I have truly neglected my writing lately, or had far to much last semester work, but either way hopefully this will be the start of some regular use again.leave your picks in the comments or at least click them in for the poll.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Vancouver vs #8 Chicago
Vancouver comes into the match-up after winning the presidents trophy as number one in the NHL. Despite falling to the Hawks the last two years in the second round the Canucks look poised to switch the trend. Chicago backed into the playoffs on the final day of the season after losing to Detroit at home. Minnesota defeated Dallas later that night sending them home in the Wilds first meaningful game since mid march. I think Luongo finally has a good playoff series while the the offense gets it done for Vancouver even with out Malhotra in the lineup. Ill take Vancouver in 6.
#2 San Jose vs #7 Los Angeles
In the past I would question San Jose's ability to deal with the pressure of being one of the top teams in the West. Previously they have finished the regular season strong then fizzled out as soon as the pressure games roll around. This year they seem to have shaken off the pressure, no one is asking if they can win. No matter the reason its weight off the back of the Sharks. They quietly have one of the top offenses in the league while their solid defense and Antti Niemi continues to play like a top tier goalie after winning the cup with Chicago last year. Los Angeles has a solid team in front of Jonathan Quick. However, the loss of Kopitar will be fatal for the Kings. Their firepower doesn't match-up with the Kings, nor does their defense. Ill take the Sharks in 6 but thats on the high end, 5 wouldn't surprise me.
Pick: San Jose in 6
#3 Detroit vs #6 Phoenix
This was the hardest series for me to pick and I can still see it going either way. Detroit comes into the playoffs as one of the two teams playing sub .500 hockey in their last ten games. They are loaded with experience though, many members still on the team from their championship in 2008. The down side to picking the Wings for me are the injuries and Howard in goal. Despite having a ring in his collection I am still not a believer in Howard, he is far to streaky and the Detroit offense is not what it once was. Zetterberg will miss at least game one if not more into the series, leaving Detroit without their leading scorer, one reason they struggled down the stretch. The Coyotes offer a very enticing pick for the upset. Led in goal by Ilya Bryzgalov Phoenix will be in just about every game defensively. The question for them is how do they get the wins. Shane Doan and Keith Yandle offer the offense for their team, problem being Yandle is a defenseman. Their experience against the Wings last year will help as will a strong home ice advantage as Glendale will be out in full force to keep their team in town. As hard as it is not to pick the upset ill take the Wings in 7.
#4 Anaheim vs #5 Nashville
This match-up should be the closest on a game to game basis. Both teams have separate strengths, Nashville relying on goaltending while Anaheim relies on the Getzlaf-Perry-Ryan line. Anaheim will be starting the series with Dan Ellis in net, he was wearing a Nashville jersey at this point last year, while Hiller and Emery recover from injuries. Nashville had only two players get to 50 points, Erat and Kostitsyn, and they will rely on them to score goals. The most I see Rinne shutting down Anaheim's top line for is one game, Ellis will play well enough to win. Ill take the Ducks in 5 games.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
#1 Washington vs #8 New York
Washington to me right now is the San Jose of previous years. They play extremely well in the regular season then falter in the playoffs. This season though they changed their philosophy from all offense to a more balanced attack, still leading them to the top spot in the east. If it was not for the injury to Callahan I would have picked the Rangers in this series since I like their match-up in most cases. In goal Lundqvist is the clear favorite over the Capitals rookie Neuvrith. The Rangers offense also offered an excellent match-up before Callahan went down, he was previously their second leading goal scorer. The Rangers were also a team that had to hope for their playoff chances, benefiting from the Hurricanes loss on the next to last day of the year to get into the playoffs. I think the Caps will be just good enough to get by in this series in 7 but watch out if the Rangers can steal game one, MSG would be a scary place to play for the Caps.
#2 Philadelphia vs #7 Buffalo
This game was the one that tore me the most because we all know how I feel about the Sabres and their bandwagon fans in Brockport. However, I cannot deny that they are the hottest team in the playoffs at 8-1-1 in their last ten and the Flyers are the coldest at 3-4-3. I have a hard time believing that the Flyers will just find their game since its the playoffs, especially if Pronger is out for any length of time. The Sabres may be young but have enough to figure out how to win the last half of the season. Miller will be the key to the series though since the Flyers will get their chances at times. If he can play as well as he has in the past playoffs ill take the Sabres in 6.
#3 Boston vs #6 Montreal
The Bruins and Canadians will play the most intense series of the first round. All of the Chara drama will appear when the series moves to Montreal but until then I think the Bruins will out work Montreal. Boston has what seems to me to be one of the most balanced teams in the league, Thomas in goal with his league leading numbers, Chara and Co on defense, and scorers like Krejki, Lucic, and Bergeron. Montreal matches up well with Price in net and Plekanek, Cammalleri, and Gionta up front. I think Boston wins the series, with help from their home ice advantage, in 7 games.
#4 Pittsburgh vs #5 Tampa Bay
Another series that should be tight all the way through. The Penguins have found a new identity since the loss of Crosby and Malkin. They have become one of the harder working teams in the league, ideal for playoff hockey. They have the "possibility" of getting Crosby back in the playoffs, as soon as this series as late as the potential finals, but regardless his return would light a spark. I would have to guess that the locker room is buzzing too with the mantra of lets keep its alive for Sid. They will need Fleury to play well to do so, but he has been excellent since the all-star break so it will be expected. Tampa brings a high powered offense to the match-up, featuring Stamkos and St. Louis, two near 100 point players, and Lecavalier. If Roloson can stand on his head and steal a game that the Lightning don't deserve to win then Tampa wins it but my guess is Penguins in 7.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Average is no Longer Acceptable
The short month of February started off very nice and ended with more mediocrity for the Minnesota Wild. They have had a few chances to separate themselves from the teams that they are in direct completion with but on more than one occasion have failed to do so. With this the month closed out with the Wild sitting in 9th place in the west, still four points away from the number four seed and four points away from the number 12 seed. The problem with this is that they are only one position above where they entered the month; they were sitting in tenth just four points away from the number four seed. Doing the same as the rest of the average teams in the west will not cut it in the last two months of this season. The Wild need to take control of their own destiny now, not wait for someone to let them into the playoffs. They can start that this week against three Eastern Conference opponents, teams that do not have much experience playing the Wild. This month I have decided to take a good news bad news approach to review what happened so here we go.
Good News: An 8-5-1 record has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot. They started the month 5-1 moving up as high as fifth in the standings, only to close out the month 3-4-1 and return to their original starting position.
Bad News: Mikko Koivu broke a finger and is expected to be out a while. The only positive is that he is expected to return by the end of the season, this could go either way though, how good is a center with a broken finger? In the case of Mikko and the Wild, I'll guess that he will still be a number one center even if he has to wear a splint on it.
Good News: Brent Burns scored his 16th goal of the season last night, setting a career high for himself as well as a franchise single season record for a defenseman.
Bad News: The Wild played 5 games against the teams that are currently above them by 4 points or less, they went 1-4 in those games. The only team they played that is four points or less below them is Anaheim, who they beat twice this month but once in a shootout, causing them to only take a one point edge from the game.
Good News: Marty Havlat found a groove during the month and is now at 54 points for the season, showing us glimpses of why we go him a few years ago.
Bad News: Mikko is still number two on the team in points with a ten point margin even with his injury, Burns is number 3 as a defenseman, and the scoring binge that Clutterbuck was on has seemingly ended. We need someone besides Havlat to score goals, and someone to step up until Koivu returns to the lineup.
Good News: The Wild play three more of the pivotal games against those teams within four points of them either way again this month. This gives them a chance to strengthen their position before the final month of the season. The Wild also play four games again the bottom three teams in the Western Conference. Although these games are not "gimmies" they are must wins if the Wild want to make the playoffs.
I'm Not Sure News: I haven't decided yet how I feel about the Wild standing still at the trade deadline. I like the confidence in the current lineup, but I would have liked to see a trade made to bring in a big guy or another center to fill in for Mikko. There wasn't a whole lot available and based on what the Kings gave up to get Penner from the Oilers ill stick with what we have and the future. Only time will tell what we should have done, maybe this will be the right decision in the long and short run.
Other I'm Not Sure News: Living in the center of New York I often hear about how strong the east is, as it was mentioned on Yahoo! a few weeks ago that the middle of the west is "terrible." The Wild have a chance to prove everyone wrong, or right, this month. They play four games against teams from the east that are looking to gain or improve a playoff spot, as well as one against the Islanders who have been playing their best hockey of the year so far.
March will finally be that make or break month for the Wild. They still have 5 games left in April but if they do not have a good month they will no longer be in contention. I think they have a possibility to escape with just four losses if they can find their game before they come to New York tomorrow. Hopefully we will see the return of Mikko within the first few weeks and the resurgence of the special teams play that has been crucial in the wins this year. I would like nothing more than to see the Wild sitting in a playoff spot when the month ends ready to lock it up before April even begins.
Good News: An 8-5-1 record has kept them in the hunt for a playoff spot. They started the month 5-1 moving up as high as fifth in the standings, only to close out the month 3-4-1 and return to their original starting position.
Bad News: Mikko Koivu broke a finger and is expected to be out a while. The only positive is that he is expected to return by the end of the season, this could go either way though, how good is a center with a broken finger? In the case of Mikko and the Wild, I'll guess that he will still be a number one center even if he has to wear a splint on it.
Good News: Brent Burns scored his 16th goal of the season last night, setting a career high for himself as well as a franchise single season record for a defenseman.
Bad News: The Wild played 5 games against the teams that are currently above them by 4 points or less, they went 1-4 in those games. The only team they played that is four points or less below them is Anaheim, who they beat twice this month but once in a shootout, causing them to only take a one point edge from the game.
Good News: Marty Havlat found a groove during the month and is now at 54 points for the season, showing us glimpses of why we go him a few years ago.
Bad News: Mikko is still number two on the team in points with a ten point margin even with his injury, Burns is number 3 as a defenseman, and the scoring binge that Clutterbuck was on has seemingly ended. We need someone besides Havlat to score goals, and someone to step up until Koivu returns to the lineup.
Good News: The Wild play three more of the pivotal games against those teams within four points of them either way again this month. This gives them a chance to strengthen their position before the final month of the season. The Wild also play four games again the bottom three teams in the Western Conference. Although these games are not "gimmies" they are must wins if the Wild want to make the playoffs.
I'm Not Sure News: I haven't decided yet how I feel about the Wild standing still at the trade deadline. I like the confidence in the current lineup, but I would have liked to see a trade made to bring in a big guy or another center to fill in for Mikko. There wasn't a whole lot available and based on what the Kings gave up to get Penner from the Oilers ill stick with what we have and the future. Only time will tell what we should have done, maybe this will be the right decision in the long and short run.
Other I'm Not Sure News: Living in the center of New York I often hear about how strong the east is, as it was mentioned on Yahoo! a few weeks ago that the middle of the west is "terrible." The Wild have a chance to prove everyone wrong, or right, this month. They play four games against teams from the east that are looking to gain or improve a playoff spot, as well as one against the Islanders who have been playing their best hockey of the year so far.
March will finally be that make or break month for the Wild. They still have 5 games left in April but if they do not have a good month they will no longer be in contention. I think they have a possibility to escape with just four losses if they can find their game before they come to New York tomorrow. Hopefully we will see the return of Mikko within the first few weeks and the resurgence of the special teams play that has been crucial in the wins this year. I would like nothing more than to see the Wild sitting in a playoff spot when the month ends ready to lock it up before April even begins.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The future has been seen, and other tidbits from the big upset
The spring semester of Brockport hockey has been a successful one, even though the Eagles have been eliminated from the playoffs. Since January 7th they have put together a 3-4-2 record which, in most instances would not be all that impressive. However, when you consider the fact that prior to that date the Eagles were 1-12-1 in the fall semester, I call that progress.
The corner was turned with the two intersession wins over WNEC. These two wins occured just three games after the first win of the season as well as two tight match-ups with powerhouses Hobart and Neumann.The first official games of the semester were during the road trip up north, a trip that isn't easy even when your team is on a roll. Once the Eagles returned home to Tuttle North things began to pick up even more. The first game back was a match-up against a red hot Morrisville team, despite losing the game the team showed the firepower that we have been waiting to see all year. They buried six goals against one of the better goaltenders in the SUNYAC. The following night, at the Saves for a Cure game, the Eagles played a different style of hockey, shutting down Neumann and holding them to a 2-2 tie. I still have doubts about a no goal call in this game however it is over and nothing can be done about it now.
As a result of the leagues decision to suspend James Cody for two games for his beautiful hit on Matzel, the Eagles were without him for the match-ups against Buff State and Fredonia. The energy was lacking in the first game against Buff State, which resulted in a 4-1 loss. The next night though, they came ready to play against an always tough Fredonia squad. Freshman Joey Reagan stood on his head to make 47 saves, including 20 in the third period. Fellow freshman Brendan Rothfuss and Sean Wallace got the two goals for the Eagles and they stole an important point from Fredonia with the 2-2 tie.
This brings us to last nights game of the year for the Golden Eagles. They went into Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena to take on bitter rival Geneseo. The rivalry didn't stay to the ice though as our group of Eagles Nest Crazies, about 10 of us, had to deal with their fans all night. This included a fan from their student section who stole one of our signs and attempted to change its meaning, with the help of the rink staff he ungratefully returned it and was escorted from the arena. Another fan stood behind us and used plenty of profanities to get his point across that we were a "safety school" in his eyes.
The actual game was outstanding, junior Oliver Wren matched Reagan's performance from the Fredonia game with a 41 save showing of his own. Scoring in the game came from all over the place for the Eagles, senior Justin Noble got the first Brockport goal 1:16 into the second period on a breakaway after a Geneseo shot was blocked and bounced out into the neutral zone. Later in the period junior James Cody got a short handed goal, you could feel this one coming. The penalty kill team had kept the puck in the Geneseo zone for a while and eventually the hard work of Cody paid off as he ripped one past the Geneseo goalie Rubeniuk. Senior Chris Berardini got what turned out to be the game winning goal on a shot from the outside 9:40 into the third period.
The officiating in this game was probably among the worst that I have ever seen. In the first period a Brockport player was slashed hard enough that it broke his stick, yet no call was made. There were several knee on knee hit throughout the game on both sides that were not called as well. In the third period Brett Jendra was going hard to the net and was hit by the Geneseo defenseman into the goalie. Once he got up Rubeniuk landed at least 5 visible punches to the back of Jendra's head resulting in a scrum around the net. Somehow the call ended up being; Jendra two minutes for charging, Rubeniuk two minutes for roughing and then one player for each side got matching roughing penalties. The calls that were made were even more questionable; Noble received a ten minute misconduct for something he said to the official. I have no doubt something was said but after playing hockey for 20 years I have come to realize that something over the top has to be said to receive a ten minute misconduct.
I have yet to decide what the biggest botched call was yet in this game. The first nominee is the second Geneseo "goal," play was to the right of Ollie right near the net, the post was knocked out of position but the peg stayed in, lifting the net close to two inches off the ice. The puck was pushed under the goal and ruled a goal. This coming despite the fact that the Geneseo student running the goal light was shaking his head no and everyone could see it. The rink staff that escorted us after the game even admitted to us that the puck went under the net, they were standing at ice level when it happened. The end result of this seemed to favor Brockport though, they came out fired up for the next faceoff, Luckily the call didn't cost the Eagles the game, it would have been a terrible solution to a great game. The other nominee actually benefited Brockport, with about 40 seconds to go in the third the teams had lined up for the faceoff however Geneseo had seven players instead of six (they had their goalie pulled). The official dropped the puck and the back official immediately blew the play dead, I assumed to reset the faceoff with the correct number of players. He however, called a penalty on Geneseo for too many men on the ice. Unless the rule has changed since I played the official is responsible to correct this before the drop of the puck and at most should have been called delay of game, if a warning had already been given. Regardless the Ice Knights went a man down and more importantly the faceoff went into their zone as a result of the penalty. The Eagles killed off the rest of the time and upset the number six team in the nation!
I love attending games at Ira, the atmosphere is awesome. The pep band does an excellent job of knowing what to play and when, and they have a few hard core fans of their own that try to get the crowd of 2000+ going. Last night was no exception, though coming out of there with a win in such a situation was awesome, and hopefully will carry on for a long time.
The corner was turned with the two intersession wins over WNEC. These two wins occured just three games after the first win of the season as well as two tight match-ups with powerhouses Hobart and Neumann.The first official games of the semester were during the road trip up north, a trip that isn't easy even when your team is on a roll. Once the Eagles returned home to Tuttle North things began to pick up even more. The first game back was a match-up against a red hot Morrisville team, despite losing the game the team showed the firepower that we have been waiting to see all year. They buried six goals against one of the better goaltenders in the SUNYAC. The following night, at the Saves for a Cure game, the Eagles played a different style of hockey, shutting down Neumann and holding them to a 2-2 tie. I still have doubts about a no goal call in this game however it is over and nothing can be done about it now.
As a result of the leagues decision to suspend James Cody for two games for his beautiful hit on Matzel, the Eagles were without him for the match-ups against Buff State and Fredonia. The energy was lacking in the first game against Buff State, which resulted in a 4-1 loss. The next night though, they came ready to play against an always tough Fredonia squad. Freshman Joey Reagan stood on his head to make 47 saves, including 20 in the third period. Fellow freshman Brendan Rothfuss and Sean Wallace got the two goals for the Eagles and they stole an important point from Fredonia with the 2-2 tie.
This brings us to last nights game of the year for the Golden Eagles. They went into Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena to take on bitter rival Geneseo. The rivalry didn't stay to the ice though as our group of Eagles Nest Crazies, about 10 of us, had to deal with their fans all night. This included a fan from their student section who stole one of our signs and attempted to change its meaning, with the help of the rink staff he ungratefully returned it and was escorted from the arena. Another fan stood behind us and used plenty of profanities to get his point across that we were a "safety school" in his eyes.
The actual game was outstanding, junior Oliver Wren matched Reagan's performance from the Fredonia game with a 41 save showing of his own. Scoring in the game came from all over the place for the Eagles, senior Justin Noble got the first Brockport goal 1:16 into the second period on a breakaway after a Geneseo shot was blocked and bounced out into the neutral zone. Later in the period junior James Cody got a short handed goal, you could feel this one coming. The penalty kill team had kept the puck in the Geneseo zone for a while and eventually the hard work of Cody paid off as he ripped one past the Geneseo goalie Rubeniuk. Senior Chris Berardini got what turned out to be the game winning goal on a shot from the outside 9:40 into the third period.
The officiating in this game was probably among the worst that I have ever seen. In the first period a Brockport player was slashed hard enough that it broke his stick, yet no call was made. There were several knee on knee hit throughout the game on both sides that were not called as well. In the third period Brett Jendra was going hard to the net and was hit by the Geneseo defenseman into the goalie. Once he got up Rubeniuk landed at least 5 visible punches to the back of Jendra's head resulting in a scrum around the net. Somehow the call ended up being; Jendra two minutes for charging, Rubeniuk two minutes for roughing and then one player for each side got matching roughing penalties. The calls that were made were even more questionable; Noble received a ten minute misconduct for something he said to the official. I have no doubt something was said but after playing hockey for 20 years I have come to realize that something over the top has to be said to receive a ten minute misconduct.
I have yet to decide what the biggest botched call was yet in this game. The first nominee is the second Geneseo "goal," play was to the right of Ollie right near the net, the post was knocked out of position but the peg stayed in, lifting the net close to two inches off the ice. The puck was pushed under the goal and ruled a goal. This coming despite the fact that the Geneseo student running the goal light was shaking his head no and everyone could see it. The rink staff that escorted us after the game even admitted to us that the puck went under the net, they were standing at ice level when it happened. The end result of this seemed to favor Brockport though, they came out fired up for the next faceoff, Luckily the call didn't cost the Eagles the game, it would have been a terrible solution to a great game. The other nominee actually benefited Brockport, with about 40 seconds to go in the third the teams had lined up for the faceoff however Geneseo had seven players instead of six (they had their goalie pulled). The official dropped the puck and the back official immediately blew the play dead, I assumed to reset the faceoff with the correct number of players. He however, called a penalty on Geneseo for too many men on the ice. Unless the rule has changed since I played the official is responsible to correct this before the drop of the puck and at most should have been called delay of game, if a warning had already been given. Regardless the Ice Knights went a man down and more importantly the faceoff went into their zone as a result of the penalty. The Eagles killed off the rest of the time and upset the number six team in the nation!
I love attending games at Ira, the atmosphere is awesome. The pep band does an excellent job of knowing what to play and when, and they have a few hard core fans of their own that try to get the crowd of 2000+ going. Last night was no exception, though coming out of there with a win in such a situation was awesome, and hopefully will carry on for a long time.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Up and Down We Go, the Wild’s Path to the NHL Playoffs
The New Year has pumped some life into fans such as myself, as well at the chances at a playoff spot for the Minnesota Wild. During the month of January, the Wild went on both a three and four game winning streak while closing out the month with a win. The problem occurred between the two winning streaks where the Wild dropped three games in a row. Despite that streak the month was a success, an 8-4 record helped to propel the Wild from thirteenth place in the west to tenth. The Wild sit just 5 points out of fourth place with at least a game to play on each team above them. On the same note the Wild cannot fall back to old habits, they are only four points away from falling back into fourteenth place, ahead of only the Oilers. Vancouver has remained out in front in both the Western Conference and the Northwest division compiling 71 points with a 4-2-4 record in their last ten.
In terms of the wins and losses I would have preferred the losing streak to have happened against the Eastern Conference part of the January schedule but the Wild did go 3-1 on the month against the teams in their division. The most notable stretch in January was the three game winning streak against the division opponents, the Wild seemed to find their offensive power which in turn tuned up the defense. Rookie goaltender, Anton Khudobin, strung together two excellent performances; shutting out Vancouver while making 32 saves and holding Edmonton to just one goal on 31 shots. The following night Niklas Backstrom returned between the pipes and answered the performance by Khudobin with a shutout of his own. During the winning streak the Wild provided their goalies with 14 goals of support, one of the strongest performances of the season so far.
The balance of the offense has been shifted a bit as well; I would not be surprised at all if the Wild have one of the most balanced stat books in the league. Four players currently are tied for the team lead in goals with 14; Martin Havlat, whose groove lately found him an all star spot, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, and Cal Clutterbuck. Havlat and Koivu are supposed to score goals but Burns is a defenseman and Clutterbuck is the definition of a grinder. Andrew Brunette currently has 12 goals and Matt Cullen has added 10 of his own, making both players capable of joining the list of leaders on any night. The overall points lead is a bit more spread out, Havlat and Koivu are the only two players with at least 40 points with 44 and 43 respectively while Cullen and Burns are the only two in the thirties with 31 a piece.
The month of February will be a true test for the Wild, while they only have four games against division opponents they play 13 games against teams that will also be trying to move into and or improve their playoff position. Matchups include two of the three current division leaders and three games against teams who currently tied for the final playoff spot in the West (positions 7, 8, and 9). Time will tell if another month similar to last month's 8-4 record will result in more positive movement or a neutral wash but either way if the Wild can find a way to repeat that success the beginning of March will hold a lot of promise.
The other big event in January was the all-star game, which ended up including two Wild players; Martin Havlat and Brent Burns. Both players were on Team Lidstrom, who won the game 11-10. Havlat picked up three assists despite being a -1 rating overall, Burns added an assist of his own while being a -2. Congratulations again to both of these players on their selections as well as to all who were involved with the game.
Tonight is also a big night in Minnesota hockey world as Andrew Brunette(Bruno) will take the ice for his 1,000th NHL game. Tonight's game against the Kings will be number 457 for Bruno in a Wild uniform.
Brunette is the team's second all time leading scorer with 303 points, trailing only Marian Gaborik in that category. Congratulations to you as well Bruno and may you have many more games left, preferably in the Wild uniform.
In terms of the wins and losses I would have preferred the losing streak to have happened against the Eastern Conference part of the January schedule but the Wild did go 3-1 on the month against the teams in their division. The most notable stretch in January was the three game winning streak against the division opponents, the Wild seemed to find their offensive power which in turn tuned up the defense. Rookie goaltender, Anton Khudobin, strung together two excellent performances; shutting out Vancouver while making 32 saves and holding Edmonton to just one goal on 31 shots. The following night Niklas Backstrom returned between the pipes and answered the performance by Khudobin with a shutout of his own. During the winning streak the Wild provided their goalies with 14 goals of support, one of the strongest performances of the season so far.
The balance of the offense has been shifted a bit as well; I would not be surprised at all if the Wild have one of the most balanced stat books in the league. Four players currently are tied for the team lead in goals with 14; Martin Havlat, whose groove lately found him an all star spot, Mikko Koivu, Brent Burns, and Cal Clutterbuck. Havlat and Koivu are supposed to score goals but Burns is a defenseman and Clutterbuck is the definition of a grinder. Andrew Brunette currently has 12 goals and Matt Cullen has added 10 of his own, making both players capable of joining the list of leaders on any night. The overall points lead is a bit more spread out, Havlat and Koivu are the only two players with at least 40 points with 44 and 43 respectively while Cullen and Burns are the only two in the thirties with 31 a piece.
The month of February will be a true test for the Wild, while they only have four games against division opponents they play 13 games against teams that will also be trying to move into and or improve their playoff position. Matchups include two of the three current division leaders and three games against teams who currently tied for the final playoff spot in the West (positions 7, 8, and 9). Time will tell if another month similar to last month's 8-4 record will result in more positive movement or a neutral wash but either way if the Wild can find a way to repeat that success the beginning of March will hold a lot of promise.
The other big event in January was the all-star game, which ended up including two Wild players; Martin Havlat and Brent Burns. Both players were on Team Lidstrom, who won the game 11-10. Havlat picked up three assists despite being a -1 rating overall, Burns added an assist of his own while being a -2. Congratulations again to both of these players on their selections as well as to all who were involved with the game.
Tonight is also a big night in Minnesota hockey world as Andrew Brunette(Bruno) will take the ice for his 1,000th NHL game. Tonight's game against the Kings will be number 457 for Bruno in a Wild uniform.
Brunette is the team's second all time leading scorer with 303 points, trailing only Marian Gaborik in that category. Congratulations to you as well Bruno and may you have many more games left, preferably in the Wild uniform.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Burns to represent Wild in NC
Brent Burns was the lone Minnesota Wild player to be selected for the All-Star game in Raleigh, North Carolina. The draft for the game will take place on the 28th at 8pm, the skills competition on the 29th at 7pm, and the game will take place on the 30th at 4 pm.
Burns led the Wild in points for most of the season before Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu found their grove, they lead the team with 38 and 36 points respectively. Burns is still in third on the team in points with 12 goals and 14 assists, second in goals behind only Cal Clutterbuck.
In other news related to the blog, former Rochester American and current Florida Panthers player Evgeny Dadonov will represent Florida in the Super Skills competition. Dadonov has 10 points in just 14games this season for the Panthers while adding 16 points in 24 games for the Amerks.
Michal Repik and Clay Wilson will be representing the Americans for the Western Conference All-Star team in the AHL All-Star game on January 31st at 7pm. The AHL skill competition will be held on Sunday January 30th at 3pm. Repik led all Amerks scorers in the first half of the season with 35 points, good for 12th in the AHL while Wilson has been a presence at the point, piling up 27 points. Athletic Trainer Kent Weisbeck will also be representing the Amerks.
Burns led the Wild in points for most of the season before Martin Havlat and Mikko Koivu found their grove, they lead the team with 38 and 36 points respectively. Burns is still in third on the team in points with 12 goals and 14 assists, second in goals behind only Cal Clutterbuck.
In other news related to the blog, former Rochester American and current Florida Panthers player Evgeny Dadonov will represent Florida in the Super Skills competition. Dadonov has 10 points in just 14games this season for the Panthers while adding 16 points in 24 games for the Amerks.
Michal Repik and Clay Wilson will be representing the Americans for the Western Conference All-Star team in the AHL All-Star game on January 31st at 7pm. The AHL skill competition will be held on Sunday January 30th at 3pm. Repik led all Amerks scorers in the first half of the season with 35 points, good for 12th in the AHL while Wilson has been a presence at the point, piling up 27 points. Athletic Trainer Kent Weisbeck will also be representing the Amerks.
A look ahead to the 2011 Iowa Hawkeyes - The Offense
Departing for Graduation:
Ricky Stanzi - A three year starter at quarterback that led the Hawkeyes to three bowl wins in the last three years will be the biggest loss for the Hawkeyes. The assumed starter next year will be Junior James Vandenberg though recruits and other underclassmen will get an opportunity to compete.
Colin Sandeman - Not a key reciever but one of many wideouts to leave the team this year. His 21 receptions should not however be a problem to replace.
Maki O'Meara - One of the most injury prone players on the Hawkeyes roster but his veteran leadership will be missed in the huddle and locker room.
Paul Chaney, Jr. - His name always seemed to come up when the Hawks were on tv but he was unable to match the production of his freshman year. His stats will not be hard to make up but another veteran player whose presence will be harder to replace.
Brett Morse - A full back who didn't get many touches but played solid when called upon, usually as a blocker.
Julian Vandervelde - One of two starting offensive lineman who will need to be replaced, a veteran player who had the most experience.
Josh Koeppel - The other lineman that will need to be replaced, not a name that you would hear every game but neutral is better then hearing missed blocks.
Allen Reisner - The replacement to Tony Moeaki filled in nicely in his senior year. He doubled his previous high for yards in a season and tripled his previous high for receptions.
Don Nordmann - Four career receptions
Nick Kuchel - No stats available
Kyle Haganman - No stats available
Ben Evans - No stats available
Joe Audlehelm - No stats available
Departing for Other Reasons:
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos - suspended from the team after his house was busted as a drug house. since it was his senior year the only difference was the bowl game but his record setting performances will be missed.
Adam Robinson - Arrested for possession of marijuana while the rest of the team was preparing for the bowl game and subsequently removed from the team. He was part of the record setting freshman tandem last season and will be missed this season.
Jewell Hampton - The other half of the former freshman tandem, he recorded 500 yards and 7 touchdowns while splitting time that year. This year he was injured in week two and decided to transfer prior to the Bowl game. He will also be missed as the Hawks will rely on young backs once again this season.
Returners:
From the bowl game lineup against Missouri many of the players will be returning for next season.
QB:
Backup - James Vandenberg
RB:
Marcus Coker - A freshman back who had a very impressive debut in the Insight Bowl. Hopefully he can continue that effort as the season goes on.
WR:
Marvin McNutt - One of the most exciting players to watch on the offensive side of the ball. A former quarterback has thrived since moving to wide receiver and became one of Stanzi's favorite targets. He will be one of the main receivers for whoever takes over in the backfield next year.
Keenan Davis - Only a sophomore with eleven receptions on the year but will be one of the most experienced receivers in what seems to be a core that never stays around to develop.
TE:
Backup - Brad Herman - A junior with the same build as the guy he is replacing. He had 9 receptions for 154 yards this year and will be called upon a lot in 2011.
OL:
Riley Reiff
Markus Zusevics
James Ferentz
Backups:
Brett Van Sloten
Adam Gettis
Nolan MacMillan
Conor Boffeli
The Conclusion:
The Hawks offense should be in good shape by the time spring rolls around. Even though they are losing some major components of the offense, the core of their line will still be there. The line will key the season with inexperience being the theme early in the year. The major question will be how well the new quarterback fills in for the loss of Ricky Stanzi. The running game should be solid as it always is under coach Ferentz as long as it is not the only dimension that the Hawkeyes have.
Thank you to this years seniors and good luck to all of you in your careers no matter which way they take you. Thank you for all you have done for Iowa Football...GO HAWKS!
Ricky Stanzi - A three year starter at quarterback that led the Hawkeyes to three bowl wins in the last three years will be the biggest loss for the Hawkeyes. The assumed starter next year will be Junior James Vandenberg though recruits and other underclassmen will get an opportunity to compete.
Colin Sandeman - Not a key reciever but one of many wideouts to leave the team this year. His 21 receptions should not however be a problem to replace.
Maki O'Meara - One of the most injury prone players on the Hawkeyes roster but his veteran leadership will be missed in the huddle and locker room.
Paul Chaney, Jr. - His name always seemed to come up when the Hawks were on tv but he was unable to match the production of his freshman year. His stats will not be hard to make up but another veteran player whose presence will be harder to replace.
Brett Morse - A full back who didn't get many touches but played solid when called upon, usually as a blocker.
Julian Vandervelde - One of two starting offensive lineman who will need to be replaced, a veteran player who had the most experience.
Josh Koeppel - The other lineman that will need to be replaced, not a name that you would hear every game but neutral is better then hearing missed blocks.
Allen Reisner - The replacement to Tony Moeaki filled in nicely in his senior year. He doubled his previous high for yards in a season and tripled his previous high for receptions.
Don Nordmann - Four career receptions
Nick Kuchel - No stats available
Kyle Haganman - No stats available
Ben Evans - No stats available
Joe Audlehelm - No stats available
Departing for Other Reasons:
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos - suspended from the team after his house was busted as a drug house. since it was his senior year the only difference was the bowl game but his record setting performances will be missed.
Adam Robinson - Arrested for possession of marijuana while the rest of the team was preparing for the bowl game and subsequently removed from the team. He was part of the record setting freshman tandem last season and will be missed this season.
Jewell Hampton - The other half of the former freshman tandem, he recorded 500 yards and 7 touchdowns while splitting time that year. This year he was injured in week two and decided to transfer prior to the Bowl game. He will also be missed as the Hawks will rely on young backs once again this season.
Returners:
From the bowl game lineup against Missouri many of the players will be returning for next season.
QB:
Backup - James Vandenberg
RB:
Marcus Coker - A freshman back who had a very impressive debut in the Insight Bowl. Hopefully he can continue that effort as the season goes on.
WR:
Marvin McNutt - One of the most exciting players to watch on the offensive side of the ball. A former quarterback has thrived since moving to wide receiver and became one of Stanzi's favorite targets. He will be one of the main receivers for whoever takes over in the backfield next year.
Keenan Davis - Only a sophomore with eleven receptions on the year but will be one of the most experienced receivers in what seems to be a core that never stays around to develop.
TE:
Backup - Brad Herman - A junior with the same build as the guy he is replacing. He had 9 receptions for 154 yards this year and will be called upon a lot in 2011.
OL:
Riley Reiff
Markus Zusevics
James Ferentz
Backups:
Brett Van Sloten
Adam Gettis
Nolan MacMillan
Conor Boffeli
The Conclusion:
The Hawks offense should be in good shape by the time spring rolls around. Even though they are losing some major components of the offense, the core of their line will still be there. The line will key the season with inexperience being the theme early in the year. The major question will be how well the new quarterback fills in for the loss of Ricky Stanzi. The running game should be solid as it always is under coach Ferentz as long as it is not the only dimension that the Hawkeyes have.
Thank you to this years seniors and good luck to all of you in your careers no matter which way they take you. Thank you for all you have done for Iowa Football...GO HAWKS!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
More of the Same
For the third month in a row, the Wild failed to break out of the ordinary. The gained points in nine of their fifteen games this month but only picked up six wins. The did however win all four of their division games, though three of them were against Calgary who is currently above only Edmonton in the Western Conference.
The Wild got a good feel for where they fit in to the rest of the conference as well. They played four games against the top five teams in the west. In these games they only picked up one win, against San Jose, and lost in over time to the Stars. The other two games, against Anaheim and Detroit, did not go nearly as well. The Wild seemed to be overpowered as they gave up ten goals in the two games while only scoring three.
As has been the case in the last two months the Wild still sit right where they were at the beginning. Simply based on the standings the Wild are still in good shape continuing toward the playoffs. The only thing that has changed is their shot at winning the division, Vancouver has not lost in regulation in their last thirteen games boosting them to the top of the Western Conference. The Avalanche now trail the Canucks by ten points and the Wild trail them by fourteen points. The bottom of the conference has remained the game however, the Wild are in thirteenth place but still only four points out of sixth place and six points away from fourth. Nothing is out of the question still in terms of the playoff picture for the Wild.
Goal tending was the biggest inconsistency for the Wild this month, Backstrom had a three game winning streak where he allowed only one goal in each game. However he was in net for the losses to Anaheim and Detroit. Theodore was called upon more often then usual however his stats didn't match up. He played in six games and picked up only one win, an overtime win against Los Angeles. For the month his goals against average was just under three and his save percentage was around .900, levels that just aren't going to get it done for the wild as they try to make a push.
January brings about an opportunity for the wild once again, they play only four division games again this month, one against each team in the division. On top of those games they play three games early against some of the top teams in the East. This month will be make or break for the Wild, I think if they can pull into a playoff spot now they will be able to hold on and ride out the rest of the season. If they do not start a move now, working into the playoffs in the last two and a half months would be much more difficult. I'm hoping for the earlier of the two but only time will tell. Until then LETS GO WILD!
The Wild got a good feel for where they fit in to the rest of the conference as well. They played four games against the top five teams in the west. In these games they only picked up one win, against San Jose, and lost in over time to the Stars. The other two games, against Anaheim and Detroit, did not go nearly as well. The Wild seemed to be overpowered as they gave up ten goals in the two games while only scoring three.
As has been the case in the last two months the Wild still sit right where they were at the beginning. Simply based on the standings the Wild are still in good shape continuing toward the playoffs. The only thing that has changed is their shot at winning the division, Vancouver has not lost in regulation in their last thirteen games boosting them to the top of the Western Conference. The Avalanche now trail the Canucks by ten points and the Wild trail them by fourteen points. The bottom of the conference has remained the game however, the Wild are in thirteenth place but still only four points out of sixth place and six points away from fourth. Nothing is out of the question still in terms of the playoff picture for the Wild.
Goal tending was the biggest inconsistency for the Wild this month, Backstrom had a three game winning streak where he allowed only one goal in each game. However he was in net for the losses to Anaheim and Detroit. Theodore was called upon more often then usual however his stats didn't match up. He played in six games and picked up only one win, an overtime win against Los Angeles. For the month his goals against average was just under three and his save percentage was around .900, levels that just aren't going to get it done for the wild as they try to make a push.
January brings about an opportunity for the wild once again, they play only four division games again this month, one against each team in the division. On top of those games they play three games early against some of the top teams in the East. This month will be make or break for the Wild, I think if they can pull into a playoff spot now they will be able to hold on and ride out the rest of the season. If they do not start a move now, working into the playoffs in the last two and a half months would be much more difficult. I'm hoping for the earlier of the two but only time will tell. Until then LETS GO WILD!
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