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Zz_

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  1. Zz_

    West Hot or Not week 2

    By Zz_,

    Western Conference Hot or Not



    WEEK 2



    I am sorry about images​, they were saving as URL and Not the picture.....

     

     
    It is amazing how things can change so quickly in just a few games, today I will look at who’s NHL season is not panning out the way they had hoped. So, who is in the freezer?
     

    Anaheim Ducks – Now this is a team the has Stanley Cup written all over it. Stellar goaltender Andersen has been spectacular in net, but has had no offensive help. Names like Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Carl Hagelin and Ryan Kesler all have all-star performances throughout their NHL careers. Even with all these great athletes, Anaheim is 1-7-2 and their young goaltender, even though he is playing great hockey, has taken the brunt of the bat with an 0-5-2 record. The Ducks leading goal scorers have 2 goals, lead assist man has 3, and their top point scorers are a three way tie with 3-points each. I expect once Getzlaf returns from his recent appendectomy, the Ducks will find some goal scoring rhythm and start their climb back to the top of the western conference.
     
    Now I could get some heat for this one but that is ok, because I feel this team has been very back and forth. My second ranking for this week is the San Jose Sharks, yes they have a winning record at 5-4-0 but, that winning record started off 4-0-0, which means in the past 5 games, the Sharks are 1-4-0. This team came out on fire like they had a point to prove. New captain Joe Pavelski came out in game 1 of the season making a statement helping lead the Sharks to a 5-1 victory over Los Angeles where he sank 1 goal alongside 2 assists. Joe and the Sharks lone win recently came against the Carolina Hurricanes, a team that started their season poorly. Regardless of all that, in the Sharks four losses they managed 5 goals combined, yet in just 3 of their 5 wins, San Jose has 15 goals and 5 goals in each of those 3 wins. Young goaltender Martin Jones has played his rear off for them in net despite 3 losses. Jones is sporting a 1.74 goals against average with a .938 save percentage. I feel like the Sharks will get back on pace here soon.
     
    And once again breaking my heart to put them anywhere on the cold side, the Colorado Avalanche. I could have put the Flames here, however Colorado went through what the Flames are going through last season. Colorado should be a much more poised team and playing smarter, but they are not. Colorado is 3-6-1 so far this season and Goaltender Semyon Varlamov has looked less than spectacular, in every game except for 1 which was a 34 save 2-1 win over Tampa Bay. Varlamov is allowing 3.37 goals per game and has a very sad save percentage of .889 with a 2-4-1 record. In my personal opinion, I would like to see the Avalanche send Varlamov to the AHL for a conditioning assignment and call up young goaltender Calvin Pickard. I feel like that would be a slap in the face that Varlamov could use, especially if he comes back to the Pepsi Center and continues to play this way… there might be some boos. Another sore spot, Colorado was top 5 in both power play and penalty kill last week… Colorado’s power play is not 17th, and allowed their 1st shorthanded goal of the season to the Carolina Hurricanes. If you watch the power play work, 1:30 is either used chasing the down from their goal line, or passing…. The other .30 seconds are used shooting the puck into defender’s legs or taking a penalty. Colorado has had three consecutive games with 5-on-3 power plays and have come up empty on all three, including a 5-on-3 that lasted about a minute and a half. Now you think that has gone south… How about their penalty kill that has sunk to 21st in the league? So, we are not scoring man up and we are not stopping anything man down, yet our 5-on-5 has been our strongest point and it is the only thing Coach Roy seems to care about. Another thing, Patrick Roy has become the NHL’s softest coach!!! What happen to the fired up Roy who was fined $10,000 for shoving the middle glass in the bench towards Bruce Boudreau? Or the guy who told his team they need to put their B***s on the table?? Now it is a bunch of, oh I thought they played fine, our 5-on-5 was good and Varly played pretty well. Oh the power play will come back to us we need to just make smarted choices… He does not have the Patrick Roy fire that won him four Stanley cups, three Conn Smyth’s or the central division title with the Jack Adams. Nope…. I will call him out all day until it changes, Roy is soft and has been for two seasons.
     
    Sorry to rant and rave there, it is a deep passion of burgundy, blue and white that runs through my veins… Alright, now which players in the west need a kick in the rear?

    Defense—
    Tyson Barrie – Last season Tyson played 80 games and tallied 53-points, 41 of those were assists. This season, Barrie has served a 3-game suspension for interference/charging after driving into a player’s head. In his seven games Tyson has 2 assists and a -2 with 15 shots on goal, while the shots on goal are ok, there is never any traffic in-front of the opposing teams net while his shots are being taken… Each saves. Barrie is also not effectively jumping into the offense play like he is known for and when he does it is all untimed and leads to turnovers.
     
    Erik Johnson – I suppose it is pick on the Avs week here. Funny stat here, as of last night Johnson is the 3rd highest scoring defensemen on the power-play with two goals. Why is this funny? Well, Erik tallied those 2 goals in games 1 and 2 of the season where he also registered his only assist. Johnson has gone 8 games without a point and has stopped firing the puck at the net on power-plays. Like the rest of the power-play unit, Johnson has resorted to over passing the puck or taking shots on net with no screen. This is the NHL and a former #1 overall pick, you would think he would eventually start playing like he is a part of both little clubs there. After only playing 47 games last season, Johnson has not seemed confident in his play and it shows through the lineup that this team is looking for answers, even if they have managed 3 wins.
     
    Hampus Lindholm— This 21-year-old defensemen has played amazing in his first two seasons with Anaheim, but like the rest of the Ducks, he has not found any rhythm to start the season. Hampus is tied for the team lead with 2 goals and 3 points but also has a tough -6 on the season. Lindholm has been a + only once so far this season and that came against the Minnesota Wild, the Ducks only win of the season. He also scored a goal and had an assist in that game. Like the rest of the Ducks, expect Lindholm to catch fire once all the cylinders get running.
     
    Goaltending—
    Jonas Hiller and Joni Ortio – I decided to choose both Flames goaltender because they are both not playing to their potential, mainly Jonas Hiller. After placing Kari Ramo on waivers and sending him to their AHL team, Ortio came in relief, but it has not been such a thing. In 4 games (2 starts) Joni is 0-2-1 and owns a 4.26 goals against average, a .868 save percentage and has allowed 10 goals in those 4 games. Jonas Hiller has played in 7 games (started 6) and is representing the best goaltender for the Flames with a 3.67 goals against Average and a .861 save percentage. I feel like it is safe to say that Calgary is in need of a goalie…. Maybe they can trade Johnny Gaudreau to the Avalanche for Semyon Varlamov? No, bad deal? Ok ok…. How about Monahan? No still bad? Alright, alright, well maybe there is someone sitting in the AHL or Free Agency that the Flames can try for at some point, question is, who do they give up if they make a deal?
     
    Cam Talbot – Edmonton went out and snagged Cam Talbot the off-season and expected him to be their number one guy. While rookie Phenom Connor McDavid has caught fire as well as guys like Nail Yakupov and Taylor Hall… The oilers defense and goaltending have not been too great. Not one of the worst in the league number wise, Talbot has a 3-5-0 record a .904 save percentage and 2.63 goals against average. With the offense starting to click, the Oilers entire team should pick up and that includes Cam Talbot in net.
     
    Semyon Varlamov – For the second week in a row, Varlamov finds himself on the cold list for the Avalanche. This was Varlamov’s stats last week – 1-2-1 Record – 3.89 Goals Against Average - .861 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 87 of 101 shots stopped. Now let’s look at what has changed. 2-4-1 Record – 3.37 goals against average - .889 save percentage – 0 shutouts 176 of 198 shots stopped…. So, in other words not much has changed with Varlamov, expect that he has faces more shots bringing his numbers down a smidge in his GGA and up slightly in his save percentage. Varlamov played in back to back games against Tampa Bay and Carolina, winning 2-1 in Tampa and dropping 3-1 in Carolina.
    Offensive struggles –
    Anze Kopitar – Kopi has played 9 games for the Kings this season and had only been able to manage 3 goals and 3 points in those 9 games. Kopitar is known for his ability to put pucks in the net and set up plays for the Kings. Since the addition of Milan Lucic to the Los Angeles roster, Kopitar has fallen back and is struggling, the good news is that 2 of those 3 goals have come in the past 3 games. With the monkey on his back, I expect to see Kopitar on the rise next week.
     
    Matt Duchene – 10 games into the season, Duchene finds himself on the bad list for many if not all Avs fans. Duchty has managed just 1 goal and 1 assist this season and is a -5. Many expected after he broke the mark against Los Angeles in game 5 that Duchene would ignite and start putting pucks in the net, however the 24-year-old is still gripping his stick two tightly. Highlight saves by Cam Ward and Ben Bishop are probably haunting the young center as he was robbed by both. Cam Ward’s save was much butter but none the less they were both spectacular! Duchene could be the spark that ignites the Avalanche, if he can get going and the TMI line stays hot, that could spell trouble for the west… it just needs to happen…. (The TMI line – Tanguay, MacKinnon, Ignila – or as Mack calls them, his dads so the family line could work? No, no, I like TMI better.)
     
    Corey Perry – Alongside Varlamov and Duchene, finds himself on the Chilly side of things. Perry continues to struggle to put numbers up. He is up to four assists and holds a -4 and is managing just over 2 shots per game… sadly 12 of his 22 shots have come between 2 games. Once Getzlaf gets back from his appendectomy, I do feel the Ducks will find some offence, I truly expect that the next three – four games will be improvements for the Ducks to build on, I see them going 2-1 if not 3-1.
     
    It’s getting’ hot in here, so take off all your….no please don’t…. But, some warmth is greatly needed and the perfect place to start is with the Dallas Stars! Why not right, they are proving my predictions way wrong for where I placed them in the Western Conference! Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin a just tearing it up for the Stars who have built an 8-2-0 record behind Antti Niemi’s 5-1-0 record and Kari Lehtonen’s 3-1-0 start to the season. Expect the Stars to keep climbing in the West despite lossed to the Colorado Avalanche and Florida Panthers. http://www.hockeyforums.net/index.php/blog/65/entry-787-western-conf/#commentsStart
     
    The Nashville Predators will stay in this week’s hot list as they continue to produce wins. Currently Nashville is Tied for 2nd in the Central and second in the west with a 7-1-1 record and 15 points. They are one of four central division teams at the top that do not include the Chicago Blackhawks. The Predators have only played 9 games while everyone else is at 10 and 11 games played. Nashville has also allowed only 17 goals this season which is the lowest in the league (18 for Los Angeles.)
     
    This is a tough choice – I can go with Los Angeles who is 6-0-0 in their last 6 games, or I can take the tie between the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild who sit 7-2-1 and both have won their last 2 games. How about we honorable mention all three and not make a choice here. Minnesota is the only team in the west not to lose at home, (Nashville and St. Louis both has an OT/SO Loss at home) their 5-0-0 record is proving to be vital at home considering they are 2-2-1 on the road. St Louis is battling through a lot of injuries and still finding a way to win games. They have lost Paul Stastny to a broken foot, Jaden Schwartz who needed ankle surgery, rookie Robbi Fabbri (who looks like promising talent in St. Louis) Kevin Shattenkirk and now Vladimir Tarasenko will both be out also beginning 10/31/15 – Tarasenko and Shattnkirk’s injuries are listed as day to day. Los Angeles is winning, but struggling to score goals… They are 6-0-0 in their previous 6 games and 6-3-0 overall. Enroth has a 1.00 GAA and Quick a 2.00, Quick is 5-0-0 in his last 5 games.
     

    With that said, let’s take a peek at this week’s players to mention!
     
    Goaltending—
    Jonathan Quick – 5-3-0 Record – 2.00 goals against average – .928 save percentage – 1 shutout – 205 of 221 shots stopped. Johnny is 5-0-0 in his last 5 games, in those games he has allowed 1 goal in 3, 2 goals in 1 and 0 goals in 1. That is 2 weeks in a row for Quick on the hot side.
     
    Pekka Rinne – Also receiving his 2nd mention in a row. 6-1-1 record – 1.74 goals against average - .934 save percentage – 1 shutout – 197 of 211 shots stopped. This 32-year-old former 258th overall pick has been on fire since returning from his hip surgery and infection just two years ago.
     
    Brian Elliott and Jake Allen duo – Elliott 4-0-1 record – 2.18 goals against average - .908 save percentage – 0 shutouts – 108 of 119 shots stopped. Allen – 3-2-0 record 2.01 goals against average - .928 save percentage – 1 shutout – 128 of 138 shots stopped. Allen is 3-1 in his last 4 starts. Do not expect this duo to have 1 leader, Allen and Elliot will split all season.
     

    Defense—
    Ryan Suter – Ryan finds himself the leading point getter in the Western Conference among defensemen. Suter has 2 goals and 1 assist in his past two games, look for him to continue to produce now that he has established some points in the last 5 games. Suter is known for producing points sending 30+ helpers to the net in 7 consecutive seasons.
     
    John Klingberg – Klingberg finds himself tied with Suter in the western conference with 2 goals and 7 assists. The second year player for the Stars has at least 1 point in his last 5 games and with the Stars in full click mode, expect that to continue at, at least a point every two games.
     
    Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Oliver has played well for Phoenix this past week on the back-end. Ekman-Larsson has pinned up four assists in his last 4 games and has seven on the season which includes 36 shots on net. Don’t expect Ekman-Larsson to keep this pace up on a young Coyote team, but expect him to still put up numbers.
     
    Offense –
    Nathan Mackinnon – Mack has been a point per game player this season. His 4 goals and 6 assists lead the Avalanche headed into the weekend. Nathan has been put on a line with Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla a line I call the TMI line. Tanguay has scored in two consecutive games with an assist, Iginla has two apples in the past two games as well on this line, while MacKinnon holds 1 goal and 2 assists. Expect MacKinnon to keep up his pace and possibly even turn it up.
     
    Jamie Benn – Jamie might stay in the hot slot for the rest of the season the way he is playing. In his previous 4 games Benn has 1 goals and 4 assists, and leads the NHL with 9 goals and 17 points. As long as he stays healthy, I do not see Jamie Benn and his line-mate Tyler Seguin slowing down any time soon.
     
    Tyler Toffoli – This kid is just getting better and better every season and is turning into a guy you WANT on your team. Toffoli is tied for the NHL lead in goals scored with 9. I mean to be tied with Jamie Benn, that just makes you that much more noticeable. Tyler has had 3 goals and 1 assist in his last 2 games played 5 goals, 2 assists in his last 4. I expect Tyler’s assist production to increase and would watch him to continue his pace. This may be a career year for the 23-year-old Canadian.
     
    **All stats are based up until 10/31/15 only***
     
    ​
  2. Zz_
    Western Conference Hot or Cold



    I have decided to do a weekly hot and cold for clubs and players.



    WEEK 1




     
    The Western Conference is shaking up a little less than expected and here is why, who’s hot:
     
    We have to start with the Dallas Stars who have been great since they were blown out 6-3 vs the Colorado Avalanche. Since then, Dallas is 5-0-0 and has allowed 3 goals once, 2 goals twice and 1 goal twice in those five games. Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen has split the duties and have gone 3-1-0 and 3-0-0 respectively. Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin have been hot with 10 points each. Things are in place with the Stars who have five teams coming up that are looking to get on track for their season.
     
    Second nod is going to the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings looked like they were dead in the water starting their season 0-3-0. After a hard fought game against the Minnesota Wild, a 2-1 overtime win, the Kings have seemed to turn things around and win the next three in regulation. The Kings are now 4-3-0 and riding high with confidence. Jonathan Quick is now .500 on the season, Jhonas Enroth is 1-0-0 and much needed clicking through the roster is happening.
     
    I cannot leave out the Nashville Predators here. This team has been making magic the past two seasons and unlike last season, it isn’t one player making the show. Nashville has 10 different players with 3 or more points and 16 players with at least one point. While Pekka Rinne has enjoyed most of the load he is 5-1-0 and back up Carter Hutton is a whopping 1-0-0.
     
    Who is making noise in the Western Conference:
     
    Offense—
     
    Jamie Benn – Benn has been on a terror his past 4 games notching 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists.) The only downfall to Benn’s 10-point season so far is his +1 rating. Jamie has put 18 shots on net and holds 1 game winning goal. With the next 5 opponents not super impressive in their all-around game, look for Benn to keep up with strong numbers, we might see him in our week 2 of who’s hot. I did forget to mention… Benn is tied for the league lead in goals with six.
     
    Connor McDavid— McDavid scored his first NHL goal in game three and since them he has sprung into the #1 pick he was made out to be. In his past four games Conner has netted 4 goals and 3 assists, while he does have 8 points on his young NHL career, he is a -4 with only 14 shots on goal. As the season carries, I expect McDavid to shoot more and make away with the Calder trophy as expected.
     
    Tyler Seguin— It took Seguin four games to capture his first goal of the season, after back to back 37 goal seasons, Seguin is just getting started. With 4 goals, 6 assists, Tyler is tied for the team lead with 10-points with Jamie Benn. Seguin has a blistering 30 shots on net after 7 games, expect him to carry on his assault over the next 5 games.
     
     
    Defense—
     
    John Klingberg – In his second full season in the NHL Klingberg continues to be impressive. The 23-year-old Swede has 1 goal and 5 assists and is a +5 in his first 7 games. Klingberg had a 2-point night (1g1a) against the Penguins on the 22nd of October, it was his first 2-point game of the season.
     
    It was hard to pick the top hot defensemen as the Western Conference is lacking outstanding defensive-offensive defense to begin the season. Usually a Kevin Shattenkirk or Tyson Barrie are making noise, but nothing yet.
     
    Ryan Suter – The 30-year-old vet has yet to find the back of the net with his dangerous slapper but does have 6 assists on the season. Suter has a whole 7 shots on goal and has seem to be a little sluggish to start, Suter also is a +/- 0 on the season. Look for Suter to start firing to puck and hopefully start picking up his offensive and defensive game.
     
    Roman Josi – Josi has been pretty solid on the blue line for Nashville to start the season. His 2 goals and 3 assists have him the top defensive scorer for the Predators. Josi has; 1 power play goal, 1 shorthanded goal, and 1 game winning goal on 19 shots this season. Although he has been held off the score sheet in the previous two games, Josi is +3 and playing about 24 minutes a game.
     
    Goaltending—
     
    Pekka Rinne – 5-1-0 Record – 1.82 Goals Against Average - .933 Save Percentage – 1 Shutout – 154 of 165 shots stopped. Rinne continues to prove he is elite and make a name tag headed for the NHL hall of fame.
     
    Kari Lehtonen – 3-0-0 Record – 2.35 Goals Against Average - .920 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 80 of 87 shots stopped. It was hard to choose two and three and honestly I could have chosen maybe two others but I like what Lehtonen has done losing the full-time number spot with the addition on Neimi. This is a professionalism pick.
     
    Jonathan Quick – 3-3-0 Record – 2.16 Goals Against Average - .923 Save Percentage – 1 Shutout – 155 of 168 shots stopped. Quick and the Kings have regained a spark and he is on a rampage right now. Over the past three games, Quick has allowed 2 goals on 89 shots and had a 40 save shutout.
     
    The Western Conference is trending upwards but let’s look at who is in the most need of a hot trend because they are just filthy cold.
    We have to start with Anaheim here, I mean what on earth happened? This is a team that, I am sure, was penciled in by nearly the entire hockey nation as a top contender in the West. Mind you, yes we are only like 9 ish games into the season and only 7 for Anaheim, but man…. No one is scoring, hands down is their number one issue. Getzlaf, Perry, Kesler combine for 3 points and their leading goal scorer has 2 (tied between 3 players.) They have been shut out 3 times and scored more than 1 goal only 1 time, that was their 4-1 win over a tough Wild team. Frederik Andersen, their number one goaltender, is 0-2-1 but still has solid numbers with a 1.57 GGA and a .947 Sv% he has stopped 108 of 114 shots…. No blame can be put on this kid.
     
    Next up, the Calgary Flames… wait a second, haven’t we all seen this story? Oh wait that’s right, the Colorado Avalanche did this one! 112 points in 2013-14 and then… well we all know the rest, that’s right the #10 overall pick following a horrid 2014-15 season…. Yet that was caused by a LONG list of injuries including their goaltender….so what is with the Flames? Well, maybe their goaltending was the issue? Number one goalie to start the season, Kari Ramo, was placed on waivers and sent to the AHL. Ramo was 0-3-0, Jonas Hiller has not done much better at 2-3-0… Maybe Joni Ortio will help resolve the goaltending issue? Next up though is the offense, Johnny Gaudreau has 8 assists which is means he has assists on 1 less than half the team’s goals…. Which means there is no real offense happening. Gaudreau, Bennett and Monahan have 3 goals combine…
     
    I really hate to do this to myself but number three belongs to the Colorado Avalanche. First off, they beat the Dallas Stars 6-3 and that was no easy task… But then they get stuck with desperate times and play like they are Buffalo… Boston (0-3-0) – 6-2 loss…. Los Angeles Kings (1-3-0) 2-1 loss… Carolina Hurricanes (1-4-0) 1-0 loss… Three games that Colorado should have put in the other direction, however could not. Many thought a healthy team and goalie, Colorado could make a run but who knows… Chances are looking better and better that Colorado could be in the top 10 picks again. However, it is pretty early in the season. If the Avs can get their young offense rolling and keep playing the defense they are, things could turn good. They are the only team in the NHL with both their Power Play and Penalty Kill in the top 5.
     
    Lack of fire power, let’s see which players are frozen on ice… ha ha get it?
     
    Offense—
     
    Ryan Getzlaf – You cannot not put Ryan on this list and this week, he is frozen and not moving. The 5 time 20+ goal scorer has 1 point 6 games into the season. This Duck captain is looking to get his Ducks in a row and string together not only some scoring but some wins. However, their next few opponents won’t be giving any swimming room as they take on Minnesota, Dallas and Chicago.
    Corey Perry – I find myself feeling bad about these picks because these two guys can score and in a hurry, but have yet to do anything. Perry also sits on the Ducks bench with just 1 assist this season, the 5 time 30+ goal scorer is scratching his head wondering what is going on. His 10 shots on goal have not been enough to mustard up a goal so far this season and his next three opponents won’t just hand them over.
     
    Matt Duchene – Now normally points do not hide from Dutchy to start the season, however his 1 goal this season is all he has in 6 games for the Avs. The third overall pick in 2009 has never had that huge breakout season we all know he is capable of and it doesn’t look like it will happen this year. But when Ducth catches fire… watch out because it could snowball into a whole team boost.
     
    Defense –
     
    Kevin Bieksa – Alright now I feel like I am plucking guys from the Ducks here… Oh wait a second, I am… My question is, how are the Ducks doing better than the Blue Jackets? I mean at least one of their guys has more than 2 points… Anyway, Bieksa has no points, is a -5 and has six shots on goal… flat out just bad hockey.
     
    Cam Fowler – I promise my assault will end soon… Kind of feels like Montreal in reverse on my Eastern Conference hot side… Fowler has one point, 13 shots on goal and is -6, his one goal can at even strength.
     
    Dougie Hamilton – 9th overall pick in 2011 – Calgary went out and stole Hamilton from the Boston Bruins where he had a break out season last year with 10 goals and 32 assists. However, he is nowhere to be found so far in Calgary with 1 goals, -6 and 11 shots. His only goal came on the power-play… I am sure that when the Flames signed him to a 6 year $34.5-million-dollar contract… they had much bigger production numbers in mind from the 22-year-old.
     
    Goaltending-
     
    Kari Ramo – 0-3-0 Record – 4.37 Goals Against Average - .879 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 80 of 91 stopped shots. Ramo was placed on waivers by Calgary, cleared and is now reassigned to AHL.
     
    Semyon Varlamov – 1-2-1 Record – 3.89 Goals Against Average - .861 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 87 of 101 shots stopped. Varlamov and the Avalanche currently trail the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in the third period.
     
    Frederik Andersen – 0-3-1 – 1.86 Goals Against Average - .938 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 135 of 144 stopped shots. (Stats updated after 10/24/15 game against Minnesota Wild.) Although Andersen’s play is not to blame fully, he earns my final spot this week.
  3. Zz_
    This Weeks Hot and Cold in the Eastern Conference



    I have decided to do a weekly hot and cold for clubs and players.



    WEEK 1




    Who’s Hot in the Eastern Conference:
     

    Of course this will be highlighted by none other than the Montreal Canadians who are on a relentless terror right now. 8-0-0 to begin the second, Montreal is flying high with goaltender Carey Price. While Price has been stellar at 6-0-0, sitting behind him, 25-year-old Mike Condon is playing top notch as well. Condon is 2-0-0 and holds a 1.5 GAA and .947 Sv%. Montreal leads the Atlantic division, Eastern Conference and the entire NHL at that.
     
    In the same division we see the Tampa Bay Lightning also starting where they left off last year. Currently Tampa sits 5-2-1 behind only Montreal in the Atlantic division. While they are winning games, Tampa Bay has only scored 4 more goals than their opposition. Look for Tampa Bay to fall a little here as their next two opponents are a force to be recon with. They will have a Stanley Cup Final rematch Saturday, October 24th in Chicago and then head over to St. Louis to fire up against the pesky Blues. Tampa Bay is 2nd in the Atlantic division, 4th in the Eastern Conference and 6th in the NHL.
     
    Another team to watch here are the Washington Capitals and man are they playing some great hockey. Now they only have one blemish on their 6-1-0 record and that came to a San Jose Sharks team who started off the season shot out of a cannon. Since then, Washington and Captain Alex Ovechkin have turned a sharp corner winning 5 of the next 5. Holtby is putting up pretty solid numbers in net, 5-1-0 2.03 GAA .917Sv%. But the defense and goal scoring are coming along as they have 29 goals for and 18 against this season, mind you 5 of those 18 came in their only loss 5-0. Washington leads the Metropolitan division, is currently in 2nd place in the Eastern Conference and sits 2nd in the NHL.
     
    Who’s hot in the playing department?
     
    Goaltending –
     
    Carey Price – 6-0-0 Record - .966 Save percentage - 1.00 Goals Against Average – 2 shutouts – 170 of 176 shots stopped.
     
    Braden Holtby – 5-1-0 Record - .917 Save Percentage – 2.03 Goals Against Average – 0 Shutouts – 132 of 144 shots stopped.
     
    Henrik Lundqvist – 4-2-1 Record - .938 Save Percentage – 2.00 Goals Against Average – 0 Shutouts – 210 of 224 shots stopped. (Despite his record, Lundqvist has been a monster in net for the Rangers, just look at the shots he has faced compared to Price or Holtby…. Monster!!!)
     
    Defense –
     
    We cannot NOT talk about Montreal Players and the team, here’s another.
     
    P.K Subban – 8 games played, 0 goals but 8 assists, he is an amazing +13! Subban has taken 2 penalties for 4 minutes and put 16 shots at the opponent’s net. Subban is in his 7th season with the Canadians and is looking to add some goals, watch out if Subban gets hot on the power play!
     
    Andre Markov – While Subban has been good, Markov has been just as good! 8 games played, Markov sports 1 goal 8 assists and an even better +14!! He also has had 2 penalties for 4 minutes but has managed only 10 shots on goal. Markov is averaging around 23 minutes a game.
     
    Victor Hedman – Another defensemen playing some great hockey on the back end. Hedman has played in 7 games for Tampa Bay, he has 0 goals but has 9 helpers. Like Subban and Markov he has 2 penalties for 4 minutes. He is a +7 and has 10 shots on goal. Hedman is skating about 20 minutes per game right now.
     
    Offense—
    Now we want to see some fire power!
    Max Pacioretty – Without question this guy is my top pick, and yet another Montreal Canadian. Max has played in all 8 games for Montreal racking up a lead leading 6 goals (tied with 3 others) and has 3 assists. Max is tearing goalies apart with 34 shots on net, he also sits +11 on offense for the Habs.
     
    David Krejci – I personally regret dumping Krejci on my fantasy team before letting him have a fair chance. David has made me look silly as all get out, he has a league leading 12 points in 7 games, (10 of those came after I dropped him and the winless Bruins.) With 5 goals and 7 assists Krejci has only managed 18 shots on goal. David is just 2 goals shy of the 7 he established last season, if he keeps it up, he might be on pace for his 3rd 20+ goal season and might manage a possible 30… but let us stick with 20 for now.
     
    Evgeny Kuznetsov – I have to pick this kid after his stellar game in Edmonton last night. Recording not only his first 2 goal (regular season) game, but his first career hat trick in the NHL. Kuznetsov is playing on a line with Alez Ovechkin and T.J Oshie seems to be working well for the youngster. He is currently 2nd in the NHL in points with 11, has 3 goals and 9 assists with 16 shots and a +5.
     
    It feels a little chilly out… oh wait, that’s just the Colorado weather, no but really let’s look at who is in the Cold in the Eastern Conference:
     
    I must start with the Columbus Blue Jackets… This is a team A LOT of people were looking forward to watching this season. They were on the up and up and many thought they would contend for a playoff spot this season… Well, what happened? 27-year-old Russian Goaltender Sergei Bobrovski has always had a winning record and won some vital games for the Blue Jackets, last season he was 30-17-3 but things this season are falling way opposite. Columbus fired their Coach, Todd Richards and hire Coach John Tortorella (who should spark these guys, I just hope not against my AVS!) After yet another loss 3-2 to the Wild, Columbus is off to the worst start in the NHL in 72 years when the New York Rangers in 1943-44 started off 0-11!! Columbus is currently 0-8-o and Ryan Johansen leads the club with 6 points (1g5a) but was benched for the remaining 6.5 minutes against Minnesota. Sergei Bobrovski will look to get his first win of the season against fellow struggling Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Must be something in the Russian water over the summer……
     
    Next – the struggling Sabers…Surpriseeee!!! But no really, Buffalo well, we pretty much expected this… Super young team, their #1 goalie is on IR, I mean what else can you say? Bright side, Sam Reinhart is looking pretty good with 1 goal, 2 assists and a +2 (the highest +/- on the team.) However, guys they are leaning on to be leader just have not truly stepped up. Ryan O’Reilly has 2 goals and 2 assists with a -2, Evander Kane, 1 goal 2 assists and a -5 and you don’t expect a ton from Jamie McGinn but he is considered a lead on this young team 0 goals 2 assists -4. Young Jack Eichel (the #2 pick in the draft) started off the season well, he had a goal in his NHL debut and a goal in his third game but nothing since, Eichel sits -6 and looks to rebound after having 0 points in his last 4 games.
     
    I could pick a few here but I will stay bottom three. The Carolina Hurricanes, this is a team that I feel should really be winning more. The combinations of players they have, you would think pucks would be going in the back of the net, yet they are not. There are three players with a team leading 4 points on the team, while Cam Ward continues to try and figure himself out. Rookie Noah Hanifin looks like a great draft for Carolina, although he had 1 point (an assist) he is a -2 but has 10 shots on goal. In order for the Hurricanes to start winning, they need to start scoring and balance their attack. In the last two games they have 1 goal (which they won on a Cam Ward shutout in overtime with that 1 goal.) They are being out scored 12 to 20 at this point of the season, Jeff Skinner, Staal brothers are three struggling goal scorers that can ignite at any time…. Just maybe together is their issue.
     
    Struggling goaltenders—
     
    Sergei Bobrovski – 0-6-0 Record – 4.71 goals against average - .840 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 136 of 162 shots stopped. This kid can get going if the offense can get going. I see Bob’s and the Jackets rebounding but I do not think it will be enough to fight for a playoff spot.
     
    Cam Ward – 2-4-0 Record – 2.68 Goals Against Average - .895 Save Percentage – 1 Shutouts - 136 of 152 shots against. This 11-year veteran has seen better days; I almost feel like there is a chance Ward could find a new home in the NHL. Where would be the question or who would want him? He does have 1 Stanley Cup on his resume.
     
    Jonathan Bernier – 0-3-1 Record – 2.39 Goals Against Average - .924 Save Percentage – 0 Shutouts – 97 of 105 shots stopped. Bernier has never seemed to feel at home in Toronto since leaving Los Angeles. I could see Bernier or Reimer moving out of Toronto by trade deadline if not sooner. Something needs to happen with the Leafs.
     
    Defense—
     
    Ryan Murray – a 2nd overall pick in 2012 has just never gotten going. In 2013-14 he played 66 games and managed 21 points. Last season injury led him to only 12 games and 3 points… So far to start the year, Murray has played all 8 game, he had no goals 2 assists and is a -3 with 8 shots. Is it a matter of bust or is Murray in need of a new team? He is only 22, however for a #2 pick he sure is not playing like it.
     
    Morgan Reilly – Reilly was taking 5th overall in the 2012 draft, yes just 3 after above mentioned Murray. Reilly though, has proven himself valuable to the Leafs. The 21-year-old defensemen managed 27 points in 2013-14, 29 points last season but is off to a sluggish start. In 6 games, Reilly has 2 assists and is -2 with 11 shots on net. Reilly is a solid defenseman that needs to get the wheels turning to help the Leafs turn their season around.
     
    Torey Krug – Off to a sputtering start, Krug has 6 points all assists to start the season, 5 of those 6 have come in two separate games. Krug has made a name for himself as a solid all around defensemen. He has been firing shots towards the net with 22 in 7 games and is looking to catch fire but has had nothing in his past two games other than a -1. Watch for the pucks to start going in as the Boston Bruins have started to turn things around (although they are 0-3-1 at home, they are 3-0-0 on the road.)
     
    Offense--
     
    Ryan Johansen - Benched in the final minutes of the Blue Jackets last game in Minnesota. His 1 goals 5 assists are -6 are not enough to get this Blue Jacket team moving. By benching him, New Coach John Tortorella made a statement to not only Ryan Johansen but the Columbus Blue Jackets as a team.
     
    Evander Kane - The number 4 overall pick in 2009 is known to be a pretty consistent 40 point a season guy. Kane was injured last season and did not play for Buffalo after being traded by Winnipeg. Kane has regained his health but along with the rest of Buffalo cannot find his scoring touch. Kane has 3 points (1g, 2a) and is a -5 on the season, a lack of chemistry and spark has him struggling. Once chemistry comes around, expect Kane to start putting up some numbers.
     
    Eric Staal - a 1 time 100 point scorer, 7 time 70+ point scorer. Eric Staal was the 2nd overall pick back in 2003, but the now 30-year-old is struggling to get back to the 70's. E.Staal has 4 points to start the season and 3 of those 4 came in one game, a game that should have sparked the Hurricane captain. With the thought that maybe Cam Ward is on his way out of Carolina, could Eric Staal be? Probablu brother first though? Also a former #2 overall pick, Jordan Staal is struggling with 0 points 7 games into the season.
     

    Now it is up to you, who do you think deserves to be listed in the hot or cold for the Eastern Conference?
  4. Zz_

    Canadians Cup Contenders?

    By Zz_,

    How Bad Do They Want It???

     
    It could very much so be too early in the season, but I do have to ask… Could the Stanley Cup finally be returning to Canada?
     

    Ironically the last team that won Lord Stanley’s Cup was none other than the Montreal Canadians, who look to be an early contender to start the 2015-16 season. Last season. Montreal clinched all but the Presidents trophy with a 50-22-10 record and 110 points. Carey Price dominated the NHL and took home the Hart, Vezina, Ted Lindsey and also shared the William M. Jennings trophy with Corey Crawford. The only thing he did not do last season, was win the Stanley Cup. Price and the rest of the Canadians were bested by a very young, very hungry Tampa Bay Lightning team.
     
    With an amazing stand through-out the 2014-15 season, the Montreal Canadian fans would look towards another year without the cup. It was 22 years ago that Montreal went 48-30-6 with goaltender, Patrick Roy, 28, now that is not as impressive as 50-22-10 but it is pretty darn close. Roy and the Habs would take on Wayne Gretzky and the Los Angeles Kings and beat them four games to one. That my friends, is the last real time Canadian fans had anything to cheer about.
     

    The next few seasons would go by and eventually Roy would play his last game before being traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Since that day, Montreal has looked for a goaltender to fill the void in net. Here and there they would find a spark, but nothing to get the fire going. Then 2005 would come along, all eyes focused on the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby, everyone seems to have forgotten the #5 pick that season, Carey Price.



     
    Price would sneak in behind the scenes, Price would wait until the 2007-2008 season to get his shot. At 19-years-old he would prove worthwhile. Playing in 41 games, Price would show up with 24-Wins 12-Losses and 3-Overtime losses. The Canadians would find themselves in the playoffs but out after 11 games with the rookie goaltender. After that season, the net belonged to Carey Price and no one would compete for it. In 8-full seasons under Price, the Canadians have gone to the playoffs 7 times and so far, they are on track for 8 of 9.
     
    The Canadians are off and running to start the 2015-16 season. Naming Max Pacioretty as their 29th captain in team history. Carey Price coming off one of the most remarkable seasons in NHL history and PK Subban coming into his second of an eight-year contract with the club.
     
    The Canadians are off to a 7-0-0 start and remain the only undefeated team in this fresh 2015-16 season. The have scored 23 goals and after Price’s second shutout of the season they have allowed only 7 goals. Carey Price, now 6-0-0, is sporting insane numbers. He has 2 shutouts, a 1.00 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage stopping 170 of 176 shots.
     

    This team is playing a full-team game, you are not seeing sloppy play in front of their goaltender, much less in their own zone. They currently rank third in the NHL in Penalty Kill percentage, having been short-handed 21 times already this season (not including the St. Louis game.)
     

    A few faults that could come back to hurt Montreal as of now are the amount of penalties they are taking and also their power play rate which is ranked 20th in the NHL right now (not including the St. Louis game.)
     

    Other than that it is safe to say the Habs are on FIRE!! Or at least Carey Price is playing like he not only wants another Vezina, but he wants the President’s trophy and just maybe a Stanley Cup. If the season ended today (not that any of us want it to!! I mean it JUST started) the Habs would be my pick and might just stay in the top 2 for the entire season. Unless of course massive tragedy strikes or just injuries or fatigue.
     
    It is far too early to predict or say anything, but WOW, this team is playing damn near perfect hockey.
  5. Zz_

    Off to a 2-2-0 Start

    By Zz_,

    Semyon Varla-Who?





    Last season the Colorado Avalanche saw nothing go right for them and that included the luck of their goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The then 26-year-old, Russian, goalie found himself of the ice and away from his team three different times last season due to injury. He also showed sub-par numbers when he was in net, now some of that could be linked to the entire team’s average of six roster players hurt per game, but you cannot blame just that.
     
    Varlmov earned a 28-20-8 record, still winning but not expected after his 41-14-6 performance the season before. The plus side, Semyon posted 5 shut-outs which was a career high. Along-side his 28-win record, Varly showed a 2.56 GAA which was not far off from his 2.41 the previous season.
    Now it is only three games into the season for Colorado, but Semyon Varlamov is not looking like the goaltender he did in 2013-14. He is very similar to the goaltender Avalanche fans saw start the season last year. In three games, Semyon is 1-2-0 and sporting a 5.06 GAA along with 13 allowed goals on 82 shots. In his 2014-15 season, Varly was 0-2-1 in those first three games allowing 10 goals however he faces 111 shots.
     

    In game one, the Avalanche took on their biggest division rivals in the Minnesota Wild. After exploding to a 4-1 lead after two periods, Colorado was smashing the Wild in every category. They were out-hitting them at the end of two periods 23-8, out shot-blocking them 25-6, winning face-offs and of course the score. Come the third period Colorado forgot who they were or what they were doing and lost the game 5-4 as Minnesota just demolished the third period. Being at the game 7 in 2013-14 and then this home opener, it certainly felt similar the way the fans went from a 10 to a 0 on the excitement scale – déjà vu…. Minnesota found Varly’s weak spot up high over the gloves once again allowing 4 goals on just 10 shots.
     
    Game two, Colorado started the game similar to the way they ended game one. This time though, the Dallas Stars would find themselves up 3-1 mid-way through the second period. I could not give you the exact number shot goal 3 was, but at the end of two periods, Varlamov gave up three goals on 23 shots which was building for a strong third period to follow. Varly would make some key saves and give the team a little boost. A power-play goal by Erik Johnson would begin the rally and see Colorado win 6-3.
    Game three... The Boston Bruins came into town 0-3 and playing with their back-up goaltender Jonas Gustavsson. This game was just sad, from the jump Colorado could not get their heads in the game. Varlamov would allow 5 goals in two periods on just 19 shots, Reto Berra would come in relief and stop 5 of 5 shots. The number one power-play in the NHL would strike again and get Colorado on the board, but they would fall 6-2.
     
    Stemming from the third period of game one, Semyon Varlamov had faced 62 shots and allowed 12 shots. Not very well for a guy who is capable of a 40+ win season. Maybe watching his back-up in Reto Berra post a 3-0 35 save shut out against the Anaheim Ducks will get Varlamov back on track. He knows he will need to compete and prove he can stay the number 1 goaltender in Colorado. Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy have faith in the 27-year-old goalie, but that faith only goes so deep as no player on the Avalanche roster is safe from being traded… Just look at Ryan O’Reilly.
     
    Speaking of Ryan O’Reilly… Do you remember when Nathan MacKinnon just could not get things going after Paul Stastny up and left? Well this past summer as we all know, Ryan was traded to the Buffalo Sabers, this trade brought over a few key parts but I will not get into that now. The main thing here is what it seemed to leave behind.
     
    18-year-old rookie Matt Duchene, drafted #3 overall by Colorado in 2009 name found a close friend when the Avalanche selected Ryan O’Reilly #33 overall in the same draft. Also at 18-years of age, O’Reilly looked like a pro off the hop and made the club with Duchene.
     

    The two went back and forth from centre to wing and line to line, many times landing together on any given night for line combinations or even the power play. Any ways, back to my point here.
     
    The Colorado Avalanche have played four games, in those four games, Matt Duchene has a whole three shots on goal and is a -4. Even though -3 came on opening night where he epically failed at his own blue where he lost the puck and Minnesota went on to tie the game.
     
    I will not say the loss of Ryan O’Reilly is strictly to blame for the kids lack of play-making ability this season, but I am sure it is not helping. In four games last season, Duchene had 1 goal 1 assist and +/- 0, the 2013-14 season 2 goals 2 assists +2, and of course the 2012-13 2 goals 2 assists +4… He is not an explosive 10 points in the first four or anything, but he usually is producing with even an assist or a goal by now. The only other time he started this slow, he was an 18-year-old rookie fresh out of the crib, he posted 1 assist and a -3 that 2009-10 season.
     
    What has to give here in order for the Colorado Avalanche to be successful for the remainder of the season starts with these two guys. Nathan MacKinnon and Gabe Landeskog have come out of fire, between the two of them they have 6 goals and 6 helpers. Reto Berra has stopped 40 of 40 shots in relief and his first start and the defense… well up until their 3-0 shut-out over Anaheim was a little shaky but seems to be finding their legs.

     
    New comers Francois Beauchemin and Nikita Zadorov are fitting in quite well. Beauchemin jumped out with 5 points in his first two games but was a -3 versus the Boston Bruins. The 20-year-old kid Zadorov started off a little soft on defense as a -1 in the first two and a -2 against Boston (who wasn’t a – in that game got Colorado) he has one helper on the back end and is looking to be more of a threat for the blue line in Denver.
     

    With the back –end coming together, Tyson Barrie will speak with the player safety association this week. Barrie threw a questionable hit against Anaheim Duck defensemen Simon Despres. The hit was not penalized in the game but Despres was injured. Barrie is looking at a suspension for charging/interference.
     
    Once these three things form a solid, Colorado will be a team to beat in the Western Conference once again. At 2-2-0, Avalanche sit in 6th place in their division… which mind you is outstanding! The five teams above them combine for a 17-4-1 record and shockingly that does not include the Chicago Blackhawks who sit 7th at 2-3-0. Remember though, we are JUST starting the season.
  6. Zz_
    The Colorado Avalanche will enter the 2015-16 season with many question marks. In the 2013-14 season there was doubt among the hockey world that Colorado would contend for anything more than last place. They had just selected Halifax Moose heads forwards Nathan MacKinnon number one overall (after winning the NHL draft lotto) and finished as the second worst team in the National Hockey League. Many had speculated that Colorado would take young defensemen Seth Jones number one as he had ties to the Organization. However, newly acquired head coach Patrick Roy and Vice President of Operations and assistant General manager at the time Joe Sakic, had better ideas.

    Nathan MacKinnon and Patrick Roy would come into Denver and shock the NHL world. A strong start to the season found the roster clicking on all cylinders. Long time Avalanche forward Paul Stastny would have a breakout season, the first break out since his third year in the league. Young forward Ryan O’Reilly would go on to lead the team in goals (28) and go onto win the Lady Byng after taking one penalty in 82 games (even though many argue the call made was just to get him on something.) Nathan MacKinnon would handle 63 points and the Calder trophy or rookie of the year. Matt Duchene was finally on pace, despite a late season injury that saw Matt miss the final 10 games, Duchene was able to put up 70 points just on shy of a point per game. Captain Gabe Landeskog finally found his groove as a second year Captain of the team. At only 20 (21 end of season) the young man found himself with 65 points and leading the team like everyone expected. Erik Johnson would finally come to the party after Colorado had traded promising young defensemen Kevin Shattenkirk and forward Chris Stewart to the St. Louis Blues in 2010-11. The former first overall pick would put up 39 points and play a solid number one defensive job. Rookie Tyson Barrie would make his NHL statement adding an additional 38 points and lock in an NHL job. Most importantly though, Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov would put on a show. The then 25-year-old would play 63 games submitting a 41-14-8 record with a 2.41 goals against average. Varlamov would be bested by Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask for the Vezina trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender but came runner up over Ben Bishop of Tampa Bay. A fairy tale season for the boys in burgundy was well on its way as Colorado would claim their first division championship since 2002-03. Colorado came out of nowhere to pass up the free-falling St. Louis blues by one point to claim the thrown. The unexpected Avalanche would end up second in the western conference and took on the Minnesota Wild for the first round. With under four minutes remaining, Colorado was in control, Pepsi Centre was going nuts, fans were loud and the all of a sudden… Darcy Kuemper, Minnesota goaltender leaves the rink with an injury. The change in goal sparks the Wild line up and the Wild tie the game late, sending it into overtime. Avs fans were on the edge of their seats and just moments after overtime begins, Nino Neiderreiter of Minnesota stunts the mile-high city on a two on one goal. The Pepsi Centre goes dead, Avs fans pale just watched their historic season flush down the drain and their Stanley cups hope fly out the door. Next season will be better…. Or so they thought.
    2014-15 season decided to arrive in Denver and so did some new faces like Jarome Iginla and Brad Stuart. Colorado added some experience to the roster, little did they know, that experience would do nothing. All season the team was riddles up and down the roster with injuries. Nearly 500 man games lost to injury saw the club miss an average of six roster players per game to these injuries. This included Erik Johnson who had just come off his first break out season in Denver. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov could not stay healthy, despite the injuries, Varly still managed to play 57 games. With the constant mixing and matching of players, the loss of Paul Stastny to free agency, the new faces on the club… Colorado could not seem to find a groove to their season. The team only came up with three wins a row twice that season and that was their longest winning streak. At the start of the 2015 year, Jarome Iginla began to catch fire along with Nathan MacKinnon. Of course though, MacKinnon would go onto break his foot and lose the fire that had begun. Nothing would go Colorado’s way and they would find themselves at the bottom of the Central Division just one season after sitting on top. This was the season everyone in the hockey world had expected from the club in 2013-14.
    Now the hockey world is not too sure what to expect from the club. After trading promising forward Ryan O’Reilly many speculate that the Colorado Avalanche will again be on the outside looking in. That trade did bring in some new faces though, one being 20-year-old Russian defensemen standing 6’5” Nikita Zadorov. During pre-season, this kid has looked very good for the Colorado Avalanche. He will be partnered alongside Tyson Barrie to begin the 2015-16 year and gives Russian goaltender Semyon Varlamov a familiar native tongue to speak with. Colorado would also acquire forward Mikhail Grigorenko. Grigorenko played for coach Patrick Roy during his junior years in Quebec and looks to find his magic touch with his former coach again. Though in pre-season, Mikhail has not been able to find chemistry just yet and has been moved around on wing and centre with several players. Additional add-ons were defensemen Francois Beauchemin, who has looked great alongside Erik Johnson on the top pairing defense. Blake Comeau has also looked really solid for the Avalanche in pre-season, he will fit in nicely on the 3rd or 4th line. The biggest question is the addition of Carl Soderberg, in his pre-season match ups he has not quite found a rhythm. Now that could be a mixture of the nerves of a new club and no chemistry but he is no O’Reilly. Soderberg’s compete level is nowhere near that of Ryan’s and may come at some point, but as of now probably would grade Soderberg a solid C. Biggest news out of the Avalanche off-season is Mikko Rantanen, the 19 year-old Finnish forward brings huge size and can stand up against NHL players. He spent the last two seasons overseas playing against men and has been showing why he was the number European skater in the draft. Falling to 10th overall the Avalanche found a diamond in the rough and have a future top winger on their hands. Mikko had a goal in his first pre-season game, but along with the entire team has been held of the score board since.

    Colorado has several major questions coming into the season. Question one will be their goaltending, will Semyon Varlamov stay healthy and if not, is Reto Berra the answer and not Calvin Pickard. If not, can Pickard be a number one goalie? He certainly proved he can play at the NHL level, but the kid is not ready for a number one position. Varlamov has to stay healthy and on point for the season to come anywhere close to a playoff appearance. Second, will the defense finally be something that Colorado can say they actually have? Coach Roy will probably keep eight defensemen on the roster again this season. As of now, EJ will play with Beauchemin, Zadorov with Barrie but he third pair is not settled. That could be Nick Holden, Nate Guenin, Zach Redmond, Brad Stuart or Brandon Gormley. Stuart finished last season strong, but cannot compete at the NHL level like he once did. Holden and Guenin were 2013-14 surprises but struggled last season under the spot light. Redmond played well when given the chance and could see some ice time again. Newly acquired Gormley has looked solid in his Colorado pre-season and could fight for a spot on the roster to start the season. The final question is chemistry for the Avalanche. They could not find it last season and when they did, it came in waves. The only consistent match up was Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla, the two guys that played together for years in Calgary. Nathan MacKinnon struggled without Stastny and has not found anything in his pre-season. Matt Duchene has also had a hard time connecting this pre-season. A lot of new faces again this season could see the Avalanche off to another slow start and little offensive production. In five pre-season games, Colorado has been shut out three times, scored one goal in another and the exception to that was their 5-4 OT win in the first pre-season game. Mind you it is only pre-season and there is a lot of mixing and matching, it does not look good headed into the season opener against the Minnesota Wild. Final roster spots are coming up and Colorado has some tough choices to make, on profession tryouts Jack Skille has looked solid for the Avalanche and Curtis Glencross has played a couple games but has not made a splash. With Jesse Winchester headed back to the IR, the Avalanche are left with a cut of two players and these two guys might be headed out of Denver, even though Skille has made a case to stay.
    If these three things can fall into place for the Avalanche they might find themselves knocking on the playoffs door. Only time will tell for the young team but one thing is certain and that is the start of the season must be strong. If it looks anything like it did last season, we will all be looking at the top ten draft prospects by December once again. Keys players to watch: Semyon Varlamov, Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Matt Duchene, Nikita Zadorov, Tyson Barrie. If any three of these guys catch fire I think the Avs will be in a very good position, especially is one of those three are goaltender Semyon Varlamov. Only time will tell what becomes of the Colorado Avalanche, patience will be needed and chemistry will need to be discovered. With Patrick Roy returning behind the bench for his third season, a more experienced Captain Gabe Landeskog, a settled in leader of Jarome Iginla and a healthy goaltender the Avs look to challenge for a playoff spot and will do everything they can to contend for another division title.
  7. Zz_

    Western Conf

    By Zz_,

    So last season I waited until later in the season to make my predictions. This season though, I will be making one now, and one on December 31st. Now I was full of hope last season that my team would actually show up...Though they tried, injuries would continue and their 2014-15 season would go no where. Regardless, here we are getting ready for the 2015-16 season opener and there are a lot of new faces in a lot of places, so lets talk about the west.
     
    Pacific Division:
     
    7. Arizona Coyotes - The Coyotes have had it rough for the last several seasons. In 2011-12 the Yotes were kicked out of the Western Conference Final by the Los Angeles Kings, who went on to win the Stanley Cup. Since then, the Coyotes have done nothing but get worse. Last season Arizona finished 7th in the pacific and ended up with the #3 overall pick (Dylan Strome.) Even with the addition of a young and talented Strome, the Coyotes need some serious help. Shane Doan continues to age out of competition but insists on staying with the team, could this be the season he actually leaves at the trade deadline? Even if Mike Smith remembers how to play in goal, Arizona will find themselves in the bottom five of the league once again and 7th again in the Pacific. Could this also possibly see Ekman-Larsson moved for a high price? Or are the Coyotes willing to keep him and pass up on possible prospects, picks or even roster players?
     
    6. San Jose Sharks - Many will wonder why I am putting San Jose so low with young talent like Mueller, Hertl, Couture or the older guys like Marleau, Thornton, Pavelski, Burns, etc. They have Stalock and Jones both promising young goaltenders. Why did I put them so low, they had a winning record and finished 5th last season, yes. However, this season there is no room for the Sharks because of who they will be playing. A Ducks team that I feel will win the cup, a Flames team that shows now sign of regression, a revamped Oiler team that has a goalie and confidence and a Canucks team that might just come together, not to forget an LA Kings team that wants to redeem themselves. I could easily have swapped San Jose and Vancouver if San Jose would have been able to come to terms with and keep Neimi.
     
    5. Vancouver Canucks - The Canucks have a few up and coming kids that could make an impact this season. My biggest question would have to be the Sedin's. They played well last season and were able to stay healthy, but at that age, back to back 82 game seasons will be hard and I question even with Vrbata staying, how much they will click again this season now that their division is a lot tougher. Ryan Miller needs to find his old form to bring Vancouver back to the playoffs.
     
    4. Los Angeles Kings - This one is tough, there are three teams to me that can sit here. Both the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers could fall here easy. However, I picked the Kings because I just do not see them flying high even with their new adjustments and attitudes to get back to the cup. Lucic is a power horse and a player that likes to get dirty, and yes he might fit the Kings "style" but does he "FIT" will be the question. Quick will be the reason this team finishes higher, he is a work horse that pulls off some amazing games. Christian Ehrhoff will fill in the on the back end where there is still a hole after Voynov's stunt. He wont be making magic,, but he is a solid addition.
     
    3. Edmonton Oilers - I choose Edmonton for a few reasons, one is their new found spark with Connor McDavid. The kid is lightening, and will win games for this team. McDavid is who Hall, Nug-Hop and Yakupov were supposed to be. 3 strikes youre out right? Not for Edmonton, they found a fourth chance at life and it will pay off. Edmonton went out and got a guy in Cam Talbot that will win them the games that Scrivens and Fasth let sail free. They also got a few new faces on defense like Reinhart and Sekera, who should help build some confidence on the back. Yes, they have a lot to learn this season, but for once, I do not see them finishing under the top 4 in the Pacific.
     
    2. Calgary Flames - Another team that could end up lower, I choose the Flames because of their playoff run. A bunch of kids in Canada tried to be the Avalanche and did better. The difference will be their rebound and learning from Colorado's mistake. The Flames will need to stay healthy and they should find themselves sitting high in the Pacific. The biggest question on this team sits in their goaltending, Hiller seems to only play hockey when he feels like it and Ramo has the consistency of a two years older attention span.... It just isn't there and this far in, I don't know if it ever will be. I love Johnny Gaudreau's leadership, he is a lot like Joe Sakic, he lays it out on the ice and that's that. They added Dougie Hamilton to an already stellar defense, that just got their leader back after losing him in the playoffs. I see amazing things coming out of the Flames, could we see them make a run for the cup in the next few yeas? You Bet.
     
    1. Anaheim Ducks - This is a no brainer! Their young goaltender, Fredrick Andersen, was not totally to blame but a big reason they made the exit home last season. His inexperience with winning in the playoffs, not just playoffs but big games cost him some soft goals in a nervous moment. Anaheim added Kevin Bieksa and Carl Hanglin, those two additions add to their already extensive group of talent and says, "Let's win" all over it. However, many of us have already seen this much talent work the other way, plus, how long will Gibson sit on the bench before he wants out of Anaheim if he cannot win the number spot to start the season. Could this cause controversy to the locker room? We will see!
     
    Now that is my Pacific Division, I am just making predictions, so if you do not agree please share yours!
     
    Central Division - I have my bias!!!!! But this division is tough as hell to break down.
     
    7. Dallas Stars - The reason I pick Dallas is due to the goaltending. Neimi and Lethonen are both great, however, Neimi nor Lethonen are back ups and this could cause a conflict. Yes it could work out, but no goalie wants to be number two... They did add Sharpe and Oduya to the line up, both cup winners with the Hawks which could help. They have a lot of power with Benn, Spezza, Seguin, Nichushkin, but someone has to finish last.
     
    6. Winnipeg Jets - The Jets had a feel good story last season and it was great to see them make the playoffs. Unless they play Hutchinson from the jump, I do not see the Jets following suit. Pavelec is not a number one goalie and should sit the bench to a more talented kid. Also, Dustin Byfuglien is again in trade rumors all over, does he move? If so, for what? The Jets defense is already pretty skim. Basically all mid-age guys and really you do not see their names a lot and they aren't really known for anything "big." Such as when you here Byfuglien, most people say... "I hope hes not playing tonight, the dude is an animal."
     
    5. St. Louis Blues - Their failure in the playoffs is going to begin to get to them at some point and I think this season might just be it. T.J. Oshie is gone, which could be both good and bad. They added Troy Brouwer but they still only have that "one big name" in Tarasanko. Sure, they have Backes and Stastny, but those two cant change a game in a second like Valdimir can, they really lack that second hand in the 1-2-punch. Jake Allen should take over as the number one, if not, Elliott will drive this team into last place in the Central.
     
    4. Chicago Blackhawks - I will take heat for this I am sure. The Hawks shipped off Sharpe, Saad, Oduya and could lose Patrick Kane pending his investigation. Corey Crawford got away with luck in the Stanley Cup Final, that luck was a damn good defense that was ale to stop the triplets of Tampa Bay. He made key saves, but he still was in luck, because he is a terrible goaltender. I think if Kane gets away with what he did, Chicago could be in the 3rd place, but I do not see them 1 or 2.....
     
    3. Colorado Avalanche - this one is hard for me to swallow and to be honest, the Avs can fall anywhere be 1 and 7 honestly and it all depends on, A) can they stay healthy? Colorado lost and average of SIX starting roster players PER game last season, including their number one goaltender that could not stay healthy. Imagine Chicago losing 6 starting players per game... No way they win the cup and they probably miss the playoffs too, that goes for any team. B) How will the new guys fit in? Who makes the roster? Rantanen, Comeau, Beauchemin, Soderberg, Siemens, Bigras and many more. This team looked different last season and it burned them (excluding injuries) it took a long time or things to click, will they click this season? C) Valamov needs to stay healthy, and Berra needs confidence. You fix A and C alone, the Avs will be top 3, fix all three.... Dog fight for #1...
     
    2 - Minnesota Wild - This chaps me, and I cannot deal with the Wild. However, if Dubnyk plays like last season, he wins the Veznia and they take on Anaheim for the Conference Final where they lose. Dubnyk fails like Dubnyk usually does..... Minnesota will be sitting last place... Enough on them, they leave a bad taste in my mouth.
     
    1. Nashville Predators - Not a lot to say, they bring back 99% of what they had last season, better health with more experience. No doubt in my mind Rinne, Weber and Forsberg carry this team to the top of the Central. I still do not think they have the fire power up front that they need to win a cup though, yet a healthy Rinne and defense... who needs more than one or two goals?
     
    Again, all prediction and yes I am bias to the Avalanche, but make a valid argument that last season was just all sorts of tragic. It is a safe bet to say any team in the Central can make the playoffs and make a deep run, probably the toughest through and through division in the NHL and probably any sport to be honest. Please let me know your predictions!
  8. Zz_
    Every one had a feeling it was coming. In 2013 the NHL went into Lock out - which somehow they managed to gain back half the season. Regardless, Colorado had their hand forced in contract negotiations with Ryan O'Reilly when he signed an offer sheet with the Calgary Flames. A contract that Joe Sakic never intended O'Reilly to get. After his first three NHL seasons, Ryan had never scored more than 18 goals, his highest assist total was 37 and never got higher than a +4 and In 6 playoff games, he had 1 point. Yes his two way play is spectacular, but those numbers, they just were never worthy of a contract worth more than $4 million per season. So Ryan, his agent and Sakic went rounds before Ryan turned to Calgary where he was offered a 2 year deal worth 3.5 and 6.5 million. Once that contract was up, Colorado knew they would have to pay Ryan what he wanted to keep him, not what they wanted. Two seasons later, they were back at it again, Ryan wanted long term upwards of 50 million, Sakic again did not want to pay that money. Yet hours before the arbitration hearing, Colorado reached another 2 year deal with Ryan. Sadly this 2 year deal would see O'Reilly as a UFA by the end of the 2nd year. Leaving Joe Sakic not only paying Ryan $12 Million dollars, but being forced into a spot where he would either sign Ryan to huge money he didnt deserve or trade him. Due to the fact that Paul Stastny burned Joe that same summer, Sakic would not lose Ryan for nothing. In those two seasons - Ryan tired to prove he was worth $6 million or more a season. However, he with the team fell off the wagon, and after one amazing season, he dropped back down to the player that deserves no more than $4 million a season. (Not that any player deserves even $1 million per season in my opinion.)
     

    With negotiations going south yet again, Sakic did what was best for the organization, he dumped his money hungry forward off on a team desperate for any player with a decent skill set. Ryan O'Reilly would be packing his bags along side Jamie McGinn. Now McGinn, is a well rounded player, yet his is NOT a top 6 forward. He basically was a swap with Buffalo forward Mikhail Grigorenko. A former #12 overall pick in 2012, Mikhail never found a grove in Buffalo, and he was never surrounded by the skill set of a Matt Duchene or Nathan MacKinnion. O'Reilly is the money maker here by landing Colorado with young promising D Nikita Zadorov, JT Compher and the 31st overall selection in 2015.
     
    Word on the street is that Zadorov needs to grow up, he needs to learn some maturity, he also just turned 20 in April. Semyon Varlamov will finally have a few Russian fellows in Denver and will more than likely take the kids under his wings. He can instill some maturity into Nikita since the will be working on the back end together. The young defensemen has played 67 career games, owns 16 points and is a -14. He was the #16 selection in 2013 - obviously passing on him due to having the #1 pick where they tagged Nathan MacKinnon. In that draft they also tagged Chris Bigras, Mason Geertson, and Will Butcher - 3 more D who could play in the NHL but most promising is Bigras.
     

    JT Compher - he may be the sleeper in this deal, he also just turned 20 in April. This 5'11" Centre has never played in the NHL, but plays for the University of Michigan. He numbers are not off the charts however, he is a kid that could develop into a solid 2 way guy on the 3rd or 4th line. He owns two silver and one goal medal in international play for team USA and owns honors at UM for the all-big freshmen team, second team and freshmen of the year in 2013-14. His reasoning, he lead lead the team, and all Big Ten freshman in scoring, recording 11 goals and 20 assists. He was an early 2nd round pick in 2013 at #35 where Colorado passed on his to get Chris Bigras. So by 2013 NHL Draft standards, could now has the #1, #16, #32 and #35 picks.
     
    Colorado then also got the #31 pick in 2015 - this pick was traded to San Jose where they received the #39 pick in 2015 - the also got the 2nd round pick in 2016 and the 6th round pick in 2015. Which were both traded to San Jose last season in exchange for D Brad Stuart. With that trade Colorado got: Brad Stuart, Anthony-John (AJ) Greer, and 2016 2nd and 6th rounders.
     
    Anthony-John Greer - a LW out of Boston University - over shadowed a lot by #2 overall pick Jack Eichel. This 18 year old brings a lot of size to the front for Colorado, he stands 6'2'' with 206lbs of love. He has committed to Boston University and will skate the same ice as Colorado's 2013 draft pick Will Butcher.
     

     

    Now that the trade is broken down and Colorado has gotten rid of money hungry forward O'Reilly (THANK GOD!!!) I switch to the 2015 Colorado Avalanche draft selection!
     
    After attempted trades to possibly move up, Colorado stayed pat at #10 where they landed the kid they wanted any way.
     

     
    #10 Mikko Rantanen - Rantanen was the #1 ranked European Skater in 2015 nhl draft. Has this not been the Eichel, McDavid draft, I could has seen Rantanen going top 5. I could have seen Strome, Hanifan and Provorov going 1,2,3 or Zacha as a close #3. Regardless, Colorado gets a big kid here in Mikko. This 6'4" 209lbs kid has the ability to step into the NHL on day 1 against Minnesota, he has played with the men in the TPS league and has the ability to handle the physical aspect of the NHL. No he is not going to score a million goals, but his play making ability is off the charts and he prides him self to play similar to Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. If he is with MacKinnon, Duchene (its no question he could play wing with Landeskog) he will open up that ability to make the plays that land the slam dunk.
     
    ​Let me put his size into perspective - Landeskog is 6'1" 210lb
     
    #39 AJ Greer - Touched on AJ earlier, he can develop into a solid 3/4 guy that has a good two way sense. With commitments to BU, Greer will probably not wear an Avs sweater for some time. He needs to continue to develop even though he has the size at 6'2" 209lbs, his skill level needs more polishing.
     

    #40 Defensemen Nicolas Meloche - Another big boy on the draft for Colorado - Meloche is 6'3" 205 lbs. Meloche won gold with Canada in 2014 with the IH18 - and has played the past two seasons with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar. Is two seasons he has played 98 career games and tallied 59 points. It is safe to say the Meloche will stay with the Drakkar until he can either leap into the NHL or hit the San Antonio Rampage - Nicolas is 17, but will be having his golden birthday this year on July 18th.
     
    #71 Jean-Christopher Beaudin - 18 year old centre - 6'1" 181lbs - not the biggest in the Avs Draft but still a decent size. Jean-Christopher will see himself staying with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He has good point totals, but this player is clearly a depth player for the Avalanche that they hope can become an NHLer one day.
     
    #101 Andrei Mironov - He is a little older at 20 years old. Andrei is a Russian defensemen that stands 6'2" 194lbs - he has played the past 3 seasons with Dynomo Moskva and also helped Russia to two bronze medals in IIHF world championships in 2013 and 14.
     
    #161 Sergei Boikov - Third Russian defensemen landed by Colorado on this day (2nd by draft) - Sergei is a 6'2' 194 lbs kid also who just turned 19 this past January. He was second among the Voltigeurs D is assists with 18 and points with 21. He also had a team best +11 rating after 64 games in this past season. In 2013, Boikov represented Russia in the Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
     
    #191 Gustav Olhaver - Olhaver was the final pick for Colorado, he is a 6'6" 215lb 17 year old kid from Sweden (he will be 18 on July 3) The Angelholm, Sweden native spent the majority of the 2014-15 campaign with Rogle Jr. (Under-20) in Sweden, where he tallied 12 points (6g/6a) in 41 games. Olhaver, also spent time with Rogle’s Under-18 Team, recording 25 points (14g/11a) in 18 contests. Internationally, he appeared in five games at the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championship and tallied one goal.]
     

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    What is on the table in Free Agency for Colorado
     

    During the draft there has been A LOT of speculation that Colorado wants to go hard after Chicago 2 time cup winner Johnny Oduya. Andrej Sekera is another name Colorado has tossed around and not to leave out Matt Irwin who is another defensemen the Colorado is looking at.
     
    I cannot speculate on how much Colorado will push for offense since their goal is Defense, However, they do have quite a bit of cap space after unloading 9.5 million onto Buffalo. If the Avs are looking for cup winners again, Justin Williams may be a shot. They also have Matt Belesky, Joel Ward as some shots in the dark. But those are pretty much the top guys available, teams will be looking to over pay to get them.
     
    In goal, I would LOVE Colorado to pick up a solid #2 guy. Reto Berra is just rank...horrible, bad, sad, terrible, just down right awful. Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio are both RFA's - with Spencer Martin coming in, I dont see Colorado keeping both Aittokallio and Pickard unless the have a package trade in mind. However, I see Sakic asking Pickard to stay over Sami. But there are names on the table in the goalie UFA world still, though the only go to guy I could see would be Michal Neuvirth. He has proven to be a fairly solid back up when he has a stable, non Buffalo Saber team in front of him. If Colorado can land 1-2 fairly decent UFA D then Neuvirth could prove to be a solid #2 to Varly (kind of sounds like deja vu from Washington) two guys that know each other. If you choose to avoid that route Kari Ramo or Jhonas Enroth would both be more reliable that Berra but not my first choices.

  9. Zz_
    If the season was starting to slowly get better for the Colorado Avalanche, it just took another blow. The Colorado Avalanche will be without their number one defensemen, Erik Johnson, for the next 3-8 weeks. Missing vital games that could make or break Colorado’s playoff hopes and season.

    Johnson is tied for first in the NHL among defensemen with his career high 12-goals. Johnson cannot talk to the media due to the injury and Colorado’s organizational rules, but Coach Patrick Roy stated, “Johnson is very disappointed in the situation, but it is out of their control.”
    On that note, does this push the Ryan O’Reilly trade into effect for Colorado? Much speculation has been made that O’Reilly is on the market and rumors have been flying. With the departure of Paul Stastny, O’Reilly and his contract issues with Colorado have become the new target.
    Ryan O’Reilly, though, is heating up for Colorado and moving him could end up hurting the team in the long run. The connection he has made with Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla have the three producing points at a steady pace.
    With Johnson expected to miss the next 1-2 months and Colorado already looking for a defensemen could force Sakic and GM Sherman to move Ryan for less than what they are looking for. Which seems mainly to be Morgan Reilly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, although Toronto does not want to move the young defensemen.
    The only downfall to this situation for Colorado could be who ever they trade for, may not fit into the Avalanche system or worse, not fit will with the players on the team. It would almost seem better for the Avalanche to wait until the off-season before they move the almost 24-year-old Center/Left Wing.
    Ryan is in the first of a two-year deal with the Avalanche. After Colorado lost Paul Stastny for no return, if Joe cannot sign O’Reilly for his price, he will want to move him no later than the off-season. We have seem huge trades for far more in the off-season that at trade deadline, where more often than not, one team gets bogus. The off-season trade would also allow a new player to form a relationship with their new club and have training camp under their belt. Making a trade more worthwhile.
    These are two huge keys that are in the process of breaking the Avalanche into the playoffs or out. Erik Johnson’s knee injury will not have Patrick Roy forcing him into the lineup quickly. Like Semyon Varlamov’s injury, the player will need to be 100% ready to go, especially if the Avalanche sneak into a playoff spot.
    *********
    On another note Calvin Pickard was reassigned to Lake Erie and Reto Berra was recalled after going 3-1-1 during his conditioning assignment. Dennis Everberg was also sent down for the All-star break, but has been recalled. There was no defensemen recalled to replace Johnson. Zach Redmond and Nick Holden have been the healthy scratches all season when the lineup has been healthy. They will stick with those two, as well as, Tyson Barrie, Nate Guenin, Jan Hejda, and Brad Stuart.
    What’s the key here for Colorado? The Defense needs to prove they are deep enough to lose their top guy. Colorado’s defense has not been their strong point the last, well, since 2001 or so it seems. The defense will need to play, smart, solid and positional to win games, they will also need to help produce.
    The Avalanche forwards need to be the forwards they were last season, starting with Nathan MacKinnon. If the 19 year old can find confidence, it can spark the older players on the club like Matt Duchene and Gabe Landeskog to find their stride.
    Older vets like Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla need to continue their strong play all around, while elder defense like Jan Hejda and Brad Stuart need to lead the way in front of Varlamov.
    Last but not least, Semyon Varlamov out-lasted Tuukka Rask in their meeting back on the 21st of January, a 3-2 shootout win. Varly has been playing solid, but with the loss of Johnson, may need to be even more solid. Reto Berra built a little bit of confidence in Lake Erie over the past two weeks. Colorado will look to fall on him at least once in the next ten games. That one game may determine what happens to either himself or Calvin Pickard.

    The best note of all:
    Colorado will host the Detroit Red Wings in one of the 2016 stadium series games. The game will be played at Coors Field in Denver. More information on ticket sales will be released at a later date!

  10. Zz_

    20th All-Time *Jarome Iginla

    By Zz_,

    There are thousands of records in the NHL and nearly one is broken every night. The latest though is in the all-time goals scored category. Sitting at 20th all-time was Mr. Mike Bossy, a gentlemen that only played 10 NHL season and only 752 games. Mike played his entire career in a New York Islanders sweater wearing #22 after being picked 15th overall in 1977’s amateur draft. Mike helped the New York Islanders to four Stanley cup championships four years in a row. The 6’0” 185lbs right-winger knew what it took to win, and made sure to win big when it counted. A stiff back or worse would lead Bossy to sit out the 1987-88 season, but then officially retired. He was offered a chance to be traded to Montreal to be closer to home, but declined. At 30 years old, Bossy had played his final NHL game, a career that had winner all over it

    Then a new wave of players would enter the NHL, 15th all-time goal scorer Joe Sakic would be drafted 15th overall in 1987 by the Quebec Nordiques. This gentlemen would go on to become the face of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche franchise. Joe would sink 625 career goals; 2 Stanley Cups, a Conn Smyth, a Lady Byng, the Hart trophy, Joe did it all. Hiscareer would end in 2008-09 season, after suffering a back injury and an at home injury that limited him to 15 games. In 2010-11, Sakic would join the front office of the Colorado Avalanche organization. In 2013, He would be promoted to the Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. At the end of his first year, he would hire Coach Patrick Roy who would also server at an Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. Together they would build a team that would win the Central Division and make the playoffs. Sadly, Colorado was manhandled in game 7 against the Minnesota Wild at home. In turn, the off season would lose then one of their great players, Paul Stastny, who signed with his home town St. Louis Blues. A replacement was in order and none came faster than Joe Sakic’s good friend Jarome Iginla.
    Jarome Iginla was born the year Mike Bossy was drafter in 1977. He too is a right-winger who can put the puck in the net. Jarome would be drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Stars in 1995, but the young man would never dawn the Stars jersey. Instead, Jarome was traded to the Calgary Flames in a deal the sent Joe Nieuwendyk. Jarome’s first taste of the NHL came in the playoffs in 1995-96 where he scored his 1st career playoff goal and assist in two games. He was ready for the NHL and would play his first season the following year and go on to play fifteen more years with Calgary becoming their captain. Iginla still holds Calgary’s all time games played, goals scored and points after he was traded in his 16th season with the Flames to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After a failed playoff stint in the igloo, Iginla would hit the free agent market for the first time in his career, landing in Boston with the Bruins. After a successful season in Boston that saw the Bruins get kicked out of the playoffs, Iginla would hit the free agent market once again. The Bruins wanted to keep their 62 point winger, but the salary cap would not allow them to hold on. Jarome would sign a three year deal with the Colorado Avalanche and buddy Joe Sakic. Since coming to Colorado, Jarome did not take off right away, which he never really has anyway. As the season went, so did Iginla, he has put home just 14 goals this season. Goal #14 though was the one that marks Jarome Iginla as the new 20th all-time leading goal scorer over Mike Bossy. With .04 seconds to play in the 1st period on January 21st. Jarome Iginla would punch home a rebound on old buddy Tuukka Rask and the Boston Bruins. #574 – would would have though that back in 1977, Mike Bossy would leave a number of goals on a stat sheet that would keep him in the record books for so long? A number that would be chased for years by kids born the year he was drafted, or kids that have yet to be born.
    Jarome Iginla now sits in the top 20 goal scorers in the history of the NHL. His next chance to move up to #19 all time is just 3 goals aways. Mark Recchi sits at #19 all time with 577 goals, Iginla could easily catch and pass Recchi in the next few weeks, after that though, it becomes a little bit harder. Sitting at #18 all time is Jurri Kurri with 601 goals, unless Jarome can pop in 28 more goals by the end of the season, we won’t worry about that record until next season. After the game, Jarome Iginla did not praise the 574th goal, but he did mention how nice it was to score on his old team and buddies, especially not knowing how much time was left when the puck met his stick.
    **Congrats to Jarome Iginla on his 574th career goal and 20th all-time in goal scoring.
    (Photo by: Avalanche.nhl.com)
  11. Zz_

    Colorado on the rise

    By Zz_,

    The Colorado Avalanche has found a spark inside themselves and it has come at the perfect time. The Avalanche entered the New Year knowing they needed to win and losing was no option.
    Since December 11th, the Avalanche are 8-3-2 and have moved up in the standing and sit only four points out of a wild card playoff spot. The Avalanche has pulled above .500 for the first time this season and with back to back wins sit two games above, a place they look to stay and build on. Semyon Varlamov looks to finally be healthy after sustaining a groin injury three times this season. He has played eight of the last nine Colorado games and seven straight games going 6-2-0 on those eight games. Semyon Varlamov set a NHL road record with a 54 save shutout against the Chicago Blackhawks and tied for second all-time in a shutout save game behind Ben Scrivens 59 saves last season for Edmonton.

    In the last eight games, Varlamov, has an astonishing 1.97 goals against average behind a .940 save percentage. Tonight he will open the Avalanche five game road trip in Washington against Braden Holtby. Semyon was traded from Washington to Colorado in the summer of 2011. At the time, Washington had up and coming Michal Neuvirth and Braden Holtby and felt that moving the injury prone Varlamov was a good idea, especially for a first and second round pick. Playing in Colorado, Varlamov has only faced his old club twice. His first season with the Avs, Colorado did not travel to Washington nor did they travel to Colorado, the next season was the lockout and Colorado did not face Washington, last season, Varlamov played both games against the Capitals and won the both by scores of 5-1 and 4-1. Braden Holtby was in net for the 4-1 loss. This season, Colorado and Washington have met once and it was in Denver, a 3-2 Avalanche loss with Reto Berra in net. In that game an Alex Ovechkin slap shot road up the stick of Alex Tanguay and fractured his jaw, Tanguay has only played two games without the shield.
    A huge bonus for the Avalanche has been the recent play of their scorers. Matt Duchene has points in four of his last five, Landeskog has points in three of his last four games. The old guys, Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla are leading the team with 27 points each. Iginla has 3 goal in his last five and ten goals in his last twenty games compared to his two goals in his first 20. Tanguay has two assists in the last two games. Ryan O'Reilly isn't getting hot, but he is finally producing, he has 2 points in two games and has a quiet 23 points this season. Nathan MacKinnon was the biggest question mark, he hit a sophomore slump and his it like a rocket. He has three points in the last three games, including two goals, last season MacKinnon started off slowly, we will see what the second half brings.
    The Colorado Avalanche have sent Reto Berra to Lake Erie on a conditioning assignment and have recalled rookie Calvin Pickard to back up Semyon Varlamov, Pickard is also slated to start on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Avs are 1-3-1 in the back of back to back games this season while they are 3-0-2 in the first. Reto Berra does not have to clear waivers due to the "conditioning" aspect of the assignment to Lake Erie, the Monsters will not play until Friday against Chicago. Calvin Pickard looks to get himself above the NHL .500 mark against the Hurricanes, he is 6-6-2 in Denver with a .934 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against. His last game was against the Chicago Blackhawks where Pickard allowed 4 goals on 32 shots, it was his second career game vs the Hawks. Calvin Pickard sits first among rookie goalies in save percentage, second in goals against average and is tied for third with six wins.
    Erik Johnson is playing the best season of his NHL career. Johnson is now 26 years old, which many say is the prime age for NHL players, this is where you will see most players put their learning together and EJ has done just that. His 12 goals are a career high and puts him on pace to score 20 or more goals this season. His career high twice is 39 points and EJ also has a chance to break that as he is a 22 points currently. Johnson has six goals in eleven games and is on his second 2+ game goal streak, his first was a 4 game goal streak snapped in a shutout loss to St. Louis. In those 11 games though, Johnson only has one assist. Regardless, Johnson's play has seen him voted into this seasons NHL All-Star game and he will be the loan player from the Colorado Avalanche. See the story here.
    Semyon Varlamov was named the NHL's second star of the week. In his last three starts he is 3-0-0 and has broken several franchise records to go along side his NHL record. He owns a .962 save percentage and a 1.67 goals against in those three games, for more information on his second star honor, click here.
    The starting goals for tonights matchup:
    Semyon Varlamov - Colorado - 3-0-0 last three games including 1 shutout - 8th consecutive start
    Braden Holtby - Washington - 2-0-1 last three games - 19th consecutive start

    Colorado will look for their 4th straight win for the first time this season, two points will move them within two points of the 8th seed Los Angeles Kings who play the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.
    Washington could move into third in the Metro with a win, right now they sit in the number one wild card spot or 7th seed with 52 points.
    Puck drops at 5pm MNT or 7pm EST tonight in Washington
  12. Zz_
    At the start of the season, no one, including the Colorado Avalanche expected them to play so terrible. Many expected regression, and the loss of Paul Stastny was not suppose to be such a big deal. Yet the Avalanche find themselves fighting to stay out of the bottom five spots of the NHL in a year that they should just stop fighting and let #30 sink in.
    The troubles first began when injuries were over and over an issue. At one point the Avalanche had ten players injured including their number one and back up goaltenders. Rookies Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio were in net and on the bench against the Montreal Canadians just six games into the season. The best news to those injuries was that none of Colorado's top notch players were on that injured list. In the likes of Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon, Gabe Landeskog, Erik Johnson and so on.
    On top of injuries, players that had a spectacular season for the Avalanche last year hit a solid, one hundred percent in-movable brick wall. Nathan MacKinnon could not and still cannot score to save his life. Matt Duchene is playing pretty typical of himself, being a number three pick that these days would slip to a top ten not top five. Landeskog took penalty after penalty to start the season. Jarome Iginla was never on the ice, or so it felt. Worst of all, Nick Holden just simply forgot how to play hockey and his -16 eventually benched him.
    As the Avalanche began to get healthy near the end of December things started to look up. Players were coming back and goaltending between Calvin Pickard and Semyon Varlamov was solid. Up until the Holiday break, Colorado had gone 4-0-2 in the six games leading up, including out scoring their opponents 11-2 in their three consecutive wins, their first three game win streak of the season. But then it happened, break on a hot streak and Colorado failed to gain points against division opponents, Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues. Where they were out scored 8-2 in those games before winning an overtime thriller against the Flyers.
    Opening the New Year was decent with a win, however, they could not score against the NHL's last place Edmonton Oilers. Colorado had to win in a shootout against the Oilers 2-1. Two wins in a row and here comes the bad mojo hockey gods got Colorado again. The Avs would lose in regulation when David Savard and the Columbus Blue Jackets would stun them with a goal late in the third period at the 18:59 mark. This loss would drop Colorado back under .500 once again, proving that the Avalanche cannot get above the .500 mark.
    Tonight Colorado will play their 40th game of the season. A win will tie them with the Minnesota Wild for 11th in the Western Conference, though the Wild will have two more games to play before reaching 40 after they take on the San Jose Sharks tonight. With a win tonight the Wild would remain two points above the Avalanche if they too win.
    Gabe Landeskog broke is scoring droubt againt the Columbis Blue Jackets, Nathan MacKinnon is looking for his 7th goal of the season while Jarome Iginla looks to stay hot as he had 5 goals and 4 assists in 13 games during December. Tyson Barrie is on a three game assist streak while Matt Duchene has back to back assist games after having no points in the prior three, Duchene has not scored since December 11th against the Winnipeg Jets.
    Colorado coach Patrick Roy said that Calvin Pickard would likely be called back to Denver during the Avs upcoming 5 game road trip. Varlamov is expected to play in at least 5 of the next 8 games. Basically saying that, Reto Berra will only be playing in the case that Varlamov is pulled from a game, while Pickard sees action in Lake Erie and then flies out to play some games for Denver to fly back to Lake Erie? I suppose that is exactly whats up, though Colorado will need to make a choice sooner or later on Reto Berra since there seems to be no confidence. "I'm not going to use Varly all the time," Roy said. "We're going to use Varly for this period of time. When we're going to hit the road our plan is to (give) about three games of five to Varly and give two other games to someone else."
    If Colorado can beat the Chicago Blackhawks they will again be at .500. The upcoming road trip is Colorado's best chance to get above .500 as they are playing a few teams in the same boat, low in the standing and struggling. At the same time, these teams are fighting for their life to make a run also. If Varlamov can stay healthy and continue to put up solid numbers and Colorado's scorers can get going, the Avalanche could be in a good place heading into February.
    Trade rumor surrounding Colorado right now: Ryan O'Reilly (who is getting hot with production) is being rumored by Buffalo and Toronto
    The biggest rumor header via hockey writers has been. Ryan O'Reilly, a D prospect and a 1st rounder to Buffalo for Tyler Myers and Mikhail Grigorenko - which thank goodness this is a rumor, because Colorado would LOSE this trade huge. O'Reilly and Myers fair trade, a d prospect and Grig is fair only if it is not, Geertsen, Bigras or Siemens. Therefore Buffalo gets a free 1st rounder? Naw bro....
  13. Zz_
    Not exactly half way through the season we look at teams on the rise and fall for the remaining of the 2014-15 season. We will break down entire league so far this season and where I think they will land when game 82 is complete for every team:
    1. Anaheim Ducks (28-8-5 51 points)

    Anaheim made their off-season splash to obtain forward Ryan Kesler (and a 3rd round 2015 pick) from Vancouver in exchange for centre Nick Bonino, Defenseman Luca Sbisa and Anaheim’s 1st and 3rd round picks in 2014. 36 games into his first career season, Kesler is not disappointing. Defensively he has not been gold, but on offense Kesler could be looking to repeat his second highest career numbers.
    The Ducks currently own the NHL as they are two points ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins. To close the season, Anaheim will play 27 games against current playoff contenders and 19 against current non-playoff teams (some on the bubble both ways.) With goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov signing and Frederick Andersen playing like goal, the Ducks will easily continue their NHL terror. Anaheim’s number two point producer the last three seasons will return to the lineup in the Duck’s next few games, Corey Perry sustained a knee injury and has not played since December 5th.
    My Projected end of season rank: 3rd in NHL – 2nd in Western Conference2. Pittsburgh Penguins (22-7-5 49 points)

    Trading away point producer James Neal could not have turned out better, and the firing of Coach Dan Bylsma has seen last year’s Penguins turn it around to become the NHL’s top dogs once again. Patric Hornqvist (obtained in the James Neal trade) has been near perfect for Pittsburgh, his 29 points are third on the team and his plus-13 leads the team.
    The biggest story for the Penguins has been the resurgence of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is 19-4-3 with six shutouts this season, he has allowed a goals against average of 2.09 and a save percentage of .929 so far this season. He could certainly be a top contender for this seasons Vezina Trophy. (The Vezina Trophy is an annual award given to the goalkeeper adjudged to be the best at this position as voted by the general managers of all NHL clubs.)
    My Projected end of season rank: 1st in NHL – 1st in Eastern Conference3. Chicago Blackhawks (23-10-5 48 points)

    Chicago could easily be the number one team so far this season. Captain Jonathan Toews has his Blackhawks pushing for another President’s Trophy and want to raise that Stanley Cup again. Patrick Kane has 36 points and is looking for his best season since 2009-10.
    The addition of Brad Richards has not been an explosion, but his defensive aspect has been a help, only two players have a higher +/- while Kane and Toews share a +9 with Richards.
    My Projected end of season rank: 2nd in NHL – 1st in Western Conference4. Nashville Predators (22-9-2 46 points)

    Though Nashville has been this seasons Colorado Avalanche of the Western Conference, they have found spark from their rookie sensation. Trading Martin Erat and Michael Latta for Filip Forsberg was the best Predator move since drafting Pekka Rinne in 2004. His 32 points and +24 are tops on the Predators while the rookie looks to earn this seasons Calder Trophy for rookie of the year.
    Pekka Rinne has been that go to guy for Nashville since establishing himself in 2008-09. After a terrible last season with injuries and poor team play in front of him. Rinne has rebounded and leads the NHL Vezina race, he is 22-6-1 this season with a sensational 1.84 goals against average. If Nashville looks to remain a top playoff contender, Rinne and Forsberg’s play is key, if either slack off this team could fall to a lower seed and face a tougher challenge.
    My Projected end of season rank: 10th in the NHL – 5th in Western Conference5. New York Islanders (23-11-0 46 points)

    The Islanders are the only team in the NHL that have yet to lose an overtime or shootout game. The teams signing of goalie Jaroslav Halak was all the team needed to get into the win column. Halak was traded from St. Louis to Washington last season where Washington was not the play for him. His solid presence in net has stabilized the Islanders where they could easily be one of three Eastern Conference teams to reach the Stanley Cup final.
    Halak was not the only wise addition to the club. Both Johnny Boychuck and Nick Leddy were trade acquisitions to start the season. Both defensemen bring a Stanley Cup winning mentality and solid defensive support. They have straightened the blue line for the Islanders and could be a huge reason the team heads to the Eastern Conference Championship.
    My Projected end of season rank: 4th in NHL – 2nd in Eastern Conference6. Montreal Canadians (22-11-2 46 points)

    A serious four way tie for fourth place in the NHL has the Montreal Canadians wanting to win. The Habs will look to extend their two game win streak with games coming up with three current non-playoff teams who are struggling. The play of Max Pacioretty and Alex Galchenyuk have this teams hopes of high for a run in the playoffs.
    Goalie Carie Price looks to avoid his tenth loss of the season where he also looks to become the second goalie in the NHL to break 20 wins. His 2.23 save percentage is currently a career high, but there are still 47 more games for Montreal.
    My Projected end of season rank: 6th in NHL – 4rd in Eastern Conference7. Tampa Bay Lightning (21-11-4 46 points)

    Tyler Johnson has seemed to avoid the sophomore slump quite easily. Johnson leads even Steven Stamkos in scoring for the Lightning by one point, but owns the team with a +23. He is at 37 points to this point and is on pace to crush last season’s career high 50 points.
    Ben Bishop has continued his performance of last season that saw him finish third in the Vezina Trophy race. Bishop suffered a lower body injury on December 15th, but is set to return after the NHL holiday break. Though his save percentage and goals against are lower and higher than he would like, Bishop owns a 16-6-2 record and could near last season’s career year. I do not believe Ben Bishop at this point is a Vezina candidate.
    My Projected end of season rank: 5th in NHL – 3rd in Eastern Conference8. St. Louis Blues (21-10-3 45 points)
    The Blues are the feel good story of the year for Missouri, not to neglect the KC Royals, but they have done what was expected without Jaroslav Halak who they trade to Washington. Instead young goaltender Jake Allen has exceeded what was expected from him as backup to Elliott. Elliott sustain an injury that has kept him out for quite some time. In 18 games, Allen is 11-4-2 and since being basically the starter over legend Martin Brodeur (signed due to Elliott’s injury) he has gone 5-2-2 (one overtime loss was the game Elliott left with his injury.)
    St. Louis owes their young star Vladimir Tarasenko much credit as he has exploded this season, the 23 year old has 20 goals and leads St. Louis with 37 points. Young defensive stud Kevin Shattenkirk continues his offensive dominance with 23 assists and 28 points on the second, second on the team in scoring to Tarasenko.
    My Projected end of season rank: 7th in NHL – 3rd in Western Conference
    9. Detroit Red Wings (18-8-9 45 points)

    Detroit had a bit of a scare in December where they lost six in a row. After a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabers, the Wings look to get back on track with the hopeful return of Jimmy Howard and after the New Year at some point Jonas Gustavsson.
    One bright spot for Detroit has been Gustav Nyquist playing in his first full season with the Wings. His 22 points rank fourth among Red Wing players while his -7 has been his Achilles heal, only Johan Franzen has played worse defensively.
    My Projected end of season rank: 8th in NHL – 5th in Eastern Conference10. Toronto Maple Leafs (20-12-3 43 points)

    While I love the Leafs, I do not feel the Leafs will continue their success to a “T” but should stay in range of a playoff spot. James Reimer and Jonathan Bernier have not always played their best hockey in Toronto, while Reimer continues to produce sub-par numbers, Bernier has proven why he should be number 1 alone in Toronto. His 14-8-3 record and 2.65 goals against average with a .921 save percentage make Reimer’s look like AHL rookie goalie numbers at 6-4-0 3.26GAA and .907 SV%. The Leafs could turn to trading Reimer who has the remainder of this season and one more on his contract.
    Phil Kessel has been great offensively but defensively the entire team has been pretty terrible. Mike Santorelli is contributing in both aspects with 23 points and a plus-14.
    My Projected end of season rank: 12th in NHL – 7th in Eastern Conference11. San Jose Sharks (19-11-5 43 points)

    The San Jose Sharks have been very quiet to start the season. None the less, they are once again in the playoff race. Before the holiday break, the Sharks had won eight of the last ten and earn at least one point in nine of those ten.
    Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton each have 20 or more assists, while Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture are scoring goals. Antti Niemi shut the door on Alex Stalock, who many though would be San Jose’s number one this season. Niemi is 14-7-4 with a 2.12 goals against. Stalock sits 4-3-1 with a 2.44 goals against average.
    My Projected end of season rank: 20th in NHL – 9th in Western Conference12. Winnipeg Jets (18-10-7 43 points)

    Winnipeg has played some of their best hockey since making their only playoff appearance in Atlanta. The play of rookie goaltender Michael Hutchinson has been their key to success. The 24 year old Ontario, Canada native is 8-2-2 with a league leading 1.67 goals against and .944 save percentage. If Winnipeg continues to ride this kid, there is a chance they make the playoffs as Ondrej Pavelec has proven time and time again to be a worthy backup.
    Evander Kane is the weakest link “super star” once again for Winnipeg. Picked #4 in 2009, Kane has never lived up to the hype in Atlanta or Winnipeg. The Jets could trade Kane and win a key roster play with a good pick or prospect, but the kid needs to get out of dodge before his NHL career tanks completely.
    My Projected end of season rank: 23rd in NHL – 12th in Western Conference13. Vancouver Canucks (20-11-2 42 points)

    The addition in goal has been one of the best things for Vancouver when they picked up Ryan Miller. Eddie Lack was demolished last season proving he needed some more mentoring. Miller has come in and posted an 18-7-0 record so far for the Canucks allowing a 2.59 goals against. While Eddie Lack also posts a 2.59 goals against, he is 2-4-2 for Vancouver.
    Henrik and Daniel Sedin have been revitalized by Radim Vrbata and lead the Canucks with 59 points combine, while Vrbata has helped with 25 more points. Trading away Ryan Kesler has seemed to be a winner as Nick Bonino has 8 goals and 13 helpers, Luca Sbisa has 2 goals and 2 assists but sits a -7.
    My Projected end of season rank: 10th in NHL – 4th in Western Conference14. Los Angeles Kings (17-11-7 41 points)

    Defending the cup title seems to be the hardest thing to do compared to anyother sport. They should know that having won the title two of three years. Los Angeles has been all but out of the gate again this season, it seems to be their motto, start slow and finish hard.
    Jeff Carter leads the team with 26 points, while Jonathan Quick has been fairly decent at 14-8-6. Los Angeles again is relaying on solid goaltending while their scoring production is low. Only four players at this point have twenty or more points, Williams at 19 looks to be number five.
    My Projected end of season rank: 16th in NHL – 7th in Western Conference15. New York Rangers (18-10-4 40 points)

    The New York Rangers, much like the Los Angeles Kings are hanging low after their last season. Losing in five games to the Kings for the cup had to Rangers in a sad place this off-season. The month of December has been very friendly playing only 9 games before the holiday break going into the break with six straight wins.
    Rick Nash has finally found a rhythm in New York and has 23 goals on the season adding 13 apples and a plus-16. If he and Henrik Lundqvist can continue to play well, New York could find themselves in the playoffs again, but it cannot come down to just them.
    My Projected end of season rank: 17th in NHL – 10th in Eastern Conference16. Washington Capitals (17-11-6 40 points)

    Washington continues to be mediocre with Braden Holtby in net. Though his numbers have been decent this season at 15-8-5, Holtby’s save percentage has been brutal at .917. The 25 year old goaltender is looking to carry his team to the playoffs and it might just happen.
    Alex Ovechkin has played fairly well but not anything near his 51 goal past season. The captain in second in scoring on the team with 28 points while Nicklas Backstrom leaded the team with 36. 22 year old Evgeny Kuznetsov and 19 year old Andre Burakovsky are playing pretty low for what is expect, but each posted 13 points this season.
    My Projected end of season rank: 11th in NHL – 6th in Eastern Conference17. Boston Bruins (18-14-3 39 points)

    After his Vezina winning season, Tuukka Rask has struggled out of the gate for Boston this season. He is only four games above .500, his 10 losses are five less than last season’s total. Tuukka’s .912 save percentage is also a career low thus far with the exception of his four game rookie start in 2007-08.
    Another dead spot for Boston is their lack of scoring, their leading scorer Patrice Bergeron only has 26 points, and Brad Marchand leads the team with 10 goals. If Boston expects to make the playoffs, scoring needs to increase and goaltending needs to tighten up.
    My Projected end of season rank: 15th in NHL – 9th in Eastern Conference18. Calgary Flames (18-15-3 39 points)

    How can anyone overlook the amazing start to the season Calgary had. December exposed weaknesses in Calgary and brought them down to earth where they have gone 3-7-1. Mike Giordano has come blazing through the gates with 34 points in 36 games, only twice this season has he gone back to back games without a point. He does not have a point in only nine games so far this season.
    If the Flames expect to continue their success, Juri Hudler will need to continue his dominance. Hudler like Giordano has stepped up huge for the young club, Hudler has 33 points in 35 games this season. While rookie Johnny Gaudreau has 27 points, including his first career hat trick on December 22nd against the Los Angeles Kings. He has four goals in his previous two games going into the holiday break.
    My Projected end of season rank: 19th in NHL – 8th in Western Conference19. Florida Panthers (15-9-8 38 points)

    Florida has played well to begin the season, they have played a few games less than most every team but the solid goaltending from Roberto Luongo has been a big mark for them. Luongo is 13-7-6 to start the season with Florida and Al Montoya is 2-2-2 behind him.
    Florida’s biggest downfall this season is their lack of scoring. Their leading scorer only has 19 points, Nick Bjugstad and Aaron Ekblad are tied. The lack of scoring will not be friendly down the stretch when defenses around the league tighten up.
    My Projected end of season rank: 18th in NHL – 11th in the Eastern Conference20. Minnesota Wild (16-13-3 35 points)

    The Wild have not really played up to the expectation of many. Darcy Kuemper, like many expected to, has taken over the number one spot even though he is playing barely over .500. He and Backstrom share a .901 save percentage, while is nothing for either goalie to be proud of. Niklas Backstrom is 5-3-3 and has allowed 32 goals on 322 shots.
    Scoring has not been giant for the Wild, but they still get it done with four players over twenty points and twelve with more than ten. Nino Niederreiter has a team leading 14 goals with a team worst minus-11.
    My Projected end of season rank: 21st in NHL – 10th in Western Conference21. Philadelphia Flyers (14-14-6 34 points)

    Philadelphia has had one of those seasons that they would rather forget, the holiday break gives them just that chance. Though they have won three straight, they cannot find a way to finish games. Even with Jakub Vorachek have a career year, he leads the Flyers with 46 points.
    Claude Giroux has caught fire this season as well, his 41 points have him tied for third in the entire NHL. The key to a Flyer turn around will be Steve Mason in goal. After a revitalized 2013 season with the Flyers, Steve is struggling once again. At 6-10-5, Mason looks to improve his win column as the Flyers look to improve on defense. His goals against average and save percentage are better than some teams above Philadelphia, so the issue is not Mason in goal.
    My Projected end of season rank: 14th in NHL – 8th in Eastern Conference22. Ottawa Senators (14-14-6 34 points)

    The Senators are really just playing their norm this season. Their leading goal scorer is Captain Defensemen Erik Karlsson, his 23 points are tied with Kyle Turris as the both have 7 goals and 16 assists. Karlsson though is -14 as he is having trouble shutting down top scorers on other teams.
    Robin Lehner and Craig Anderson cannot stay in the win category, Anderson is 8-9-4 where his goals against are not too terrible allowing 51 goals on 719 shots. Robin Lehner on the other hand has nearly three goals against per game and is 6-5-2.
    My Projected end of season rank: 25th in NHL – 13th in Eastern Conference23. Colorado Avalanche (13-13-8 34 points)

    Colorado has had a tough start, lack of chemistry, injuries, goalie confidence lacking in Semyon Varlamov and Reto Berra. When healthy, Varlamov seems to have lost his Vezina touch from last season. After a shutout in his return against the St. Louis Blues, Varlamov would look to build on that for confidence after the holiday break.
    Scoring has evaded Colorado until their 11 goals in three games, six players currently have twenty plus points while two more players are one point away. Erik Johnson is playing with confidence of late while Colorado prays Nathan MacKinnon, Matt Duchene, Ryan O’Reilly and Gabe Landeskog can all catch fire, if they do, look out.
    My Projected end of season rank: 13th in NHL – 6th in Western Conference24. Dallas Stars (14-14-5 33 points)

    Dallas traded for big wig Jason Spezza, after a slow start Spezza has 25 points and looks to heat up. Tyler Seguin has been MVP material this season and could be a top candidate for the Hart. His 42 points are second in the NHL and his 25 goals lead the NHL.
    Kari Lehtonen his pulling all the weight for Dallas in net, his backup Anders Lindback cannot win a game to save his life. The one he did win, came in relief against Edmonton on the 21st of December. His goals against average is an embarrassing 4.29 while his save percentage is no better at .864.
    My Projected end of season rank: 22nd in NHL – 11th in Western Conference25. Columbus Blue Jackets (14-16-3 31 points)

    Columbus has played huge of late, posting an 8-1-1 record. They were dead in the water at 6-15-5 and things were looking like Connor McDavid could be headed to Ohio. Sergei Bobrovsky has been fairly decent, while Curtis Mcelhinney has been miserable, almost as bad as Anders Lindback for Dallas.
    Lack of scoring has not been an issue for Nick Foligno or Ryan Johansen as the both have 30 points, though defense has been a huge issue for the team. Eight players are minus-10 or worse and 27 of 31 players to play in a Blue Jackets game are minus-1 or worse.
    My Projected end of season rank: 24th in NHL – 12th in Eastern Conference26. New Jersey Devils (12-17-7 31 points)

    The story in New Jersey is Cory Schneider, he has started 32 of New Jersey’s 36 games. He has faced 926 shots and has played 1,840 minutes, when New Jersey said he would be the number one they were not kidding. Keith Kinkaid and Scott Clemmensen have started four games and are 1-1-3 in those four games.
    Lack of goal scoring is killing the Devils, it would not hurt the Devils to finish in the bottom five this season, maybe they can land a key goal scorer to help out Adam Henrique. Henrique and old timer Jaromir Jagr lead the Devils with a whopping 20 points. New Jersey fired Coach Peter Deboer and hired, Adam Oates and Scott Stevens who will also be assisted by Lou Lamoriello the general manager of the Devils.
    My Projected end of season rank: 26th in NHL – 14th in Eastern Conference27. Buffalo Sabers (13-19-3 29 points)

    Buffalo sent down number two pick Sam Reinhart to start the season, a certainly good thing for the kid. So without their future leader and captain, Buffalo started the season horribly as expect, but found fire at the end of November. But since a 5-1 loss to Winnipeg, they have lost four straight, 5-1 to Colorado, 3-4 O in Boston and 6-3 against Detroit as defense evades Buffalo.
    Goaltending is an issue that will continue to be exposed down the stretch. Michal Neuvirth, the season starter and number one, went down with an injury and posts a 3-8-1 record. Jhonas Enroth has played better of late than to start the season but holds a sorry 10-11-2 record allowing a GAA of 3.05.
    My Projected end of season rank: 27th in NHL – 15th in the Eastern Conference28. Arizona Coyotes (12-18-4 28 points)

    Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson lead their team with 105 shots each, their nearest teammate is Shane Doan with 82. Lack of offensive shooting has Arizona in need of goals. A trade of one of their top two defensemen could bring a legit goal scorer into Arizona.
    Mike Smith has played like a rookie this season, even his backup Devan Dubnyk has played better. Smith is 5-15-2 this season and his save percentage is .884 with 3.48 goals against average. A trade could benefit this team to come out on fire next season.
    My Projected end of season rank: 29th in NHL – 14th in Western Conference29. Carolina Hurricanes (10-20-4 24 points)

    What has happened to Cam Ward? Lack of scoring is what has happened, Ward is still posting legitimate numbers, but the team is not helping him win. Backup Anton Khudobin feels the same way, though his numbers are not quite as nice, they are still better than many goalies of about teams. Ward is 9-12-2 while Khudobin is 1-8-1.
    Justin Faulk is leading the club with 20 points, while seven others sit with 13-18 points. Lack of confidence his eating at the Hurricane goal scorers while they also wait for Jordan Staal to recover from a broken fibula. J.Staal could return in the next month and could hopefully spark a very sad Carolina team.
    My Projected end of season rank: 30th in NHL – 16th in Eastern Conference30. Edmonton Oilers (7-21-7 21 points)

    No one can figure out the Edmonton Oilers, they have three #1 overall picks, a #3 all in their current lineup. Their defense is not a horrible list of names, but seems to have no connection. Their goaltending has been disgusting and this team is playing like all they want is a fourth #1 overall in the lineup.
    The firing of Coach Dallas Eakins has not helped change a thing nor did the firing of their goaltending coach. At this point the only thing that saves Edmonton is a trade sending away a top notch guy like Taylor Hall or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who are the top two scorers on their team. Jordan Eberle could also be trade bait for a serious goaltender or defensive player along with other assets.
    My Projected end of season rank: 28th in NHL – 13th in Western Conference
    *All projections are personal opinion and speculation, I take into account a lot more than just guessing, I did not put what teams need to change or expect for the rest of the season, just a little update of the teams with the addition of a speculated guess.
    Thanks for reading J
  14. Zz_
    The duel for back-up in Denver seems to be over, though it is not 100% sure what Colorado will do. Just a few weeks ago, Calvin Pickard was re-assigned to Lake Erie even though he had played out of him mind for the Colorado Avalanche. The young goaltender was sent back due to the fact that Semyon Varlamov was healthy and Reto Berra was their number two. Their other reason was for developmental reasons, where Calvin would get to play more in Lake Erie where in Colorado Varlamov was expect to get back to back to back games over and over. Leaving Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic with no choice than to keep the best interest of Calvin above all else.
    After Semyon Varlamov went down, Calvin Pickard was called back up, to play and he would not sit on the bench as Coach Roy seemed to have no confidence in Reto Berra. Reto Berra has appeared in one game since his back to back 1st period pulling. In that game, Berra played just over 16 minutes and allowed one goal on just seven shots, proving that mentally, he was not ready to be back in net.
    With Calvin Pickard continuing his NHL head turning as the young goalie has allowed one goal in three straight games, winning two and losing a 1-0 overtime game in Pittsburgh. He has also allowed one goal in four of his last six NHL games. He sits second in the NHL with a .939 save percentage and 6th in the NHL with a 2.06 goals against average. Of the three Colorado goalies, Pickard has the best record at 6-5-2 although that could easily be a much better record had the Avalanche been able to score a few extra goals.
    So what is next for the 22 year old? After his 34 save performance and 9 round shootout win against the Detroit Redwings, Patrick Roy is certain he is not sending the youngster back to Lake Erie, at least for now. When asked, “Varly is almost back, how tough is it to send Pickard back to Lake Erie?” Patrick would reply, “We’re not sending Pickard down.” “At this time, we’re not gonna send him down, and we’ll make decisions further down in time. But I mean for now, we’re not making any decision.” Roy would continue. When asked about taking Pickard out of the net even when Semyon Varlamov comes back, this is what he had to say. “Obviously it is not easy, but at the same time, let’s not forget what Varly did for us last year. Varly played so well for us, he was the reason why we had 112 points and won our division. Let’s not forget what he did for us, we will talk tomorrow and see if he is ready to play against the Blues, but if he is ready, he will play” (Watch Roy’s post-game interview here)
    So for now, it looks like Calvin Pickard has won the right to stay at the NHL level. Colorado will likely carry three goalies until they are able to trade Reto Berra or take a shot at losing him for nothing by sending him to Lake Erie. If Reto Berra is lost to waivers, Colorado will have thrown away their second round pick in 2014. Joe Sakic will want to get some kind of return for the 27 year old goalie and will be looking to deal him once the trade freeze lifts after the holiday.
    You do have to go back to the start when Calvin was sent back to Lake Erie for developmental reasons and wonder why it is no longer the same? Though he has proven he can play in the NHL, he will not be playing the amount of games the Avalanche wanted just a few weeks ago. Is it now that Colorado would have a solid backup they can rely on? Someone who can carry some of the weight so Varlamov does not have to? It is all speculation until the back-up slot is sealed by the 22 year old, but if it is not now, it will be next season and Colorado is faced with making that choice.
    Joe Sakic signed both Reto Berra and Semyon Varlamov to contract extensions at the end of that season. Berra to a 3 year deal and Varlamov to a 5 year deal, Calvin Pickard will be a Restricted Free Agent at the end of this season. With a new contract in sight, could Calvin Pickard be on the trading block over Reto Berra? If the Avalanche organization has any common sense, the answer would flat out be no, although NHL scouts have been at the last two Colorado games for the young goalie.
    On a scoring note, Avalanche defensemen Erik Johnson scored his fourth goal in four games against the Redwings. Johnson has eight goals on the season and is two points shy of being the seventh player for Colorado to hit 20 points this season. Erik seems to be playing with the confidence he found last season in his last few games.
    Nathan MacKinnon has not scored a goal in 15 games, his last goal came on November 13th against the New York Rangers. MacKinnon has 5 goals and 15 assists this season with an outstanding -10. Nathan has shown flashes of dazzle in the last five games but cannot seem to find his stride.
    The Avalanche power play has found a small spark in their last two games, notching two power play goals, one against Buffalo and the other against the Redwings. This spark and solid goaltending could make this team that much closer to a larger win column.
    Penalty kill continues to be solid for the Avalanche. The Avalanche still sit in the top 5 for penalty killing and are 8 kills for their last 9. Although the additions of John Mitchell and Marc-Andre Cliché help, when the two went down, the Avs PK took a small hit but still played solid.
    Colorado has strung together their third two-game winning streak of the season and are 3-0-2 in their last 5 games. The Avalanche will look to get to .500 as a holiday gift against the St. Louis Blues on December 23rd. The Blues and Avs have gone to overtime in both games this season, St. Louis walked away with both 3-2 wins.
    In game one, Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for St. Louis, power play goals by Ryan O’Reilly and Nathan MacKinnon would lead the Avs to overtime and a shootout. Semyon Varlamov received the shootout loss and made 27 of 29 saves in the game.
    In game two, Erik Johnson would score twice for the Avalanche, while Blues defensemen Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo would both scored as the defensive scorers duked it out. It would be an early overtime winner though by TJ Oshie that would seal the win for St. Louis. Calvin Pickard would be the overtime loser for the Avalanche stopping 39 of 42 shots in the game.
    The Blues are 1-1-1 since playing the Avalanche on December 13th. With two days off the Blues will head to Denver where Paul Stastny will be viciously booed for the entire game. It is likely with the two days off that Colorado will face Martin Brodeur for the first time this season, Brodeur signed with St. Louis on December 2nd and did not play against the Avs on the 13th of December. Although, Jake Allen holds a 11-3-2 record and has played fairly well in his career against the Avalanche. Martin Brodeur allowed 6 goals in his last outing against the Los Angeles Kings and is looking to rebound. In four games this season, Brodeur has the worst stats of his NHL career since his 4 game rookie season in 1991-1992 with New Jersey.
    If healthy the Avalanche could see Semyon Varlamov take the net at home, looking to improve his 4-6-5 record and a 2-3-1 home record. It is amazing to think in 32 games, Varlamov has only played six total games at the Pepsi Center this season. Reto Berra will more the likely be a healthy scratch in the return of Semyon Varlamov as his future with Colorado is no longer certain. If Semyon is not ready to play, Calvin Pickard will get the nod in net, after a 39 save thriller against the Blues in his first game, the kid will be looking to win at home. At Pepsi Center, Pickard is 3-3-1, one of the three wins came after Reto Berra was pulled in the first period after allowing 3 goals. As a starter, Calvin is 2-3-1 at Pepsi Center and looks to shed the losses by adding some wins with a healthier Avalanche lineup. In those 7 games, he has allowed 16 goals but only 7 of those goals have been since his latest call up and are the only 3 home games since this call up. Reto Berra is 1-1-1 at Pepsi Center this season allowing 10 goals in those games and 3 more in a game his lost record of after being pulled in the Avs comeback win. Reto’s last win was against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Novermber 6th and last start was November 25th.
    Key to success against the Blues:
    Colorado will need to shut down Vladimir Tarasenko, TJ Oshie and top two defenders in Shattenkirk and Pietrangelo.
    Goal scorers need to score, Matt Duchene, Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O’Reilly for offense, Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie on defense.
    Solid goaltending by either Semyon Varlamov or Calvin Pickard
    The Avalanche and Blues will face-off twice in three games just six days apart. St. Louis will head home to play Dallas before hosting the Avalanche and Colorado will play host to the Chicago Blackhawks. A lot of points up for grabs in the next three games for both teams. St. Louis could pull further away with and extra six points, or the Avs could catch up with the much needed points. Adding six more points to their recent 8 points would boost the Avs into playoff contention with a healthy lineup that lacks a major piece in only Jamie McGinn if Varlamov can finally stay healthy (we will know in about six games.)

    Photo by: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
  15. Zz_

    Where to go from here - Avs

    By Zz_,

    The first 31 games of the season have been all but spectacular for the Colorado Avalanche. The young club stomped the NHL with their franchise best record since 2000-2001 when they won their 2nd Stanley Cup. A roster that spewed out; Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Ray Bourque, Adam Foote, Alex Tanguay and many more stellar Hall of Fame players, and those that will never be in the Hall certainly helped. A shocking loss in game 7 of the post-season seems to have the young Avalanche club failing to live up to their hype, failing to score, and the worst of the worst, failure to win games.
    Since the last cup win, Colorado has either missed the playoffs or been knocked out in round 1 eight times. Currently they are on pace to miss the playoffs for the fourth time in five seasons. The Central Division Champions are now the worst team in the Central Division, thanks to the surprising play of the Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators.
    One dagger in Colorado's hip this season has been the plaque of injuries and the inability to keep a healthy lineup. During the off-season, Colorado signed free agent Jesse Winchester. Jesse was injured in the pre-season where he sustained a concussion and has yet to play a single game. Although he seems to be fairly healthy, his only issue now is at the Pepsi Center, when he practices the lights at the arena seem to bother him even though he is healthy and okay almost anywhere else. When asked about this Coach Patrick Roy laughed it off and said, "I have never seen this, but everyone is different with injuries." Jesse Winchester is a 6 year NHL vet who has played majority of his career with the Ottawa Senators, in 285 career games he has 70 points and 159 penalty minutes. He is known more for being a penalty killer and a 4th line grinder.
    Along side Winchester, Patrick Bordeleau has yet to play a game this season, though his is not a power house scorer, he is a huge component to the 4th line. Bordeleau, a 6'6" giant drafted in the 4th round by Minnesota in 2004, opens the gates to allow Avalanche grinder Cody McLeod to be more involved in the play. Bordeleau takes the fights and penalties for the team and stands up for his stars. Not that Cody McLeod doesn't, he leads the team and probably the NHL with 9 fights and 98 in his career. I used to rip on Brody for being such a terrible pick up and what not, but once he is out of the lineup you can really see his impact, especially on the bottom two lines. Getting him back would be a benefit for the Avs and it should be happening soon.
    Since the season started, Colorado has dropped like flies. Ryan Wilson's season ended after just three games, Wilson injured his shoulder which required surgery. Ryan Wilson will be a UFA at the end of the season, if he can find a way to stay healthy, Wilson could be a great defensive pick up for many teams. A position the Avs are short on due to their consistent drafting of Centres is at Wing, and the Avs lost Winger Jamie McGinn probably for the season when he underwent back surgery on December 10th. McGinn ended last season with 19 goals and 19 assists, in 19 games this season Jamie had only 4 goals 2 assists and a -9. Marc-Andre Cliche, a huge penalty killer for the Avs has missed 6 games with his current injury, although Cliche could be in the lineup Saturday, December 20th against the Buffalo Sabers.
    John Mitchell, another huge piece to the Avalanche penalty was injured on November 29th, not only is Mitchell a key PK guy, he has an amazing shot and his face-off skills are in need in the Avs defensive end. It is speculated Mitchell will return on the Avs current 3 game road trip, but not certain. Ben Street, a call up from the Lake Erie Monsters, was only in the line up due to injuries. Ben played in two games before sustaining a hand injury, with the Avs hopefully getting healthy, Street will more than likely be reassigned to Lake Erie upon his return. Dennis Everberg, a surprise opening night roster guy, injured his shoulder in November against the Washington Capitals, the rookie has 1 goal and 4 assists this season and has been back in the Avalanche lineup for a few games, him staying healthy and playing hard could see him stay in Colorado, although, players coming back could see the rookie assigned to Lake Erie, but only Roy can make that choice. With his decent play in 16 career games, anyone can argue that it is his roster spot to lose.
    Most notable has been Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov, a runner up for the Vezina, Varlamov proved to the NHL that he is a top elite goaltender but this season has many right back where they started. Semyon Varlamov cannot stay healthy. The Washington Capitals had plenty of young goalies to choose from and they chose to send Varly to Denver for some quality draft picks and many assumed the major reason was his inability to stay healthy. This season Varlamov has suffered three groin injuries, causing him to miss a handful of games. Semyon Varlamov is not expected back on the Avs three game road trip, though his return could be soon.
    Although injuries are killers and daggers to any club, that is not the Colorado Avalanche's biggest issue. Their biggest issue in the last 31 games has been their lack of scoring. Last season the Avs averaged just a hair under 3 goals a game at 2.99 - they scored the late, big, clutch goals that won those key games. On top of that they found a way to win, 28 games Colorado won of 52 were one goal games, the difference in 56 points! After being top 5 in scoring, Colorado has dropped to the bottom 10 and are averaging 2.42 goals a game. This season Colorado has lost 14 one goal games while winning only 5, if that number is reversed, Colorado has an extra 28 points which boosts them from 26th in the NHL to number 1 in the NHL. Not saying that they would be 14-5 in those one goal games, but that is how close the Avalanche have been from being number one in the entire league, even over Sidney Crosby and the 49 point NHL leading Penguins.
    Last season Colorado allowed an average of 2.63 goals against per game, which was tied with Vancouver for 16th. This season Colorado is the 5th worst in the NHL to this date allowing 3.13 goals against per game. Although, rookie goalie Calvin Pickard has helped to trim the number with his amazing play of late.
    Colorado's feel good story this season has certainly been the play of 22 year old rookie goaltender Calvin Pickard. Pickard was recalled early in the season against the Ottawa Senators when starting goalie, Semyon Varlamov sustained his first groin injury. Calvin was put on a four plus ordeal, flying from Chicago to Ottawa, to play backup for Reto Berra. Though his entire career would change less than 3 minutes into the game. John Mitchell would crash his own net with Kyle Turris of Ottawa, causing Reto Berra to injure his neck. Pickard was tossed into the fire where he would allow 4 goals on 27 shots, since then, the kid has been a confidence boost for the team and the organization.
    In 11 career games, Calvin Pickard has never been pulled, but has played in relief 3 times. His first recall saw two games, one start due to Berra's injury. He would go 0-2-0 allowing 7 goals on 56 shots. His second call-up, Reto Berra would start two games and be pulled before the 1st period ended in both. The rookie would post two shutouts allowing his team to win both comeback games, first time by any goalie in NHL history and Calvin would be awarded the #1 job as long as Varlamov was injured. Pickard played his heart out in a one goal loss to Chicago as he stopped 42 of 45 shots. Calvin would go 3-2-0 before being sent back down to Lake Erie for developmental reasons when Varlamov returned. After Semyon re-injures himself for a third time, Calvin Pickard would be called up once again and without hesitation, Patrick Roy would out the young goalie in over Reto Berra. In his third stint in the NHL, Pickard has played like a number one goalie and NHL scouts have noticed as 9 NHL scouts attended his game in Pittsburgh against the Penguins. In his last 4 games Pickard's record has not been too fair considering his team has not provided him with much goal support offensively. 1-1-2 record where two losses Pickard allowed only 2 goals on 82 shots, one he would lose 3-0 against Nashville (2 open net goals) the other would be an amazing 47 save overtime loss to the Penguins, where Calvin robed both Malkin and Crosby on the breakaway. Calvin and the Avs would also lose on overtime against the St. Louis Blues 3-2 where he would make 39 saves and a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets where he would make another 30 saves. 157 shots against in the last 4 games and the rookie has gotten 149. It is safe to say that Reto Berra may be on the Colorado trading blocks and Calvin Pickard could put up a training camp brawl with Semyon Varlamov for the number one position which could also see Semyon Varlamov as future trade bait.
    No one knows how much of a Semyon Varlamov fan I am, I bought this cats jersey, met him twice, once for and autograph, once for a picture, shook his hand and flat out said, "You're my favorite Avalanche goalie all-time!" Yes, even over Patrick Roy, who I love dearly, I just love Semyon that much more...Weird? Probably haha. Seeing Varlamov leave Colorado would kill myself and many Avs fans, but if Calvin Pickard is as good as I feel he is, this kid will be Elite and will win the Avs a Stanley Cup. Unless they can trade him to say Carolina for this years 1st round pick, let the Hurricanes continue to fail and the Avs can land McDavid or Eichel... Yet, I think I rather have a future Elite goalie than ANOTHER centre in Denver... Although the "next great one" along side MacKinnon wouldn't be too shabby, trade Duchene in the future.... no no no! Don't put me on this path! I am not against Duchene, Varly, Pickard, McDavid..... I am just getting in my head.... Good game plans or not!!!
    Anyways, that is my rant on the Avs this week. The goaltending by Pickard has been beyond amazing, he should be 3-1-0 but the lack of scoring has ruined the Avalanche. With Varlamov getting healthy, the Avs will likely send Calvin back to minors until Varlamov gets hurt again. Praying he does not, with the entire lineup getting healthy, maybe the Avs can bust out some wins and one goal wins more importantly and get on track. To keep pace with the NHL they need to start winning at minimum 2 of every 3 games, to start climbing Colorado needs to put together winning streaks of more than 3, more than once a month. If Colorado could win 3 for every 4, they are in a prime spot to start fighting for the #8 seed that they are only 10 points (5 wins) out of.
    Dear Santa,
    All I want for Christmas is a healthy Colorado Avalanche team that can win 20 of their next 25 (minimum) and make the playoffs. I want the team to stay healthy for the rest of the season, trade O'Reilly for huge gain and win!!! WIN WIN WIN!!!
    Thanks,
    Sam
    ----- Too much? o_O oh well

    (Picture by: Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
  16. Zz_
    What has happened to the Colorado Avalanche in this 2014-15 season?
    You cannot say that the Avalanche have had it easy by any means, considering both the NHL has studied up on the team since their explosion last season that saw them #1 in the Central, #2 in the West and #3 in the entire NHL. A gutsy rookie that came into the league like he had something to prove, after all, he was taken first in the 2013 entry draft. A captain that seemed to be getting his sensational rookie form back, played like he had nothing to lose and played like a twenty year veteran that had led many clubs into the playoffs before. A young goalie who seemed to have found his game and was playing with the highest of expectations from himself in Semyon Varlamov. Before an injury late in the season, a Steller performance by Matt Duchene had him eyeballing a top 10 finish to his season, if not a top 5. But the Minnesota came to town and shocked the Avalanche with a game 7 overtime win. That led the Avalanche into a rut for the summer offseason, a rut that they just have not dug themselves out of. So what happened between then and now?
    Nathan MacKinnon, Calder trophy winner 2014; sensational, amazing, pure-raw talent, next Crosby? Are all words that described the 17 year old before his draft, and MacKinnon did not disappoint, although he did not have the 102 points as a rookie MacKinnon put up 63 and a +20. MacKinnon had the organization feeling good about their pick that saw Aleksander Barkov, and Jonathan Drouin fall 2nd and 3rd behind him. Nathan MacKinnon was fearless as a rookie and let the entire NHL know it, powering through defenses, standing up for teammates and himself, he was exactly what the Avalanche needed. Over the offseason, MacKinnon put on twelve pounds of muscle to help himself against the walls, in the corners and one of one against much bigger defense. Everyone coming into the 2014-15 season has had high expectations for the now 19 year old NHL sophomore, but they all have been disappointed to say the least. This season, MacKinnon has not been scoring as it took Nathan 11 games to get his 1st goal of the season, where he also scored his 2nd, since then MacKinnon has had 3 goals in 16 games and zero goals in his last 9. MacKinnon’s defensive play has been just as brutal and the entire team has been no better. MacKinnon has had only four games this season where he was a +1 or better, 9 that resulted in a -/+ 0 and 13 games that have been a -1 or worse. He has also seemed to be absent on the power play even though 3 of his 5 goals are power play goals, that is all MacKinnon has to show for his scoring along with no game winners. The -10 sophomore does have a positive side with 13 assists this season, which is not bad for any 2nd or 3rd line forward, but we are talking about Nathan MacKinnon here, his own teammate on defense has 17 assists. MacKinnon’s runner up to the Calder, Tyler Johnson, is sitting 5th in the NHL with 20 assists and has confidence that is soaring. So we all know when MacKinnon should be, but this season, he is making one too many passes that lead to turn overs and rather than using his goalie killing shot he is making passes that are not there. His confidence is all but gone and he finds himself unable to stay ready for a defensive outbreak that has lead him to a -1,-2, and -3 in his last 3 games.
    Now we cannot let all the blame land on MacKinnon’s shoulders as he is only in his second NHL season. So we will focus on a much larger much more important leader on the Avalanche in the human form of Gabe Landeskog. Now here is a guy that knows the entire aspect of the game, though he is not projected to be the next Crosby, Gretzky or even Peter Forsberg, Landeskog is known for his leadership. Named the youngest captain in the history of the Kitchener Rangers, Gabe was also named the youngest Captain in the history of the NHL, thanks in part to Milan Hejduk stepped down from his responsibilities. To start the 2014-15 season it felt like Landeskog was being paid $5,571,439.00 to sit in the penalty box. Through the first 18 games of the season, Gabe racked up eleven penalties for 22 minutes, not somewhere you want your captain to be. In those 18 games, Landeskog had only 4 goals and 2 assists. It seems that Patrick Roy helped solve that issue by putting him on a line with Nathan MacKinnon and Jarome Iginla though. Since playing with these two guys in the last 9 games, Gabe has only taken one penalty which came in their last game on December 5th against Winnipeg. Landeskog has had 7 assists, 3 goals, though his plus minus was looking great at going +9 in the previous 6 games Gabe has found himself a -4 in the last 3 games with only two points. His confidence and leadership is in full swing form this season, if he and the Avalanche want to get on a roll, it is vital that Gabe finds a rhythm for himself and his young team.
    I personally am very bias when it comes to goalie Semyon Varlamov, I love the dude, class act and certainly deserved the Vezina for his stellar play last season. Yet I have come to understand in watching him that it’s the same old same for Varly. The guy has the ability to be a Patrick Roy, Brodeur, Rinne, Crawford, Quick or Price (I know I missed a lot of great goalies) but his ability to not shake off frustration or rust has cost him. Varlamov is a goalie that when his confidence is going, he is straight up the best goalie in the NHL, he has proven that. He has also proven that injuries are an every other year thing and he cannot seem to stay healthy. His ability to bounce back from a back bounce is usually fairly good, but Varly has not been able to adapt to that this season. He lets in a few bad goals (A lot of which can be pinned on the Avalanche terrible defense) and it is a lost goalie in net for the Avalanche this year. The same thing can be said about his back in Reto Berra, who has played less than good since his injury in Ottawa. After a 6-0 blowout by the New York Islanders on November 11th, Varlamov slammed the door on the Rangers and Devils stopping 53 of 58 shots, but then Varlamov would sustain his second groin injury of the season in the 3rd period against the Devils. Since his return in two games the Avalanche have played only twice, once against the Calgary Flames, where they gave up a 3-2 lead with just over 1 minute in the third remaining. None the less, Semyon would only face 25 shots and give up the game winner in overtime. His second game back was an entirely different animal, the Jets had a banged up defense and it looked like a game Colorado could win. A terrible lack defense would leave huge rebounds and uncovered players for Winnipeg to slam home a few goals. One of which Varlamov made an amazing save one, a save that could have changed the mindset of the entire team. This save though under review showed Varlamov’s glove crossed the goal line with the puck in sight, no save but a good goal for Winnipeg. This would certainly destroy any confidence the Avs had built up, Berra would replace Varly after he allowed 5 goals on 30 shots, Reto would make no difference and allow a 6th goal on his 6th shot of the game out of only 7 total. The Avalanche do not seem to have much confidence when Berra is in net lately and Varlamov is off to a poor start since returning from injury, though you cannot expect much more from a goalie who missed 20 days’ worth of practice and 6 games. The Avalanche have three days off before facing Nashville in Colorado, Varlamov will be expected to be playing his best hockey of the season in this game.
    The good news for the Avalanche is that they have had one player show up to every game he has played this season. Despite taking and Alex Ovechkin shot to the face, Alex Tanguay has showed up in all 25 games he has played in. He did miss two games with a jaw fracture he sustained from the blocked Ovi shot. Alex Tanguay may not be leading the NHL in goals, assists, points, -/+ or much of anything else, but he is playing like a true leader for the Avalanche. His 9 goals are tied with Matt Duchene for the team lead and his 17 points are tied with Jarome Iginla for 4th on the team. It is not the points that are making Alex stand out though, it is his constant shift in and out working his tail off. He has 1 game winner but also has several shootout goals that have helped to win the games won in the shootout. Tanguay seems to be playing at a level he has not played at in a few years, he looks healthy and is making smart choices. He is the only forward on the top two lines with a + in the plus/minus category for the Avalanche
    Rookies are trying to make a name for themselves in the Avalanche AHL affiliate Lake Erie. Colorado has had to call up a lot of players this season because of the injury bug, which I might prefer of the Mumps bug. Call ups, Andrew Agozzino, Tomas Vincour, Michael Sgarbossa, Ben Street, Colin Smith, and Paul Carey have all been called up at the forward position. These six forwards total for 16 games played, 0 goals, 3 assists and a -1. On defense Zach Redmond and Karl Stollery have been the two call ups for the Avalanche having played 19 games total with 3 goals. 5 assists and a plus 8. Combining these call ups gives the Avalanche 8 AHL players with 35 games played, 3 goals, 8 assists and a plus 7, these guys have all played like they want to play in the NHL and have at many times looked far better than the players on the Avalanche season opening roster. Goalies Calvin Pickard and Sami Aittokallio have both been called up for the Avs, Aittokallio was back up to Pickard when both Reto Berra and Semyon Varlamov were injured. Sami has seen no action this year but Pickard was the story of the Avalanche just last week. The 22 year old opened a lot of eyes with 2 comeback wins after Colorado was down 3-1 or 3-0 to end the first period. He would go on to win his first ever game as a starter against the Dallas Stars while also stopping 68 of 75 shots against the Montreal Canadians and Chicago Blackhawks losing 4-3 and 3-2 in both games. The play of the Colorado Avalanche call ups is the only reason the Avs are 9-12-6, they could most certainly be 6-15-6 without those young players.
    At this point in the season, every game that is lost, even in overtime, is that much closer to the Avalanche down the drain. A team with no confidence to start the season is a team that has the hardest time winning more than back to back games down the stretch. Colorado has only won back to back games twice this season and have yet to get to a three game winning streak. There are only seven teams worse than the Avs at this point these 8 total teams have a few things in common and it starts with inconsistency and lack of leadership stepping up. The most shocking of late is the Buffalo Sabers who seem to have found a little confidence going 6-4-0 in their last 10. In 13 home games, the Avalanche are just 5 losses away this season from their 11 last season. With 28 home games remaining, the Avalanche are on pace to lose at least 15 games at home. Same can be said of their road record this season, the Avalanche were an identical 26-11-4 on the home and road last season. This season their road record so far is 4-6-4, their nearly identical in the opposite direction this season as the Avs are on pace for what looks to also be around 15 losses on the road. Only two teams have allowed more goals against than Colorado, the NHL’s worst Edmonton Oilers with 90 and the Dallas Stars with 94, Dallas and Colorado are mirror images this season as far as line up, potential, struggle and inconsistent goalies.
    The season is 1/3 in the books and the outcome has been sufferable for fellow Avalanche fans. If the Avalanche were the likes of a Canadian team or high profile Philadelphia team, maybe a Red Wing team, people would be calling for Roy and Sakic on a platter. They would want trades or change now, but they are in a much more lax system and that sort of thing does not happen as much in Colorado. That is no excuse for this club though, everyone needs to be held accountable and it starts with the players that are just not playing. Nathan MacKinnon cannot use his youth as an excuse, he has been in the NHL for 109 games not, he should understand how to simplify the game by now. Shooting the puck more and thinking less will produce more than passing the puck away and creating a turnover. Gabe Landeskog is in his 4th NHL season with 226 games under his belt and 144 of them as an NHL captain. He needs to begin to take responsibility for his team and learn a better defensive aspect, is he was in Claude Giroux’s shoes right now, they would want him benched or moved to the 4th line. Semyon Varlamov wants to be that number one guy, he wants to win a cup and be the one everyone looks up to. That has to start with confidence in himself and consistency, last season Varly was the guy that made the huge save that kept them Avs in it and help the Avs comeback to win. This season, he is swiss, a 3.22 GAA and .909 save percentage has been a bust. 34th and 39th in the NHL out of goalies, which means several backups have been better than this Avalanche starter, if he gets hot and the Avs get going that is their only chance for playoff hopes 27 games into the season.
    The Colorado defense has been worse than unbelievably horrible this season, the first and second pair has been mediocre, but the third pair no matter who it is has just been awful. Tyson Barrie started the season off pretty gross, his points were low and his -/+ was horrid, but a few good games from Calvin Pickard had the young D on his game. He went from -8 to -/+ 2 and was looking good. Erik Johnson has been hit and miss in many games, though his defensive play has not been a death blow it also has not been a diamond gallery either. Jan Hejda and Nate Guenin have been fairly quiet this season, other than a few bad bounces Hejda has played decent most of the season, yet he has a very quiet -9. Guenin has played 21 games, other than Zach Redmond and Karl Stollery, Guenin has been the best guy on the back end for Colorado, point wise you don’t expect much, but Guenin is a +1 and has only taken 2 penalties all season. Karl Stollery has only played 3 games, but he is making a stand that is hard to scratch him or send him to Lake Erie in his last two games. The night mare has been Nick Holden on offense and defense, in 25 games, Holden played defense he was a -16 and had 4 points. Holden could not stop a beach ball if it was being passed nor could he stopped a turtle on a half break from the blueline. He himself admitted, "I'm kind of embarrassed about how I've been playing defensively," Holden said December 3rd. "'m going to make the best of this opportunity he's giving me at forward." Patrick Roy moved Holden to the wing against the Flames and Jets this week to help the young guy out, hoping to create confidence. Nick Holden got a lucky bounce off his foot when Michael Sgarbossa won a faceoff and Zach Redmond tossed the puck backhanded at the net. That was Holden’s first goal since he scored against Toronto on November 6th, nearly one month. Nick Holden was only played for 8:21 against Calgary, which is the lowest amount of time he has played with Colorado since his first ever, November 1st 2013 against the Dallas Stars where he saw only 4:39.
    Even with a healthy Brad Stuart and Ryan Wilson, Colorado’s defense if grossly horrible this season, I am not even sure Adam Foote could fix the mess they are in. If Colorado hits the halfway point in the season and nothing has changed, Coach Roy could look into giving his other young guys their first taste in the NHL. Guys like Duncan Siemens, Gabriel Beaupre, or Cody Corbett, we could also see call ups for guys like Bruno Gervais, Markus Lauridsen, or Maxim Noreau (who Matt Duchene has high praise) these guys could try and prove to the Avalanche that they might be NHL ready. Although their inexperience could prove killer next season. Unless the Avalanche make a block buster trade for a top 2-4 defense, the Avalanche will not make the postseason and will continue a free fall toward last place where they can duke it out with Edmonton for Connor McDavid or Jack Eichel. The turnaround in confidence and leadership needed to start a while ago, but more than ever needs to start now.

    Photo by: Lance Thomson/NHLI via Getty Images (Not intended for Copyright)
  17. Zz_
    As if the season did not start out poorly enough for the Colorado Avalanche there is yet another issue in Colorado. Despite have 9 starters out of the lineup, 3 rookies on one line and no number one goalie on the bench or ice, the Avs still managed a 4-3 win in regulation over the Carolina Hurricanes. The issue in that game was that the Avs were down 3-1 on 10 shots from the Canes. Reto Berra, Colorado’s backup goaltender, got the nod for that game as the Avalanche and coach Roy seem to have high confidence in the 27 year old goalie.
    In Berra’s first game of the season he was sensational, stopping 28 of 27 shots, while Danny Briere scored with .04 seconds to win the game. This win coming just two games after appearing in a season opening 5-0 loss where Berra stopped 10 of 10 shots in relief of Semyon Varlamov. It seemed that the off-season work he had done was paying off, until October 16th against the Ottawa Senators. Berra was run down by both his teammate, John Mitchell and Kyle Turris of Ottawa. Reto would sustain a head injury and miss the rest of that game and the next game in Montreal. Since the injury, Berra has allowed 3 or more goals in every appearance, the first being 3 goals in a win against Toronto. All of a sudden Berra cannot keep the puck out, in his last 4 games, Reto Berra has squandered 13 goals. Against the Flyers it was 4-0 before Colorado made a 3rd period comeback that fell shot to a 4-3 loss. When the Washington Capitals came to town last week, Berra gave up two and then a late very weak goal to Caps captain Alex Ovechkin. That late goal sparked a flurry of faults for Berra as he was pulled in the first period against the Carolina Hurricanes where he allowed 3 goals on 10 shots. Tonight against the Arizona Coyotes, Reto Berra started the game but was pulled after allowing 3 goals in just under 11 minutes of play, the Coyotes only had 8 shots on goal at the time.
    Rookie Calvin Pickard was tossed into the fire in Ottawa, he began the day in Cleveland, Ohio where he was preparing himself to start in net for the AHL Lake Erie Monsters. After a morning skate injury to Avalanche starting goaltender, Semyon Varlamov, the Monsters got a phone call asking them to send Calvin Pickard to Ottawa. After four or more hours of travel and flight, Pickard arrived about an hour prior to the game against the Senators. All seems to be going well, as leader Alex Tanguay takes a pass from Nathan MacKinnon and puts it home just 1:25 time the start of the game. Just moments later Ottawa has the puck in Colorado’s zone looking for their first shot of the game. Ottawa’s young center Kyle Turris was making a break towards the Avs net from the near corner, as he crashes towards the net Avalanche center John Mitchell takes himself and Turris into Reto Berra and the Avs net. Berra would be shaken up on the play and sustain an injury just 2:46 into the game. Calvin Pickard would nervously find the other portions of his gear while training staff would tend to the starting Avs goalie. Finally, Berra would skate off the ice and the 22 year old would find himself in net. A crash course to the NHL for Pickard would see him start his first career game just two days later in Montreal against the NHL leading Canadians. Despite 3 second period goals, Pickard stood solid making 33 of 36 saves and find himself backing up Berra in the next game against the Panthers, where Berra allowed 4 goals, though 2 of the 4 came on a five minute man advantage. Varlamov would come back and that would see Pickard back to Lake Erie.
    Everything was starting to look up for the Avs, goalie Semyon Varlamov would be cleared to come back to play and would Start 10 of the next 12 games. The Avs would get two huge come from behind wins against the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils, the second of which would see goaltender Semyon Varlamov injured for the second time this season. Pickard would be called up for a second time as well to back up Reto Berra. In game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes with Berra in net, he would allow 3 goals in the first period on 10 shots, coach Roy would pull Berra and Calvin Pickard would see 17 shots and stop them all in Colorado’s come back 4-3 win.
    Tonight, November 25th, Reto Berra would receive his second consecutive start and right away again would allow 3 goals in the first period, this time on just 8 shots. In just over 27 minutes of play Berra has given up 6 goals on 18 shot and again would be pulled. Against the Coyotes in relief, Pickard, would face 25 shots and get them all as the Avalanche would again come back to win 4-3 in overtime.
    At trade deadline 2014, the Avalanche organization was one hundred percent certain backup goalie J.S. Gigure would not be back due to retirement. The Colorado Avalanche would trade their 2014 second round pick to the Calgary Flames to obtain Reto Berra. The reasoning, Colorado needed off-season improvement, rather than “risk” a rookie in net for the season and take sacrifice at losing games that could matter, Colorado went with a goaltender who had NHL experience. Not just experience, but that starter experience even though the 27 year old had only played 29 career NHL games. In pre-season 2014-15, some Colorado fans found themselves wondering, why Berra? Calvin Pickard was dominate during his pre-season play after a stellar training camp. Now Avalanche fans are again wondering, why Berra? Reto Berra seems to have lost any confidence he had breaking into this season before his injury.
    Maybe the Avalanche organization jumped the gun signing Berra to a 3 year extension rather than a 1 year deal, even though you don’t just give up a 2nd round pick for a 1 year deal. Calvin Pickard is certainly making a statement that he is more than ready to play NHL back up.
    The Avalanche will host the Chicago Blackhawks tomorrow night (November 26th) at Pepsi Center, Calvin Pickard will get his second career start. Colorado has also recalled dman Karl Stollery from Lake Erie in case Erik Johnson cannot play after taking an elbow to the head early in overtime against the Arizona Coyotes Martin Hanzal. Avs will put Semyon Varlamov on injured reserve to make room for Stollery. If Johnson cannot play, that will make 10 starters for Colorado that are out due to injury, although Alex Tanguay is day to day and questionable for the game against the Chicago Blackhawks.
  18. Zz_

    Oilers, run down.

    By Zz_,

    The Edmonton Oilers, once the home of the NHL’s greatest player, now a place NHL player’s fear going to. A dynasty of hockey in the 1980’s, Edmonton brought home five Stanley cup Championships. Now, Edmonton is a place to be when it comes to hockey, they have dedicated fans that want their team to do well, but they will sure let you know about when they are not. Just this season, a fan proceeded to throw their Oiler jersey onto the ice, to ensure he let them know he was not too happy with them. It was a really silly thing to do, but that is what hockey fans seem to do some days.
    The Edmonton Oilers have had it rough since the loss of the 1980’s rosters, since their last cup in 1989-1990 the Oilers have lost twice in the Western Conference Championship game and once in the Finals. Edmonton has missed the playoffs in total 14 of 23 times since 1989-1990 and eight consecutive seasons on pace for nine.
    Since the departure of Craig MacTavish in 2009, the Oilers have had four head coaches and only one of them lasted a second season. Dallas Eakins, the newest coach of Edmonton, is in his second season, but fans are already calling for him to be fired.
    With three #1 overall picks, one #3 and one #7 the Edmonton Oilers have not found their game changer.
    Taylor Hall was selected #1 overall in 2010, although he has produced and emerged as Edmonton’s top offensive player, he has yet to be surrounded with two wing weapons. Jordan Eberle, selected 22nd overall in 2008, has been the only consistent winger on the top line with Hall. Hall is now a 5 year vet for Edmonton, hanging onto 99 career goals and 138 career assists, after last years terrible team defense Hall sports a -22 in his career and -15 from just last season alone.
    Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, selected #1 overall in 2011 has struggled with injuries to start his career. In 2011-12 Nugent-Hopkins was slated to fight for the Calder Trophy with Colorado Avalanche #2 overall pick Gabe Landeskog, however, an injury would see Ryan to 62 games and a 3rd place Calder finish. 2013-14 wasn’t a terrible season for Nugent-Hopkins, he would find 56 points in 80 games (4 more than his rookie season in 62 games.) None the less, Ryan, stayed fairly healthy and showed he can produce. He sports 13 points in 19 games so far this 2014-15 NHL season.
    If having two back-to-back number one overall picks wasn’t bad enough, Edmonton found themselves with their third consecutive number one overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. In 132 career games, Nail Yukupov, seems to be the one that really got away from Edmonton. Yukupov has had two full NHL seasons, both of which he only played 48 and 63 games. Last season Nail owned a miserable -33 and only 24 points, 11 goals and 13 assists. In 132 career games, Yukupov has, 31 goals, 31 assists for 62 points and a very sad -45. It is safe to say that Nail Yukupov may not be an Edmonton Oiler for his entire career with such a low production. Had Edmonton had a choice to re-pick in the 2012 draft, they may have taken the #3 pick, Alex Galchenyuk, or the #6 pick Hampus Lindholm instead.
    Edmonton would slip in the draft to obtain the number seven pick in 2013, yet still a top 10. They would take Philadelphia Eagles greatest quarterback of all-time’s nephew, Darnell Nurse. Since being drafted, Edmonton wanted to make sure to develop their young defenseman. Darnell would stay in the OHL to develop and finds himself there against this season, after getting his first taste of NHL action. Nurse played just two games with Edmonton, scoring 0 points and obtaining a -2 with 2 shots on goal. Darnell Nurse’s NHL career should hopefully start next season.
    The newest addition to high draft picks in Edmonton is the 2014 NHL draft’s number three overall pick, Leon Draisaitl. Leon is a 6’1” 210 pound German born center with a ton of upside as he posted 163 points in 128 games with the Prince Albert Raiders. Draisaitl, like majority of young NHL players, has had a slow start to his NHL career, posting 5 points (2g/3a) a -9 and 28 shots in his first 21 career games. Leon still has the rest of his season to both stay healthy and improve his stats and leadership.
    The Oilers lack a lot of experience and leadership, they brought in Andrew Ference, a once time cup winner to help their back end, but that’s about it. Ference is Edmonton’s captain and leader, but he is the oldest defender with the most experience, he alone cannot support this Edmonton defense. On the offense, Edmonton signed Matt Hendricks, although a solid penalty killer and fighter in his prime with Colorado, Hendricks has never been that solid go to clutch leader that the Oilers offense lacks. An extremely young lineup with not a lot of winning experience haunts the Oilers, not having that winner that has been through it all on offense is certainly needed to help this team. Until then Benoit Pouliot is as close as they will get, having gone to game 5 last season with the New York Rangers to lose the Stanley Cup to the Los Angeles Kings.
    Edmonton thought they settled their goaltender issues also, after parting ways with Devan Dubnyk and Ilya Bryzgalov, Edmonton got Ben Scrivens and Viktor Fasth. Scrivens played back up to James Reimer and Jonathan Quick in his stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Los Angeles Kings before being acquired by the Oilers. Scrivens went from back up to starter upon his arrival in Alberta and finished the 2013-14 season having played 21 games with 9 wins and 11 losses with the Oilers. The Oiler organization also went out to find Viktor Fasth from the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks found their young goaltender Fredrik Andersen and decided to trade Fasth after a breakout first NHL season at back up, where the then 29 year old goaltender went 15-6-2 with a .921 save percentage and 2.18 goal against. With an up and coming set of young goalies coming up, Anaheim split was with Fasth for a couple of draft picks in 2014 and 2015. Since arriving in Edmonton, Alberta Fasth has played backup to Ben Scrivens, appearing in 15 games going 5-7-2 in those games.
    This is a young team in Edmonton, with a few trades and alters that add experience and a sense of winning, this Oiler team could end up both very good and very scary. The Oilers fan base does not want to give them any more time, it has been going on 9 seasons since their last playoffs, a season in which Edmonton was only one win away from a sixth Stanley Cup. An empty net goal late in the third period of a 2-1 game would seal a game 7 loss for the Oilers. Had they won, this franchise could be down an entirely different road right now, or maybe not, we will never know.
    Three needs got Edmonton are; leadership, winner mentality and solid defense. With a young defensive core the Oilers are in the market for an established vet who knows how to both lead and win. Eklund, an established blogger for his own site is close enough to sources to keep rumors flying. Though I would never count on him as a confirmed source, does have seem to think that the Oilers are currently talking with the Philadelphia Flyers regarding a defenseman. Though if you ask most Flyers, right now they want to give up some of their players for a bag of pucks. If the Flyers trade say a Luke Scheen and possibly another defenseman you could imagine that possibly Nail Yukupov could be involved.
    The Oilers could also invest in obtaining a top 6 winger, especially to skate along-side Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It is highly doubtful, but could Edmonton go after maybe an Evander Kane? Knowing they should have a fairly high draft pick, the Jets could seek maybe a Darnell Nurse and a first round pick with another prospect or draft pick involved.
  19. Zz_
    Last season, the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche were near identical in almost every aspect. They both had a top three pick at the 2013 NHL draft, Colorado selecting Nathan MacKinnon from the Halifax Mooseheads number one overall and Tampa Bay taking Jonathan Droiun (MacKinnon’s line mate) also from the Halifax Mooseheads.
    Both teams went out and made a trade to obtain their current starting goaltenders, Colorado traded for Semyon Varlamov from the Washington Capitals. Tampa Bay at the 2012-13 trade deadline tagged Ben Bishop in a trade with the Ottawa Senators.
    Both teams have a star young center in Steven Stamkos and Matt Duchene, while both teams acquired (Colorado via trade, Tampa Bay the 2009 NHL Draft) a high drafted defenseman who both seemed to start a little slow in their NHL careers.
    Yet both teams seemed to excel with other players stepping up all season. Tampa Bay had 9 players with 30+ points, while Colorado had 10. Varlamov finished the season with a 41-14-6 record with a .927 save percentage and a 2.41 goals against average. Bishop finished his 2013-14 season with a 37-14-7 record a .924 save percentage and a 2.23 goals against average. Both goaltenders were runners up for the Vezna Trophy won by Boston Bruin goalie Tuukka Rask.
    How can these nearly identical teams be on such separate pages this 2014-15 season?
    Tampa is 13-4-2 including their win 11/17/14 over the New York Rangers. Colorado sits 6-8-5 including their last win 11/15/14 over the New Jersey Devils.
    One key reason could be the loss of Paul Stastny to the St. Louis Blues this off-season and the ability for Tampa Bay to keep a key leader in Ryan Callahan over the off season. The Avalanche organization nor fans believed the loss of Stastny would be as large of an issue as it seems to have been. Paul’s leadership, learned by that of the one and only Joe Sakic, on and off the ice seems to be a void in the Avalanche locker room this season. Stastny was a key faceoff man for Colorado throughout the past few seasons, his defense on the ice during both penalty kills and even strength is being missed. Nathan MacKinnon has been in a sophomore slump and does not seem to do well at center on the Avalanche top two lines. While on the Tampa Bay side Ryan Callahan has found his groove in Florida, scoring 8 goals 7 assists and sits a +8.
    Tampa Bay’s ability to keep together the same team with some alterations plays a key role in why they have jumped out to the same pace they played last season. Colorado’s inability to keep Paul Stastny has burn a hole in the organization. Losing a top 6 forward has led to new lines nearly every other game, no chemistry, lack of leadership (although they got Iginla, he doesn’t know this team the same way Paul did.) and last of defensive help from their top offensive line at even strength.
    In order for the Colorado Avalanche to get back into their winning ways, they must build trust in their new guys and build on chemistry that seems to start and then fall apart. Their goaltender Semyon Varlamov has played solid in all but one game this season and their backup Reto Berra seems to be fairly reliable, however, he has only started 5 games, finished 4 (due to injury against Ottawa) and he is 2-1-1 so far. Their defense needs to be the defense they were last year, although they allowed a ton of shots, they didn’t allow a lot of scoring chances, they need to get back to not allowing those chances. Last, they need to build on their first winning streak of the season and gain that confidence they had last season. Take each game one at a time, every game they need to go into it as thought their record is 0-0-0.
    Tampa Bay, in order to keep winning games, needs to continue their smart offensive play. Tampa is number two in goals per game average with 3.61 per game. http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/team/_/stat/scoring/year/2015/seasontype/2 Tampa is 17th in the league in goals against with 2.56 goals against per game and 21st in the league with shots against at 28.7 shots against per game. They aren’t all amazing on defense, but their offensive production is allowing them to win, their winning is keeping them confident, that mixture goes a long way on any hockey team.
    Will these once mirror images become one again this season? Can the Avalanche get back to square one? Will Tampa continue at the same pace? These are questions that only time will tell, but for one team, time is running out.
  20. Zz_

    Avs after 19

    By Zz_,

    I wanted to break down what the Colorado Avalanche so far this season. The Avalanche have had a rough start that many people did not expect, although some expected a slower start, not many expected this slow of a start.
    Breaking down the subtractions and additions to the roster as of 11/16/2014:
    Paul Stastny; signed a 4 year deal with the St. Louis Blues. Stastny started the season with a boom scoring 1 goal and 3 assists in his first two career games in St. Louis. In his fourth game of the season, Paul (Stastny) would sustain an injury on his first shift, causing him to miss eight games. Since then Stastny has played five games scoring one point, game winner (1g, 0a) and going -4.
    PA Parenteau; traded for Daniel Briere to Montreal. PA (Parenteau) found himself struggling in Colorado alongside Coach Patrick Roy and found himself on the trade market. (PA) Parenteau started the first five games of the season very strong scoring 2 goals and 3 assists. After struggling for the next eight games, in the last five he has produced 3 goals and 1 assists. 9 points and a -/+ 0.
    Andre Benoit; signed as a free agent with the Buffalo Sabers. Although the Sabers have had a rough and expect 4-13-2 start, Benoit has not found the touch he had with Colorado last season. In 14 games player with Buffalo, Benoit, has 0g 0a and is a -12. After being sat out five games, Andre (Benoit) was played again due to an injury to Alternate Captain Josh Gorges. After averaging 20+ minutes a game, Benoit only saw a season low 13:48 against the Wild and did not play last night in Toronto.
    Matt Hunwick; signed as a free agent with New York Rangers. In 15 games with the Rangers, Hunwick has one highlight real saving a goal trickling towards the goal line. Other than than, Hunwick has 6 points and 0 goals. He is a +2 and really seems to fit will in New York. Matt (Hunwick) averages around 19 minutes a game and his season high was 27:58 against the Winnipeg Jets.
    Colorado additions:
    Jarome Iginla; signed a 3 year deal as a free agent with Colorado. The twelve time 30+ goal scorer was the pick up to replace Paul Stastny. Like the entire team Jarome (Iginla) has had a slow start, his only two goals came in the same game against the Vancouver Canucks and has 0 goals in the last 11 contests. Jarome Iginla has 2g 8a and is a -3, after some recent line changes by Coach Patrick Roy, Iginla has 1 assist and hopes chemistry begins with his new line.
    Daniel Briere; acquired in a trade for PA Parenteau from Montreal. Briere found himself benched twice this season after producing only 2 goals (both game winners) and an assist. We have to remember the Briere was not really brought in to produce during the regular season but the playoffs. Danny Briere is known more for his 116 playoff points than anything else. Like Jarome Iginla, Briere’s last goal was against the Canucks in the slaughter laid on by the Avalanche.
    Brad Stuart; acquired for two draft picks from San Jose. Stuart has to be the most disappointing pick up so far this season for Colorado. Although no one expected him to be anything great, Avs fans did expect him to at least produce somewhat on the power play. Stuart has missed five straight with an injury but has no points and is a -6.
    Zach Redmond; signed as a free agent from Winnipeg Jets. Redmond is slowly turning into the Nick Holden from last season. In 8 games Redmond has 4 points, he is a -2, yet when Redmond is in the Avalanche line up there seems to be a higher pace to the game and the Avs seem to have more confidence. Colorado is 4-2-2 with Redmond in the lineup so far this season.
    To start the season, the Avalanche find themselves on the far outside looking in. With their first winning streak of the season Colorado faces the next four days as a challenge. They will not play until November 20th against the Washington Capitals. The last two times the Avalanche have had more than one day off they have lost, 3-0 to the Minnesota Wild and 6-0 against the New York Islanders. This is a make it or break it time for the Avalanche to overcome adversity and keep up the confidence they have built over the last few games. Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has faced 462 shots this season which is 3rd highest in the NHL. He is sporting a 2.95 GAA down from a 3.05 GAA earlier this month and a .918 save percentage. Varlamov’s confidence and consistency is key to the Avalanche pulling to .500 and moving up in the standings. Back-up goalie Reto Berra has been surprisingly good to start the season, it seems the work with Varly, Roy and goalie coach Francois Allaire is paying off. Berra is 2-1-1 and holds a 2.70 GAA and a .914 save percentage, which are all career highs in the first four games of the season (2 career seasons.)
    Many people are beginning to write the Colorado Avalanche off this season, saying they cannot pull themselves from this funk. That the first 20 games of the season tell you how they will play all year. Yet I find that to be false and see the building of confidence in this Colorado team. The new line of O’Reilly, Duchene and Alex Tanguay seems to be working after two games, if the line of Iginla, Landeskog and Mitchell continues their route they will be producing. The only factor missing right now is sophomore Nathan MacKinnon,who seems to have back to back years of starting off slow. MacKinnon is 6 games away from the 25 game mark where he began his rookie breakout last season. Look for MacKinnon to catch on fire before December starts.
    The second factor is Captain Gabe Landeskog. Landeskog’s discipline this season has been lacking, only Erik Johnson and Cody McLeod have more penalties than Gabe who sports 22 minutes. Along with his discipline, his defensive play has been miserable while playing even strength as he is a -11, only Nick Holden's -15 is worse. As a Captain this conduct for Landeskog needs to be altered, as a leader the team sees what he is doing and follows suit. While our penalty killing has been fair, ranking top 5, it is not the way this team needs to play as they give up enough shots without the penalty kill.
    If those two players can turn it up, Colorado can find themselves fighting for a top 8 playoff spot and possibly more. If other teams like St. Louis slow down as they did at the end of last season. It will not be an easy process for Colorado, yet after their last two games, they are headed down the right path.
  21. Zz_
    Who’s hot and who is NOT



    Eastern Conference – Week 2




     
    Fire, Fire! FIRE!!!!
     
    Let us keep the Montreal Canadians on top here, at 10-2-0 and 20 points, Montreal continues to impress and make noise in the each. At this point, they still remain the top contender in the each for a playoff run. Carey Price, who has been amazing, will be sidelined with a lower body injury. Hopefully for the Habs, this is nothing serious and they can continue their impressive run. 3-0-0 Mike Condon looks to settle in as the starter with youngster Dustin Tokarski to back him up…. Montreal’s net is crazy deep, although he is not eligible to play remember they also have Zach Fucale in their system (future trades for Montreal? Who knows!)
     
    I will nab the Pittsburgh Penguins here; the Pens have who their last four games after a dreadful start to their season. The took on the red hot Predators and Capitals to snag 2 of those four and then stole two more from some strugglers in the east. Evgeni Malkin has put up ten points to this point and Phil Kessel is slowly finding his stride, he is up to 6 points 4 of which are goals. Marc-Andre Fleury has put up some great numbers and is 4-1 in his last 5 games. As long as this group stays healthy and continues to build chemistry, expect the Penguins to start getting a little pesky once again.
     
    Boston has been playing good hockey of late as they have also won 4 in a row. Jonas Gustavsson is 3-0-0 playing well behind Tuukka Rask who sits 3-3-1. David Krejci has been a force to be recon with putting up 15 points in just 10 games. The Bruins are on a terror since starting the season 0-3-0, Boston is 6-0-1 in their last 7 games, do not expect them to slow down much in the month of November.
     
    Players to be aware of –
     
    Offense—
     
    David Krejci – Krejci continues his rampage for Boston with 15 points and 10 of those 15 have come during the Bruins current 6-0-1 run. Expect Krejci to slow down some, but not too much.
     
    Ryan O’Reilly – Ryan had been turning on the heat for the Buffalo Sabers of late. The 24-year-old has put up 10 points in his last 5 games. The Sabers are 2-3-0 in their last 5 games and 2 of those 3 losses were by only 1 goal.
     
    Mark Stone – Stone is having a quite season alongside the Ottawa Senators. Stone had 13 points on the season and 5 points in his last 4 games. The right winger is trying to make a new for himself as a point producer as he has 64 last season, he is current 51 points shy of that mark, but well on his way.
     
    Defense—
     
    Erik Karlsson – Erik has been impressive in his young career, and the 7-year vet continues to shine. Although he has yet to put a puck in the net, he has helped his team 11 times to do so. The sens just split a home and home with Detroit and have a tough test in Montreal coming up. Look for Karlsson to continue to shine and add a few more helpers and may a goal in this next week.
     
    Dion Phaneuf – Dion has played well in his last few games, 3 assists in 4 games. Phaneuf has not played too great in Toronto since 2011-12, this could be a good year for the 30-year-old or a trade year. Toronto and new coach Mike Babcock will continue to watch and see how Dion leads the team up to the trade deadline.
     
    P.K. Subban – P.K continues to play solid on the back end for Montreal. PK has 11 points (1G,10A) and is a +10 for Montreal. Look for Subban to step up with Carey Price injured and young goaltenders Tokarski and Condon in net.
     
    In the nettttt – Goaltending—
     
    Henrik Lundqvist – 5-2-2 Record - .934 save percentage – 1.87 goals against average – 0 shutouts – 280 of 297 shots stopped. Lundqvist is playing solid in net as he has allowed 2 or less goals in the last 5 games and in 8 of 9 games.
     
    Marc-Andre Fleury – 6-4-0 Record - .942 save percentage – 1.71 goals against average – 2 shutouts – 275 of 291 shots stopped. Fleury is on a 3 game winning streak and has allowed only 2 goals in those 3 games stopping 92 of 94 shots.
     
    Corey Schneider – 6-2-1 Record - .919 save percentage – 2.17 goals against average – 0 shutouts – 227 of 247 shots stopped. Schneider is 4-1 in his last 5 games.
     
    As we inch closer to winter, some teams and players are playing in the cold a little soon!
     
    The Toronto Maple Leafs are tops on this week’s cold list. The Maple Leafs have not been good for quite some time and I do not expect that to change until they get a new leader in the locker room. I think Dion Phanuef’s welcome is long gone and I expect to see him moved at the latest the NHL draft, but in the 2015-16 years. Toronto has lost their last 4 games sit 1-7-2 and have been out-scored 20 to 35.
     
    The Columbus Blue Jackets looked like they had started to turn a corner winning 2 in a row…. Until now, Columbus has lost two straight and have a league worst 2-10-0 record. Jack Johnson is seemingly invisible as he sports 1 point and a -6 on the back end of things… Is Johnson another player that could be targeted for a move at this trade deadline?
     
    The Flyers have been less than spectacular to start this season. At 4-4-2 the Flyers have lost two in a row, and Steve Mason continues to play salty in net with a .900 Save percentage and 3.39 goals against. Flyer fans are waiting for both Wayne Simmonds and Claude Giroux to break out, but that won’t save their Defense or goaltending. Could the Flyers look at a defenseman like Dustin Byfuglien or Jack Johnson? Even if they don’t, the Flyers need a change somewhere before they end up good friends with Toronto and Columbus.
     
    Let’s look at which players are struggling off the hop.
     
    Offense –
     
    James Vans Riemsdyk – Toronto has never been the place to be for James and has struggled quite a bit. Although the last two seasons were decent. James has 4 goals and 1 assists this season so far. He could be another name on the market place around trade deadline, yet he will not be a cheap trade regardless of his stats.
     
    Claude Giroux – You Flyer fans had to know I was coming after picking on the Flyers not too long ago. Captain Claude has not started this season off well by any means. After back to back seasons that panned out nicely, Giroux is struggling to find the net consistently. He sits 3 goals two assists -4 and 2 of those 3 goals came in one game. I expect Giroux and Wayne Simmonds to find some consistency soon, otherwise, the Flyers are not looking too hot.
     
    Ryan Johansen – Johansen has been a no show in the past five games with nothing but a -2 to show. Johansen is one key to why the Blue Jackets continue to struggle, weird enough, Ryan was out for the only 2 wins the Blue Jackets have this season.
     
    Goaltending –
     
    Jonathan Bernier – 0-6-1 Record - .889 Save percentage – 3.02 goals against average – 0 Shutouts – 170 of 189 shots stopped. Bernier continues to struggle as a starter in Toronto, his name could possibly end up in trade rumors everywhere.
     
    Steve Mason – 2-3-3 Record - .900 save percentage – 3.39 goals against average – 0 shutouts – 181 of 201 shots stopped. Mason looks shaky to begin this season; could an offensive strike help the 27-year-old find confidence?
     
    Sergei Bobrovski – 2-8-0 Record - .865 save percentage – 3.97 goals against average – 0 shutouts – 224 of 259 shots stopped. Bob’s was on the rise with 2 wins, but came back down after two losses. He was pulled in the last game Columbus played after allowing 3 goals on 11 shots.
     

    Defense –
     
    Jack Johnson – Johnson is having a terrible start to the season in 12 games he has produced 1 points and a -6. Sadly, I do not expect Johnson to shake this funk unless the Blue Jackets magic pull off .500 or better at the end of November.
     
    Kris Letang – Normally a force that doesn’t stop in Pittsburgh, Letang has had a quiet week. In his past 5 games, Kris has managed 0 points and a -1. The 28-year-old has 4 points on his 11 games season and is a -4. While the Penguins find offence, expect Letang to catch a whiff of that confidence.
     
    The ENTIRE Detroit Red Wing Defense – Highest scoring defensemen, Niklas Kronwall, 4 points. The Wings are finding ways to win games, but no thanks to anyone on D….
     
    **All stats are as of 10/31/15**

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