November 17, 2011

Blue Jackets @ Bruins

Jeff Carter has been back for three games now? I had no idea. That's probably because he didn't have any points and was a -3 during that span.

Curtis Sanford got his first start of the season after coming back from injury. It was a valiant, 26-save effort but his team couldn't put more than one in the net. His aggressiveness on David Krejci was ultimately the difference in the shootout. It's not a bad quality. Ask Tim Thomas - he has a Stanley Cup.

Columbus actually scored a power play. They are currently scoring on 12.5% of their opportunities - good for 4th worst in the league. Care to take a guess who was on the ice for that goal? Grant Clitsome, Nikita Nikitin, Derek MacKenzie, Vaclav Prospal and Jared Boll. You probably got all five right.

It's good to see Adam McQuaid on the board. He's been getting better every season and is turning out to be a really nice addition to this lineup. Ironically, he was drafted by the Blue Jackets in 2005 (55th overall).

After losing his first three starts, Tuuku Rask has now won his last three. His team is playing better however, winning its last seven. They have yet to lose in November. 

Worth noting: James Wisniewski played half the game. Wow.

Canadiens @ Islanders

Peter Budaj stepped in to give Carey Price a rest. If this is the way the Canadiens always play in front of their goaltender, Price deserves a lot of credit. Budaj was able to stop a few odd-man rushes, but ultimately lost the game after stopping 29 pucks. Small miscues make all the difference in such a fast sport.

Max Pacioretty has been turning some heads (too soon?) lately. He currently has five points in his last four games. 

Scott Gomez rocked the face off circle, winning eight of ten. That's a pretty valuable skill. I picked that clip because Red Berenson specifically states, "It's not like you're going to win 80% of your face offs."

Evgeni Nabakov exited the game early in the first period with a groin injury. Rick DiPietro handled the responsibilities and helped the Islanders obtain a MUCH NEEDED win.

John Tavares continues to impress. Frans Nielsen is another player that always seems to catch my eye...for what that's worth.

Coyotes @ Flyers

A minuscule defensive lapse robs the Coyotes of at least one point. With about 30 seconds to go in the game, Derek Morris backs off of Jakub Voracek against the boards for fear of being assessed a penalty. Boyd Gordon mistakes this as a change of duties and attacks Voracek, leaving Matt Read uncovered. When Voracek realizes he has a split second of time to throw the puck on net, he does. Read picks up the rebound and gets the Flyers another win. 

Both goalies in this game, Mike Smith and Ilya Bryzgalov, continue to play extremely well. Unfortunately for Smith, his team is not nearly as talented as Bryzgalov's. Having had to previously stop 40 shots a night in the desert, I think Bryzgalov can sympathize.

That talent on Philly is young. James van Riemsdyk and Claude Giroux are easily sustaining the "offensive drain" that was supposed to happen when Mike Richards and Jeff Carter left. Doubt it. Although not on the same team, Richards and Carter have combined for 18 points in 27 games. Van Riemsdyk and Giroux have 37 in 35. That's more dangerous and more durable. Boom, roasted. 

Don't forget about Sean Couturier either. He doesn't play a ton of minutes, but has been a nice addition to this line-up. 

Penguins @ Lightning

Jordan Staal forgets the puck halfway through the first in his own end and Vinny Lecavalier slides a pretty goal through Marc-Andre Fleury's pads. Pretty slick, eh?

Brett Connolly only played six minutes but still managed to put one in the cage. That makes four on the year for this kid, which isn't bad considering he's never gotten over 15 minutes of ice time in a game. 

I hate to keep mentioning face offs, but they are important. Adam Hall won 10 of 12. Solid.

Although the Penguins dominated play, Dwayne Roloson stood tall with 33 saves. Forty-two, schmorty-two. This guy can still steal games. On the other hand, Fleury had a rough game, letting in three goals on 17 shots. I'm pretty sure he'll bounce back. No, absolutely sure.

Panthers @ Blues

David Backes is incredible in all areas of the game. He nets two in this one. The first was a nice, little snipeski. 

What a pass by Vladimir Sobotka on this Kurt Kris Russell's goal. For a second I thought that was Henrik Sedin. This pass was timed and placed beautifully. Dmitry Kulikov should probably watch his man a little closer rather than the puck.

The Blues's goaltending tandem has been fantastically formidable. As has their defense. Over the last seven games, the club hasn't allowed more than two goals per game. Meanwhile, the Panthers haven't been able to win more than two games in a row this season. 

Maple Leafs @ Predators

Craig Smith, I know you're having a great rookie season but WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? This was reminiscent of Patrik Stefan except it really didn't impact the game all that much - probably still incredibly embarrassing though. I'd give anything to hear what Joffrey Lupul said to him after.

I'll admit, I always thought Martin Erat was a little soft. Boy, has that opinion changed. Erat has tremendous speed and apparently, works his tail off. Two goals well deserved my friend. 

Pekka Rinne dominates again. Yawn.

Ben Scrivens hasn't played poorly, but a shake-up in net is overdue. Since James Reimer has been out, the Leafs have won just five of 12. Still, nice save Scrivens. That could've been a game-changer. Oh well.

Avalanche @ Wild

J.S. Giguere and Niklas Backstrom both had a tremendous game for their respective clubs. Of his 18 shots, Gigure made some brilliant saves. On the other end, Backstrom had to turn away 27 for his second shutout of the season. In his last three games, Backstrom is averaging 0.75 goals against and has stopped over 96% of the shots he's faced.

With two and a half minutes left, Dany Heatley attempts a shot that deflects off a defensman's shin pad directly to the stick of Devin Setoguchi. Giguere had no chance and the Avalanche miss out on at least a point.

Although they came away with a win, the Wild are going to have to average more than 25.7 shots per game. That's second worst in league. Management didn't acquire Heatley and Setoguchi for fun.

Capitals @ Jets

Just some hard work and pretty goals in this one.

Alexander Semin starts the scoring off early with this beauty. I absolutely love this move. Freeze the goalie and push it to the outside. 

Evander Kane then nets two in a row (sorry for the entirety). He's finally living up to his expectations. A skilled, speedy forward like himself should be producing more. 

Blake Wheeler gets his first of the season with this power move. I'm sure everyone is expecting more of the same from him. Use your size, Blake.

Finally, Andrew Ladd makes a nifty pass to Kyle Wellwood for an open net. You can watch the goal through Kane's hyperlink. For a nomad, Wellwood has been a welcomed addition to this roster. I'm sure the Jets didn't expect 13 points in the first 19 games for him. 

Ondrej Pavelec has been stellar in net for the Jets over the past two games. If the team can continue to play decently in front of him, he's capable of giving them a chance to win every night.

The Capitals are 1-4-1 in their last six games. It's nothing to panic over, but definitely something that needs to be addressed. These early slides have a large impact on the standings at the end of the season.

Senators @ Oilers

Craig Anderson stands tall (6'2") again with a 22-save showing. I said it before and I'll say it again: without Mr. Anderson in net, this would be a very different season for the Senators.

I have a strange feeling Colin Greening is developing into an impact player. His size and shot make him a valuable contributor on the ice. He's slacked off over the past ten games or so, but I sense a comeback. 

The real story of this game though was the Oiler's goaltending. Combined, Nikolai Khabibulin and Devan Dubnyk stopped a total of 11 shots. Sixteen were taken.

Congratulations to Anton Lander on his first NHL goal. I don't think he's going to forget this one. Shorthanded snipe!

Kings @ Ducks

I always enjoy the games between these two clubs. Battles every time.

Slava Voynov has been tremendous for the Kings. He initially came in as a replacement for Drew Doughty, but he's making a serious push for a roster spot. He has five points in his last three games. Also, a plus-three on the season.

Simon Gagne had an impressive showing as well. He made a beautiful backhand pass on Voynov's power play goal and scored a nice shortie as well.

Andrew Cogliano nets two in a losing effort, but it's worth stating because secondary scoring is Anaheim's Achilles' heel. This needs to continue. 

Mike Richard tallied two goals as well. Why don't more players use their backhands? It's so deceptive.

Jonathan Quick has another strong showing. He robbed Bobby Ryan halfway through the first with a sliding effort. Fun to watch!

Anze Kopitar is again the hero for this club - this game and every game. With his help, the Kings have now won three in a row.

Wings @ Sharks

And the Sharks' domination of the Wings continues.

The two most shot-happy teams in the league did not disappoint. Shot total for the game: 70.

Joe Thornton gives Henrik Zetterberg a taste of his own medicine with this backcheck-turned-goal. That's a terrific pass by Logan Couture as well. Thornton gets flack for being soft, but people are just sadly, sadly mistaken.

Antti Niemi had an incredibly strong game with 40 saves. All of the shots may not have been dangerous, but any time a goalie sees more rubber than Jenna Jameson, they deserve some credit. Lame zinger.