds, and the Predators needed to capitalize on their opportunities.

The Sharks tied the game 55 seconds into the third period as a shot from the point ricocheted to Joe Thornton alone at the side of the net and he buried the shot past Rinne, who had no chance on the play.

Game on, now, and it was time for the Predators to step up their effort.

After the power play goal by the Sharks, they began to dominate the Predators. The Predators had to kill of another penalty, which they did successfully, but the Sharks were on the attack and the Predators were back on their heels. The Predators needed to get their offensive effort going again and challenge the Sharks in their zone.

The Predators did respond and started controlling the puck and firing shots on Niemi. The Predators needed to get good follow up chances on the rebounds that Niemi was giving up.

They could not, just as the Sharks could not get a puck past Rinne, and for the second game in a row, the Predators were heading to overtime.

In the third period, the Predators out shot the Sharks 10-4.

The Sharks opened the OT with absolutely dominant play, aided by the Predators sloppy puck handling. Rinne made a great save on a breakaway by Dan Boyle to keep the Predators in the game.

Shea Weber took a penalty with 3.9 seconds left in the OT, and the Sharks Patrick Marleau missed a good scoring chance with a backhand just as the horn sounded to end the period.

So for the second game in a row, the Predators were going to have to decide a contest in a shootout.

San Jose would shoot first, and Martin Havlat was the first shooter and was stoned by Rinne.

Poetic justice after Havlat’s earlier dirty play.

Craig Smith was stopped by Niemi.

Joe Pavelski was stopped by the stick of Rinne.

Andrei Kostitsyn lost the puck but got a weak shot away that was stopped by Niemi.

Ryan Clowe beat Rinne stick side to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead in the shoot out.

David Legwand was stopped by Niemi, and the Sharks captured the win in the shootout.

The Predators started slowly, weathered the Sharks storm, and fought their way back in this game. The fact is that the Sharks were the more desperate team and played like it for much of the night. The Predators effort was solid, but not good enough to capture the second point they wanted.

Coming out of this game, the concern is for the health of Paul Gaustad, who injured his hand in the third period and did not return to the game.

The road gets no easier for the Predators, as they face another desperate team in the L.A. Kings on Saturday night.

Time to re-group and get back to the winning ways.

My three stars:

1. Antti Niemi

2. Pekka Rinne

3. Ryan Clowe

The Bolts are in fourth place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by seven points. Tampa Bay is in 11th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference, six points out of a playoff spot.

After 58 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 40. He leads the Bolts and is third in the NHL in points with 67. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 34. Forward Teddy Purcell leads the team in rating with a +8.

Defenseman Brett Clark is last in rating with a -20. Steve Downie has accumulated 121 penalty minutes (5th in the NHL). Goalie Mathieu Garon has 18 wins, a 2.84 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:19 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 205.

The Lightning have scored 161 goals (10th in the NHL) and allowed 192 goals (30th (last) in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams remain bad. The power play success rate is 13.4% (29th in the 30 team NHL) and the penalty kill is at 80.3% (25th in the NHL). The league average power play percentage is 17.36% and the average NHL team kills off 82.04% of their penalties successfully.

Tampa Bay is 23rd in the league in faceoff percentage, winning just 49.2% of their draws.

Box Scores

Game 56 – Tampa Bay Lightning 0 – Ottawa Senators 4

Game 57 – Tampa Bay Lightning 6 – San Jose Sharks 5 OT

Game 58 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – Washington Capitals 1

Three Stars of the Week

Steven Stamkos - Three goals and two assists.

Teddy Purcell – One goal and two assists.

Victor Hedman - Three assists.

Transactions

The Lightning traded center Dominic Moore and a seventh round pick in 2012 to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a second round pick in 2012 (acquired by the Sharks from the Minnesota Wild).

The Lightning traded defenseman Pavel Kubina to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for a second round pick in 2012 or 2013 (The Panthers hold the option on whether the second round pick can be used this year or in 2013), a fourth round pick in 2012 and minor league winger Jon Kalinski.

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR and will have major knee surgery on Thursday. The complicated surgery is a last gasp effort to save Ohlund’s career.

Forward Dana Tyrell is out for the year after having successful knee surgery.

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron is day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Bolt Notes

Stamkos on fire!

Steven Stamkos is on a tear. Over the last 29 games, he has 24 goals, 13 assists, 37 points and seven game winning goals. The 22-year old center became the first Tampa Bay player to have three consecutive seasons of at least 40 goals. Stamkos had a career-high 51 goals in the 2009-10 season and scored 45 times last season. He has three goals and two assists in his last two games.

The Lightning are looking to their future by selling off Dominic Moore and Pavel Kubina for draft picks. According to ESPN.com’s Pierre Lebrun, “Moore’s agent, Larry Kelly, did have some talks about an extension with Yzerman over the past few weeks, but they never were able to bridge the gap. So Moore was dealt yet again — joining his ninth team since the lockout.”

A quick note on the Kubina trade:  The Bolts had asked the veteran defenseman to submit a list of teams that he would agree to be traded to. That list was never submitted as Yzerman approached Kubina about the Philadelphia offer and he accepted it.

GM Steve Yzerman and the Lightning may not be a seller yet. The Bolts next few games will determine that. Moore and Kubina were players that the Lightning were not going to sign for next year and were attractive to other teams. Trading them away in exchange for draft picks and potential assets was an intelligent move. The Bolts now have seven, first and second round draft picks over the next two years.

There are 24 games remaining to be played and the Bolts are six points out of the playoffs with three teams to jump over (Jets, Capitals and Maple Leafs). Two other teams (Islanders and Canadiens) are tied with them. Thirteen of those games are at home and ten are against teams the Bolts are tied with or need to jump in the standings, including the final five games.

According to Sports Club Stats, Tampa Bay has a 5.2% chance of making the playoffs.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Anaheim on Tuesday. travels to Winnipeg on Thursday, Pittsburgh on Saturday and New Jersey on Sunday.

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 Admirals faced the division leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their barn this past Wednesday night. The Penguins have always been a tough foe for the Admirals. Fortunately, this season the Admirals have won every road games versus the Penguins. The game went scoreless for the first period, but a couple of early fights set the tone for the rest of the game. Radko Gudas got the ball rolling, scoring shorthanded just 59 seconds into the second period. Ondrej Palat added another goal at 17:51. Both teams fought a back and forth battle in the third period, but Pierre-Cedric Labrie scored at the thirteen minute mark to put the Admirals up 3-0. Tyler Johnson hammered the nail in the coffin a minute and a half later to seal the 4-0 win. Dustin Tokarski went home with another shutout.

The Admirals were at home on Friday and Saturday night, facing former head coach Trent Yawney and the Syracuse Crunch. It was a special night for Admiral’s fans as Stanley Cup winner Aaron Downey (Detroit Red Wings) and Chris Phelps were inducted into the Admirals Hall of Fame. The game was a memorable team effort. Mike Kostka scored shorthanded at 2:43 of the first period. Syracuse would even things up at 5:07 of the second. The Crunch moved ahead at the 9:37 mark. Trevor Smith and Alex Picard each netted  power play goals to give the Admirals a 3-2 lead. Cory Conacher scored early in the third period, but the two goal buffer was erased on a Crunch goal just thirteen seconds later. Trevor Smith scored another Admiral power play goal at the twelve minute mark. Pierre-Cedric Labrie added the seventh and final Admiral goal a minute later. Syracuse managed to score one more goal on Tokarski, but Norfolk took the first game of the series, 7-4 over the Crunch.

Both teams were back in action Saturday Night. The Admiral Fans packed the house for Norfolk’s second sellout of the season. Syracuse provided the only scoring for the first two periods. This was definitely not the high scoring match that was expected. Syracuse added another goal halfway through the third. Mark Barberio scored a goal at 7:16 to cut the Admiral’s deficit to one. Ondrej Palat knocked in a power play goal to even things up at two each at 9:02. Both teams could not find the back of the net for the remainder of the period and the game went to overtime. After five minutes of scoreless overtime hockey, the game went to a shootout. After eight rounds of the shootout Jaroslav Janus made the save on Syracuse’s ninth round shooter. Michel Ouelette, who was recovering from an injury, put the puck into the back of the Syracuse net giving the Admirals a 3-2 win and sole possession of first place in the East Division.

Cory Conacher (29G 31A 60Pts +5), Trevor Smith (21G 36A 57Pts +26), and Mark Barberio (7G 38A 45Pts +19) find themselves at the top in scoring. Conacher now leads the AHL with 29 goals. Dustin Tokarski (23-11-0 2.41 GAA) went 2-0 this week. Jaroslav Janus (10-8-2 2.98 GAA) went 1-1.

For the season the Admirals are 33-18-1-2 with 69 points. They are currently holding the top position in the East Division. Norfolk is on a 6-0-0-0 streak and are 7-3-0-0 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Kostka is the Ad's first star of the week

Mike Kostka – One goal and three assists.

Tyler Johnson – Two goals and three assists.

Mark Barberio – One goal and three assists.

Transactions

Jon Kalinski – Assigned byTampaBayLightning (NHL).

Injuries

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

An Observation from the Stands

The Admirals had another great week that resulted in them claiming sole possession of first place in the division. Wednesday saw a match up of Norfolk’s Alex Picard versus the Penguins’ Alex Picard and a shutout victory for goalie Dustin Tokarski. Friday night’s matchup saw the special teams clicking and a great offensive performance. Saturday night Norfolk had the house rocking. Syracuse wanted payback for the beating they took the night before, but the Admirals were not going to give them that satisfaction. Dustin Tokarski is on a roll and looking better every day. Janus stood tall and took home the victory in the shootout. Mike Kostka had his best performance since arriving from San Antonio. Kostka definitely deserves this week’s number one star. The Admirals are looking better every day.

The Week Ahead

The Admirals find themselves on the road with three games in three nights this week. They will be in Binghamton on Friday night, followed by Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday and Sunday.

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Through forty minutes of surprisingly exciting action, an injury-depleted Winnipeg Jets squad that saw both Zach Bogosian and Tanner Glass leave the game with differing ailments, held a 3-2 lead over the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

“I mean, they were playing hard they were winning battles they were competing hard and getting many shots on net.” – Tyler Seguin

Powered by deflection goals from captain Andrew Ladd and former Bruin Blake Wheeler, the Jets’ thoroughly out-played a Boston squad plagued by turnovers and the inability to capitalize on a multitude of scoring chances. Despite not playing to their full capabilities through the first two frames, the B’s were held in it thanks to goals from Nathan Horton and Shawn Thornton. The second of which coming on Thornton’s first penalty shot of his eight-year NHL career. A move that drew laughter from teammates Brad Marchand and Jordan Caron, who were perched high above the ice in the Garden press box. The veteran enforcer can now add “penalty shot goal” the long list of things he’s accomplished throughout the duration of his lengthy workman-like career. “I mean that better be on every highlight tonight” said teammate Tyler Seguin of No. 22′s brilliant dangle. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg stressed how Thornton’s overall game energized his team on Tuesday.

“(Thornton Was) Huge. He had a fight, a great penalty shot on a back-hand toe drag. I don’t know how many guys can do that – I would end up on the ground if I tried that. It was a good play. He gave us a lot of energy.” — Dennis Seidenberg

Kicking off things in the final frame it was Nathan Horton adding his second of the night when he capped off some beautiful break-in work from Boston’s top line by tapping home a back-door feed for his 14th tally of the year. The B’s however were not done their, as they continued to dominate a final frame in which they out-shot their opponents by an astonishing 22-8 margin. It was at the 3:06 mark of the period that Tyler Seguin would show exactly why he was taken with the second overall draft choice in the 2010 Entry Draft. Taking a feed from the red-hot Patrice Bergeron, Seguin used his overwhelming speed to blow past the Jets’ defense and proceeded to dangle goaltender Ondrej Pavelec out of his pants before roofing it on the backhand. The career-high 17th goal of the season for Boston’s stud sophomore gave the B’s their first lead of the night. A mere three and a half minutes later the Bruins would take advantage of their second power-play of the evening when Benoit Pouliot banged one home from the doorstep for his eighth of the season.  The Alfred, Ontario native has done an admirable job in filling in for chief agitator Brad Marchand, tallying four points (1G/3A) in two games while playing alongside Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin. B’s bench boss Claude Julien spoke of Pouliot’s adjustment to his new team and his comfort level playing in Boston.

“The one thing I know is that he (Pouliot) feels very comfortable with this group of guys, that he knows everybody’s got everybody’s back, so wherever he has to go. I think he’s developed that confidence as we’ve moved on here this year.” – Claude Julien

The score would remain 5-3 for the remainder of the night as the B’s would ride a 29-save performance from Tuukka Rask all the way to the victory. The win was good for Rask’s sixth in a row, as the Finnish netminder continues to impress between the pipes.

“He did a pretty good job, but he just continues to play well for us and win some games, and it makes our situation pretty nice.” – Claude Julien

From The Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thorburn (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ladd (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hainsey (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pouliot

KEY STATS

Goals–                       WPG (3)                   BOS (5)

Shots–                       WPG (32)                    BOS (42)

Power-Play–           WPG (0-4)                   BOS (1-3)

Penalty-Kill–           WPG (2-3)                    BOS (4-4)

• Ben’s Three Stars– ….. 3.) David Krejci  ….. 2.) Nathan Horton   ….. 1.) Shawn Thornton

What’s Next?

Next up for the Black and Gold will be another hotly anticipated contest with the hated Montreal Canadiens on Thursday evening at TD Garden. The B’s and Habs have split the four games between them this season, with each squad winning one at home and one on the road. Next up for the Jets will be a return home to the MTS Centre for a Thursday showdown with Joe Thornton and the San Jose Sharks.

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

After 34 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 +10.

Forward Steve Downie has accumulated 76 penalty minutes and goalie Mathieu Garon has eight wins, a 2.84 goals against average and a .902 save percentage. Dwayne Roloson has become the number two goalie, struggling with six wins, a 3.72 goals against average and an .883 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:08 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 118.

The Lightning have scored 88 goals (15th in the NHL) and allowed 114 goals (28th in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams were awful this week. The power play success rate fell t0 14.3% (25th in the NHL) and the penalty kill slipped to 80.7% (25th in the NHL).

Box Scores

Game 33 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – San Jose Sharks 7

Game 34 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Colorado Avalanche 2 OT

Three Stars of the Week

Martin St. Louis – One goal and one assist.

Pavel Kubina – One goal.

Dominic Moore – One goal.

Transactions

The Lightning recalled defenseman Evan Oberg and forward JT Wyman from Norfolk and then reassigned Oberg to the Admirals. This was the fifth time this month that Oberg was reassigned.

Injuries

Forward Ryan Shannon is out 2-4 weeks with a lower body injury.

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.

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

Forward Nate Thompson is day-to-day with a lower body injury and is slated to return on Tuesday.

Bolt Notes

Tampa Bay was embarrassed by San Jose early in the week, then played well versus the Avalanche, but still lost in overtime. They have now lost 12 of their last 18 games and are eight points out of a playoff spot with five teams to jump over. A daunting task, to be certain, with 48 games left.

The Bolts remain woefully inconsistent. The defense and goaltending are struggling mightily. Injuries are hurting the blue line as the Bolts are playing with only six healthy defensemen. Five of the seven defensemen have negative +/- ratings, with Victor Hedman and Brett Clark  ”leading” the way with a -12 and a -11 rating respectively.

Many are calling for GM Steve Yzerman to “do something” to help his club, but it is very difficult to work a trade this early in the season because most teams still do not know if they are buyers or sellers yet.

The measure of an NHL GM and organization  is how they handle adversity. Last season, almost everything fell into place and it looked relatively easy to the Lightning faithful. Now that the road to the playoffs has become rocky, Yzerman and the Bolts brass have an opportunity to show their mettle.

Tampa Bay must go on a run immediately following the Christmas break. The schedule favors them as 12 of the next 18 games are on home ice.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Philadelphia on Tuesday, Montreal on Thursday and Carolina on Saturday.

Are you looking for The Quarterdeck Log? Ken will be back when the AHL break is over next week.

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

Follow Ken Peacock on Twitter @VBKen.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard has been the best player on the team so far this season and is sporting an 10-5-1 record with a 1.85 goals against average with a .930 save percentage. With the exception of Thursday’s game in San Jose, Howard has kept the Red Wings in every game that he has played in.

Johan Franzen leads the team in points with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points and is tied with Ian White with a +8 on the team. Valtteri Filppula and Pavel Datsyuk are tied with the team lead in assists with 11 each.

With four goals and five assists to show for his efforts, Henrik Zetterberg is trying to follow Datsyuk’s lead as he tries to shrug off his slow start. Zetterberg could blow up anytime soon. His highlight goal in yesterday’s game in Anaheim could be the beginning.

After finishing the homestand with four straight wins, the Detroit Red Wings looked to keep up the momentum on their four-game road trip beginning with a stop in St.Louis.  They did so without one of their key members of the defense as Ian White didn’t accompany the team due to a broken cheekbone.

Game 16: Detroit Red Wings 1  St. Louis Blues 2

The Red Wings left their “A” game at the Joe Louis Arena  and saw their four-game winning streak end, losing to the Blues 2-1.  The Blues beat the Red Wings at their own game, most notably a 0 for 6 on the power-play. The Blues got 21 saves from Brian Elliott and goals from Matt D’Agostini and Alex Steen.  The Red Wings had a scare when Niklas Kronwall was hit from behind and went head-first into the boards by Chris Stewart, who got a three-game suspension in result.

Game 17: Detroit Red Wings 2  San Jose Sharks 5

The Red Wings started off guns blazing as they fired 17 shots at Sharks’ goalie Antti Niemi in the first period. With 12 seconds left in the first period, the Red Wings gave the Sharks a gift as Joe Pavelski scored a short-handed goal to tie the game at 1-1, and it was all downhill from there.  The Sharks scored three goals in the second period as they took a bite out of the Red Wings 5-2 at the HP Pavilion.  Marc-Edouard Vlasic led the Sharks with a goal and three assists finishing with a +5 while Joe Thornton and Brad Winchester each had a goal and an assist.  The game also marked the debut of Red Wings’ top prospect defenseman Brendan Smith who finished with a -2, but showed plenty of poise and held himself very well.

Game 18: Detroit Red Wings 4  Los Angeles Kings 1

Pavel Datsyuk ended his 12-game scoring slump by scoring twice, while Jimmy Howard stopped 23 shots for his 10th win of the season, including stopping Anze Kopitar on a penalty shot, turning the tide in the Red Wings’ favor.  It was the second straight game that the Red Wings scored two power play goals in consecutive games.  Niklas Kronwall and Justin Abdelkader also scored for the Red Wings, while rookie Brendan Smith got his first NHL point on an assist on the goal by Abdelkader.  The game also marked the return of Todd Bertuzzi who missed the last six games with a sinus infection and swelling in his ear.

Game 19: Detroit Red Wings 4 Anaheim Ducks 2

The Detroit Red Wings got two goals from defenseman Brad Stuart, while Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen scored the other goals as they left SoCal with two wins.  Jimmy Howard, once again, was stellar between the pipes as he made 23 saves for the win.  Most of those save were huge, especially robbing Bobby Ryan late in the first period and Devante Smith-Pelly midway through the second period. Brendan Smith got his second NHL point on an assist to Zetterberg’s goal in the first period.

Red Wings Three Stars Of The Week:

Pavel Datsyuk-two goals, three assists, +3

Niklas Kronwall-two goals, one assist, +2

Johan Franzen-one goal, three assists, +1

Team Transactions:

November 19: F Todd Bertuzzi was activated from injured reserve while D Ian White was placed on  the seven-day injured reserve.

This week’s games:

The Red Wings return home for a rematch with the Calgary Flames at the Joe Louis Arena.  Before the game, Mickey Redmond and Mark Howe will be honored as they were recently inducted into the Hall of Fame.  This Friday afternoon, the Red Wings travel to “Beantown” for their Thanksgiving Showdown with the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden and they finish off the week the next night back at The Joe, hosting the Nashville Predators.

Game Recaps

Game 7:  Detroit Red Wings 1  Columbus Blue Jackets 4

It would be easy to think that the Red Wings would take out their frustration on the Columbus Blue Jackets who were the only winless team in the league.  The Red Wings left their mojo in Detroit while Columbus hit the slot machine because a line of firsts occured in the game.  Rookies John Moore and Ryan Johanson scored their first NHL goals; James Wisniewski made his Blue Jackets’ debut after missing the first eight games due to suspension; RJ Umberger scored his first of the season and Steve Mason made 30 saves to lead the Blue Jackets to their first win of the season as they topped the Red Wings at the Nationwide Arena.  Darren Helm scored the lone goal for the Red Wings.

Game 8:  San Jose Sharks 4  Detroit Red Wings 2

The Red Wings came home to try to snap out of their funk.  Goaltender Jimmy Howard was back with the team after spending time with his wife and their newborn son, but luck on the ice didn’t come his way.  Joe Thornton scored twice and Antti Niemi stopped 30 shots to lead the Sharks to a 4-2 win.  The Red Wings got goals from Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom while Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk each contributed with two assists.

Game 9:  Detroit Red Wings 0  Minnesota Wild 1

The last time the Red Wings won a game was on October 15 at the Xcel Energy Center and they were hoping that lightning would strike twice. They didn’t even put the puck in the net as Josh Harding stopped all 36 shots to earn the shutout and Dany Heatley scored the lone goal of the game.  The Red Wings had their chances, but couldn’t solve the Wild goaltender. Jimmy Howard, who made 19 saves, played on consecutive nights so Ty Conklin could get rid of the sunburn on the back of his neck that he suffered in Washington and Columbus.  In all seriousness, Conklin will be religated as the regular backup. As they close out the month, the Red Wings have lost four in a row to finish 5-4-0 for October.

It’s obvious that the Red Wings are struggling.  Scoring four goals in four games from a team who is high octane offensively is a slump.  It’s nice that players like Darren Helm are scoring, but players like Henrik Zetterberg and Danny Cleary have to step up and be the team’s top scorers.  Cleary has yet to score his first goal of the season and needs to find the scoring touch really soon. It seems like Jiri Hudler has been dressed as the Invisible Man for the last two weeks because he’s nowhere to be seen.  The team’s goaltending duties have been eased a bit since Jimmy Howard came back to the team and he can’t be blamed for the team’s woes.  Defensively, the team has to be better and Saturday was a bit of a start.

Team Transactions:

October 24: Goaltender Joey MacDonald recalled from Grand Rapids

October 27: Goaltender Joey MacDonald assigned to Grand Rapids

October 29: Left Winger Fabian Brunnstrom placed on waivers

Brunnstrom has played in one game for the Red Wings and didn’t play the same as he did during the preseason. Playing on a line with Cory Emmerton in the 7-1 blowout in Washington certainly didn’t help.  If another team does not claim Brunnstrom by noon Monday, he will be sent down to Grand Rapids and will be left off the 23-man roster.  With the spot possibly open, the team can recall forwards Tomas Tatar or Gustav Nyquist.

The Red Wings hope to start November on the right foot as they play the next six games on home ice. This Tuesday they close out the home and home series against the Minnesota Wild. Thursday, Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames come to town.  Saturday, league MVP Corey Perry and the Anaheim Ducks come to pay the Red Wings a visit.

The Red Wings (5-3-0) seemed to have played well enough to stop the two-game losing streak, but instead they have lost three in a row. During this losing streak, the Red Wings have been outscored 15-4.  It is a cause for concern.

The Red Wings scored twice the number of goals as in the previous two games, which isn’t saying much. They got goals from Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom.  Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom each had two assists.

Red Wing goalie Jimmy Howard stopped 26 of 29 shots in his first game back since he and his wife became proud parents of their first child.  His counterpart, Sharks goalie Antti Niemi, was clutch as he made 30 saves, including 12 in the third period to seal the win.

The Sharks got two goals from Joe Thornton, who got the game winner on a breakaway as he beat Red Wing defenseman Ian White for the puck, and put a snap shot past Howard on the stick side for the 3-2 lead.  Thornton also added insurance to the Sharks win as he scored an empty net goal.

Ryan Clowe and Patrick Marleau also scored for the Sharks, who have won four straight after starting the season 1-3-0.

It was the Sharks’ eighth win in 38 regular season matchups at the Joe Louis Arena.  It’s been a different story for the past couple of seasons in the playoffs.  The Red Wings’ kryptonite over the last couple of postseasons are the Sharks.  If they’re going to reach the Stanley Cup finals, they’re going to have to overcome that hurdle and beat the Sharks.

If you base a book on the month of October for the Red Wings, it should be called “A Tale of Two Teams.”  You have the Red Wings team that started the season 5-0-0, and now that same team has lost three in a row over the last seven days.

The Red Wings are going back into familiar territory as they travel to St.Paul to once again face the Minnesota Wild.  This will be the first of two games in four days for both clubs. On October 15, the Red Wings skated away from the Xcel Energy Center with a 3-2 overtime win.

Saturday night the Bruins were re-taught an an old lesson and cliche; that a team cannot succeed in the NHL, without a full 60-minute effort. In Saturday evening’s game the B’s did not play to their full potential for an entire game. It wasn’t until after 40 minutes of lack-luster, un-inspiring play, that saw them put themselves in a 2-0 hole to last year’s Pacific division champions, that the Black&Gold would return to form.It was Milan Lucic & Tyler Seguin who would both notch 3rd period goals –a mere 0:29 seconds apart– to tie the game at 2, early in the final frame. Despite relentless pressure from the Boston offense, out-shooting San Jose 16-9 during the final 20, it was Essex, MA native Benn Ferriero who would put the Sharks ahead for good, when he potted his first of the year at the 8:48 mark of the period. It was with only 5 seconds on the clock that Patrick Marleau would seal the Sharks’ victory with an empty-net goal.

For Boston, consistency has been one of the biggest issues they have faced this year. For the 2nd time in a row, the B’s have dropped a game at home immediately following a meaningful victory. Bruins’ coaches & players are aware of these inconsistencies and realize they must bounce back and find a way in which to fix it:

“It does get frustrating but we did do a lot of good things tonight. But the fact of the matter is that we lost and we have to make sure to find out what happened and come back and get the next win.” – Johnny Boychuk

“Of course it’s frustrating. The big thing we are talking about right now is just consistency, that’s a big word in here. And having a big game against the Leafs that we just did and then coming out tonight and losing in our own barn, it’s a tough one to swallow, like I said. And we have to improve from it and learn.” – Tyler Seguin

“Yeah I don’t know to evaluate yet. We want to get into a rhythm and kind of like we did last year win two or three, lose one. You don’t ever want to lose but you know what I mean? But we haven’t been throwing the wins back to back so far this year.” – Tim Thomas

“Consistency is a mental challenge. You come to the rink and you’re ready to do the right things all the time, and when there’s a mental lapse, that’s what creates mistakes. Right now, there’s probably a little bit too much of that. The opportunities we’ve given in the slot area are the result of guys not coming back and being in the right position. That’s not about them not knowing; it’s about them not executing. We’ve got to get a little sharper, and that’s the biggest challenge right now in building that consistency.” – Claude Julien

Despite Boston’s poor performance through the first 40 minutes, the 3rd period efforts from the Tyler Seguin–Chris Kelly–Milan Lucic line are a solid silver-lining for Saturday’s game. Led by the game’s 1st star, Milan Lucic, Boston’s 2nd line manufactured both of Boston’s goals. Lucic finished the night with a  goal and an assist, while Kelly added two assists and Seguin cashed in his 3rd goal of the season. Since being assembled, the B’s new second line has contributed a total of 5 goals and 8 assists for 13 points in only 2 games together. All three members of Boston’s unlikely trio shared their thoughts on their success together, when asked after Saturday’s game.

“It’s no secret, Segs (Tyler Seguin) has got some pretty good speed. And it’s just trying to keep up with him has pushed me harder to get my feet moving, and it’s great that we’ve been able to create that chemistry, the three of us, even Kels (Chris Kelly) the last two games.” – Milan Lucic

“Well with Looch (Milan Lucic), he makes it so much easier for you out there, he’s such a big body and he goes in the corner and wins battles. And for a guy like that size to have as much skill as he does it’s hard to find it out there. He does a great job. Kels (Chris Kelly) is probably one of the best positional forwards I’ve played with. So our line seems to be clicking and hopefully it stays that way.” – Tyler Seguin

“Yeah. Those two are really good hockey players and they both skate well and get up and down the ice and can shoot the puck. I thought we did a good job getting in on the forecheck tonight and taking the easy break-out pass for the defenseman.” – Chris Kelly

For Boston, it’s all about re-establishing their game, and the consistency that they enjoyed throughout last season. Overall, the game was not the team’s worst performance of the season, however by far not their best. The opportunities to score were there throughout the night, it was just the ability to finish that alluded the Black & Gold on Saturday night. If they are able to bounce back and use their 3rd period efforts as a building block, they will be fine moving forward. Four consecutive days off should give the B’s some time to rest and recharge their batteries, prior to an all-important home and home set with the hated Montreal Canadiens.

KEY STATS

Goals–                  SJS (4)         BOS (2)

Shots–                  SJS (30)      BOS (39)

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

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

Three Stars--…..3.) Antti Niemi …..2.) Logan Couture …..1.) Milan Lucic

What’s Next?
The Bruins now have the luxury of a few days off, as they prepare for a home&home series with the rival Montreal Canadiens. Off til Thursday, when the Habs visit TD Garden, Boston will prepare for a struggling Montreal squad. The Canadiens are currently 2-4-1, with only 5 points in 9 games. Montreal has 2 games on the docket, prior to visiting Boston, as they host Florida and Philadelphia on Monday & Wednesday respectively. For San Jose, the road trip continues, as they head to Nashville for a show-down with the Preds on Tuesday evening.

Thanks For Reading!

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It amazes me that the two teams who will battle for the Stanley Cup will each have played more than 100 games of competitive hockey in order to challenge for the prized hardware. Included in this figure is September’s pre-season schedule (most NHL players play 4-5 exhibition games), where young prospects are tying to grab the veterans’ jobs. The long season includes lopsided games filled with fights and vicious body checks, intense rivalries between division opponents and four-point games over the long run against other teams battling for a playoff spot. It also includes hundreds of hit into the Plexiglas, hundreds of high sticks and cuts, hundreds of cross-checks and slashes, scores of blocked shots, numerous fights. It includes broken noses, broken jaws, stitches, separated shoulders, concussions, high-ankle sprains. It includes black eyes and swelling after receiving a deflected puck into the face or hitting a concrete wall named Douglas Murray or Zdeno Chara.

When we look at the recently eliminated San Jose Sharks and wondered why they lost in five games against a talented Canucks team, we simply need to look at all the serious injuries their elite players sustained (Source: David Pollack):

1. Jason Demers — Right ankle, high sprain from Game 7 of Detroit series.
2. Scott Nichol — Torn labrum in his left shoulder and a serious laceration above his knee requiring 20 stitches after being cut when colliding with Raffi Torres’s in Game 2 of the Canucks series.
3. Dany Heatley — A broken left hand during the season and a high-ankle injury suffered during Game 3 of the Vancouver series.
4. Ryane Clowe — Shoulder separation likely requiring a three to four months of rehab. Clowe was so badly hurt he needed help getting his jersey on!
5. Dan Boyle — A damaged MCL in his left knee from a March 17 game against the Minnesota Wild.
6. Logan Couture — Broken nose suffered when he collided with Clowe in Game 3 of the Vancouver series.
7. Joe Pavelski — Bothered by an ankle problem all season long and during the playoffs.
8. Joe Thornton — The tip of the little finger damaged late in the regular season after a slash will have to be reattached. Thornton had to adjust his grip on the stick, which created a wrist problem. Shoulder separation that occurred in Game 4 against Vancouver.

Hell former Canadiens’ GM Bob Gainey won a Stanley Cup ring, playing with both shoulders separated. He didn’t tell anyone until the playoffs were over.

Most baseball players would have hit the disabled list in a matter of seconds with such injuries, when we know all too well a starting pitcher can miss a few starts with a blister or an ingrown nail.

So this leads to the question: Who are the toughest sports athletes?

According to an extensive study done by ESPN called Sports Skills Difficulty ice hockey ranks 2nd behind boxing among the 60 sports measured, billiards and fishing being dead last understandably. Football is ranked 3rd, basketball 4th, baseball 9th and soccer 10th.

The ten categories measured for the study were as follows: ENDURANCE, STRENGTH, POWER, SPEED, AGILITY, FLEXIBILITY, NERVE, DURABILITY, HAND-EYE COORDINATION, and ANALYTIC APTITUDE.

While boxing is much more demanding on a short period of time (12-round fight), the hockey season is much more strenuous on a professional athlete because players sometimes log 25 to 30 minutes of ice time, game after game, during more than 80 games per year over 15 to 20-year careers. And what about goaltenders like Martin Brodeur who play more than 70 games every season? They have to stay in the game for the full 60 minutes!

What about football players one would argue? Well, according to a Wall Street Journal study of four television broadcasts, and similar estimates by researchers, the average amount of time the ball is in play on the field during an NFL game is about 11 minutes of actual playing time over a 60-minute game. And the season includes only 16 games plus the playoffs, so football is more about brute force, speed and strength, not so much about durability and endurance. Heck, football players play only one game per week, while hockey players often have to play back-to-back games… in different cities!

What about soccer players and the rigor of a 90-minute game? According to match reports from the 2010 World Cup, in the average 90-minute match, the average actual playing time in a soccer game was about 68 minutes and with the large size of the playing field, most of the time soccer players are not directly involved in the game. While soccer combines speed, endurance and agility, the sport is not very physical, as most physical contacts are forbidden and often results in a yellow or red cards.

In conclusion, I clearly believes ice hockey players are the toughest athletes on Earth and have to endure the harshest physical beating to win the Stanley Cup! That’s why hockey is the best sports to watch and practice! Now let’s lace them up and drop the puck!

If you don’t agree with this article, don’t hesitate to write a comment below and tell us why you think athletes from other sports are the toughest!

Both defenceman known for their two-way play have generated points for their team in the first two games of the series; however Bieksa finds himself the key figure in two Canuck victories to open the Western Conference Final versus the Sharks. In two short games, Bieksa has easily been the series MVP.

Bieksa’s Gordie Howe hat trick in Game Two sparked the Canucks to a dominating 7-3 victory Wednesday in which he carried his team during the second period, burying a breakaway wrist shot on Antti Niemi only to bring the physical play later in the period. Wednesday’s turning point occurred after Patrick Marleau challenged Bieksa to a fight in order to spark his team, only to be seeing sparks after Juice fed the “gutless” Sharks center multiple punches.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Despite the spectacular beat down of Marleau and the subsequent Ben Eager explosion that seemed to set off the Sharks demise, Bieksa downplayed his contribution in Game Two.

“I don’t know about the impact on the game,” Bieksa told the media Wednesday.

“I don’t know what started it. Just two guys battling, it turned out to be a good battle. He did a good job.”

Only in a tightly contested Western Conference Final would Bieksa claim to have little impact in a game in which he earned the Gordie Howe hat trick is such a dramatic fashion, Marleau barely managed a scratch on the Canucks newfound hero.

“This year he’s been consistent. Obviously right now he’s playing some of his best hockey of the season. We hope that that continues,” Alain Vigneault said regarding Bieksa today.

“We need it to continue.”

In the dynamic and ever-evolving NHL playoffs Bieksa finds himself the most recent hero to step into the spotlight as the Canucks continue to thrive on a depth of players making their mark at different times throughout the playoffs.

In round one the Canucks required a full team effort to overcome the Blackhawks. In round two the team required a full effort from Ryan Kesler to overcome the Nashville Predators. In round three Bieksa has filled the series spotlight, skating shooting and fighting his way to victory in two series-opening wins.

Opposite Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and fellow blueliner Dan Boyle, Bieksa’s ownership of the spotlight has been no easy task. The Canucks surely had the advantage on the blue line heading into the Western Conference Final against the Sharks, but not even Alain Vigneault could have seen this scoring outbreak coming from the man they call Juice.

“Well, obviously we’ve all known that Kevin is a character guy and a real competitor,” said Vigneault.

“That’s what he did tonight. That’s what he’s done for us consistently this year.”

Vancouver’s bench boss may be willing to credit Bieksa for playing at this same level all yea but it is evident that Juice has elevated his play recently during the post season, emerging among the depth of the Canucks blue line as a key piece to the puzzle.

Alongside Dan Hamhuis on the Canucks top shutdown pairing this year Bieksa has thrived as a steady defensive defenceman, however it is in the playoffs when the extra effort is required to win the day that Bieksa has continued to seize the offensive opportunities that come his way. The blueliner looked like a forward in training while skating in on Niemi during Game Two only to slide a perfectly placed shot between the goaltender’s pads.

While bigger men than he will be looking for retribution tonight after Juice pummelled Patrick Marleau Wednesday night, like the rest of the team Bieksa is focused on the larger task ahead of the Canucks.

“Our focus is on winning a series. That’s the important thing.”

In round one the Vancouver Canucks exorcised their playoff demons by finishing the Chicago Blackhawks in an emotional Game Seven victory after leading the series three games to none. In round two it was the Sharks’ turn, eliminating their long-time rivals, the Detroit Red Wings, for the second year in a row. San Jose also took a commanding 3-0 lead only to finish the Wings off in the seventh and deciding game.

Having stared playoff death in the face and played on to tell the tale, both the Sharks and Canucks are hungrier than ever for a Stanley Cup Final berth. Veterans of the NHL playoffs, the Sharks have had several opportunities to make the Cup final but have come up short year in and year out. In Vancouver the team hasn’t made it to a conference final since the much fabled 1994 cup run.

“Anytime you get further in the playoffs, you’re going to get a couple different challenges, tougher challenges, as well. Whichever line we go up against, it’s going to be a tough, hard-fought battle. Right from Game 1, from the first shift, it’s going to be a war,” Ian White told the media via conference call.

With so many devastating playoff losses in years past the Sharks playoff history reads like a NHL war memorial, but despite astonishing losses in the post-season over the last several years the Sharks are back again battling for a chance at the cup, fighting off the label as gutless choke artists one game at a time.

“We have to live for this year. It’s amazing how far we go back when there haven’t been many games played,” said Sharks coach Todd McLellan.

In Vancouver the Sedins and Roberto Luongo may not be working to right 14 seasons of playoff wrongs but the pressure remains at an all time high in British Columbia. Canucks fever has swept across the city creating a collective bandwagon the size of Vancouver Island, but all is as to be expected in the city home to Canada’s only team to survive the first two rounds of the NHL playoffs.

Despite the hype the team is trying to remain calm heading into the third round, the farthest this group of players has ever been in the playoffs. “I think we’re a pretty mature group in that locker room. We’ve approached games the same way all year long, that’s one game at a time. Obviously I know it’s cliché, but that’s exactly how we approached things all year. I don’t think that’s going to change,” Alex Burrows told the media.

Just don’t expect the rest of the country to get behind the Canucks.

Bitter or simply unimpressed by Burrows, Kesler and boastful Canucks fans, Canada isn’t ready to throw its’ support behind the west coast just yet. But if the pesky Canucks can frustrate Thornton and the Sharks on the way to a Stanley Cup Final berth the country will turn blue and green overnight.

Another loss in the Western Conference Final would be sure to leave the Sharks blue in the face as well. After being swept by the Blackhawks last season San Jose is determined to re-write their playoff history with a berth to the cup final on the line.

With a surplus of talent on both rosters, the two-way battle between top centers Ryan Kesler and Joe Thornton could decide the series. Since taking over the captaincy jumbo Joe has been the Sharks leader on and off the ice all season. While Kesler may not have the proper letter on his sweater, there is no doubt who has been the Canucks go-to guy in the first half of the NHL playoffs.

“I think he can play against anyone the way he’s playing right now. It’s up to our coaches when they decide the game plan to devise. I’m comfortable with whatever they want to do,” said Mike Gillis regarding Kesler and his performance in the playoffs.

Much like the battle between two of Don Cherry’s favourites in Kesler versus Thornton, the matchup between Roberto Luongo and Antti Niemi pits a questioned playoff performer against an opponent who refuses to lose in the post season.

A summer of doubt from Blackhawks management may have bitterly questioned the true talent of the then rookie goaltender however Niemi has proven his critics wrong with another stellar playoff performance for the Sharks so far this post season.

In his first eleventh NHL season and first ever Western Conference Final Luongo finds himself awkwardly inexperienced with the deep rounds of the playoffs relative to Niemi.

“I think overall he doesn’t really have any weaknesses. Still to lose a playoff round, you have to respect that. Overall a solid goaltender who obviously wins some games,” said Daniel Sedin when asked about facing Antti Niemi once again.

Parallel to the battle between critic favourites Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and the Sedin twins, Luongo versus Niemi will come down to a battle of wills. Both goaltenders enter the series playing impressive playoff hockey but with so much firepower uniting in the series it is likely to be a tough stretch for both protectors of the crease.

“Their top three lines, I think we’ve talked about this quite a few times, about the balance they have up front on those top three lines, where they can all score. They all have good hockey sense. So it’s going to be a real challenge for our forwards and our D,” said Alain Vigneault about the Sharks’ offence.

“I’m confident that we can do it.”

After losing to Niemi and the Blackhawks in last year’s playoffs Daniel and Henrik Sedin are determined to prove themselves in another series opposite a stingy Finnish goaltender.

Vancouver may have made its’ first Western Conference Final since ’94 riding the Conn Smyth worthy effort of Ryan Kesler in rounds one and two but if Henrik and Daniel fail to show up on the score sheet with consistency again in round three serious questions will be raised in the off season.

And bitter analysts can be a scathing bunch.

The bottom line is that the Vancouver Canucks will not be able to survive a Shark attack without significant production and defensive responsibility from the Sedin twins. The depth of the Sharks offence make the Predators seem like a beer league squad and without the entire Canucks top six firing on all cylinders Vancouver will quickly discover the playoff heartbreak that has reigned in California for so many years.

With stiffer competition and a fresh start to prove the critics wrong, Henrik and Daniel Sedin have the perfect opportunity to prove to the NHL that their back-to-back Art Ross Trophies were no gimmick. Until then the NHL jury still remains out on whether the Sedins are chokers or champs.

“We’ve been through this every year throughout the regular season, throughout the playoffs. It’s one of those things where some guys are not scoring as much and other guys are stepping up. We’ve done a good job of that all year,” said Henrik Sedin when asked about his lines struggles relative to Ryan Kesler.

Despite the myriad of storylines and angles surrounding this series the matchup simply comes down to who wants it more. Henrik Sedin may be battling some type of injury but in the playoffs playing hurt is a certainty rather than an excuse. The twins were one of the strongest duos in the NHL during the regular season but seem to have again withdrawn to the soft sisters that first entered league playing against defenders who are happy to give them a rough ride.

In the most important series on the biggest stage of their NHL careers the Sedins are once again in the spotlight in their battle for a chance at Stanley’s Cup.

“I think every game is a fresh start in the playoffs. It’s a thing where you have to move on. You look at the next game as a chance to make a difference. This is the way we look at it. Always a chance to go out there next shift, next game, make a difference, and that’s not going to change just because it’s a new series.”

The first three players making the list, Scott Gomez, Matt Stajan and Alexei Ponikarovsky had problems all season long generating offense as shown by the dismal goal-scoring production. Gomez, acquired two years ago by GM Bob Gainey with Tom Pyatt from the New York Rangers in exchange for Ryan McDonagh, Pavel Valentenko and Chris Higgins had his worst offensive year by far recording only 38 points making a humongous $8,000,000 in 2010-11. Glen Sather is still laughing at the trade! The same happened when Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke stole Dion Phaneuf with Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie from the Calgary Flames in exchange for overrated forward Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White. Mayers and White are now with the Sharks, hell Ian White has even been traded twice since the trade! No wonder Darryl Sutter stepped down from his GM job this winter as he could bear watching the results of that trade anymore!

Please note that a minimum of 60 games and a salary of at least $2,500,000 in 2010-11 were required to make the shameful list below.

Player Actual salary Goals Amount per goal
1. Scott Gomez MTL $8,000,000 7 goals $1,142,857
2. Matt Stajan CGY $4,500,000 6 goals $750,000
3. Alexi Ponikarovsky LA $3,200,000 5 goals $640,000
4. Jean-Pierre Dumont NAS $4,000,000 10 goals $400,000
5. Vincent Lecavalier TB $10,000,000 25 goals $400,000
6. Samuel Pahlsson CBJ $2,650,000 7 goals $378,571
7. Brian Rolston NJ $5,000,000 14 goals $357,142
8. Pierre-Marc Bouchard MIN $4,250,000 12 goals $354,167
9. Tim Connolly BUF $4,500,000 13 goals $346,153
10. Joe Thornton SJ $7,200,000 21 goals $342,857
11. Marian Gaborik NYR $7,500,000 22 goals $340,909
12. Jason Spezza OTT $7,000,000 21 goals $333,333
13. Nicklas Backstrom WAS $6,000,000 18 goals $333,333
14. Michal Handzus LA $4,000,000 12 goals $333,333
15. Henrik Sedin VAN $6,100,000 19 goals $321,063
16. Wojtek Wolski NYR/PHX $3,800,000 12 goals $316,666
17. Alexei Kovalev PIT/OTT $5,000,000 16 goals $312,500
18. Jamie Langenbrunner NJ/DAL $2,800,000 9 goals $311,111
19. Simon Gagne TB $5,250,000 17 goals $308,824
20. Paul Stastny COL $6,600,000 22 goals $300,000

The following players were not taken into account, because they missed too many games in 2010-11:
Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Daymond Langkow, Guillaume Latendresse, Marc Savard, Zach Parise, Marco Sturm, Daniel Alfredsson, Chris Drury, Alex Frolov, Vyacheslav Prospal, Derek Roy, Steve Sullivan, Matthew Lombardi, Colby Armstrong, Ryan Malone, Kristian Huselius, Chris Clark, Shawn Horcoff, Ales Hemsky, Tomas Fleischmann.

In my next blog I’ll have a look at the Top-20 best-bang for the buck NHL forwards in 2010-11!

You can also follow me on Twitter to get more insights on the NHL.

Considering how the last series went against a team from southern California, there should be no lack of flare and maybe this brings the rivalry between the teams to the next level as it did with the Sharks and Ducks two years ago. There’s a rivalry between the teams but it never seemed to hit its stride because both teams have rarely been good at the same time.

There was no “easy” match-ups in the Western Conference and though people will point to the Kings missing leading scorer Anze Kopitar this will be far from a cake-walk for the Sharks. If you look at the way the Kings are built, they may be one of the teams that are well-suited for taking on this kind of disadvantage.

Jonathan Quick has had a terrific season in net and the defense in front of him from top to bottom is one of the best in the entire league. As valuable as Kopitar is to the Kings, would it have the same impact as the Sharks losing someone like Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau for a series? Probably not.

The Kings play lock-down defense so they’re somewhat prepared to compensate for losing a leading scorer and if anything it may make their defense stingier because they know what they do well and they’ll focus on it even more now.

Here’s a look at some interesting things to keep an eye on:

Antti Niemi vs. Jonathan Quick: The goal-tending battles have been cause of the Sharks demise many years running. Many people believe that Evgeni Nabokov got the Sharks as far as they were going to go with him in net because he was consistently outplayed in series by the opponents goaltenders even if the Sharks won the series (eg. Craig Anderson with Colorado last season). Both goalies had awesome regular seasons but Niemi has the long playoff run experience, it will be interesting to see if he has the capability to take this team where he took Chicago last season.

Secondary scoring: The Kings will rely on depth scoring with Kopitar out and Justin Williams getting his first action just off an injury. There’s plenty of guys on the team who can score, its just a matter of who will. The verdict is still out on how whether this group of defensemen is good enough to win a cup. There is depth, Kent Huskins is injured, but the defense still goes a good seven deep with Dan Boyle, Douglas Murray, Jason Demers, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Ian White, Niclas Wallin and Justin Braun although Braun and White have never played in the playoffs.

The more intriguing situation is the Sharks forwards vs. the Kings defense. In the past they have been one-line ponies. Stop one line, stop the Sharks offense. This season the stars are spread out and the Sharks have three lines that can score and over the last month, the Sharks supposed “third line” of Joe Pavelski, Torrey Mitchell and Kyle Wellwood has been its best. But last season the Sharks ran into arguably the best assembled group of defensemen in the playoffs for the Blackhawks. The Kings’ Drew Doughty, Jack Johnson, Rob Scuderi, Willie Mitchell, Matt Greene and Alec Martinez provide just about everything you’d want from a group of six on the back end.

Adversity theory: The Sharks are perennial playoff contenders and Stanley Cup favorites. They always disappoint after stellar regular seasons. This year didn’t get off to the same start but who’s to say that’s a bad thing. They had to fight in a semi-desperation mode ever since the end of January and maybe that’s a good thing. There’s no lulling into the playoffs this year and no easy tests along the way being in a division that could have had all five teams make the playoffs. Despite finishing second in the conference they still flew somewhat under-the-radar thanks to the dominance of the Vancouver Canucks.

The Sharks once again have the opportunity to prove the doubters wrong. It’ll always be about the playoffs for this team regardless of how the regular season goes. To get where they want they have to go through at least one cross-state rival and then we’ll see where that leaves the team. Here’s to a great all-California series!

Extras

Nice to see all three teams from California make the playoffs as well. It’s another step in building up the sport in a state where it still isn’t necessarily recognized as much. Maybe seeing one of these teams succeed helps make hockey an option for kids growing up in the state.

All three teams have great teams and organizations and are set up to be good for the foreseeable future based on the young talent on each team. The Sharks have become models of consistency in the regular season, the Kings are past the up-and-coming label and belong in the playoffs and the Ducks have been to a pair of Stanley Cups – winning one – in the last decade.

As it stands the Sharks are in the midst of an interesting situation for the Pacific Division race. All five teams in the division have the possibility of making the playoffs and still have shots at winning the division which the Sharks currently lead.

This jockeying for seeding will play a big role in who ends up with so-called “favorable” match-ups in the first round of the playoffs though looking at the caliber of teams going in, it doesn’t seem like there will be an easy draws for any team.

Finishing with the second or third seed for winning the division may be great in terms of home-ice advantage, but it also means the possibility of playing a team like the defending cup champion Blackhawks in the first round. Considering the battles that the Blackhawks have had with the Red Wings over the years and the fact they’ve eliminated Vancouver two years in a row could do wonders for the Sharks if one of those situations ends up playing out in the first round of the playoffs.

All season long the players and coaches have pointed to the fact that this team has faced more “adversity” than past teams. The Pacific Division is arguably the most balanced from top-to-bottom, meaning the points are tougher to come by and the teams are more tested on a consistent basis. They’ve barked up this tree before but there is a different feel to this team.

Despite the success they’ve had in the second half of the season, looking at the numbers almost makes you wonder how they got to this point. A team consistently in the top 10 penalty kill units for the last five years or so is all of a sudden stuck in 23rd at a measly 79.9 percent and sinking.

Outside of rookie Logan Couture’s breakout season and Ryane Clowe’s career-year, no one else on the Sharks is really on pace to do what is typical for them. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are the team points leaders with 64 points, which puts them on pace to finish around 69 for the season. Perennially-noted goal-scorer Dany Heatley is on pace for 26 goals. Jason Demers and Ian White follow Dan Boyle’s 44 points from the blue-line with 23 points each.

Antti Niemi has been as good as any goalie in the NHL over the past few months but that’s not something that has changed from Evgeni Nabokov’s usually great regular-season stats.

Ultimately the same old message will come with the teams regular season: Who cares? Those numbers, the early season struggles, and the tough division play all go out the window in the playoffs as they do with every other team. It’s a new season, it’s a start from scratch for many players and that’s where the Sharks need to prove they’ve changed otherwise all of the anomalies from this year will be forgotten like the accolades of recent Sharks teams.

BJ Crombeen didn’t let the flu get to him. His 5th goal of the season at the 5:23 mark opened the scoring. Coming down on left wing his high wrist shot surprised Antti Niemi. Unable to control the puck it popped over his head and rolled over the line.

The Sharks power play answered before the end of the first period. With key penalty killer Roman Polak in the box for Holding, Dany Heatley netted his 16th as the equalizer with 5:42 left. The PPG against was the 5th in six January games. The culprit? Lack of sticks covering passing lanes as the “Joes”, Pavelski and Thonrton, created a cross ice tick tack toe passing play to carve up PK unit.

As status quo of late, the Blues were outworked in the second period. The early period Boarding call on Ian Cole snowballed in to a persistent Shark attack lasting the duration of the middle set. Telling is the 18 to 10 San Jose favored shot total. The ice was tilted. The period got worse before it was better for Cole. His Holding call lead to Thornton’s 12th of the season at 11:57.  Yet another goal coming with big bodies collapsed on top of Jaroslav Halak.

The Blues would equalize thanks to Erik Johnson. Patrik Berglund won the offensive zone draw back to EJ. He put the puck between Niemi’s wickets for his 4th goal at the 17:53 mark. The second “soft” goal of the game for the former Blackhawk netminder who didn’t look comfortable in net all night.

Even as the hockey gods smiled on the Blues, with a late period goal, many missed scoring chances by the Shakrs and some big saves by Halak, they couldn’t must the energy to force back the energized teal sweaters. There was a tangible hunger to win coming from the Sharks. A hunger well known to the Note. Just like anyone else with a flu bug, they weren’t hungry.

A deflection by Healtey for his 17th early in the third put the Blues down 3-2. A gap they wouldn’t erase. Jamie McGinn buried a juicy rebound no one in white recovered for his first tally of the season.

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Quick Hits

Kudos to Cole for not giving up on the game despite his lackluster performance. He laid out Benn Ferriero late in the second. The Shark forward was coming up neutral ice with his head down. Cole makes the right call and steps up and puts a solid shoulder check in to Ferriero. The two settle the score the right way. Flip off the lids (due to visors) and duke it out. Not directly due to his play, but Cole was returned to the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen, Sunday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fellow Riverman on call up Ryan Reaves danced with fellow NHL newbie Brandon Mashinter. Kudos to Ryan for knowing his role and not letting his pair of goals in his last two games get to his head. He also delivered 6 hits in 9 shifts to lead the Blues.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Niemi stopped 27 of 29 shots and Halak stopped 25 of 29.

The scoring chances against, coming from crashing the crease, was at it’s highest volume of the season since the five game slide in November. Specifically the games against Colorado and Detroit. The set up in the defensive zone was reminiscent of Swiss cheese. There was little gap control and lane coverage by the Blues.

The Johnson goal was the third scored in the last two games where Davis Payne has switched up the pairings and put EJ with Alex Pietrangelo on the ice for a draw. An understated move made by Payne.

The top line of Vladimir Sobotka, David Backes and Matt D’Agostini was practically invisible. Perhaps their least effective performance since the line has been put together. Just 6 shots on goal and two hits. Backes’ off night was highlighted by a glaring set of three giveaways. Brad Boyes relapsed and Alex Steen went the way of Backes. Just not a good game for the Blues best forwards.

Eric Brewer was not all there. He reprised his role as “unhealthy Brewer” last night. Either the presumed injury from the fight against Luca Sbisa caught up with him or there’s flu in his system as well. Kudos for grinding it out and leading the Blues with 7 blocked shots though.

There are understandable reasons why Devin Setoguchi is coming up in trade talks. His play just isn’t that good. Far has he fallen from a 31 goal, 65 point first full campaign in 2008-09. The Thornton effect? Ask Jonathan Cheechoo.

Amazing the difference in play (and confidence) between even strength and the man advantage for the Sharks. As discussed in the preview, bad penalties were an issue for the Blues and it burned them. The Sharks power play was running full throttle.

Equally amazing is how quiet Patrick Marleau was.

Check out the highlights on NHL.com

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As always, you are invited to follow @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

When Last They Met

Saturday, December 18th, 2010 – Sharks Win 4-1.

In the first meeting between the two clubs since the blindside hit put on David Perron by Joe Thornton the Blues needed to respond. No retaliatory cheap shot on the Sharks captain was needed, but a big (clean) hit from David Backes, BJ Crombeen or Brad Winchester was in order. As Kelly Chase argued, to show the still concussed Perron that the healthy guys have his back. Though Backes hit about every other white and teal sweater of consequence, the big one on #17 never came.

Current Calder Trophy candidate Logan Couture lead the way or the Sharks with a pair of goals. Backes scored the lone Blues tally on a penalty shot. Jaroslav Halak stopped 30 of 34 and Antero Niittymaki stopped 20 of 21.

The season series is even at one win a piece. Since the lockout the Blues are 7-13-3 against the Sharks.

Starting A New Streak

With the third five game skid in the review mirror the Blues look to cultivate their rediscovered confidence in to a prolonged winning streak. Something they’ve been unable to do. Following the first streak the Blues rolled off three not so convincing wins before losing the second set of five. That streak was followed by a pair of victories before dropping four of the next five.

Sitting in 9th place in the West, the Blues are just 3 points behind 8th place Chicago and five behind 4th place Phoenix. Rolling off a set of four of five not only keeps pace with those above, but with a little luck could push them back above the magic line.

The Sharks would love to start a new streak as well. A win would end their current six game losing streak and leapfrog the Blues. Just one point separates them.

A Hot 10

A select few have been powering the Blues offense over the last 10 games.

Backes: 7 goals, 11 points, Plus-8
D’Agostini: 3 goals, 10 points, Plus-8
Steen: 4 goals, 9 points, Plus-1
Boyes: 3 goals, 9 points, Plus-7

The Blues would surely like to see Patrik Berglund on that list. His inconsistent ways regarding effort prohibit his inclusion. With just 2 goals, 4 points and a Minus player in five of his last ten, he needs to get going. Bergie looked to be coming around against LA, but his game tapered off as the game progressed.

Gameday Notes

Jeremy Rutherford tweeted that Crombeen, Winchester and Can Janssen all missed the morning skate with the flu.

From Blues Play-By-Play voice on KMOX, Chris Kerber, TJ Oshie made a few California girls day.

As reported earlier this week, Ian Cole was recalled and the expectation is that he will play.

Fight Card

There have been a total of 5 fights this season between the two clubs. Two on November 4th and three on December 18th.

Jamal Mayers vs. Brad Winchester

Click here to view the embedded video.

Logan Couture vs. Alex Pietrangelo

Click here to view the embedded video.

Mayers vs. Winchester Round 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ryane Clowe vs. BJ Crombeen

Click here to view the embedded video.

Scott Nichol vs. Chris Porter

Click here to view the embedded video.

Injury Report

Blues defenseman Carlo Colaiacovo (facial cut) was hit with a puck in the Anaheim game, returned to St. Louis and is listed as day-to-day. Andy McDonald & Perron are both still out with concussions. Oshie is getting closer to return, but is still out while rehabbing his ankle.

The Sharks hope Couture will be ready for a Saturday night return. Forward Torrey Mitchell was placed on IR after re-aggravating a groin injury. US Olympian Joe Pavelski returned Thursday. He missed an eight-game stretch. It appears Ryane Clowe will miss this game as well.

Sharks Scouting Report

Record: 21-19-5, 47 Points – 4th in Pacific Division | 12th in Western Conference

Goals For/Game: 2.69, 17th
Goals Against/Game: 2.80, 17th
Power Play: 22.2%, 5th
Penalty Kill: 81.8%, 18th

Leading Scorer: Center, Thornton – 11 goals, 39 points in 43 games.

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Even while slumping, the Sharks are an extremely dangerous offensive team. Their lineup boasts multiple 30 goal scorers and currently has five with 11 or more goals. If not for Pavelski’s missed time he would be over that mark as well. The big body presence of their forwards also presents major problems for the Blues. Who struggle at times to box out physically powerful attackers.

The counter for St. Louis will be to exploit the Sharks defense. While far from the weakest set of six in the West, they’re not as strong as they were in the previous few seasons. The Rob Blake effect perhaps? Either way, getting pucks deep consistently is key. All it takes is a one quick pass to the electric forwards off a turnover to end up hemmed in the defensive zone.

If the Blues can play a clean game where they make quick changes, get pucks below the red line and stray away from bad penalties the game can be theirs.

According to reports it appears Andrew Desjardins is heading back to the Sharks AHL affiliate and John McCarthy is out to allow 7 defensemen to dress. Lineup looks like:

Logan Couture – Joe Thornton – Dany Healtley
Patrick Marleau – Joe Pavelski – Devin Setoguchi
Benn Ferriero – Scott Nichol – Brandon Mashinter
Jamie McGinn & Jamal Mayers

Douglas Murray – Dan Boyle
Niclas Wallin – Jason Demers
Marc-Edouard Vlasic – Kent Huskins

Justin Braun or Derek Joslin will be the 7th defenseman.

(stick tap to @OhMySwed3 for lineup help)

Antti Niemi is the expected starter for the Sharks. In one start against the Blues this season Niemi lost 2-0. He allowed just 2 goals on 29 shots.

- Suggested further reading on the Sharks comes from RLDHockey.net: Saturday Faceoff: What’s next in San Jose? and FearTheFin.com‘s Gameday Blog.

Blues Lineup

There has yet to be a public update on the status of the flu stricken forwards. Assuming they are able to dress, here is the expected lineup.

Vladimir Sobotka – David Backes – Matt D’Agostini
Alex Steen – Patrik Berglund – BJ Crombeen
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement – Brad Boyes
Chris Porter – Phil McRae – Ryan Reaves

Eric Brewer – Erik Johnson
Barret Jackman – Roman Polak
Ian Cole – Alex Pietrangelo.

Jaroslav Halak is the expected starter in net.

Davis Payne will be looking to match up Backes and McClement with the Jackman-Polak pairing against Thornton as often as possible. Brewer and Johnson will draw that assignment a few times as well. Will be interesting to see what Pavelski can do in his first game back if too much focus is put on the “big 3″ of Dany Healey, Patrick Marleau and Thornton. It would also be a mistake to forget about Dan Boyle sneaking in from the point as well.

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As always, you are invited to follow me @618_STLBlues and @BlueNoteZone on Twitter and on the BlueNoteZone Facebook Fan Page for in game updates and Blues news. Please also check out the St. Louis Blues Blogs Facebook Fan Page for links to Blues blogs all over the Internet.

Upset Over Perron

It’s been a month since Sharks captain Joe Thornton hit David Perron from a blindside angle. Concussing the Blues shifty forward. Jumbo Joe served his suspension and moved on.

Perron had been far less fortunate. Missing every game since and not expected to return soon.

Frustration and anger is understandable. Just not towards Joe and his team. The real issue is with Bobby Holik and Jamie Baker. Former players who accused Perron of embellishing to sell the call.

Proof is in the consequences. Perron was not faking. Both sides know it was a bad hit, but to expect vengeance (or a proactive defense) is a little much.

Injury Update

Following today’s morning skate the Blues updated the status on two key Defensmen.

Erik Johnson is ready to go and will be back in the lineup. Missing just one game following his knee strain suffered against the Red Wings on Wednesday.

Alex Pietrangelo will not dress. He skated today but is not ready to return.

Nikita Nikitin was sent back to Peoria. The Rivermen play tonight and his services are needed more there than in the Scottrade pressbox.

Point Pacing

Through seven games (half of the month’s total) in December the Blues own a 3-2-2 record. Good for 8 of 14 possible points or 57%. A pace of 93 points over 82 games.

Not enough to get them in to the Playoffs, but enough to keep them close till days of better health.

Lineups

Per Lou Korac’s Gameday blog, here are the expected lines, pairings and starting netminders.

St. Louis

Vladimir Sobotka-David Backes-Brad Boyes
Brad Winchester-Patrik Berglund-B.J. Crombeen
Alex Steen-Jay McClement-Matt D’Agostini
Chris Porter-Dave Scatchard-Cam Janssen

Ian Cole-Eric Brewer
Barret Jackman-Erik Johnson
Carlo Colaiacovo-Tyson Strachan

Jaroslav Halak starts in net.

San Jose

Torrey Mitchell-Joe Thornton-Dany Heatley
Ryane Clowe-Logan Couture-Patrick Marleau
Jamie McGinn-Joe Pavelski-Devin Setoguchi
Benn Ferriero-Scott Nichol-Jamal Mayers

Marc-Edouard Vlasic-Dan Boyle
Jason Demers-Kent Huskins
Niclas Wallin-Justin Braun

Antero Niittymaki starts for San Jose.

Scouting Report

Today’s Scouting Report comes from Stephanie Lee (@OhMySwed3). The San Jose Sharks correspondent of NHLHotStove.com.

Everyone around the league knows the big three and Dan Boyle. Who should get more attention that isn’t?

Logan Couture. He’s getting some pretty good attention right now due to the fact that he’s leading all NHL Rookies in goals with 15 and GWG with 5. Also Jason Demers is turning into a pretty good defenseman. He’s got the skill to become a top 2 D.

What is wrong with Patrick Marleau?

I wish I knew the answer to this one. It’s very difficult to tell what’s going on with Patty. I’m hoping that it’s just a slump and that he’s not injured or anything.

What has been the biggest contributing factor in the Sharks struggles this season?

Defense. Oh my lord, defense! With only Dan Boyle and Niclas Wallin being the two defensemen to score more then 2 goals this season, it’s pretty bad. Granted last season we had Rob Blake on the team. But still, our defense has been our downfall from the start of the season. 

What is the Shark POV on the Thornton hit / Perron concussion?

I think they are on the side of Switzerland. Saying that it happens in hockey but the league does need to crack down on hits like that. I know that Joe had mentioned that he obviously didn’t mean to hit him that way and he felt he didn’t do anything wrong. I, personally think he didn’t do anything wrong. But hey, I am a Sharks fan after all.

The Blues will beat the Sharks if…?</strong