The Flames began this season with high hopes and expectations swollen by last season's play-off run (and newly acquired critical acclaim). One goal shy of the cup + offseason acquisitions including Hamrlik, Amonte, McCarty and Langkow seemed to signal a revolution in Flames fortunes. Finally fans of the once beleaguered franchise could anticipate each game with delight rather than trepidation (and, often, apathy born of repeated failure)...
Unfortunately all of that promise and hype was not borne out by the October version of the Calgary Flames. A number of factors could be blamed for Calgary's 4-7-2 start, including (but not limited to):
- 13 Players were inactive during the lock-out.
- Wealth of new players in the line-up (Wiemer, McCarty, Phaneuf, Hamrlik, Ritchie, Amonte, Langkow, and recently, Marchment).
- Loss of players to trade/free agency and injury (Conroy, Saprykin, Gauthier, Gelinas, Nieminen, Regehr, Lombardi).
- 9 of 13 games on the road, including 3 opposition home openers to start the season.
- Iginla's typical slow start.
- Acclimation to new NHL rules plus rigid enforement of obstruction.
Of course, some of these issues are realities for the other teams in the NHL that are not struggling right now...new faces+new rules have not harmed the 11-1 Detroit Red Wings, for instance.
Whatever the cause for the Flames slow start, be it lack of chemistry or just a plain, old-fashioned slump, this past month's misfortunes have set-up November as a potential "make-or-break" month, given that Calgary will enjoy 10 home games coming up (as opposed to October's 3). If the Flames can't put together an above .500 string over the course of November, they may dig a hole too deep to recover from come April.
That said, here's some general grading of the Flames so far:
Defense - Hamrlik, Phaneuf, Warrener, Ference, Montador, Marchment, Regehr (IR)...(B-)
This grade would probably be higher if:
- The team didn't lose outrageously to Minnesota, Detroit and Colorado in the first 4 games.
- Ference and Montador actually played NHL caliber defense.
- Regehr wasn't injured.
That said, Calgary's defense has been very solid recently. Even without Regehr and frequent brain cramps from the likes of Ference, Calgary has been holding their opponents to 2 goals and under more often than not. Over the first 13 games, Calgary has allowed 39 GA, an average of 3 per game. Keep in mind that this stat is grossly skewed by the Flames first few embarassing losses to the Wild (6GA), the Wings (6GA) and the Avs (7GA). Even with those horrible efforts, the Flames sit 14th overall in GA and continue to climb the rankings in this department. With the addition of Regher and continued solid play of Kiprusoff, the Flames should have more than adequate defense for November and beyond.
Offense - Amonte, Iginla, Langkow, Kobasew, Reinprecht, Lombardi (IR), Donovan, etc...(D).
Offense was the main culprit in the Flames most recent string of futility. With some goal scoring, the Flames could have pulled out victories in San Jose, Phoenix (twice) and Dallas (twice). As a symptom of the team's offensive woes, Calgary is (I think) the only club in the league that has failed to score more than 3 goals in a game. Currently, only Columbus and Washington have scored less goals than the Flames and both teams have played less games.
This puzzling ineptitude can't be explained by a lack of personnel...Iginla, Amonte and Langkow are all proven 20+ goal scorers (40+ in Iginla's case). Calgary also has a healthy Reinprecht, Kobasew teetering on the brink of a break-out (thanks to his AHL performance last year) as well as 10-15 goal-getters in Donovan, Simon and McCarty. Toss in the additions of Hamrlik and Phaneuf on the point (not to mention the potential of Leopold) and the Flames should be (technically) at least a middle-of-the-pack offensive squad.
What, how and why are all questions right now. Iginla has a 6 game point streak and goals in three straight games, at least. However:
- Amonte has disappointed thus far with only 3 goals. Ditto for Langkow.
- Jordan Leopold, he of the team leading defenseman points from last season, hasn't garnered a goal or assist in 13 games (despite frequently leading the team in minutes played).
- Secondary scoring from players like Donovan and Nilson is non-existant. One goal between them.
- Players with significant 1st and 2nd line minutes aren't contributing regularly (Simon 2 goals, Rhino 2 goals, Kobasew 5 points)...heck, Andrew Ference, our 6th d-man, has more points (6) than any of the 3 forwards mentioned there. Simply not acceptable.
By all indications, Calgary is ready to turn the corner in this department. Judging by the last few games, the Flames are generating chances and just not converting on them when they occur. Also, it is hard to imagine that the assorted combined talent on this team, lead by a surging Iginla, can possibly struggle to this degree for much longer. There are too many good players and too much coaching ability to allow for this power-outtage to continue. While I hardly expect Calgary to lead the league in GF by the end of the season, it's not too much to ask or expect this team to be in the top 16 in the league. If November doesn't change the Flame's offensive fortunes, expect a trade for a creative center or left winger by months end...
Goaltending - Kiprusoff, Sauve...(B+)
Aside from the opening road-trip, excellent. Kipper has lowered his GAA to 2.81 and has been the reason for a number of Calgary's few victories. Sauve has only played once, but was apparently strong in his single appearance, even though he lost. Not an area of concern and certainly not the reason for Calgary's current record.
What lies ahead for the Flames? 10 home games, a return of the Stalwart Robyn Regehr and a desperate need to score some goals and win some games. Should November transpire in similar fashion to October, the Flames faithful will not have to strain to hear the mocking laughter echoing out of Vancouver...which is hardly anything I care to imagine right now...
(Calgary stats and such pilfered from here.)
Monday, October 31, 2005
Saturday, October 29, 2005
It Can't Rain all the Time
A brief round-up before I head out today...
- Well, Edmonton made a liar out of me by spanking the Dallas Stars last night 5-3. They managed to take advantage of some very erratic goaltending by Turco to pull out the victory. What do I mean by "erratic"? How about making a great cross-ice sliding save one minute, and then nearly bobbling a harmless floater into the net the next? How about passing the puck irresponsibly into your d-mans feet, react by looking stupidly around without re-adjusting your grip on the goalstick, and then acting stunned when the Oilers recover the puck and shoot it at you (and into the net)...so yeah...weird performance by Turco last night. Not to take anything away from Edmonton. They played hard and capitalized on their chances when they presented themselves. Let's see if they can make it 2 in a row.
- I was right, however, about the shoot-out between Carolina and Philly last night. Staal managed a hat trick in the 8-6 Hurricane victory. Is there anyone playing better than this kid right now? Oh...and the Hurricanes are undefeated at home so far...(weird!)
- Selanne continued his come-back tour, scoring twice in the Duck's victory over the Blues yesterday. He now has 8 goals on the year.
- New Jersey managed to win 3-2 over Buffalo last night, despite having Clemmensen in net. Probably just to make me look stupid (see prior comments on the subject).
- Im not gonna make any predictions or any analysis for the upcoming Flames game tonight. Whenever I mention things like "The Sharks are without their #1 goalie, therefore Calgary should look to take advantage"...either the #1 goalie manages to comeback early from injury or the Flames DO NOT take advantage of the situation. Therefore, I'll just say "FLAMES - WIN OR ELSE I WILL HARM THESE KITTENS"...
That is all.
- Well, Edmonton made a liar out of me by spanking the Dallas Stars last night 5-3. They managed to take advantage of some very erratic goaltending by Turco to pull out the victory. What do I mean by "erratic"? How about making a great cross-ice sliding save one minute, and then nearly bobbling a harmless floater into the net the next? How about passing the puck irresponsibly into your d-mans feet, react by looking stupidly around without re-adjusting your grip on the goalstick, and then acting stunned when the Oilers recover the puck and shoot it at you (and into the net)...so yeah...weird performance by Turco last night. Not to take anything away from Edmonton. They played hard and capitalized on their chances when they presented themselves. Let's see if they can make it 2 in a row.
- I was right, however, about the shoot-out between Carolina and Philly last night. Staal managed a hat trick in the 8-6 Hurricane victory. Is there anyone playing better than this kid right now? Oh...and the Hurricanes are undefeated at home so far...(weird!)
- Selanne continued his come-back tour, scoring twice in the Duck's victory over the Blues yesterday. He now has 8 goals on the year.
- New Jersey managed to win 3-2 over Buffalo last night, despite having Clemmensen in net. Probably just to make me look stupid (see prior comments on the subject).
- Im not gonna make any predictions or any analysis for the upcoming Flames game tonight. Whenever I mention things like "The Sharks are without their #1 goalie, therefore Calgary should look to take advantage"...either the #1 goalie manages to comeback early from injury or the Flames DO NOT take advantage of the situation. Therefore, I'll just say "FLAMES - WIN OR ELSE I WILL HARM THESE KITTENS"...
That is all.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Things of Note Before I go...
NHL round-up type post coming up...
- Penguins finally stopped the bleeding and beat the Thrashers last night. Pittsburgh was losing 4-0 and scored 7 straight, 6 on the PP. Ouch. 6 Powerplay goals apparently ties a team record (isn't that how many PP goals Calgary has all season?). Not the best first game for Steve Shields, poor guy. On a side note, it looks like Kovalchuk has started to score (4 points last night), so I no longer get to pick on him. Boooo. Not like his team is winning a whole bunch yet though.
The TSN link for the "Pens win" story is in the post below...but just in case you're too lazy, here's a scores page...
- I give it a 10:1 odds ratio that Edmonton will end the streak against Dallas tonight. There's so much wrong with that team right now for me to believe they'll defeat anyone as good as the Stars.
- Speaking of the Oil and the Pens, there were some hopeful rumblings and rumors that Edmonton might go after Dick Tarnstrom from Pittsburgh. As remote as it was originally, Im guessing his newly torn MCL pretty much kills that idea.
- Keith Tkachuk has some cracked ribs. Perchance injured from within due to a swollen stomach? It's just not gonna be the Blues' year Im afraid.
- What more can be said about the surging Ottawa Senators? Spezza's beautiful overtime goal last night is symbol of how good this team looks to be this year.
- Whether it was due to their questionable defense or the crowds thunderous booing of Bertuzzi, the Canucks got hammered by Colorado last night, 6-2. Keep in mind, however, the Canucks outshot the Avs an incredible 23-0 in the 3rd, but only scored one goal. The rematch this Saturday should be great.
- Who's going to prevail between the high flying Hurricanes and Flyers tonight? I wouldn't bet either way. Both teams have players who are looking superb right now (Gagne, Forsberg, Dejardins vs. Stall, Cullen, Hedican...).
- TSN Ice Chips claims that Edmonton's MacT is looking to create an offensive spark by putting Rita on a line with Stoll and Torres. Look out everybody! THEY HAVE JANI RITA!! Sorry...don't see this as any sort of solution to Edmonton's woes.
-Finally, the San Jose Sharks will be without #1 netminder Nabokov for awhile. This can't be good for a struggling Shark's team. Although, their next game IS against the Flames, who thus far have proven to be completely impotent in games where they are playing a team they SHOULD be taking advantage of (see: losses to Anaheim, Wild, etc.), so San Jose may be able to turn it around tomorrow night. Not saying I want them to or anything...just using the season so far as a predictor...
- Penguins finally stopped the bleeding and beat the Thrashers last night. Pittsburgh was losing 4-0 and scored 7 straight, 6 on the PP. Ouch. 6 Powerplay goals apparently ties a team record (isn't that how many PP goals Calgary has all season?). Not the best first game for Steve Shields, poor guy. On a side note, it looks like Kovalchuk has started to score (4 points last night), so I no longer get to pick on him. Boooo. Not like his team is winning a whole bunch yet though.
The TSN link for the "Pens win" story is in the post below...but just in case you're too lazy, here's a scores page...
- I give it a 10:1 odds ratio that Edmonton will end the streak against Dallas tonight. There's so much wrong with that team right now for me to believe they'll defeat anyone as good as the Stars.
- Speaking of the Oil and the Pens, there were some hopeful rumblings and rumors that Edmonton might go after Dick Tarnstrom from Pittsburgh. As remote as it was originally, Im guessing his newly torn MCL pretty much kills that idea.
- Keith Tkachuk has some cracked ribs. Perchance injured from within due to a swollen stomach? It's just not gonna be the Blues' year Im afraid.
- What more can be said about the surging Ottawa Senators? Spezza's beautiful overtime goal last night is symbol of how good this team looks to be this year.
- Whether it was due to their questionable defense or the crowds thunderous booing of Bertuzzi, the Canucks got hammered by Colorado last night, 6-2. Keep in mind, however, the Canucks outshot the Avs an incredible 23-0 in the 3rd, but only scored one goal. The rematch this Saturday should be great.
- Who's going to prevail between the high flying Hurricanes and Flyers tonight? I wouldn't bet either way. Both teams have players who are looking superb right now (Gagne, Forsberg, Dejardins vs. Stall, Cullen, Hedican...).
- TSN Ice Chips claims that Edmonton's MacT is looking to create an offensive spark by putting Rita on a line with Stoll and Torres. Look out everybody! THEY HAVE JANI RITA!! Sorry...don't see this as any sort of solution to Edmonton's woes.
-Finally, the San Jose Sharks will be without #1 netminder Nabokov for awhile. This can't be good for a struggling Shark's team. Although, their next game IS against the Flames, who thus far have proven to be completely impotent in games where they are playing a team they SHOULD be taking advantage of (see: losses to Anaheim, Wild, etc.), so San Jose may be able to turn it around tomorrow night. Not saying I want them to or anything...just using the season so far as a predictor...
At Least October is Nearly Over
No one likes to trot out the dreaded "finding a way to lose"...but Im going to anyways. There's hardly another way to describe the current Calgary Flames team. Desperately needing a win in Phoenix, the Flames instead turned in a 11 penalty, 15 shot performance. The salt in the wound is the fact that Iginla had a chance to win the game on a late break-away...and missed the net. This squandered opportunity was followed shortly after by Comrie's game winner with just over a minute left to play. So, without much ado, here's the Negatives list first:
- Now that the Penguins have won and Predators have lost, the Flames are working on one of the last league-wide streaks - 12 games with 3 goals or less and counting.
- Speaking of streaks - Jordan Leopold without a point. 12 games and counting.
- 11 PP chances against. Hard to win games when you are shorthanded nearly half the time.
- 15 Shots for. Can't expect to win a game against a goalie like CuJo with only 15 shots.
- 2 PP goals against. While this is hardly bad considering they were down a man 11 times, its still a difference maker.
- 1 Even strength goal in 4 games. Ummm...
- Flames players missing the net. Calgary players in general can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn recently. See: missing the net on a break-away. Also: 15 shots in game. And: 27 goals in 12 games. Etc.
Positives:
- Iginla scores for the second straight game and is on a 5 game point streak. Yay! While this is good news, we now need either someone else to start scoring or Iginla to score 3+ goals per game (it would be orgasmically great if both were to happen).
- 2 for 6 on the PP. Steadily improving. Of course, now Calgary can't score even-strength...
- Play of Philipe Sauve. There were some concerns regarding Calgary's back-up position coming into this season. It's safe to say, however, that he kept his team in the game last night (29 shots against after 2 periods...yikes).
The Flames now travel to San Jose to finish up another not-so-good road-trip. It's hard to know what to expect at this point...but I'd settle for a 6-5 loss quite frankly. The 3 goals or less thing is starting give me nightmares...
- Now that the Penguins have won and Predators have lost, the Flames are working on one of the last league-wide streaks - 12 games with 3 goals or less and counting.
- Speaking of streaks - Jordan Leopold without a point. 12 games and counting.
- 11 PP chances against. Hard to win games when you are shorthanded nearly half the time.
- 15 Shots for. Can't expect to win a game against a goalie like CuJo with only 15 shots.
- 2 PP goals against. While this is hardly bad considering they were down a man 11 times, its still a difference maker.
- 1 Even strength goal in 4 games. Ummm...
- Flames players missing the net. Calgary players in general can't seem to hit the broad side of a barn recently. See: missing the net on a break-away. Also: 15 shots in game. And: 27 goals in 12 games. Etc.
Positives:
- Iginla scores for the second straight game and is on a 5 game point streak. Yay! While this is good news, we now need either someone else to start scoring or Iginla to score 3+ goals per game (it would be orgasmically great if both were to happen).
- 2 for 6 on the PP. Steadily improving. Of course, now Calgary can't score even-strength...
- Play of Philipe Sauve. There were some concerns regarding Calgary's back-up position coming into this season. It's safe to say, however, that he kept his team in the game last night (29 shots against after 2 periods...yikes).
The Flames now travel to San Jose to finish up another not-so-good road-trip. It's hard to know what to expect at this point...but I'd settle for a 6-5 loss quite frankly. The 3 goals or less thing is starting give me nightmares...
Thursday, October 27, 2005
And now for Something Somewhat Similar
A run-down of NHL goings-on:
- I managed to catch the NJ/Tampa Bay game last night on TSN (not sure why they were broadcasting THAT particular game, but nonetheless...). And WOW did the Devils ever look horrible (thus their 6-3 loss). Frequent unforced give-aways and neutral zone turn-overs. Defensive zone coverage that was, at times, comical. I can't remember the last time I saw a Devils team play so poorly. Of course, the news went from bad to worse for NJ when Martin Brodeur went down with an injury in the 3rd period. Doh! If they haven't been winning with Brodeur, what are their chances with Clemmensen between the pipes? Preliminary reports suggest a day-to-day injury, rather than an extended leave for Brodeur...so the news isn't ALL bad for NJ.
TSN story Linky
- Nashville finally lost...incredibly to a Nashless Columbus Blue Jackets team. Well, it was bound to happen some time. At least they managed to garner a point by pushing the game into overtime...
- Saw some hilights of the Carolina/Boston game last night (which the Hurricanes won 4-3). I can't believe how well both Eric Staal and Matt Cullen are playing right now. They must be possessed, or maybe they sold their souls...or something. I mean...Matt Cullen? He's a projected third line center who never scored more than 18 goals in a season! I tell you, he's doing a great first-line center impression right now...(better than anyone on the Flames currently I might say).
Here's a stat sheet on Cullen--> click .
- Bertuzzi returns to Colorado tonight. Probably more of a "fans booing" issue than anything else...but I guess we'll see...
- The on-again off-again Bruins have lost their #1 netminder to injury. Apparently Raycroft suffered a pulled hamstring against Carolina. Looks like they'll have to rely on Toivonen's 4.52 GAA to get them through for awhile (uh-oh).
Source!
- Atlanta signed Steve Shields in order to temporarily shore up their goaltender woes until Lehtonen returns. Not sure if Shields is the answer...but he's better than nothing I suppose. I guess the Thrashers couldn't offer Buffalo enough for one of their 3 decent 'tenders.
Im not making it up. See .
- Oh. And who is this "Streit" fellow who was seen manning the the Canadiens Powerplay recently?? Apparently he's a 9th rounder drafted by Montreal in 2004... here's what I could find on him at TSN. (Could be a good pool pick if he stays on the PP).
Im spent for now. I long for a Flames win (with more than 3 goals!) to invigorate me...
- I managed to catch the NJ/Tampa Bay game last night on TSN (not sure why they were broadcasting THAT particular game, but nonetheless...). And WOW did the Devils ever look horrible (thus their 6-3 loss). Frequent unforced give-aways and neutral zone turn-overs. Defensive zone coverage that was, at times, comical. I can't remember the last time I saw a Devils team play so poorly. Of course, the news went from bad to worse for NJ when Martin Brodeur went down with an injury in the 3rd period. Doh! If they haven't been winning with Brodeur, what are their chances with Clemmensen between the pipes? Preliminary reports suggest a day-to-day injury, rather than an extended leave for Brodeur...so the news isn't ALL bad for NJ.
TSN story Linky
- Nashville finally lost...incredibly to a Nashless Columbus Blue Jackets team. Well, it was bound to happen some time. At least they managed to garner a point by pushing the game into overtime...
- Saw some hilights of the Carolina/Boston game last night (which the Hurricanes won 4-3). I can't believe how well both Eric Staal and Matt Cullen are playing right now. They must be possessed, or maybe they sold their souls...or something. I mean...Matt Cullen? He's a projected third line center who never scored more than 18 goals in a season! I tell you, he's doing a great first-line center impression right now...(better than anyone on the Flames currently I might say).
Here's a stat sheet on Cullen--> click .
- Bertuzzi returns to Colorado tonight. Probably more of a "fans booing" issue than anything else...but I guess we'll see...
- The on-again off-again Bruins have lost their #1 netminder to injury. Apparently Raycroft suffered a pulled hamstring against Carolina. Looks like they'll have to rely on Toivonen's 4.52 GAA to get them through for awhile (uh-oh).
Source!
- Atlanta signed Steve Shields in order to temporarily shore up their goaltender woes until Lehtonen returns. Not sure if Shields is the answer...but he's better than nothing I suppose. I guess the Thrashers couldn't offer Buffalo enough for one of their 3 decent 'tenders.
Im not making it up. See .
- Oh. And who is this "Streit" fellow who was seen manning the the Canadiens Powerplay recently?? Apparently he's a 9th rounder drafted by Montreal in 2004... here's what I could find on him at TSN. (Could be a good pool pick if he stays on the PP).
Im spent for now. I long for a Flames win (with more than 3 goals!) to invigorate me...
Regression Anyone?
The Flames took some significant steps backwards last night in their 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Might Ducks. Calgary managed to squander two points to a slumping team (without their top center in Sergei Federov) by replicating a number of the issues Flames fans are becoming all to familiar with this year:
- Sluggish start. No goals in the first period, and down 2-0 by the end of the second. What is it going to take to get the Flames to play an inspired opening frame?
- Lack of offense. 1-7 on the PP and only 1 even strength goal in the last 3 games. Wasting 6 PP opportunities against the worst PK in the league is telling.
- Terrible penalty killing. The Ducks finished the night 3-6 on the PP. The PK hasn't been a concern for awhile, but it clearly let the team down last night. Big time.
Other concerns:
- Leopold still without a single point. Eleven games and counting.
- Players like Shean Donovan and Marcus Nilson who are expected to chip in offensively on occassion have been near invisible in that department all season thus far. Between the two of them they have 1 goal total so far.
- The Flames penchant for losing games they should win. See losses to Phoenix, Dallas, Minnesota and now Anaheim. Calgary is in a highly competitive division and can't afford to keep throwing away valuable points.
- Despite rules against obstruction and interference being tightly enforced, Calgary has yet to score more than 3 goals in a game and only has 25 goals in 11 games so far. Compare this to teams like Toronto who have score 9 goals in a single game. This is especially shameful for a team that boasts one of the games top goal-getters in Jarome Iginla.
Positives...?
- Few, besides Iginla scoring. And hitting the post. And fighting. Sounds like he's beginning to turn it on. Now if the team could just remember how to forecheck with intensity (for a full 60 minutes), make crisp passes in the neutral zone and finish on some of their chances, we'll be set...
- Sluggish start. No goals in the first period, and down 2-0 by the end of the second. What is it going to take to get the Flames to play an inspired opening frame?
- Lack of offense. 1-7 on the PP and only 1 even strength goal in the last 3 games. Wasting 6 PP opportunities against the worst PK in the league is telling.
- Terrible penalty killing. The Ducks finished the night 3-6 on the PP. The PK hasn't been a concern for awhile, but it clearly let the team down last night. Big time.
Other concerns:
- Leopold still without a single point. Eleven games and counting.
- Players like Shean Donovan and Marcus Nilson who are expected to chip in offensively on occassion have been near invisible in that department all season thus far. Between the two of them they have 1 goal total so far.
- The Flames penchant for losing games they should win. See losses to Phoenix, Dallas, Minnesota and now Anaheim. Calgary is in a highly competitive division and can't afford to keep throwing away valuable points.
- Despite rules against obstruction and interference being tightly enforced, Calgary has yet to score more than 3 goals in a game and only has 25 goals in 11 games so far. Compare this to teams like Toronto who have score 9 goals in a single game. This is especially shameful for a team that boasts one of the games top goal-getters in Jarome Iginla.
Positives...?
- Few, besides Iginla scoring. And hitting the post. And fighting. Sounds like he's beginning to turn it on. Now if the team could just remember how to forecheck with intensity (for a full 60 minutes), make crisp passes in the neutral zone and finish on some of their chances, we'll be set...
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Edit - Game Preview
Just saw some updates watching TSN regarding the Calgary/Anaheim game. Apparently McCarty is still feeling the effects from the John Erskine hit, so he will be scratched tonight. In addition, the Ducks are thinking of dressing Giguere as a back-up rather than starter (just to be safe), so it's probable that Ilja Bryzgalov will get the start this evening...in 5 contests this year, he has a GAA of 3.06 and a SP of .905.
Calgary @ Anaheim Preview
After a few days off, the Flames are looking to make it 2 in a row for the first time this season against the Mighty Ducks tonight. Calgary won their last game 3-2 over the Kings, while the Ducks were defeated by LA Tuesday night, 3-1. Anaheim is currently tied for last in the Pacific Division with 7 points, while Calgary at 9 points is only in front of the struggling Oilers in the Northwest. Some other stats:
Calgary -
10 GP: 24 GF, 30 GA,
PP - 10.1%, 28th overall
PK - 76.9%, 28th overall
Anaheim -
9 GP: 25 GF, 29 GA
PP - 12.2%, 26th overall
PK - 75%, 30th overall
Relatively even match-up...according to these stats (which, due to the relatively small sample of games, are rather useless).
Anaheim is currently being lead in points by the likes of Rob Niedermayer (2,6 - 8), Teemu Selanne (5,2 - 7) and Joffrey Lupul (2,5 - 7). Ryan Getzlaf had 4 points in 8 games and was a plus 5 before injuring his shoulder. Both he and Sergei Federov are sidelined due to injuries. JS Giguere will be returning to the Ducks tonight after sitting out a couple of games. Before his injury, Giguere was 2-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA and .902 SP.
Calgary points leaders include Roman Hamrlik (1,7 - 8), Jarome Iginla (2,5 - 7) and Tony Amonte (3,3 - 6). Chuck Kobasew leads the team in goals with 4. Significant injuries for the Flames include Robyn Regehr and Matthew Lombardi. Regehr is expected back the first week of November, while Lombardi is sidelined indefinately. Kiprusoff will play his 11th straight game. After a rocky start he has lowered his GAA to 2.79 and increased his SP to .900.
If you want to check out stats and compare them yourself...go to the nhl website here
Qualitative Stuff:
- By all indications, the Flames are starting to regroup after their painful, loss-filled start. PP, PK and GA have all dramatically improved since their opening roadtrip. In addition, Jarome Iginla has recently shown signs of returning to his usual dominating form. Hopefully coming off a 1 point, 5 shot night against the Kings will further spark him against the Ducks this evening.
Anaheim, converesly, have been hampered by injury woes and are struggling of late. They have lost 4 of their last 5. Keep an eye on Teemu Selanne who seems to be enjoying a resurgence now that he's back with the Ducks.
Conclusion-
Overall, Calgary needs to string back to back wins together and take advantage of a Ducks team mired in a slump. And, of course, we are all waiting for Iginla to have a break-out, multiple goal performance...will this be the night??
Calgary -
10 GP: 24 GF, 30 GA,
PP - 10.1%, 28th overall
PK - 76.9%, 28th overall
Anaheim -
9 GP: 25 GF, 29 GA
PP - 12.2%, 26th overall
PK - 75%, 30th overall
Relatively even match-up...according to these stats (which, due to the relatively small sample of games, are rather useless).
Anaheim is currently being lead in points by the likes of Rob Niedermayer (2,6 - 8), Teemu Selanne (5,2 - 7) and Joffrey Lupul (2,5 - 7). Ryan Getzlaf had 4 points in 8 games and was a plus 5 before injuring his shoulder. Both he and Sergei Federov are sidelined due to injuries. JS Giguere will be returning to the Ducks tonight after sitting out a couple of games. Before his injury, Giguere was 2-2-1 with a 2.95 GAA and .902 SP.
Calgary points leaders include Roman Hamrlik (1,7 - 8), Jarome Iginla (2,5 - 7) and Tony Amonte (3,3 - 6). Chuck Kobasew leads the team in goals with 4. Significant injuries for the Flames include Robyn Regehr and Matthew Lombardi. Regehr is expected back the first week of November, while Lombardi is sidelined indefinately. Kiprusoff will play his 11th straight game. After a rocky start he has lowered his GAA to 2.79 and increased his SP to .900.
If you want to check out stats and compare them yourself...go to the nhl website here
Qualitative Stuff:
- By all indications, the Flames are starting to regroup after their painful, loss-filled start. PP, PK and GA have all dramatically improved since their opening roadtrip. In addition, Jarome Iginla has recently shown signs of returning to his usual dominating form. Hopefully coming off a 1 point, 5 shot night against the Kings will further spark him against the Ducks this evening.
Anaheim, converesly, have been hampered by injury woes and are struggling of late. They have lost 4 of their last 5. Keep an eye on Teemu Selanne who seems to be enjoying a resurgence now that he's back with the Ducks.
Conclusion-
Overall, Calgary needs to string back to back wins together and take advantage of a Ducks team mired in a slump. And, of course, we are all waiting for Iginla to have a break-out, multiple goal performance...will this be the night??
Seven in a Row!
Well, Edmonton managed to drop their 7th straight game last night, losing to Colorado 5-3. While it's not 7-1, what is probably more disturbing to the Oiler's faithful is the manner in which Edmoton found a way to lose...consider:
- Edmonton was winning 3-2 with roughly 5 minutes left in the third period.
- Colorado was assessed 4 minute major for a high-stick on Raffi Torres.
This surely should have set the stage for an Oiler victory. However, their advantage was erased by 2 minor penalties of their own. Then, during 4on4 play, Dvorak managed to tip a Tanguay pass into his own net. Thus begun the implosion. After the fortunate tying goal by the Avs, Edmonton seemed to deflate utterly. Colorado scored 2 more goals in the last minute of play to seal the deal.
Of course, as a Flames fan who suffered through years of similar ineptitude by various Calgary teams, I felt a strange, glowing, guilty kind of pleasure watching Edmonton commit Hari Kari last night. Baha! BAHAHA!!
That's cruel and rude and I apologize...
Anyways, at least Oilers fans can be glad they didn't lose by 6 goals. Plus, the play of Smyth and Torres should be encouraging. Of course, the Edmonton path doesn't get any easier since 10 of their next 11 games are on the road! Ouch. It could be a long season for the Oil this year. Expect some major changes should this losing slide continue much longer.
...Speaking of slides, Pittsburgh managed to lose AGAIN last night. They are now 0-4-5...Of course, if they could just manage to get past overtime, the Penguins have a huge number of players what would be deadly in the shoot-out. It's bound to happen eventually I guess. Of course, if it doesn't happen soon, look for Eddie Olczyk to get his walking papers from Mario...
...And is anyone surprised Nashville beat the Blues last night?
- Edmonton was winning 3-2 with roughly 5 minutes left in the third period.
- Colorado was assessed 4 minute major for a high-stick on Raffi Torres.
This surely should have set the stage for an Oiler victory. However, their advantage was erased by 2 minor penalties of their own. Then, during 4on4 play, Dvorak managed to tip a Tanguay pass into his own net. Thus begun the implosion. After the fortunate tying goal by the Avs, Edmonton seemed to deflate utterly. Colorado scored 2 more goals in the last minute of play to seal the deal.
Of course, as a Flames fan who suffered through years of similar ineptitude by various Calgary teams, I felt a strange, glowing, guilty kind of pleasure watching Edmonton commit Hari Kari last night. Baha! BAHAHA!!
That's cruel and rude and I apologize...
Anyways, at least Oilers fans can be glad they didn't lose by 6 goals. Plus, the play of Smyth and Torres should be encouraging. Of course, the Edmonton path doesn't get any easier since 10 of their next 11 games are on the road! Ouch. It could be a long season for the Oil this year. Expect some major changes should this losing slide continue much longer.
...Speaking of slides, Pittsburgh managed to lose AGAIN last night. They are now 0-4-5...Of course, if they could just manage to get past overtime, the Penguins have a huge number of players what would be deadly in the shoot-out. It's bound to happen eventually I guess. Of course, if it doesn't happen soon, look for Eddie Olczyk to get his walking papers from Mario...
...And is anyone surprised Nashville beat the Blues last night?
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Here's your turtle...alive and well.
Felt like tackling other NHL topics and issues besides the typical Flames stuff today. Here goes:
- Atlanta Thrashers goon Eric Boulton was recently suspended for 6 games for his flagrant elbow on Lightning rookie Paul Ranger. According to TSN, Ranger suffered a fractured jaw and a concussion from the incident. I personally think that 6 games isn't a strong enough sentence for Boulton, especially considering the 21 minutes in penalties he racked up against Toronto earlier in the season during another Atlanta "thrashing" (9-1). Apparently, some heat has been directed at Atlanta coach Bob Hartley who has been accused of puposely sending out bruisers like Boulton to exact some measure of revenge on the opposing players when the game is well out of reach...TSN.ca has the story here.
- Ottawa's season-long unbeaten streak was ended last night when they lost to the surprising Carolina Hurricanes (3-2), who have won four of five recently. Ottawa is still an impressive 6-1, while Carolina moved to 5-2-1 and took over first place in the South East Division. The Hurricanes, who were widely considered to be one of the weakest teams in the league before the season commenced, have ridden the stellar play of Eric Staal, who has 13 points in 8 games so far this season. He is behind only Jaromir Jagr and Bryan McCabe on the NHL scoring list. Impressive! (Story here).
- Minnesota Wild have lost Gaborik to a groin injury again. Seems he reaggravated the injury that prevented him from starting the season. Gaborik was off to an impressive start, scoring 2 goals and 6 points in only 3 games played. He is out indefinately.
- Other injuries of note:
- Chicago Blackhawks are being felled by injury...as usual. Eric Daze has had back troubles already this year (of course). In addition, the Hawks will be without promising young center Tuomo Ruutu due to a sore back and forward Kyle Calder due to an infected elbow for a few games.
- The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are without #1 goalie JS Giguere and #1 center Sergei Federov and have just recently lost bright young star Ryan Getzlaf (formerly of Calgary Hitmen fame) to a strained shoulder. Bad news for the Ducks, but good news if you are a fan of the Kings (who play the Ducks tonight), or the Flames (who play them tomorrow night).
- The struggling Edmonton Oilers, on the heels of a 6 game losing streak, will be without Raffi Torres for the rematch tonight against Colorado. Torres was one of the lone bright spots during their embarrasing 7-1 loss to the Avalanche on the weekend. Torres managed to level a devastating open-ice hit against Brunette in the middle frame, which was one of the few hilites for Edmonton on the night. He is apparently suffering from a "gastrointestinal disorder"...which means he won't be out of the line-up very long.
For these and other injury updates and such, visit TSN ice chips....here.
Anyways, That's about it for now. I would like to know, though...when are the Predators going to lose? And when are the Penguins going to win...??
- Atlanta Thrashers goon Eric Boulton was recently suspended for 6 games for his flagrant elbow on Lightning rookie Paul Ranger. According to TSN, Ranger suffered a fractured jaw and a concussion from the incident. I personally think that 6 games isn't a strong enough sentence for Boulton, especially considering the 21 minutes in penalties he racked up against Toronto earlier in the season during another Atlanta "thrashing" (9-1). Apparently, some heat has been directed at Atlanta coach Bob Hartley who has been accused of puposely sending out bruisers like Boulton to exact some measure of revenge on the opposing players when the game is well out of reach...TSN.ca has the story here.
- Ottawa's season-long unbeaten streak was ended last night when they lost to the surprising Carolina Hurricanes (3-2), who have won four of five recently. Ottawa is still an impressive 6-1, while Carolina moved to 5-2-1 and took over first place in the South East Division. The Hurricanes, who were widely considered to be one of the weakest teams in the league before the season commenced, have ridden the stellar play of Eric Staal, who has 13 points in 8 games so far this season. He is behind only Jaromir Jagr and Bryan McCabe on the NHL scoring list. Impressive! (Story here).
- Minnesota Wild have lost Gaborik to a groin injury again. Seems he reaggravated the injury that prevented him from starting the season. Gaborik was off to an impressive start, scoring 2 goals and 6 points in only 3 games played. He is out indefinately.
- Other injuries of note:
- Chicago Blackhawks are being felled by injury...as usual. Eric Daze has had back troubles already this year (of course). In addition, the Hawks will be without promising young center Tuomo Ruutu due to a sore back and forward Kyle Calder due to an infected elbow for a few games.
- The Anaheim Mighty Ducks are without #1 goalie JS Giguere and #1 center Sergei Federov and have just recently lost bright young star Ryan Getzlaf (formerly of Calgary Hitmen fame) to a strained shoulder. Bad news for the Ducks, but good news if you are a fan of the Kings (who play the Ducks tonight), or the Flames (who play them tomorrow night).
- The struggling Edmonton Oilers, on the heels of a 6 game losing streak, will be without Raffi Torres for the rematch tonight against Colorado. Torres was one of the lone bright spots during their embarrasing 7-1 loss to the Avalanche on the weekend. Torres managed to level a devastating open-ice hit against Brunette in the middle frame, which was one of the few hilites for Edmonton on the night. He is apparently suffering from a "gastrointestinal disorder"...which means he won't be out of the line-up very long.
For these and other injury updates and such, visit TSN ice chips....here.
Anyways, That's about it for now. I would like to know, though...when are the Predators going to lose? And when are the Penguins going to win...??
Monday, October 24, 2005
1 and 1...
Well, the Flames split the weekend start to the roadtrip with a loss in Dallas and a victory in LA. I was unfortunately unable to observe either contest, so most of my commentary is based on second-hand info and statistical analysis.
At this point in the young season, and relative to Calgary's last road trip, I consider a .500 showing a positive thing. Also, the Flames were "in" both games - meaning a win was available to be had in Dallas with the addition of a bounce or two in Calgary's favor. The loss to Dallas (2-1), featured 2 deflection goals against - the second a pin-ball-type fortuitous bounce. Reports are that Turco stole the game for the Stars, who over the last few seasons seem able to beat the Flames no matter the circumstances. SIGH. Every team has that other "nemesis" type club that simply "has their number" (so to speak). Currently the Flames are that to the Oilers, the Wild to the Canucks, etc. Apparently, the Stars are filling that role for the Flames. Hopefully that trend will be erased some time in the near future.
Moving forward, it is very positive that Calgary was able to beat what seemed to be a hot LA Kings team on Sunday night; the Kings were coming off three straight wins, including a 7-2 drubbing of Stars when Calgary rolled into town. Despite losing to Dallas the night before and apparently having the momentum of the King's recent fortunes going against them, the Flames were able to pull out a much needed win (3-2), apparently on the backs of the strong play of Simon and (finally) Jarome Iginla. To a Flames fan deprived of live coverage, there are few game-after phrases sweeter than "Iginla played great". Especially considering his current woes. Part of the blame for Iginla'a "awakening" may be lain upon Sean Avery - he of the fiesty play and idiotic quotes - who hammered Jarome from behind early in the contest. Iginla dropped the gloves, Avery turtled. Avery got the PP and Iginla got mad. And we all know Iggy seems to play better when he's got a bone to pick. Hopefully "the giant has been awakened" and Iginla will build on this performance...which would give all the other teams and players an additional reason to hate Sean Avery...
Anyways, here's the positives from the weekend:
- 3 goals scored on the Powerplay. No, that's not a typo. Feels like food to the starving, hey?
- Iginla with 2 points and 8 shots. After his rather poor showings in the games prior to the roadtrip, Jarome seems to be picking it up.
- Kipper allows only 4 goals in 2 games. Three of which were deflections. His GAA is now down to 2.79 with a SP of .900.
- Simon finally uses his powerful shot and strength to put on a dominating performance down low against the Kings. Calgary can use all the secondary scoring they can get.
- With an assist against Dallas, Hamrlik has 8 points in 10 games. I personally can't remember the last time a Calgary d-man had that many points so quickly.
- Dion Phaneuf. A goal and an incredible 7 shots against the Kings. Probably had something to do with Calgary's 10 powerplays on the night. The rookie continues to impress.
The Negatives:
- The Flames lose a winnable game against Dallas due to a power-outtage. While Iginla has been showing signs of life recently, it is in THESE kinds of contests that he should be making a difference.
- Jordan Leopold still without a point. Ten games in and the talented d-man has been steady in his own end, but rather ordinary in the offensive zone. While his place on the #1 powerplay unit has been usurped by Hamrlik and Phaneuf, Leopold still garners enough ice time (25+ minutes per game) and has enough offensive ability to have generated more than 0 points so far. Heck, even Warrener has 2 goals! Hopefully he turns it around soon.
- Even with scoring up around the league, the Flames have yet to tally more than 3 goals in a game. While it's true that you should never need more than 3 to win, it would still be nice to see Calgary exceed that figure now and again.
- Robyn Regher still sidelined, with no word on when he will return. Booo! Even with the improvement in defensive zone coverage and penalty killing, the Flames could always use his steady presence on the blueline.
Next up - Anaheim!
At this point in the young season, and relative to Calgary's last road trip, I consider a .500 showing a positive thing. Also, the Flames were "in" both games - meaning a win was available to be had in Dallas with the addition of a bounce or two in Calgary's favor. The loss to Dallas (2-1), featured 2 deflection goals against - the second a pin-ball-type fortuitous bounce. Reports are that Turco stole the game for the Stars, who over the last few seasons seem able to beat the Flames no matter the circumstances. SIGH. Every team has that other "nemesis" type club that simply "has their number" (so to speak). Currently the Flames are that to the Oilers, the Wild to the Canucks, etc. Apparently, the Stars are filling that role for the Flames. Hopefully that trend will be erased some time in the near future.
Moving forward, it is very positive that Calgary was able to beat what seemed to be a hot LA Kings team on Sunday night; the Kings were coming off three straight wins, including a 7-2 drubbing of Stars when Calgary rolled into town. Despite losing to Dallas the night before and apparently having the momentum of the King's recent fortunes going against them, the Flames were able to pull out a much needed win (3-2), apparently on the backs of the strong play of Simon and (finally) Jarome Iginla. To a Flames fan deprived of live coverage, there are few game-after phrases sweeter than "Iginla played great". Especially considering his current woes. Part of the blame for Iginla'a "awakening" may be lain upon Sean Avery - he of the fiesty play and idiotic quotes - who hammered Jarome from behind early in the contest. Iginla dropped the gloves, Avery turtled. Avery got the PP and Iginla got mad. And we all know Iggy seems to play better when he's got a bone to pick. Hopefully "the giant has been awakened" and Iginla will build on this performance...which would give all the other teams and players an additional reason to hate Sean Avery...
Anyways, here's the positives from the weekend:
- 3 goals scored on the Powerplay. No, that's not a typo. Feels like food to the starving, hey?
- Iginla with 2 points and 8 shots. After his rather poor showings in the games prior to the roadtrip, Jarome seems to be picking it up.
- Kipper allows only 4 goals in 2 games. Three of which were deflections. His GAA is now down to 2.79 with a SP of .900.
- Simon finally uses his powerful shot and strength to put on a dominating performance down low against the Kings. Calgary can use all the secondary scoring they can get.
- With an assist against Dallas, Hamrlik has 8 points in 10 games. I personally can't remember the last time a Calgary d-man had that many points so quickly.
- Dion Phaneuf. A goal and an incredible 7 shots against the Kings. Probably had something to do with Calgary's 10 powerplays on the night. The rookie continues to impress.
The Negatives:
- The Flames lose a winnable game against Dallas due to a power-outtage. While Iginla has been showing signs of life recently, it is in THESE kinds of contests that he should be making a difference.
- Jordan Leopold still without a point. Ten games in and the talented d-man has been steady in his own end, but rather ordinary in the offensive zone. While his place on the #1 powerplay unit has been usurped by Hamrlik and Phaneuf, Leopold still garners enough ice time (25+ minutes per game) and has enough offensive ability to have generated more than 0 points so far. Heck, even Warrener has 2 goals! Hopefully he turns it around soon.
- Even with scoring up around the league, the Flames have yet to tally more than 3 goals in a game. While it's true that you should never need more than 3 to win, it would still be nice to see Calgary exceed that figure now and again.
- Robyn Regher still sidelined, with no word on when he will return. Booo! Even with the improvement in defensive zone coverage and penalty killing, the Flames could always use his steady presence on the blueline.
Next up - Anaheim!
Friday, October 21, 2005
Jekyl and Hyde
The Calgary Flames managed to pull out a much needed victory over the Oilers last night - despite playing like a bush-league Bantam team for ther first half of the contest (with the notable excpetion of Miikka Kiprusoff)...
From a Calgary perspective, the first 30 minutes were an attrocious conglomerate of fumbled passes, needless offsides and general befuddlement and hesistation. I watched the game, frustrated and annoyed. I swore so much during the opening period I could have been a character from a Tarantino movie. I was clutching at my hair by the roots and was poised to turn the game off at any moment. After the Oiler's dubious goal, perhaps karmically earned, if not legitimate in it's own right, I was almost positive that the Flames were on their way to another embarrasing loss. But then...something strange happened.
Puck pursuit. Forechecks and pressure and speed. Aspects of Flames hockey seemingly lost or forsaken. Thanks should be afforded to Shean Donovan and Marcus Nilson - the former with a speedy rush, and the latter with a sudden offensive-zone forecheck - that seemed to awaken the slumbering Calgary team. Throw in a short-handed break away save by Kipper, and the transformation was fully initialized. Reinprecht scored his PP goal shortly thereafter and the momentum and timbre of the game shifted completely. Calgary spent the rest of the contest resembling more and more the Flames of last season. High pressure forechecking caused by speed and work ethic. Good defensive zone coverage...now if the team that appeared for the latter half of this game can continue to arrive in every game hearafter, the Flames fortunes will change quite drastically from their early season woes. Here's hoping!
The positives:
- Kiprusoff. Basically the reason Calgary won. Held Edmonton to one goal even though Calgary was outshot 14-4 in the first frame. Was robbed of a shut-out when a missed goaltender interference call resulted in an empty net goal for Ethan Moreau. With this performance, Kipper has allowed only 5 goals over 4 games (3 versus Dallas), for a GAA of 1.25. A marked and resounding improvement over his first 4 games of the season.
- PK and Defense. Calgary managed to kill off all 6 Edmonton PP's last night, including a 4 minute high-sticking call to Kobasew. It's no coincidence that Kipper's improved play AND the improved defense are occuring in concert. Hopefully this trend continues.
- Chuck Kobasew. Another 2 goals to lead the Flames (4 overall), including the game winner. Kobasew is playing with confidence and with the "nose for the net" that was implied by his offensive numbers in junior hockey.
- Steven Reinprecht. Scored the tying PP goal with a laser beam shot into the top corner. Also showed his stickhandling and speed at times.
- Phaneuf. Big hits and steady play. Even muscled big George Laraque off the puck in the second period.
Negatives -
- First period. Just horrible in almost every way besides Kipper. Gah.
- Iginla. While he's been average in most situations until now, Jarome was downright BAD last night. Calgary won in spite of his performance, not because of it. It was an Iginla give-away that lead to Dvorak's short-handed break away. Also, over the last 5 periods of hockey, Iginla hasn't registered a shot. With over 20 minutes of ice per night (nearly half of it PP time) that is simply not accetable. Of course, it is only a matter of time before Jarome starts to turn it on...but when will that happen?
Mercifully, the list of "negatives" is getting shorter. My hopes are that the Flames build on the positives from this game during their up-coming road trip. The next significant goal for Calgary now is to win 2 in a row!
From a Calgary perspective, the first 30 minutes were an attrocious conglomerate of fumbled passes, needless offsides and general befuddlement and hesistation. I watched the game, frustrated and annoyed. I swore so much during the opening period I could have been a character from a Tarantino movie. I was clutching at my hair by the roots and was poised to turn the game off at any moment. After the Oiler's dubious goal, perhaps karmically earned, if not legitimate in it's own right, I was almost positive that the Flames were on their way to another embarrasing loss. But then...something strange happened.
Puck pursuit. Forechecks and pressure and speed. Aspects of Flames hockey seemingly lost or forsaken. Thanks should be afforded to Shean Donovan and Marcus Nilson - the former with a speedy rush, and the latter with a sudden offensive-zone forecheck - that seemed to awaken the slumbering Calgary team. Throw in a short-handed break away save by Kipper, and the transformation was fully initialized. Reinprecht scored his PP goal shortly thereafter and the momentum and timbre of the game shifted completely. Calgary spent the rest of the contest resembling more and more the Flames of last season. High pressure forechecking caused by speed and work ethic. Good defensive zone coverage...now if the team that appeared for the latter half of this game can continue to arrive in every game hearafter, the Flames fortunes will change quite drastically from their early season woes. Here's hoping!
The positives:
- Kiprusoff. Basically the reason Calgary won. Held Edmonton to one goal even though Calgary was outshot 14-4 in the first frame. Was robbed of a shut-out when a missed goaltender interference call resulted in an empty net goal for Ethan Moreau. With this performance, Kipper has allowed only 5 goals over 4 games (3 versus Dallas), for a GAA of 1.25. A marked and resounding improvement over his first 4 games of the season.
- PK and Defense. Calgary managed to kill off all 6 Edmonton PP's last night, including a 4 minute high-sticking call to Kobasew. It's no coincidence that Kipper's improved play AND the improved defense are occuring in concert. Hopefully this trend continues.
- Chuck Kobasew. Another 2 goals to lead the Flames (4 overall), including the game winner. Kobasew is playing with confidence and with the "nose for the net" that was implied by his offensive numbers in junior hockey.
- Steven Reinprecht. Scored the tying PP goal with a laser beam shot into the top corner. Also showed his stickhandling and speed at times.
- Phaneuf. Big hits and steady play. Even muscled big George Laraque off the puck in the second period.
Negatives -
- First period. Just horrible in almost every way besides Kipper. Gah.
- Iginla. While he's been average in most situations until now, Jarome was downright BAD last night. Calgary won in spite of his performance, not because of it. It was an Iginla give-away that lead to Dvorak's short-handed break away. Also, over the last 5 periods of hockey, Iginla hasn't registered a shot. With over 20 minutes of ice per night (nearly half of it PP time) that is simply not accetable. Of course, it is only a matter of time before Jarome starts to turn it on...but when will that happen?
Mercifully, the list of "negatives" is getting shorter. My hopes are that the Flames build on the positives from this game during their up-coming road trip. The next significant goal for Calgary now is to win 2 in a row!
Thursday, October 20, 2005
The NHL's got more injuries than the Bible's got Psalms
Seriously, what's with all the injuries? I'm left to wonder if there are more injuries now, during October, than there were when hockey was last played. Every team has had at least one injury and of course some are less fortunate to have even more.
Take a look at the Flames: Robyn Regehr is out with a sprained MCL and more recently, Lombardi is out with a sprained ankle.
As for the Oil, Ryan Smyth is also out with a sprained MCL and Shawn Horcoff has a sprained shoulder. Of lesser note, Ty Conklin has been playing with a tender groin, which would explain his lack of performance on the ice (no innuendo intended).
With that in mind, it seems to me that strained groins are the injury du jour. Who else is feeling the pain?
J.S. Giguere, ANA
Sergei Fedorov, ANA
Kari Lehtonen, ANA
Mike Dunham, ANA
Adam Mair, BUF
Ryan Whitney, CAR
Adrian Aucoin, CHI
Todd Marchant, CLS
Steve Yzerman, DET
Alex Henry, MIN
Steve Sullivan, NAS
Colin White, NJ
Brian Boucher, PHX
Tyler Bouck, VAN
What's at the root of all these injuries? Could it be the lengthy off-time between seasons? Could it be the new rules? If you ask me, I honestly think it is more than a coincidence that Season 2 of Desperate Housewives premiered within a week of the NHL's Opening Night (innuendo definitely intended).
Take a look at the Flames: Robyn Regehr is out with a sprained MCL and more recently, Lombardi is out with a sprained ankle.
As for the Oil, Ryan Smyth is also out with a sprained MCL and Shawn Horcoff has a sprained shoulder. Of lesser note, Ty Conklin has been playing with a tender groin, which would explain his lack of performance on the ice (no innuendo intended).
With that in mind, it seems to me that strained groins are the injury du jour. Who else is feeling the pain?
J.S. Giguere, ANA
Sergei Fedorov, ANA
Kari Lehtonen, ANA
Mike Dunham, ANA
Adam Mair, BUF
Ryan Whitney, CAR
Adrian Aucoin, CHI
Todd Marchant, CLS
Steve Yzerman, DET
Alex Henry, MIN
Steve Sullivan, NAS
Colin White, NJ
Brian Boucher, PHX
Tyler Bouck, VAN
What's at the root of all these injuries? Could it be the lengthy off-time between seasons? Could it be the new rules? If you ask me, I honestly think it is more than a coincidence that Season 2 of Desperate Housewives premiered within a week of the NHL's Opening Night (innuendo definitely intended).
Q: What's worse than being a Leaf?
A: Being a Leaf FAN.
Ugh, I hate the team and their fans are even worse.
I was just perusing through the TSN website and came across an article about the Avalanche. It stated that Pierre Lacroix would not be picking up the option for next year on the contracts of Joe Sakic and Rob Blake [link]. This is pretty big news coming out of Denver so I wanted to check out what other people had to say. I scrolled down to the comments section and sure enough, there were at least 20 people saying 'they sure would look good in a Leafs uniform' or 'Bring em to the Leafs'. Bleh.
It was even worse during the offseason. If there was ANY news on ANY big name that was available, at least half of the comments were delusional Make Belief fans posting cries of persuasion as if they were summoning their combined telepathic powers to lure the big name free agent to the so-called centre of the hockey universe. In a way it did work as they were able to pull in Eric Lindros and Jason Allison, although both took too many shots to the head to know any better.
Yes Leaf fans, go sign everybody and then try to figure out how they would fit under that little thing called the cap. Hmmm, I guess they didn't get the memo. Well, here's another memo for you Leaf fans:
# of Cups won by the Oilers and Flames since '67: 6
# of Cups won by the Maple Leafs since '67: 0
And don't expect that number to change for the Leafs any time soon.
Ugh, I hate the team and their fans are even worse.
I was just perusing through the TSN website and came across an article about the Avalanche. It stated that Pierre Lacroix would not be picking up the option for next year on the contracts of Joe Sakic and Rob Blake [link]. This is pretty big news coming out of Denver so I wanted to check out what other people had to say. I scrolled down to the comments section and sure enough, there were at least 20 people saying 'they sure would look good in a Leafs uniform' or 'Bring em to the Leafs'. Bleh.
It was even worse during the offseason. If there was ANY news on ANY big name that was available, at least half of the comments were delusional Make Belief fans posting cries of persuasion as if they were summoning their combined telepathic powers to lure the big name free agent to the so-called centre of the hockey universe. In a way it did work as they were able to pull in Eric Lindros and Jason Allison, although both took too many shots to the head to know any better.
Yes Leaf fans, go sign everybody and then try to figure out how they would fit under that little thing called the cap. Hmmm, I guess they didn't get the memo. Well, here's another memo for you Leaf fans:
# of Cups won by the Oilers and Flames since '67: 6
# of Cups won by the Maple Leafs since '67: 0
And don't expect that number to change for the Leafs any time soon.
Way to go Conny!
Ex-Flame Craig Conroy had a break-out performance with his new team, the LA Kings, last night. He was instrumental in their come from behind victory (5-4) victory over the Avalanche. Playing on a line with Demitra and Frolov, Conroy had 3 assists and the GWG. Congratulations are in order! I was a big fan of Conroy while he was a Flame and wish him the best in his new surroundings. On a secondary note, the Avalanche lost for the second time this season after leading by 3 goals. Ouch. Apparently the usually rock-solid Rob Blake is struggling, while Joe Sakic is hardly producing big numbers. The impending return of sniper Milan Hejduk will no doubt inject some life into the struggling Avs. And at least they have the play of rookie Marek Svatos to celebrate (5 goals in 7 games).
And also...
What is going on with the Minnesota Wild? Another blow-out victory against a supposedly "superior" San Jose team last night (6-1). So far, the Wild have made fools of the Flames (6-3), Canucks (6-0) and the Sharks (6-1). All by that same 6 goal total and all in spite of being out-shot in the third period. In addition, Minnesota is near the top in the league in GF (27 - 5th), Powerplay (31.2% - 1st) AND Penalty Killing (95.5% - 1st). Impressive!
okay..so they possess some good talents and underrated players (White, Rolston, Walz, Bouchard, Kuba), but half the Wild roster is made up no-name and bubble type players. Kyle Wanvig? Matt Foy? Brent Burns? Jon Doe? (okay, I made that one up) How are they doing it?
Whatever their secret, be it good coaching, team chemistry, speed, luck, or sorcery, the Wild sure are looking good right now. However, I predict that this trend simply cannot continue for the entire season. Look for teams like San Jose and Calgary to turn things around come mid November, while the Wild's lack of depth eventually catches up to them...
And also...
What is going on with the Minnesota Wild? Another blow-out victory against a supposedly "superior" San Jose team last night (6-1). So far, the Wild have made fools of the Flames (6-3), Canucks (6-0) and the Sharks (6-1). All by that same 6 goal total and all in spite of being out-shot in the third period. In addition, Minnesota is near the top in the league in GF (27 - 5th), Powerplay (31.2% - 1st) AND Penalty Killing (95.5% - 1st). Impressive!
okay..so they possess some good talents and underrated players (White, Rolston, Walz, Bouchard, Kuba), but half the Wild roster is made up no-name and bubble type players. Kyle Wanvig? Matt Foy? Brent Burns? Jon Doe? (okay, I made that one up) How are they doing it?
Whatever their secret, be it good coaching, team chemistry, speed, luck, or sorcery, the Wild sure are looking good right now. However, I predict that this trend simply cannot continue for the entire season. Look for teams like San Jose and Calgary to turn things around come mid November, while the Wild's lack of depth eventually catches up to them...
Flames vs. Oil, round 2
Two desperate teams are looking to break their losing ways in the battle of Alberta tonight. Edmonton, after starting out strong, has suffered 4 losses in a row; the most recent a 4-3 OTL to the Coyotes. Calgary, on the other hand, has only won twice in it's first 7 starts, with one of those victories coming against Edmonton last Saturday (3-0). Both teams will want to use the emotion produced by the long-standing rivalry as motivation to put their best foot forward. For their part, the Flames have failed to put together their "A" game thus far this season - recently they have managed to improve their penalty killing and defensive zone coverage, but have still struggled mightily to produce offensively, particularly on the powerplay. Conversely, Edmonton is suffering through injury woes - the Oilers have been without both Ryan Smyth and Shawn Horcoff, who represent the two top forwards on a team already somewhat thin on offensive talent in the first place. The injury bug has also recently bitten the Flames, who lost their second line center Matthew Lombardi to a sprained ankle last game against Phoenix.
As a result, the forward units for both teams will be slightly less than the "ideal". Calgary's new rumored lines for tonight look like this:
Amonte-Reinprecht-Iginla
Simon-Langkow-Kobasew
Nilson-Yelle-McCarty
Weimer-Ritchie-Donovan
Speed has been spread out across the 4 forward units (with the notable exception of Simon on the 2nd line). Reinprecht has shown brief flashes of his puck-handling and play-making abilities this year while playing with Lombardi and Kobasew. Hopefully his insertion onto the #1 line can help jumpstart Iginla, who only has 4 points in 7 games so far. If you're watching the game, keep an eye on the 3rd unit, centered by Stephane Yelle. They have impressed me so far with decent forechecking and offensive zone pressure. In addition, Yelle leads the team with a +5 rating, despite being on a a line that doesn't score very often. I also expect Kiprusoff to start again in net, although Sauve should be getting his first start of the season very soon.
What Calgary has to do to win -
#1) I'll put this in capital letters - SCORE ON THE POWERPLAY (subtitle: "why we lost against Phoenix"). More than once would be nice too. The Flames scored a PP marker against Edmonton last time...and they won. How? A rebound, because a shot from the point actually hit the net. Calgary needs to 1.) gets shots through traffic 2.) hit the net and make the goalie make a save 3.) get bodies in front for delfections and rebounds. In addition, I've noticed Calgary has frequently had trouble penetrating the zone and establishing position during the PP in the past...typically resulting in nearly half of the man-advantage beeing whittled away, which leaves prescious little time to work with. Here's hoping that the PP unit(s) start clicking tonight.
#2) Continue to build on defensive improvement. After getting lit-up by Minnesota, Detroit and Colorado, Calgary has allowed an average of 1.66 goals against over the last 3 games, one of which was an empty-net goal. This has been due to better defensive zone presence as well as the re-emergence of Kiprusoff as an elite goaltender. Siginificantly, Edmonton will be without Smyth and Horcoff again tonight, hopefully making the Flame's defenders jobs a little easier. Overall, though, as long as the trend over the last few games continues, the Flames will be fine in this area.
#3) Exploit Edmonton's defense. While the Oilers have one of the best d-men in the game (Pronger) as well dependable Stalwarts in Staios and Smith, they also have some definite liabilities in Cory Cross, Ulanov and Bergeron. Ulanov and Cross are big bodies that are prone to error. Cross has seemed particularly bad this year so far (see: Iginla's goal against the Oil last game). Bergeron, while fast, agile and an offensive threat, sometimes makes questionable defensive zone decisions. While Mactavish will look to match up Iginla with Peca and Pronger, Calgary should have enough speed in their other lines (Langkow, Kobasew, Donovan, Ritchie) to generate quality chances.
This is a big game for both teams. Edmonton will not want to drop 5 games in a row. Calgary must begin to assert itself as a contender in the West before they start plummeting periously out of the picture. Whoever wins, I personally expect this to be an exciting and hard fought contest...
As a result, the forward units for both teams will be slightly less than the "ideal". Calgary's new rumored lines for tonight look like this:
Amonte-Reinprecht-Iginla
Simon-Langkow-Kobasew
Nilson-Yelle-McCarty
Weimer-Ritchie-Donovan
Speed has been spread out across the 4 forward units (with the notable exception of Simon on the 2nd line). Reinprecht has shown brief flashes of his puck-handling and play-making abilities this year while playing with Lombardi and Kobasew. Hopefully his insertion onto the #1 line can help jumpstart Iginla, who only has 4 points in 7 games so far. If you're watching the game, keep an eye on the 3rd unit, centered by Stephane Yelle. They have impressed me so far with decent forechecking and offensive zone pressure. In addition, Yelle leads the team with a +5 rating, despite being on a a line that doesn't score very often. I also expect Kiprusoff to start again in net, although Sauve should be getting his first start of the season very soon.
What Calgary has to do to win -
#1) I'll put this in capital letters - SCORE ON THE POWERPLAY (subtitle: "why we lost against Phoenix"). More than once would be nice too. The Flames scored a PP marker against Edmonton last time...and they won. How? A rebound, because a shot from the point actually hit the net. Calgary needs to 1.) gets shots through traffic 2.) hit the net and make the goalie make a save 3.) get bodies in front for delfections and rebounds. In addition, I've noticed Calgary has frequently had trouble penetrating the zone and establishing position during the PP in the past...typically resulting in nearly half of the man-advantage beeing whittled away, which leaves prescious little time to work with. Here's hoping that the PP unit(s) start clicking tonight.
#2) Continue to build on defensive improvement. After getting lit-up by Minnesota, Detroit and Colorado, Calgary has allowed an average of 1.66 goals against over the last 3 games, one of which was an empty-net goal. This has been due to better defensive zone presence as well as the re-emergence of Kiprusoff as an elite goaltender. Siginificantly, Edmonton will be without Smyth and Horcoff again tonight, hopefully making the Flame's defenders jobs a little easier. Overall, though, as long as the trend over the last few games continues, the Flames will be fine in this area.
#3) Exploit Edmonton's defense. While the Oilers have one of the best d-men in the game (Pronger) as well dependable Stalwarts in Staios and Smith, they also have some definite liabilities in Cory Cross, Ulanov and Bergeron. Ulanov and Cross are big bodies that are prone to error. Cross has seemed particularly bad this year so far (see: Iginla's goal against the Oil last game). Bergeron, while fast, agile and an offensive threat, sometimes makes questionable defensive zone decisions. While Mactavish will look to match up Iginla with Peca and Pronger, Calgary should have enough speed in their other lines (Langkow, Kobasew, Donovan, Ritchie) to generate quality chances.
This is a big game for both teams. Edmonton will not want to drop 5 games in a row. Calgary must begin to assert itself as a contender in the West before they start plummeting periously out of the picture. Whoever wins, I personally expect this to be an exciting and hard fought contest...
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
I rule
I love to toot my horn and self-promote. Therefore when I saw a recent article on Foxsports.com that came to the same conclusions regarding a potential deal between Buffalo and Atlanta (see: Tales of Interest! below), I had to let everyone know how prophetic and wise I am (or at least, able to reach the same conclusions as sports reporters)...
Here it is:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/5000914
enjoy.
Here it is:
http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/5000914
enjoy.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
TSN Ice Chips
For anyone in hockey pools or if you're just a curious, need-to-be-up-to-date fan, TSN has a section of their website dubbed "Ice Chips" which is apparently devoted to League-wide injury issues. Take a look - http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10460&hubname=
It mentions Lombardi suffered a high ankle sprain in the game against the Coyotes last night. Some estimates I heard on the radio recently had him out of the line-up for 6-8 weeks! That really sucks for both Matt and the Flames. Going forward, I would expect Byron Ritchie to be a regular in the line-up in Lombardi's absence...not sure if he'll move onto the line with Rhino and Kobasew or if Sutter will mix it up a bit...
It mentions Lombardi suffered a high ankle sprain in the game against the Coyotes last night. Some estimates I heard on the radio recently had him out of the line-up for 6-8 weeks! That really sucks for both Matt and the Flames. Going forward, I would expect Byron Ritchie to be a regular in the line-up in Lombardi's absence...not sure if he'll move onto the line with Rhino and Kobasew or if Sutter will mix it up a bit...
Boo-urns
Well the Flames earned a big old golden raspberry for their decidedly lacklustre performance last night against the Coyotes. Being shut-out by what will probably prove to be one of the basement dwellers in the Western Conference is hardly the best way to make your mark in the highly competitive North Western Division. With 32 intra-divisional contests this season in what is arguably one of the most difficult divisions in the league, the Flames simply cannot afford to drop games like this - especially in such an unspirited fashion. Further damage may be done if both Edmonton and Vancouver take advantage of the Coyotes during their West Coast road trip - which would drop Calgary further down the Western standings.
Reason(s) for the loss? - Calgary's impotence on the Powerplay (0-7), which is nothing new this season and is becoming a significant cause for concern. After last night's power outtage against Phoenix, Calgary is now an abysmal 3 for 45 on the PP thus far - a 6.6% success rate, good for dead last in the league. Consider this; Calgary has surrendered more PP goals against in a single game than they have been able to score in 7 games combined so far! There is no excuse for this level of incompetence either - the Flames have a perenial all-star in Amonte, a consistent 20 goal scorer in Langkow, the top goal getter in the league the last 3 seasons in Iginla, several booming slapshots from the point in Hamrlik and Phaneuf and a slick PP quarterback (potentially) in Leopold. Add in big capable bodies like Simon and McCarty as well as the playmaking of Reinprecht and the Flames should have scored at least 3 goals BY ACCIDENT ALONE on the PP so far.
But that hasn't happened. Despite the "new look" NHL, where rebounds and centering passes can be converted with ease (relative to the "old" NHL) Calgary simply can't seem to sieze the opportunity and convert with the man advantage. In the games I've watched and listened to, Calgary has usually suffered from losing battles deep in the offensive zone as well as frequently missing or having shots blocked from the point. For instance, during one of their 5 powerplays in the opening frame last night, the PP action as dictated by Peter Mahr was as follows: "Shot from the point! That's just wide. Calgary regains the puck and feeds it to the point. Another shot! That's deflected wide of the net...(15 seconds of passing around the perimeter)...Shot from the blueline! Wide!" ETC...this ineptitude, whatever it's source, cannot continue. Calgary has the means and the coaching to have a realtively decent PP unit - and a desperate need for it to be a factor on a nightly basis.
Beyond team issues, this game sounded like another so-so performance for the Flames captain, Jarome Iginla. Despite having over 24 minutes of ice, including an eye-popping 7+ minutes on the powerplay, Iginla finished the night with only 3 shots on goal and a -1. In addition, all of his shots came in the first period, meaning he was almost a non-factor when Calgary was trailing later in the game. While I've mentioned this before, Iginla is Calgary's $7 million man, and should almost always be a difference maker...especially in 1-0 matches against teams like Phoenix that Calgary should be winning.
Some positives -
- Kiprusoff with another good performance. Apparently Ricci's deciding goal was a product of a fluke bounce off of the end glass + being in the right place at the right time. After his first few disasterous losses, it looks like Kipper may be back on track. Also, he stopped a 3rd period penalty shot by Saprykin to keep Calgary in the game.
- Penalty Killing was decent again, turning away all of the Coyotes 4 opportunities. While the game-sheet may have read 1-5 for Phoenix, the PP goal was actually the empty-net goal by Devereaux - which only technically counts as a PP marker, but isn't any kind of indication of PK prowess.
Injuries - Lombardi fell into the boards and suffered a sprained ankle. I am personally dismayed by the loss of Lombardi - I think he's been one of the fastest and most offensively dynamic players for the Flames so far this year. No word yet on how long he'll be out.
That's it for now. I hope Calgary can pull it together for their contest against Edmoton on Thursday. It will be especially important if the Oilers manage to defeat Phoenix tonight...
Reason(s) for the loss? - Calgary's impotence on the Powerplay (0-7), which is nothing new this season and is becoming a significant cause for concern. After last night's power outtage against Phoenix, Calgary is now an abysmal 3 for 45 on the PP thus far - a 6.6% success rate, good for dead last in the league. Consider this; Calgary has surrendered more PP goals against in a single game than they have been able to score in 7 games combined so far! There is no excuse for this level of incompetence either - the Flames have a perenial all-star in Amonte, a consistent 20 goal scorer in Langkow, the top goal getter in the league the last 3 seasons in Iginla, several booming slapshots from the point in Hamrlik and Phaneuf and a slick PP quarterback (potentially) in Leopold. Add in big capable bodies like Simon and McCarty as well as the playmaking of Reinprecht and the Flames should have scored at least 3 goals BY ACCIDENT ALONE on the PP so far.
But that hasn't happened. Despite the "new look" NHL, where rebounds and centering passes can be converted with ease (relative to the "old" NHL) Calgary simply can't seem to sieze the opportunity and convert with the man advantage. In the games I've watched and listened to, Calgary has usually suffered from losing battles deep in the offensive zone as well as frequently missing or having shots blocked from the point. For instance, during one of their 5 powerplays in the opening frame last night, the PP action as dictated by Peter Mahr was as follows: "Shot from the point! That's just wide. Calgary regains the puck and feeds it to the point. Another shot! That's deflected wide of the net...(15 seconds of passing around the perimeter)...Shot from the blueline! Wide!" ETC...this ineptitude, whatever it's source, cannot continue. Calgary has the means and the coaching to have a realtively decent PP unit - and a desperate need for it to be a factor on a nightly basis.
Beyond team issues, this game sounded like another so-so performance for the Flames captain, Jarome Iginla. Despite having over 24 minutes of ice, including an eye-popping 7+ minutes on the powerplay, Iginla finished the night with only 3 shots on goal and a -1. In addition, all of his shots came in the first period, meaning he was almost a non-factor when Calgary was trailing later in the game. While I've mentioned this before, Iginla is Calgary's $7 million man, and should almost always be a difference maker...especially in 1-0 matches against teams like Phoenix that Calgary should be winning.
Some positives -
- Kiprusoff with another good performance. Apparently Ricci's deciding goal was a product of a fluke bounce off of the end glass + being in the right place at the right time. After his first few disasterous losses, it looks like Kipper may be back on track. Also, he stopped a 3rd period penalty shot by Saprykin to keep Calgary in the game.
- Penalty Killing was decent again, turning away all of the Coyotes 4 opportunities. While the game-sheet may have read 1-5 for Phoenix, the PP goal was actually the empty-net goal by Devereaux - which only technically counts as a PP marker, but isn't any kind of indication of PK prowess.
Injuries - Lombardi fell into the boards and suffered a sprained ankle. I am personally dismayed by the loss of Lombardi - I think he's been one of the fastest and most offensively dynamic players for the Flames so far this year. No word yet on how long he'll be out.
That's it for now. I hope Calgary can pull it together for their contest against Edmoton on Thursday. It will be especially important if the Oilers manage to defeat Phoenix tonight...
Monday, October 17, 2005
Tales of Interest!
Now to cover some of the foibles and league-wide news occuring outside of the Flames:
- Atlanta Thrashers sign Kovalchuk to a big hefty contract and immediately go in the toilet. Over the weekend, they were outscored 14-2 thanks to losses to the Maple Leafs (9-1) and the Rangers (5-1). While it's possible that these horrible performances occuring in concert with Kovalchuk's return is a coincidence...it's a very large coincidence. While Atlanta is currently playing a third string goaltender (Michael Garnett) due to injury woes, it is still significant that their offensive output has plummeted so mightily since they signed their "franchise" sniper. Is this the same team that hammered Washinton 8-2? Methinks Kovalchuk's hold-out antics may have disturbed locker-room chemistry a tad...
- Speaking of goaltender issues, the Buffalo Sabres are currently having the exact opposite problem that the Thrashers are facing - they have too many good goalies! Ryan Miller, Mika Noronen and Martin Biron are all highly touted talents. Consider, they range in age from 28 (Biron) to 25 (Miller). So none are too old or too young. Further, both Biron and Miller have won the Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy, which is the AHL's version of the Vezina. In addition, both Biron and Noronen won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Trophy (fewest goals against) at the AHL level. Also, all three have been honored futher in their amateur careers: Biron was the CHL's goaltender of the year in '95, Noronen was the AHL's rookie of the year in 99-00 and Miller won the Hobey Baker award as top collegiate player in 01. Wow! The real question NOW is...why does Buffalo have all these potential #1 goalies? If I was Atlanta, I'd be courting Buffalo with candy, flowers, best-friendship, draft-picks - whatever - in order to get which ever one of those talented young goalies is currently going to waste. If you want more info you can go to
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/roster/?hubname=nhl-sabres
- Martin Havlat of the Ottawa Senators was recently suspended for 5 games for kicking Hal Gill of the Boston Bruins. Apparently the penalty is stiff because Havlat is a repeat offender (he kicked Eric Cairns in 03-04!).
Anyways, while Havlat is a speedy and skilled player, Ottawa has more than enough depth to compensate for the loss without suffering too greatly.
Official story here:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=140081&hubname
- Speaking of Atlanta AND suspensions, the league is apparently reviewing all of the fights and muggings that occured in the recent Atlanta-Toronto game. Of particular interest is the incident where Andy Sutton bashed Darcy Tucker's head into the glass, causing a considerable amount of blood to flow. The ugly incident and ensuing fights produced some verbal sparring between the players and coaches after the game, and should set the stage for an explosive rematch later in the year...
want to know more? Follow...
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?slug=TP-RECAP-NHL-5732&hubname
Anyways...that's it for now...Perhaps the Calgary/Phoenix contest tonight will render some interesting bits worthy of discussion for tomorrow.
- Atlanta Thrashers sign Kovalchuk to a big hefty contract and immediately go in the toilet. Over the weekend, they were outscored 14-2 thanks to losses to the Maple Leafs (9-1) and the Rangers (5-1). While it's possible that these horrible performances occuring in concert with Kovalchuk's return is a coincidence...it's a very large coincidence. While Atlanta is currently playing a third string goaltender (Michael Garnett) due to injury woes, it is still significant that their offensive output has plummeted so mightily since they signed their "franchise" sniper. Is this the same team that hammered Washinton 8-2? Methinks Kovalchuk's hold-out antics may have disturbed locker-room chemistry a tad...
- Speaking of goaltender issues, the Buffalo Sabres are currently having the exact opposite problem that the Thrashers are facing - they have too many good goalies! Ryan Miller, Mika Noronen and Martin Biron are all highly touted talents. Consider, they range in age from 28 (Biron) to 25 (Miller). So none are too old or too young. Further, both Biron and Miller have won the Baz Bastien Memorial Trophy, which is the AHL's version of the Vezina. In addition, both Biron and Noronen won the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Trophy (fewest goals against) at the AHL level. Also, all three have been honored futher in their amateur careers: Biron was the CHL's goaltender of the year in '95, Noronen was the AHL's rookie of the year in 99-00 and Miller won the Hobey Baker award as top collegiate player in 01. Wow! The real question NOW is...why does Buffalo have all these potential #1 goalies? If I was Atlanta, I'd be courting Buffalo with candy, flowers, best-friendship, draft-picks - whatever - in order to get which ever one of those talented young goalies is currently going to waste. If you want more info you can go to
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/roster/?hubname=nhl-sabres
- Martin Havlat of the Ottawa Senators was recently suspended for 5 games for kicking Hal Gill of the Boston Bruins. Apparently the penalty is stiff because Havlat is a repeat offender (he kicked Eric Cairns in 03-04!).
Anyways, while Havlat is a speedy and skilled player, Ottawa has more than enough depth to compensate for the loss without suffering too greatly.
Official story here:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=140081&hubname
- Speaking of Atlanta AND suspensions, the league is apparently reviewing all of the fights and muggings that occured in the recent Atlanta-Toronto game. Of particular interest is the incident where Andy Sutton bashed Darcy Tucker's head into the glass, causing a considerable amount of blood to flow. The ugly incident and ensuing fights produced some verbal sparring between the players and coaches after the game, and should set the stage for an explosive rematch later in the year...
want to know more? Follow...
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?slug=TP-RECAP-NHL-5732&hubname
Anyways...that's it for now...Perhaps the Calgary/Phoenix contest tonight will render some interesting bits worthy of discussion for tomorrow.
Finally!
While the Flames 3-0 victory over Edmonton on Saturday fell short of Andrew's lofty predictions (see below), it was a well-earned and much needed win nonetheless. As per my previous post, Calgary did everything they needed to do to win: scored on the PP, killed off their penalties, and got big performances from their marquee stars - namely Iginla and Kiprusoff. Kipper, in particular, was especially sharp, turning away 33 shots for the shut-out. The save of the night came off of the stick of Oilers sniper Alex Hemsky on the powerplay. The puck was shot from the point and riccocheted onto the stick of Hemsky, who shot at a wide open net. Kiprusoff somehow managed to jump backwards and deflect the puck wide with his stick. Now THAT is the sort of game salvaging heroics Flames fans came to know and love last season.
With the positives in mind, it should be noted that Calgary only barely defeated an Edmonton squad that was devoid of 2 of their top forwards in Smyth and Horcoff. While this was another good step in the right direction, Calgary still has some strides to make in order to become the league leading club that all the experts and pundits predicted they would be in the offseason.
Oh...and Phaneuf was impressive again! An assist and ton of shots on the PP. He currently leads the team in SOG with 20! Can't wait to see Phaneuf in mid-season form...
With the positives in mind, it should be noted that Calgary only barely defeated an Edmonton squad that was devoid of 2 of their top forwards in Smyth and Horcoff. While this was another good step in the right direction, Calgary still has some strides to make in order to become the league leading club that all the experts and pundits predicted they would be in the offseason.
Oh...and Phaneuf was impressive again! An assist and ton of shots on the PP. He currently leads the team in SOG with 20! Can't wait to see Phaneuf in mid-season form...
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Flames to blow... out their northern friends
Anyone who believes that the oilers will win tonight can talk to the hand. Our beloved flames have been just teasing us with a very weak showing of their AWESOME capabilities so far this season and this will be their breakout night. Look for a tired and shell shocked Oilers team to give up a season high 8 goals in a 8-2 demolishing by the flames. I am going out on a limb for the flames with this prediction and I know that they won't let me or the other flames faithful down.
Friday, October 14, 2005
Two steps forward, one step back
The Flames loss to Dallas Thursday night was bitter sweet, after a fashion. Bitter because, well, they lost. Sweet in that the loss wasn't a blow-out like the previous three, which is perhaps an indication of improvement. Plus, they DID manage to salvage a point from the affair. Anyhow, here's a break-down of some of the positives and negatives I personally observed during the contest:
Positives:
- First, the play of Reinprecht, Kobasew and Lombardi, particularly the latter. Lombardi was the biggest offensive threat for the Flames on this night, and set-up each of his line-mates for the team's only 2 goals. He showed fantastic speed and poise in the Star's end. Hopefully the line persists and continues their stellar play.
- Dion Phaneuf. Yes more gushing about the 20 year old rookie. Played a bunch of minutes, fought (and cut) 220 pound Bill Guerin, and was steady all night long. Also, had a hard hit on Modano near the start of the game.
- 25 shots allowed. A vast improvement over the last few contests. Obviously indicates improvement in defensive zone coverage.
- 5 on 5 play. Calgary again outscores the competition (2-0) while at even strength.
- 3 Goals allowed (including overtime). This was a winnable contest - the Flames needed only to bury more of their chances. This could not have been said about the previous losses this season.
- Timely Penaly Kill. Despite giving up another 2 PP goals, Calgary DID manage to kill off a 4 minute Reinprecht double-minor in the third period, which allowed them to tie it up later. Yay!
Negatives:
- Penalty-Killing. Another 2 goals against for the worst PK in the league. Calgary's penalty kill right now is failing to do all of the things necessary to succeed - no significant pressure on the points, little pressure on the side-boards, and too many cross-ice feeds are infiltrating the coverage. Last night, for example, Mike Modano passes the puck cross-ice through the slot to Daly, who then feeds it back in front to Lehtinen for an easy tap in. Not one Dallas Star is hit and not once in this sequence is the puck touched by the Flames penalty killers. That simply can't continue to happen.
- Powerplay. Several opportunities, with nothing to show for (0-4). Again. Calgary is setting up well enough in the offensive zone, but can't seem to generate any genuine scoring chances. Passes are usually relegated to the perimeter. In addition, forward puck possession down low is often tenuous and usually ineffectual. Frequently appears stagnant without a lot of movement.
- Jarome Iginla. While he didn't play horribly in this game, Iginla is the $7 million dollar face of the franchise, and needs to bury at least some of his multiple chances. It is especially siginificant in this kind of game - a 3-2 loss - that neither Iginla nor any of his line-mates garnered a point. In addition, during the 3rd period, while Calgary was trying to rally to tie, Iginla was held shotless. To be certain, Iginla did have some scoring opportunities during the contest, but as per his penchant for starting slowly every year, was unable to convert. In addition, had 3 give-aways over the course of the evening, which was 2nd highest on the team.
- Mikka Kiprusoff. Made some big saves near the end of the 3rd period and in overtime. However, still had a save percentage of below .900, which is unacceptable for a NHL caliber #1 goalie. Also, the second goal of the night was a highly stoppable shot by Skoula from the top of the circle. Of course, Skoula should not have been allowed to simply walk in and shoot unimpeded...but that's another issue.
All told, this game was still a tentative step in the right direction. That Calgary was able to fight back and tie the game after trailing 2 - 0 is encouraging. Now that the team is playing a closer approximation of NHL hockey, Calgary simply needs to improve their special teams to something better than last, and have their "money men" (Iginla, Kipper) step-up and be the world beaters we all know they can be. Here's hoping the upswing continues and translates to a much needed victory in Edmonton on Saturday night...
Positives:
- First, the play of Reinprecht, Kobasew and Lombardi, particularly the latter. Lombardi was the biggest offensive threat for the Flames on this night, and set-up each of his line-mates for the team's only 2 goals. He showed fantastic speed and poise in the Star's end. Hopefully the line persists and continues their stellar play.
- Dion Phaneuf. Yes more gushing about the 20 year old rookie. Played a bunch of minutes, fought (and cut) 220 pound Bill Guerin, and was steady all night long. Also, had a hard hit on Modano near the start of the game.
- 25 shots allowed. A vast improvement over the last few contests. Obviously indicates improvement in defensive zone coverage.
- 5 on 5 play. Calgary again outscores the competition (2-0) while at even strength.
- 3 Goals allowed (including overtime). This was a winnable contest - the Flames needed only to bury more of their chances. This could not have been said about the previous losses this season.
- Timely Penaly Kill. Despite giving up another 2 PP goals, Calgary DID manage to kill off a 4 minute Reinprecht double-minor in the third period, which allowed them to tie it up later. Yay!
Negatives:
- Penalty-Killing. Another 2 goals against for the worst PK in the league. Calgary's penalty kill right now is failing to do all of the things necessary to succeed - no significant pressure on the points, little pressure on the side-boards, and too many cross-ice feeds are infiltrating the coverage. Last night, for example, Mike Modano passes the puck cross-ice through the slot to Daly, who then feeds it back in front to Lehtinen for an easy tap in. Not one Dallas Star is hit and not once in this sequence is the puck touched by the Flames penalty killers. That simply can't continue to happen.
- Powerplay. Several opportunities, with nothing to show for (0-4). Again. Calgary is setting up well enough in the offensive zone, but can't seem to generate any genuine scoring chances. Passes are usually relegated to the perimeter. In addition, forward puck possession down low is often tenuous and usually ineffectual. Frequently appears stagnant without a lot of movement.
- Jarome Iginla. While he didn't play horribly in this game, Iginla is the $7 million dollar face of the franchise, and needs to bury at least some of his multiple chances. It is especially siginificant in this kind of game - a 3-2 loss - that neither Iginla nor any of his line-mates garnered a point. In addition, during the 3rd period, while Calgary was trying to rally to tie, Iginla was held shotless. To be certain, Iginla did have some scoring opportunities during the contest, but as per his penchant for starting slowly every year, was unable to convert. In addition, had 3 give-aways over the course of the evening, which was 2nd highest on the team.
- Mikka Kiprusoff. Made some big saves near the end of the 3rd period and in overtime. However, still had a save percentage of below .900, which is unacceptable for a NHL caliber #1 goalie. Also, the second goal of the night was a highly stoppable shot by Skoula from the top of the circle. Of course, Skoula should not have been allowed to simply walk in and shoot unimpeded...but that's another issue.
All told, this game was still a tentative step in the right direction. That Calgary was able to fight back and tie the game after trailing 2 - 0 is encouraging. Now that the team is playing a closer approximation of NHL hockey, Calgary simply needs to improve their special teams to something better than last, and have their "money men" (Iginla, Kipper) step-up and be the world beaters we all know they can be. Here's hoping the upswing continues and translates to a much needed victory in Edmonton on Saturday night...
Thursday, October 13, 2005
"Prediction- PAIN"
My prediction for tonights game is a tight checking, come from behind shoot-out victory by our beloved Flames. If I am right, then I rule. If not, then I will try to rule at picking the next game. I say 3-2 final score for Flames after shoot out which the Flames win 1-0 with a goal by Kobasew. Anyone who thinks they know better then I please tell me your call in the comments!
Take Heart!
I was perusing the NHL standings recently at www.nhl.com , and was somewhat heartened to notice that it's not just the Flames who are underperforming early in this new season. Take a look http://www.nhl.com/standings/index.html, and you'll notice that Calgary shares the "1 win" distinction with the likes of Philadelphia and Chicago, the former being frequently chosen by pundits to be a stanely cup conteder. In addition, other "critics picks" during the offseason, including Boston and San Jose, have only 2 wins so far, with relatively high goals against totals. And while Vancouver has 2 wins and 5 points, anyone who witnessed their losses to Edmonton and Minnesota recently surely must admit that they are hardly in peak form as well.
While this isn't about excuse making or relative comparison valuation, it is encouraging to see other "high-caliber" teams struggling in the early going - mainly since it helps assuage the fear of the trend continuing. Does anyone think that Philly is going to struggle all year? Is Vancouver going to be as bland and average as they were against the Wild on Wednesday? Probably not. In the same vain, with the players assembled and Sutter at the helm, one can reasonably assume that the Flames will be able to turn it around and start playing quality hockey soon enough...
While this isn't about excuse making or relative comparison valuation, it is encouraging to see other "high-caliber" teams struggling in the early going - mainly since it helps assuage the fear of the trend continuing. Does anyone think that Philly is going to struggle all year? Is Vancouver going to be as bland and average as they were against the Wild on Wednesday? Probably not. In the same vain, with the players assembled and Sutter at the helm, one can reasonably assume that the Flames will be able to turn it around and start playing quality hockey soon enough...
Edit
To those reading/have read the post below - I forgot about Nystrom. So, either we have 7 d and 3 scratches, or 6 d and a full line comprised of Nystrom, Yelle and MacCarty. Not too sure which way it'll go at this point...but I do expect Marchment to dress, either way.
Home Opener - Shake-ups ensue
With the Flames home-opener against Dallas tonight, and considering their sub-par performance thus far, Sutter looks to make some changes that may shake up and awaken what seems to be a slumbering squad. The first of which came mid-week when it was announced that Bryan Marchment had been signed. The talk is that the Flames will dress 7 d-men tonight, since Marchment may need some time to get into "game shape". I expect that he will see action if Ference and Montador show signs of the ill-play that has so far plagued them both. Further changes include a not-too-surprising line rearrangement:
Amonte - Nilson - Iginla
Reinprecht - Lombardi - Kobasew
Simon - Lankgow - Donovan
McCarty - Yelle
Hamrlik - Phaneuf
Leopold - Warrener
Montador - Ference
Marchment
Scratches - Ritchie, Weimer
According to Peter Mahr and the Calgary Herald, Nilson will be centering the top line with Iginla and Amonte, while Langkow will drop down to center Donovan and Simon. Other combinations include Lombardi with Kobasew and Reinprecht, with Yelle and Maccarty the remaining spare parts. Weimer and Ritchie are expected to be healthy scratches. I would anticipate some different combinations to occur during the game itself, considering the lack of a solid 4th line (due to the 7 defensemen thing).
In terms of the first-line shake-up, I personally think Yelle would be a better candidate to "move up" - if defensive zone responsibility is what Sutter is trying to accomplish - especially considering his penchant for winning face-offs and his relatively strong play so far. However, Sutter may be loathe to break-up Yelle and McCarty since they've seemed to developed some chemistry. Chances are a winger or two will be double-shifted tonight along side the Yelle-McCarty duo, depending on who's capable and playing well (yes...probably Iginla or Amonte). Further, I suspect this is more a motivational tool Sutter's using to get Langkow to pick-up his play - I therefore fully expect Daymond to be back on thr first line sooner rather than later.
Anyways, that's it for now. Here's hoping the roster moves and/or playing in front of a home crowd can lift Calgary to a much needed victory tonight!
Amonte - Nilson - Iginla
Reinprecht - Lombardi - Kobasew
Simon - Lankgow - Donovan
McCarty - Yelle
Hamrlik - Phaneuf
Leopold - Warrener
Montador - Ference
Marchment
Scratches - Ritchie, Weimer
According to Peter Mahr and the Calgary Herald, Nilson will be centering the top line with Iginla and Amonte, while Langkow will drop down to center Donovan and Simon. Other combinations include Lombardi with Kobasew and Reinprecht, with Yelle and Maccarty the remaining spare parts. Weimer and Ritchie are expected to be healthy scratches. I would anticipate some different combinations to occur during the game itself, considering the lack of a solid 4th line (due to the 7 defensemen thing).
In terms of the first-line shake-up, I personally think Yelle would be a better candidate to "move up" - if defensive zone responsibility is what Sutter is trying to accomplish - especially considering his penchant for winning face-offs and his relatively strong play so far. However, Sutter may be loathe to break-up Yelle and McCarty since they've seemed to developed some chemistry. Chances are a winger or two will be double-shifted tonight along side the Yelle-McCarty duo, depending on who's capable and playing well (yes...probably Iginla or Amonte). Further, I suspect this is more a motivational tool Sutter's using to get Langkow to pick-up his play - I therefore fully expect Daymond to be back on thr first line sooner rather than later.
Anyways, that's it for now. Here's hoping the roster moves and/or playing in front of a home crowd can lift Calgary to a much needed victory tonight!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Flames Sign Marchment
A recent article at www.sportsnet.ca claims the Flames have signed much maligned cheap-shot artist Bryan Marchment. If it's true, this may be a move by Sutter to light a fire under his currently underperforming blueliners (hello Ference!). And while Marchment did have a decent pre-season in Toronto (reports were he was blocking shots and was (+) in most of the games), I personally fail to see how Marchment will actually help on the ice. If Leopold, Hamrlik, Warrener, Phaneuf and co. can't get it done, I don't think Marchment is the solution. Memo to Regher: Hurry Back!
What the-?
While panic and heart palpitations are probably a little premature and over-reactive, Flames fans have the right to feel at least a little baffled and disappointed by the team's disasterous road-trip. It's not just the losing - a record of 1 - 3 wouldn't be as galling if the losses hadn't been unmitigated slaughters. Out-scored 20 - 12 in 4 games. Special teams, save percentage and goals against average near the bottom of the league.
Flames followers watching or listening to any of these recent games (perhaps with the exception of the victory against the Blue-Jackets) probably can't recall the last time the Flames were so badly outmatched...with good reason. In all 108 games they played in the previous season, the Flames gave up 6 goals only twice, and NEVER gave up 7 or more. New team? New NHL? Tell that to our adversaries or to the Florida Panthers. Those factors aren't harming them in same way or to the same extent they SEEM to be harming the Flames. A Powerplay at 5% and a penalty kill at 50%. Fifty percent! Peter Mahr remarked recently that he can't remember the Flames PK EVER being that bad. That's significant coming from a man who's been the "voice of the Flames" for 25 years. Especially considering the team's decade of futility prior to last season's play-off run.
This apparent incompetence is even more glaring in light of the critical acclaim heaped upon the team in the off-season, particuarly coupled with the fact that Calgary is, on paper, one of the best assembled in a very long time. I venture to say the lone bright-spot thus far has been Dion Phaneuf: he's already scored a goal and lead the team in hits a number of times. At 20 and playing his first NHL season, he looks steadier and more assured than most of the team's veterans. And he's already starting to hand out bone-crushing hits...just ask the Avalanche's Anti Laaksonen.
On the other hand we have the horrible defensive play of the entire team, but in particular, players like Andrew Ference, Steve Montador and Mikka Kiprusoff. Ference in particular is constantly making errors. Kiprusoff, while being pelted with shots and being left on his own, has failed to make the the momentum shifting saves and game stealing performances that fans have come to expect. He has been, at best, average - making a good save at one point and then letting in a mediocre goal soon after. Of course, most sane fans and pundits alike know a goalie isn't going to win, know matter how good he is, when his team is outshot 22 - 4 in the first period. Ugh.
But, here's hoping the Flames find...whatever it is that's missing with the coming homestand. I personally hope to see the relentless forecheck and stingy defense that was the Flames bread-and-butter this Thursday against Dallas. While Im only annoyed (and not worried) about the team's current woes, a poor showing the next week or so at the Saddledome could raise some serious questions and put the Flames in a terrible hole as the season goes forward.
Flames followers watching or listening to any of these recent games (perhaps with the exception of the victory against the Blue-Jackets) probably can't recall the last time the Flames were so badly outmatched...with good reason. In all 108 games they played in the previous season, the Flames gave up 6 goals only twice, and NEVER gave up 7 or more. New team? New NHL? Tell that to our adversaries or to the Florida Panthers. Those factors aren't harming them in same way or to the same extent they SEEM to be harming the Flames. A Powerplay at 5% and a penalty kill at 50%. Fifty percent! Peter Mahr remarked recently that he can't remember the Flames PK EVER being that bad. That's significant coming from a man who's been the "voice of the Flames" for 25 years. Especially considering the team's decade of futility prior to last season's play-off run.
This apparent incompetence is even more glaring in light of the critical acclaim heaped upon the team in the off-season, particuarly coupled with the fact that Calgary is, on paper, one of the best assembled in a very long time. I venture to say the lone bright-spot thus far has been Dion Phaneuf: he's already scored a goal and lead the team in hits a number of times. At 20 and playing his first NHL season, he looks steadier and more assured than most of the team's veterans. And he's already starting to hand out bone-crushing hits...just ask the Avalanche's Anti Laaksonen.
On the other hand we have the horrible defensive play of the entire team, but in particular, players like Andrew Ference, Steve Montador and Mikka Kiprusoff. Ference in particular is constantly making errors. Kiprusoff, while being pelted with shots and being left on his own, has failed to make the the momentum shifting saves and game stealing performances that fans have come to expect. He has been, at best, average - making a good save at one point and then letting in a mediocre goal soon after. Of course, most sane fans and pundits alike know a goalie isn't going to win, know matter how good he is, when his team is outshot 22 - 4 in the first period. Ugh.
But, here's hoping the Flames find...whatever it is that's missing with the coming homestand. I personally hope to see the relentless forecheck and stingy defense that was the Flames bread-and-butter this Thursday against Dallas. While Im only annoyed (and not worried) about the team's current woes, a poor showing the next week or so at the Saddledome could raise some serious questions and put the Flames in a terrible hole as the season goes forward.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
Too Much.
Well it seems like Mr. Kovalchuk will be returning to the Thrasher's line up soon. But will that big wad of money in his pocket hinder his play? And the big question I pose is Ilya Kovalchuck really worth that much? If you are wondering what I am talking about here is the link to the article of his new contract and if you are too lazy to click the link then this is the summary of his contract: Kovalchuck has worked out a 5 year contract worth $32 million, paying him an average of $6.4 million per year. Now the deal he worked out with the brass is that in his first season he will make $6.5 mill, $5 million in 06-07, $5.5 mill in 07-08 and $7.5 mill each for his last two years as a Thrasher. Now when this salary cap came into play for the "new" NHL, I thought owners would never end up over paying players again. I thought this new economic system wouldn't give the players that much leverage against the owners. However after the signing of Datsyuk in Detroit and now this extravagant deal I realize that owners are still not thinking things through and learning from the past. I'll let the Detroit signing of Datsyuk slip as it was only a 1 year contract. But in Kovalchuk's case the deal is a long term contract at a hefty price. Sure his numbers are good and have been improving with the years but the pay he is receiving (in my opinion) is reserved for the players who can, and have taken their team deep into the playoffs and had a try at the cup. But Kovalchuk hasn't even done that yet! Imagine his demand if he takes the team into the first round of playoffs? Have the owners not learn from their mistakes they made in the last decade or so? Do they not remember over paying players who would not produce (Jagr....or the New York Rangers of past)? Do they not remember players who don't play because they want more and don't really deserve it (Comrie, Yashin)? Thank goodness there is a salary cap, because I don't even want to imagine what Kovalchuk might have managed to squeeze out of Thrasher's brass.
Alex.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Game 2 - Redemption?
Calgary is at Columbus tonight, after their rather disasterous season opener in Minnesota. Here is a roster listing and brief analysis of what the Flames may expect from the Blue-Jackets -
Center -
Todd Marchant, Jan Hrdina, David Vyborny, Gilbert Brule
Strengths include the fast-skating defensive specialist Marchant and the agile playmaking of David Vyborny. Vyborny has scored 20+ goals the two previous seasons. In addition, Columbus signed face-off man and PK specialist Jan Hrdina as an unrestricted free agent. Also, keep an eye on 18 year old Gilbert Brule, who was chosen 6th overall in the 05 entry draft and has apparently made the team out of training camp. He was a huge offensive force for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL last year (39 goals, 87 points) despite being one of the younger players in the league. Had an assist in his first NHL game.
Wings -
Rick Nash, Manny Malholtra, Geoff Sanderson, Jody Shelley, Jaroslav Balastik, Trevor Letowski, Tyler Wright, Dan Fritsche, Nikolai Zherdev
Everyone should be aware of Rick Nash by now. Big, strong, relatively fast, he was only 19 when he tied Iginla and Kovalchuk with 41 goals to win the Rocket Richard trophy last season. In addition, Columbus has slick up-and-comers Zherdev and Fritsche - Zherdev is fast and tricky. He scored 34 points in only 57 games last season as a rookie. Dan Fritsche, drafted 46th overall by Columbus in 2003, had 37 points in 30 games in his final season in the OHL. He was on the 04-05 Memorial cup all-star team and has already made an impact by scoring 2 goals in the season opener against Washington.
Columbus also has some veteran presence in Geoff Sanderson and Trevor Letowski. Sanderson can be scary fast and a decent offensive threat...he has scored 30+ goals twice, but has had several 16-10 goal seasons as well. May take advantage of the "new" NHL to get closer to the 30 goal mark once again. Letowski is also quick, but more of a defensive forward. Maholtra and Wright are journeymen/depth type players, while Balastik is an unproven commodity at this time.
Defense -
Adam Foote, Bryan Berard, Andy Delmore, Luke Richardson, Radoslav Suchy, Francois Beauchemin, Duvie Westcott, Rostislav Klesla
Lead by the solid Adam Foote and Luke Richardson. Bryan Berard was added to provide some offensive punch from the blue-line. Same with the newly claimed-from-waivers-powerplay-specialist Andy Delmore. Beauchemin is a 25 year-old defensive defensemen that was let go by the Canadians. Radoslav Suchy, previously with the Coyotes, is mobile and makes few errors. In addition he scored 7 goals and 21 points with Pheonix last season, even while being behind the likes of Morris and Mara on the depth chart. Westcott is a depth player...somewhat smallish for a defensman, he has played almost 100 NHL games, but has generated no goals and only 14 assists. Klesla, a mainstay on the blue-line when he's not injured, is out 4 - 6 weeks with a stress fracture in his leg.
Goal -
Marc Denis, Pascal Leclaire, Martin Prusek
Very decent depth and a strong #1 in Marc Denis. The latter played 66 games for the Columbus last season and managed a 2.56 GAA and .918, even though they finished outside of the play-off picture. Leclaire was chosen 8th overall by the Blue-Jackets in 01, and is expected to be a decent NHL caliber goaltender. For extra insurance, Columbus signed 29 year-old UFA Martin Prusek, who has had excellent seasons in the AHL and has 58 NHL games under his belt.
Overall, Columbus should be improved over their previous season, although it may take time for the team to come together with so many new faces. In addition, much of their forward depth is young and may be error prone. The game against Calgary tonight will NOT feature Rick Nash, who has a high ankle sprain. However, this is a fast skating and hungry young team. They will probably be a hand-full for many of their opponents this year, and may well develop into a powerhouse in the years to come...
Center -
Todd Marchant, Jan Hrdina, David Vyborny, Gilbert Brule
Strengths include the fast-skating defensive specialist Marchant and the agile playmaking of David Vyborny. Vyborny has scored 20+ goals the two previous seasons. In addition, Columbus signed face-off man and PK specialist Jan Hrdina as an unrestricted free agent. Also, keep an eye on 18 year old Gilbert Brule, who was chosen 6th overall in the 05 entry draft and has apparently made the team out of training camp. He was a huge offensive force for the Vancouver Giants of the WHL last year (39 goals, 87 points) despite being one of the younger players in the league. Had an assist in his first NHL game.
Wings -
Rick Nash, Manny Malholtra, Geoff Sanderson, Jody Shelley, Jaroslav Balastik, Trevor Letowski, Tyler Wright, Dan Fritsche, Nikolai Zherdev
Everyone should be aware of Rick Nash by now. Big, strong, relatively fast, he was only 19 when he tied Iginla and Kovalchuk with 41 goals to win the Rocket Richard trophy last season. In addition, Columbus has slick up-and-comers Zherdev and Fritsche - Zherdev is fast and tricky. He scored 34 points in only 57 games last season as a rookie. Dan Fritsche, drafted 46th overall by Columbus in 2003, had 37 points in 30 games in his final season in the OHL. He was on the 04-05 Memorial cup all-star team and has already made an impact by scoring 2 goals in the season opener against Washington.
Columbus also has some veteran presence in Geoff Sanderson and Trevor Letowski. Sanderson can be scary fast and a decent offensive threat...he has scored 30+ goals twice, but has had several 16-10 goal seasons as well. May take advantage of the "new" NHL to get closer to the 30 goal mark once again. Letowski is also quick, but more of a defensive forward. Maholtra and Wright are journeymen/depth type players, while Balastik is an unproven commodity at this time.
Defense -
Adam Foote, Bryan Berard, Andy Delmore, Luke Richardson, Radoslav Suchy, Francois Beauchemin, Duvie Westcott, Rostislav Klesla
Lead by the solid Adam Foote and Luke Richardson. Bryan Berard was added to provide some offensive punch from the blue-line. Same with the newly claimed-from-waivers-powerplay-specialist Andy Delmore. Beauchemin is a 25 year-old defensive defensemen that was let go by the Canadians. Radoslav Suchy, previously with the Coyotes, is mobile and makes few errors. In addition he scored 7 goals and 21 points with Pheonix last season, even while being behind the likes of Morris and Mara on the depth chart. Westcott is a depth player...somewhat smallish for a defensman, he has played almost 100 NHL games, but has generated no goals and only 14 assists. Klesla, a mainstay on the blue-line when he's not injured, is out 4 - 6 weeks with a stress fracture in his leg.
Goal -
Marc Denis, Pascal Leclaire, Martin Prusek
Very decent depth and a strong #1 in Marc Denis. The latter played 66 games for the Columbus last season and managed a 2.56 GAA and .918, even though they finished outside of the play-off picture. Leclaire was chosen 8th overall by the Blue-Jackets in 01, and is expected to be a decent NHL caliber goaltender. For extra insurance, Columbus signed 29 year-old UFA Martin Prusek, who has had excellent seasons in the AHL and has 58 NHL games under his belt.
Overall, Columbus should be improved over their previous season, although it may take time for the team to come together with so many new faces. In addition, much of their forward depth is young and may be error prone. The game against Calgary tonight will NOT feature Rick Nash, who has a high ankle sprain. However, this is a fast skating and hungry young team. They will probably be a hand-full for many of their opponents this year, and may well develop into a powerhouse in the years to come...
Ouch
Anyone who watched the season opener for the Flames was, no doubt, rather disappointed. The anxious and apparently confused team that showed up for the first half of the season opener against the Wild was a stark contrast to the determined and hard skating club that went to game 7 of the stanley up finals in 03-04. A 6-3 loss to what is, on paper, a vastly inferior team in the Minnesota Wild will inevitably bring to bear some of the insecurities haunting Flames fans: Was the cup run 2 years ago a fluke? A one year wonder? Will Kiprusoff continue to be the stellar starter he seemed to be previously? Of course, thanks to past improbable cup runs by the Hurricanes and the Ducks, Flames fans can't help but have visions of Irbe and Giguere dancing in the back of their minds - first standing impenetrable for their teams in cup finals, and after, thrashing helplessly on the ice and out of the playoff race.
As pertintent as the worries may seem after the embarrassing 6-3 loss on Wednesday, they are, of course, based on a painfully small sample size - a miniscule 1 game of 82 - thereby making them as yet unsubstatiated and unrealized. Worry only, then, if the Flames of this season opener appear for 20 more games...
On that note, some positives yielded from Wednesday's contest include:
- The play of Yelle, McCarty and Nilson. Scored a goal, applied good pressure most of the night, and weren't (-) in a game where the opposition scored 4 even-strength goals.
- Iginla scoring. A notoriously slow starter, every Flames fan hopes Iginla gets hot right out of the gate this season.
- Dion Phaneuf. while unspectacular, was steady and solid and had several shots on goal.
- Rhett Warrener. Sturdy and relaible, the best defensemen for the Flames on this night. Was +1 and hammered Andrei Zyuzin with a clean hit that sparked Calgary's "come-back" in the third.
- The third period. An awakened Calgary squad out-shot the Wild 17 - 6, and were within one goal of tying it before Todd White's insurance marker (which came due to Montador's error behind the Flames net).
And now the negatives:
- Montador, Ference, Hamrlik - Hesistant, awkward and indecisive. Hamrlik seemed to improve as the game wore on and made a great play on a Wild partial break later in the game...but Montador and Ference were brutal all night long. The latter two were on for AT LEAST 4 of the Wild's 6 goals, and, in particular, conspired to cause the Wild's 5th goal, a back-breaking tally. Any knowledgable fan or coach who watched as the Flames won the draw, moved the puck behind the net only to have it suddenly passed into the slot and hammered home was probably baffled and disgusted. I know I was. I've coached PeeWee and would have been angry and disappointed if my 13 year-old players did that. Gah!
- Simon, Reinprecht, Kobasew - Pretty much a non-factor offensively and big-time liabilities on defense. In addition, Reinprecht and Simon took silly "obstruction" type penalties that lead to Wild PP goals.
- Flames Powerplay. Still resembles powerplays of old. No real pressure and inability to penetrate the offensive zone. Langkow's goal, the lone marker in the 1 for 8 PP futility, was basically a fluke pass that deflected in off of wild D-man Brent Burns.
- The first period. One of ther worst by a Flames team in recent memory. Out-shot 16-3 by the Wild...and the 3 shots were from defensemen (Phaneuf and Hamrlik). Almost no forecheck to speak of, lack-lustre intensity, passes into feet and open ice. Have you ever woken someone while they are sleep walking...you know how they look utterly baffled and confused when they realize where they are? That's how the WHOLE TEAM looked during period one. In fact, it resembled a preseason team littered with rookies and fringe-players. Happily, it didn't last the whole game. But...*shudder*
Neutral -
- Kiprusoff. Made some great saves and was hung out to dry by his team a lot. However, was disastorously out of position for the first goal. Further, he wasn't the "game stealer" in this contest like he was last season. Goals 5 and 3, for instance, are stops he probably can make and has made in the past...but aren't ones that he should be EXPECTED to make. Hopefully his stellar bouce-back performance ( 8 - 0) continues this season.
That's it for now - Next up - Blue-Jackets Analysis.
As pertintent as the worries may seem after the embarrassing 6-3 loss on Wednesday, they are, of course, based on a painfully small sample size - a miniscule 1 game of 82 - thereby making them as yet unsubstatiated and unrealized. Worry only, then, if the Flames of this season opener appear for 20 more games...
On that note, some positives yielded from Wednesday's contest include:
- The play of Yelle, McCarty and Nilson. Scored a goal, applied good pressure most of the night, and weren't (-) in a game where the opposition scored 4 even-strength goals.
- Iginla scoring. A notoriously slow starter, every Flames fan hopes Iginla gets hot right out of the gate this season.
- Dion Phaneuf. while unspectacular, was steady and solid and had several shots on goal.
- Rhett Warrener. Sturdy and relaible, the best defensemen for the Flames on this night. Was +1 and hammered Andrei Zyuzin with a clean hit that sparked Calgary's "come-back" in the third.
- The third period. An awakened Calgary squad out-shot the Wild 17 - 6, and were within one goal of tying it before Todd White's insurance marker (which came due to Montador's error behind the Flames net).
And now the negatives:
- Montador, Ference, Hamrlik - Hesistant, awkward and indecisive. Hamrlik seemed to improve as the game wore on and made a great play on a Wild partial break later in the game...but Montador and Ference were brutal all night long. The latter two were on for AT LEAST 4 of the Wild's 6 goals, and, in particular, conspired to cause the Wild's 5th goal, a back-breaking tally. Any knowledgable fan or coach who watched as the Flames won the draw, moved the puck behind the net only to have it suddenly passed into the slot and hammered home was probably baffled and disgusted. I know I was. I've coached PeeWee and would have been angry and disappointed if my 13 year-old players did that. Gah!
- Simon, Reinprecht, Kobasew - Pretty much a non-factor offensively and big-time liabilities on defense. In addition, Reinprecht and Simon took silly "obstruction" type penalties that lead to Wild PP goals.
- Flames Powerplay. Still resembles powerplays of old. No real pressure and inability to penetrate the offensive zone. Langkow's goal, the lone marker in the 1 for 8 PP futility, was basically a fluke pass that deflected in off of wild D-man Brent Burns.
- The first period. One of ther worst by a Flames team in recent memory. Out-shot 16-3 by the Wild...and the 3 shots were from defensemen (Phaneuf and Hamrlik). Almost no forecheck to speak of, lack-lustre intensity, passes into feet and open ice. Have you ever woken someone while they are sleep walking...you know how they look utterly baffled and confused when they realize where they are? That's how the WHOLE TEAM looked during period one. In fact, it resembled a preseason team littered with rookies and fringe-players. Happily, it didn't last the whole game. But...*shudder*
Neutral -
- Kiprusoff. Made some great saves and was hung out to dry by his team a lot. However, was disastorously out of position for the first goal. Further, he wasn't the "game stealer" in this contest like he was last season. Goals 5 and 3, for instance, are stops he probably can make and has made in the past...but aren't ones that he should be EXPECTED to make. Hopefully his stellar bouce-back performance ( 8 - 0) continues this season.
That's it for now - Next up - Blue-Jackets Analysis.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Now that's some excellent asset management...
...the Vancouver Canucks picked up Brent Johnson to shore up their back-up goaltending position earlier in the year...and then they put him on waivers...and then Washington picked him up off of waivers...
http://www.washingtoncapitals.com
uh...duh! What a waste of time that was, hey Nonis?
Oh, and for all you fantasy pool types - Mogilny's hurt and is doubtful for the season opener:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=138717
http://www.washingtoncapitals.com
uh...duh! What a waste of time that was, hey Nonis?
Oh, and for all you fantasy pool types - Mogilny's hurt and is doubtful for the season opener:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=138717
Exhaustive Comparison Time
With the long awaited onset of the regular season nearly upon us, I figured I'd work on an alaysis of Calgary's first regular season foe - the Minnesota Wild. Let's go by position, shall we?
Center:
Brian Rolston, Todd White, Wes Walz, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Miko Koivu, Marc Chouinard.
A pretty mixed bag here. Chouinard and Koivu are big bodies (6' 5" and 6' 2", respectively), however, neither can be considered offensive threats at this point in their careers. Chouinard is strong, good on face-offs and a capable checker, but has failed to put up significant offensive stats thus far (21 points last year). Miko, the little (bigger) brother of Saku Koivu, is one of Minnesota's top prospects, but is considered by scouts to have less offensive flair than his older brother, and is projected to be a third line center at the NHL level. He did apparently have playing time with Gaborik during the pre-season, but is currently injured (as is Gaborik, strangely).
On the other side of the equation is Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Wes Walz - both smaller centers with speed and play-making abilities. Bouchard is still only 21 and weighs a mere 160 pounds, which may explain his paltry 22 points last year. However, most hockey pundits and scouts agree that Bouchard can become a play-making force through proper maturation. On the other hand, 35 year-old Wes Walz experienced something of a rebirth with the Wild back in 2001, scoring 18 goals and 30 points in 82 games. Last year, hobbled by shoulder and abodminal injuries, he managed 25 points in 57 games. This could be the year Walz breaks the 40 point barrier if given top line minutes...however given the presence of Todd White, Brian Rolston and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, that is highly unlikely. With the emergence of Miko Koivu as a viable prospect, it is more probable that 2005-2006 will be the beginning of Walz' slide back into obscurity, especially considering his advancing age.
Minnesota has capable top-two centers in Todd White and Brian Rolston...both recent acquistions. White was acquired from Ottawa for a 4th round pick and has averaged 18 goals per season over the last 3 seasons. Skewing this stat is White's most recent season with the Senators, where he managed only 9 goals in 53 games playing 3rd and 4th line minutes. In the season previous, White scored a career high 25 goals and 60 points. Skating on one of the top two lines and barring injury, the fleet footed White should come closer to these numbers this season. Brian Rolston, stolen as an UFA from the Bruins, is even more of an offensive threat and will probably see a lot of ice time beside Marion Gaborik. Over the last 3 seasons with Boston, Rolston averaged over 25 goals a year - his best season coming in 01/02 where he potted 31. With top-line minutes and feeding off of the talent of Gaborik, I would expect Rolston to have a career year - depending on how Lemaire uses him and what new system he employs for the "new" NHL of course.
Overall, Minnesota is relatively strong at center. Rolston and White are fast, can score, and are responsible defensively. If/when Bouchard and Koivu develop into solid NHLers, the Wild could have a decent attack down the middle. It remains to be seen if that will happen THIS year however.
Wing -
Marion Gaborik, Alexandre Daigle, Pascal Dupuis, Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux, Matt Foy, Kyle Wanvig, Derek Boogaard (6' 7"!), Andrei Nazarov
After Gaborik, the Wild are rather weak on the wings. Lost to the Avalanche was Andrew Brunette, who lead the team in assists (34) and PP goals (7) last season. Therefore, one can expect Gaborik to play with Rolston on the first line...and...Daigle? While Alexandre the Flop lead the team in goals (20) and points (54) last year, that is more an indication of the Wild's offensive woes than of Daigle's prowess around the net. In addition, Daigle is a right-wing and benefitted from the Gaborik contract disupte. Expect him to move down to 2nd or 3rd line duty and his numbers to fall this year. Pascal Dupuis is a greater possibility to play left wing on the first line - and while he is a fine prospect and expected to make an impact at in the NHL eventually, his offensive stats thus far are hardly worthy of what is typical of a 1st line player. However, Dupuis should be entering his prime at 26 and no doubt the Wild will be banking on a break-out season this year. Whether he will or not remains to be seen.
After that, the Wild have an assortment of grinders and 4th line fillers. Boogaard and Nazarov are huge - but have little or no offensive upside and may be left behind by the speed of the new NHL. Burns, Veilleux, Wanvig and Foy range from 20 - 24 years of age and are relatively untested commodities. None, however, are expected to be big-time NHL threats.
Overall, the Wild are thin on the wings (and, as a consequence, at forward in general). Without Gaborik in the line-up this Wednesday, they have almost no one who is considered a significant NHL offensive weapon.
Defense -
Willie Mitchell, Filip Kuba, Andrei Zyuzin, Scott Ferguson, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Alex Henry, Nick Shultz
A solid if unspectacular group. Shultz, Zyuzin, Mitchell and Kuba are a capable top 4 - all with decent size and mobility - though Minnesota seems to be lacking a clear-cut #1 d-man. Tjarnqvist (previously of the Atlanta Thrashers) is a stay-at-home type who makes the safe pass and gets a few points. Henry is a big body (6' 5") who can hit...but who also may be left in the wake of faster players. Ferguson is a 32 year-old vet who graced the Edmonton blue-line for a number of years. He is, and always has been, rather ordinary. Kuba lead the Wild "D" with 24 points last season *Yawn*.
Overall decent, but hardly awe-inspiring. The Wild need one or two of their top 4 to step-up and become premier NHL defensemen.
Goalies -
Manny Fernandez, Dwayne Roloson
Strongest position on the team. Minnesota plays a tandem-goal type system, where neither tender is considered the "#1". Roloson posted career numbers in 2003-2004, with a 1.88 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 48 games, while Fernandez was a respectable 2.49 GAA with a .915 Save percentage in 37 games. This may be the year that Roloson firmly establishes himself as the Wild's starter, although at the age of 35, it also may be the beginning of his decline.
The Low-Down -
The Minnesota Wild represent a threat to Calgary through their excellent goaltending and team-concept defense. That said, their forward depth seems almost laughable. However, Jacques Lemaire remains one of the best minds in hockey, and any team coached by him is hardly ever an "easy win". Overall, though, the Flames seem to have vastly superior forward depth coupled with a top-end defense corps and strong goaltending. With the Wild lacking Gaborik and Koivu this Wednesday due to injury, the season-opener for Calgary is a big-time "should-win" game - particularly in light of the importance of intra-divisional victories thanks to the new, unbalanced schedule. Here's hoping the Flames make the best of their apparent advantages and start the season on a high note...
Center:
Brian Rolston, Todd White, Wes Walz, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Miko Koivu, Marc Chouinard.
A pretty mixed bag here. Chouinard and Koivu are big bodies (6' 5" and 6' 2", respectively), however, neither can be considered offensive threats at this point in their careers. Chouinard is strong, good on face-offs and a capable checker, but has failed to put up significant offensive stats thus far (21 points last year). Miko, the little (bigger) brother of Saku Koivu, is one of Minnesota's top prospects, but is considered by scouts to have less offensive flair than his older brother, and is projected to be a third line center at the NHL level. He did apparently have playing time with Gaborik during the pre-season, but is currently injured (as is Gaborik, strangely).
On the other side of the equation is Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Wes Walz - both smaller centers with speed and play-making abilities. Bouchard is still only 21 and weighs a mere 160 pounds, which may explain his paltry 22 points last year. However, most hockey pundits and scouts agree that Bouchard can become a play-making force through proper maturation. On the other hand, 35 year-old Wes Walz experienced something of a rebirth with the Wild back in 2001, scoring 18 goals and 30 points in 82 games. Last year, hobbled by shoulder and abodminal injuries, he managed 25 points in 57 games. This could be the year Walz breaks the 40 point barrier if given top line minutes...however given the presence of Todd White, Brian Rolston and Pierre-Marc Bouchard, that is highly unlikely. With the emergence of Miko Koivu as a viable prospect, it is more probable that 2005-2006 will be the beginning of Walz' slide back into obscurity, especially considering his advancing age.
Minnesota has capable top-two centers in Todd White and Brian Rolston...both recent acquistions. White was acquired from Ottawa for a 4th round pick and has averaged 18 goals per season over the last 3 seasons. Skewing this stat is White's most recent season with the Senators, where he managed only 9 goals in 53 games playing 3rd and 4th line minutes. In the season previous, White scored a career high 25 goals and 60 points. Skating on one of the top two lines and barring injury, the fleet footed White should come closer to these numbers this season. Brian Rolston, stolen as an UFA from the Bruins, is even more of an offensive threat and will probably see a lot of ice time beside Marion Gaborik. Over the last 3 seasons with Boston, Rolston averaged over 25 goals a year - his best season coming in 01/02 where he potted 31. With top-line minutes and feeding off of the talent of Gaborik, I would expect Rolston to have a career year - depending on how Lemaire uses him and what new system he employs for the "new" NHL of course.
Overall, Minnesota is relatively strong at center. Rolston and White are fast, can score, and are responsible defensively. If/when Bouchard and Koivu develop into solid NHLers, the Wild could have a decent attack down the middle. It remains to be seen if that will happen THIS year however.
Wing -
Marion Gaborik, Alexandre Daigle, Pascal Dupuis, Brent Burns, Stephane Veilleux, Matt Foy, Kyle Wanvig, Derek Boogaard (6' 7"!), Andrei Nazarov
After Gaborik, the Wild are rather weak on the wings. Lost to the Avalanche was Andrew Brunette, who lead the team in assists (34) and PP goals (7) last season. Therefore, one can expect Gaborik to play with Rolston on the first line...and...Daigle? While Alexandre the Flop lead the team in goals (20) and points (54) last year, that is more an indication of the Wild's offensive woes than of Daigle's prowess around the net. In addition, Daigle is a right-wing and benefitted from the Gaborik contract disupte. Expect him to move down to 2nd or 3rd line duty and his numbers to fall this year. Pascal Dupuis is a greater possibility to play left wing on the first line - and while he is a fine prospect and expected to make an impact at in the NHL eventually, his offensive stats thus far are hardly worthy of what is typical of a 1st line player. However, Dupuis should be entering his prime at 26 and no doubt the Wild will be banking on a break-out season this year. Whether he will or not remains to be seen.
After that, the Wild have an assortment of grinders and 4th line fillers. Boogaard and Nazarov are huge - but have little or no offensive upside and may be left behind by the speed of the new NHL. Burns, Veilleux, Wanvig and Foy range from 20 - 24 years of age and are relatively untested commodities. None, however, are expected to be big-time NHL threats.
Overall, the Wild are thin on the wings (and, as a consequence, at forward in general). Without Gaborik in the line-up this Wednesday, they have almost no one who is considered a significant NHL offensive weapon.
Defense -
Willie Mitchell, Filip Kuba, Andrei Zyuzin, Scott Ferguson, Daniel Tjarnqvist, Alex Henry, Nick Shultz
A solid if unspectacular group. Shultz, Zyuzin, Mitchell and Kuba are a capable top 4 - all with decent size and mobility - though Minnesota seems to be lacking a clear-cut #1 d-man. Tjarnqvist (previously of the Atlanta Thrashers) is a stay-at-home type who makes the safe pass and gets a few points. Henry is a big body (6' 5") who can hit...but who also may be left in the wake of faster players. Ferguson is a 32 year-old vet who graced the Edmonton blue-line for a number of years. He is, and always has been, rather ordinary. Kuba lead the Wild "D" with 24 points last season *Yawn*.
Overall decent, but hardly awe-inspiring. The Wild need one or two of their top 4 to step-up and become premier NHL defensemen.
Goalies -
Manny Fernandez, Dwayne Roloson
Strongest position on the team. Minnesota plays a tandem-goal type system, where neither tender is considered the "#1". Roloson posted career numbers in 2003-2004, with a 1.88 GAA and a .933 save percentage in 48 games, while Fernandez was a respectable 2.49 GAA with a .915 Save percentage in 37 games. This may be the year that Roloson firmly establishes himself as the Wild's starter, although at the age of 35, it also may be the beginning of his decline.
The Low-Down -
The Minnesota Wild represent a threat to Calgary through their excellent goaltending and team-concept defense. That said, their forward depth seems almost laughable. However, Jacques Lemaire remains one of the best minds in hockey, and any team coached by him is hardly ever an "easy win". Overall, though, the Flames seem to have vastly superior forward depth coupled with a top-end defense corps and strong goaltending. With the Wild lacking Gaborik and Koivu this Wednesday due to injury, the season-opener for Calgary is a big-time "should-win" game - particularly in light of the importance of intra-divisional victories thanks to the new, unbalanced schedule. Here's hoping the Flames make the best of their apparent advantages and start the season on a high note...
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