Lots going on in the NHL in the past few days, lets start in the East.  Flyers are playing well, winning yesterday on home ice with a 4-0 shutout.  Penguins are banged up, and have been all season but still lead the Eastern Conference.  Penguins lose to the Flyers in heartbreaking fashion, the tying goal going off the goal post with no time left, 4-3.  Personally, I was NOT heartbroken, go Flyers!

Montreal was in Ottawa last night and played a disinterested style after coming out of the gate hard.  The Sens were leading 4-1 and were 3:42 from a decisive home win when the roof fell in on them.

It began with an even strength Lars Eller goal, yet it seemed at the time like it might be a garbage goal.  Eller didn’t even smile or react when he scored, breaking a 22 game scoreless streak for him.  Brian Gionta scored a minute later, the Habs pulled Scarey Price and scored with .4 seconds left on a power play goal by David Desharnais to tie the game at four.

The OT goal was anticlimactic, the Sens were apoplectic and the puck was in the nectic.  The fans went crazy and most went home happy.  Very entertaining Hockey Night in Canada game.

Boston Bruins continue to roll, looking like the class of the East with a decisive win over the Hurricanes.  They are so deep, their D is amazing, they have a world class goalie and they have such balanced scoring that they look like Finalists.

Out West, the Blues continue to roll, beating Smashville 4-1, Patrick Berglund netting two goals. Ryan Miller has played great since coming over from the Sabres at the trade deadline, going 6-0-1.  They are loaded, ripe for an upset, lol.

The Wild lose in a shootout to Columbus in a tough, playoff intensity atmosphere.  The BJs are very difficult to play against and their young star Ryan Johansen netted the winner on a disputed goal that was reviewed by Toronto and called good.

The battle for LA supremacy went to the Ducks in a hard fought close, checking game that was notable for a goal waved off.  With the Kings down 2-1, Anze Kopitar streaked down the right wing, putting a shot on net that would find its way into the net.

However, recent addition Marion Gaborik was deemed to be in the crease interfering with G Frederick Anderson.  As is the case so often on this type of uh, infraction, Gaborik was crosschecked into the Ducks goalie, making it a very controversial call.

Kings fans showed their appreciation by littering the ice with debris, and Dour Darryl Sutter was freakin incensed.  Understandably so.

Which leads me to ask the question, has anyone else noticed that the officiating has been laissez faire, inconsistent, let em play or just plain incompetent lately?  Yes its that time of year when the rule book is thrown out the ventana (window in Cali), leading up to the playoffs.   Any comments from my vast audience?  Love to hear from ya.

Sharks beat the Ranguhs 1-0 on a splendid performance from the Anti Niemi, on whom I had given up about three weeks ago.  Since the Sharks backup goalie Alex Stalock has been playing and winning,  Niemi appears inspired to remember how good he is.  41 saves today and Logan Couture with the only goal of the game.

I’ll wrap up the wrap up by saying what the hell is wrong with the Hawks?  Fallen to third place in the Central,  playing their hated rival the Detroit Dead Things…

Sharks celebrate Joe Thornton’s winning goal in the third period against the Penguins.

San Jose used a three goal third period to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday 5-3.  Trailing 2-0 entering the second period at the Tank, Raffi Torres energized the crowd and his Shark teammates by doing what he does best: making opponents nervous with his reckless style of hitting.

It turned out to be infectious as all the Sharks turned it up and pounded the Penguins immercifully, creating turnovers and odd man rushes that led to a shortie by Patrick Marleau, Brett Burns scoring twice and Big Joe Thornton scoring the winning goal on a Muhammad Ali floater from the blue line that beat Pens goalie Jeff Zatkoff.

The Penguins started their backup goalie because they face the Anaheim Ducks tonight and wanted to start Marc Andre Fleury against the Presidents Trophy leaders.  It seemed like a good move for awhile as the Sharks could not break through against Zatkoff, despite getting 17 shots on 4 power plays, many of them great chances.

But at 17:43 of the second they finally broke through on a point shot from D man Justin Braun that trickled through with heavy traffic in front provided by Adam Burish.  In the third, Marleau scored on a beautiful pass by Jason Demers faking Evgeni Malkin out of his girdle, while Sid brought up the rear.

Immediately after that, offensive juggernaut Ollie Maata scored his second of the game to retake the lead, only to have Burns score to tie it again.  Captain Joe Thornton then floated in the winner on a shot Zatkoff would surely like to have back.

I gotta say that the East Coast biased media made a lotta hay outta Sid the Kid being a -5 for the game.  I would like to respectfully say that number one: no credit was really given to San Jose, number two: there was was a lot of smack talk about Crosby’s effort on the play and three: Crosby has never scored against the Sharks, ever!  Can you believe that?  Me either.

Musing forward,  I think Patrick Marleau’s biological clock is ticking.  No,he isn’t pregnant but the way he has played this season and especially since winning gold in Sochi has me thinking he wants to win a Cup badly and soon.  San Jose fans know that he has never been known for his outgoing personality and his stint wearing the C was a not well received, lasting only a year.   Something seems to have lit a fire under his reserved demeanor and damn, its good to see!

Patty Marleau parties after his third period goal.

St. Louis for Callahan

Now that the witching hour has passed, lets talk about playoff bound teams that have addressed needs, winners and losers etc.  I’m going to focus on the last two days because the most significant deals went down then except for the Miller/Ott for Halak/Stewart trade which happened last week.

The Sabres traded their captain, Steve Ott and G Ryan Miller to the Blues for G Jaro Halak and RW Stewart.  Even though they traded goalies, the Blues relieved a logjam at the goalie position because they have a clear cut # 1 (Miller) and # 2 Brian Elliot.  The Sabres promptly sent Halak to the Capitals and in return received G Michael Neuvirth and D man Rusty Klesla. Sabres got younger in goal and Stewart is a feisty 30-40 points a year guy.  Blues are trying to get by the LA Kings and win the Cup this year.

Ryan Callahan for Martin St. Louis, bit of a head scratcher to this observer because Callahan has more upside than St. Louis because of his age. Tampa GM Stevie Y moved him allegedly at his request because of an Olympic roster snub?  According to reports, the Rangers and Callahan were only a half million per year apart in their negotiations. Callahan kinda looks greedy and is going from being a star on Broadway  to the NHL equivalent of the boonies . Curious to say the least.

Marion Gaborik to the LA Kings from the Columbus BJs for Matt Frattin and a second and a third round pick.  Good trade for the Kings if Gaborik stays healthy, an iffy proposition at best. LA GM Dean Lombardi also added a young D man Brayden McNabb, who has a total of 37 NHL games under his belt.  Lots of draft picks being exchanged, Kings win that because they get two seconds from 2014 and 2015 from the Sabres.

The Buffalo Sabres continue to rid themselves of very good players by trading W Matt Moulson to the Minnesota Wild for Torrey Mitchell and two second round picks.  It seems to me that new Buffalo GM Tim Murray is shedding any player his predecessors Darcy Regier and Pat LaFontaine brought to the team and is stockpiling draft picks from premier teams he is trading with.  For instance, that second round pick from the Wild would be approximately the 50th pick.  Good or bad?  Can’t rate the picks for years for obvious reasons…

With the picks acquired in the Ryan Miller trade, a first and a third rounder from the Blues, they would be picking at the end of the rounds as well.  So while socking away picks is good, the draft order matters and the picks from the Blues will be later in the rounds than Minnesota.  Yeah, I’m confused also.

Going forward, forward David Legwand, arguably Mr. Nashville Predator,was traded to the Detroit Dead Things for Patrick Eaves, a fourth liner.

Les Habitantes de Montreal win the Tomas Vanek sweepstakes, sending a minor leaguer to the Islanders in return.

Boston adds blueline depth with the addition of Andrei Meszaros from the Flyers.  He was deemed expendable by Philly with the addition of Andrew MacDonald from the Islanders.  Flyers seem to be the winners in this one, giving up a minor league player and two draft picks for the NHLs shot blocking leader.

The dizzying pace continues…

Dustin ‘Pancakes’ Penner is moved again at the deadline going from the Ducks to the Capitals for a 4th round pick?  Come on, what the hell is wrong with big D?  He has two Cups, yet seems to be deemed expendable fairly often..

Lastly and leastly, the Vancouver Funucks Cafucks or whatever you wanna call the ongoing soap opera in BC, got rid of Luongo finally. Hey that kinda rhymes. I hear he has a home in South Florida, that’s comforting to me.

Winners: Kings, Wild, Flyers Canadiens.  Losers Islanders, Sabres Canucks.

The best part of the year is ahead, looking forward to rating these moves after the playoffs.  Sometimes they look great on paper and turn out to be meaningless.  Yet, hope springs eternal in the best tournament on the planet,

THE NHL PLAYOFFS!!!  4/16/14

After blitzing the Philadelphia Flyers with a five goal second period outburst in their first game back from the break, San Jose laid an egg against a Sabres, losing 4-2 to a team that had just traded its captain, Steve Ott and arguably their best player in Ryan Miller.  Jhonas Enroth did his best Miller impersonation by stopping 36 of 37 shots and stood on his head all evening especially in a wild second period.

It could be argued that the second was the only period where they sustained any semblance of offense against Buffalo who entered the game a -60 in goal differential.  Anti Niemi gave up a horrible first period goal to Cody Hodgson as he continues to cheat away from the short post and give up soft goals.

The Sharks came back in the second, shooting the puck 18 times to the Sabres 5, yet could only score once.  Perhaps they were tired from all that and didn’t show up for the third.  I wonder, did they get the teriyaki wings or the inferno deluxe Dave’s Insanity style hot wings?

There is truly nothing good to say today about a team that has lost twice to the Sabres this year, yet has swept the season series against the St. Louis Blues and beat the Hawks 2 outta 3.  I have serious reservations about the fitness of Anti Niemi as a Stanley Cup caliber goaltender, as he seems to be spiraling down into mediocrity.

On to Newark to play the New Jersey Devils and see their old friend Ryane Clowe.  Devils are 1st on the PK and 26th in scoring; Jaromir Jagr is a +20 and leads the team in all offensive categories at 78 years old.  G Cory Schneider has a sparkling 1.85 GAA and has been tough on San Jose in the past.

Todd McClellan continues to mix and match his lines, searching for some kind of consistent play from someone other than Joe Pavelski.

Could be a snoozer or a dandy game depending on which Sharks team shows up for this matinee game.

The Buffalo Sabres, owners of the worst record in the league played the second game of a rare back to back home game against the Bruins and stunned the B’s by scoring with 50 seconds left to tie it and winning in OT on a goal by Matt D’Agostini 22 seconds into the extra frame.

In a battle of the backup goalies, Buffalo was clearly outplayed in the second half of the game after going up 3-1.  The Bruins stormed back with 3 straight goals to take the lead and appeared to toy with the Beefalos, playing a skilled game of keep away.  With less than a minute left, the Sabres pulled their goalie and all of a sudden were able to cycle down low to score the equalizer, Matt Moulson putting it past Chad Johnson.  Stunning collapse by the Bruins.

Even with the two consecutive victories, Buffalo is mired in last place and is sure to be a seller at the trade deadline coming up on March 5.

Speaking of stunning collapses, the last time the Sharks and Flyers squared off in San Jose, the Flyers mugged Los Tiburones with three tallies in 2:45 to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.  Philadelphia is on a four game winning streak and probably didn’t want to take a break for the Olympics.  Owner Ed Snider and GM Paul Holmgren both publicly expressed their displeasure with the viewed the Olympic break. calling it “a detriment to the season with playoff races heating up before players headed to Sochi.”

The Flyers will see a different lineup tonight as the Sharks welcome back arguably their best player Logan Couture, returning from hand surgery, and Raffi Torres, who will surely make the Flyers keep their heads up because of his penchant for delivering tough, barely legal hits.

The Sharks are currently in second place in the Pacific division and the Flyers are holding down the last Metro playoff spot.  Should be an entertaining tilt with a renewed commitment to hitting and tight checking.

Flyers Coach Craig  Berube has the Flyers playing more of a throw back style to when he was a player in the 80s than former bench boss Peter Laviolette’s up tempo offensive game.  It seems to be working as Philly has come back from a horrible start to be in the playoff hunt.

The Sharks are always in the hunt, just no Cup yet.   San Jose fans never get too excited anymore about the regular season, we know that the only time it counts is in the second season, the NHL playoffs, approximately 47 days away.

Should be a heavy game, let em play refs!

Yep, the NHL resumes its season tonight with a makeup game between the Beefalo and the Typhoons er sumthing.  Yes, I have been taking oxycodone but not recently.  Knee replacement will do that to ya.

Also, I want to reflect on my hockey lineage a little bit today because I was born many years ago on this date.  Both my parents were from the East Coast, Dad from upstate New York and Mom from the Boston/Cambridge area.  Dad was a Habs fan and Mom used to see the Boston Braves (the hockey team not the baseball team) when she was a kid.

She also saw the Bruins once or twice.  Dad never shared that he was a Montreal fan that I can remember and we had no hockey discussions in our house growing up.

Mom has been sharing a lot of stories the past few years and told me how much fun she had going to see hockey and her beloved Red Sox.

So as I sit here at my antiquated Remington manual typewriter I’m wondering how a California dude came to be loving hockey so much.  Did I get the bug in vitro, was it my good friend Kent who loved the California Golden Seals (one of the worst hockey teams of all time), owned by Charley Finley or is it because its just the best damn game around?

Probably all of those reasons contribute to why I feel the need to preach the gospel of why hockey is such a great game.  I think its also because of the fans and friends I have made over the years playing the game and going to games. I can’t live without it anymore, it part of my psyche now.

Summer is great but its three months with no hockey.  Love baseball but it ain’t hockey.

I have been watching the best game in the world since cable TV was invented, circa 1979.

So when I say welcome back NHL, I say it with all my heart because the last three weeks just has not been the same without my boys beating the shit out of each other to get that 6 oz. disc in the back of the net.

Buffalo vs. Carolina tonight, four more games tomorrow and 12 on Thursday.

Game on!

Those darn Canadians,you’d a thunk they invented the game of hockey.  In a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated, Team Canada beat Team USA 1-0.  In a pitchers duel atmosphere, the goalies were their respective teams most valuable players with Carey Price outdueling Jonathan Quick by calmly controlling the tempo and flow, forcing faceoffs or playing the puck to the corner where there always seemed to be plenty of red sweaters below the goal line and along the boards.  The US could not mount any sustained offense at all, their chances were frequently one and done as Jeremy Roenick put it so eloquently in the post game wrap.  Team USA could not use its speed to get free in the neutral zone and almost all the shots Price faced were clearly seen with little to no traffic in front of him.

Canada played the game in a chessmaster fashion, thwarting the US offense by having their center play below the goal line and even a forward occasionally when the US tried to make plays in the expanded zone behind the net.  Using Duncan Keith and Drew Doughty’s speed to exit the zone, Team Canada was able to transition out of danger over and over and create excellent offensive chances constantly.  Coach Mike Babcock had the last change and was the winner in the chess match with US coach Dan Bylsma by matching D lines that included an offensive D with a defensively minded D man, ala Drew Doughty with Shea Weber.  He also used forward lines that paired two players from the same team, like Ryan Getzlaf with Corey Perry of the Ducks with Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, the game’s lone goal scorer and Penguins line mates Sid the Kid with Chris Kunitz.

Another aspect of the chess match was how both coaches matched players against their teammates.  Chicago teammates Keith against Kane, or  San Jose Sharks teammates Vlasic against Pavelski.  It was obvious to this observer that playing against players you practice with and against daily, negated possible creative plays because they could sniff em out before they happened.

To sum it up, almost total domination by Canada with goalie play, defensive scheme and enough consistent pressure that  forced the US to play without the puck for most of the game.  With the exception of Kessel and Kane trying to use their speed to create chances, Team USA’s offense was stymied.  Ryan Kesler’s injured hand factored into the loss in that when the Americans had something going down low on a few occasions, the Canadian D lifted his stick and took it from him.  James van Riemsdyk had a couple good shots but Price was never screened and saw everything.  David Backes and Ryan Callahan were unable to play their game, banging down low and creating chances off their forecheck because the Canadian D was too strong down low.  Four years is a long time to wait for another crack at the gold medal but that is what America faces as the neighbors from the north go on to play for gold….again.

In an epic game that will be talked about for many years, Team USA prevailed in a shootout over the Russians all star team 3-2.  T. J. Oshie was the obvious choice for the hero, going 4-6 in the shootout including the penultimate one but both sides had so many significant chances to win the game that they must all be mentioned.  Pavel Datsyuk with 2 goals, a shootout goal, and more importantly missing a wide open net in the third.  Joe Pavelski with a sweet goal off of a sweeter pass from Patrick Kane,  St. Louis Blues captain David Backes and Rangers captain Ryan Callahan playing a nasty, physical game with several bone rattling hits and Alex Ovechkin’s seven shots on goal all quality chances.  The other Alexander, disgraced former Predators star Alex Radulov took two incredibly stupid penalties that led to 2 power play goals for the US.  Russian goalie Sergei Bobrovski was magnificent, stopping ALL five on five chances.  Jonathan Quick was equally clutch, giving up one even strength and one PP goal.  Honorable mention, Ryan Kesler winning one faceoff after another, including the one preceding the Pavelski power play goal.

Random thoughts and musings: does Pavel Datsyuk have a computer for a brain because he seems to constantly out-think his opponents.  Anaheim Ducks D man Cam Fowler doing his Scott Neidermayer impression by consistently pinching down the wall and ending up in front of the net, scoring Team USA’s first goal off of an uncanny pass from JVR.  Slava Voynov showing off the skills he regularly demonstrates for the LA Kings, especially on the power play.  Penguins D men Orpick and Martin, along with Suter and McDonagh settling things down when the Russians pressured Team USA unmercifully.  Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel with twelve very creative shots on goal, Dustin Brown’s knee on knee hit on Tyutin (what a surprise, see Tomas Hertl).  And so on and sally forth to the international game or IIHF.

Big sheet of ice doesn’t seem to lend itself to more scoring in my opinion.  The Olympic dimensions lend themselves a little more room but the teams play a more tactical game of protecting the middle.  We saw what happened when US D John Carlsen didn’t protect the middle against Datsyuk: GOAL.  When it is done properly, defense on the big ice leads to a lot of passing on the perimeter, but not a lot of cycling and half wall strategy that we see in the NHL.  Mistakes are glaring on the bigger ice because guys seem to bury their chances when they occur.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the reason the US got to the shootout.  At 4:40, an apparent goal by Feodor Tyutin, Columbus D man was initially thought to be good and the crowd went crazy.  Meanwhile,  J. Quick was talking to the officials and they huddled up, then reviewed the goal.  Replays showed a good goal, not played with a high stick or any other reason for waving it off.  The crack crew of NBC then focused on Quick’s left post, which showed the net to be partially dislodged by about 2 inches.  NHL rules would have allowed the goa to stand but not IIHF rules.  So, by a twist of fate or (gamesmanship by Quick) Team USA was allowed to have storybook ending to a contest against their formerly most bitter rival.  The chatter was that the socio-political implications of the game was nowhere near the 80 US victory and that is partially true.  However, IMHO the game was played with the fervor of a Cup Final game by both sides, and will remain a game for the ages.

Riffing today as the NHL plays its last games for three weeks heading into the Sochi tournament.  The most shocking news of yesterday was the report that Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris LeTang suffered a stroke on Wednesday.  According the ESPN’s Craig Custance, he was held out of practice after feeling dizzy and nauseous and further testing revealed the Pens star had suffered stroke last week on a western road trip, and it could have been caused by a small hole in his heart that he has had since birth.  Treatment includes administering blood thinners and re-evaluation in six weeks.

Sharks win again, going into the break on a high note by ending a four game losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets Friday night, 3-2.  San Jose improves to 37-16-6 and 22-4-3 at the Tank and rode Patty Marleau”s goal and more Tommy Wingels heroics to a victory. Columbus is a vastly improved team from a few years ago when they were the doormat of the league, recently had an eight game win streak snapped and is coming off of a victory in Anaheim on Monday and a narrow 2-1 OT loss to the LA Kings Thursday night.  The score was not indicative of the Sharks domination of the Jackets as they fired 44 shots on Sergei Bobrovsky, who had to make several highlight reel saves.

Notes of concern for San Jose include a giveaway by Sharks Captain Joe Thornton directly on the stick of Ryan Johansen who promptly buried it to cut the Sharks lead in half, 2-1.  Another turnover, while less egregious by Jason Demers led to another BJ goal 18 seconds into the second period by Boone (s Farm Apple Wine) Jenner who didn’t miss after having an earlier goal disallowed because of playing it with a high stick.  Anti Niemi played well enough to win, yet as noted in this column recently doesn’t look real solid.  I would like to get someone’s opinion on this if they know or can hazard a guess as to why looks lost sometimes out there.  Props to John McCarthy for his first career goal in the 1st period.

I feel I need to acknowledge the St. Louis Blues because they really have been playing well all season, and have taken over the lead in the Central Division with a SO win over the Winnipeg Jets today 4-3.  With 84 points they are tied with the Hawks but have two more ROW (regular and OT wins) than Chicago.  Boston continues to roll along atop the Atlantic Division with 78 points and a victory over sixth place Ottawa.  The BBB of B (Big Bad Bruins of Boston) are balanced scoring wise, have world class Rask in net and look like the class of the East despite the Penguins leading the conference in points.  Plus they have the Krug missle, real hockey fans will know what I mean.  Did I mention the Penguins lead their division by 17 points?  The Metro is jammed with four teams right behind the Rangers and Flyers, who are 2nd and 3rd respectively, vying for the two wild card spots, too early to tell anything there with 23-24 games left for most teams.  Lets hope for a scintillating Mens Hockey tournament, because quite frankly Olympic hockey just ain’t the same as the NHL.  Three weeks off, can I handle it?  Can you??  Please weigh in with your comments and takes.  No spammers, have a take and don’t suck!

It wasn’t pretty, in reality it was very gritty but the Sharks beat Dallas Wednesday night by using a familiar formula:  Play good D, hope for great netplay and score two goals to win in OT    2-1.  A great play by Marty (The Disappearing 6 million $ Man) Havlat to Tommy Wingels gave San Jose the victory.  Alex Stalock was in net and displayed some catlike reflexes to make some impossible saves to only give up one goal.  Eerily reminiscent of J. Quick, he leapt out at the shooters as they were trying to find a topshelf corner  to consistently stymy  the Dallas shooters.  Ask Jamie Benn, who was robbed over a certain goal by Stalock at point blank range.  He is not at the level displayed by Team USA’s #1 netminder but damn he is good, improving to 8-3 with a miniscule 1.61 GAA.  Niemi better look over his shoulder even though he is still the obvious #1 goalie for San Jose.

Other notable play from Brett Burns, Scotty Hannan (2 assists) and Havlat, who scored the only regulation goal was encouraging, especially from Havlat who hasn’t scored in a long time.  Burnsie was throwing his considerable bulk around often, stapling the Dallas players to the boards numerous times with big hits on hip checks. Not the most prolific offensive display, but I’m sure Sharks fans will take the victory in stride  because the win was so formulaic.  Their gaudy record includes many wins of this sort, by one goal, low scoring and with great D.   Dallas, to their credit has a very solid core of young players like Benn, Tyler Seguin, Valeri Nichushkin and Cody Eakins and personally, I’m glad they are out of the Sharks division because they will be good soon.  Good job San Jose Tiburones, this game had a playoff feel to it and was encouraging from the standpoint of quality chances for the home team even the game was tightly checked and the Sharks were 0-3 on the power play.