What was his name again, Babcock?

You probably don’t know much about Hurricanes' defenseman, Anton Babchuk. In fact, many hockey fans don’t even know who he is. But, if you're a Hurricanes fan, you know him well. He has become a huge fan favorite throughout the Caniac nation. 

Listen to this. In the last 34 games of the regular season, following the all-star break, Anton amassed 24 points, scoring 12 times during that period. Extrapolate that over an entire season and that would be 30 goals!  Not only that, but on the entire season, he potted 9 power-play goals, (tied for 8^th in the league), 4 game winners, (tied for 4^th), and his 16 goals earned him 5^th overall in that category. In addition, he was a plus 13 on the season and was instrumental in the Canes charge to the play-offs, averaging close to 20 minutes per game down the stretch. Have I got your attention yet? 

Anton’s story is interesting. He was drafted by the Blackhawks in the first round in 2002, 21st overall.  That was the year that Joni Pitkanen was drafted 4^th by Philadelphia and Cam Ward 25^th by the Canes. He had all of the tools, size at 6’5”, toughness, mobility, and a booming slapshot, clocked at over 100 mph!  But something was missing. Questions mounted around his mental toughness, concentration, and ability to think the game. 

The Hawks finally gave up on him in January, 2006 and shipped him to the Canes for Danny Richmond. (Danny who?) He joined the Canes and immediately made an impact, stepping in for some injured D on the Canes blueline. He was an intriguing addition, bringing size and offence to an offence-challenged Canes defence, but he was still clearly a “project.”  When the injured Canes blueliners returned to action, Anton was asked to take a demotion to the farm in Albany, where he would eat up minutes and hone his skills. The plan was to bring him back to the big club in 2006. But Anton balked initially, something which did not endear him to the Canes boss man, Jim Rutherford (JR) .  JR was so miffed that he elected not to sign Anton (he was a restricted free agent) the following season , tried unsuccessfully to trade his rights, and he ended up being banished to Avangard Omsk in the Russian Superliga. Any idea where Omsk is? Let me tell you, if your choice is Raleigh or Omsk, it's no contest!  Little tidbit. Omsk is where Jaromir Jagr played this year. Bet he wants to come back to North America, too.

Anyway, it turned out to be a great move for Anton. He had the opportunity to play in all situations - regular shift, power-play, and PK, logging big minutes.  Reports filtering out on his overall play were encouraging. So, this past summer, when the Canes were looking to strengthen their D, I thought of Anton. I guess great minds think alike.  JR was looking to change the complexion of the Canes defence corps to a bigger, more mobile cast, and had made great strides in that direction adding first, Joe Corvo, at the trade deadline last year, and then, Joni Pitkanen, in the Erik Cole deal. His next move was to re-sign Anton to a one-year deal, a move that flew under the radar at the time, but one I was very pleased about. Anton’s season started slowly but the eventual move by Paul Maurice to team him with Pitkanen was the catalyst.

 So, why the interest in Anton Babchuk right now?  Well, simply put, if the Canes hope to challenge the Bruins in this series, the power-play will be a key part of the Canes arsenal and it will be players like Anton who need to make a difference.  He seemed out-matched in the series against New Jersey but this is a new day and an opportunity for Anton to show hockey fans around the league what he is capable of. Watch this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98Wb87eYxGg&feature=related

Remember the name, Anton Babchuk. That’s spelled B-a-b-c-h-u-k.

Remember this Wings Fans?

My favorite game of the series against the Wings was Game 5. With the late goal by Scotty in the third off of Lidstrom's stick and the impressive forechecking by Andy McDonald, Selanne was able to close out Game 5 in Overtime with this unforgettable goal against Hasek.

With Game 1 starting tomorrow in Detroit, as a bold Ducks fan I say Anaheim can win it in 6 just as they did two years ago. I think that the adrenaline of beating San Jose will carry over and the Wings will not be as prepared with an easy sweep of Columbus.

Anaheim will win one of those first two games in Detroit. They need to if they want to win the series at all.

The Ducks will close the series out on home ice at the Honda Center.

Getzlaf must continue to play his "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" style of play. Selanne needs to find the back of the net more often. Overall I am very pleased with our defenese, especially from Beauchemin and the newcomer James Wisniewski.

Detroit will be a great contender and by no means should be looked at as "just another huge ego" as many of us Ducks fans looked at San Jose. Many of those players know how to turn it on in the playoffs and will do so. I think that the lack of Draper will hurt them in Games 1 & 2, but only if people like Drew Miller, Todd Marchant and Andrew Ebbett can play similar to how they played in the series against the Sharks.

Bryce Randle is the managing editor of HockeyPlayer.com and also the administrator for TheDucksBlog.com.

Calgary Flames: What now?

After a wonderful start to the 08-09 season and what looked to be an insurmountable lead for the Calgary Flames after the halfway point, a late-season collapse and a somewhat surprising first round exit left Flames fans shaking their heads and wondering what’s next.

There are three key issues that Flames fans will find themselves contemplating for the next few months.

First, the late season collapse of this team and what led to it. Injuries can be blamed for a large portion of the downfall, but what I find very troubling is the fact that there were, at times, three foot gaps between players on the bench due to the miniscule amount of cap room left over in case of injuries. Sutter has to take some of the blame for this; there is no reason to leave that little cap room.

Second, the Jokinen trade. At the time it looked like a masterful deal for the Flames. They got that big center which they needed, but for some reason the move obviously did not pan out. While making a big impact at the start Jokinen, seemingly like every Flame, cooled off down the stretch. In his last 17 games Jokinen managed a frightening 8 points. Perhaps the worst aspect of the deal is the fact that the flames not only lost two quality players and a first round draft pick, but they now will not be able to re-sign Cammalleri to an extension.

Thirdly, what is to come of Mike Keenan? He had the team to go far and proved unable to get his team to the second round. The players obviously do not like him, and it seems as if his voice has been lost. I have always said that teams go far in the playoffs when they play for each other, rather than fear of their coach. I understand Keenan has won the cup once, when he coached the NY Rangers, a one year stay. Coaches like him lose their thunder real quick, especially on a veteran team. I see Keenan being relieved of his coaching duties, and at the age of 69 I wouldn’t be too surprised if he retires from hockey.

It could be an interesting off-season in Calgary. I expect changes to occur. I do not expect Cammalleri or Keenan back with the Flames next year.

Without a first round draft-pick, the flames are going to have to look at other ways of improving the clubs depth.

High on the 'Hawks Round II: Keys to Victory

With the series opening Thursday night in Vancouver, let’s take a look at what the Chicago Blackhawks need to focus on to survive the second round. This series with the Canucks will be similar to the series with Calgary, but with a higher emphasis on special teams and goaltending. So far in this year’s playoffs the Blackhawks’ special teams have been fantastic. The power play is clicking at 29% (7/24) which is second only to Washington for the best in the league, whereas the ‘Hawks penalty killing is also second best in the league with an 89% (16/18) kill rate. The interesting part on the PK side is that Vancouver is the only team better than the ‘Hawks so far having allowed only 1 goal to the dismal St. Louis power play in round 1. In the first round the Blackhawks moved the puck very effectively on the power play and we saw more mobility along the points than in the regular season. Moving the puck from a low cycle up top and through the box the ‘Hawks do not need to change a thing… If they continue to do as they have against Calgary they will be just fine. Even though the penalty kill for the ‘Hawks was excellent in round one there is a little concern with some of the soft zone coverage gaps. This area is where Iginla scored from on the PP in game 4, and is the exact same area that Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin likes to operate out of. This space between the Chicago left defenseman and the left wing will need more attention than was given in the first round, given that Vancouver is more dangerous from this area. A good shot blocking forward can sag into this strong side zone to take away the dangerous pass but also has be quick enough to recover into a shot blocking formation should the puck move back up top. Adam Burish and Patrick Sharp both have done this very well in certain situations this season.
Goaltending is also an area of interest in this series with Nikolai Khabibulin opposing arguably the best there is in Roberto Luongo. The Blackhawks will enter the second round the highest scoring team in the playoffs with 21 goals for to this point, where they will face the team with the least goals allowed with 5. Luongo carries with him a sparkling 1.15 GAA and a save percentage of .962 that is good enough for the number one spot in both categories. Khabibulin on the other hand, after struggling in games 3 and 4 in Calgary, returned to the Saddledome to stop 43 shots in the series clinching game improving his stats to a GAA of 2.52 and a save percentage of .914 and maintained a GAA of 1.00 in his last 2 games. Even though Luongo’s numbers may be a little suspect from the easy series against the Blues, we still give the edge in goaltending to Vancouver.
A large key for success also lies in the play of the ‘Hawks 2nd and 3rd lines. The lines of Havlat-Bolland-Ladd and Versteeg-Pahlsson-Byfuglien need to keep their play consistent if the Blackhawks hope to advance. All it takes in the playoffs is for one line to have an off night and it can cost you a game. The Blackhawks saw this firsthand in games 3 and 4 in Calgary. In game 3 the Versteeg-Pahlsson-Byfuglien line was a combined -11 in a 4-2 loss. In game 4 the Havlat-Bolland-Ladd line was a combined -10 in a 6-4 loss. Toews and Kane will do what they do, the same can be said for Burish and Eager, but the meat and potatoes of the Chicago lineup, will face the toughest checking challenges and must stay focused game in and game out. One line being on the ice for nearly every goal against in one game is inexcusable at any level…much less in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
THIS AND THAT
• Give the Kid a Break….. Lately I’ve heard people getting down on Patrick Kane…. “He’s too soft” “he’s not doing anything out there”….etc. All Kane has done so far is score 2 goals and 2 assists and be +/- 0 (even) in 6 games… as long as he’s finishing his chances around the net he’s doing his part, which he has to this point.
• So far the ‘Hawks are the 3rd least penalized team in the playoffs with 18 shorthanded situations… I know they only played 4 games but can anyone tell me how Boston, in a fight-filled-ugly series with Montreal only managed to be short-handed 8 times?
• I wonder if we can make it through an entire series without Alex Burrows pulling anyone’s hair.

High on the 'Hawks Round II: Sizing up Vancouver

So the first round went pretty much as everyone expected…outside of Maggie the Makak, and bald bombshell Pierre McGuire who predicted that the Flames would walk all over Chicago in the first round. All in all one can’t blame Maggie, after all she is just a monkey. Anyway we’re not here to take shots so let’s look ahead to the second leg of the Blackhawks conquest across western Canada.
Round two pits the Hawks against the Vancouver Canucks, who easily swept the 6th seeded St. Louis Blues, who may have been the worst team to qualify for the playoffs this year. Give credit to Luongo and the Vancouver defense for holding the Blues to 5 goals for in 4 games, but honestly, there was no contest in this series. The Blackhawks will prove to be a much more worthy adversary in round two. Vancouver is a team that is similar to Calgary in some areas, mainly along the blue line where the average height is slightly over 6’3. The Canucks’ defense, like Calgary is big, and not as mobile as the Chicago d-corps. Vancouver is a team that, like the Flames can also have trouble producing offensively in 5-on-5 situations, but that’s where the similarities end. Unlike the Flames, the Canucks have a dangerous power play unit for two simple reasons: Henrik, and Daniel Sedin. They’ve been called the “Sedin sisters,” the “Olson twins,” Don Cherry even refers to them as the “Bobsy Twins,” but the fact of the matter is that on the power play and 4 on 4 situations these kids are nasty. Unlike round one foe Jarome Iginla, who the ‘Hawks successfully checked nearly all series; the Sedins are much more slippery and creative with time and space. Oh yea, the Canucks also have the best goaltender in the league in Roberto Luongo. Luongo is much bigger than Miikka Kiprusoff, and is more of a shot blocking goaltender than a reactionary shot saver like Kiprusoff. This means that Luongo will cough up the occasional juicy rebound, which sometimes seems to be the only way to get a puck behind him. The Blackhawks will need to get lots of traffic in front of the net to dig for loose pucks and rebounds, as well as to get into Luongo’s head…which can be done. Luongo has a tendency, which unfortunately has become increasingly popular league wide, to embellish minor contact with him in and around the goal crease. He will dive, flop and complain to officials to try and manufacture power plays for his team. Sometimes penalties do result, but if Chicago can get the Canucks’ goaltender to worry more about players interfering with him than stopping the puck, in the long run it could bode well for the ‘Hawks. Other than the Sedins and Luongo, the Canucks are a faster skating team than Calgary. Chicago’s team speed is still better, but the Canucks will skate better than what the ‘Hawks have seen in the playoffs thus far. Up next…we’ll focus on the keys to continued success for Chicago.

Hurricanes advance to semis: Shock Devils with last minute heroics!

Are you kidding me? I still don't believe what happened last night. 

A friend of mine, a former pro hockey player who knows the Devils’ system well, told me yesterday.  “Look, if the Devils have a lead into the third period, the Canes are dead. They’ll suffocate them!” And, as play moved into the late stages of the game, I was beginning to accept that fate. But, it didn’t start that way... 

The Canes got off to a quick start, with Tuomo Ruutu scoring at 1:02 of the first. This was what they needed to set the tone of the game and silence the crowd – one of the game keys I had noted yesterday. But the lead was short-lived, as Jamie Langenbrunner, playing through injuries, beat Cam Ward about a minute-and-a-half  later. Ok, so this wasn’t going to be an easy night for the Canes. What else is new? 

The game pretty much see-sawed back-and-forth for much of the game. Trailing 3-2, following a 2^nd period power play goal by Brian Rolston, the Hurricanes had a chance to tie it when Brendan Shanahan was called for hooking while the Canes were on the powerplay. Suddenly, the Canes had a 5-on-3 for over a minute. I was thinking, now’s the time to take hold of this thing! Unfortunately, the Canes power play was ineffective for the most part and nothing much came of it, except Marty Brodeur’s spectacular save on Jussi Jokinen. Shortly after, Tim Gleason clipped Zach Parise with a high stick and was nailed for four minutes. This was definitely not going in the right direction. The Canes killed that penalty off for the remainder of the period, with Cam Ward making a number of big saves. 

Between periods, Canes Assistant Coach Tom Rowe, outlined the plan. He pointed out that the Canes would play the third period in 5-minute segments, would tie the game, and, then, ultimately go on to win it. He was brimming with confidence! Sounded easy enough, right? 

First things first. The Canes had to kill the final minute-twenty of the Gleason penalty and come out unscathed. They did that, highlighted by some outstanding work by Ward and Dennis Seidenberg. Following that, as expected the Devils went into shutdown mode and the Hurricanes’ chances were limited to low percentage shots from the periphery. But the Canes kept pressing and, as the period went on, more of the play was concentrated in the Devils zone. I had this feeling that if they could only get one, just maybe… 

With a few minutes left on the clock, I was thinking about Tom Rowe’s comments. Sorry, Tom, not this time. Cam Ward said after the game, “with a minute and a half to go, I was looking for Mo to call me to the bench.” But Maurice never had the chance to pull him, because at 18:40 the Finnish connection created some magic. A seeing-eye pass from Joni Pitkanen to Jussi Jokinen, set up a beautiful one-timer, beating Brodeur, five-hole.

Now, you’re thinking, let’s just get into overtime and anything can happen, right?  The Canes had other ideas as Eric Staal pointed out after the game, “might as well go for it!” And that’s exactly what they did. Tim Gleason, who had an outstanding series, scoring the game winner in game 2 and being instrumental in shutting down Zach Parise throughout the series, made a perfect break-out pass to Chad Larose, who while taking a big hit from Colin White, found Eric Staal in full-flight and, the rest is history, as they say. It stunned the 18,000 plus Devils supporters along with the rest of us. You couldn’t have written a better script, an amazing ending to a memorable series. And here is how it all happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wetkgb54G7Y 

This was a night with many heroes for the Canes. This was a full team effort, for sure. Of course, Eric Staal comes to mind. How about Cam Ward’s effort? He made numerous tough saves in the third period to give the Canes a chance to win. He stopped Jamie Langenbrunner, not once but twice, point blank in the third and John Madden on a clear break-in. I’ve mentioned Tim Gleason a number of times previously. Time to put the Jack Johnson discussion behind us. Chad Larose had an awesome series and was instrumental on both Whitney’s and Staal’s markers.  Joe Corvo, playing over 26 minutes, just went about his business as he has all season, with aplomb. And finally, Jussi Jokinen, who did everything the coaches asked of him in the series, including killing penalties, playing the power-play, and scoring the biggest goal of his career. Jay Feaster must have had blinders on. This guy can play! 

And what a job done by Paul Maurice and his staff!  “Mo” stuck with his game plan and he and his coaching staff made a number of smart decisions during the game. Not sure you noticed that Jussi Jokinen was inserted in place of Patrick Eaves with Brind’Amour and Samsonov in the crucial last minutes of the game. That led to the tying goal. And what about teaming Joni Pitkanen with Timmy Gleason during that same critical period. That combination not only shut down the Devils but were instrumental in both of the Hurricanes’ goals. I previously chastised Joni for sub-par play in game 6, but on this night he came to play! 

What an incredible series!  Both teams played their hearts out. Paul Maurice said it right in his post-game press conference. “It was a good series, great series.” Either team could have won this series. The good news is that it was the Hurricanes. The golf clubs will have to wait! 

Next up, the big, bad, Bruins. Are you ready for this?

Preds offseason news and notes

The Preds started the offseason by signing Colin Wilson their first round pick (seventh overall). Wilson helped lead Boston University to the NCAA Championship this year. Wilson finished second in points with 55 and second in assist with 38. On April 15th he was named to Team USA for the World Championships. The Preds 2008 first round pick (18th overall) Goalie Chet Pickard was called up from Tri-City of the WHL to Milwaukee. Pickard stats for Tri-City were 35-12-2 with a 2.28 GAA and .921 save percentage with 6 shutouts. I believe he will spend next year with Milwaukee and then make his Nashville debut for the 2010-2011 season. Another young star I've been watching closely is Jonathan Blum of Vancouver Giants. He has been putting up ridiculous numbers there these past two seasons. I expect him to be playing in Milwaukee next year and than along with Pickard make his Nashville debut in the 2010-2011 season. In closing I have noticed that Poile has been looking at goalies and D-men alot over the last few years. I believe he has come to the conclusion that Nashville will not be a team to score a lot of goals so he is going to build the team around the defense and instill the trap defensive game like Jersey plays by trying to keep the game between the bluelines. That’s it for now until next time.

Will history repeat itself?

If you are a hockey fan, don’t you just love game 7 in a play-off series?  This is nail- biting time, for sure. It is especially exciting when the opponents have such a rich play-off history. In recent years, the Canes have prevailed, besting the Devils in 2002 and again in 2006. There have been many great moments between these two arch rivals. But the big question is, can the Canes do it again? And if they do, who will be the hero? 

It is always interesting to predict who might be the hero for your favorite team in a critical game. Often times, it is an unlikely choice. We saw Tim Gleason come through in game 2 in this series and remember Nicholas Wallin’s overtime winner in 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3c29VKQmXg 

Or will it be one of the big dogs, someone like Staal or Whitney or Cam Ward?  How about the captain, Rod Brind’Amour? He is pointless in the series and looking to make a difference. Or maybe someone like Chad Larose. If anyone is deserving, it is Chad with his heart-and-soul style of play. Or maybe it will be one of the others, like a Jokinen or Corvo. Who knows? 

Talk about incredible moments between these two teams, I will always remember the save that Kevin Weekes made on John Madden to steal the 5^th game in the 2002 series. Amazing!  Remember this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQFHr7vDBgo 

One can only hope that the game is all that is expected from these two teams, a game with nothing left off the ice. And for the most part that is what we have seen thus far in the series. Rod Brind’Amour predicts more of the same tonight. "That's the only way to play it," he said.  "I expect us to be at our best." And how about the match-up of Brodeur and Ward?  Two of the best in the game, playing their best. 

It promises to be a great match-up tonight and these are two extremely well-matched teams both deserving of moving on in the play-offs. I have a feeling that whoever wins this series will go deep in these play-offs and challenge to represent the division. Previously, that has been the Canes. 

Will history repeat itself? We'll know soon enough.

Bring on the Hawks!

Bring on the Hawks! Chicago knocked off Calgary last night and that is perfectly alright with the Canuck world. We get home ice once again thanks to Anaheim beating San Jose. The series is rumoured to start Thursday night in Vancouver.

This should be a great series and for those of you thinking it won’t be physical watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmfLGtxsjAE
The regular season series was split 2-2 with each team winning once on the others home ice. The edge should go to the rested Canucks but we all know nothing is given in the NHL playoffs, ask the Sharks!

I look for this to be a grudge match with the Canucks coming out on top in 6 games, perhaps 5. The pure physicality of the nucks defence will wear down the Hawks who will be frustrated by Captain Lou.

Oh and coincidentally the only time the Canucks have swept a series in the playoffs was in 1982 in the first round against Calgary and we all know what happened that year don’t we?

Devils' Celebration Staal-ed!

You know what they say about top players achieving superstardom in the playoffs? 

Well, last night Eric Staal took a huge leap towards achieving that. Simply put, he dominated the game. In a game that was a must win for the Canes, the team played with desperation and played their game to perfection, with Staal epitomizing that.  

Paul Maurice has continually harped on the need for back pressure, for the team to come up the ice fast as a five man unit and then, work from the circles down low. That is the Canes game and when they play that way, like last night, they can beat anyone in this league. So, what changed from Game 5?

There were several keys to last nights dominating victory.

1.  Staal – He and his line-mates set the tone from the opening whistle, creating numerous quality scoring chances and equally as important, shutting down Jersey’s go-to-line of Parise, Zajak, and Langenbrunner. They were energy personified!

2.  What can you say about the Wizard, Ray Whitney?  His goal, picking the puck out of mid-air, a deft move to say the least, got the Canes off and running and energized the Caniacs. He made a perfect pass on Staal’s second goal and feathered the puck through the crease to a wide open Jussi Jokinen, for the power-play goal that nailed the victory. Four points in the game, not a bad nights work.

3.  Tim Gleason continues to quietly go about his business on the blue. He is among the hit leaders in the play-offs and of course, scored the overtime winner in Game 2.  But, he is starting to silence the critics of the Jack Johnson trade with his heady play. He has been instrumental in shutting down Parise and his mates and was rock solid last night.

4.  Cam Ward – Cam bested Marty Brodeur on this night and has in many of the games in the series. Not a heavy night for Cam but he had some tough saves off Shanahan, et al, that he made look easy. He’s clearly in-a-zone right now.

5.  Caniacs – Paul Maurice pointed out after the game. “We got out of the gate, and a lot of it had to do with this building, it was rocking.”  And Joe Corvo said in-between periods what the crowd was doing for the Canes. The Canaics had a good warm-up, tailgating from 4:30 on, so when the puck dropped, they were pumped! 

I also want to mention Paul Maurice. I have to say that I have been very impressed with “Mo” since he returned. Like you, I was somewhat skeptical of the move and, of course when he re-joined the Canes, the the boo-birds were just waiting for him to fail. But, he continues to make smart moves with his line-up juggling and smart coaching decisions during the games. His decision to place Staal with Whitney and Larose was brilliant. Inserting Sergei Samsonov back into the line-up, with Brind’Amour and Eaves, made that line more effective.  And his use of his energy line of Jokinen, Bayda, and Walker has affected the outcome of these recent games significantly. Yes, he has a talented coaching staff with Francis, Rowe and Barasso, but he is a calming influence, and leads by example. 

Despite the outcome of last night’s game, there were still some areas for concern. Joni Pitkanen had a tough game taking two needless penalties and failing to shoot on a clear 2-on-1 break with Whitney. He needs to turn that around for Game 7. And Matt Cullen’s line, with Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu, struggled at times. Cole, in particular, missed a number of opportunities to clear the Canes zone, which could have led to quality scoring chances for the Devils. Cole is pointless in the series and if there was ever a time to break out, now is that time. Cullen is playing hurt and it shows.

 “Razor’s Edge”

So, what do the Canes have to do to win game seven and the series? 

1.    Score early to neutralize the hometown crowd and set the overall tone for the game.

2.    Play their game. Hit hard and hit often. Stay on the offence, working from the circles down low. The best defence is a good offence.

3.    Defensively, have the forwards creating back pressure to help out the defence. Keep it simple!

4.    Shut down Jersey’s big line of Parise, Zajak, and Langenbrunner.

5.    Cam Ward has to out duel Marty Brodeur one more time. 

This should be good.  I can’t wait!    Go Canes!!!!-

By Tom Ray

What May Come

The Ducks have an important game tonight in Anaheim. There are a few advantages to the situation the boys in black have. Must-win games familiarity, home ice and the elimination record.

All this season the Ducks have played games where they were in "must-win" situations. With the rest of the season upon them at the trade deadline, the Ducks found themselves to be a team on the outside looking in. Somehow, some miraculous way, Coach Randy Carlyle got his new blood team to band together and get back up to the 8th seed. The Sharks have coasted through out the season and while the President Trophy winners have obviously played spectacular, they haven't had to turn on the heat when it mattered. Here's to hoping the Ducks know how to turn on that heat easily.

Home ice. Every elimination game that the Ducks faced in 2007 during the Stanley Cup run ended in a victory. Anaheim fans need to rise and intimidate the Sharks. There must be no seat left unsold, no shirt left turned Orange, Black or White. While home ice this season has not be a factor for the Ducks, it has been in the past two years. Fans know how to support their team in this town, but that is not to say that we have been doing the best job as of late.

Selanne's actions are a major factor in the outcome of the game tonight.

The elimination record. The Ducks are around 14-6 now in games where their opponent faces elimination. The Sharks are 5-16 when they face elimination. I do not have the exact stats with me, but I quote from memory from Versus televised broadcast Saturday night. The Ducks know how to destroy the hope of a team looking for the faith that they can win.

I expect a big showing from Selanne, Getzlaf and Scott Niedermayer tonight. I would throw Hiller in there too, but I am enjoying being surprised by him way too much. Selanne needs to bring his game up just enough to get a goal. I was impressed by his play on Saturday night and his crossbar hit was heartbreaking, but his veteran leadership isn't enough on its own. He needs to get a goal or an assist on a key goal.

Bryce Randle is the managing editor of HockeyPlayer.com. Read more Ducks blogs at TheDucksBlog.com.

First Pick Is First Step Towards The Future

Now that it is official and the NY Islanders have won the 1st overall pick in the 2009 draft, the rebuilding process of the franchise can begin in earnest. The team began the process a bit last season adding numerous draft picks to the cupboard, its here, with the chance to select a potential young franchise player, that will be the key to take the organization to the next level.

Lineup:

F: Weight, Okposo, Bailey, Hunter, Nielsen, Park, Tambellini, Bergenheim, Comeau
D: Streit, Witt, Martinek, Sutton, Meyer, Gervais
G: Dipietro

Depth:
F: Colliton, Thompson, Rechlicz, Bentivoglio, Joensuu
D: Hillen, Fraser, MacDonald, Kohn
G: Mannino

Goal: All eyes will be on Dipietro. If he cant stay healthy, the team will definitely challenge for the 1st overall pick again. Finding a more proven NHL netminder to serve as backup will be a major need for the Isles

Defence: The defence is actually decent if it can stay healthy. The team did miss Sutton, Martinek and Witt for long periods.GM Garth Snow will definitely still seek to retool as the Isles need more mobility and skill on the backend to mesh better in the attacking style system coach Scott Gordon is seeking to instill. Streit was a revelation and has turned into one of the better offensive defencemen in the NHL. But the fact he led the team in scoring is of major concern.

Forward: There lacks clearly offensive punch up front. If Tavares is made the 1st overall pick by the Isles, that would help. Right now, their top youngsters Bailey and Okposo are not ready to be big time scorers. Weight is now too old to be a top line centre and there is almost nothing in between. The forward ranks lack size, skill and depth. If they can land another top 6 forward in addition to the 1st overall pick, plus another grinding winger to help Hunter out, that would be a nice start in turning the corner for this team.

Leadership: Snow started last summer the overhaul of the Isles and right now he pretty much has a clear canvas to work with. While the aggressive move to get Ryan Smyth didn't pay off, Snow seems competent in the task of turning the Isles around, picking up Streit, adding lots of extra draft picks and getting the team younger. There are plenty of grizzled veterans on the roster to help teach their young players but it would be nice for the team if Dipietro could be healthy as he really is the face of the team and the guy who stirs the drink. If he can play, Gordon can lean heavily on him and be able to teach and work with all the young players, while being somewhat assured the team wont get blown out every game with a solid Dipietro in goal.

Key Stat: Only 2 players (Streit and Park) played more than 70 games last season

Off-Season:

Payroll: 30.7 mil

UFA: Hilbert, Sillinger, Lee, Pock, Danis, Macdonald, Fritz, McAmmond, McLean, Iggulden, Walter, Callahan, Jackman, Lessard
RFA: Colliton, Smith, Thompson, Hillen, Mannino, Comeau

The Isles are unlikely to max out their cap space and will likely try and look for nice, cheap alternatives to fill roster spots and hopefully surprise the team while given lots of ice time and opportunity to excel. But Snow isnt opposed to spending and could try and find another Streit type of player.

If any thing the biggest key will be off the ice where the organization hopes to secure something formal allowing them to build a new arena.

Possibilities

Trade Options: Seems unlikely but the Isles could very well trade the 1st overall pick. Because they need help everywhere, the organization may not be very opposed to getting either Tavares or Hedman. That could lead them to maybe move the 1st pick, acquire extra assets and perhaps still end up with the player they want. The team though may not want to trade out of the top 3. A top end young prospect is first and foremost on the Isles agenda.

Free Agent Options: A big thing the Isles could offer is opportunity. Someone like Tomas Kopecky, who has been buried on depth duty in Detriot could be a top line player on Long Island. He has the size the Isles sorely lack up front. The team could go cheap as well and bring in Ville Koistinen as another offensive defenceman and boost the skill level of the backend. If the team is willing to spend, perhaps a player like Brian Gionta would draw some interest. He has proven goal scoring ability and may be the quality veteran player to take some pressure off of the young players.

The Draft

Some potential choices for 1st overall include:

John Tavares: Consensus 1st pick is offensive wizard and goal scorer Isles lack
Victor Hedman: Big franchise type defenceman has it all, size, speed, skill
Matt Duchene: Fleet forward is perhaps fastest skater in draft
Evander Kane: Unlikely to knock off top 3 but a character player with skill.

Draft picks: 2 1st, 3 2nd, 3rd, 4th, cond. 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th

Top Prospects:
Corey Trivino C
Trevor Smith C
Aaron Ness D
Mark Katic D
Travis Hamonic D
Blake Kessel D
Robin Figren LW
Matt Martin LW
Maxim Gratchev LW
Rhett Rakhshani RW
Kirill Petrov RW

Ness and Harmonic finally provide the Isles with some decent defence prospects. They are skilled blueliners which is an area the Isles are lacking in. Up front, they are also high on Trivino, Rakhshani and Gratchev who are also highly skilled. But time is needed for these players to develop properly.

One area that need addressing is in goal. While Dipietro is signed for another dozen years, they need a young goaltending prospect to start developing. With the injuries to Depietro he constantly gets, they need as much depth in goal as possible.

Outlook: The Isles have miles to go before they can be considered a playoff team. But if they can remain healthy, they can certainly surprise some. But ideally, the team would be best served to follow the lead of teams like Pittsburgh and Washington and accumulate a series of top 5 picks to replenish their organization.

Perfect Timing For Montreal Makeover

What was to be a historic season for the Montreal Canadiens turned into one many would like to forget. Lots of promise gave way to pressure, which ultimately was something the team could not handle.

As a result, major changes this off-season are to be expected for the Habs as they clean out a roster that got it’s clock cleaned by the Boston Bruins.

Lineup: After performing the way they did, change is inevitable. The coach already paid the price for losing and its likely now the players turn to take blame. Thankfully the team is fortunate enough to have a mountain of free agents to simply let go, giving them a nice clean fresh slate to start with.

F: Higgins, Plekanec, Kostitsyn, Latendresse, Lapierre, Metropolit, Laraque
D: Markov, Gorges, Hamrlik
G: Price, Halak
Depth:
F: Kostitsyn, Stewart, Desharnais, Trotter, Russell
D: Belle, Carle, Valentenko
G: Desjardins

Goal: Price needs a boost in confidence. He has phenomenal talent, but it needs to be sharpened a bit. The real work however needs to be done on his mental makeup as he appeared timid, lost and very shaky in goal. The mocking and booing by the home fans did not help matters. He did have injury issues where he seemed not the same upon returning, but clearly, confidence is the big problem.

Key stat: Price had .843 save percentage when Habs shorthanded.

The presence of an experienced backup who can spell him from time to time, but not completely threaten his position as starter may best suit the Habs needs. While Halak is a talented goalie himself, a mentor like backup makes so much more sense.

Defence: There will be roster spots open with some likely departures but regardless, the team needs help in this area. They have a strong player in Markov to build around. He is a horse and a guy the Habs sorely missed in the post season. He was second in the league in defence scoring and their biggest cog in all situations.

What they could use is a secondary scorer to support him, especially working the right point on the PP. The loss of Streit and Souray in back to back season was too much for this team who seems to get a pep in their step when the PP is rolling.

There is also a need to add more jam to the blueline. It was far too often that Komisarek was the only willing combatant this season making the Habs zone easy access for opponents. Now, he could be lost via free agency with no one ready to step in.

Key stat: 31.7 shots against per game for 7th worst in the NHL.

Forward: Going into the year, the Habs were hopeful to have 3 big scoring lines that would cause opponents fits. Instead, their play gave the coaching staff fits with inconsistency. Too many forwards were either hurt too often or had significant down years. It completely led to the team’s season long malaise that resulted in a major breakdown of the Habs speed game.

Key Stat: One forward (Kovalev) had over 50 points. Koivu was 2nd with 50 points exactly

Without the fleet forwards moving well, their big weakness of a lack of size, grit and physicality up front was telling. It will be something the team must address in two straight playoffs the team was dominated, overwhelmed and rattled by bigger, stronger opponents.

Not to toot the horn of Don Cherry, but really this team lacks hard nosed Canadians who maybe would take more pride in the jersey and show a bit more heart, more battle, more desire in their game. The majority of Habs were floaters this past year and they paid for it dearly.

Leadership: Gainey finished the year behind the bench and it remains to be seen if he will be the guy who finds his replacement. The ownership uncertainty should perhaps buy Gainey some time. He is still the best person for the job and the Habs really need his patience to get through these trying times. But if he stays he has a tall order to retool this team from top to bottom.

Hiring an experienced coach makes the most sense. The past 5 coaches since Jacques Demers have been rookies who have not gotten the job done. There are worthy candidates like a Bob Hartley or even Marc Crawford or possibly even Jacques Lemaire.

Leadership also needs to be addressed on the ice. They may very well need a new captain and supporting cast to change up the team’s chemistry.

Off-Season
Payroll: 23.5 mil
UFA: Koivu, Lang, Bouillon, Brisebois, Dandenault, Henry, Janik, Komisarek, Schnieder, Denis, Tanguay, Kostopoulos, Kovalev, Glumac, Leroux, Kemp, Flinn
RFA: Chipchura, Higgins, Plekanec, Stewart, D’Agostini, Latendresse

Cap space will not be an issue with 10 regulars having expired contracts. But that also means a large chunk of the roster needs filling. But with 30 million or so to spend, the Habs will have the flexibility to be aggressive in acquiring players both via trade and free agency. They may see their cap space drop having to re-up their RFAs. But there stands a good chance the likes of Higgins and Plekanec have played their last games as Canadiens.

The only UFA who seems likely to return is Tanguay who was productive when healthy. But Captain Koivu is a questionmark considering his age and perhaps the need for the Habs for a new voice and fresh leaders in the room. Komisarek is another questionmark as he didn’t play well but some team may very well overpay him as a stay at home defenceman.

Possibilities:

Trade Options: The Lecavalier to Montreal rumours will not die until it happens. But with the bad mouthing going on between the two GMs, its likely a deal will not be consumated.

Other forwards the Habs should potentially look at are Brad Richards, Nathan Horton and/ Wojtek Wolski. Richards has struggled some the last couple of years and has a massive contract, but would be a major upgrade to what the Habs have now and may not cost Montreal a "Lecavalier" package due to his cap hit. Horton is the ideal PF the team could use as a combination of size with skill is a major need for Montreal. Wolski is not as bruising as Horton but has good size with skill and would help Montreal be more difficult to knock off the puck.

On defence, players like Scott Hannan or Garnet Exelby are players this team could use. More grit, toughness, passion. The Habs need more battle in their game. And if they cant find one via free agency, a veteran netminder would help big time.

Free Agency Options: Everyone's common choice has been Francois Beauchemin. Whether he wishes to return the the organization that gave up on him remains to be seen. But he is a quality minute munching defenceman who can contribute at both ends.

Other options include Steve Veilleux and Ian Laperriere up front. They would add some grit. Possibly Manny Fernandez could be the quality vet the Habs could use to support Price.

The Draft

The Habs will pick anywhere in the mid to late teens and should find a decent prospect.
Draft picks: 1st, 3rd, 4th, cond. 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th

Some potential players available could include:
John Moore (D) – Offensive Dman off to US college next year.
Peter Holland (F) – 2way pivot has size, speed and skill, Ave PPG in OHL
Landon Ferraro (F) – Small centre has good bloodlines
Carter Ashton (F) – Power forward type also with good bloodlines
Zach Kassian (F) – Another PF type just what Habs need.

Top Prospects:Ben Maxwell C, Ryan White C, Kyle Chipchura C, Ryan McDonagh D, P.K. Subban D, David Fischer D, Alexei Yemelin D, Yannick Weber D, Max Pacioretty LW, Danny Kristo RW, Matt D'Agostini RW, Steve Quailer RW

A good number of their top prospects could challenge for jobs next season. Pacioretty and D’Agostini got playing time thanks to their size and willingness to use it. Defintiely a top six spot awaits one of these two. The organization would like to see “Pacman” put the puck in the next more as he had just 6 goals in 37 contests in Hamilton. But he fills a major void on the parent club.

Maxwell has a chance to at least score a 3rd or 4th line centre role. He didn’t do much in his first taste of NHL duty but had a solid 1st pro year and should challenge for a roster spot. Chipchura is on his last legs to make the Habs for good.

Weber also has an inside track on one of the open Dmen spots. He has a huge shot and with experience, could be a big factor in helping the team’s PP. His first ever goal came in the playoffs. It is also possible PK Subban, the star for Canada at the WJC could make the team. But knowing Gainey, a trip to Hamilton for a bit will not hurt Subban and help his defensive game. He too has impact potential offensively.

The Habs will happily be patient with their top prospect in McDonagh. His name has come up often as trade bait as not only Montreal likes his skating, skills and smarts. It will be interesting to see if he dons a Habs jersey ever.

Outlook: Despite the desolete feeling from the fans, all is not lost for Les Habitants. They have cap space to work with, they can get rid of several players as they see fit this summer and they have youth on their side with some solid prospects to build around and a top blueliner in his prime. An experienced coach this time around may be the big tonic this team needs. But if this coach cannot bring Price back to life, the start of the second hundred years for the Habs could be a rough one.

Changes Coming for Sharks

San Jose, the best team in the NHL this season, is on the brink of elimination. Not to put down the Ducks, because they are a great team with a lot of strengths, but San Jose should not be going out in the first round.

A first round exit would mean a lot of change in San Jose. First, you'd have to think Joe Thornton could be on his way out. This guy has not done a thing in the playoffs. Patrick Marleau has shown this year that the Sharks are his team, and I think a first round exit could very well mean the exit of Joe Thornton.

Cheechoo is another player who badly needs a change. This kid has shown that he can be a great NHLer, but his sub-30 point season means he likely will be with a new team in the fall. The Sharks will have trouble dumping his salary, but someone will take him I'm sure.

What about Nabokov? I'm sure he'll get Vezina consideration this year, but he has been nothing short of awful in these playoffs. Could a change of scenary be in his future as well?

And of coarse the big question: who will be making these changes? Doug Wilson has been the GM of San Jose for awhile now, and while he has led the team to great regular season success, he has always fallen short in the playoffs. It's not a stretch to believe a first round loss to the Ducks would mean the firing of Wilson.

While the Sharks are not out of it yet, it appears like it's only a matter of time. While it's going to be an interesting summer for a lot of NHL teams, the Sharks should be near the top of that list.

Back in 1995

Thank you to the Montreal Canadiens for a great season. Yes, I wanted a Cup in Year 100 of their existence but with the way the season ended I was pretty sure it was going to be tough. Even tonight, I thought it would be best if I was ended of my misery instead of dreaming for one or two games.

I did have a little laugh when Carey Price made that simple save resulting in the crowd cheering "madly", then Price put both arms up in "recognition". We Hab fans remember about 14 years ago when a certain #33 was in the midst of an ugly game against the Red Wings and the same thing happened. That was the last night Patrick Roy wore a Habs jersey, and the Jocelyn Thibault era began shortly after (ouch).

The fans were also yelling "Carbo" for some reason. I don't know if Carbonneau would have gotten the Habs any further in the playoffs. Maybe it's time for a big shakeup on the team. Carey Price was once the goalie of the future, but perhaps Gainey made him the goalie of the present too soon. Will the fans forgive #23? What will the new ownership do?

Price's confidence is now shattered, and while Jaroslav Halak has shown signs of greatness, I don't think the fans would accept him as #1. It's not easy being the #1 goalie in Montreal, perhaps it's one of the toughest jobs in the world.

Oh if Jose Theodore would have only stayed away from Paris Hilton....

High on the Hawks

The “Roar” is loud… but so is the whining. The first three games of the Western Conference quarterfinal have put fans of both the Blackhawks and the Flames on an emotional roller coaster. The Flames score first in both games on the road only to see the Hawks come roaring back to win. The Hawks score first in the Saddledome and the Flames rattle off four unanswered goals, in a “welcome to Canada” slap in the face fashioned victory. Aside from the statistical similarities in the series so far we have seen plenty of extra-curricular activity after whistles, especially near either goal crease. While the battle hardened Flames fans are more than used to seeing this type of in your face playoff hockey, Blackhawks fans may need a refresher course.
Let’s think back, way back to 1988… A young Mike Keenan walks through the doors of the Chicago Stadium having literally dominated the Patrick Division for three of the four years he spent behind the bench of the Philadelphia Flyers. In his first season with the Hawks he takes a team who finished the regular season in fourth place in the Norris Division (27-41-12 66pts.) all the way to the Campbell Conference Finals. How? By playing the same brand of smash-mouth, blood and guts hockey that took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1984-‘85 and 1986-’87. The Mid 1980’s and 1990’s saw some great hockey teams: Brian Propp and the Flyers, Jeremy Roenick and the Blackhawks, Mark Messier and the Rangers, Brett Hull and the Blues, all of which have one thing in common… “Iron Mike” Keenan.
Fast forward to 2009…. The Flames are taking liberties with the smaller, younger, faster Chicago Blackhawks’ players. Hmmm, I for one am not surprised, although ask around you will loudly hear that the Hawks fans don’t appreciate that big meany Dion Phaneuf rubbing his bear paw in little Patrick Kane’s beardless face after every whistle. I may not whine and cry about it like many others, and as a Hawks fan I don’t like seeing them be bullied, but this is what they wanted. Playoff hockey…“One Goal.” This is classic Mike Keenan, he has done it everywhere he has coached and he has had success in his career. He is definitely playing by his “they can’t call everything” type philosophy. The NHL has said that they are going to crack down on the extra-curricular activity after whistles by penalizing players who start altercations. Apparently the officials in the Chicago-Calgary series have not gotten the memo. So we can all whine and cry about it or we can throw out our pacifiers, grab a hard hat and go to work… I don’t know about you but I am not ready for baseball yet.

Slow Change

The Toronto Maple Leafs went into the 2008-2009 season with low expectations. One could argue that they overachieved, finishing 7th last instead of right at the bottom of the standings. The team showed their ability to fight and stay within games with 13 overtime losses which was only second to Tampa Bay. While that spirit is good for team morale it did not help their position in the standings, giving them the same draft pick that they entered the previous draft with.

With their season over the Leafs head into the off-season in order to continue their rebuild. It will be the first off-season as the Leafs GM for Brian Burke and he’ll get his chance to make more changes to the roster. Even before the season was over Burke was attempting to change this team through college free agents. College free agent signings generally aren’t successful, but acquisitions of Christian Hanson and Tyler Bozak offer the possibilities of gaining a useful part of the Leafs future. The Leafs also signed Viktor Stalberg who is a Leafs prospect in college. Robert Slaney of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League was also signed recently and with all these players there is hope that part of the core will be found here.

Toronto isn’t limiting themselves to the college ranks for finding talent. The Leafs are also attempting to sign Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson. They will have to wait until after the World Hockey Championship before a contract can be signed with him. Yet the Leafs along with Dallas are in the running for the talented 24 year old goalie. At the very least Gustavsson will have an opportunity to challenge Toskala for the starters job. He put up some great numbers over in Sweden and would provide some nice depth to the goaltending position.

After signings the next step for continuing the rebuild is a successful draft. The Leafs head into this draft with 6 selections with possibly another fourth rounder coming their way if the Rangers advance far enough into the playoffs. With three selections in the top sixty there is an opportunity to restock the prospect shelves with quality. Similarly to last season the Leafs have the 7th overall selection and have decisions to make. Last year they traded that selection to move up and select Luke Schenn who had a very solid first season with the Leafs. It is more than possible to move up once again if the Leafs would like to control their destiny. They don’t sit outside of the upper class of prospects so they do not have to move up. While they won’t get Tavares or Hedman at the 7th spot they can still get a very talented young player. One of Evander Kane, Brayden Schenn, Jared Cowen, or Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson will be available and the Leafs would not be going wrong with selecting one of them.

However statements by Burke have made it clear that the Leafs will attempt to move up if at all possible. The goal to get John Tavares may not be achieved, but it would still be possible to get a very good player if the Leafs could move up into the top 3. At that spot they would have the ability to get one of Tavares, Hedman, or Duchene. Of course moving up would not be an easy thing especially if they wanted the top spot. They do have the ability to add picks by moving one of Kaberle or Kubina who will have their NTC’s temporarily voided due to the team failing to make the playoffs. Now Burke hasn’t stated he is eager to move one of them, but the possibility is open.

After the draft will come free agency which is another important part of the offseason. With the cap unlikely to move much this year and possibly drop next year teams will have to be cautious about spending. That could allow the Leafs who can spend to whatever cap to pick up players more cheaply than would be possible in a normal year. Burke will have to decide what players he wants to keep around and acquire the ones he wants. What Burke plans will be easier to predict after any draft day deals have been completed and he deals with restricted free agents such as Mikhail Grabovski.

This offseason is an important one for Toronto. They have the ability to improve the teams young core with their draft selections and possible free agent signings. The management of this team has been solidified and now the next step is moving forward. Burke has the money and the people around him to help guide this team toward the goal of an eventual Stanley Cup. Now the only thing to do is watch and see how he makes that happen.