Saturday Night Hockey: All Star Catch Up Edition

Working again so I won't be around to recap the skills competition. Here are my predictions though:

Event: Hardest Shot
Prediction: Team Chara
Reason: They have Chara, 'nuff said.

Event: Accuracy Shooting
Prediction: Team Alfredsson
Reason: This one is tough, but I think Team Alfie has the edge in shooting.

Event: Fastest Skater
Prediction: Team Alfredsson
Reason: Again, I think Team Alfie has a slight edge.

Event: Fastest Goalie
Prediction: Team Alfredsson
Reason: They have a goalie named Quick, it almost writes itself.

Event: Trick Shot Competition
Prediction: Team Chara
Reason: Pavel "Dangle Dangle Deke" Datsyuk carries them in this event.

Tim Thomas Doesn't Care About Presidents

So Tim Thomas didn't show up to the White House celebration of the Bruins Stanley Cup. Then he goes on Facebook and tries to save face with what was a pretty lame excuse.  Every angle from "he has the right as a free citizen to protest in his own way" to "he missed a team function, suspend him".

I'm in-between. On one hand (and while I don't share his views) good on Tim Thomas for standing up for his political views. On the other hand, he did miss what was essentially a team function.

Either way, if you have the chance to visit the President of the United States, why would you pass up that opportunity? Even if he's not your guy, it's one of those once-in-a-lifetime opportunities (based off the average person).

Ovi Suspended, Skips All Star Game

Nice to see Ovechkin play on the edge.

After what was a barely illegal (he did leave his skates) hit, Ovi got suspended three games. Seems fair after watching the Shanaban video. The problem: this suspension goes past the All Star Game. The situation was that even if a player is suspended, he is allowed to participate.

I originally respected Ovechkin for this move, saying that he was suspended by the league so why does he have to go to a league event. Where he lost it is saying it was about getting suspended. I do agree that the hit probably didn't warrant the length of it (maybe a game or two at most), but with all the factors in place, he did deserve to sit out a game.

Tampa Bay Places Mascot On Waivers

After what is some minor mascot fun of pulling silly string on an opposing fan, Thunderbug (the Lightning now ex-mascot) was let go, because Bruins fans are too damn serious. The video has since been taken off of Youtube.

Story from the vault time kids, gather around:

Before becoming the hardcore Habs fan I am now, I enjoyed the Canucks. In 1998, I was at a Canucks/Flames game and was waving my little Canucks flag. Over comes Harvey the Hound (mascot of the Flames). So he starts having some fun with me and blocking my view of the game for a few seconds. Afterwards, he turns around and pretends to blow his nose on my flag.

Looking back, I can't remember my reaction was (I was seven) but I didn't complain about it, and I probably laughed it off. This might be the catalyst for two things:

1. MDK saying Havery is his favourite mascot.
2. Craig MacTavish being my "favourite coach"

Photo courtesy of karma

For the record, I am at peace with Harvey.

NHL All Star Game Draft Review

Team Rosters

Captain - Zdeno Chara
Alternate Captain - Joffrey Lupul (wait what?)
1st- Pavel Datsyuk
2nd- Tim Thomas
3rd- Evgeni Malkin
4th- Marian Hossa
5th- Kimmo Timonen
6th- Corey Perry
7th- Carey Price
8th- Phil Kessel (wait what?)
9th- Ryan Suter
10th- Jimmy Howard
11th- Brian Campbell
12th- Patrick Kane
13th- Dion Phaneuf
14th- Jarome Iginla
15th- Dennis Wideman
16th- Marian Gaborik
17th- Jordan Eberle
18th- Tyler Seguin
19th- Jamie Benn

Captain - Daniel Alfredsson
Alternate Captain - Henrik Lundqvist
1st- Erik Karlsson
2nd- Jason Spezza
3rd- Jonathan Quick
4th- Claude Giroux
5th- Kris Letang
6th- Steven Stamkos
7th- Brian Elliot
8th- Shea Weber
9th- Daniel Sedin
10th- Dan Girardi
11th- Keith Yandle
12th- Milan Michalek
13th- Henrik Sedin
14th- James Neal
15th- Alex Edler
16th- John Tavares
17th- Scott Hartnell
18th- Jason Pominville
19th- Logan Couture

Observations of the Draft

• It was smart of Chara for picking Datsyuk first, knowing that Alfie would got with his Swedish teammate (Karlsson) as his first pick.
• Tim Thomas was reportedly disappointed with Chara not picking all right wings.
• Jamie Duthie is right. Jason Spezza should be on the TSN panel.
• Carey's reaction to getting picked: Price-less

• God damn Lupul. Everyone knows Kessel should have been last again.
• Speaking of Lupul, his string of American picks made him qualified to be Burke's new assistant GM.
• Alfie had to pick Shea Weber, who else can get close to Chara in the Hardest Shot competition?
• I realized that Chara was trying not to pick a Canuck, but it seems that they wanted the Sedin's to be split up again (7 picks between the two).
• Oh, and nice chirp by Henrik.
• Love the crowd chanting "Over-Rated" to Dion Phaneuf.
• Was it smart having Iginla taken after Phaneuf and making them sit together?
• I don't know if you can count Rapheal Diaz a rookie, he turned 26 a few weeks ago
• Gaborik proved the drafts only blooper: going to the wrong team's stands.
• Alfie picked Hartnell, how much do you think it was hair-related?
• What a tender moment between Chara and Seguin
• "Sweating It Out" Award Winner: Tyler Seguin
• "Phil Kessel" Award Winner: Phil Kessel Logan Couture

One More Thought

This isn't draft-related, but since the All Star game is basically the highest-skilled game of shinny (a.k.a no contact), shouldn't concussed players not be excused from this game? I realized (for a lack of a better term) that there is more than just avoiding contact to the head when your trying to recover, but for guys who are close-but-not-quite-ready-yet to play again when coming back from one, this game can serve as a tune up.

Happy Finally-Eligible-To-Be-A-Professional-Day Bergy

Yes, I'm posting a birthday post dedicated to one of my bestest buds in the whole world, Andrew Bergmann.

Not shown on his hockeydb page is how much bad luck he has had. Going undrafted in the WHL Bantam draft, getting cut from Swift Current, Vancouver, and Prince George. Now he's settled in Alberta Junior B, playing for the Strathmore Wheatkings. He currently leads the team with 29 points (12 goals, 17 assists).

So cheers Bergmann. Lets hope you have a better pro career then your junior one.

Saturday Night Hockey

Working all day, so you know the drill.

Lineup NOTables

San Jose Sharks vs. Vancouver Canucks

San Jose: Ryan Clowe, Martin Havlat (hamstring surgery), Tommy Wingel (upper body), and Jim Vandermeer (upper body) are out. Antti Neimi will start.
Vancouver: Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Andrew Ebbett (collarbone), and Sami Salo (Marchand-ed concussion) are out. Roberto Luongo is expected to start.

Ottawa Senators vs. Anaheim Ducks

Mustache Power: Peter Regin (shoulder) and Jesse Winchester (concussion) are out while Zack Smith (head) and Kaspars Daugavins (leg) are questionable. Craig Anderson gets the start.
BBQ Sauce Power: Devante Smith-Pelly (foot) and Dan Ellis (groin) are out. Jonas Hiller starts today.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Fire the GM: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Brian Gionta (bicep surgery), and Ryan White (hernia). Carey Price starts tonight.
Just a Bad GM: Colby Armstrong (concussion) and John Michael-Liles (concussion) are out. Jonas Gustavsson might start.

Florida Panthers vs. Winnipeg Jets (ah, a good old Southeast battle. Wait, what?)

Sunshine: Marco Sturm (head), Sean Bergenheim (lower body), Ed Jovanovski (hand), and Jacob Markstrom (knee) are out.Scott Clemmensen is in net.
Winter-peg: Dustin Byfuglien (knee) and Derek Meech (lower body) are out. Ondrej Pavelec will start.

Calgary Flames vs. Edmonton Oilers

Building it Wrong: Curtis Glencross (knee), David Moss (ankle), Derek Smith (high ankle sprain), and Henrik Karlsson (sprain MCL) are out while Alex Tanguay (upper body) and Brendan Morrison (upper body) are questionable. Mikka Kiprusoff starts tonight
Building it Right: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), Ryan Whitney (ankle), Tom Gilbert (ankle), and Cam Barker (ankle) are out while Taylor Hall (face), Jordan Eberle (knee), and Eric Belanger (leg) are questionable. Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start.

Showing Some International Love: World U20 Championship Division III Preview

Hooray, the last of the U20 championships. This time, we travel to New Zealand (wait what?)

North Korea is unable to attend this year.

U20 Division III - Bulgaria, China, Israel, New Zealand (host), Turkey

1 (Promotion) - China
2 - New Zealand
3 - Turkey
4 - Bulgaria
5 - Israel

China was relegated last year, so they are prime candidates to win this and get promoted back to division II. Since New Zealand is the host, they will want to show up and compete. Turkey is usually the "odd man out" at the top end and will try to break through. Bulgaria had a bad tournament last year and I except that to continue. It's Israel's first U20 tournament, so I don't have too much confidence in them.

Comparing The Jaroslav Halak/Carey Price Tandem

FINALLY, I get to doing this comparison. Well, semi-comparison. Basically I think the big difference when they were a tandem was the mentality. I think that Price caved to the pressure of having a guy battle him for starting duties while Halak strived under it. Let's take a journey down memory lane, when Halak was bouncing between the NHL and AHL, while Price was just finishing up an excellent junior career

During the 2006-07 season, Price was just finishing up his junior career with the Tri-City Americans while Halak spent the season bouncing between Montreal and Hamilton. Near the end of the AHL season, Price was sent to Hamilton, and played a few games before the playoffs. In the NHL, Guy Charbonneau stupidly put in Huet against the Leafs, leaving Halak to watch the Leafs come back to win 6-5*. Instead of Halak getting sent down to help back up Price, he was allowed to join Slovakia in the World Championship. Halak was ok, getting a win (shutout no less) and a loss in two games. Price backstopped the Bulldogs to a Calder Cup, winning the Jack A Butterfield Trophy (Playoff MVP) in the process.

Since Halak wasn't a factor in 2007-08, we'll skip ahead. Over the next two seasons, Halak posted numbers that were either in line with or better than Price's. Here is the combined stats for the two seasons (stats from hockey-reference)

Halak: 79 Games - 44 Wins - 27 Losses - 6 "Ties" - 2.63 GAA - 0.920 Sv%
Price: 93 Games - 36 Wins - 36 Losses - 15 "Ties" - 2.80 GAA - 0.909 Sv%

In fairness to Price, this also includes Halak's out-of-this-world 2010. Never-the-less, the stats show that Price has struggled in a tandem role. Since Halak was gone, Price hasn't had a backup meant to push him for the starting role. This probably allowed him to relax more, not having to constantly look over his shoulder, and become the all-star goalie he is now. Jaroslav Halak has maintained some pretty good numbers in St. Louis, it is surprising thought that Brian Elliot is pressuring him this season.

I have come to terms on the fact that Price is the future of the Habs (and now the only player worth a damn on that team...it seems), but I'll always have a soft spot for Halak.

*I was at this game, and I still stand by the fact that had Carbo decided to ride the hot-hand (Halak) instead of the guy just getting over an injury (Huet), the Habs would be in the playoffs that year.

Sunday Night Hockey: What I Missed

As typed out yesterday, I didn't have much time to write anything of note. Today, I got a bit of time, so I'm gonna get a few things off my chest (before I have to upgrade to a D-cup).

NHLPA Rejects Realignment

Helllllooooooooooo Lockout

After the NHL figured out how the league would look for next season, the NHLPA goes and rejects it. Their arguments were that they didn't have an input on how the teams would be realigned (fair enough) and that they wanted a schedule before approving it (oh come on).

The kicker (#1): The NHL didn't need the NHLPA's input.
The kicker (#2): The NHL didn't need the NHLPA's consent to approve this plan.

That's right, the NHL unnecessarily went to the NHLPA and ask if they wanted this?

One reason was to avoid having a labour war before CBA negotiations. Give me a break, if that was so, then why wasn't this kept under wrap. If anything, it's just an excuse to by the NHL some sympathy before we go into another damn lockout.

It's sad, a Basketball Commissioner and a Baseball Players Association head are fighting over the future of hockey.

Dustin Penner vs. Delicious Pancakes

Winner: Pancakes

Obviously, Penner being injured by pancakes is the front runner for "most hilarious injury of the year" award. At least Penner was a good sport about it. First coming clean about how the injury happened, then teaming up with MayorsManor to introduce "Pancakes With Penner", which will raffle off tickets so people can have a chance to have breakfast with Penner and his back spasms. All proceeds go to charity.

For a bit of context on Penner's injury, read this.

Hmmm...The Kings have Pancakes, the Leafs have waffles...the next time they meet can we call it the "Breakfast Bowl" (or whatever the hockey equivalent of a bowl is)?

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Media

After a report about how the Pens locker room was divided on Crosby and the captaincy, the players decided to respond like this:



Captaincies for everybody!

Jaroslav Halak Shuts Out Carey Price

Ok, he shut out the Habs, but the way Montreal has been playing (a bit more on that in a sec), it's basically Carey Price. I think when Halak got traded I was going to compare the two. Well, I forgot. I will have something up about them tomorrow, for now:

YEAH HALAK!

Mike Cammalleri  Comments/Traded

Mike Cammalleri came out Wednesday, complaining about the Habs losing attitude. And he's right, the Habs are playing like they want to lose. Need proof? TOMAS FRIGGEN KABERLE was in the shootout last night.

Fire Gauthier!

While Cammalleri has been slumping, he also hasn't been used properly over the pass couple of games. To trade him for a guy who is currently suspended is ridiculous. Plus, why the Flames would take Kari Ramo is beyond me, he ain't coming back to the NHL.

Fire Gauthier!

Ok, a positive about this trade is that over the past two years Bourque has put up better numbers than Cammalleri in the regular season (which is good), but Cammalleri has been a more of a playoff performer, while Bourque...well, "Flames" and "Playoffs" haven't exactly gone together for a while. Yes yes, it's not a guarantee that a team will make the playoffs, but the Habs have been consistent in remaining in the top 8 in the East when the season ends (usually in the bottom portion). Overall, I don;t like this trade. At best the Habs get a few extra goals at just over half the cap hit, but one more illegal hit by Bourque means he's done fore the season (presumably).

Fire Gauthier!

Oh ya, Cammalleri scored against the Kings last night.

Did I mention the Habs should fire Gauthier yet?

Sutter vs. Sutter Coaching Duel

Since the Broncos were getting killed (giving me another reason to hate the Patriots), I decided to watch this game, and let me tell you it was really, reazzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Huh? Wha? Sorry must have dozed off, where was I?

Youth Olympics

I'm not going to actually write anything in-depth about this, but I do have something interesting from it to point out. One of Russia's goalie is Maxim Tretiak, the grandson of Vladislav Tretiak. Unfortunately, we are going to have to wait for any Summit Series references as he wasn't in net when Russia and Canada faced off. Russia won 4-3 by the way (which no one in Canada cares about since the kids aren't between 17-19 years old).

Lineup NOTables

New York Rangers vs. Montreal Canadiens

New York Hockey Rangers: Michael Sauer (concussion), Jeff Woywitka (foot), and Steve Eminger (shoulder) are out while Brandon Dubinsky is questionable (shoulder). Henrik Lundqvist will start.
Fire Gauthier: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Brian Gionta (bicep surgery), and Ryan White (hernia) are out. Rene Bourque is suspended. Peter Budaj might start.

Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers

Delicious Pancakes: Simon Gagne (concussion) and Scott Parse (hip) are out. Jonathan Quick might be in net.
Edmonton: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), Jordan Eberle (knee), Cam Barker (ankle), Ryan Whitney (ankle), Tom Gilbert (ankle) and Alex Plante (concussion) are out. Devan Dubnyk is expected to start.

Anaheim Ducks vs. Vancouver Canucks

Anaheim: Devante Smith-Pelly (foot) and Dan Ellis (groin) are out. Jonas Hiller will start tonight.
Vancouver: David Booth (knee), Andrew Ebbett (collarbone), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), and Sami Salo (concussion) are out. Roberto Luongo is in net.

Saturday Night Hockey

Got called into work early, so...

Best Case Scenario: I'll have something up later

Worst Case: HELLO Sunday Night Hockey

Lineup NOTables

New Jersey Devils vs. Winnipeg Jets

New Jersey: Travis Zajac (Achilles), Jacob Josefsen (collarbone) and Andy Greene (foot) are out. Martin Brodeur is expected to start.
Winnipeg: Dustin Byfuglien (knee), Derek Meech (groin), and Zach Bogosian (lower body) are out. Ondrej Pavalec gets the start.

New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Avery-less: Michael Sauer (concussion), Jeff Woywitka (foot), and Steve Eminger (shoulder) are out while Brandon Dubinsky is questionable (shoulder). Mathieu Biron will start.
Orr-less: Colby Armstrong (concussion), Tyler Bozak (shoulder) and John Michael0Liles (concussion) are out. Jonas Gustavsson is in net.

Ottawa Senators vs. Montreal Canadiens

Ottawa: Jesse Winchester (concussion) and Peter Regin (shoulder) are out. Craig Anderson starts tonight.
FIRE GAUTHIER: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Brian Gionta (bicep surgery), and Ryan White (hernia) are out. Rene Bourque is suspended. Carey Price gets the start.

Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames

Delicious Pancakes: Simon Gagne (concussion) and Scott Parse (hip) are out while Anze Kopitar (upper body) is questionable. Jonathan Quick is in net.
Cammalleri: Brenden Morrison (upper body), David Moss (foot), Alex Tanguay (upper body), Matt Stajan (ankle), Scott Hannan (upper body), and Derek Smith (ankle) are out. Miikka Kiprusoff starts tonight.

Saturday Night Hockey: Bryzgalov-ism and Leaf Notes

Professor Bryzgalov

Now that HBO 24/7 is done until next season, we can all take solace in the fact that a star has been born. Ilya Bryzgalov churned out gold during his air time. Here is what we learned from him (brackets are my input):

• That the universe is "humangous big", and all problems are nothing compared it it.
• The Flyers are goalie-killers (so basically Ottawa-lite).
• China law dictates that if you kill tiger, you get death penalty.
• His husky is basically a hot girl.
• Defensemen are crazy for blocking shots (he's actually got a point here).
• He has many faces. Including ones for home, public, on ice, days off, and HBO cameras.

One question Ilya: Why you heff no show yet?

Original photo by Getty Images

Thems Fightin' Words

As Brian Burke pointed out in a recent press conference (wait, Burkie doing a presser? Noooo). Here is the money quote (via the National Post)

"The only lament I have on this is the fear that if we don't have guys looking after each other, that the rats will take this game over. … I know the Greenpeace folks will be happy with this," Burke said. "But I wonder where we're going, where Brendan Shanahan's getting six hearings every two days … I wonder, the accountability in our game and the notion that players can stick up for themselves and each other, I wonder where we're going with that."

As per anything involving fighting, either Campbell or Proteau have to write a column blasting it. (Side note: I'd love to see the cat "fight" between them on who gets to write that column).

As for the actual press conference, this is one of the few times I agree with Burke. The role of a notable enforcer is going to hinder hockey now that rats are free to run around and not have to back it up. I'd say notable because it seems like anyone up to fight only goes after the same type of player. Really, outside of beating Matt Carkner (and Tebowing on ice) has Colton Orr been effective? I really hate to praise the Bruins, but they are one - if not the only - team that are willing to back up their actions. Other then that, the NHL will eventually turn into a bunch of Avery's (maybe a bit hyperbolic). There was a time when some of the toughest guys on the team were the stars (Gordie Howe, Maurice Richard). Then the league evolved  to having an actual policemen on the team to protect the players (think Dave Semenko). Now, we are starting to see just staged fights between heavyweights, while - going back to the Avery example - there are guys who just run around pestering everyone and IF they go to back it up, it's against a guy who has 2 career fights...and both of them were in the CHL. Is this a cry against the instigator rule? probably, it has helped with the fazing-out of policemen on the team, which just turn into fighters, now heading towards obsolete.

Side Note: I really hate using "evolve" in this rant since it seems like the NHL is devolving in toughness and player accountability.

The Mayans Were Right

In the 2 games the Leafs played in 2012, they have a PK percentage of 100%. Good bye world.

Lineup NOTables

Not only are all seven Canadian teams playing, they are in seven different games. DAMN YOU NHL SCHEDULING!!!

Vancouver Canucks vs. Boston Bruins

Vancouver: David Booth (knee), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), and Aaron Rome (hand) are out. Cory Schneider starts.
Boston: Marc Savard (concussion) is out while Brad Marchand (hangover...I mean "flu-like symptoms") is questionable. Tim Thomas is in net.

Ottawa Senators vs. Philadelphia Flyers

All-Stars: Peter Regin (shoulder) and Jesse Winchester (concussion) are out while Chris Phillips (concussion) is probable. Craig Anderson gets the start.
Universe: Ian Laperriere (concussion), Jaromir Jagr (bookie meeting groin), Blair Betts (knee), Kimmo Timonen (upper body), and Chris Pronger (concussion/knee) are out. Ilya Bryzgalov is in net.

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars

Edmonton: Ryan Gretzky Nugent-Hopkins (shoulder), Tom Gilbert (knee), Ryan Whitney (ankle), Alex Plante (concussion), and Cam Barker (ankle) are out. Nikolai Khabibulin  may start this afternoon.
Dallas: Philip Larsen (concussion), Tomas Vincour (knee), and Sheldon Souray (ankle) are out. Richard Bachman starts.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Buffalo Sabres

Winter-peg: Bryan Little (foot), Derek Meech (lower body), and Dustin Byfuglien (knee) are out. Ondrej Pavelec will start.
Buffalo: Tyler Ennis (ankle), Ville Leino (foot), Corey Tropp (upper body), Colin Stuart (lower body), Christian Ehrhoff (upper body), and Andrej Sekera (upper body) are out while Derek Roy (upper body) is doubtful. Jhonas Enroth is in net.

Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Detroit: Patrick Eaves (jaw), Darren Helm (groin) and Tomas Holmstrom (groin) are out. Jimmy Howard starts tonight.
Perfect PK: Colby Armstrong (concussion), Tyler Bozak (upper body), and John-Micheal Liles (concussion) are out while Dion Phaneuf (face) is probable. Jonas Gustavsson is expected to start.

Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens

Tampa Bay: Adam Hall (upper body), J.T. Wyman (upper body), Ryan Malone (lower body), Ryan Shannon (lower body), Mattias Ohlund (knee), and Victor Hedman (concussion) are out. Mathieu Garon might start.
Protesters: Andrei "le Knee du Right" Markov, Scott Gomez (groin), and Ryan White (hernia) are out while Brian Gionta (lower body) is probable. Price du Carey gets le start.

Minnesota Wild vs. Calgary Flames

Minnesota: Guilliume Latendresse (concussion) and Jarod Palmer (upper body) are out. Niklas Backstrom is expected to start.
Flame-outs: David Moss (ankle), Matt Stajan (ankle), Alex Tanguay (upper body), Mark Giordano (leg), Derek Smith (ankle), Scott Hannan (upper body), and Henrik Karlsson (sprain MCL) are out. Rene Bourque is suspended. Miikka Kiprusoff starts.

World Juniors: Standings

Jeez, when did Sweden get so dominate. I didn't expect them to get over 50 shots on Russia.In the end, Mika Zibanejad had a nice breakaway and was able to capitalize (Ottawa could really use a guy like him). Congrats Sweden.

World Junior Standings

1 (Gold) - Sweden
2 (Silver) - Russia
3 (Bronze) - Canada
4 - Finland
5 - Czech Republic
6 - Slovakia
7 - USA
8 - Switzerland
9 - Latvia
10 (Relegated) - Denmark

World Juniors: Medal Games

Working tonight so no game summaries. I'll do a final standings thought. Here are my picks for tonight.

Bronze Medal Game - Canada vs. Finland

The key word here is motivation. Finland will be motivated to try and get revenge, so it all depends on how motivated Canada will be. They will either be down and not be up for the game or will be playing for pride. Either way, they won't be as dominate as they were in the first match-up between these teams. I think Canada just wants to medal out.

Prediction: Canada 4 - Finland 3

Gold Medal Game - Sweden vs. Russia

In their first meeting of the tournament, Sweden won in overtime 4-3. What the score doesn't say is that Russia had a 3-0 lead going into the third period before blowing it. In the tornament, Russia has been able to score at will compared to Sweden, so the problem is will Russia be able to not blow the lead. Tonight I think this game will be more back-and-forth with Russia being able to hold the lead and not give it up.

Prediction: Sweden 2 - Russia 4

World Juniors: Semi-Finals

Earlier today, the US avoided relegation with a 12-2 whipping of Latvia. All 10 American fans of this tournament rejoiced. Later tonight is the semi-finals, here is my take on the two games.

Finland vs. Sweden

This seems like a close game (and it could be) but I doubt it. Finland does have the top two scorers in the tournament and more name recognition (Granlunds) but Sweden is usually a better overall team. It also doesn't help that Finland had to play yesterday while Sweden got the extra day rest. If Finland gets a quick start, then they'll be able to control the game. Otherwise, Sweden dominates the play.

Prediction: Finland 2 - Sweden 5

Russia vs. Canada

Well look at what we have here. Last years finalists face each other for a chance at gold. This time, Mark Visentin is benched, meaning Canada's chance in blowing it in the third is lessened. This game has the potential of a high-scoring game, with possible late-game heroics...or it might be a dud. I'll chose the former option.

Prediction: Russia 5 - Canada 6

Odds And Ends Before The Winter Classic

Monthly Division Standings

Apologies for the graininess of the picture. As usual, the 6 thoughts:

• Again, no surprise in the Atlantic.
• Ottawa 2nd? Who are they paying off to be that high?
• Winnipeg 2nd? Same question as above. Also, can't believe Washington is 3rd.
• Columbus is last, nothing to see here.
• Hey look, Edmonton regressed to their mean.
• It's Sutter Time in the Pacific, YEE-HAW!

Winter Classic Primer

Thank you time change. As reported by Bryzgalov, he's not starting. Instead, he'll be enjoying tea from a thermos while Sergei Bobrovsky faces the Rangers. On the other side, Henrik Lundqvist starts for the Rangers.

World Junior Action

In the World Juniors, we have Switzerland and Denmark fighting off relegation. As I'm typing this, Switzerland is just ahead of Denmark 3-2 (definitly would have thought the Swiss would be killing them, not a close game). The quaterfinal games later on have Finland-Slovakia and Russia-Czech Republic. The Finns probably win by 2-3 goal while the Russians are kept in Czech (yaya) in a close game, possibly overtime?

Sunday Night Hockey: Happy New Year

Well hello 2012, your looking good...until December when you realized it's 60 years out and been through a dozen plastic surgery's just to look 20 again.

As you can tell, there have been a few changes to the blog. The new layout to make the blog not look so cramped, and the addition of our twitter accounts to the sidebar.

Only one game tonight, which is the smart move considering today is a full sked with the NFL. Usually the NHL makes the right decision when it goes against the NFL in the schedule (scheduling only a few games at most). What they should do is during heavy football days (especially American Thanksgiving) is to get all-Canadian matchups. I know that schedule malers can't predict the future any better than the rest of us, but usually it's best to be safe about scheduling matches then not have any games playing at all.

Lineup NOTables

Calgary Flames vs. Nashville Predators

Calgary: David Moss (ankle), Alex Tanguay (upper body), Matt Stajan (ankle), Brett Carson (back), Mark Giodano (leg), Derek Smith (leg), and Henrik Karlsson (sprained MCL) are out. Miikka Kiprusoff starts today.
Nashville: Colin Wilson (upper body) and Shea Weber (concussion) are out. Pekke Rinne is expected to start.