On Frozen Blog » Northeast Division

Some Home Cookin' This Week Could Be Caps' Big Gain

gustafsson — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 06:00:28 +0000

If the Capitals play focused and disciplined and hard during their three home games this week against three beleagured opponents they will have a terrific opportunity to make up some serious ground on first-in-the-East Boston.

Montreal, Colorado, and Pittsburgh — all once-proud teams that have been seriously struggling as of late — visit Verizon Center this week. All of these teams had reasonably high hopes quite recently; the Penguins were picked by many to return to the Stanley Cup Finals and to be a serious contender and even to win it all, while Montreal was thought by many to be Pittsburgh’s toughest competition in the East. Colorado was not too long ago a rough and tough and Cup-contending franchise, and they certainly hoped to make the playoffs this season. Now all three will be lucky to finish above .500 this season. On top of their losing ways all of these teams have some of the ugliest season stats in the league.

The Penguins rank 22nd in the league in goals against, allowing on average 3-plus goals a game. That high number not only puts them 10 spots behind Washington but also below some of the league’s worst teams, including St. Louis.

Not to far away form Pittsburgh in that same stat is Montreal, who is averaging just fewer than three goals agame against. They have also only won three of their last thirteen games. The team looked like it couldn’t be stopped earlier in the season, but now is in a full-on collapse. Just yesterday Habs’ GM Bobn Gainey announced that the team’s star performer of a season ago, Alexei Kovalev, wouldn’t accompany the team on the road this week. The right wing scored 35 goals and 84 points last season but has just 13 goals in this campaign.

Then we come to the Avalanche. There really isn’t much to say that’s positive about this team. They rank in the bottom ten of the league in goals for, goals against, power play, and penalty kill, and they are on track to have the first losing record in Colorado franchise history. (Maybe they should have kept our hotshot goalie?)

The Caps are third-best in the NHL at winning games when they score first — they win 78 percent of those games. Montreal wins 69 percent of such games; Colorado wins 65 percent of them, and the Penguins win just 53 percent of games in which they score first. That’s dismal.

While none of these games will be cakewalks, or at least the Caps shouldn’t take them like they are, they provide the Caps a strong opportunity to make up ground on the flu-ridden, first- place Bruins. It would take a major collapse on all levels for the Caps to not have one of the top seeds in the East in the playoffs. It would be an enormous accomplishment though if they earned the East’s top seed.

OFB Season Preview

The OFB Team — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 16:40:00 +0000

What would a band of hockey bloggers be without predictions for the new NHL season?
We don’t claim to possess either a crystal ball or spy’s eyes inside the training camps of 29 other clubs, but we thought it might be helpful to our readers to compile a list of offseason (and late last season) player movement, in a concise file, and have a little fun offering up none-too-accountable “Thumbs Up” or “Thumbs Down” forecasts for all 30 teams.
Basically, a team earned a “Thumbs up” if we thought its manuevering and maturation suggested that it’d improved upon its 2006-07 points total. Clubs that “stayed pat” or engineered boneheaded signings and/or inexplicable, high-end free agent farewells were awarded “Thumbs down.”
So we’ve provided everything “primer” a puckhead could need here.
Except the beer.


Team	Comings	Goings	Youth is Served	Verdict
	Mathieu Schneider	Selanne and Neidermeyer (for now?), Dustin Penner	Bobby Ryan
	Eric Perrin, Ken Klee, Todd White	Scott Mellanby, Shane Hnidy, Glen Metropolit, Keith Tkachuk, Denis Hamel, Eric Belanger,	Bryan Little (?)
	Glen Metropolit, Aaron Ward, Peter Schaefer	Shane Donovan	Matt Lashoff (?)
	Jocelyn Thibault	Almost everyone	Dan Paille, Drew Stafford
	Adrian Aucoin, David Hale, Cory Sarich, Owen Nolan	Tony Amonte, Jeff Friesen, Roman Hamrlik, Brad Stuart, Andrei Zyuzin	Eric Nystrom (?)
	Matt Cullen	Jack Johnson, Anson Carter, David Tanabe	None	Hmm . . .
	Brent Spoel, Robert Lang, Sergei Samsanov, Andrei Zyuzin, Yanic Perreault	Michal Handzus, Adrian Aucoin, Peter Bondra, Jason Cullimore	Jonathon Toews, Patrick Kane, Jack Skille
	Scott Hannan, Ryan Smyth,	Ken Klee, Pierre Turgeon, Ossi Vaananen, Patrice Brisebois	None
	Michael Peca, Jiri Novotny	Brian Boucher, Bryan Berard	Gilbert Brule, Derick Brassard (?)	Hmm . . .
	Todd Fedoruk	Matthew Barnaby, Jon Klemm, Eric Lindros, Ladislav Nagy, Patrik Stefan, Darryl Sydor	Niklas Grossman
	Brian Rafalski, Dallas Drake	Robert Lang, Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder, Danny Markov, Mathieu Schneider	Igor Grigorenko
	Sheldon Souray, Joni Pitkanen, Dustin Penner, Denis Grebeshkov, Dick Tarnstrom	Ryan Smyth, Joffrey Lupul, Petr Sykora, Jason Smith	Sam Gagner, Ryan O’Marra (?)	Hmm . . .
	Richard Zednik, Radek Dvorak, Tomas Vokoun	Ed Belfour, Alex Auld, Martin Gelinas, Chris Gratton, Todd Bertuzzi	None
	Brad Stuart, Tom Preissing, Kyle Calder, Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy	Mathieu Garon, Jamie Heward, Tom Kostopoulos, Jamie Lundmark, Aaron Miller	Jonathon Bernier, Jack Johnson
	Eric Belanger, Sean Hill,	Manny Fernandez, Todd White	Benoit Pouliot (?)	Hmm . . .
	Roman Hamrlik, Bryan Smolinski, Tom Kostopoulos	Sheldon Souray, Radek Bonk, Sergei Samsanov, Mike Johnson	Carey Price, Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Kostitsyn
	Martin Gelinas, Radek Bonk	Almost everyone	Ville Koistinen, Kevin Klein (?)
	Dainius Zubrus, Vitali Vishnevski, Kevin Weekes, Karel Rachunek	Scott Gomez, Brian Rafalski	Nicklas Bergfors (?)
	Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko	Almost everyone	Sean Bergenheim (?)
	Scott Gomez, Chris Drury	Michael Nylander, Karel Rachunek, Matt Cullen, Kevin Weekes, Brad Isbister	Marc Staal, Ryan Callahan (?)
	Shean Donovan, Luke Richardson, Denis Hamel	Mike Comrie, Tom Preissing, Peter Schaefer, Oleg Saprykin	Nick Foligno, Brian Lee
	Daniel Briere, Joffrey Lupul, Jason Smith, Martin Biron, Scott Upshall, Kimo Timonen	Peter Forsberg, Joni Pitkanen, Kyle Calder, Robert Esche, Todd Fedoruk, Mike York	Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parent
	Alex Auld, Radim Vrbata, Niko Kapanen, Mike York	Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick, Curtis Joseph, Mike Ricci	Peter Mueller
	Darryl Sydor, Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora	Eric Cairns, Joel Kwiatkowski, Jocelyn Thibault, Michel Ouellet, Nils Ekman, Josef Melichar	Kristopher Letang
	Craig Rivet, Jeremy Roenick	Scott Hannan, Bill Guerin, Vesa Toskala	None	Hmm . . .
	Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk	Radek Dvorek, Dallas Drake, Glen Metropolit, Jamie Rivers	Erik Johnson
	Michel Ouellet, Chris Gratton, Jan Hlavac	Cory Sarich, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Perrin	Karri Ramo (?)
	Jason Blake, Mark Bell, Vesa Toskala	Jeff O’Neill, Michael Peca, Yanic Perreault, J.S. Aubin	Jiri Tlusty (?)
	Brad Isbister, Ryan Shannon	Bryan Smolinski, Brent Sopel, Jan Bulis, Rory Fitzpatrick,	Luc Bourdon (?)
	Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov, Tom Poti	Dainius Zubrus, Kris Beech, Bryan Muir, Jiri Novotny	Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green, Tomas Fleischmann

The Arms' Race in the Atlantic

pucksandbooks — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 03:28:38 +0000

A compelling early storyline on the 2007 free agent season is the arms’ race†within the Atlantic division — wildly resembling the free-spending days previous to the NHL’s 2004 lockout — while the Northeast division appears content to be picked clean.
The Flyers and GM Paul Holmgren signaled†their intention of expensively revamping their roster ahead of last weekend’s Entry Draft, when they lavishly overpaid for a pair of six-year contracts for recently acquired Predators Kimmo Timonen ($38 million) and Scott Hartnell ($25 million). To this they added†UFA pivot Daniel Briere on Sunday, locking him up for eight years at $6.5 million per.
Also yesterday Holmgren shipped out promising young†Finnish defender Joni Pitkanen for Oilers’ captain Jason Smith and on-again, off-again winger Joffrey Lupul. If there’s one thing to be gleaned from all the sweater-changing†on Broad Street this offseason, it’s that locker room chemistry last season was a bit of a weakpoint.†Another might be: Holgren and Flyers’ management is hell-bent on spending their way out†of it.†
Not to be outspent by a division rival — or anyone, for that matter — Rangers’†fantasy league GM Glen Sather ponied up a combined $85 million on Sunday for a pair of†no. 1.5 centers, Chris Drury†and Scott Gomez. Drury has†70 goals his past two seasons, and as such perhaps is signaling himself a legit 30-goal guy (at least on 110-pt. Sabre clubs), but in six of his eight seasons†he scored†fewer than 25. He turns 31 this August. Gomez is coming off a 13-goal campaign in Jersey, and in six of his seven big-league seasons has failed to score 20 goals. So no wonder he earned a $7-million-dollar-a-year deal. At least it can be said that while with the Devils Gomez skated in an offensively restrained system, and now on Broadway, he’ll†enjoy a good deal more†freedom.†Like Briere’s deal in Philly, those for the new Rangers’ centers extend well into next decade.†††††††
Drury and Gomez are terrific hockey players, and†they are†exceptionally wealthy now. But they also appear to be very similar to the caliber of players whose July contracts drove the NHL into financial panic a mere three years ago.
Pittsburgh apparently believes†that†its Stanley Cup aspirations require an anti-youth movement: its three most significant roster additions,†beginning with February’s trade deadline and continuing into free agency, are Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora (the decent-but-in-decline one), and Darryl Sydor. ††
I have a difficult time working up any sympathy for Jersey DevilLou, but in just the past couple of years he’s watched the likes of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Petr Sykora, and Scott Gomez walk away, uncompensated for. He’s got a brand new building to fill showcasing hockey that this morning appears, if possible, even more boring than†that of the past six or seven years. †
But to the extent we should feel any sympathy for any other Eastern conference rival (and I’m not suggesting we should), take a look at the roadkill carcass on Long Island. Gone are Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Jason Blake, Viktor Kozlov, and (mercifully) Alexei Yashin. Team Wang did add Jon Sim. (That’s no doubt got the phones of the†Isles’ sales staff buzzing.)†Remember last summer when UFA signee Brendan Witt talked of something special being built on Long Island? It’s†not a long overdue replacement for Nassau†Mausoleum, and it’s sure not a postseason hockey club in ’07-’08. †
Meanwhile, things sure are acquisition-quiet in the Northeast, which certainly is better than being the road pickings on the Isle. For weeks all I heard among the ‘Net chatter was how Bob Gainey and Montreal were posied to make a big overhaul of a middling roster. That may still happen, buit it’ll take†trades to achieve it — the high-end free agent movement passed them by unacted-upon.†Free agent “Bridesmaids” is the operative word out of Montreal early this week. Gainey lost the game’s most fearsome point presence in Sheldon Souray and late this afternoon replaced him with Roman Hamrlik. Downgrade. ††
The Leafs, like the Habs, were forecast to be offseason roster movers and shakers. They came out of the gate Sunday and signed Jason Blake. His 40 goals last season were a breakthrough. Or a Brady Anderson flash-in-the-pan.†He turns 34 this September.
The Bs missed the playoffs and have also sat still. Ottawa is in the best shape of anybody in the Northeast, having drafted so well at the top, middle, and late in drafts, up front and on the blueline. Still, late Monday it appeared as if the Eastern champs were slated to lose quality blueliner Tom Preissing. The Sens have been picked at†the past two summers†by†free agency and are now joined by Buffalo as victims of their standings success.††
If the Islanders have a rival in roster-gutting, it’s Buffalo. Last season the Sabres were lauded for their four-line depth. They’ll need†emergency reserves†in ’07-’08, cause they’ve lost 150 points down the middle. Sad, isn’t it?
The Southeast has, I think, showcased only one headline player in free agency thus far, and that’s who it needed to be: we in D.C. †