Red Wings' goalie Jimmy Howard is a possible candidate to play for Team USA in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Photo by MPR529.

Jimmy Howard and the rest of his Detroit Red Wings’ teammates were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 20, but that hasn’t stopped Howard from continuing his season by representing his country.

Howard is currently the number one man between the pipes as a member of Team USA in the 2012 IIHF World Hockey Championships, which is held in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.  He has back stopped the Americans to five wins (four in regulation, one in overtime) in the tournament and has a 2.16 goals against average and a .918 save percentage, including an 18-save performance in a shutout win against the defending champions, Finland this past Sunday.

Before he missed three weeks with a broken left pinky on February 2, Howard was among the top three goalies in the NHL and was having an all-star season, possibly on his way to a Vezina Trophy nomination (31 wins, 2.03 gaa, .924 save percentage in 44 games). However, his game went a tad south when he returned. Howard still finished the regular season with more than respectable numbers: 35-17-4,  2.12 goals against average, .920 save percentage and six shutouts (five before the finger injury).

Since the US has advanced to the quarter-finals (starting with a rematch with Finland tomorrow morning), Howard’s next games in the tournament will help further his resumé in the international hockey scene. If Howard and the rest of the Americans take home at least a bronze medal this weekend, Howard could better his chances of receiving a ticket to Sochi.

He has looked good during the tournament and is getting a small sample size of what it will be like against the world’s best in the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics, which is only 21 months away and will be held in Sochi, Russia. That is, if there is a new collective bargaining agreement between the NHL, NHLPA and the IIHF (the current CBA expires September 15), but I’m going to assume that all parties will work something out, which is why I’m writing this blog.

As of  right now, Los Angeles Kings’ goaltender Jonathan Quick is making a case as the best goalie in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. If he takes the Kings to the Cup Finals and makes life difficult for either the New Jersey Devils or New York Rangers, he could end up winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP. As for regular season hardware, he’s my choice for the Vezina Trophy, and he’s got the numbers to show it (35-21-13, 1.95 gaa , .929 sp, 10 shutouts).

Since teams in the Olympics are required to carry three goalies, another name who could also be given a ticket to Sochi is Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks. His spectacular play this past regular season (20-9-1, 1.96 gaa, .937 sp, 3 shutouts) is forcing the hand of the Canucks’ front office to ship Roberto Luongo out of Vancouver.

Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres is another American-born goalie that shouldn’t be counted out. It was over two years ago when he played the best hockey of his career and everyone took notice when he played at the Winter Games in Vancouver. Even though the US lost to Canada in overtime, Miller backstopped his team to a silver medal and was the MVP of the tournament. His numbers in Vancouver were jaw-dropping: 5-0-1, 1.35 gaa, .946 sp.

The downside on Miller is that there were two different players wearing #30 for the Sabres last season. The first #30 was 5-6-0 in 11 games with a 2.86 gaa before suffering a concussion when he had his bell rung by Boston Bruins’ forward Milan Lucic in early November. After he returned to the lineup, he eventually tightened his game and played like the Ryan Miller that we’re accustomed to seeing and finished with a record of 31-21-7 with a 2.54 gaa, .916 sp and six shutouts. Two knocks are against him—his inconsistent play last year and his age (he’ll be on the south side of 33 by the time the 2014 Olympics will start).

Now, I’m not saying that being 33 is old for a hockey player. It’s not, but Howard, Quick and Schneider will be 29, 28, and 27 respectively by the time the Winter Games start. By then, they’ll still be in the prime of their of their careers.

I would expect Howard to return to pre-injury mode for the Red Wings next season. And if he has another all-star season, his stock will soar even higher for making the cut as one of the three goalies headed to Sochi. If USA Hockey decides to select three out of Howard, Schneider, Quick or Miller, they will have an advantage over the rest of the teams (including Canada) when it comes down to goaltending.

Imagine being a fly in the wall inside the room where the selection process will take place. If he returns as general manager of Team USA, Brian Burke will have some very difficult decisions to make. The goaltending situation will be the most tasking.

Red Wing fans, whether he starts or is behind the bench, what do you think of the idea of Jimmy Howard representing the US in 2014?

Here is the leader-board through the first two rounds of this year’s playoffs:

1) Woodward –> 9-for-12

2) Philp –> 6-for-12

3) Levin –> 2-for-4

4) Muscat –> 6-for-12

5) Cohen –> 5-for-12

Eastern Conference

(6) New Jersey Devils vs. (1) New York Rangers

Cohen– Rangers win in 7 . X-Factor –> Devils’ Record-Breaking Penalty Kill vs. Rangers’ Lifeless Power-Play

Philp– Devils win in 7. X-Factor –> Martin Brodeur

Muscat– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> Rangers’ Third Line

Levin– Devils win in 7 . X-Factor –> Adam Henrique

Woodward– Rangers win in 7. X-Factor –> New York’s Power-Play

Western Conference

(8) Los Angeles Kings vs. (3) Phoenix Coyotes

Cohen–  Kings win in 7. X-Factor –> Mike Smith vs. Jonathan Quick: Who Cracks First?

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

Muscat– Kings win in 5. X-Factor –> Jonathan Quick

Levin– Kings win in 6. X-Factor –> Drew Doughty

Woodward– Kings win in 6. X-Factor –>Mike Richards/Jeff Carter Line

Stanley Cup Finals

Cohen (Edit #2)– Rangers Over Kings

Philp (Edit #2)– Devils Over Coyotes

Muscat (Edit #2)– Rangers Over Kings

Levin–                    Devils Over Kings

Woodward (Edit #1)– Kings Over Rangers

Conn Smythe Award

Cohen– Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)

Philp– Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils)

Muscat– Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)

Levin– Ilya Kovalchuk (New Jersey Devils)

Woodward– Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles Kings)

Today, Rinne received his second consecutive Vezina nomination, acknowledging the quality of his play.

Joining Rinne as Vezina nominees are Jonathan Quick of the L.A. Kings and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers.

Rinne lead the NHL in games played with 73 as well as wins, with 43. Rinne was 43-18-8 in the regular season, with 5 shutouts. He finished the year with a .923 save % and a 2.39 GAA. He also lead the NHL in assists by a goaltender, with 5.

Quick accounted for 35 of the Kings 40 wins this season. His record was 35-21-13 with a .929 save % and 1.95 GAA. He lead the NHL with 10 shutouts.

Lundqvist was 39-18-5 with a .930 save% and a 1.97 GAA. He had 8 shutouts during the regular season.

Each goalie was integral to the success of their team and strong case can be made for each to claim the Vezina.

Rinne faced the most shots of any of the nominees (2,153), and often the Predators relied on Rinne to preserve the lead in a low scoring contest.

Quick backstopped the offensively challenged Kings, who were 29th in scoring at 2.29 goals per game. Quick’s 1.95 GAA was the second best in the NHL.

Lundqvist’s 39 wins were a career best, as was his save % and GAA. He is the first goalie to have at least 30 wins in his first 7 seasons in the League.

The winner will be announced at the NHL awards show in Las Vegas on June 20th.

Luongo vs. the world.

The sky is falling in the city of Vancouver, and spring has barely sprung. Following with the seasons, the Vancouver Canucks have taken only a few strides out of the starting gate but have had a tough start to the Stanley Cup Finals, dropping their Game One matchup against the Kings for the first time since  2007 against the Anaheim Ducks.

The ghosts of playoff past came back to haunt the Canucks in Game One, allowing the Kings to capitalize on a number of old tricks to take the first game of the series, cutting down home ice advantage in the process. Mike Richards and the Kings took advantage of Vancouver’s suspect special teams play on Wednesday, converting a pair of power play goals to quiet the home crowd after Alex Burrows gave fans something to cheer about with an early lead.

Darryl Sutter’s Kings played to the importance of the power play during Game One, keeping the trash-talking to a minimum and keeping out of the scrums in an attempt to avoid trading power plays with the Canucks. As it turns out, the Kings may as well trade special teams chances all series, the Canucks can’t seem to keep it running hot during the post-season.

While the narrative was blown well out of proportion last June, the big bad Bruins did manage to bully the Canucks effectively during last year’s Cup finals, taking advantage of Vancouver’s toothless power play on the way to victory. A year later the Canucks appear to be falling into the same old patterns after a putrid power play shifted around the ice on Monday, obviously missing a key piece to the puzzle. With or without Daniel Sedin, the Canucks must find a way to get their power play clicking to keep the Kings honest. Calls may be hard to come by  for the Canucks after Ryan Kesler did his best to validate Vancouver’s not-so-tough reputation during Game One.

Vancouver's reputation is slightly suspect.

Via /R/Hockey, Vancouver’s reputation on the ice is slightly suspect.

The home team was distracted by post-whistle antics, trash-talking and other forms of “gamesmanship” during Game One, but can expect different treatment from the referees tonight after it was clear the Canucks were doing their best to earn the extra call on Wednesday.

Vigneault on 0-for-5 pp: “I’d be kidding if I say we don’t need the power play. You need it to make sure the other team stays honest.”

— Ben Kuzma (@benkuzma) April 12, 2012

While the power play is an integral component of any team’s offensive production, during past playoff rounds the Canucks have struggled to keep consistent on the man advantage, forced instead to grind out scoring chances 5-on-5. With Daniel Sedin expected out of the lineup again tonight against the Kings, Vancouver’s skaters must focus on winning the team game at even strength in order to dictate the types of power plays awarded. After finishing the regular season with the 4^th best even-strength goal differential with 1.19 goals for/against, the Canucks must simplify their game against the Kings who held actually allowed more goals than they scored at even-strength throughout the regular season.

As you may remember, the Canucks and Kings have been down this road before. The series between Los Angeles and Vancouver only two years ago featured a potent Kings power play that carried the team to a 2-1 series lead before the Canucks responded to turn the series around at even strength. After three games the Kings held a 7-2 advantage in power play goals, relying on Michal Handzus and a different version of Drew Doughty to generate scoring opportunities. Just as the Canucks awoke from their special teams slumber and began to focus on a more sustainable game plan two years ago against the Kings, the home team must focus on winning the 5-on-5 matchup tonight after having the game taken to them in their own barn  to open the series.

Canucks Against the World

Roberto Luongo was Vancouver’s best player during Game One, and should share his playoff mindset with his teammates after the Canucks skaters had a tough time in front of the under-appreciated one. Luongo was been dragged through the mud in Vancouver, but brought his A-game on Wednesday, keeping the Canucks in a contest they showed little reason to compete in.

After allowing the Kings to dominate Rogers Arena on Wednesday, the Canucks must embrace an us-against-the-world mentality on the ice tonight in Vancouver. Taking the team’s reputation for theatrics into account, the Canucks shouldn’t expect any soft calls against their opposition during Game Two. If anything Kesler and the Canucks will pay for their previous transgressions tonight as the power play drought touches down in Vancouver.

Off the ice, the playoff atmosphere across Canada has overcome hockey fans, portraying the Canucks as villains from Vancouver during this year’s race for the Cup. Canada’s national pastime has transformed into the four-round-hate, focussing a season’s worth of animosity towards the Canucks and their fans. Byron Bitz didn’t do much to help his team’s image on Wednesday after hitting Kyle Clifford with a hard check to the head which earned a two-game suspension from Brendan Shanahan. A chorus of Boos certainly didn’t help the reputation of Rogers Arena, either.

Despite what was a dangerous and obviously illegal check to the head from the fourth liner, the Canucks must continue to force a physical game as embodied by Bitz, David Booth and other big hitters in Game One. For right or for wrong, Brendan Shanahan and the NHL’s disciplinary committee have made it quite clear that suspensions will not step up to the intensity of playoff hockey, and frankly the Canucks need to take advantage of the system they’re forced to play under.

You don’t have to call Daniel Sedin’s father to know it is much better to be the hammer, rather than the nail, in a league without legitimate supplementary discipline.

In other words, World Wrestling Federation garage league rules now apply.

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

After a scoreless first period, Patrice Bergeron would be the first to tickle the twine when he took advantage of a Los Angeles turnover (on the power-play) to score his 20th goal of the season at the 5:18 mark of the second frame. It was Brad Marchand who would intercept a Kings’ neutral zone pass and head up-ice to throw the puck towards Jonathan Quick. The rebound would kick right to the stick of Bergeron, who slid the puck into an empty goal.

Only eight minutes later, the Kings would get it back when fourth line pivot Colin Fraser converted on a 3-on-2 rush, immediately after Quick stopped Marchand on a breakaway at the other end of the ice.

Boston would regain the lead early in the third period when a quick transition play from David Krejci and Milan Lucic would result in Lucic’s 24th tally of the season. Just over a minute later, the B’s would add to their lead when a series of beautiful puck-possession passes from the third line would end with Chris Kelly‘s 19th goal of the year.  Scoring three goals against Quick is without doubt a herculean feat, as the United States Olympian has only allowed three or more pucks past him in twenty-one of his sixty-three starts this season.

The Kings turned things around late in the third after being revitalized by a superhuman stop by Quick after Milan Lucic set up David Krejci all alone in front of the L.A. net. Rookie blueliner Slava Voynov potted his seventh of the year at the 14:46 mark when he fired a wrist shot past Tim Thomas after a Justin Williams face-off win in the offensive zone.

However, the Kings’ comeback would be thwarted time and time again by the incredible efforts of Tim Thomas as the Black and Gold would hold on for the victory. In the “something you don’t see every day” category, Brad Marchand would be credited with an empty-net goal as time expired, making the final score 4-2 in favor of Boston.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Tim Thomas (40 Saves)

2) Brad Marchand (1 Goal/1 Assist)

3) Jonathan Quick (22 Saves)

What’s Next?

– The Black and Gold will be right back at it on Sunday evening when they take on Corey Perry and the Ducks out in Anaheim. The Kings will be back in action on Monday in Vancouver against Henrik Sedin and the Canucks.

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Records: Boston 42-28-3 (87 Points) , Los Angeles 37-25-12 (86 Points)

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

Time: 9:00 P.M. (EST)

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

Last Game: Bruins 1 , San Jose Sharks 2 ……. St. Louis Blues 0 ,Kings 1 (SO)

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:

Turco

Thomas

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 will sit out another game, but is with the team in California and reports have indicated that he has begun to participate in contact drills during practice.

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: Kings 0 , Bruins 3

– When these two squads met at TD Garden back in mid-December, just about everything was going wrong for the Kings. They’d just fired head coach Terry Murray and were in the midst of a brutal six-game losing streak. Boston took full advantage of these outlying circumstances, pasting the Kings by a 3-0 score, thanks to a two-goal outing from agitating winger Brad Marchand.

Prediction: Look for veteran back-up Marty Turco to get the nod this evening for his second start in a Bruins’ uniform. If not, he should be in the crease on Sunday evening in Anaheim.  Rarely do I predict such a high scoring affair — especially between two squads struggling for offense–, but in this case, I think this one will be a back-and-forth contest that fans will not want to miss. The Kings are the more desperate team right now, which makes me think they’ll be able to get the extra point tonight on home ice.

Bruins 4 , Kings 5 (OT)

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Jiri Hudler scored his 21st goal of the season in a Red Wings' 5-2 loss to the L.A. Kings. Photo by Bridget Samuels.

The Detroit Red Wings (44-23-3, 91 points) continue their road struggles with a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday night at the Staples Center. Unlike their third period rally this past Friday at The Joe, the Red Wings were never in it as they trailed from start to finish.

The Red Wings are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games and they continue to struggle on the road and are 16-19-1 away from the Joe Louis Arena. They are 0-2-0 on their current four-game road trip.

Drew Doughty, Anze Kopitar and Justin Williams each registered a goal and an assist for the Kings, and Jonathan Quick stopped 22 of 24 shots to get his first win against the Red Wings this season.

Playing in his first game since March 4, Jimmy Howard was back between the pipes for the Red Wings. He stopped 22 shots, but gave up four goals and took the loss. He is still third in the NHL with 33 wins, but is 1-3-1 in his last six appearances. Howard didn’t get much support against the Kings with the lackluster play in front of him.

The Red Wings got goals from Jiri Hudler (his 21st) and Johan Franzen (his team-leading 26th).

Trailing 1-0, the goal that hurt the Red Wings the most was a short-handed goal by Kopitar, who skated down the right side and beat Howard with a wrist shot to make it 2-0.

It took a while for the Red Wings to get in the game after the Kings dominated most of the first period. Hudler scored early in the middle stanza to make it 2-1, but the Kings regained their two-goal lead when Doughty shot the puck from the top of the slot and it went through traffic and it went off Ian White, beating Howard.

Goals were exchanged in the third period by Slava Voynov and Franzen, but Jeff Carter finalized the scoring to make it 5-2 and that’s how it stood in Los Angeles.

To say that the Red Wings’ special teams struggled was an understatement. They went 0-for-4 on the power play and are now 0-for-24 in their last six games. On their first opportunity with the man-advantage against the Kings, the Red Wings gave up their 10th shorthanded goal this season as Kopitar scored with Dustin Brown in the penalty box.

The Red Wings played without Pavel Datsyuk, Nicklas Lidstrom, Todd Bertuzzi, Jakub Kindl and Jonathan Ericsson. It’s possible that Datsyuk and Lidstrom may play by the end of this road trip

With the loss, the Red Wings now trail the Central Division leading St. Louis Blues by seven points. Not only do they have the Blues to worry about, but they have to watch out for the Nashville Predators, who are two points behind the Red Wings for fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

With first place in the Central Division almost out of reach and the recent surge of the Predators, the Red Wings could end up in fifth place in the Western Conference and that means they won’t have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

The Red Wings hope to get back on track as they face the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night at the Honda Center.

Darren Helm scored the game-winning goal for the Red Wings late in the third period. Photo by Paige Kaitlyn.

Valtteri Filppula tied the game with 4:02 left in the third with his 22nd goal of the season and Darren Helm, who had to fight off Kings’ defenseman Drew Doughty in order to score the deciding goal with 73 seconds remaining, giving the Red Wings the first lead of the game.

The win halted the Red Wings’ mini two-game losing skid, but they had to fight off a Kings’ six-on-four power-play with 24 seconds remaining in the third as Brad Stuart went to the sin bid for tripping.

The Red Wings remain fourth in the Western Conference standings, but they trail the St. Louis Blues by two points in the race for the Central Division.

Henrik Zetterberg has carried the hottest stick blade as of late for the Red Wings by scoring twice against the Kings. As the offensive catalyst in his last six games, Zetterberg has five goals and seven assists.

Both of Zetterberg’s goals came from nice feeds from Filppula, but the one that drew ohh’s and ahh’s from those watching was a breathtaking spin-o-rama from Filppula as he skated to the Kings’ own zone that tied the game at 2-2. I had to go Matt Foley from Saturday Night Live when I saw that “I can’t see real good, but was that Pavel Datsyuk I saw over there?” All kidding aside, Filppula has come into his own and playing with his linemates has surely helped.

Joey MacDonald stopped 21 of 24 shots for his eighth win of the season. Despite giving up a weak goal to Justin Williams late in the first period, MacDonald was clutch down the stretch to help preserve the win. His biggest save was on Williams late in the third which was shortly before Helm’s game-winner.

Going back to Quick, the King’s all-star goaltender has been stellar this season and should be in the running for the Vezina Trophy. But, his record against the Red Wings in 2011-12 would make the 2006-08 Kings version of Dan Cloutier blush. Quick posted an 0-3-0 with a 5.16 goals against average and an .817 save percentage which is, by far, his worst line of stats against any NHL club this season. To Kings fans, my apologies for bringing up Cloutier.

The Red Wings played without many of their regulars. With Pavel Datsyuk, Todd Bertuzzi, Nicklas Lidstrom, Jakub Kindl, Jonathon Ericsson and Jimmy Howard out with injuries, add Justin Abdelkader to the list of the walking wounded.

Abdelkader, who was out with the flu, sat out Friday night’s game which prompted the team to callup another player from Grand Rapids as Joakim Andersson was recalled and inserted into the team’s fourth line along with Jan Musak and Tomas Holmstrom

With the remaining Red Wing players, two players who spent significant amount of time in the AHL contributed big in tonight’s game. Defenseman Brendan Smith is making a statement by trying to stick with the NHL club and is doing a good job at doing so. He lead the team with a +2 rating against the Kings and made an impact late in the third period. He jumped onto the ice after a line change and blew his way into the Kings zone and fed a quick pass to Filppula that tied the game at 3-3.

Gustav Nyquist, who was recalled from Grand Rapids on Thursday, drew the first assist to Helm’s game-clincher late in the third. With the helper, Nyquist got his second NHL point in his sixth game with the Red Wings. He has been tearing it up for the Griffins in his first full pro season with 19 goals and 35 assists in 53 games, but it won’t be that long until he sticks with the Red Wings for good.

The next game for the Red Wings is Saturday night as they head to the Music City for a Central Division clash with the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.

The first period was a spirited affair between the two teams as each had some good scoring chances. Pekka Rinne got the start in net for the Predators, and he was called upon to make some good saves early in the contest to keep the Kings off the board. Jonathan Quick, the Kings netminder, did the same, thwarting some good scoring chances for the Predators.

The Predators would find the back of the net late in the first period on a goal by Roman Josi at 18:27. Josi took a wrist shot that hit the Kings Drew Doughty’s stick and was re-directed between Quick’s arm and his body. The puck trickled through and over the goal line to give the Predators a 1-0 lead.

Patric Hornqvist extended the lead to 2-0 at 3:52 of the second period. David Legwand fired a puck off the end board that caromed directly onto the tape of Hornqvist’s stick. Hornqvist buried the shot past an out of position quick for his 18th goal of the season. It was good to see Hornqvist back in action and contributing after missing five games due to injury.

The Kings got on the board at 16:36 of the third period as Dustin Brown fired a shot toward the net with traffic in front. The puck pinballed off the skates of Ryan Suter and Mike Fisher and skittered past Rinne for the Kings only goal of the game.

Leading 2-1 with the clock winding down, the Predators held the Kings off the board and secured an important two points.

Pekka Rinne made 30 saves for the Predators, some of which were spectacular. For the game, the Kings outshot the Predators 31-28.

The Predators did a good job of forechecking the Kings and skated well with them all night. The Kings like to use their size to wear down their opponents, but the Predators generally did a good job of controlling the Kings cycle and forcing them to the outside. Unlike their previous game with the Sharks, the Predators stepped up their offensive pressure in the third period, especially late in the game, preventing Quick from getting off the ice for the extra attacker by forcing the puck deep and forcing the Kings to defend in their zone.

Kudos to Hal Gill for another strong game. Gill continues to block shots and his physical presence is dominant in front of the net. Gill is especially important to this team in taking pressure off of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter by chewing up minutes. Also, a special mention should go to Jack Hillen. Hillen was inserted into the lineup with Kevin Klein out of action, and he played a solid game. His best play came in blocking s hot that was targeted for the open net when Rinne was out of position.

This was a solid effort against a desperate team that really needed the points. The Predators continue to play a strong team game, and have four lines that can put the puck in the net. More importantly, the four lines that are on the ice are defensively responsible and contribute quality minutes in all situations.

This is a winning formula. Sometimes the wins are not things of beauty, but they are wins nevertheless.

And the Predators will take them.

My three stars:

1. Pekka Rinne

2. Patric Hornqvist

3. Roman Josi

The Bolts are in fourth place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by eleven points. Tampa Bay is in 12th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference, eight points out of a playoff spot.

After 55 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 37. He leads the Bolts and is second in the NHL in points with 62. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 34. Marc-Andre Bergeron leads the team in rating with a +8.

Defenseman Brett Clark is last in rating with a -18. Steve Downie has accumulated 121 penalty minutes. Goalie Mathieu Garon has 17 wins, a 2.85 goals against average and a .902 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:13 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 194.

The Lightning have scored 153 goals (9th in the NHL) and allowed 182 goals (30th (last) in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams are far from average. The power play success rate is 13.5% (28th in the NHL) and the penalty kill is at 80.6% (25th in the NHL). The league average power play percentage is 17.37% and the average NHL team kills off 82.63% of their penalties successfully.

Tampa Bay is 20th in the league in faceoff percentage, winning just 49.2% of their draws.

Box Scores

Game 52 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Los Angeles Kings 3

Game 53 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – New York Rangers 4 OT

Game 54 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – Buffalo Sabres 1

Game 55 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – Pittsburgh Penguins 4

Three Stars of the Week

Steven Stamkos - Two goals and two assists.

Teddy Purcell – Five assists.

Steve Downie – Three goals.

Transactions

The Lightning recalled and reassigned defenseman Evan Oberg to Norfolk (AHL).

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR after undergoing surgery on both knees. Ohlund is most likely out for the year.

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.

Forward Ryan Malone is day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Defenseman Matt Gilroy is day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Bolt Notes

The Bolts have been playing well, losing just two of their last 11 games, but they were thoroughly embarrassed by the Penguins on Sunday. The 7-2-2 run is simply too little – too late for the Lightning. Tampa Bay is eight points out of a playoff spot and eleven points away from a division championship. 54 points are still out there to be won with 27 games left. The Bolts are still closer to the Eastern Conference cellar than they are to a playoff spot. It looks like the Lightning are sellers and not buyers.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Ottawa on Tuesday. San Jose on Thursday and Washington on Saturday.

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

First up for the Admirals this week was a Friday and Saturday night series against former Admiral Michael Leighton and the Adirondack Phantoms. This was a low scoring affair with only two penalties being called. The Admirals put pressure on the Phantoms all night, but Leighton did not let anything past him. Philip-Michael Devos finally beat Leighton with a nice shot over the glove of Leighton at 3:35 of the second period. This was Devos’ fourth goal since joining the Admirals from the ECHL Florida Everblades. Cory Conacher had the assist.  Both goalies, Dustin Tokarski and Leighton were brick walls the entire game. In the closing minutes the Phantoms pulled Leighton in favor of the extra attacker. Pierre-Cedric Labrie added the insurance with an empty net goal to seal the Admirals 2-0 shutout.

The same two teams went at it on Saturday night, but it wasn’t the same type of game. Pierre-Cedric Labrie started the night with a fight that would set the tone for the rest of the game.  Richard Panik got the scoring rolling with a goal at 2:48 of the first period. Mike Kostka scored on the power play at 5:07 as Mark Barberio picked up his first assist of the night. The Phantoms were called for elbowing Cory Conacher, who immediately made them pay with a goal at 5:07. Barberio got the assist. Three minutes later, Conacher added another goal. He picked up a rebound and buried it past Leighton at 8:20 for his league leading 27^th goal of the season. The Phantoms got on the board at 4:23 of the second period. Mike Angelidis would then pick up his 11^th goal of the season at 3:31 of the third period. The Phantoms answered back 31 seconds later to cut the lead to 5-2. Trevor Smith would score with less than six minutes remaining, but the Phantoms struck once more. The Admirals and Dustin Tokarski shut the Phantoms offense down and Tyler Johnson added one more goal at 17:36 for good measure.Norfolk won 7-3 and swept the 2 game series.

Sunday marked the Admirals third game in as many nights. This time the opponent was the Charlotte Checkers.  Jaroslav Janus would shine in this road tilt. Evan Oberg opened up the scoring in the final minute of the first period. There was a scramble in front of the net, the puck bounced out and Oberg skated in and shot it in the net. Less than two minutes later Cory Conacher made it 2-0 Admirals.Norfolk andCharlotte would remain scoreless for the second and most of the third period.Charlotte ruined Janus’ shutout bid in the final minute.Charlotte pulled their goalie looking for the chance to even things up, but Pierre-Cedric Labrie shot the puck from center ice to the net to seal a 3-1Norfolk win.

Cory Conacher (28G 29A 57Pts +6), Trevor Smith (19G 34A 53Pts +23), and Mark Barberio (6G 35A 41Pts +19) find themselves at op the Admirals scoring list. Conacher now leads the AHL with 28 goals. Dustin Tokarski (21-11-0 2.43GAA) went 2-0 this week. Jaroslav Janus (9-8-2 3.05GAA) went 1-1.

For the Season the Admirals are 30-18-1-2 with 63 points. They are currently 2 points behind the East Division leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.Norfolkis currently on a 3-0-0-0 streak and is 6-4-0-0 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Cory Conacher – Three goals and two assists.

Dustin Tokarski – A shutout, two wins and 39 saves on 42 shots.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie – Two goals and an assist.

Transactions

Evan Oberg – Recalled from and returned to the Norfolk Admirals (AHL).

Injuries

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

Michel Ouellet – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

An Observation from the Stands

It was a great weekend for the Admirals. They picked up all six points and are closing in on the Penguins for the division lead. Goalie Dustin Tokarski played great in both of his games and his partner Jaroslav Janus did well down inCharlotte. Cory Conacher’s play was the highlight of the weekend. He just does not quit. The Phantoms were going after him physically, but he would not back down. After receiving a nasty elbow, which resulted in the offending Phantom being ejected, he came back and scored two in a row. The past two week we have seen some great performances from the team. If this is what the playoffs are going to look like the April playoffs should be interesting.

The Week Ahead

The Admirals open up the week Wednesday night in W-B/Scranton against the Penguins. They will then return to Scope for two games against the Syracuse Crunch.

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The Red Wings’ record at home is a sparkling 18-2-1. If only they can only bring that on the road.

Pavel Datsyuk put on another clinic tonight with three assists; Todd Bertuzzi scored a goal and had two assists; and Jimmy Howard stopped all 26 shots for his fifth shutout of the season, stretching his league-leading wins total to 27.

After the first 20 minutes of play, the Red Wings jumped out to a 3-0 lead with goals from Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen and Nicklas Lidstrom.  The shots were even at 11-11. The Red Wings took advantage of the Sabres’ mistakes and capitalized on them. Even though they didn’t take full control of possessing the puck, the Red Wings were in ahead in the scoreboard.

Bertuzzi made it 4-0 at 4:19 of the second period and by doing a Denis Savard impression. He spun around the Sabres’ goal and hit a backhand shot to beat Ryan Miller.  Thirteen seconds later, Darren Helm extended the lead to 5-0 and chased out the Sabres’ netminder,  ending Miller’s nightmare. He was replaced by Jhonas Enroth.

The Sabres played uninspired hockey and the only thing missing was their head coach Lindy Ruff pulling a Roger Neilson (circa 1982 Stanley Cup Finals) by waving a white flag. They looked totally flat tonight.

Give this round of “Miller Time” to the Red Wings’ Drew Miller.  He had an assist to Helm’s goal to make it 5-0 and helped chase his older brother, Ryan, out of the net. The billboards in the southeast Detroit area advertised this game as a battle of the Millers, but the way it turned it out, it was like a UFC Main Event that lasted 90 seconds.

With his three-assist night, Datsyuk notched his 15th mulit-point game this season. Also, Datsyuk became the eighth player in team history to reach 700 points and did so his 706th NHL game. He has a decent chance to pass Ted Lindsay (728 career points) for seventh all time by the end of the season.

By scoring the first goal of the game, Zetterberg ended a 14-game scoring drought for his ninth goal of the season, but has contributed with 10 assists during that span. Not counting his game-winning goal in the shootout last Thursday, his last goal was December 17 against the Los Angeles Kings. This should be a confidence-builder for “Z.”

Jimmy Howard is proving he is worthy of being an All-Star. Out of his 38 starts this season, Howard has given up two goals or less in 26 of those starts.  He is on pace for a 40 plus-win season and should be nominated for the Vezina Trophy.  He’ll be in some tough company though—other netminders like Tim Thomas, Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick are having Vezina-worthy seasons.

During the Red Wings’ home dominance, they have outscored their opponents 67-21.  They did play an injury-depleted Sabres team who have lost their last nine games away from home to acheive the home record. The Red Wings have a chance to make it 16 straight wins this Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

But first, the Red Wings have to focus on the first game of their two-game road trip.  Tomorrow night, they head back to Dallas and do battle with the Stars.  Their previous encounter was on January 3rd when the Red Wings won 5-4.

Pavel Datsyuk scored the game-tying goal midway through the third period and 56 seconds later, Niklas Kronwall scored the game-winner to send the Red Wings (23-12-1) to their second straight win and their 11th straight on home ice.  Jimmy Howard was once again sensational in net by making 29 saves for his league-leading 22nd win.

The Blues started the scoring at 6:51 of the first period as Kevin Shattenkirk rifled a shot from the point, which was deflected in front of the net by Matt D’Agostini for the 1-0 lead.  The Red Wings had their opportunities to tie the game up in the first period, but couldn’t capitalize on their chances.

The Blues extended the lead to 2-0 at 13:08 of the second period thanks to an alert Alex Steen; Howard came out of the crease to stop a shot by Jason Arnott—but the refs didn’t blow the as the puck was still in play. The puck creeped by Howard, and Steen took advantage of the play and tapped the puck in the net to extend the Blues’ lead.

Steen’s goal seemed to be the smelling salts for the Red Wings prompting them to press even harder to get on the scoreboard. The Red Wings cut the deficit to 2-1 with 63 seconds left in the second period when Nicklas Lidstrom shot a laser from the left point and the goal pumped up the crowd at the JLA.

The home team threw everything at the Blues, including the kitchen sink, and it paid off with Datsyuk’s goal that tied the game at 2-2. Datsyuk tipped-in an Ian White shot and it was redirected past Blues’ goalie Brian Elliott to tie the game.  Less than a minute later, Kronwall scored the game-clincher with a wrist shot from the left point, helping the Red Wings to their first win against the Blues this season.

This was a classic battle reminiscent of an old-school Norris Division battle. This game brought out the best in both teams and was perfect for a national audience. The Red Wings and Blues will face each other once again this Saturday at the JLA so expect the same effort from both teams.

Tomas Holmstrom will be out of the lineup for up to two weeks with a groin injury. In his place, Joakim Andersson was called up this morning from Grand Rapids and made his NHL debut against the Blues and played 5:10 of total ice time.  Defenseman Mike Commodore was once again in the lineup in place of Jakub Kindl.

Jimmy Howard was sensational once again for the Red Wings.  It should be time to talk about Howard’s status among the top goalies in the NHL.  Despite the Red Wings being knocked out by the San Jose Sharks in the playoffs last spring, Howard stood out as he kept the Red Wings in the series.

This season he has taken the next step so is he a top-tier NHL goalie, just yet? Not yet, because that’s a designation reserved for Tim Thomas, Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo (who found his groove over the last few weeks) and Marc-Andre Fleury.  I would put Howard in fifth right now ahead of guys like Jonathan Quick, Carey Price, and Pekka Rinne. Where would you rank Howard among the NHL netminders?

Howard has been the difference maker in some of his team’s wins this season and is getting better each season.  Once again, fans here in Detroit determine a goalie’s fate in the playoffs, but Howard has the mental toughness to make it.  The only concern for him right now is workload so hopefully he doesn’t burn out in the spring.

The Red Wings have another old-school Norris Division game this Friday as they head to Chicago for a date with the Blackhawks at the United Center.

Pavel Datsyuk currently leads the team in scoring with 10 goals and 23 assists, while Johan Franzen is now in second with 14 goals and 16 assists.   Valtteri Filppula is third (10 g, 25 a) and Henrik Zetterberg is climbing the ladder as he is now in fourth(8 g, 14 a).

Nicklas Lidstrom leads the team’s defense corp in team scoring with seven goals and 14 assists, while Ian White (4 g, 11 a) leads the team with a plus/minus rating of +21.

Jimmy Howard’s play in goal has slipped “just a little bit,” to quote Robert DeNiro, with a 1.91 goals against average and a .929 saver percentage, but he still leads the NHL with 19 wins.  All kidding aside, this is his breakout year, folks, and don’t be surprised if he’s nomintated for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Game 29:  Detroit Red Wings 4  Pittsburgh Penguins 1

Pavel Datsyuk led the offensive charge with a goal and an assist, while Jimmy Howard stopped 25 shots as the Red Wings invaded the Consol Energy Center with a 4-1 win.  Danny Cleary scored twice in the third to help put the game away for the Red Wings.  Johan Franzen scored the game-winning goal as he shot a rocket from the left circle past Marc-Andre Fleury early in the third period.

Game 30:  Detroit Red Wings 3  Nashville Predators 4

The Red Wings let one slip away in the Music City as they took a two-goal lead in the third period, but Shea Weber scored the game-tying goal on the power-play and scored the winner late in the third period.  Pekka Rinne was brilliant in goal as he stopped 37 shots and outdueled his counterpart Jimmy Howard, but his hooking call in the third period led to Weber’s game-tying goal.  A couple of the bright spots for the Red Wings was that they went a perfect two-for-two on the power play.  One of them was scored by Tomas Holmstrom and he passed Sergei Fedorov for fourth in team history with 118 goals with the man-advantage.

Game 31:  Los Angeles Kings 2  Detroit Red Wings 8

Cory Emmerton and Drew Miller led the team with two tallies each leading the Red Wings to an 8-2 drubbing of the Los Angeles Kings  at the Joe Louis Arena.  Out of the 18 skaters that suited up, 14 of them got at least a point.  Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots to stretch his NHL-leading wins total to 19.  It was their third straight home game that they chased a starting goalie out of the net in the opening period as starting goalie Jonathan Quick didn’t escape the first half of the opening period.

Red Wings Three Stars of the Week

Pavel Datsyuk-two goals, three assists, +4

Danny Cleary-two goals, three assists, +5

Cory Emmerton-two goals, one assist, +2

Team Transactions:

December 15: F Chris Conner placed on short-term injured reserve, F Tomas Tatar called up from Grand Rapids (AHL)

December 16: F Tomas Tatar reassigned to Grand Rapids

This week’s games:

The Red Wings go back on the road to start a four-game road trip and will kick it off with a stop at Rexall Place for a date with the Edmonton Oilers.  After that, they will have back-to-back games on Wednesday and Thursday with stops in Vancouver and Calgary respectively and will take a few days off for Christmas.  They go back on the road next Monday for a rematch with the Nashville Predators at the Bridgestone Arena.

The Red Wings snapped their first one-game losing streak of the season as they blow out the Los Angeles Kings 8-2 on home ice.  Drew Miller and Cory Emmerton led the way with two goals apiece and Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots for his NHL-leading 19th win of the season.

Out of the 18 skaters that suited up for the Red Wings, 14 of them had at least one point.  Not bad for a balanced attack, especially from the third and fourth lines.

Thanks to goals from Niklas Kronwall and Brad Stuart, the Red Wings now have a league leading 24 tallies from their own blueline.

The Red Wings started out like gangbusters by scoring two goals in a 15-second span early in the first period.  Miller got things going at 1:45 as he was in front of the net and scored off the rebound to make it 1-0; 15 seconds later, Emmerton tipped-in a Jonathan Ericsson shot past Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick (four saves on seven shots) and things were quickly going (no-pun intended) the Red Wings way.

After Kronwall ripped a rocket of a slap shot from the right circle that made it 3-0, Quick was given the hook and was replaced by Jonathon Bernier.  Bernier didn’t fare any better as he stopped 15 of 20 shots.  The rest of the first period saw goals being exchanged by the Kings’ Davis Drewiske and Emmerton, who got his second of the game.

Jarret Stoll cut the Red Wings lead to 4-2 midway through the second period, but that was all the Kings could get past Howard.

The Euro-Twins activated their goal-scoring binge as Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk each lit the lamp as the Red Wings took a 6-2 lead after 40 minutes.  Both goals were in the form of wicked backhands.

It was “Miller-Time” as Miller made it 7-2 with a snap shot that went past Bernier’s glove side and Stuart turned off the red lamp as he scored the team’s final goal midway through the third period.

The Red Wings rebounded nicely from their heart-breaking loss in Nashville on Thursday night.  They took out their frustrations out on a hapless Kings team who have 3-7-0 in their last 10 games and have averaged an NHL worst 2.16 goals a game.

Even though he was chased out of the net early in the first, Jonathan Quick has been one of the few bright spots for the Kings this season. If it weren’t for his team’s play in front of him and playing on a team in the east coast, he’d be ranked among the league’s elite netminders.  Quick and Howard are two of the best american-born goalies in the NHL and they could be the front-runners to represent Team USA in the upcoming 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Props to the Red Wings’ third and fourth lines.  The third line combination of Drew Miller (two goals), Darren Helm (two assists) and Danny Cleary (three assists) and the fourth line of Cory Emmerton (2 g, 1 a), Tomas Holmstrom (2 a) and Justin Abdelkader (1 a) were a huge reason tonight’s win.  The line of Emmerton, Holmstrom and Abdelkader played that well, they were rewarded with some time on the power-play.

After the Kings scored their first goal of the game, it didn’t sit well with Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock as he gave it to them before the ensuing face-off.  He pressed the right buttons and his team responded rather quickly.

The Red Wings go back on the road to begin a four-game road trip and their first stop will be at the Rexall Place as they face the Edmonton Oilers Monday Night.

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

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Caron–Hamill–Thornton

DEFENSE

Seidenberg–Boychuk

Kampfer–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Rask

Thomas

Scratches– ….. Chara (Leg–OUT), Paille (Concussion — GTD), Campbell (Lower Body–OUT)

– Tonight’s game can be seen on NESN (Edwards, Brickley) and heard on 98.5 The Sports Hub (Goucher, Beers), the flagship radio station of the Boston Bruins.

NEWS & NOTES

– In net for Boston tonight will be their 24-year-old Finn Tuukka Rask, who steeped in o relieve Tim Thomas who allowed 3 goals in two periods in Columbus on Saturday. B’s head coach Claude Julien noted this morning that Thomas will be in net tomorrow night when the Black and Gold visit the Ottawa Senators at ScotiaBank Place. On the other side of the ice is Kings’ netminder Jonathan Quick. The UMass-Amherst product has been an absolute workhorse for the Crowns this season, starting 23 of his team’s 29 games.

– One day after firing head coach Terry Murray, the Kings will be playing their first game under the direction of interim bench boss John Stevens. Stevens takes the reigns amid rampant speculation that Kings’ GM and Ludlow, MA native Dean Lombardi has eyed former Flames’ coach Darryl Sutter for a possible hiring. Tonight’s game could very well be both the first and the last game for John Stevens as head coach of the Los Angeles Kings.

– Bruins’ agitator and beloved sports figure in the city of Boston Brad Marchand was today fined $2,500 by the NHL’s discipline committee on the heels of his slew footing of Penguins’ defenseman Matt Niskanen last Monday night in Pittsburgh. Coach Claude Julien denounced such actions, stating  “I want him to be a good brat, not a bad brat”.

– Former Philadelphia Flyers’ captain Mike Richards will be making his first appearance in the Hub since being dealt to Los Angeles this past June, in a deal that sent Wayne Simmonds, and top prospect Brayden Schenn back to Broad Street. Skating on the Kings’ second line this season, the 5’11″ native of Kenora, Ontario has posted 11-9-20 splits in 25 games of action.

From The Room:

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B’s Captain Chara Speaks For The First Time Since Being Injured

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After his two-goal performance against the L.A. Kings, Pavel Datsyuk is all smiles. Photo by Dan 4th.

The gorilla is now off of Pavel Datsyuk’s back as his 12-game scoring drought is over. Datsyuk’s two goals and Jimmy Howard’s 23 saves led the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center.

The win also snaps the five-game losing streak on the road for the Red Wings (10-7-1), which was their longest since 1987.

At first, it looked as if the Red Wings’ play would lapse over from Thursday in San Jose as they trailed 1-0 as Mike Richards (not Jerry’s Seinfeld’s pal Kramer) scored a shorthanded goal early in the first period.  Jiri Hudler missed the pass that was won on the face-off by Henrik Zetterberg and Richards beat Hudler for the puck and went in alone to beat Howard with a backhand.

The lead was all of 37 seconds as the Red Wings continued the attack on the power play when Datsyuk scored to end his 12-game scoring drought.  Nicklas Lidstrom ripped a shot from the point that was tipped-in by Tomas Holmstrom as it was stopped by Kings’ goalie Jonathan Quick, but Datsyuk put in the rebound to tie the game.

The Red Wings got a 2-1 lead on the power play as Tomas Holmstrom, who was behind the Kings’ cage, found an open Niklas Kronwall, who was in the slot with Kings’ players between him and beat Quick with a tip-in.  Kronwall’s goal was also the eventual game clincher.

The deciding moment of the game came when Anze Kopitar went in on Howard, but Brad Stuart dove to poke the puck away giving the officials’ a (or no) reason to award Kopitar a penalty shot.  Puck met the Glove as Howard stopped Kopitar, keeping the game 2-1.  There was a big “Whew” after the save on Kopitar.

Justin Abdelkader scored the insurance goal for the Red Wings on a wrist shot.  Brendan Smith joined in on a 2-on-1 and tipped the puck over to Abdelkader, beating Quick on a wrist-shot.  Datsyuk scored the final goal with 4:54 left in the game as he put in a snap-shot.

This game was a must-win for the Red Wings, who were in a funk for the past two games.  Howard recovered from Thursday’s game in San Jose as he played great and made some great saves.  The save on Kopitar’s penalty shot also charged up the team who played relentlessly.

A big plus for the Red Wings was that they solved Jonathan Quick, who’s arguably one of the top goalies in the NHL.  Quick owned the Red Wings last season with a 3-1 record with a .932 save percentage, including a 51-save shutout at T”he Joe”.

Congratulations to Brendan Smith as he got his first NHL point on an assist to Justin Abdelkader’s goal in the third period.  Smith played a lot more relaxed and showed why he was the Red Wings’ first round pick in 2007.  Smith has so much upside to his game, he has the potential to be a bigger version of Kronwall.

Pavel Datsyuk has to have a boost of confidence tonight after his two-goal performance.  It’s now Henrik Zetterberg’s turn to find a way to light the lamp as he had found the net once in his last 10 games.

Todd Bertuzzi was off the injured reserve list and inserted into today’s lineup after missing the last six games with sinus infection and swelling on his ear. In his place, defenseman  Ian White was placed on the injured-reserve from the injury to his right cheekbone last Saturday against Dallas.

The Red Wings play their final game of their four-game road trip tomorrow night against a familiar team in the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center.  On November 5th, the Red Wings ended their six-game losing streak against the Ducks with a 5-0 win at the Joe Louis Arena.  The Ducks are on a three-game losing streak and are sitting in last place in the Pacific Division.

The Ducks are led by another ageless European star in Teemu Selanne.  He currently leads the team in scoring with six goals and 12 assists in 18 games.  Even though Selanne’s found the fountain of youth, the team’s other stars are suffering from scoring slumps as Corey Perry, Ryan Getzlaf and Bobby Ryan have netted a combined 16 goals this season.

It’s a perfect opportunity for the Red Wings to press the foot on the accelerator.

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.

There is no “I” in “Team”, but there is a “me”. Meaning it takes individuals knowing their job and executing plays within their role. Not taking on the opponent like a counter productive one man show. Last night’s 2-1 St. Louis Blues victory over the Los Angeles Kings is a perfect demonstration of said axiom.

There is no coincidence that the TJ Oshie return to the lineup sparked such a performance. From the first puck drop Oshie was as contagious as ever. Spreading energy and effort like the flu bug out in California.

A tangible positive vibe flowed through Scottrade Center. A presence not felt in St. Louis since October. Picking up the spirits of another capacity crowd.

Those in blue sweaters fed off the battery labeled #74 as well.

Brad Winchester, Alex Steen, David Backes, Erik Johnson and others stepping up their individual effort to turn a play, a possession, a shift, a period or even the game in the Blues favor.

The kind of play Davis Payne continues to call “St. Louis Blues hockey”. Getting pucks quickly out of their end and attacking the opposite side of the rink. Utilizing mental and physical resolve to win battles on the second and third efforts. Five skaters working as a unit in all three zones.

This style of play doesn’t require an extensive amount of skill. It just requires adherence to the program. Work like a Marine. Get in, do your job and get out. The score doesn’t matter so long as the Blues have one more tally than the opposition.

As simple as it sounds, multiple stretches of absentminded play show how difficult maintaining that level is.

Think Oshie doesn’t make a big difference? Think it’s only one game, so don’t get too excited? Fair enough. Guessing folks with that point of view haven’t seen the Blues play much to notice the difference.

Quick Hits vs. LA

- Patrik Berglund scored his 9th of the season on a deceptively Delicious backdoor play on the man advantage. Berglund slipped behind the defense on the weak side when Matt D’Agostini’s saucer pass went from the left wing faceoff circle to the right wing post. Nice to be caring up someone elses penalty kill rather than seeing the same happen to the Blues.

- From the “tell me if you’ve heard this one” department… LA picks up the pace in the second, cycles the puck well, point shot gets through for a deflection in. Kyle Clifford with the deflection for his 4th.

- Alex Steen outworked and out thought Drew Doughty twice in one shift late in the third. Kept the play alive on the boards to maintain possession during line changes. Puck works back to him by the Kings bench. Sold Doughty on a dump in fake and the cross ice pass ends up on Johnson’s stick. He flips it on net and the puck squeaks through Jonthan Quick as Backes crashes the net. EJ’s 5th of the season put the Blues up for good 2-1.

Johnson took a puck to his right hand blocking a shot on a penalty kill. He left for a brief time but finished the game. Appears to be just fine.

- Carlo Colaiacovo took another puck to the face. Deflecting a shot straight up his stick and hitting him around the eye. Reports as of Wednesday suggest he will miss a week or two. Ian Cole has been recalled from Peoria to take Carlo’s spot.

- Jaroslalv Halak broken in some new pads last night. Not the norm, but it worked well. Using solid rebound control and timely saves to keep LA to only one goal. Stopped 26 of 27 shots. Halak is now a perfect 4-0 against LA.

- Jonathan Quick picked up where he left off in LA. Didn’t look like he ever settled in to the game. Stopped 24 of 26 shots.

- LA won 33 of 58 draws. Backes needs to improve on the draw. For the foreseeable future he is the Blues top center and needs to take winning face-offs seriously. Winning 7 of 17 is not acceptable for a competing team’s go to man in the middle.

- Drew Doughty, feast or famine with his play. At least he had more of the latter than in last week’s meeting.

Bluenotes

- David Perron was in attendance last night. Sitting upstairs with the healthy scratches. Hoping his appearance means he is getting close to symptom free.

- Word is Andy McDonald skated prior to today’s practice. Word is that is true. Great (potential) news. Skating means he has passed his baseline tests.

- Speaking of healthy scratches, Chris Porter was put on waivers. He will be Peoria bound, assuming he clears. With the Blues luck…

On Trade Rumors & Speculation

Much has been made of the Blues potential to be a buyer or seller at the fast approaching trade deadline. There are a few variables to keep in mind.

- The return of Perron and Andy McDonald factor HEAVILY in to any trade possibilities. If in two or three weeks both have passed their baseline tests the “holes” for Doug Armstrong to fill are very different than if both are out.

- Position in the standings is a large factor. If they are 6 or so points out in 9th or 14 points out in 12th, Armstrong will be looking for different types of offers.

- New injuries. Heaven forbid something else happens, but it’s certainly possible. Using Colaiacovo for example. Should his eye not heal quickly or there be further complications, the need may be for an experienced defenseman more so than a forward.

- Earth shattering trades and/or team building trades do not (normally) happen at the deadline. Don’t expect to see a big name change hands and end up wearing a Bluenote. Yes, this means Eric Brewer, Barret Jackman and Brad Boyes.

- What should be expected? Dealing surplus for experienced depth. Someone who can center a checking/energy/grinding line would be nice. Marty Reasoner from Florida comes to mind. That said, if a rental with some scoring ability is available and doesn’t require an overpayment of assets, the Blues will be interested.

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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.

Who knew there would be such a high demand for NHL castoffs who become KHL castoffs?

First Marek Svatos packed up his game and crossed the Atlantic to play for the St. Louis Blues. He didn’t survive the waiver wire as the Nashville Predators claimed the former 30 goal scorer. With the San Jose Sharks claiming Kyle Wellwood the Blues are now 0-for-2 bringing in support for their injury depleted roster.

While Wellwood is far from the Blues saving grace, the loss still stings.

Over $6 million in payroll is sitting on IR due to concussions instead of on the ice scoring goals. The need is great and all options are worth exploring. Wellwood’s abilities in the circle and potential to bolster a sluggish power play could have been effective gap filling production.

Instead Doug Armstrong is left continuing his season long searching for offensive assistance.

Hopefully the waiver rules get a healthy review and update in the next CBA. The consequences of the current cap system stifling the trade market for “haves” and “have nots” alike appears to be adversely affecting the waiver system.

Welcome Back TJ Oshie

One SMALL bit of good news today was that TJ Oshie has been activated from IR and will play tonight against the LA Kings. Since fracturing his ankle in a scrum against Columbus on November 10th he has missed 31 games.

Virtually the undisputed spark plug of the lineup, Oshie has been sorely missed. His ability to come out of traffic with the puck in tow and make a play is the main catalyst missing from the Blues attack. He may be a bit rusty in his first game back, but his compete level will be contagious.

Look for Oshie to play right wing on a line with Vladimir Sobotka and Patrik Berglund.

Quick Hits vs LA

Blues Lines should will likely look like very similar with a few tweaks.

Alex Steen – David Backes – Matt D’Agostini
Vladimir Sobotka – Patrik Berglund – T.J. Oshie
Brad Winchester – Jay McClement- Ryan Reaves
B.J. Crombeen – Phi McRae – Brad Boyes

Barret Jackman – Roman Polak
Eric Brewer – Erik Johnson
Carlo Colaiacovo – Alex Pietrangelo

Jaroslav Halak will start in net.

- Look for the Jackman – Polak pairing to see a lot of Anze Kopitar. He leads the Kings with 16 goals and 47 points in 43 games.

- One area of game play to keep an eye on, crashing the crease. Can the Blues keep the Kings out and can they get inside on the Kings?

- Jonathan Quick will go for the Kings. He did not have a solid game against the Blues last Thursday in LA. Allowing three goals on 21 shots. Halak bested the US Olympian by stopping 24 of 25 shots.

- Blues beat writer Lou Korac also had some insight in to LA’s lines in his Gameday blog.

Ryan Smyth – Anze Kopitar – Justin Williams
Marco Sturm – Jarret Stoll – Dustin Brown
Kyle Clifford – Brad Richardson – Trevor Lewis
Alexei Ponikarovsky – Michal Handzus – Kevin Westgarth

Rob Scuderi – Drew Doughty
Jack Johnson – Willie Mitchell
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene

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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.

The 7-4 loss to the Ducks was a perpetuation of the same trends miring the Blues below the waterline. Great stretches of play where little playing was to be found. Far too many passengers on the highway to h-e-double hockey sticks. As in the previous four failures, the difference of one period’s play made the difference.

As stern payback by the (Mighty) Ducks for the walloping they were given back in October. Then the Blues took a page out of Anaheim’s playbook. The game may have been “lost” but they wouldn’t be pushed around. Between the 13:47 and 17:22 mark of the third four fights erupted. Ending up in 62 PIMs in less than 5 minutes time and a 78 total for the game.

Better late than never to receive the message?

The hot tempered actions didn’t boil over to Thursday’s affair in LA. Instead the energy carried over in to controlled emotion and renewed confidence. Aside from the first quarter of the second period, confidence snowballed in to execution. Those in white sweaters looked to be on strings attached to the fingers of Davis Payne. Whatever the course of action taken, it was generally the decision Payne’s system calls for. As it has before, adherence to the code of play defined by the bench boss as “St. Louis Blues hockey”, produced results.

Will this third hard lesson be the one that sinks in? Won’t know till Saturday in San Jose.

Back to Back Quick Hits

- Ty Conklin stopped 17 of 24 shots against Anaheim. The 5th time in 9 starts, 6th time overall, Conks has allowed 4 goals or more in a game this season. Jonas Hiller stopped 30 of 34 Blues shots.

- Jaroslav Halak was rock solid against LA. Facing 25 shots and turning away 24. Kudos to Halak for taking his beatings. The Kings were in his crease several times causing trouble. There was one instance where around 8 or 9 skaters were in the crease and the officals refused to blow the play dead. Protect the goaltender? Jonathan Quick was far from solid. He looked uncomfortable handling the puck all night and allowed 3 goals on 21 shots.

- Once again David Backes was the top performer for the Blues. Netting 2 goals and registering 8 shots in the two tilts. Worth noting that after another slow start he is pacing for a 27 goal campaign and has a legitimate shot at 30 goals and 70 points

- The Peoria Line, comprised of Chris Porter, Phil McRae and Ryan Reaves, formed a respectable trio. Reaves scored once in each game and McRae picked up his first NHL point assisting on Reaves game winning goal in LA.

- The pairings were shuffled against LA, reuniting Barret Jackman and Roman Polak. Those two, as well as Eric Brewer and Erik Johnson, did a good job of matching up against the Anze Kopitar line. Kopitar ended with 5 shots and 10 attempts, but was denied time and space to rev up his engine. Backes’ deserves some credit there as well.

- Totals on the draw: 58 won – 57 lost. Jay McClement was a solid 16 for 28. McRae was 10 for 11.

- Alex Pietrangelo keeps getting better. The rust from his shoulder injury seems to have been brushed off as he posted 2 assists and a Plus-3 for the set. He was Even against the Ducks. Erik Johnson is also improving. Picking up an assist in each game as well and a Plus-3 rating. He was a Plus-2 in the 3 goal differential loss to Anaheim. Against LA one several offensive zone draws Payne put both EJ and Petro on the ice. That combination lead to two goals.

- Brad Winchester continued his solid play. He is one of a few who have grabbed ahold of opportunity recently. As has Matt D’Agostini.

- Brad Boyes and Alex Steen pursued the puck and worked the corner boards very well to set up the third goal Thursday. That type of play hasn’t been seen much since David Perron and TJ Oshie went out. Those two are masters of attacking the puck carrier, working down low to create space to come out and get pucks to the net. Boyes has points in 4 straight with Thursday’s assist on Steen’s goal.

Bluenotes

The Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen fell to the Oklahoma City Barons 7-2. While it ended their winning streak at five, they have a chance at redemption as the two square off again Friday night. The Rivermen are 25-11-2-1 in 39 games. Leading the AHL’s Western Conference with 53 points. There is a feeling that this club can make a legitimate run at a Calder Cup. Such a playoff run would be a big boost to the relatively inexperience prospects composing much of the roster.

Credit first year coach Jared Bednar with the success. He has really mixed youth with veteran additions like captain Dean Arsene, Nathan Oystrick, Graham Mink and David Spina. Credit also goes to the Blues top goalending prospects, Jake Allen and Ben Bishop, who are backstopping the Rivermen. Allen is 15-4-0-5 with a 2.04 GAA and .937 save percentage. Bishop’s record is 10-9-1-2 with a 2.44 GAA and .917 save percentage.

Reports are true that as many as 16 scouts were at the last Rivermen game. While the rumor mill loves to spin and will surely land on the section marked “trades are coming”, don’t put much in to it. So many were in attendance because it was a Thursday game. The scouts will likely move on to Rockford, Chicago, Milwaukee, “near by” teams, for the weekend. It’s a logistics issue. Don’t get carried away.

Per Andy Strickland, Defenseman Ian Cole has been recalled from Peoria. He will join the team in San Jose and likely play Saturday against the Sharks. Meaning either Tyson Strachan or Eric Brewer is out.

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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.

Message received, challenge accepted and plan executed.

The Los Angeles Kings came to town well rested. Ready to throw a physical brand of hockey and a hot goalie at a battered Blues club struggling to keep pace.

Instead of the road team sticking it to the home side, the tables were turned. St. Louis matched the physical play and brought more. Out hitting the visitors 28 to 19. When LA forced penalties (with some help from the officials) and netted the opening goal on an Ryan Smith 5 on 3 PPG, Jay McClement and his line crash the blue paint and put in a knotting score less than three minutes later.

Terry Murray’s crew was not with a little resiliency of their own. Taknig a 2-1 lead in the second on Anze Kopitar’s 14th of the season. Forcing additional penalties and offensive zone time.

The see-saw battle continued when Vladimir Sobokta, Brad Winchester and Eric Brewer added three goals in 10 minutes. St. Louis up 4-2. Just 46 seconds after Brewer’s tally Wayne Simmonds made it 4-3 and 1:27 after him was Dustin Brown’s 11th. At the end of two it was 4-4.

What Payne said in the locker room is between him and his crew. My guess is that it included some reinforcement of his second effort mantra because the Blues came out ready to go in the third.

At a time when fatigue should set in and fresh legs tilt the ice, the opposite occurred. Forechecking picked up and held the home side in the game. Renewed efforts leading to Alex Steen’s sniping of Jonathan Quick on a poke checked puck off McClement’s stick no King defender could clear. Giving St. Louis a 5-4 lead. David Backes’ empty netter sent the fans home with a 6-4 victory.

Particulars

1st Period:
LA 16:59 Smyth (9) (Power Play)  | Assists: Johnson, Brown
STL 18:45 McClement (5)  | Assists: Winchester, Crombeen

2nd Period:
LA 2:00  Kopitar (14) (Power Play) | Assists: Doughty, Johnson
STL 5:07  Sobotka (3) | Assists: Backes, Colaiacovo
STL 9:46  Winchester (4) (Power Play) | Assists: Colaiacovo, Sobotka
STL 15:07 Brewer (5)  | Assists: Sobotka, Backes
LA 15:53  Simmonds (6)  | Assists: Clifford, Handzus
LA 17:20  Brown (11) | Assists: Scuderi, Kopitar

3rd Period:
STL 17:07  Steen (9) | Assists: McClement, Crombeen
STL 19:01  Backes (6) (Power Play) (Empty Net) | Assists: Boyes, Colaiacovo

Goaltenders:

LA: Jonathan Quick 25 saves on 30 shots against, .833 save percentage

STL Ty Conklin 25 saves on 29 shots against, .862 save percentage 

Game Notes

- Anyone else like the little (no pun intended) battle between Sobotka and Drew Doughty. Drew is a very skilled player, but still has room to improve. For those Blues fans wanting to compare DD to EJ as a reason to be concerned with Johnson’s development, here is some proof that good players take time to grow and can have set backs. Also see Myers, Tyler.

- Sobotka is quickly becoming a fan favorite. Reminds me much of Bo Hart and the Cardinals. Good thing Vlad he doesn’t have to worry about hitting a curve ball. On the ice he is a blend of Steen and TJ Oshie. No doubt that’s why he and Backes have been outstanding together.

- Two bits to comment on from yesterdays Detroit Recap/LA preview:

1. Ian Cole affirmed my statements about taking an “Alex Pietrangelo type step” in development. Safe to say Brewer has done for #23 what Barret Jackman did for Petro
2. I jumped on Patrik Berglund, Backes and Brad Boyes for their level of play/decision making. They appropriately came back with much better games. Boyes was less invisible where the other two made sizable impacts on the game.

- Dustin Brown can complain about the hit Cole put on him along the benches, but let’s be real a second. That play was not true interference. It was a hockey play. The NHL’s nu-era rules make that interference. Please, keep that hit in the game.

- Jonathan Quick never looked comfortable in net. Not as bad as Conkline looked in Chicago a few weeks ago, but something wasn’t right.

- Nikita Nikitin looked a little more comfortable in his return to St. Louis. Erik Johnson’s injury precipitated Nikitin’s second stint with the big club.

Pugilists Do Battle

Tyson Strachan vs. Kyle Clifford

Click here to view the embedded video.

Who wins this one? Vote at Hockeyfights.com.

Blues News

- Johnson was evaluated Thursday and is day to day with a knee strain. Concerns were high that it was a serious injury. Especially after the team built unnecessary drama by announcing they would wait till later in the evening to announce the prognosis.

- EJ as well as Pietrangelo and Roman Polak all participated at the optional skate Friday morning. As reported by Lou Korac EJ was not “tip-toeing” around the ice at the Mills. Polak was participating in drills and Petro was apparently fine. Some good news for once.

- Adam Cracknell was returned to the Peoria Rivermen. Another warm body who came up from the AHL, did his job well enough and was sent back down for fiscal concerns. Given the revolving door between the two teams, Cracknell will likely be back. His play in Detroit did nothing to say he shouldn’t.

Next Up

San Jose comes to town in the first meeting between the two since Sharks captain delivered a blindside head shot to David Perron. Perron has missed every game since and has no time table for a return.

Will there be bad blood? Doubtful. Most of the anger has been directed at Jamie Baker and Bobby Holik/NHL on the Fly for their insinuation that Perron was faking/diving.

I will be in Peoria to catch the Rivermen take on the Grand Rapids Griffens. Thank you DVR technology!
 
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When It Rains, It Pours

The list of wounded Blues just keeps growing. Erik Johnson was added last night after colliding with Pavel Datsyuk. As EJ stepped up to hold his position around the center red line Datsyuk attempted to maneuver back towards open ice. A red left leg met a blue left and Johnson ends up on the ice. Johnson didn’t return and was seen by the Red Wings team doctor. Typically, a negative sign. He traveled back to St. Louis with the team for evaluation. More is expected to be known later Thursday afternoon.

Vladimir Sobotka might be joining the other 12 players who have missed a game so far this season. The top six fill in left winger went down to block a shot and took it straight on his knee. His status is unknown after not returning to action last night.

By Chris Kerber’s count, the Blues are up to 110 man games lost to injury to date. An average of 3.79 man games lost per game this season. A pace of 311 total. A number far below the 465 lost in 2008-09.

A Bad Call & A Bad Decision

David Backes has become the heir apparent to Eric Brewer’s captaincy, at least according to many fans around St. Louis. The primary reason cited has been #42′s fire and intensity on the ice. A stark contrast, the anti-#4 crowd says, to Brewer’s bath water warm demeanor.

If anything has been proven this season it’s that a healthy Eric Brewer is a physical and effective Eric Brewer. No shortage of passion from his play (when called for). The big guy has not been healthy for quite some time and is using this opportunity to counter his doubters (and increase his market value). Conversely, Backes didn’t do anything to further “Team Backes” groupies calls to supplant the established leader last night. Taking two bad penalties that lead to Detroit taking over the game.

The first was a poor call on the officials part. Complain about calls amounts to whining most of the time, but this call was different. On a play in front of Halak, Datsyuk goes down to the ice trying to make a play. Backes gives a little cross-check nudge to the downed Russian. A little “payback” for a similar love tap by Datsyuk down by Jimmy Howard just a few seconds before. Instead of letting the players tit for tat and police themselves, the officials interject themselves.

While the winged wheels didn’t score on the first power play complements of Backes, they did on the second.

As Tomas Holmstrom was skating in to the Blues zone, Backes was exiting to the back bench door. He stopped along the way to give the Swede a cross-check nudge. Holstrom collapses like a ton of bricks. Draw praises from the Acadamy for his performance in a comedy. Daniel Cleary found his newly certified “Blues Killer” membership card and banged in a Lidstrom rebound. Putting Detroit up by two, 3-1.

Detroit has a slight reputation for embellishing hits. Perhaps more pronounced among division rivals, but it’s there. On the road with the Wings surging, Backes cannot take a mental nap and let his machismo take over. Go to the bench and live to fight another shift. Don’t give them the opportunity to pile more on. Don’t force the team in to that position.

He isn’t a kid anymore, but he still has some growing to do to earn an upgrade to the letter on his sweater.

Invisible Forwards

Brad Boyes knows all about adversity and how to overcome it. He was the driving offensive force in the push for the last playoff appearance. Why then has he been more Casper than Brad lately? If not for his out of character goal scoring binge in mid November, Boyes would be on a pace for less than 20 goals. Yes, the same right winger who scored 86 goals between 2007-08 and 2008-09.

If he isn’t apathetic towards his craft, he is fooling everyone else in to thinking so. Watching his listless, gliding play has become very difficult. Not sure because he is a well compensated skilled forward, but because half the time his impact is no where to be found on the ice. You just can’t see him. His one noticeable play Wednesday night? A poor pass back to the blue line on an early power play that cleared the zone.

Matt D’Agostini fits in to a similar mold. A medium sized right winger with a slick shot and nose for scoring goals. Yet, D’Ags finds a way to be involved in every play in his reach. His feet stop moving far less frequently than Boyes. Allowing Matt to be more effective on the backcheck and create scoring chances. It’s hard to dangle in to open space when the skates aren’t working hard enough.

Patrik Berglund has the most to gain from the injury epidemic. With three top forwards out of the lineup Berglund can force his way in to more playing time above those who have figured out the NHL game faster. The intensity and confidence to want the puck on his stick and attack the net is fleeting. It comes and goes from game to game and shift to shift. When he’s on, the influence of Scott Mellanby is noticeable and making a difference. When he’s off, Andy Murray may as well be behind the bench.

Like so many Blackhawks writers have said over and over regarding their clubs struggles, a team’s best playrs must be their best players to win. Right now Boyes and Berglund are far from the team’s best players.

Quick Hits: @ DET

- Halak’s numbers look bad, 4 goals on 36 shots, but his play doesn’t match those figures.

- Howard was solid. Another game against St. Louis and another big late period save to preserve Detroit’s momentum.

- Backes and Berglund were a combined 11 for 16 on draws. Detroit is a very good in the circle, but the consistent failures on face-offs are not helping matters.

- Adam Cracknell made his NHL debut and did pretty well in 5:54 TOI. Blocked a shot, broke up a clearing pass and slung it off the post. The fourth line performed well overall in its short assignment.

- Ian Cole looks to be making the next step in his development much the same way Alex Pietrangelo did earlier this season. Second only to Brewer in minutes played at 24:56. If Johnson misses significant time, his opportunity only grows.

- Will there be a “nontroversy” over Datsyuk’s cheeky little partial breakaway move? Putting the puck between his legs as well as his stick to flip the puck on the forehand instead of the backhand. Not likely.

Taking On The Kings

The LA Kings come to Scottrade for the first time this season. After struggling a bit as well, they’ve won four of their last five. Sitting on two full days of reset likely means an aggressive group of forward pounding away at the Blues battered defense.

- In typical Terry Murray style, the Kings have the 3rd best GAA (2.32) and Penalty Killing (86%) in the league.

- Anze Kopitar leads the team with 13 goals and 29 points in 28 games.

- According to DailyFaceoff.com, Jonathan Quick is starting for LA. It will be his eight consecutive.

 - According to Lou Korac: Ty Conklin is starting for St. Louis. Both Pietrangelo and Johnson are out.Norm Sanders also reported that Petro and Roman Polak were on the ice shooting. Progress for Polak and good news on Petro.

- Nikita Nikitin was recalled from the Blues AHL affiliate, the Peoria Rivermen. They also placed Andy McDonald on IR retroactive to December 4th. No doubt a procedural matter for McDonald to allow Nikitin to make the 3 hour drive down from Peoria.

First, let’s have a look at the back to back schedule for each team:
Source: Daily Faceoff

We can that teams like Buffalo (Miller), Carolina (Ward), New Jersey (Brodeur) and NYIslanders (Dipietro) have all at least 20 B2Bs during the season, which means over 40 games played on consecutive nights, while teams like Dallas, Edmonton and Vancouver (Luongo) play only 12 or less B2Bs.

You might want to temper the number of expected starts of Ryan Miller, Cam Ward and Martin Brodeur as a result of these B2Bs, especially for Brodeur since he’s not getting any younger and the Devils now have a quality backup in Johan Hedberg. At the opposite end of the chart, we have Roberto Luongo who should benefit from this trend and the fact he abandoned the Canucks’ captaincy.

We also have to consider are the band-aid (injury-prone) goaltenders are as they have a tendency to miss a chunk of games even if they are the clear number 1 tender on their respective team.

Rick Dipietro (NYI), Kari Lehtonen (DAL) and Pascal Leclaire (OTT) all have a bad tendency to miss extended periods of time. Lehtonen only played more than 50 games once in his NHL career, while Dipietro has only started twelve games in the past two seasons. As for Leclaire, he only had one good NHL season in 2008-07 when he recorded 24 wins in 54 games. He has been mediocre at best during his other NHL campaigns. Avoid these three goaltenders at all cost.

Goaltending battles:
Atlanta Thrashers -> Chris Mason vs Ondrej Pavelec
Edmonton Oilers -> Nikolai Khabibulin vs Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers vs Devan Dubnyk
Ottawa Senators -> Brian Elliott vs Pascal Leclaire
Philadelphia Flyers -> Micheal Leighton (injured) vs Brian Boucher
San Jose Sharks -> Antero Niittymaki vs Antti Niemi
Tampa Bay Lightning -> Mike Smith vs Dan Ellis
Toronto Maple Leafs -> Jonas Gustavsson vs J-S Giguere
Washington Capitals -> Semyon Varlamov vs Michael Neuvirth

The above battles mean there is no clear number 1 goaltender on these teams, which will likely limit the starts of each goaltender, this limiting their fantasy value in rotisserie or head-to-head formats.

Top 20 goaltenders to draft this season:
1. Roberto Luongo VAN 70 GP, 43 wins, 5 SO = 101 points
2. Martin Brodeur NJ 72 GP, 41 wins, 6 SO = 99 points
3. Jaroslav Halak STL 68 GP, 39 wins, 7 SO = 99 points
4. Pekka Rinne NAS 73 GP, 38 wins, 7 SO = 97 points
5. Ilya Bryzgalov PHX 72 GP, 36 wins, 8 SO = 96 points
6. Ryan Miller BUF 71 GP, 37 wins, 7 SO = 95 points
7. Jimmy Howard DET 70 GP, 38 wins, 6 SO = 94 points
8. Henrik Lundqvist NYR 69 GP, 36 wins, 7 SO = 93 points
9. Marc-Andre Fleury PIT 69 GP, 39 wins, 4 SO = 90 points
10. Craig Anderson COL 72 GP, 36 wins, 6 SO = 90 points
11. Cam Ward CAR 68 GP, 37 wins, 4 SO = 86 points
12. Mikka Kiprusoff CGY 70 GP, 36 wins, 4 SO = 84 points
13. Marty Turco CHI 67 GP, 37 wins, 3 SO = 83 points
14. Jonathan Quick LA 65 GP, 35 wins, 4 SO = 82 points
15. Jonas Hiller ANA 70 GP, 36 wins, 3 SO = 81 points
16. Carey Price MTL 68 GP, 35 wins, 3 SO = 79 points
17. Tuukka Rask BOS 64 GP, 33 wins, 4 SO = 78 points
18. Tomas Vokoun FLA 66 GP, 30 wins, 6 SO = 78 points
19. Steve Mason CBS 68 GP, 31 wins, 5 SO = 77 points
20. Niklas Backstrom MIN 66 GP, 32 wins, 3 SO = 73 points

The goaltender who manages to hang on the starting job for the most part of the season for the San Jose Sharks, the Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers could easily slide into the Top 20 goaltenders to draft this season, but at the moment, there is no clear number 1 on these teams. In deep fantasy drafts, it would be a good idea to pick both goaltenders in order to maximize the number of victories you can get.

Oshie was the state scoring champion his senior year and was selected to the AP All-State first team.

Born Timothy Oshie Jr., TJ Oshie is developing into a big time playmaker for the Saint Louis Blues.

Drafted 24^th overall by the Blues in 2005, Oshie played his high school hockey in Warroad, Minnesota. During his senior season at Warroad High School, the 23-year-old forward lead his team to an undefeated season and a Class A state title. That season Oshie put up 37 goals and 62 assists, en route to earning the title of state scoring champion and a spot on the AP All-State first team.

After high school, Oshie spent a short time in the USHL with the Sioux Falls Stampede before enrolling in the University of North Dakota.

Prior to his first year of college, Oshie was selected in the 1^st round, 24^th overall in the 2005 NHL Draft by the Blues. That ’05 draft was loaded with big name NHL players including Sidney Crosby, Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, and Jonathan Quick.

Despite being drafted into the NHL, Oshie decided to stay in school and went on to score 24 goals, the most of any first year player in the entire NCAA. That same year he was also selected to Team USA for the World Junior Championships (that team lost to Finland in the Bronze medal game).

The then-Blues prospect went on to play two more seasons at North Dakota putting up 52 points his second season and a team-high 45 points in his third and final season. During his final year with the Fighting Sioux, Oshie was a Top 10 Hobey Baker Award finalist and earned all-tournament honors at the WCHA Final Five and NCAA Midwest Region Championship. He was also selected to the American Hockey Coaches Association first team West All-American and the All-Western Collegiate Hockey Association first team.

Oshie played a pivotal role in the Blues’ 2008-09 playoff run putting up 39 points (14 goals, 25 assists). His goal against the Vancouver Canucks on March 25 earned him the NHL’s 2008-09 Goal of the Year honors and his hits against Rick Nash late in the season energized both his teammates and fans and earned him a spot in Urban Dictionary.

Last season, the young Blues forward showed improvement from his rookie year putting up more goals, assists, and points.

While he may not become a big-time scorer, Oshie does posses the ability to create plays and score goals in the clutch.

“Is he ever going to be a 35 goal scorer? He hasn’t shown any signs to make you think that he will be, but it’s going to be real interesting,” said HockeyBuzz writer Andy Strickland. “He’s a hard player to figure out. There’s so much value to his game outside of his offensive production. He kills penalties, relentless worker, responsible in all 3 zones, creative offensively, he can score, he’s an all-around player.”

If he continues to contribute timely goals and create plays, Oshie has the potential to be the driving force behind the Blues young offensive attack. His creativity on the ice and ability to put the puck in the back of the net forces opposing players to pay more attention to him, opening up space for his teammates.