When players don’t perform adequately the results are obvious and there is little mystery. When a team’s shortcomings are brought about by mismanagement the cause of problems isn’t as apparent. In the NHL when a head coach and GM aren’t on the same page and a plan of action appears scattered, eventually on ice results suffer. In this case, bickering may have already led to poor results.

For teams already eliminated from the NHL playoffs, this should be a time to look ahead for better days. The best scenario is when fans can easily ascertain a definable plan for the future so they can stay engaged in the process. Today, Blackhawk fans should be looking ahead with optimism, but that is easier said than done.

Currently, the Blackhawk franchise isn’t beaming with confidence and gushing with enthusiasm. It stands to reason fans which pay close attention are having doubts, and some must wonder if this strong core of elite talent will ever win another Stanley Cup. If reports are accurate, Joel Quenneville and Stan Bowman aren’t seeing eye to eye.

On Sunday night in front of a large hockey audience, the Hawks front office was exposed as being in disarray. The word of apparent turmoil was relayed on the CBC Hotstove telecast. That’s not the place to have a franchise image sullied. A comparison would be to have a Fortune 500 company receive negative press on 60 Minutes.

Owner Rocky Wirtz and others in the Hawks front office must have cringed. Those who have watched things unfold, or who speak to contacts close to the situation, couldn’t have been surprised. That said, if scattered management prevents this club from achieving on-ice success it would be a waste. Many won’t realize how good the collection of talent presently assembled is until we speak of current players in past tense.

Instead of Blackhawk fans looking toward the June Entry Draft and the July 1 free agent signing period as hope for improvement, there is uncertainty. It will take more than skillful players to win another Stanley Cup, it will take a well-structured team. Without coaches and the front office following the same script, long playoff runs will be unlikely.

As was written here about a week ago, this is the time for Wirtz to be a true leader. He must end the disputes and stifle the criticism that will harm the Blackhawks brand. It’s not as if Rocky isn’t familiar with dysfunction, red ink, sparse crowds and a lack of media attention. Wirtz knows how awful it is to be connected with a franchise that is the subject of constant criticism and failed expectations.

Wirtz must try to get the Hawks back in balance and under the current structure that won’t be easy. Every misstep could cost Wirtz financially and he already has done his share of eating bloated contracts.

At first blush, to have the strong voice of the legendary Scotty Bowman on board sounds like a great idea. Although when the GM and the club’s chief advisor always side together, the head coach could be in a more difficult spot. Battling a father and son duo isn’t an easy task.

During the Hotstove telecast on Sunday night, the possibility of Quenneville leaving the Hawks and becoming the next Canadiens head coach was discussed. On the surface, this option seems like a quick-fix to the Quenneville-Bowman saga and a way to save some money for Wirtz.

The cost savings would involve Wirtz not having to eat the last part of Quenneville’s contract, which is two more years most likely. New Montreal GM Marc Bergevin and Quenneville are friends, so it is natural for dots to be connected.

These days in the NHL there couldn’t be a player or other compensation sent to Chicago if Quenneville jumped ship to Montreal. Simply, the Hawks would have to fire Q. and then he would be allowed to take the bench boss job in Montreal.

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Pavel Datsyuk was nominated for the Frank J. Selke Trophy for the fifth straight year. Photo by JPowers65.

It’s been a week since the Detroit Red Wings’ season ended with an early playoff exit, but one of the team’s best players is up for an award.

Red Wings’ center Pavel Datsyuk is one of three players nominated for the Frank J. Selke which goes to the NHL’s top defensive forward. The other nominees are Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins and David Backes of the St. Louis Blues.

For the fifth straight season, Datsyuk is a finalist for the Selke Trophy and joins Bob Gainey (1978-82) and Guy Carbonneau (1986-90) for the longest streak. The award was first given out in 1978, which Gainey won and took home the award three more times before the Boston Bruins’ Steve Kasper snapped the streak by winning it in 1982. Carbonneau won the award two years in a row from 1988-89.

In the 2011-12 regular season, Datsyuk scored 19 goals and added 48 assists in 70 games, but other parts to his game were instrumental of being one of the top two-way players in the game. He had a plus/minus rating of +21, posted 97 takeaways, which ranked third in the league, and was the team’s top faceoff player with a 56.2 percentage.

Datsyuk had won the Selke Trophy for three straight seasons (2008-10), but the Vancouver Canucks’ Ryan Kesler snapped the streak by winning the award last year. If  Datsyk were to win, he would join Gainey as the only other four-time winner of the award.

Backes, who was nominated for the first time, was tied for the Blues’ scoring leader with 54 points (24 goals, 30 assists) and posted a plus/minus rating of +15, but playing for head coach Ken Hitchcock, playing a defensive game is a top priority. He led the team with 72 blocked shots and 226 hits, ranked second with 50 takeaways and even though he led the team in faceoffs, he won 48.6 percent of them.

This will also Bergeron’s first time in the running for the Selke. He was second in team scoring with 64 points (22 goals, 42 assists) and led the NHL with a +36 rating and was second in the league with a 59.3 faceoff percentage. If he were to win, Bergeron would join Kasper as the only other Bruins’ player to win the Selke Trophy.

The winner will be announced June 20 at the 2012 NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

Photo: Flickr

The two most notorious words in sports: Game Seven. The mere mention of the phrase is enough to kick-start the heart of hockey fans across the globe. It’s the most entertaining event in sports for fans with no vested interest in either team playing. But for people who have pledged their allegiance to either of the two sides, it’s an excruciatingly long sixty-plus minutes of heart-in-your-throat action.

On Wednesday evening the defending champion Boston Bruins will look to prolong their title defense in game seven of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Washington Capitals. Here are my five predictions for what you will all see at the Garden this evening.

1) Jordan Caron WILL Be In The Lineup

– With the upper body injury to Patrice Bergeron one could only assume that the Bruins will once again dress sophomore power forward Jordan Caron, at the expense of one of their other bottom-six skaters. The 21-year-old Caron provides Claude Julien with flexibility in case number 37 becomes more severely injured and cannot fulfill his normal allotment of ice-time. Caron has the ability to play a grinding fourth line role but also possesses the required skill set to skate on one of the B’s first two offensive units. While many believe that it will again be Shawn Thornton who will be relegated to the press box as Caron enters the lineup, I am of the opinion that Benoit Pouliot will be the odd man out on Wednesday. After taking a late penalty in back-to-back games, the Alfred, Ontario native seems to have reverted to the player that was a healthy scratch for the Canadiens during last year’s postseason. Whether it be Pouliot or Thornton to take a seat, expect Jordan Caron to be in the Boston lineup on Wednesday.

2) Alex Ovechkin WILL Be A MAJOR Factor

– Held to just one goal in the first six games of the series, the Russian uberstar has been well contained by Boston’s top defense pair of Zdeno Chara and Dennis Seidenberg. However, the Great Eight was buzzing during Sunday’s game six, scoring Washington’s only goal of the third period and creating an abundance of chances for both he and his teammates. I’d expect that to continue tonight with the Capitals’ supremely talented left wing picking up at least one goal for his team on this, the grandest of playoff stages.

3) Braden Holtby Will NOT Crack Under Pressure

– It seems as through Boston sports fans are under the impression that Washington rookie netminder Braden Holtby  is going to “wet the bed” so to speak and come unraveled right before their very eyes on the pressure packed ice of the TD Garden. Those folks could not be more off based in their assumptions. Back in June I remember speaking with a colleague of mine and I told him with confidence that Holtby would have more NHL success than either of Washington’s other 22-year-old goaltenders, Michael Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov. Varlamov has since been dealt to Colorado and while Neuvirth has enjoyed a solid 2011-’12 campaign, he’s been far from a superstar in net.

Through six games of this series the Boston Bruins have learned exactly why I made those remarks about the Saskatchewan native just nine months ago. He’s shown both skill and composure en route to a 1.60 playoff GAA. If he hasn’t cracked through the first six games of this series — even after the Bruins scored two goals in twenty-eight seconds in game five — there is no evidence to suggest that he will turtle tonight, despite it being his first career game seven appearance.

4) Game Seven WILL Be Decided By ONE Goal

– This Bruins vs. Capitals’ series has been history-making, in the sense that is has been the first series in NHL history to have it’s first six games decided by only one goal. This is a tremendously surprising statistic, being that the NHL has been widely recognized as the league with more parity that it’s professional sports counterparts. I believe that tonight will be no different, as these two squads will set another record, making this the only series in history to have all SEVEN games decided by one goal.

5) The Bruins Will Survive

– If last year’s remarkable run to Lord Stanley taught us anything, it’s that the Black and Gold can never be counted out. Amassing five consecutive wins in games in which they’ve faced the possibility of elimination, the B’s have certainly been in this situation before. Just last summer they became the first team in history to win three game sevens en route to a championship. While it does feel a bit different — and maybe not for the better –  for the city of Boston to have confidence heading into a decisive game seven, I have a hard time picking against the Bruins at home in a do-or-die scenario. My pick would be Boston over Washington 3-2 with the game-winning-goal to come late in the third period.

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Tampa Bay will certainly look to improve the goaltending and defense first, while adding to a solid nucleus of forwards.

Here is a thumbnail look at the Lightning roster today.

For a full look at the team depth chart, click here.

Click on the players name for full salary capsule.

Forwards

Lightning forwards are a solid group

Ten forwards under contract:  Vincent Lecavalier ($7,727,273), Steven Stamkos ($7,500,000), Martin St. Louis ($5,625,000), Ryan Malone ($4,500,000), Teddy Purcell ($2,362,500), Brett Connolly ($1,633,333), JT Brown ($1,350,000), Nate Thompson ($900,000), Dana Tyrell ($600,000) and Tom Pyatt ($600,000). Buyout Vaclav Prospal ($1.166.667)

Forward UFA’s. (Unrestricted Free Agent-Players whose contracts have expired):  Tim Wallace, Ryan Shannon, Adam Hall and JT Wyman.

Defensemen

Four defensemen under contract:  Eric Brewer ($3,850,000), Mattias Ohlund ($3,607,143), Victor Hedman ($4,000,000) and Marc-Andre Bergeron ($1,000,000).

Defensemen UFA’s:  Brett Clark, Mike Commodore and Bruno Gervais.

Defensemen RFA’s:  (Restricted Free Agent-Players who are no longer considered ”entry-level” but do not qualify as unrestricted free agents become restricted free agents when their contracts expire):  Brian Lee, Keith Aulie and Brendan Mikkelson.

Goalies

One goalie under contract:  Mathieu Garon ($1,300,000)

Goalie UFA’s:  Dwayne Roloson and Sebastien Caron.

Salary committed for 2012-13: $48.095 million

2012-13 Salary Cap:  $64,300,000

For the full Lightning salary chart, click here.

Is the Kings Bernier a candidate?

General Manager, Steve Yzerman will be looking for a number one goalie this summer and he is armed with two first -round draft choices in the June draft and up to four second round picks. After all, the Bolts had the worst goals-against average (3.34) and save percentage (.889) in the NHL for the second straight season. Vancouver’s Cory Schneider is most often mentioned as the top candidate, but he is a future RFA and the Bolts could only acquire him through a trade involving a top Lightning prospect. Also, Vancouver may decide to let Roberto Luongo and his huge contract go before trading Scnneider. There are many other interesting options out there including trading for the Kings Jonathan Bernier, but the goalie free agent market is weak. Yzerman’s only real option is to trade for a young number one.

Here is a list of free agent goalies:

UFA Goalies:  Martin Brodeur-New Jersey, Antero Niittymaki-San Jose, Tomas Vokoun-Washington, Jonas Gustavsson-Toronto, Johan Hedberg-New Jersey, Scott Clemmensen-Florida, Alex Auld-Ottawa, Martin Biron-New York Rangers, Josh Harding-Minnesota, Al Montoya-New York Islanders, Ray Emery-Chicago, Curtis Sanford-Columbus, Dwayne Roloson-Tampa Bay and Sebastien Caron-Tampa Bay.

For a complete list of goalie UFA’s, click here.

RFA Goalies:  Carey Price-Montreal, Tukka Rask-Boston, Ondrej Pavelec-Winnipeg, Cory Schneider-Vancouver, Anders Lindback-Nashville, Devan Dubnyk-Edmonton, Leland Irving-Calgary, Ben Scrivens-Toronto, Richard Bachman-Dallas, Justin Peters-Carolina, Cedrick Desjardins-Colorado and Jaroslav Janus-Tampa Bay.

For a complete list of goalie RFA’s, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Linda Hamilton.

Salary numbers courtesy of capgeek.com

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Things didn’t begin well for the B’s, as at the fourteen minute mark of the opening frame, rugged defenseman and Boston fan favorite Adam McQuaid would be forcefully smashed face-first into the boards by Caps’ forward Jason Chimera. The hit was a clear example of what the NHL is trying to remove from the game, a 5-8 step charge and contact to the back of a vulnerable opponent. McQuaid would be helped to the Boston locker room as Chimera was tossed from the game after receiving a five-minute major for charging and a game-misconduct. Unfortunately for the Black and Gold, they simply could not solve the Washington penalty-kill, failing to score with the extended man-advantage.

“McQuaid just turned at the last second and, you know, put himself in a bit of vulnerable position, but still, I agree with the referee’s call: It was a bit of a reckless hit, and it deserved probably a five(-minute penalty) when you look back at the replay, and they had to make that decision.” – Claude Julien

Neither team would be able to find twine until the 7:59 mark of the third and final period when former Bruins’ defenseman Dennis Wideman fired a wrist shot past Tim Thomas to give the Caps a 1-0 lead. Only 1:55 later, Washington would double their lead when Alex Ovechkin fed a wide open Marcus Johansson amidst a 2-on-1 break to increase the Capitals lead to 2-0.

“It was a perfect pass. He (Ovechkin) put it right in the wheelhouse for me and I just wanted to get it in the net. I was lucky that when my stick broke that the puck went in.” — Marcus Johansson

Just when the Bruins looked to be left for dead, down 2-0 with less than four minutes to play, first line pivot David Krejci deflected home a Zdeno Chara shot to cut the deficit to 2-1. With 1:16 left to play, and Thomas pulled for the extra attacker, the B’s evened the score at two on Andrew Ference’s sixth  tally of the season.

The two squads would not be able to decide the game in the final minutes of overtime or through a five minute overtime period and a shootout would commence. Despite goals from both Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron, the B’s would fall after Matt Hendricks, Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich all solved Thomas in the skills competition.

“You’ve got to be satisfied with the effort, a couple of breakdowns but like I said, it shows character to battle back and score two goals late like that and get a point out of it.” — Joe Corvo

My Thoughts

– While I’d like to believe that Jason Chimera will be receiving a phone call from the NHL’s head disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, I’m not exactly confident he will be, simply due to the league’s completely unpredictable justice system. His hit on McQuaid fits to a “T” the type of hit that the NHL is trying to take out of the sport. Despite the fact that number 54 may have turned his skates just enough to put himself into a dangerous position, the play simply reeked of carelessness and reckless abandon on the part of Chimera. I believe that a three-game suspension would fit the crime, matching the three game ban handed down to Andrew Ference for his hit on the Rangers’ Ryan McDonagh earlier this season.

– Although it clearly wasn’t the result they were looking for, Boston’s late-game two-goal comeback in order to salvage one point tells us a lot about the character of this team. It would have been easy for the Black and Gold to pack it in and call it a night after going down a pair late in the final frame. However, they knew they could get back into it if they picked it up towards the end of regulation.

“There was half a period left, and our guys battled back, and if we could get one goal that would certainly give us the energy that we needed, and we found that goal, and from there on in, we seemed to have a little bit more energy and excitement to our game, and again, for as tough a night as it was, it’s at least nice to see that when you’re down 2-0, you’re capable of coming back and at least salvaging a point.” – Claude Julien

Perhaps taking a point out of a game that looked to be all but lost should undoubtedly help the B’s build some momentum moving forward.

Ben’s Three Stars:

1) Alex Ovechkin (2 Assists/Plus-2 Rating)

2) Marcus Johansson (1 Goal/1 Assist)

3) Andrew Ference (1 Goal/Plus-1 Rating)

What’s Next?

– The B’s will now depart for a brief two-game road trip that will kick off on Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum against John Tavares and the New York Islanders. The Caps will return home to the friendly confines of the Verizon Center for a showdown with the Montreal Canadiens, who have just fired long-time General Manager Pierre Gauthier.

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The Bolts are in fifth (last) place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by twelve points. Tampa Bay is in 13th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference, seven points out of a playoff spot and two points from the conference cellar. Only the New York Islanders and the Montreal Canadiens trail the Bolts.

After 71 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 50. He leads the Bolts and is second in the league in points with 84. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 41. Forward Teddy Purcell leads the team in rating with a +9.

Defenseman Brett Clark is last in rating with a -24. Goalie Mathieu Garon has 23 wins, a 2.85 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

Goalie Dustin Tokarski is 1-2-1 with a 2.79 goals against average and an .901 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:21 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 251.

The Lightning have scored 199 goals (10th in the NHL) and allowed 240 goals (30th (last) in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts power play and the penalty kill remain sub-par. The power play success rate is 15.5% (23rd in the 30 team NHL) and the penalty kill is at 78.6% (26th in the NHL). The league average power play percentage is 17.4% and the average NHL team kills off 82.6% of their penalties successfully.

The Bolts have allowed eleven shorthanded goals, second most in the NHL.

Tampa Bay is 23rd in the league in faceoff percentage, winning 48.8% of their draws.

Box Scores

Game 69 – Tampa Bay Lightning 6 – Boston Bruins 1

Game 70 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Toronto Maple Leafs 3

Game 71 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1– St. Louis Blues 3

Three Stars of the Week

Steven Stamkos – Two goals.

Martin St. Louis – One goal and one assist.

Brian Lee - Two assists.

Transactions

The Lightning announced the signing of 2011 first-round pick Vladislav Namestnikov to a three year, entry level contract.

The Lightning recalled forward Trevor Smith from Norfolk (AHL).

The Lightning have signed German League goaltender Sebastien Caron.

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR after having major knee surgery.

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

Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron has chosen to undergo back surgery that may end his season.

Forward Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with a broken hand. The Bolts are hoping to have him back in three to five days.

Goalie Mathieu Garon has a torn groin muscle and is out 3-4 weeks.

Defenseman Bruno Gervais is day-to-day with a shoulder injury.

Forward Nate Thompson is day-to-day with an upper body injury.

Bolt Notes

The Lightning’s slide into oblivion continues. Tampa Bay has now lost five of its last six games and is proving to be one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference and the NHL. Although, still mathematically alive for a playoff spot, Tampa Bay is done.

Steven Stamkos became just the sixth player in NHL history to record multiple 50-goal seasons before the age of 23. The impressive list includes Mario Lemieux, Wayne Gretzky, Mike Bossy, Joe Nieuwendyk and Alex Ovechkin.

Sports Club Stats has the Lightning’s playoffs chances at 2.1%.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Buffalo on Monday, Edmonton on Thursday and the New York Islanders on Saturday.

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Projected Standings: (Team–Projected Point Total–Point Differential From Last Season–Seed Differential From Last Season)

1) New York Rangers 115 Points –>+22 Points –> +7 Spots

2) Boston Bruins         102 Points –> -1 Point –> +1 Spot

3) Florida Panthers    93 Points –> +21 Points –> +12 Spots

4) Pittsburgh Penguins 106 Points –> EVEN –> EVEN

5) Philadelphia Flyers  102 Points –> -4 Points –> -3 Spots

6) New Jersey Devils 98 Points –> +17 Points –> +5 Spots

7) Ottawa Senators 94 Points –> +20 Points –> +6 Spots

8) Winnipeg Jets 88 Points –> +8 Points –> +4 Points

9) Washington Capitals 87 Points –> -20 Points –> -8 Spots

10) Buffalo Sabres 86 Points –> -10 Points –> -3 Spots

11) Tampa Bay Lightning 84 Points –> -19 Points –> -6 Spots

12) Toronto Maple Leafs 82 Points –> -3 Points –> -2 Spots

13) New York Islanders 81 Points –> +8 Points –> +1 Spot

14) Carolina Hurricanes 80 Points –> -11 Points –> -5 Spots

15) Montreal Canadiens 73 Points –> -23 Points –> -9 Spots

STATS:

–> Largest Points Improvement …..     New York Rangers (+22)

–> Largest Seeding Improvement …..  Florida Panthers (+12)

–> Worst Points Drop-Off           …..     Montreal Canadiens (-23)

–> Worst Seeding Drop-Off       …..      Montreal Canadiens (-9)

If Sidney Crosby (Above) makes a return to the Pittsburgh lineup, these number may change drastically.

–> Now, things can always change rapidly and a team could fall completely out of the playoff race or one could jump right into it by putting together a nice winning streak, making this system far from a perfect prediction tool.

–> Last season, it took 93 points from the New York Rangers to secure the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot. This year it looks like 90 will once again be the magic number with one or two teams perhaps finishing below that mark and still sneaking into the dance.

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The Bolts are in fourth place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by six points. Tampa Bay is in 10th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference, two points out of a playoff spot.

After 65 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 47. He leads the Bolts and leads the league in points with 80. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 39. Forward Teddy Purcell leads the team in rating with a +10.

Defenseman Brett Clark is last in rating with a -23. Goalie Mathieu Garon has 23 wins, a 2.85 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:30 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 230.

The Lightning have scored 182 goals (10th in the NHL) and allowed 216 goals (30th (last) in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts power play improved this week, while the penalty kill suffered. The power play success rate is 15.02% (26th in the 30 team NHL) and the penalty kill is at 79.22% (25th in the NHL). The league average power play percentage is 17.57% and the average NHL team kills off 82.43% of their penalties successfully.

Tampa Bay is 22nd in the league in faceoff percentage, winning 49.0% of their draws.

Box Scores

Game 63 – Tampa Bay Lightning 2 – Montreal Canadiens 1

Game 64 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – New York Rangers 3 OT

Game 65 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – Carolina Hurricanes 3 OT

Three Stars of the Week

Teddy Purcell – Two goals and four assists.

Steven Stamkos - Four goals and an assist.

Martin St. Louis – Three assists.

Transactions

The Lightning acquired  defenseman Mike Commodore from Detroit for a conditional seventh round pick.

The Lightning acquired defenseman Keith Aulie from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forward Carter Ashton.

The Lightning acquired defenseman Brian Lee from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenseman Matt Gilroy.

The Lightning recalled forward Brandon Segal from Norfolk (AHL).

The Lightning reassigned defenseman Evan Oberg and forwards Mike Angelidis and Trevor Smith to Norfolk (AHL), recalled the trio and then reassigned them again.

The Lightning recalled forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie from Norfolk (AHL).

The Lightning signed Cory Conacher (AHL) to a two-year, two-way contract.

The Lightning signed forward Danick Gauthier (QMJHL) to a three-year contract.

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR after having major knee surgery.

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. He is contemplating season ending surgery.

Forward Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with a broken hand. The Bolts are hoping to have him back in three to five days.

Defenseman Victor Hedman is day-to-day with an upper body injury but could return to practice on Monday.

Bolt Notes

The Bolts won three games this week, each one by one goal. The last two wins were both, two goal comebacks. Eight of Tampa Bay’s next nine games are at home.

Forward Teddy Purcell is riding a career best, nine game points streak. During that streak, Purcell has netted six goals and dished out 13 assists while playing on the Bolts top line.

Sports Club Stats has the Lightning’s playoffs chances at 20.2%.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Ottawa on Tuesday. They travel to Washington on Thursday and host Carolina 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

The Admirals went into action this past Wednesday night riding a nine game winning streak. The Hershey Bears were making their final appearance of the season at Scope and were looking to put an end to Norfolk’s winning ways. The first period was a defensive battle as neither team could figure the goalies out. Cory Conacher broke the stalemate early in the second with an Admiral power play goal. Hershey answered back midway into the third on a Boyd Kane shot into an open Admiral net before Jaroslav Janus could get back into position. It would only take Norfolk two minutes to regain the lead as Tyler Johnson picked up a Bear turnover and fed it to Ondrej Palat. Palat skated through two Bear defenseman and sent a wrist shot past Braden Holtby for the go ahead goal.Norfolk shut down the Bears offense and the Admirals kept the streak alive with a 2-1 win.

The Springfield Falcons provided the opposition on Friday and Saturday night. The Admirals opened the scoring midway into the first period:  Mike Kostka sent a shot towards the net that ended up behind the goaltender. Michel Ouellet swept the puck into the net before Paul Dainton could reach back and cover it. Ouellet would combine with Alex Picard and Mike Angelidis for the Admirals second goal at 4:15 of the second period. Ouellet picked off a Falcon pass and centered the puck to Picard. Picard fired the puck on net and Mike Angelidis collected the rebound and deposited the puck into the net. Nine minutes later Ouellet would score his second of the night on a nice pass from Richard Panik for a power play goal at 12:48. Radko Gudas made it 4-0 as he deflected a Scott Jackson shot past Dainton at 18:33 of the second period. Springfield put an end to Dustin Tokarski’s shutout bid on a Matt Calvert goal twelve minutes into the final frame. Norfolk continued to put the pressure on and capitalized on the power play with a goal from Philip-Michael Devos at 18:52 to seal a 5-2 victory.

Tension from Friday’s game carried over into the Saturday night match. Both teams were on the ice for warm-ups and the smack talking started. The Springfield Falcons Greg Amadio went to center ice trying to get Pierre-Cedric Labrie’s attention. Labrie was more than happy to discuss matters with him and proceeded to pound Amadio. With no officials or coaches on the ice, both teams gathered and players grabbed dancing partners. Mike Angelidis and the Falcon captain were able to get things under control as the teams finished warm ups.Norfolk was pumped up and it showed. The Admirals opened up the first period and grabbed an early 3-0 lead with goals for Cory Conacher, Michel Ouellet, and a shorthanded goal from Tyler Johnson. Both teams went scoreless in the second period.Springfield finally got on the board in the third with a goal from Brent Regner at 8:15. Richard Panik restored the Admirals three-goal lead two minutes later. Panik deflected a Cory Conacher shot past the Falcon net-minder at 10:19. Tyler Johnson closed out the scoring at 11:00 of the third to give the Admirals a 5-1 victory and extend the Norfolk win streak at 12 games.

Cory Conacher (31G 35A 66Pts +7), Trevor Smith (21G 36A 57Pts +26), and Mark Barberio (9G 42A 51Pts +20) find themselves at the top for scoring. Conacher was rewarded for his exceptional play with a two year deal with the Lightning. Dustin Tokarski (27-11-0 2.34GAA) went 2-0 this week. Jaroslav Janus (12-8-2 2.89GAA) went 1-0.

For the season the Admirals are 39-18-1-2 with 81 points. They are currently holding the top position in the AHL. Norfolk is currently on a 12-0-0-0 streak and is 10-0-0-0 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Normally I would have three individuals listed as the three stars. Michell Ouellet, and Cory Conacher have had great games this week, but the whole team deserves to be in this section. The last twelve games have been an outstanding team effort. The Admirals are playing the best hockey of the season, and the best hockey since Tampa Bay has been the parent club. This week they all get the number one star.

Transactions

Brandon Segal – Recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Mike Angelidis – Returned by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Evan Oberg – Returned by the Tampa BayLightning (NHL).

Trevor Smith – Returned by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Pierre-Cedric Labrie – Returned by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Injuries

Richard Petiot – Knee – Out for the season.

An Observation from the Stands

A twelve game win streak is no easy task. I was not sure what type of team to expect this season. As the season progressed I saw glimpses of greatness followed up by questionable moves that resulted in losses. I thought it would be a long season. The Admirals have proven me wrong and pulled off a winning streak for the ages and are playing some of the best hockey I have seen here inNorfolk. I cannot wait to see this team in the playoffs. They have come together as a team and battled through injuries and call ups and they continue to win. Other teams have called our player “cocky”. There might be some truth to that, but it doesn’t matter. What matters is in the standings.Norfolkhas opened up some distance between themselves and division rivals Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. There are sixteen games remaining in the regular season and then the real fun begins. This is the team to watch…..Keep it going boys.

The Week Ahead

Norfolk is on the road this week. They will be making stops in Adirondack on Friday, Connecticut on Saturday and Bridgeporton Sunday. The Admirals return home on Wednesday, March 14 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

The Rumor Mill

Could the Admirals exit Norfolk? Read it here!

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

After 62 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 43. He leads the Bolts and is second in the NHL in points with 75. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 36. Forward Teddy Purcell leads the team in rating with a +9.

Defenseman Brett Clark is last in rating with a -24. Goalie Mathieu Garon has 20 wins, a 2.90 goals against average and a .901 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:24 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 219.

The Lightning have scored 172 goals (10th in the NHL) and allowed 209 goals (30th (last) in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts power play improved this week, while the penalty kill suffered. The power play success rate is 14.8% (25th in the 30 team NHL) and the penalty kill is at 79.0% (25th in the NHL). The league average power play percentage is 17.60% and the average NHL team kills off 82.40% of their penalties successfully.

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

Box Scores

Game 59 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Anaheim Ducks 2

Game 60 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Winnipeg Jets 4

Game 61 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Pittsburgh Penguins 8

Game 62 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – New Jersey Devils 3

Three Stars of the Week

Purcell posts a ten point week

Teddy Purcell – Three goals and seven assists.

Steven Stamkos - Three goals and five assists.

Martin St. Louis – Four goals and two assists.

Transactions

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

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

The Lightning recalled forward Trevor Smith from Norfolk (AHL).

The Lightning acquired a first-round pick in the 2012 draft and minor-league defenceman Sebastien Piche after exchanging forward Steve Downie for defenseman Kyle Quincey with the Colorado Avalanche. The Lightning then dealt Quincey to the Detroit Red Wings for a first-round pick and Piche.

The Lightning acquired forward Brandon Segal from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for future considerations.

The Lightning claimed forward Tim Wallace off waivers from the New York Islanders.

The Lightning recalled forward Mike Angelidis from Norfolk (AHL).

The Lightning recalled defenseman Evan Oberg from Norfolk (AHL) for the ninth time this season. He appeared in just his second game with Tampa Bay and finished with 11:25 of ice time and was a +2.

The Lightning acquired  defenseman Mike Commodore from Detroit for a conditional seventh round pick

Injuries

Defenseman Mattias Ohlund remains on IR after having major knee surgery.

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 Vincent Lecavalier is out indefinitely with a broken hand.

Defenseman Victor Hedman is day-to-day with an upper body injury, possibly a concussion.

Bolt Notes

Despite being depleted by injuries and trades, the Bolts have gone 11-5-2 in their last 18 games. In the past two weeks, Tampa Bay has traded three regular skaters for draft picks and prospects and lost forward Vincent Lecavalier and defenseman Victor Hedman to serious injuries.  Martin St. Louis has scored 20 or more goals in nine straight seasons. Teddy Purcell has points in six straight games and Steven Stamkos remains hot. The Bolts have scored five power play goals in the last four games.

GM Steve Yzerman’s to do list must start with getting a number one goalie. With Ottawa acquiring minor league backstop Ben Bishop from the Blues, the list of potentials grew shorter. Bishop was traded to the Senators for a 2013 second-round pick, a price the Lightning weren’t willing to pay according to Yzerman.  The Bolts GM said he spoke to the Blues about Bishop but was not willing to give up a second-round draft pick for him.

It is thought that Tampa Bay is interested in the Kings Jonathan Bernier and the Canucks Cory Schneider. A deal for these highly rated netminders won’t happen until the summer.

Yzerman said there has been some interest in potential unrestricted free agents, including defensemen Bruno Gervais, Brett Clark and Matt Gilroy, goaltender Dwayne Roloson, and forwards Adam Hall and Ryan Shannon. There has been no mention of Ryan Malone being dangled. Yzerman finds him an attractive keeper as his salary drops from $5.5 million to $3 million next season.

What to do with rookie forward Brett Connolly? The Lightning has until the end of Monday to send Connolly to Tri-City of the junior Western League making him eligible for their playoffs. ”There’s an argument for both sides,” Yzerman stated. “He plays the final games and gets a lot of ice time, obviously, the NHL is a better league than junior hockey. The tempo is higher, the players are stronger. He’s going to benefit on that if he plays.” The Bolts GM added, ”I don’t know that he really struggled. He hasn’t played a whole lot. The coaches were going with veteran guys, trying to win. It’s hard to have an impact when you play five minutes.”

The Bolts are on the lookout for a top four defenseman also. Preferably a right handed puck mover…the Holy Grail of NHL GM’s everywhere.

Steve Yzerman said yesterday, ”We’ve made our major moves here and we’ll see what is up over the next 27 hours or so. We’ll obviously work the phone and see what’s out there. As far as acquiring players, real impact players, that’s more likely to be done at the draft.”

Sports Club Stats has the Lightning’s playoffs chances at 5.4%.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Montreal on Tuesday and the New York Rangers on Friday.They travel to Carolina on Saturday.

*Teddy Purcell photograph courtesy of Linda Hamilton.

The Quarterdeck Log – Norfolk Admirals Week In Review

By Ken Peacock

About The Author

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

Weekly Log

The Admirals week started this past Friday for the first of three games in three nights on the road. Binghamton provided the opposition for game one. The Admirals were riding a six game winning streak and looking to add another win. The Senators struck at 1:34 of the first period and again five minutes later with a goal from former Admiral, Rob Klinkhammer. The potent Norfolk offense was absent for the first period. Brandon Segal who was recently acquired from the Rockford Ice Hogs opened the scoring for Norfolk, fifteen seconds into the second period. Both teams then shut each other down and the Senators went into the locker room holding a 2-1 lead. Evan Oberg would score on the power play to even the score at two apiece at the 6:27 mark of the third. With both teams going back and forth it looked like this game would go to overtime. Tyler Johnson took the puck into the offensive zone with less than a minute remaining. Johnson fired a shot in on Senators goalie Mike McKenna. McKenna knocked the puck aside, but Pierre-Cedric Labrie picked up the rebound and knocked it in for the Admirals third goal and sealed Norfolk’s seventh win in a row.

Saturday night the Admirals found themselves in the hometown of Hershey Chocolate and the Bears. Hershey is currently in third place behind the Admirals and was looking to pick up a key two points in the division race. All-Star defenseman Mark Barberio, got the ball rolling just two minutes and twenty-one seconds into the game. Barberio skated in on Braden Holtby and let a wrist shot go that trickled past two Bears and over the glove of Holtby for an Admiral goal. Michel Ouellet added another goal at 15:58. Hershey answered back a minute later to end the period at 2-1. Hershey evened the score sixteen seconds into the second period. Chris Bourque fired a shot thru the screen and beat Admirals net minder, Jaroslav Janus. Brandon Segal scored just over a minute later to put the Admirals ahead. Kyle Greentree of the Bears scored on the power play at 13:19 to even the score once more. Brandon Segal would get his second of the night in the final five minutes of the second period. The Admirals skated into the offensive zone on their third power play of the night; Segal deflected a shot by Barberio, through the legs of Holtby and into the net to give Norfolk the 4-3 lead at 16:35 of the second period. Neither team was able to score in the third.Norfolk got on the bus with their eighth win in a row.

Sunday the Admirals were in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for their third game in as many nights against their division rival Penguins. Ben Street opened the scoring midway through the second period, but Mark Barberio evened things up at the 17:02 mark of the second. Former Penguin J.P. Cote would put the Admirals ahead at 4:44 of the third. Alex Picard of the Penguins scored at 9:50, but it was Carter Ashton who put the Admirals ahead for good at 17:56. Ashton’s goal sealed the 3-2 victory and the Admirals record setting ninth win in a row.

Cory Conacher (29G 34A 63Pts +7), and Mark Barberio (9G 36A 48Pts +20) find themselves at the top of the Ad’s scoring list. Tyler Johnson (18G 21A 39Pts -2) has moved ahead of Carter Ashton (19G 16A 35Pts +8). Dustin Tokarski (25-11-0 2.39GAA) went 2-0 this week. Jaroslav Janus (11-8-2 2.98GAA) went 1-0.

For the Season the Admirals are 36-18-1-2 with 75 points. They are currently holding the top position in the East Division, and the Eastern Conference. The Admirals are also tied in points with the Oklahoma City Barons for the top position in the AHL. Norfolk is currently on a 9-0-0-0 streak and is 9-1-0-0 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Brandon Segal – Three goals and an assist.

Mark Barberio – Two goals and an assist.

Alexandre Picard –Three assists.

Transactions

Brandon Segal – Assigned by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Matt Fornataro – Traded to the Rockford Ice Hogs (AHL).

Mike Angelidis – Recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Evan Oberg – Recalled by the Tampa BayLightning (NHL).

Trevor Smith – Recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

Injuries

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

An Observation from the Stands

With the trade deadline looming I was a bit worried that the Admirals might lose key players. The first trade that occurred was Matt Fornataro being traded to the Rockford Ice Hogs in exchange for Rockford’s captain, Brandon Segal. Segal is not an unfamiliar face to Norfolk. He was an Admiral from 2007 to 2009. I believe Norfolk got the better part of the deal as Segal has scored three goals in his first two games back with Norfolk. The Admirals look to be in playoff form and they keep moving forward. The last few weeks are going to be very important. Every point is important and the conference title is not out of the question. Hold on folks, we are in for a great ride.

The Week Ahead

The Hershey Bears return to Norfolk this Wednesday for their final appearance of the regular season.  The Springfield Falcons will be the opposition for Norfolk at Scope on Friday and Saturday.

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

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Pouliot

Paille–Kelly–Caron

Campbell–Hennessy–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

Scratches– …… Bodnarchuk (Healthy) , Peverley (MCL) ,Horton (Concussion)

NEWS & NOTES

–Following last Wednesday’s 4-3 win in Montreal, the Bruins once again failed to string together back-to-back wins as they fell 4-2 to the Jets on Friday in Winnipeg. The Black and Gold have not been able to put together a two-game winning streak since (ironically) defeating the Habs and Jets at TD Garden…… back on January 10^th and 12^th.

– Over the course of an 82-game season, it’s hard to pinpoint individual games that could make the difference in the success of a team’s year. However, with both team’s struggling mightily as of late, today’s contest holds a particular importance. Over their last 30 combined games, the B’s and Wild have compiled an underwhelming 10-17-3 record.

– Since the team’s inception back in the year 2000, the Bruins and Wild have only met eleven times. The Wild hold a clear advantage over the B’s, besting the Bruins in nine of the eleven meetings, including holding an astounding 6-0-0 record at TD Garden. However, Boston was victorious in their last trip to Minnesota, taking home a 2-1 shootout win on November 25, 2009.

– Following the loss in Winnipeg, his fifth consecutive defeat, Tuukka Rask is expected to be back in his usual seat at the end of the Boston bench today. Tim Thomas will likely be starting this afternoon, making his 39th appearance of the season.

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Much to the dismay of  the 17,565 Black and Gold-clad fans that pack the confines of TD Garden each and every night, .500 hockey is exactly what the Bruins have been mired in since their 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks back on January 7 here in the Hub. Entering Tuesday’s marquee showdown with the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, the B’s had a chance to break their slump and get things going just prior to an extended six-game road trip.

“We need to have a solid, solid trip and it obviously starts tomorrow with the first game out of those six games.” – Zdeno Chara

Unfortunately for Boston, Tuesday was once again a night of struggles for the Black and Gold. In what would become the trend of the night, the B’s were unable to capitalize on a plethora of early scoring chances. Boston out-worked and out-played the Blueshirts for the better part of the first frame. That is until a delay of game penalty at the 9:21 mark sent the Rangers to the power-play. New York wasted little time in taking advantage with the extra man as some slick passing would end with Ryan Callahan potting his 23rd tally of the season.

“Gaby (Gaborik) makes a great pass to me. We know (Tim) Thomas is going to overplay the shot and challenge and he was going out there when I shot that and I don’t really have a chance at a goal so I slide it over back door to Cally (Ryan Callahan) and it’s nice that we connected on two of those in the last couple games here.” – Michael Del Zotto

The B’s hung with the Rangers for the duration of the period and looked to be in good shape as the first frame drew to a close. However, as the waning seconds ticked off the clock, the Rangers took advantage of a fluky bounce off the sideboards and extended their lead to 2-0 as Ryan McDonagh’s shot found it’s way through a screen and past Tim Thomas. Allowing a team to score with only 0:12 seconds left in a period that you’ve played pretty well in can be an absolute backbreaker for a team, especially when it comes against a team as well rounded as the Rangers.

In the second, the B’s out-shot the Rangers and controlled play for the better portion of the period as the ice was clearly titled in their favor during the middle frame. Despite all their chances, the Bruins simply could not solve New York’s all-world goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.

The third period began with much of the same as what we saw during the middle period as the B’s threw shot after shot towards the Ranger net, but were turned aside each and every time. At the 2:53 mark of the period, New York forward Artem Anisimov was the beneficiary of yet another ill-advised turnover from Joe Corvo. After the much-maligned Bruins blueliner made an attempt to pinch in a 4-on-4 situation and lost the puck, the Rangers would quickly zip up the ice on a 2-on-1 break. Anisimov opted to look off his teammate Michael Del Zotto and take care of it himself, ripping it over Thomas’ blocker for his tenth goal of the season.

Going down 3-0 to a team as stingy as the Rangers all but assured another February loss for the Bruins.

“They (Rangers) come out, and they score that third goal, and it was a back-breaker. You could feel it on the bench, especially knowing that they’re a very stingy team. It certainly made things a lot tougher for us.” – Claude Julien

Despite a late breakaway for David Krejci and a power-play in the 59^th minute, Boston could not solve Lundqvist as the Rangers’ goaltender secured his league-leading seventh shutout of the season.

“It seemed to be like we’d get a lot of shots, rebounds were there – it just wasn’t coming to us. (Henrik Lundqvist) obviously played a great game. There was a couple times where we thought he had a couple of goals but he stopped them.” — Johnny Boychuk

With the 3-0 loss, Boston falls to 6-7-1 over their last 14 games, as they remain in search for their first set of back-to-back wins in over a month.

KEY STATS

Goals–                       NYR (3)                   BOS (0)

Shots–                       NYR (20)                    BOS (42)

Power-Play–           NYR (1-1)                   BOS (0-1)

Penalty-Kill–           NYR (1-1)                    BOS (0-1)

• Ben’s Three Stars– ….. 3.) Michael Del Zotto  ….. 2.) Ryan Callahan   ….. 1.) Henrik Lundqvist

What’s Next?

– Next up for the B’s is a Wednesday night showdown at the Bell Centre as they clash with the hated Habs for the final time this season. The B’s will once again be without concussed forward Nathan Horton who will not be making the trip north with his teammates. The Rangers will return home to the friendly confines of Madison Square Garden, where they will play host to the reeling Blackhawks on Thursday evening.

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

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Kelly–Peverley

Pouliot–Krejci–Caron

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

Scratches– …… Bodnarchuk (Healthy) , Hennessy (Healthy) ,Horton (Concussion)

NEWS & NOTES

– Immediately following Tuesday’s contest, the Black and Gold will depart on an 11-day, six-game road trip that will feature stops in Minnesota, St. Louis and Buffalo, amongst others. This road swing, coinciding with the NHL trade deadline only thirteen days from now has lead many to believe that Peter Chiarelli will be looking to make any necessary improvements to his squad sooner rather than later. Thus providing the new players with an opportunity to gel with their new teammates during an extended period of time together. As we saw just one year ago, Chiarelli made moves to acquire Rich Peverley, Chris Kelly and Tomas Kaberle at the onset of a six-game roadie that would see Boston post an astounding 6-0-0 record and kickstart their run to a championship.

– In the wake of recently demoting youngsters Zach Hamill and Steven Kampfer, Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli has opted to call-up a new set of AHLers to bring along for his team’s upcoming road swing. The first of which is defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk. While building an AHL resume of over 250 games played, the  5’11″ blueliner has only appeared in five NHL contests, all of which coming in the 2009-’10 season. The second promotion was given to Brockton, MA native and veteran AHLer Josh Hennessy. The 6’0″ forward is the leading scorer for the P-Bruins this season with 15 goals and 15 assists in 49 games played.

– Tonight will mark the second meeting of the season between these two Original Six franchises. The Blueshirts took home a victory in Boston back on January 21 when Marian Gaborik scored in overtime with only three seconds left on the clock. These two Eastern Conference powerhouses will meet twice more this season, with both games to be played at Madison Square Garden.

– Reports over the past twenty four hours have suggested that Columbus Blue Jackets’ star and Canadian Olympic forward Rick Nash has been put on the trade market, by GM Scott Howson. A perennial all-star, the Blue Jackets’ captain has proven himself as one of the NHL’s elite talents throughout his nine-year career in the league. Now, while I would not be shocked if a deal were to be made that removed the 6’4″ 220-pounder out of Ohio’s capital city, I sincerely doubt that his destination will be Boston. There is no question that Peter Chiarelli has the necessary assets to make such a deal, but his willingness to part with the plethora of young talent that it would take to get Nash into a Black and Gold sweater is still yet to be determined. For example, any sort of trade that would bring a player of Nash’s caliber to the Hub would have to look something like this:

To Boston: Rick Nash, Curtis Sanford

To Columbus: David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, Steven Kampfer, 1st Round Draft Pick

Now my question to you is this, would you feel comfortable giving up your inconsistent but highly skilled top-line center, future franchise goaltender and a first round selection for a proven all-star with 45-50 goal potential?

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5.) —–> To Chicago: Hal Gill, Travis Moen, 5th Round Pick

—–> To Montreal: Kyle Beach, Brandon Saad, 2nd Round Pick

– Seemingly going nowhere this season it may be time for the Habs and GM Pierre Gauthier to start thinking about unloading some pieces in an attempt to build for the future. Both Gill and Moen are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer and could provide a Cup-hunting Blackhawks team with some added depth and grit for a playoff run this spring. Neither Moen nor Gill give you much in the way of flash or skill, but both are very durable players who have a Stanley Cup on their resume. For Montreal, both Beach and Saad fit the mold of what the Habs need the most: big, strong power forwards who can put the puck in the net. While neither will give Montreal much in the way of immediate assistance, they both have the potential to become cogs in the Canadiens’ lineup for years to come.

4.) —–> To Boston: Tuomo Ruutu, Bryan Allen

—–> To Carolina: Jordan Caron, Matt Bartkowski, 2nd Round Pick

– For a team that has simply run roughshod on the Eastern Conference since the start of November there really aren’t many glaring holes on a roster full of Stanley Cup winners. However, like we saw last February, GM Peter Chiarelli isn’t afraid to tinker with his team in order to add the necessary depth to make another run at Lord Stanley. This trade makes perfect sense for a Boston team that still relies on an inexperienced Steven Kampfer as it’s seventh defenseman. The hard-nosed Bryan Allen isn’t known much for his offense (0G/7A in 51 games this season) but can provide a solid defensive presence in his end of the ice, as well as log some valuable time on the penalty kill. Like Allen, the 28-year-old Ruutu will be a free agent on July 1. The Finland native seems to have been cut from the same mold as Boston winger Rich Peverley in the way that he can be trusted in any situation. Ruutu has posted fifteen goals and added eleven assists in 51 games this season while being shuffled up and down the Carolina lineup.

3.) —–> To Philadelphia: Ryan Suter, 3rd Round Pick

—–> To Nashville: James Van Riemsdyk, Brayden Schenn, Andrej Meszaros, Jody Shelley, 1st Round Pick

– Now, I’d put this trade as the least likely to happen, at least not until this summer. A deal like this makes perfect sense for a Flyers team that will be without captain Chris Pronger for the remainder of the season. Ryan Suter is perhaps the most underrated defenseman in the entire NHL. Often overshadowed by Shea Weber, Suter has quietly stacked together one all-star season after another and is slated to finally cash in this summer when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The question still remains as to if the cash-strapped Predators can re-sign Suter to a long term deal to keep him in Nashville. However, if GM David Poile comes to the realization that he will not be resigning with the Preds, he would be better served to deal him now than let him walk for nothing this July. The package I’ve presented seems like quite a hefty price for one player but keep in mind, true number one defensemen simply do not grow on trees. While I really can’t see this one happening before the deadline, if Suter is adamant about not re-upping in Nashville, I can’t see any better scenario for the Predators’ franchise both now and into the future.

2.) —–> To Toronto: Jeff Carter, 3rd Round Pick

—–> To Columbus: Luke Schenn, Nikolai Kulemin, 2nd Round Pick

– There’s no question that Jeff Carter’s brief stay in Ohio’s capital is coming to an early end. Reportedly frustrated by the entire situation, the former Flyers star has put up only seventeen points (10G/7A) in 30 games this season while playing for the league-worst Columbus Blue Jackets. While many teams would be skeptical of accepting any player with ten years left on his contract, the Leafs have been on a league-wide search for a true number one center since Brian Burke took the helm in November of 2008. It’s my belief that if Carter is surrounded by a talented team (like he was in Philadelphia) he will once again be able to return to his elite form. While many could think of this as an overpayment for Carter, I would argue that while Schenn still looks like a future all-star, he seems to be the odd man out on a Leafs’ blueline already manned by Dion Phaneuf, Mike Komisarek and John-Michael Liles — all of whom are signed to lucrative contracts. Kulemin is a young player with loads of skill and potential who seems to be struggling under the hockey-crazed pressure cooker that is Toronto. Perhaps a change of scenery would do him a world of good. In Toronto, Maple Leafs’ fans may be foaming at the mouth with the thoughts of putting an elite pivot in between all-star wingers Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul.

1.)  —–> To Minnesota: Zach Parise

—–> To New Jersey: Devin Setoguchi, Charlie Coyle, Jonas Brodin, 2nd Round Pick

– This trade simply makes too much sense. With Parise still unsigned and the Devils’ ownership situation still uncertain, it’s easy to suggest that New Jersey will be unable to retain Parise at year’s end. Recent speculation has suggested that the 5’11″ Minneapolis would like nothing better than to return to his home state to continue his career, making him a perfect fit for the Wild. However, a former 40-goal scorer with extensive leadership qualities simply does not come cheap. With this package the Devils pick up a solid return for a guy who will likely be gone for nothing on July 1. Devin Setoguchi is a solid young winger who can play top-six minutes and provide some pop playing across from Ilya Kovalchuk. In Coyle and Brodin New Jersey receives two former first round selections who look to be sure bet NHL contributors in the near future. Parise should provide the right type of boost for a Wild team trying to work themselves off of the playoff fringe.

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5.) Jackets Fail For Nail

– Without question the worst team in hockey through the first half of the season, the Blue Jackets have been an unmitigated disaster all year long. Entering the season most hockey journalists (including myself) had Columbus pegged for their second post-season appearance in franchise history. However, the aforementioned NHL pundits could not have been more wrong. With the acquisitions of Jeff Carter and James Wisniewski not panning out, look for the Blue Jackets to deal one of the two before the deadline. Purely based on Wisniewski’s massive contract, my guess would be Carter moves on for greener pastures elsewhere. The former Flyers’ standout should bring GM Scott Howson a decent haul and will help them continue to build for the future as they trudge along on the “Fail For Nail” campaign.

4.) Kessel Posts 90 Points, Finally Quiets Critics

– Perhaps the most talked about trade in recent Boston sports history, the Bruins–Leafs swap of September 2010 sent crafty winger Phil Kessel to the epicenter of hockey in exchange for three draft selections. Bruins’ GM Peter Chiarelli then used those picks to select forwards Tyler Seguin and Jared Knight as well as defenseman Dougie Hamilton. While Seguin has exploded onto the scene in the Hub, amassing 19 goals and 24 assists through 46 games this season Kessel has truly emerged as one of the league’s most prominent scorers. With 51 points (26G/25A) in 49 games, he and linemate Joffrey Lupul (20G/32A) have completely turned the Toronto franchise around, leading them to a top-eight position in the Eastern Conference. In the second half of this season, I believe that Kessel will easily reach the 40-goal marker and surpass his career high of 64 points to finally justify this trade and quiet the throngs of critics who have harassed the Minnesota native ever since he arrived on the scene in Toronto.

3.) Hitchcock, Blues Continue Magical Run

– Without doubt the biggest positive surprise of any team in the league this season has taken place underneath the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The Blues, who struggled mightily to begin the season under former coach Davis Payne, have been given new life since the arrival of veteran bench boss Ken Hitchcock. With no players in the NHL’s top-50 scoring leaders, the Blues’ team-first philosophy has shown through this season, leading them to the fifth seed in the Western Conference — a comfortable eleven points ahead of ninth place Colorado –. Captain David Backes seems to have his team — a seemingly perfect blend of youth and experience — poised for a deep run through the post-season. In the shocker of the season, I can see the Blues becoming this year’s NHL Cinderella story, upsetting a team or two and making it to the Conference Finals this spring.

2.) Sabres, Habs Continue Rapid Fall From Grace

– Mired in the basement of the Eastern Conference, this season simply has not gone the way fans in Buffalo and Montreal had once thought it would. Currently sitting eight and ten points out of the playoff picture, the Sabres and the Habs have been absolute train-wrecks on ice the entire season. In Montreal, things went awry immediately out of the gate and have only been trending downwards since then. In a year that’s seen the departure of both an assistant coach and a head coach, an unheard of mid-game trade and continuous public outcry for a French-speaking bench boss, the city of Montreal has been an absolute circus all year long. In Buffalo, fans and players alike had Stanley Cup aspirations after new owner Terry Pegula’s ill-advised off-season spending spree. Unfortunately for the hockey-mad folks in Western new York, it just hasn’t quite worked out this season as their beloved Sabres sit tied for dead last in the Eastern Conference. What’s worse? GM Darcy Regier is handcuffed by the insanely generous contracts of Christian Ehrhoff and Ville Leino.

1.) Bruins, Rangers Will Battle For Eastern Conference Crown

– Now I could be getting ahead of myself a bit here but right now all signs are pointing towards an Original Six showdown with a spot in the Cup Finals on the line. Without a doubt the two best teams in the East through the first half of the season, New York and Boston have put together the two best records in the Conference through the first half of the season. Armed with gritty, two-way players who aren’t afraid to put the team before themselves, the B’s and Blueshirts almost mirror one another in terms of playing style. After putting together an instant classic earlier this month at TD Garden, it’d be easy for one to expect three more beautifully played contests between these two squads this season. However, I’m going to take it a step further and say that New York and Boston will once again meet in the Eastern Conference Finals this spring for yet another chapter in the Boston  vs. New York rivalry.

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The Montreal Canadiens were the team that wanted it more and they made a statement by schooling the Red Wings 7-2 in a rare matchup between the two “Original Six” teams at the Bell Centre.

The loss ended the Red Wings’ seven-game winning streak and they are now one game below .500 away from the Joe Louis Arena (13-14-0). With the win, the Canadiens are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings and are eight points behind the final playoff spot.

The Red Wings desperately missed the Captain tonight. Nicklas Lidstrom was out with the flu and for the first time since April 12, 2009, 213 games ago, he missed a regular season contest. It was the 30th game in his career that he didn’t suit up.  It seemed like his teammates who skated in Montreal played like they were sick as well.

Tonight’s version of the Canadiens played like the team from the late 1970s.  No, Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Yvan Cournoyer and Jacques Lemaire weren’t lighting the lamp for Montreal.

Jimmy Howard had a horrible first period by giving up four goals on 12 shots to Rene Bourque, Alexie Emelin, David Desharnais and Tomas Plekanec. As expected, Howard’s night was soon over and he was replaced by Ty Conklin, who didn’t fare any better. Conklin played the rest of the game, but gave up goals to Desharnais, Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole.

On the other side of the ice, the role of Ken Dryden was played by Carey Price who stopped 23 of 25 shots for his 17th win of the season.  In the first period, Price might as well have been browsing today’s edition of the Montreal Gazette because he was rarely tested as he faced six shots.

In the second period, the Red Wings started to gain some momentum and got 12 shots on Price, who stopped them all. They finally got on the board early in the third period when Jiri Hudler scored his first of the two Red Wing goals.

The Detroit Red Wings played a spirited game on home ice this past Monday against the St. Louis Blues. It was action packed the entire game, but if you were to base that on a movie in a game of  Word Association, Predator comes to mind. Now, for anybody who has seen it, it’s a great action movie. It starred Arnold Schwarzenegger, who had a great supporting cast. It featured Carl Weathers and it provided the film debut of Jesse “The Body” Ventura who said one of the greatest lines in cinematic history: “I ain’t got time to bleed.”

Now we have tonight’s game in Montreal. If Monday’s game was Predator, then tonight’s game was Predator 2—bad and barely watchable. The Red Wings were just plain gassed. Perhaps the game on Monday took a lot out of them. Despite tonight’s performance, they’re still on top of the NHL standings with 67 points.

Jimmy Howard and Pavel Datsyuk are on their way to Ottawa for this weekend’s All-Star Game, while the rest of the team will get some time away from the rink as they recharge their batteries.  Since this will be Howard’s first All-Star game appearance, tonight’s game is a sample size of what he’ll be facing because defense and All-Star Games are like Kim Kardashian and marriage; they don’t belong in the same sentence.

The Red Wings’ next game is six days from now and that is also the first of a four-game road trip that will start in Calgary for a clash with the Flames.

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

FORWARDS

Marchand–Bergeron–Seguin

Lucic–Krejci–Horton

Pouliot–Kelly–Peverley

Paille–Campbell–Thornton

DEFENSE

Chara–Boychuk

Seidenberg–Corvo

Ference–McQuaid

GOALTENDER

Thomas

Rask

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

NEWS & NOTES

– Today’s contest will mark the B’s first return home to Garden ice since their January 12 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Over that span the team has concluded a four-game road swing. The Black and Gold were met with a few bumps in the road during the trip while posting a pedestrian 2-2-0 record. However, Boston seemed to have found their stride during a three-goal third period explosion that lead them to a victory in New Jersey on Thursday evening.

– Based on the recent trends showcased during the past few match-ups between these two Original Six foes, it would be wise for one to expect yet another hotly contested low scoring affair. My guess? A 1-0 or 2-1 win for either team.

– Today’s battle will also be a match-up of strength vs. strength as the Rangers’ 15-7-2 road record will be tested by Boston’s 16-7-1 mark on home ice.

– Despite this not being the most intense of rivalries nowadays, the B’s and Rangers always provide sixty minutes (or more) of solid hockey for all those watching. Both squads are built from the same mold; hard-hitting, defense-first hockey, backed up by ever-so-solid goaltending. We should be in for a treat this afternoon.

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The Rangers are not the most skilled team in the NHL, and they certainly don’t have the wide range of weapons that a team like the Boston Bruins have. The Rangers trail only the Bruins in goals against per game average with 1.98 and have only given up 83 goals, again trailing only the Bruins in that category. It’s pretty funny to think back when Tortorella  took over the reins from Tom Renney in 2009, he came in with the belief that “safe is death”, because he’s adapted his style to the group that he has here, focusing on defense rather than run-and-gun. It’s not flash and dash and firepower that has them at the top of the standings. It’s incredible work ethic and attention to play in their zone that has them where they are.

Team MVP: 19 different Rangers have worn the “Broadway hat,” the fedora that’s passed along in the locker room to the Rangers’ best player in a win by the previous recipient. Five Rangers have been honored by their teammates twice, but one Ranger has worn it far and away the most – goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist has always been the backbone of this team since the lockout, but this year the 29-year-old Swede has been on another plane. Selected for the All-Star roster for the third time in his NHL career, he’s been stingy with a 1.89 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. Numbers like that will give virtually any team a good chance to win any given night, and should give “The King” his 4th career Vezina nomination.

Biggest Surprise:  After last season’s debacle, there was no real way of knowing just which Michael Del Zotto was going to show up this year. Would it be the cocky 19-year-old rookie or the 20-year-old sophomore who was as lost as lost can be? He’s looked more like the former than the latter, and that’s been great news for a team that desperately needed him to step up when Michael Sauer went down with a concussion.

Honorable mention here goes to Mike Rupp. Back on July 1st, I thought this was a good depth signing that would provide more grit to a team already known for it and would take some of the pressure off Brandon Prust to drop the gloves. A wonky knee from the get-go rendered him relatively ineffective. Since he’s returned from surgery, Rupp has been what was expected of him  – winning 54% of his faceoffs, racking up 45 penalty minutes (25 in fighting majors) and even chipping in 4 goals.

Biggest Disappointment: This one I actually struggled with. Some on the team who have not had great years to this point are ones who I did not have a whole lot of expectations for to begin with, based on their bodies of NHL work. Given that they have been what they’ve always seemed to have been, there’s no way they can be categorized as “disappointments.”

Erik Christensen has been his normal inconsistent self – same as he has been since he was picked up off waivers. He was on the bubble coming out of camp, and John Tortorella opted to keep him on the roster rather than Sean Avery, feeling he was a more talented player. A healthy scratch for 20 games, he was finally sent down to the Whale this week for a 2-week conditioning stint. Wojtek Wolski has been hampered by injury – first it was his groin, then it turned out he had a sports hernia that required surgery. Wolski just re-joined the lineup in the 3-0  loss to the Senators on Thursday, and only because of Brandon Dubinsky’s sore shoulder that has him day-to-day. Prior to taking Dubinsky’s place, he too was offered a conditioning stint with the Whale and had been mulling it over.

Brian Boyle? To some perhaps as he’s failed to replicate his 21-goal season of a year ago. I wasn’t thoroughly convinced they’d get that Brian Boyle again, and it’s why I had advocated against a multi-year contract in the offseason (he was given a 3-year deal). Offensively, Boyle has looked like the Boyle of old, with 3 goals in 42 games (last night’s goal against the Leafs snapped a 22-game drought). They certainly could use more offense from him, but he has been contributing in other ways, such as on the penalty kill. Brandon Dubinsky? He was the last of the Ranger RFAs to re-sign, and he signed a 4-year deal with a $4.2 million cap hit, putting the pressure on him to perform. He has not lived up to the offensive expectations to this point, with only 5 goals in 40 games, but that part of his game started to come around before being sidelined the last 2 games (and for tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens) with a sore shoulder. Like Boyle though, he has been contributing with other aspects of his game so he has not been a complete disappointment.

The biggest disappointment on this team has to be the ineffective power play. It’s not out-of-the-ordinary that this team is struggling. It seems to be a Rangers trademark no matter who the personnel is. The addition of Brad Richards was supposed to boost the man advantage, but they are only functioning at 14.6% (for comparison, the Vancouver Canucks are tops at 23.6%). They’re managed to compile a League-best 60 points with it being ineffective. Imagine how they could  take it to the next level if they can find a way to improve that aspect of the team.

Forty-two games and by all means the Rangers have surpassed the expectations anyone could have had for them. Cynical Rangers fans who have seen their team overachieve in the early part of seasons are just waiting for that other shoe to drop, as this is the time where they tend to go into that midsesason tailspin that sends them scrambling just to get into that eighth spot. Warding off complacency and the mentality of  “playing good enough is good enough” will be key for them as well. If anyone will not let them rest on their laurels, it’s Tortorella, who pulled the team off the ice early in a practice last week because he didn’t like the intensity at the start of the session. It’s hard not to put them as part of the upper echelon of the League.  So far, they’ve had success against some of the League’s “elite” teams. The next big measuring stick will take place this coming Saturday when they face the Bruins in a matinee at TD Garden.

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Well, what made the Montreal Canadiens’ trade of top line winger Michael Cammalleri so different was the fact that he was traded during the second intermission of a one-goal inter-division game!

It all started early in the second period on Thursday with an oddly secretive looking group of Montreal management huddled outside their suite in the TD Garden press box. At first glance, one would have thought nothing of it. In fact, it even lead me to cracking a few lighthearted jokes via Twitter.  However, it was early in the third and final frame that things began to get interesting, as the 5’9″ Ontario native was noticeably missing from the Habs’ bench, with no reports of injuries sustained. This coupled with the knowledge of Wednesday’s comments made by Cammalleri, in which he questioned the collective mindset of his Canadiens’ team, and it was enough to get some folks thinking that the proverbial shoe was about to drop.

“I can’t accept that we will display a losing attitude as we’re doing this year. We prepare for our games like losers. We play like losers. So it’s no wonder why we lose.” – Michael Cammalleri

Reports upstairs then broke the news that Cammalleri had indeed been removed from the game and had been sent to a Boston hotel to wait for further instructions. As if this wasn’t enough to tip anyone off about a potential deal, word from TSN in Canada began to emanate the fact that the undersized forward had indeed been traded. It was then that the game concluded, with the host Bruins holding on for a 2-1 victory over the Habs, and every reporter in Boston made a bee line for the Montreal dressing room.

While questions about the game were asked here and there, the elephant in the room was clearly the Habs’ missing first liner. Unfortunately for the large contingent of reporters and beat writers, Montreal players were just as confused as we were.

“Was he traded?  I really don’t know.  This is the first time this has happened to me?” – Tomas Plekanec

“I don’t really know anything so I don’t have a comment right now.” – Hal Gill

“I don’t know if it (a trade) has happened I can’t give much insight.  I can’t really give an opinion.” – Carey Price

It was then, as the media scrum descended on head coach Randy Cunneyworth’s press conference that he revealed the fact that there was in fact a trade that had sent Michael Cammalleri out of Montreal. “Well, obviously there was a trade made” said Cunneyworth when asked about the absence of his first line left winger. The much-criticized interim bench boss went on to explain how he had only learned of the deal at the start of the third period, and that his players where left in the dark completely as to the whereabouts of their teammate.

Finally, as the swarm of media members were consumed by the ever-growing TwitterSphere, trying to be the first to report the trade’s details, we learned that Cammalleri had been dealt cross country, back to Calgary — a city where he played in 2008 and 2009–.

Ending all the hype and confusion  was Habs’ General Manager Pierre Gauthier, when he stood in front of the aformentioned sea of reporters and delivered the news of the deal, first in French and then repeated himself in English. The English portion of the press conference can be viewed in it’s entirety via the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Along with Cammalleri, the Canadiens forfeited the rights to European netminder Karri Ramo and a fifth round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft in exchange for currently-suspended winger Rene Bourque, prospect Patrick Holland and a second round selection in the 2012 Entry draft.

Now, I’ll leave the analysis of this deal to those folks who are closer to the situation and know more about the skills and tendencies of each of these players. However, I would just like to point out this little doozie of a quote, courtesy of the Calgary Flames official Twitter account:

“I might be in trouble… I don’t speak French, even if I have the most French name on that team.” – Rene Bouque

Well there you have it folks, a first hand account of the first ever mid-game trade in NHL history. On what was once thought of as an uneventful night and a boring game between two once-fierce rivals, history was indeed made. It just goes to show, you really never know what is going to happen next in the National Hockey League.

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Unfortunately for hockey traditionalists throughout North America, this rivalry simply isn’t the same anymore. And that’s putting it nicely. One could argue the reasons for this, whether it be Boston’s new-found hatred for the Vancouver Canucks, or simply Montreal’s irrelevance to the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

“Certainly, it doesn’t have the same flare it had maybe a year ago.” – Claude Julien

Regardless of such, it’s simply been just another game on the schedule each time Boston and Montreal have faced off this season. This was no different on Thursday evening when the two squads met for the fifth time this year.

The game began with a bang as the B’s quickly got on the board, thanks to a surprising contribution from an unlikely source. Playing in his first NHL game since a December 10 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, rookie Bruins’ forward Jordan Caron took advantage of the opportunity given him by head coach Claude Julien as he tapped the puck into a yawning net at the 1:23 mark of the opening frame to give his team an early 1-0 lead.

“I saw Johnny (Boychuk) was going to rim it around and I wanted to get on the forecheck and it bounced in front so I was just there for an easy tap in.” – Jordan Caron

The score would remain this way throughout the balance of a first period controlled by uncharacteristically sloppy play from both sides, with Boston holding the edge as the team’s went to the rooms.

The second period mirrored much of what we saw in the first, neither team was able to muster many quality scoring chances nor come close to putting anything up on the scoreboard.

In the third period the B’s would once again strike quickly as bruising winger Milan Lucic flipped a backhand past Carey Price at the 3:43 mark of the final frame to extend the Boston lead to 2-0. Perhaps the only bit of unsettling roughness came soon after as Habs’ d-man P.K. Subban went up-high for a hit on the B’s top-line center David Krejci. This of course was met my much resistance from the Black and Gold, which resulted in a double-minor roughing call against Andrew Ference. The Habs’ were able to take advantage of the ensuing power-play as utility man Yannick Weber’s wrister found it’s way through a screen and past Thomas to cut the Montreal deficit to one. However, the Habs’ late flurries, in hopes of tying the score, were met by heavy resistance and the Bruins were able to hold on for their third straight victory over their once-hated rivals.

Being able to find a way to pull out a victory on a night when you don’t have your best game is truly an asset for the Bruins’ and is the mark of a true championship team. Forward Milan Lucic expressed his relief in being able to come away with the crucial two points on Thursday.

“It seemed like both teams weren’t really that sharp with their passing – it seemed like the puck was spinning all over the place and jumping off everyone’s sticks. I think (there were) a lot of blocked shots, a lot of shots that missed the net and [it was] just one of those games where you have to fight it through to get to the end and get to the result. For us, I don’t think it was our best effort but we found a way to win.” – Milan Lucic

KEY STATS

Goals–                       MON (1)                   BOS (2)

Shots–                       MON (34)                    BOS (30)

Power-Play–           MON (1-2)                   BOS (0-5)

Penalty-Kill–           MON (5-5)                    BOS (1-2)

• Ben’s Three Stars– ….. 3.) Jordan Caron  ….. 2.) Milan Lucic   ….. 1.) Tim Thomas

What’s Next?

From here the B’s will depart on a four-game road trip that will begin on Saturday evening in Carolina, when they face-off with Eric Staal’s ‘Canes for the final time in Raleigh this season. The trip will also see stops in Miami, Tampa Bay and New Jersey. The Habs will now return home for a Saturday contest with the red-hot Senators at the Bell Centre.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From The Room:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Thorburn (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ladd (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hainsey (Winnipeg)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Pouliot

KEY STATS

Goals–                       WPG (3)                   BOS (5)

Shots–                       WPG (32)                    BOS (42)

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

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

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

What’s Next?

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

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The Bolts are in fourth place in the Southeast Division and trail the division leading Florida Panthers by eleven points. Tampa Bay is in 13th place in the 15 team Eastern Conference, nine points out of a layoff spot.

After 40 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 28. He leads the Bolts in points with 43. Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 21. Marc-Andre Bergeron leads the team in rating with a +7. Steve Downie is last in rating with an alarming -17.

Forward Steve Downie is last in rating with an alarming -17 and has accumulated 100 penalty minutes. Goalie Mathieu Garon has 11 wins, a 2.85 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:14 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 139.

The Lightning have scored 107 goals (17th in the NHL) and allowed 134 goals (28th in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams are awful. The power play success rate is at a season low 13.77% (27th in the NHL) and the penalty kill slipped below 80% at 79.50% (23rd in the NHL). The Bolts are in the middle of an appalling 1-34 road power play skid.Tampa Bay is 25th in the league in faceoff percentage, winning just 48.5% of their draws.

Tampa Bay has won 11 of 16 games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and six of 24 games on the road.

Box Scores

Game 38 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Toronto Maple Leafs 7

Game 39 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Ottawa Senators 4

Game 40 – Tampa Bay Lightning 1 – Montreal Canadiens 3

Three Stars of the Week

Vincent Lecavalier – Two goals and an assist.

Steven Stamkos – Two goals.

Dominic Moore – Two assists.

Transactions

Tampa Bay acquired defenseman Brendan Mikkelson from Calgary for forward Blair Jones.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie was recalled by the Lightning.

Forward Brett Connolly returned from Team Canada.

The Lightning announce a two year-one way contract extension for $600,000 per year for forward Tom Pyatt.

Injuries

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

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

Defenseman Victor Hedman is out indefinitely with a concussion.

Forwards JT Wyman and Adam Hall are day-to-day with upper body injuries.

Bolt Notes

The Bolts went 0-3 this past week. At the mid-season mark, Tampa Bay is in trouble. They are nine points out of a playoff spot with four teams to jump over to get into the postseason tournament. The Lightning plays nine of its next 12 games at home and must go on a run to maintain hopes of a playoff appearance in 2012. The Bolts have lost 18 road games, only two less than their total road losses last season.

The first half MVP is superstar Steven Stamkos. The Tampa Bay sniper has a NHL best 28 goals and is on pace for another 50 goal season. The 21 year old center has grabbed hold of a leadership role with the team and is playing a more physical game, getting to the front of the net and battling for “garbage” goals.

The biggest disappointment  of the first half is $3 million goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who is 6-9 with a 3.76 goals against average and an .881 save percentage, last and second to last in the NHL respectively.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay hosts Vancouver on Tuesday and  Carolina on Thursday. The Bolts travel to Washington on Friday before hosting Pittsburgh on Sunday.

The Quarterdeck Log – Norfolk Admirals Week In Review

By Ken Peacock

About The Author

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

Weekly Log

On Wednesday night, the Norfolk Admirals faced off against division rivals, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Pennsylvania. The normally tough Brad Thiessen was just not himself. The Admirals beat Thiessen three times in the third period. Richard Panik, Cory Conacher, and Radko Gudas  all lit the lamp to give Norfolk a 3-0 lead. The Penguins put their only goal of the night in the second frame. Cory Conacher would get his second of the night in the third and Mike Angelidis put things to bed with the Admirals fifth goal of the night. Dustin Tokarski stopped 20 of 21 shots in theNorfolk 5-1 win.

Friday night had the Admirals and Albany Devils squaring off at the Norfolk Scope. Norfolkdominated the first two periods with goals from Mark Barberio, Carter Ashton, Trevor Smith, and Evan Oberg. Halfway thru the third period Norfolk fell asleep and Albany started their comeback. The Devils would score four unanswered goals and send the game to overtime.Albany finished the Admirals off with a goal at 3:31 of the overtime period for the 5-4 win.

The Devils were back on Saturday night and set the tone early. Stephane Veilleux of the Devils slashed Cory Conacher as the teams lined up for the opening face-off. If they were trying to intimidate the Admirals, it worked.Albanydominated the entire game. They scored their first goal in the first and added two more in the second.Norfolkwas only able to put one goal on the board from Richard Panik. With the 3-1 win the Devils have now won all four meetings of the season.

Trevor Smith (16G 28A 44Pts +18) and Cory Conacher (2G 20A 41Pts +7) find themselves at the top for scoring. Smith and Conacher are 3^rd and 5^th in scoring in the AHL.  Mark Barberio (4G 28A 32Pts +18) leads allNorfolk defensemen and is in third place amongst all Admirals in scoring. Carter Ashton (15G 12A 27Pts +9) continues to hold onto fourth place.  Dustin Tokarski (14-8-0 2.45GAA) went 1-1 this week. Jaroslav Janus (7-5-2 3.04GAA) lost in his only start this week to the Albany Devils.

For the Season the Admirals are 21-12-1-2 with 45 points. They are currently four points behind the East Division leading Hershey Bears.Norfolkis currently on a 0-1-1-0 streak and is 5-3-1-1 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Cory Conacher  – Two goals and an assist.

Trevor Smith – One goal and four assists.

Richard Panik – Two goals.

Transactions

Evan Oberg – Returned by theTampaBay Lightning.

Pierre-Cedric Labrie – Recalled by theTampaBay Lightning.

Injuries

Alexander Picard – Undisclosed injury – Day to day

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed injury – Day to day

Kevin Quick – Lower body injury – Day to day

An Observation from the Stands

One of the big issues Norfolk has had in the past is starting slowely after the Christmas break. The Admirals have played six games and lost three of them. You can attribute the losses to bad breaks, penalties, carelessness, or flat out being outplayed. At the end of the day none of these excuses matter. A loss is a loss and losing those points will matter at the end of the season. The last two games against Albanywere terrible performances by the Admirals. In the first game they built a four goal lead and lost it in the final 15 minutes. The following game they let the Devils walk all over them.Albanyhas won all four meetings with the Admirals this season. It’s time forNorfolkto wake up and beat them.

The Week Ahead

The Admirals remain home for three games this week. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins will be in town for a rare Tuesday night game. Sean Avery and the Connecticut Whale come to town Friday and Saturday night.

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Now, with the year 2011 coming to a close tomorrow evening when the clock strikes midnight, I figured that now is as good a time as any take a step back and review some of the best moments of the 2011 calendar year for the Boston Bruins. Through a year with as much drama and excitement such as this, it was next to impossible to put these amazing events into such an order. If you asked five people to organize this set, I’m sure you’d get five totally different responses.

10.) Boston’s 8-6 “Old Time Hockey” Victory Over Montreal At TD Garden (February 9)

– In a game that featured back-and-forth hockey from two of the NHL’s biggest rivals, the Boston Bruins would deliver their first victory of the year against the hated Habs. Arguably the most memorable game of the regular season for Boston, the B’s and Habs played an exhilarating contest filled with goals, fights and mayhem galore en route to an 8-6 Bruins’ victory. A night of hard-nosed play from both sides lead to brawls and chippy-ness, including a fight between netminders Tim Thomas and Carey Price, a rare sight in today’s NHL. The game truly had the feel of one of those 1980′s Boston–Montreal classics that we hadn’t seen here in many years.

9.) Re-Signings Of Rich Peverley (October) And David Krejci (December)

– If you take a look at the past three winners of the Stanley Cup, the easily noticeable common denominator would be each team’s tremendous depth at the center position. Over the past few months, the Bruins and GM Peter Chiarelli have done an excellent job in assuring their team will remain among one of the league’s deepest team’s down the middle. The re-signings of Peverley ($9.75 MIL) and Krejci ($15.75 MIL) to new three year extensions have solidified the Bruins’ depth in the middle for many years to come.

8.) Selection Of Dougie Hamilton At The Entry Draft In Minnesota (June 24)

– The drafting of Niagara Ice Dogs defenseman Dougie Hamilton with the 9th overall selection of the 2011 NHL Entry was the entrance of the final chapter of the Phil Kessel trade. Despite not qualifying for a spot on the 2011-’12 Bruins’ roster, the 6’5″ Toronto native has been tearing it up for the Ice Dogs, posting points in games, and is expected to compete for a position with the big club in 2012-’13.

7.) The Acquisitions Of Rich Peverley And Chris Kelly (February)

– Arguably the two most versatile players to don the eight-spoked “B” in 2011, Peverley and Kelly came to Boston as part of under-the-radar acquisitions made by Chiarelli to sure up his team’s depth. Aiding Boston to it’s first Cup win in 39 years, the two have this year become cogs on the highly successful third line that has led the Black and Gold to first place in the Eastern Conference.

6.) Nathan Horton’s Third Period Goal In Game 7 Of The Eastern Conference Finals (May 27)

– In what was one of the greatest hockey games played at TD Garden in over a decade, the Bruins knocked off the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals to secure a ticket to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1990. Cashing in for the only goal of the night, in a 1-0 Tim Thomas shutout, it was Nathan Horton who would redirect a beautiful saucer pass from David Krejci past Dwayne Roloson to give Boston the lead, and the victory.

5.) Sweeping Of The Philadelphia Flyers In Round 2 Of The East Playoffs (May 6)

– Bruins’ fans in every nook and cranny of New England know the story of the 2010 post-season. Perhaps the worst moment in franchise history was the collapse at the hands of the Flyers in Round 2 of the 2010 Eastern Conference playoffs. The memory of 2010′s collapse undoubtedly made the Bruins’ 4-0 series sweep of the Flyers in the 2011 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals all that much sweeter.

4.) Nathan Horton’s Overtime Winner In Game 7 Against Montreal (April 27)

– After falling behind 2-0 in the first round of the 2011 playoffs after two straight home losses to the Montreal Canadiens, experts across the country wrote off the Bruins and left them for dead. However, the resiliency of the Bruins payed off as the B’s fought and clawed their way back to a 3-3 series tie and a 3-3 tie in overtime of game 7 at TD Garden. It was then that Nathan Horton blasted one past Habs’ netminder Carey Price to silence the ghosts of Game 7′s past and vault the B’s into the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Click here to view the embedded video.

3.) The Stanley Cup Banner Raising Ceremony (October 6)

– Despite the unfortunate outcome of the game that was played, a 2-1 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers, opening night 2011 was undoubtedly the most memorable kick-off of a Bruins’ season in many years. The Bruins and their staff put together a truly special ceremony for their fans. Perhaps the best feature of the ceremony was the reenactment of the Cup-raising tradition that takes place after a team has secured Lord Stanley. With Game 7 of the Cup taking place in Vancouver, and Bruins’ fans being relegated to watching the original ceremony on television, the B’s staff decided to let their devoted fans get a chance to watch it live on Opening night. The night would conclude with the franchise’s sixth world title banner being securely raised to the rafters of the TD Garden.

2.) Rolling Rally Stanley Cup Championship Parade (June 18)

– On June 18, the entire city of Boston poured it’s heart out for it’s favorite hockey team as over one million New Englanders converged on the Hub for the celebration of the Bruins’ first Stanley Cup championship since 1972. Boston’s hockey roots truly shined through on this day as the B’s rolling produced the largest turnout for any Boston sports celebration ever, surpassing marks set this past decade by the Red Sox, Celtics and Patriots.

1.) Winning The Stanley Cup (June 15)

– This one needs little explanation. The most complete team in recent Bruins history ended the city’s 39-year Stanley Cup drought by quenching their fans’ thirst for victory with a 4-0 shutout of the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena to capture the sixth world championship in team history. June 15 will undoubtedly go down as one of the greatest days in Boston sports history.

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

After 37 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team and the NHL in goals with 26. He leads the Bolts in points with 43 (4th in the NHL). Martin St. Louis is tops in assists with 20. Stamkos leads the team in rating with a +12.

Forward Steve Downie has accumulated 80 penalty minutes and goalie Mathieu Garon has 11 wins, a 2.73 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

Defenseman Eric Brewer leads Tampa Bay in ice time, averaging 23:18 per game. Steven Stamkos leads in shots on goal with 128.

The Lightning have scored 102 goals (13th in the NHL) and allowed 120 goals (25th in the 30 team NHL). The Bolts special teams still need work. The power play success rate is 14.7% (24th in the NHL) and the penalty kill slipped to 80.1% (24th in the NHL). Tampa Bay is 25th in the league in faceoff percentage, winning just 48.8% of their draws.

Tampa Bay has won 11 of 16 games at the Tampa Bay Times Forum and six of 21 games on the road.

Box Scores

Game 35 – Tampa Bay Lightning 5 – Philadelphia Flyers 1

Game 36 – Tampa Bay Lightning 4 – Montreal Canadiens 3

Game 37 – Tampa Bay Lightning 5 – Carolina Hurricanes 2

Three Stars of the Week

Steven Stamkos – Six goals.

Martin St. Louis – Six assists.

Steve Downie – Two goals and five assists.

Transactions

The Lightning recalled defenseman Evan Oberg from Norfolk for the sixth time this season.

The Lightning announced the signing of Norfolk forward Pierre-Cedric Labrie to a two year, two way contract.

Injuries

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

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

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

Defenseman Victor Hedman is out indefinitely with a concussion.

Bolt Notes

Tampa Bay got just what they needed this week. The Bolts went 3-0 and accumulated six out of a possible six points. The Lightning has won five of their last seven games. The offense is clicking as they averaged over four goals per game and gave up only two goals per game. Goalie Mathieu Garon sparkled with three wins, a 2.00 goals against average and a .935 save percentage. Superstar Steven Stamkos jumped to the top of the NHL goal scoring race, netting six goals in three games to give him 26 on the year. Martin St. Louis is back and better than ever after a facial fracture. He had six helpers this week. Ryan Malone had a three assist game Saturday night versus Carolina and recent call up JT Wyman scored his first NHL goal and garnered two points this week.

The Week Ahead

Tampa Bay is at Toronto on Tuesday, at Ottawa on Thursday and at Montreal 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

The Norfolk Admirals returned to action after the Christmas break with a Wednesday night game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Bridgeport opened up the scoring eight minutes into the first period. This would be their only goal of the night as the Admirals defense shut the Sound Tigers down. Norfolk would get two goals in the second period from Mike Kostka and Philip-Micheal Devos. This would be all that the Admirals needed to secure the 2-1 victory. Both teams went scoreless in the defensive third period. Dustin Tokarski  was stellar in net turning aside 26 of the 27 shots.

Friday night saw the Admirals and Sound Tigers back in action once more at the Scope. Norfolk dominated the first and second periods. Cory Conacher and Matt Fornataro would score in the opening period. Tyler Johnson would add another in the second frame. The Admirals found themselves in penalty trouble in the third period and Bridgeport capitalized on those mistakes. The Sound Tigers scored two quick power play goals before the Admirals were able to recover. Bridgeport continued to put on the pressure, but Tokarski answered back and the Admirals held on for the 3-2 win. Bridgeport winger, Tomas Marcinko was injured when Jean-Philippe Cote of the Admirals was pushed to the ice.Cote’s skate came up and caught Marcinko in the neck. Marcinko was rushed to aNorfolk hospital and required surgery. Marcinko is back with Bridgeport and recovering from his injury.

Norfolk was in Hershey on Saturday for a New Year’s Eve match against the division leading Bears.  Ondrej Palat opened the scoring in the first period for the Admirals. Hershey would strike back in the second. Norfolk found themselves on the power play twice, but the defense failed as the Bears would get two shorthanded goals to take a 2-1 lead into the locker room. Mike Kostka tied the game in the third and sent the game to overtime. Both teams failed to score in the overtime frame and that brought on the shootout. Braden Holtby stopped all five of the Norfolk shooters, while Jaroslav Janus stopped all but Keith Aucoin. Aucoin’s shootout goal secured the 3-2 Bear win.

Trevor Smith (15G 24A 39Pts +17) and Cory Conacher (19G 19A 38Pts +6) find themselves atop the Admirals scoring list. Mark Barberio (3G 26A 29Pts +19) leads all Norfolk defensemen and is in third place among all Admirals in scoring. Carter Ashton (14G 11A 25Pts +9) continues to hold onto fourth place.  Dustin Tokarski (13-7-0 2.40GAA) went 2-0 this week. Jaroslav Janus (7-4-2 3.04GAA) lost the shootout decision against the Bears on Saturday.

For the Season the Admirals are 20-11-0-2 with 42 points. They are currently 2 points behind the East Division leading Hershey Bears. Norfolk is currently on a 4-0-0-1 streak and is 7-2-0-1 in their last ten games.

Three Stars of the Week

Mike Kostka - Two goals, one assist, a +1 rating and seven shots on goal.

Kostka is the first star of the week

Dustin Tokarski – Two wins in two games and stopped 53 of 56 shots.

Cory Conacher  – One goal, two assists and a +1 rating.

Transactions

J.T. Wyman – Recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Evan Oberg – Recalled by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Charles Landry – Assigned to the Norfolk Admirals (AHL) from the Florida Everblades (ECHL)

Pierre-Cedric Labrie – Signed to a two-way NHL contract by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Injuries

Alexander Picard – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

Pierre-Cedric Labrie– Undisclosed – Day-to-day

Richard Petiot – Undisclosed – Day-to-day

Kevin Quick – Lower Body Injury – Day-to-day

An Observation from the Stands

Norfolk has a bad habit of coming back from the holiday break and losing a few. Coach Cooper must have had a good talk with them before the first game and they came out hungry for a win. The games against Bridgeport were solid games. If there is one thing that they still need to work on, it is taking to many penalties. They have to cut down or it will come back and bite them in the rear end.  Dustin Tokarski and the defense played great games againstBridgeport. The Admirals truly deserved the wins.

Saturday’s loss against the division leading Bears was a result of a defensive collapse. The defense that played well on Wednesday and Friday failed to show up in Hershey. Having the man advantage usually benefits a team, but not the Admirals. Twice they allowed shorthanded goals to the league’s top offensive team. Not a good night for the boys. It is time to tighten their belts and get things together. We are all looking for a nice long run, deep into the playoffs this year. Time to get things going guys!

The Week Ahead

The Admirals find themselves on the road Wednesday night in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for a match against the Penguins. Norfolk returns home for a Friday and Saturday night set against the Albany Devils.

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Then suddenly, the light bulb went on. On Halloween, the “soft” Rangers took down the San Jose Sharks 5-2 and closed the home stand with wins over the Anaheim Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Winnipeg Jets and proceeded to rattle off three more against the Senators, the Carolina Hurricanes and the rival New York Islanders. There’s been a seven-game win streak, a 5-game win streak and their current 5-game win streak that have accounted for 17 of the 21 wins they have on the season. Since their home opener, they have not lost more than 2 in a row. A major factor in the Rangers’ success has been balance throughout the lineup.

The balance begins in net. Henrik Lundqvist has been exactly what you’d expect him to be. When they’ve needed him to be lights out, he has. But when he needs a break, there’s tremendous confidence that backup Martin Biron is up to the task. Following the win on  4-2 win on December 22nd over the New York Islanders,  Biron is now 7-1-0 (including a shutout) and boasts a .933 save percentage and 1.84 goals against average. After that game, John Tortorella called him the “1A” goaltender, as backup doesn’t seem an appropriate label for him. Tortorella is right. This combination is arguably one of the best pairings in the National Hockey League. At the rate that Biron is being started, Lundqvist would project to start in around 63 games, that would be the fewest starts since 53 in his rookie year when he started out as a backup. When playoff time comes around, having a fresh Lundqvist will be vital to a run.

Lundqvist and Biron have had plenty of help in front of them. Even before Marc Staal’s post-concussion syndrome issues came to light, there was some concern over the relative inexperience on the Rangers’ blue line. Relatively unnoticed outside of Rangers circles, Dan Girardi has stepped into the spotlight in his partner’s absence, leading the League in TOI with 27:27. Sophmore Ryan McDonagh has been equally up to the task partnering with Girardi. He’s 12th in the league in TOI with 25:15. They lost another top-4 defenseman, Michael Sauer, to a concussion on December 5th looked to be another blow to the the team. Steve Eminger and Michael Del Zotto stepped up to pick up the slack. Del Zotto has rebounded tremendously from the sophomore season from hell, and continues to mature.  As for Eminger, he suffered a separated shoulder  December 17th against the Phoenix Coyotes and is now out 8-10 weeks. When a team is built to be defense-first, losing half of  the defense corps would seem like the kiss of death. But the players who have been brought in have done a decent job of filling in. Two players picked up to plug some of the defensive holes -  Jeff Woywitka, plucked off the waiver wire from the Canadiens right before the season started and Anton Stralman, who was signed as a free agent on November 5th after failing to make the New Jersey Devils as a training camp tryout – have managed to hold the fort down. Stu Bickel, a callup from the Connecticut Whale when Eminger went down, has brought physicality and size back there and has put up 4 assists in the 4 games he’s played. How good have the Rangers been on the defensive side of things despite the injuries? They’ve only allowed 69 goals against in 34 games, putting them 2nd in the League  behind Boston. As Staal moves  ever-so-closer to returning, and once Sauer and Eminger are ready to come back to re-bolster the defense, tough choices will have to be made on who becomes the odd men out.

As far as the offense goes, they have not exactly been a juggernaut (101 goals scored is good enough for 9th in the League). Brandon Dubinsky, last year’s team-leading goal scorer, has all of 2. Brian Boyle, who shocked everyone with a 21-goal performance last year, also has scored only 2.  The return of the Marian Gaborik of 2009-10 has helped. Gaborik has scored a League-leading 22 of them.  He and sophomore Derek Stepan, who has 8 goals of his own, have clicked so perfectly together. Gaborik has accounted for just over 20% of the collective goal total, it doesn’t quite feel like it has in the past, where the offensive burden has been on one guy, the way it was when Gaborik first came as a free agent, or when Jaromir Jagr wore a blueshirt. The defense has chipped in 15. Ryan Callahan and Brad Richards are in the double-digits, with  13 and 12, respectively. Callup Carl Hagelin has dazzled with his speed and skill, with 6 goals in 16 games.

All around, this Rangers team feels far more balanced than it has in past seasons, not all on one or two guys to carry the load. It’s not always been pretty, perfect or complete, but so far it’s been good enough to put them at the top of the standings. However, they know they can’t just sit on their laurels, that they have to play better if they want to hang with the top of the pack and perhaps make some noise in the playoffs.

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

After 34 games, forward Steven Stamkos leads the team in goals with 20 (1st in the NHL) and points with 37. Marc-Andre Bergeron is tops in assists with 19. Stamkos leads the team in rating with a +10.

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

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

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

Box Scores

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

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

Three Stars of the Week

Martin St. Louis – One goal and one assist.

Pavel Kubina – One goal.

Dominic Moore – One goal.

Transactions

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

Injuries

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

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

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

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

Bolt Notes

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

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

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

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

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

The Week Ahead

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

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

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