Saturday Night Hockey

Lineup NOTables

Ottawa Senators vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Ottawa: Peter Regin (shoulder), Jesse Winchester (concussion), and Ben Bishop (lower body) are out. Craig Anderson will start this afternoon.
Philadelphia: Chris Pronger (concussion), Ian Laperriere (concussion), Blair Betts (knee), Tom Sestito (groin), James Van Reimsdyk (foot), and Andrej Mezaros (back) are out while Kimmo Timonen (upper body) and Ilya "Why you heff to be mad?" Bryzgalov (foot) are questionable. Sergei Bobrovsky is expected to start.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Buffalo: Jochen Hecht (concussion), Matt Ellis (knee), and Christian Erhroff (knee) are out while Nathan Gerbe (upper body) is questionable. Ryan Miller will start.
Blue Jays: Joffrey Lupul (shoulder), Nikolai Kulemin (finger),  and James Reimer (upper body) are out while David Steckel (lower body) and Jonas Gustavsson (lower body) are questionable. Ben Scrivens is scheduled to be the starting pitcher.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Washington Capitals

FREE FROM GAUTHIER!!!: Brian Gionta (bicep), Scott Gomez (concussion), Travis Moen (upper body), Mathieu Darche (upper body), Rapheal Diaz (lower body) and Tomas Kaberle (upper body) are out while Yannick Weber (lower body) is questionable. Peter Budaj starts tonight.
Washington: Tom Poti (groin) is out while John Erskine (lower body) and Tomas Vokoun (lower body) are questionable. Michal Neuvirth is expected to start.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Winnipeg: Eric Fehr (upper body), Nik Antropov (lower body), and Chris Thorburn (lower body) are all listed as questionable. Ondrej Pavelec will start.
Tampa Bay: Adam Hall (upper body), Ryan Shannon (shoulder), Nate Thompson (upper body), Dana Tyrell (knee...I mean NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!), Marc-Andre Bergeron (back), Mattias Ohlund (knees...yes, thats plural), and Mathieu Garon (lower body) are out. Sebastien Caron (remember him?) might start.

Calgary Flames vs. Vancouver Canucks

Calgary: Mikael Backlund (arm) and T.J. Brodie (upper body) are out while Cory Sarich (upper body) and Derek Smith (upper body) are listed as doubtful. Henrik Karlsson starts tonight.
Vancouver: Daniel Sedin (concussion), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), and Keith Ballard (knee) are out. Roberto Luongo is expected to start.

Saturday Night Hockey: Standings Update, Comment on Crosby

Standings

It's been a while since I pulled out the old division board. Let's take a look at it.

Six Thoughts:

• Crosby is back (again). Expect the Rangers and Pens to switch places.
• It feels weird seeing Ottawa in 2nd place.
• Even more weird: Florida in 1st.
• Not as weird: St. Louis in 1st.
• Vancouver 1st and Edmonton last? You don't say...
• Between 1st and 4th, expect a lot of shuffling (sorry Anaheim, better luck next year)

Quick Crosby Comment

Tonight will be Crosby's 2nd game in Canada this season (or first if your a separatist).

Frankly, I don't get all the Crosby hype this year. He has just as many goals as Scott Gomez!

Lineup NOTables

Calgary Flames vs. Dallas Stars

Calgary: Mike Cammalleri (upper body), Mikeal Backlund (arm), and T.J. Brodie (upper body) are out while Cory Sarich (upper body) and Derek Smith (upper body) are listed as doubtful. Miikka Kiprusoff starts.
Dallas: Only Mark Fistric (abdominal strain) is out. Kari Lehtonen will start this afternoon.

New York Rangers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

New York: Mats Zuccerallo (wrist), Micheal Sauer (concussion), and Steve Eminger are out. Martin Biron might start.
Toronto: Joffrey Lupul (shoulder), Nikolai Kulemin (finger), and Mike Brown (thigh) are out while Matt Frattin (lower body) and Clarke MacArthur (upper body) are questionable. Jonas Gustavsson is expected to start.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh: Brent Johnson (lower body) is out while Matt Niskanen (upper body) is questionable. Marc-Andre Fleury starts.
Ottawa: Peter Regin (shoulder) and Jesse Winchester (concussion) are out. Ben Bishop might start.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Philadelphia Flyers

Montreal: Brian Gionta (bicep), Scott Gomez (concussion), Travis Moen (upper body), Mathieu Darche (upper body), Rapheal Diaz (lower body) are out while Tomas Kaberle (upper body) is questionable. Carey Price might start.
Philadelphia: Chris Pronger (concussion), Ian Laperriere (concussion), Blair Betts (knee), Tom Sestito (groin), James Van Reimsdyk (foot), and Andrej Mezaros (back) are out. Ilya "Universe" Bryzgalov starts tonight.

Winnipeg Jets vs. Nashville Predators

Winnipeg: Eric Fehr (upper body), Nik Antropov (lower body), and Chris Thorburn (lower body) are out. Ondrej Pavalec is expected to start.
Nashville: Colin Wilson (groin), Brian McGrattan (upper body) and Roman Josi (upper body) are out while Paul Gaustad (upper body) is questionable. Pekke Rinne will start.

Vancouver Canucks vs. Colorado Avalanche

Vancouver: Daniel Sedin (headbutting Keith's elbow concussion), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), Andrew Ebbett (Collarbone), and Keith Ballard (knee). Roberto Luongo gets the start.
Colorado: Chuck Kobasew (back) and Erik Johnson (back) are listed as questionable. Semyon Varlamov is expected to start.

Saturday Night Hockey: OHL, Avery Retires

You Can't Suspend Stupid

After last weekend's horrible hit that knocked projected first overall pick Nail Yakupov out, Mike Halmo has been suspended 10 games. Wow that must have been some dirty, violent hit. Thankfully, these things can be found on YouTube:

Did I say dirty? I meant to say CLEAN! Yes, that was a clean hit. C-L-E-A-N. If this was the NHL, then there would be no suspension. Remember Malone's hit on Campoli? It's exactly like that. Yakupov was cutting through the middle (he kind of deserves being hit like that for cutting through the trolley tracks), losses the puck, and (the key point) LEANS FORWARD. This exposes his head to get crushed. Mike Halmo just so happens to be the guy that does it.

This is why I don't take the OHL seriously. OHL (and for some reason CHL) commissioner David Branch has been nothing but a deterrent to physical hockey. I get the feeling that in 5 years, the OHL will be the highest league to ban hitting.

Avery Retires

Earlier this week, Sean Avery went on Bravo's "Watch What Happens Live" and announced his retirement. Then he backed up his claim in an interview with Larry Brooks of the New York Post.

While it's usually hard to see a player retire, this case is probably an exception. Taking out his off-ice stuff, he was nothing but a pest, which lead to his demotions to the AHL and eventual retirement.

This is how I imagine Martin Brodeur celebrated:

Lineup Notables

New York Islanders vs. Montreal Canadiens

New York: Only Rick "When aren't I injured?" DiPietro is out. Al Montoya starts tonight.
Montreal: Brain Gionta (bicep), Mike Blunden (knee), Travis Moen (upper body), Mathieu Darche (upper body), Scott Gomez (concussion), and Raphael Diaz (lower body) are out while Scott Gomez(concussion), Tomas Kaberle (personal), and Andrei Markov (knee upper body) are questionable. Peter Budaj might start.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators

Toronto: Joffrey Lupul (shoulder), Mike Brown (leg), and Nikolai Kulemin (finger) are out. James "Real Deal" Reimer is expected to start.
Ottawa: Peter Regin (shoulder), Jesse Winchester (concussion), and Craig Anderson (finger) are out. Ben Bishop will start.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Vancouver Canucks

Columbus: Kristen Huselius (groin), Derek MacKenzie (concussion), Radek Martinek (concussion), Fedor Tyutin (hand), and Marc Methot (jaw) are out. Steve "Swiss Cheese" Mason starts.
Vancouver: Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), Andrew Ebbett (Collarbone), and Keith Ballard (knee) are out while Manny Malhotra (personal) is questionable. Cory Schnieder might start.

Friday Night Croatian Fight

Ok, so it really happened Tuesday...last week.

Not the point.

The point is: Croatian team + hockey brawl = PURE FRIGGEN AWESOMENESS

KHL Medvescak Zagreb (Croatia) vs. EC KAC (Austria)

Just take a look (YouTube link here):

Ok, first things first (puts on Pens fans Cooke/Savard hat) totally legal hit by Frank Banham.

Second (for the pacifist out there) this more so stems from the refs not escorting Banham back to the dressing room. He gets to the bench (solo) then all hell starts to break loose.

This view best describes whats going to happen. On the left, a Zagreb player just drags his opponent along. On the far right, EC KAC calls for backup.

What would be a brawl without a goalie fight? Nothing I tells ya. In blue, former Slovakian national team goaltender: Karol Krizan. In white, former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie (for all of 8 games): Andy Chiodo.

Kind of feel sorry for Chiodo here, it took him a while to get his balance before doing anything. That being said, you think that the years he spent in the ECHL should have helped him here. Apparently not.

The aftermath. A barren ice-land of gloves, sticks, an the odd isolated fight. Brings a tear to my eye that this one has ended. Overall, there was 9 ejections and 239 total penalty minutes. Talk about intensity being upped during the playoffs.

Oh, and since KHL Medvescak Zagreb is an applicant to join the (league) KHL, I think Vityaz Cherkov has some competition.

Thursday News and Notes

The Prodigal Son Returns...Yet Again

Yes, Kris Letang is coming back.

Ok, I was actually talking about Sidney Crosby. Which means now ESPN can bump their hockey coverage to a full 3% overall.

Just like the last return, Crosby will be facing a New York team. Its the good one this time, so he'll only get 3 points this time.

Now if TSN would smarten up and put it on the main network instead of TSN2, then the world would be a better place.

Stamkos Scores 50

Congrats to Steven Stamkos for reaching the 50-goal mark in a season for the second time in his career. Lets take a look at #50:

What. The. Hell. Turco.

Not to diminish Stamkos' achievement, but Turco looked like he wanted no part of it and just put in a half-hearted effort. Turco must have lost another fan bet.

Erik Cole: Ref Celebrator

I like his explanation: "He was the only one there, and I had to celebrate with somebody,"

Adam Burish: Glove Giver

For throwing Tanner Glass' glove into the crowd at the MTS Centre, Adam Burish has now been rewarded the key to the city banished from the province of Manitoba.

Sunday Night Hockey

GM Meeting

The GMs are schedule to meet soon in Boca Raton. Here are a few things that will be discussed:

• Re-introducing the Red Line
• Coaches Challenge
• 3-on-3 overtime
• And more (that I can't remember, kind of wanted to just talk about those three)

The re-introduction of the Red Line isn't as great of an idea as it may seem. It is there as a player safety issue, but I think it's not the way to go. It also sacrifices some entertainment in games. The best compromise is to widen the rink, make it to international scale. The more room to move around, the less likely of dangerous collisions.

The Coaches Challenge is something that should be implemented. 'Nuff said.

Th 3-on-3 overtime is something that has been experimented with in the R&D camp for the past few years, and has recently been brought back into the spotlight bt Detroit GM Ken Holland.  The 3-on-3 overtime would be placed betwen the end of the 4-on-4 OT period and the shootout (essentially making it 2 OT periods before the shootout). While I still think the shootout is nothing more than a gimmick, the idea of having another (regular season) OT period just irks me. It just has a feling about it that another OT will water down the game (as in the game it takes place in, not the game as a whole).

The Return of the Radulov?

As reported by Dmitry Chesnokov, Alexander Radulov is contemplating a return to Nashville for the
remainder of the season plus the playoffs. This is subjected to NHL and NHLPA approval. If he is allowed to return, then (since he is still technically under contract with Nashville), he is allowed to play in the playoffs, unlike Turco in Boston.

The addition of Radulov to Nashville will only make them more scary. Nashville is already loaded on the defensive side, so any offense added is going to make them deadly. Radulov also benefits from coming back to play since it will burn up the last year on his entry-level deal. He would become an RFA afterwards, finally getting the pay-raise he wanted before he left.

So circle March 15th on your calendars. We'll see if Radulov returns.

Lineup NOTables

Kind of late for the injuries, so just the goalies (and I'm moving the Croatia/fight thing, talk about it later on)

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Washington Capitals

Toronto: Jonas Gustasvsson starts.
Washington: Michal Neuvirth is expected to start.

Calgary Flames vs. Minnesota Wild

Calgary: Miikka Kiprussoff is in net tonight.
Minnesota: Matt Hackett starts.

Saturday Night Hockey: Another Leafs-Centric Edition

Note: Before we continue on with our regularly schedule ranting, I would like to point out that last week I had my post written before the Burke press conference, but had it set to be published afterwards. So I'm going to start from the presser and review other interesting stuff that happened this week.

Argh, it pains me as a Habs fan to be talking about the Leafs, but here we go.

Burke Press Conference

Instead of dissecting it bit-by-bit, I'm just going to point out a few things that caught my attention:

• Wilson was 130-135-45. So the losing streak (forget the 45 OT/SOLs) pretty much made him a below .500 coach.
• Carlyle getting a chuckle out of the media? That should buy him 5 losses before "Fire Carlyle" articles are written.
• Burke: "After the last home game, it was clear to me it would be cruel and unusual punishment to let Ron coach another game in the Air Canada Centre." I'll give him credit, haven't heard that excuse before. Gauthier should take notes (for his next GM job, of course).
• Burke mentioned that Wilson preferred a bit more skill in the lineup than toughness. So it's interesting if Kadri lack of playing time during the past 2 seasons was more Burke than Wilson's doing.
• Burke: "this is akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff." Should note that the 18-wheeler was carrying the Leafs playoff hopes since the lockout ended.
• Burke: "I was talking to (Los Angeles Dodgers GM) Ned Coletti..." STOP RIGHT THERE. Burke should be fired for saying that. Coletti is a horrible GM, the only reason this point doesn't get any light is because the Dodgers ownership is a mess and...wait...horrible ownership, horrible GM, MY GOD! The Leafs and Dodgers are one of the same!

Cherry vs. Burke: The REAL Battle of Ontario

Now THIS is something I have all day for.

To point out, Burke (loosely) started the argument of Ontario players by mentioning that they are probably going to try harder against the Leafs. Ron MacLean rolled with it (and brought up a good point, stating that if Ontario players try harder against the Leafs because of family, why wouldn't it work if they played as a Leaf).

Then the 1st Intermission happened:

OOOOOOOHH SNAP! SOMEBODY BOOK A BARN!

Now, people are going to Burke's defence, saying that he does have Ontario players. Here is the issue: they are in the minors/juniors. They aren't on the "trying to make the playoffs but will end up 10th" Leafs. At this time, wouldn't you want the players that would play harder to be up on the roster? I also love how people point out that Kadri (the pride and joy of Leafs prospects) was drafted by Burke. Technically yes, but does anyone remember that draft day? Remember when Brayden Schenn was picked and Burke was scrambling. Who does he go to? The guy who built the Ducks before Burke came in, Bryan Murray. He pretty much stole his pick. So next time Kadri comes up in the Ontario argument, remember he was Murray's idea that Burke took and ran with.

You Can Play

The only thing Brian Burke can't (and shouldn't) be criticized for this week. A great ad for a great cause.To learn more, visit the You Can Play website.

Before I go on, I realized there is one more piece of Burke-ness that happened this week. But I've done enough. Read more on his interview hang up here.

It's a Damn Good Time to be a Pens Fan

Good news: Crosby is set to return...soon...I swear. While the original date of tomorrow isn't going to happen, it's nice that Crosby is cleared for contact and is on the cusp of returning. If he does, and stays concussion free, then I'm calling it: Congrats to Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the 2012 Stanley Cup.

Also in Pittsburgh, Mario Lemieux had a statue built in his honour, take a look:

If you can't tell, the statue is on the left. (Photo courtesy of CBC)

One more thing Pens fans: how does that 8-game winning streak feel? As a Habs fan, this is what I consider good news:

MARKOV RETURNS...Soon...Hopefully

Need I say more? He is cleared for contact so that's promising.

And no, Markov's return won't effect Montreal's draft lottery status...much.

Update: HE'S GONNA PLAY!!! DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES?!?!

Leafs in War

Well might as well round out the Leaf coverage here. From @RealTimeWWII on twitter comes this picture of Leaf players training in uniform. Not army, hockey uniforms.



Barry Petchesky of Deadspin had the best comment about the picture:"...we thought it'd be nice to remind the Leafs of a time when they were on the winning team."

Note #2: Before the links, just want to say I got more. I'm going to push it to tomorrow though, so stay tuned for Sunday Night Hockey as well, where the GM meeting, Radulov's NHL return, and a fight in Croatia will be discussed.

Links

Best marketing idea this week, courtesy of the Blue Jackets (Puck Daddy)

Probably the most obvious/funniest hockey-related story I've ever heard (The Townsman)

Manitoba coaches be freaking out (with video) (Deadspin)

Lineup NOTables

Edmonton Oilers vs. Colorado Avalanche

Calder Candidate #1: Only Ben Eager (illness) is questionable. Nikolai Khabibulin is expected to start.
Calder Candidate #2: Matt Duchene (ankle) is out while Chuck Kobasew (back) is questionable. Semyon Varlamov starts this afternoon.

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

Injury Town, USA: Chris Pronger (concussion), Blair Betts (knee), Ian Laperriere (concussion), Jakub Voracek (head), Tom Sestito (groin), James Van Reimsdyk (foot), Kimmo Timonen (body), Pavel Kubina (upper body), Andrej Mezaros (lower body)  Ilya "HuMANGous Big Wins" Bryzgalov might start.
Toronto: Joffrey Lupul (hearing Carlyle is head coach shoulder) is out while Mike Brown (leg), Colby Armstrong (nose), and Cody Franson (face) are questionable. Jonas Gustavsson starts.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Ottawa Senators

Buffalo: Jochen Hecht (concussion) and Andrej Sekera (illness) are out while Tomas Vanek (upper body) and Cody McCormick (upper body) are questionable. Ryan Miller is in net.
Ottawa: Peter Regin (shoulder), Jesse Winchester (concussion), and Craig Anderson (kitchen-related hand) are out. Ben Bishop starts.

Montreal Canadiens vs. Vancouver Canucks

Injury Town, Canada: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Brian Gionta (bicep), Travis Moen (upper body), Micheal Blunden (knee), and Mathieu Darche (upper body) are out while David Desharnias (lower body) and Raphael Diaz (lower body) are questionable. Carey "Only Bright Spot On The Habs This Season" Price starts.
Vancouver: Andrew Ebbett (collarbone), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), and Keith Ballard (concussion) are out. Roberto Luongo is expected to start.

Saturday Night Hockey: Stupid Leafs

Stupid Leafs had to go fire Wilson, ruining what I had written. So let's go another direction: Word Association.

Scott Howson: Worst. GM. Ever. If he ain't fired this offseason, Columbus is doomed.

Darcy Regier: If anyone saved their job at the Trade Deadline, it was him. Getting Hodgson for Kassian? Brilliant. Gaustad for a 1st? Genius. Buffalo is gonna look good in a few seasons.

Nashville Predators: This team is gonna be scary in the playoffs. I can't wait to see what they do.

Brian Burke: Just as moronic as Howson. Does he realized he's just causing deadline day stress for his players to come a week earlier? Also, fired Wilson, brough in Carlyle.

Ron Wilson: In reality, he's not fired. He's probably "transfering departments". Now play nice with the rest of the TSN panel next week.

Toronto Media: After bashing Wilson, I was REALLY hoping the Leafs win tonight, only to see how fast they do a 180 and praise him.

Randy Carlyle: I'm betting after his first presser as coach, he wish he was back to being unemployed and collecting Ducks money.

Toronto Goalies: Wait? That's an actual thing?

Bus: From the amount of people being thrown under one this week in the NHL, it's amazing that it can still move.

Pierre Gauthier: Could have done a bit more at the deadline. Still, the message remains the same - #FireGauthier

Links

Dustin Penner is getting divorced. When asked, a stack of pancakes declined to comment on the rumour it was the reason for the break-up. (TMZ)

Puck Daddy has interviews with the stars of 'Goon' Liev Schreiber and Seann William Scott. And if you haven't seen the movie yet: WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!?!?!

Dmitri Chesnokov found something called "The Art of Coaching the Team During the Game" written by Scotty Bowman. Take a look, it's interesting.

From the International file, Argentina is going to became a hockey powerhouse. (IIHF)

Lineup NOTables

Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens

2007 Ducks: James Reimer is expected to be pulled from under the bus and placed in net tonight.
#FireGauthier: Andrei "Right Knee" Markov, Aaron Palushaj (eye), Travis Moen (upper body), Brian Gionta (bicep), Mathieu Darche (upper body), Scott Gomez (eye), and Mike Blunden (knee) are out. Carey Price starts.

Buffalo Sabres vs. Vancouver Canucks (a.k.a. The "Welcome Back Cody" Game)

Buffalo: Jochen Hecht (concussion) and Cody "Don't Call Me Kenny" McCormick (upper body) are out. Ryan Miller will start.
Vancouver: Aaron Vopatti (shoulder), Steven Pinizzotto (shoulder), Andrew Ebbett (collarbone), and Keith Ballard (concussion) are out. Roberto Luongo is in net.