NHL January 08

[Red Baron 0]

It does, though. JFJ was terrible and was constantly setting the Leafs backwards.

 

This move should've been made a long time ago

 

Oh c'mon. He was turning the team around. Three wins in four games!

 

 

I wonder what the headline at the Sun would read.

[CanadianChris 0]

Well, JFJ is FINALLY gone. Cliff Fletcher is once again Leafs GM.

 

Read the JFJ thing when I woke up this morning; when was Fletcher announced? Interim or full-time?

Interim. They're looking for a long-term replacement.

 

I'm going to disagree with Bob only in the sense that the real problem is with MLSE, which has no idea how to run a hockey franchise and yet insists on having final say on absolutely everything (and then takes forever to make a decision). They need to hire a GM who has final authority and then just get the hell out of the way.

[Guest]

Offense: C+. It's the only thing goin' good right now, and with the emergence of Brown, we finally have that player who can DOMINATE with Kopitar. Sure, Cammalleri can score a ton, but he can't dominate like Brown can. That said, we're not getting ANYTHING out of our free agent acquistions.

 

Defense: F. I'm speaking in terms of our team defense, not just our defensemen. It's simply atrocious. Blake has played great recently. That still hasn't done a damn thing to get things headed in the right direction.

 

Goaltending: C-. While LaBarbera has been much better than I thought he'd be, he's still not doing the things we need to win games. But with a defense this terrible, it's hard to accurately determine whether or not he could be doing better.

 

Coaching: F. I don't really need to explain this. Crawford is awful. Our penalty kill is a mess. Our system sucks, and there's no such thing as accountability in our own zone. Why he hasn't been fired, who knows.

 

Overall: D-. As bad as this team has been, it could be far, far worse. They're still picking up wins here and there, the rest of the conference is just too damn good. This is the worst team in the league and I don't see it changing until we get a GM who knows how to evaluate NHL ready players. Every UFA signing this guy has made has been a disaster.

[Red Baron 0]

Montreal Canadiens:

 

Offense: A. I'm not expecting Montreal being one of the top teams in goals for (7th) but the team is getting scoring from a rejuvinated Alexi Kovalev, Tomas Plekanec, Chris Higgins as their top scorers while getting contribution from their defence from Markov, Streit and Hamrlik. The young guys like the Kostistyn brothers, Guillame Latendresse (best name in hockey) are also playing very well too. Oh, and when lots of reports saying Montreal wasn't going to score much without Sheldon Souray on the point and the powerplay was going to flounder...well so far they are wrong. 2nd in the league on the PP.

 

Defence: B. This is a little skewed because Montreal defence sums up pretty easily. They let a lot of shots on net, not good quality shots, but shots in general. The defence is producing points, but the PK is horrible. Something that Montreal was good last year. And don't let the goals against fool anyone, lots of Montreals goals allowed this year were weak. Besides who'd thought bringing in Brisebois would help the defence?

 

Goaltending: B-. At the beginning of the season Huet wasn't playing well and Price was. Huet couldn't get into a rhythm when he was playing two or three games straight then get shelved for two. His injury in the early part of the season saw Price action. He played well, but he could have played better. Price wasn't aggressive and stayed too far back into the net giving the opposition a bigger target to shoot at. Not to mention Montreal lost some key points by some questionable goaltending throughout the season, but after a sluggish game one night, they come back out with an all-star performance the next.

 

Coaching: A. Guy doesn't have any cancers on the team and has pretty much everyone on the same page (except Ryder who is MIA). He has more confidence behind the bench and has more passion too. Just needs to work on the PK and Faceoffs and the team can fight Ottawa for first in the Northeast.

 

Overall: B+. This team is on the verge of becoming one of the elite teams next year, but just needs some tinkering. Whether its adding a player or just improving some weak areas. Solid play throughout everyone certainly make everyone think twice about this team. (except for other Habs fans).

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Goaltending: B+. It's hard to fault a goaltending team that has a 2.57 GAA (9th in the league) while facing over 31 shots per game (4th in the league). They are also tied for second in the league in save % (.918). Thomas has emerged as a legit #1 goaltender and Alex Auld has become a very safe backup, making timely saves and keeping the team in it, even during the long stretches where the ice is tilted into the Bruins' zone.

 

4 goals on 7 shots tonight, and that was just the first period. Yikes.

 

[Red Baron 0]

Is Cliff Fletcher going to be alive through the rest of the season?

[Red Baron 0]

I think I should change Montreal's offense to an A+

[the max 0]

I hate god.

[devo 0]

Columbus Blue Jackets

 

Offense: D+. I can only imagine how bad it would be if Zherdev wasn't having a breakout year. 25th in goals per game and 21st on the power play. Since Nash and Zherdev are the only true scoring threats (the third most goals on the team is Fedorov with eight) it's hard to scrape together goals when they're not on the ice.

 

Defense: B-. Not bad. They're 3rd in the penalty kill and 5th in goals allowed per game, but I'd tend to think the goaltending is just as responsible, especially when one considers that they're 12th in shots allowed per game. In any case, their penalty kill success alone is reason for celebration as they finished 21st in the league last in year in that particular category.

 

Goaltending: A-. Leclaire has been phenomenal. His .926 save percentage, 2.06 GAA and seven shutouts make him one of the best goalies in the conference if not the league. Norrena's not so great, but for a backup, you could do worse. Definitely the team's strong suit at the moment.

 

Coaching: A. Hitchcock has been a godsend for the Jackets. The improvements started showing almost immediately when he showed up last year and the work he's done with the team is really showing through this season. Columbus has improved in every facet of their play and I believe Hitchcock is mainly responsible for that.

 

Overall: C+. The offense is definitely still a problem area and I'm concerned about Leclaire maintaining his performance throughout the rest of the year. If he falters, the Jackets' playoff chances are basically nil. Still, if he finishes out the year strong and Zherdev continues to develop, I consider Columbus a legitimate threat for the seven or eight spot. Let's hope for the seven, since they'd be embarrassed by the Red Wings if they end up eighth.

[Zetterberg is God 0]

Detroit Red Wings

 

Offense: A. When together the Datsyuk-Zetterberg-Holmstrom line is one of the best in hockey. Zetterberg is at the top of his game and only injury is holding him back. In his place key contributers (Cleary, Filppula, Hudler) have stepped up and produced.

 

Defence: A. Lidstorm and Rafalski have been excellent together and there really isn't a weak link. Shots and quality chances are very limited.

 

Goaltending: A. When the "backup" is going to the All Star game, you know you have it good in this department. Osgood has been stellar and Hasek has turned it on as of late after a shakey start.

 

Coaching: A. Mike Babcock has done a superb job as always in guiding this team to a record start. Hopefully he'll be recognized come awards time.

 

Overall: A. What else can you say other than hopefully it translates to the playoffs. It's scary to think their record could be better had they not had trouble against the Central early on.

 

 

[Nightwing 0]

Another Red Wing report card, and I'll add another category as well.

 

Offense: Zetterberg and Datsyuk finally come into their own and showing why the Red Wings took so much time with them. They are scoring like mad, it's not just any sort of scoring, either: It's timely scoring. It's sad that they don't market Zetterberg like they do other players, as he could easily be a superstar if the NHL wanted to give him a little bit of spotlight. Holmstrom is doing what he does best, which is all that needs to be said. The second line coming into its own is another great thing to see, with Cleary becoming a real threat along with Hudler and Filppula.

Grade: A

 

Defense: I hate it when people describe Anaheim as the best Defense out there. Lidstrom, Rafalski, Kronwall, and Chelios is arguably the best top 4 out there, with ridiculous offensive power to compliment their defensive skill. Lebda and Lilja are better than they were last year. Credit also has to be given to the two-way play of all four offensive sets.

Grade: A

 

Goaltending: Osgood is having a "Vezina Nominee" year, or just about. Hopefully he can keep this up through the playoffs. Hasek is starting to show his age, and he worries me more than he normally does. His slow start is starting to fade away with solid play, but I'm not quite sure that he's back to his old self. I can't imagine him playing another year, especially if the Wings win the Cup. Hopefully Howard will be ready next season to start sharing duty with Osgood and grow into his role as a future starter.

Grade: A-

 

Coaching: Mike Babcock is probably the best coach out there today. He's got this Detroit team playing up to its potential, and you can feel that they have more to give out. The guy feels like a Hall of Fame coach the way he can get everything out of a team. His record speaks for itself.

Grade: A

 

Front Office: Ken Holland made probably the best move of the year in Brian Rafalski, but you almost expect that from Ken nowadays. My only problem with him is that we need to pick up more of a physical force. Dallas Drake and Aaron Downey are okay stop-gaps, but Drake is old and it shows while Downey is offensively very limited, which prevents him from playing more time in the Detroit system. Plus, as much as he starts fights he doesn't tend to win them. That part of the equation is the only thing stopping me from giving him an "A".

Grade: B+

 

Overall: You can't argue with their success. Last year they showed that they could win in the playoffs and survive rough play. If Schneider hadn't gotten his hand broken from that puck, Detroit might have won the Cup. This year they seem much more driven, much more dominant. This isn't a team in transition anymore; it's closing in on the final product.

Grade: A

[treble 0]

Cliff Fletcher is a genius.

[Red Baron 0]

Should we start planning on the parade route?

[BifEverchad 0]

The Leafs (Sundin, should I say) pulled off the win tonight against the Capitals.

Thankfully, my man Ovechkin tallied another for his 39th of the year!

 

 

GO HABS!

[BifEverchad 0]

Also, sorry for the double-post, but:

 

A little fantasy opinion poll here, answer if you can add some insight, if not whatever...

 

 

I have Colorado's Marek Svatos on my team, who I added a couple of weeks ago to help with my low goal production.

But this week, one of my buddies dropped Duck's LW, Chris Kunitz, who I'm very interested in, but I am a little apprehensive.

 

Think I should drop Svatos to pick up Kunitz?

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

I'm hardly happy about it, but this futility is pretty interesting.

[BifEverchad 0]

All streaks come to an end..

 

I'm taking Montreal.

[Nightwing 0]

I'm hardly happy about it, but this futility is pretty interesting.

 

For a second I thought you were posting this exercise in futility.

[LaParkaMarka 0]

Hey Max (or anyone who watches the Bruins), how is that Dennis Wideman guy? It's rare to see any of the Eastern Conference teams here, but I've heard that he's upped his game quite a bit from his St Louis days.

[CanadianChris 0]

Alfie has singlehandedly ended the Senators' losing streak with a six-point night.

 

EDIT: Make that seven. He's taken over the league scoring lead.

[devo 0]

I don't really have anything relevant to say, but I wanted to mention how cool it is that the Blackhawks' organist plays Misirlou during games.

[BifEverchad 0]

All streaks come to an end..

 

I'm taking Montreal.

YESSSSSS...

 

Montreal 4

New Jersey 3

[devo 0]

Nerve-wracking yet extremely entertaining 1-0 win for the Jackets in Chicago tonight. Leclaire was brilliant, tending his eighth shutout of the year and racking up thirty saves in the process.

 

Three wins in five games, not a bad road trip at all.

[Red Baron 0]

Did anyone expect Washington to do so well? One point seperates them from taking the division lead.

[BifEverchad 0]

Did anyone expect Washington to do so well? One point seperates them from taking the division lead.

Yeah, it's crazy that they are so close in their division, yet are out of the playoffs overall in the conference.

 

Ovechkin - 13 points (7G, 6A) in their last 7 games.

Rookie, Nicklas Backstrom - back-to-back 4 assist nights this week.

Viktor Kozlov seems to be heating up lately as well.

 

Too bad Michael Nylander had to go down for the season.

[Red Baron 0]

How about the play of Mike Green. Guy literaly came out of no where.

 

Looks like Alex Steen is going to be out for a while too.

[the max 0]

Hey Max (or anyone who watches the Bruins), how is that Dennis Wideman guy? It's rare to see any of the Eastern Conference teams here, but I've heard that he's upped his game quite a bit from his St Louis days.

 

Wideman has been much improved from last year. He still has some minor struggles from time to time (getting his shot on net, settling the puck, falling on his ass with nobody around) but he's been the best defenseman on the team apart from Chara and Ward. For a 24 year old, that's a pretty good thing. He's at least let the Bruins fans almost forget that Brad Boyes (for whom Wideman was traded) has 28 goals, which is how many Kobasew (the Bruins' leading scorer) is projected to finish with on the season.

[Smartly Pretty 0]

Did anyone expect Washington to do so well? One point seperates them from taking the division lead.

Yeah, it's crazy that they are so close in their division, yet are out of the playoffs overall in the conference.

 

Ovechkin - 13 points (7G, 6A) in their last 7 games.

Rookie, Nicklas Backstrom - back-to-back 4 assist nights this week.

Viktor Kozlov seems to be heating up lately as well.

 

Too bad Michael Nylander had to go down for the season.

 

The 6th seed in the East this year gets you the best draw. Carolina's got the third seed right now, but actually have less points than the Rangers, who are in 9th.

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3215853

 

Rangers/Lightning in Prague next season, Sens/Pens in Stockholm. A good friend of mine will be in the Czech Republic at that time (I think I've mentioned that somewhere before). I'm going to yell at him and make him go. Is Jagr from Prague? Either way, I'm sure he'll get a monster reception.

[CanadianChris 0]

The 6th seed in the East this year gets you the best draw. Carolina's got the third seed right now, but actually have less points than the Rangers, who are in 9th.

Back to normal, then. It's only been recently where the Southeast winner has actually been good. It's just another reason I hate the way the league is set up. Let the division winners into the playoffs, but don't give them an advantage in seeding.

[Mike wanna be 0]

The 6th seed in the East this year gets you the best draw. Carolina's got the third seed right now, but actually have less points than the Rangers, who are in 9th.

Back to normal, then. It's only been recently where the Southeast winner has actually been good. It's just another reason I hate the way the league is set up. Let the division winners into the playoffs, but don't give them an advantage in seeding.

But in this situation, if you were to put Carolina in the playoffs you'd have to give them a seeding advantage because they wouldn't be in the top 8 of the conference.