SB Nation - Colton Orr

Ian White is Moustachulent, Blake Wheeler Should Be Suspended, and Hockey Night in Canada Hates Us

PPP — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:30:13 -0000

Glove tap to Belligerent Burkie for finding the incident in question

This has nothing to with this post other than I love posting Ian White kicking ass
The Man, The Myth, The Moustache

17. Bill McCreary apologized to Ian White for missing Blake Wheeler’s push from behind that sent White hard into boards. White said after the game, "I was lucky." Obviously, you’d love McCreary to see it and call it live, but good on him for manning up.

- Elliotte Friedman, 30 Thoughts

How long r we going to treat refs like they're above the law, above being questioned by the media? It's an outdated concept that needs 2 die

- Jason Whitlock, Twitter

Those two tweets, the latter re-tweeted by yours truly, were enough to sitr me from my blogging slumber. As usual, my muse Godd Till, was on gchat immediately to kick-start the creative process:

Till: AH YES, BECAUSE THE STANDARD OF OFFICIATING WOULD CERTAINLY BE IMPROVED BY SUSTAINED, INTELLIGENT CRITICISM BY THE HOWARD BERGERS OF THE WORLD

PPP: Not from the dumbasses of the world but the refs should have to answer for why they screwed up like with that White hit.

Till: UH HUH. 'REPLAYS SHOW THAT I WAS BLOCKED OUT ON THE PLAY' Remember that? Can't wait for more of that standard of ass-covering. This should be great.

Obviously, the fact that Bill McCreary missed the hit is mind-blowing. I won't beat around the bush, Ian White is bang on: he is very lucky. If he had been hit a half a stride or so sooner he could have woken up Sunday with a halo and paralysed from the waist or neck down. Blake Wheeler laid an absolutely filthy hit and the fact that he isn't suspended and that there was no call on the ice highlights the massive trouble the league faces in trying to cut dirty play out of the game.

The more upsetting part was that Blake Wheeler didn't stand up to Colton Orr when it came time to pay the piper. Normally, non-fighters obviously don't have to fight enforcers but 'The Code' is supposed to keep players from making those kinds of hits because they'll have to fight the Colton Orrs of the world. Instead, we saw Wheeler pull his best Claude Lemieux impression while the Bruins were rewarded with a powerplay. Of course, I don't want Orr to pull a Carcillo but is it to much to ask that Blake Wheeler man up? And if he won't, would it kill the league to dish out some punishment? I guess so.

There was obviously a lot of ugly things in a broadcast that features the Leafs losing 7-2 in Phil Kessel's first trip back to Boston but one we could both agree on was that Mike Milbury's presence was the straw that broke the camel's back. How bad was it? Godd Till actually wrote a post about how it made him realise Pierre McGuire's genius. Put aside the fact that the very idea of having him present his opinions on anything related to the NHL is laughable.

Till: And what the fuck was with having Mike Milbury in the booth? That POS defended Wheeler on that play.

PPP: WASN'T THAT PAINFUL?

Till: Fuck, Hughson and Simpson are bad enough but that addition was so fucking bad.

PPP: Yeah, it was disgusting.

Till: Hmm, let's put a grating loudmouth Bruins homer in the booth.

PPP: Yeah, this is genius. Ok, next we're going to put a West Coaster with an inferiority complex about Toronto.

Till: Check!

PPP: And some twit that didn't want to play in Toronto because he was a pussy.

Till: GREATTTTT IDEA!

PPP: This is going to be awesome
/scribbles HNiC script

Till: THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS ARE PROUD TO SELECT, FROM SASKATOON OF THE WHL, D WENDEL CLARK! FUCK YOU SIMPSON!

PPP: THEN FUCKING BENEDICT CHERRY WEARS A FUCKING BROOONS TIE!

Thanks to a quirk in the schedule the Maple Leafs are back in Boston on Thursday night for a rematch. This is probably a great thing for Phil Kessel in terms of facing a pressure-packed environment. It also lets the Leafs work on the things that killed them on Saturday night: their lack of attention to detail, their lack of offensive desire, and their lack of passion. The one advantage they have is that the Bruins won't be getting shellacked by the Habs Wednesday night because anyone that watched Friday's 100th anniversary game knew what was going to happen:

The Bruins are going to be flying tomorrow night. Freaking bums
- Some Guy On Twitter

God, I hate it when randoms on Twitter are right.

Savard's hat trick helps Bruins skate past Toronto 7-2 in #81's return to The Hub

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:44:37 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

13 days ago: Boston Bruins' Marc Savard, center, celebrates his hat trick in the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009, in Boston. The Bruins won 7-2. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

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The Bruins were able to skate past the Toronto Maple Leafs with ease in a game that featured 9 goals and plenty of rough stuff. This game was supposed to be all about the Leafs off-season addition, but it was former Leafs property Tuukka Rask and newly-extended Bruin Marc Savard who shined the brightest tonight. Savard recorded his third career hat trick, while Rask (31 saves) continuously shutdown the Leafs all night long.

The Bruins jumped out to an early lead 5:28 into the game when Derek Morris' shot from the blue line was tipped by Patrice Bergeron and then deflected again by Marco Sturm for Sturm's 9th goal of the season.

Shawn Thornton and Colton Orr dropped the gloves immediately on the ensuing face-off. The heavyweight bout fittingly ended in a draw. The only losers in this one were the hometown fans that were exposed to Colton Orr's creepy 'stache.

The Leafs' attempt to swing the momentum with fisticuffs didn't pay off as the B's found the back just moments later at 6:01 when Marc Savard jumped on a juicy rebound just lying in the slot and put it home for the early 2-0 lead.

The rough stuff continued a few moments later when Mark Stuart and Jamal Mayers shed the mittens as they were trailing the play. Mayers landed some quick shots and took Stuart down to the ice. Stuart got back up and wanted to continue the bout, but the linesmen quickly stepped in. Somehow the combatants only received 2 minutes each for roughing.

The Bruins extended their lead to 3-0 2:09 into the second period after #81 turned the puck over in his own zone and Zdeno Chara uncorked a slapper from the blue line that deflected off the stick of Leafs defenseman Francois Beauchemin and past Joey MacDonald.

Early in the middle period, Blake Wheeler pushed Ian White from behind into the endboards. A few shifts later, Colton Orr tried to send a message to Blake Wheeler and jumped him. Orr was tagged with 2 minutes for roughing and two minutes for interference for his actions.

The B's made it 4-0 with a power play goal with 5:15 remaining in the second period. Michael Ryder had the puck in "Gretzky's office" and a fed a pass out to Marc Savard, who found the back of the net for his second of the night.

After giving up 4 goals on 23 shots in the first two periods, Joey MacDonald was lifted in favor of Vesa Toskala to start the third period.

Mark Recchi's 550th career goal made it 5-0 Bruins at 6:36 of the third period. Patrice Bergeron weaved his way through the Leafs defense and left a short pass for Recchi near the crease before Recchi directed the puck past Toskala for the milestone marker.

Johnny Boychuk's first NHL goal on a one-time slapper made it 6-0 at 12:26 of the third period.

The Bruins struck again just 19 seconds later when Marc Savard's shot from the right wing half wall found the back of the net for his 3rd career hat trick and a flurry of hats came raining down on the ice at The Garden.

Steve Begin and Jamal Mayers squared off as soon as the puck drop after Savard's goal. Mayers got in a few early scoring blows, but Begin scored the takedown.

Toronto finally got on the board with 4:14 remaining to take the shutout away from Tuukka Rask. Matt Stajan set up behind the net and sent a pass to Niklas Hagman at the right circle, who beat Rask for the first time on the night.

Andrew Ference and Lee Stempniak got into after Stempniak ran Johnny Boychuk from behind and Ference came to the aid of his teammate. Ference and Stempniak each received double minors for roughing, while Wayne Primeau received a 10 minute misconduct, presumably for being the third man in on the altercation.

The Leafs cut the lead to 7-2 with 2:02 left in the game as Mikhail Grabovski deflected a Luke Schenn shot past Rask to account for the final score.

Final - 12.5.2009	1	2	3	Total
Toronto Maple Leafs	0	0	2	2
Boston Bruins	2	2	3	7

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- #81 was booed and jeered by The Garden fans every time he touched the puck tonight.

- #81 finished the night with 16:28 of ice time and was a -3 on the night with 1 shot on goal and 2 take-aways, including one that led directly to Zdeno Chara's goal.

- Is there anyone left out there that doubts that Tuukka Rask is ready to play at the NHL level?

- Marc Savard became the first Bruin since #81 to record a hat trick.

- Zdeno Chara was +4 on the night with a goal and an assist

- 5 Bruins had multi-point games (Savard, Chara, Bergeron, Sturm and Bitz)

- Patrice Bergeron dominated in the face-off circle again tonight winning 75% of his 20 draws.

- Tuukka Rask got his 2nd assist of the season on Mark Recchi's 550th career NHL goal.

"Obviously, we didn't play well tonight. I didn't play well. I don't know what else to say... There was pressure, but that was probably the worst game I have played in a while."

- #81

"I love our fans, so give it to him more. I could care less"

- Shawn Thornton on B's fans booing #81

- In a scheduling quirk, the Bruins will meet the Maple Leafs again at TD Garden on Thursday night. The B's are off until then, but the Leafs will travel home for two games against the Thrashers and Islanders before heading back to Boston for a re-match with the B's.

3 Stars (as selected by 98.5 The Sports Hub)
1st Star: Marc Savard (Hat Trick)
2nd Star: Patrice Bergeron (2 assists, +2, 75% on face-offs)
3rd Star: Tuuka Rask (31 saves on 33 shots, assist)

Capitals destroy Panthers 6-2; does it matter?

Whale4ever — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:35:46 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

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As an ardent Cats fan and dedicated blogger who covers the Panthers, a recap of Thursday's embarrassment in Washington would prove to be a pointless exercise. No offense to the Capitals, who played a masterful game in all zones; it's simply time I vented.

So for that reason (and about a dozen others) I'll let loose what's on my mind.

We'll get the positives out of the way first: I firmly believe - and will defend to the end - that every member of the Florida Panthers cares.

All of them has a burning desire to win. Each will go to war for the other, and do everything within their power to be victorious; against all odds and deficits, to bring two points to his club in the standings and carry this team to a place it hasn't tasted since before many of their fans were able to walk independently: the postseason. We've all seen the heart and soul each of them bring to the table every game. The new ownership appears to be solidly behind the hockey operation - at least in words at this early stage - which was highly questionable during the latter portion of Alan Cohen's regime. Coach Peter DeBoer is a winner, just not yet at this level. General manager Randy Sexton has presumably done all he's been allowed to do.

I've spoken, emailed, and IM'd with many employees of the organization. They'd stop just short of giving their first (and in some cases second) child if it would help the club win. Dedicated to a fault; even those who were thrown to the ground by previous regimes. And there are more than a few.

This team has a lot of fans within - and so many more just outside the large bay windows ringing the BAC.

On the negative side: this team sucks. As currently constituted, they cannot compete in this league, much less their own division. Speaking of the Southeast, here's their record: 1-6 against the division, the lone win coming against a reeling Carolina club. This is no way to blaze a glorious trail to, well, anything even approaching prosperity. Got to be better news within the stats, right? Attend: through Wednesday's games (and it's worse now), Florida was 24th in wins, 5th in losses, 21st in goals scored per game, 27th in goals allowed, and it snowballs from there.

They can't hold a lead...in any period. Power plays should be declined, as has been suggested time and again. They ended a five-game winless streak Wednesday by blowing four two-goal leads and getting lucky - yeah, I said it - in the shootout after Stephen Weiss won it in the fifth round. Fifth round. He scored a natural hattrick in regulation and was shelved until the fifth round. What is that??? Which blackboard was DeBoer reading from?

Far too many nights they spot the opposition a freebie lead, which typically ends up being too high a mountain to overcome. Leaving out the anomaly that was the 3 for 3 performance against Colorado (get the impression the Avs' collective brain just wasn't in it?), the Cats can't buy a special teams goal. They did against Washington on Thursday, in the form of a shortie, but along with 75-cent seats, the Panthers are quite generous.

What about individuals? "Cats aren't tough enough!" we screamed, leading to the re-acquisition of hard-hitting forward Steve MacIntyre. Got his claws on Donald Brashear and Colton Orr, but following that quick spell, he was reassigned to Rochester. Smells a lot like quickie fan-favorite Wade Belak. We're all aware DeBoer does not prefer giving a roster spot to 3-4 minute guys who won't contribute in any other way, but the Cats have been pounded otherwise. Think Weiss or Steven Reinprecht is gonna go with some of the monsters employed around the East? And what of Mike Duco, just called up from the "A", getting a billion penalty minutes against the Caps (at a point which ultimately didn't matter on the scoreboard)...wanna bet he's on a one-way Greyhound back to rural New York?

Lost in all the recently announced partnerships - imagine an empannage embedded anywhere but at BankAtlantic Center - is the hockey team. Dreams of shopping, dancing, dining, and who-knows-what-else have overshadowed the presence of the item that made all of the dreaming possible.

Florida's hockey fans deserve far better than what they've been handed. We continue to tune in, show up, buy the goods, shout across the web, tell our friends, recruit coworkers, blog till we're blue, and endlessly accept the manure that's been strewn our way. And there's been a lot of it.

Why? Because we're hockey fans. Slavishly loyal and fiercely proprietary over "our" team, we're no different than any other group of followers in the NHL. Treat us as such. The players deserve it, the employees of the club deserve it, and the fans deserve it.

We're fed up, we're tired, and we've got lots of options to spend our money on in this part of the world. For one small moment in time, give us a winner.

It may just be cost-effective.

Game 28 Preview: The Rarely-Seen Buds Make the Trek to Ohio

Mike MacLean — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:32:58 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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They're getting better! The most recent game against the Blackhawks looked more like Jackets hockey than any other game this season, had they played the way they did during the losing streak, the score would have been ugly-very ugly in favor of the 'Hawks.

For the first time in a few years Toronto comes to town. The Leafs are still in the midst of a "re-tooling" (because if I would have said "rebullding" Ole Ironsides Burke would find a way to get me booted off of the internet) and are without either of their top goaltenders. Vesa Toskala is out with an injury, and Gustavsson will be going under the knife for another heart operation. Speaking of Gustavsson, when will the meda give him a new nickname? The Monster? Come on. Worst nickname for a player in all of sport, especially for a rookie. Joey MacDonald, a fellow Bluenoser, will get the start tonight. Mase is in for the Jackets.

The CBJ will be icing the same lineup as the past few games, although Raffi may miss it because his wife is in the hospital prepping for the delivery of the couple's first child. The Leafs have a tough defensive unit, so it will be interesting how the Jackets forwards can cope with that. I also wonder if Kris Russell can continue his red-hot stretch of play tonight. Here's hoping. Look for a good physical battle tonight folks.

Fearless Prediction: CBJ score at least four goals.

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Pension Plan Puppets

Game Page: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TSN Preview: Maple Leafs vs Blue Jackets Preview

TV: FSN Ohio

Radio: WBNS-AM (1460); WWCD-FM (101.1)

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Toronto has played in Columbus only three times, most recently Nov. 20, 2006, a 4-2 Leafs win. The Blue Jackets would be wise to ignore the standings. After a horrible start, the Maple Leafs are 4-1-2 in their past seven games, including a 3-0 rout of Montreal on Tuesday. It could be a big special- teams game. Although the Blue Jackets excel on the power play, both teams struggle in killing penalties.

Jackets Links:

Columbus Blue Jackets / Columbus Blue Jackets Schedule

Columbus Blue Jackets Roster / Columbus Blue Jackets Stats

Here are the lineups for tonight's tilt:

Columbus Blue Jackets

Kristian Huselius	Antoine Vermette	Rick Nash
R.J. Umberger	Derick Brassard	Jakub Voracek
Jason Chimera	Samuel Pahlsson	Michael Blunden
Raffi Torres	Derek MacKenzie	Jared Boll

Fedor Tyutin	Anton Stralman
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Mathieu Roy

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Alexandre Picard

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Andrew Murray, Derek Dorsett, Rostislav Klesla, Marc Methot

Toronto Maple Leafs

Alexei Ponikarovsky	Matt Stajan	Phil Kessel
Niklas Hagman	Mikhail Grabovski	Christian Hanson
Wayne Primeau	Nikolai Kulemin	Lee Stempniak
Jason Blake	Jamal Mayers	Colton Orr

Mike Komisarek	Tomas Kaberle
Luke Schenn	Ian White
Francois Beauchemin	Jeff Finger

Joey MacDonald

Jonas Gustavsson

Gomez Plays Like A Girl, Habs Outhustled By Leafs

Robert L — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:30:33 -0000

While the Habs were busy caughing up the furball that was a 3-0 loss to the lowly Leafs, I was thankfully watching my ten year old, her sixth time on skates, run through drills with her Atom teammates.

I'd catch the game later, the late show Express on RDS.

Thank goodness for small favors!

It's a treat to watch a kid innocently playing a game, taking great pleasure in finally conquering what it takes to stickhandle a puck on snowny ice from goal line to goal line without stumbling. Robyn is a late starter to the game, unlike her 14 year old sister Crystal, who took up the game at five.

So there's memories, and then there is forgettable games.

Nothing like seeing a wobbly skater on the slowest "paint could dry" breakaway ever, coast in towards a goalie and let a shot go that skitters through the pads, look around for Dad, and not have a clue how to react. She learned that it's hard to do a thumbs up with a hockey glove on!

Little did I know that while all this hockey learning was going on, that the Habs were once again getting schooled by a hard working Leafs team.

That's one of the nice things about catching the game on RDS' abridged Express version, one doesn't have to suffer through the drawn out two and a half hours of a suckish hockey the Habs offered up on this night.

Yup, this one stunk like the Vancouver, Pittsburgh and Nashville debacles earlier in the season, and the one good thing to say it that it is hoped they got the stinker out of their system before Friday night's 100th Anniversary game.

Here's how I look at this turd of a game...

I don't care, and never will care, where the Toronto Maple Leafs are in the standings when they play the Canadiens, especially when games are in Montreal. When the Leafs meet the Habs, they always, almost without fault, bring their A game...at the very least their A effort.

So apart from guys like Price, Lapierre, Plekanec, Hamrlik, the Kostitsyns, and Gorges, guys that were around a season or more ago, none of these new kids on the block and free agent signees are indoctrinated in what one must bring to a Leafs game.

Get ready for a team that rarely quits.

Be aware that the Leafs are so pumped for the game, they might as well be the '85 Oilers.

Prepare yourself for the notion that you are in a lion's den.

Take a minute off, a small lapse, and it's roadkill for the Tazmanian Devil.

From my couch, it sure looked like guys named Gomez, Moen, Spacek, Metropolit, Mara, Pacioretty and others were atuned to this reality.

How bad was the effort?

Leafs 'tender Jonas Gustavsson left the game after the first period with heart palpitations, a reccurring problem for the Swedish goalie. Had he suffered a heart attack and croaked in the crease, it would hardly have mattered. he could have layed there dead for 40 minutes, the final would still have been 3-0 Toronto.

When the house DJ spins the Stones "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by the third period of a game in which the Habs have yet to score, it's gotten personal!

This Canadiens team had been better than this of late, but of the many traits it possesses, killer instinct ain't one of 'em.

It started off good, a Cammalleri chance close in, then a decent power play with a shot or two threatening to put the Habs up. But as is often the case, it was all rubber bullets from there on in.

Perimeter shots, feable attempts just hitting the net, players seemingly afraid to pay the price against a Leafs team that honours that credo.

While the Canadiens did seem to have some semblance of momentum for a mere eight minutes, it all went to hell on a rare as Popeshit goal from none other than reputable sniper Colton Orr.

Tell me why....why fuckin' what, is cement footed Kyle Chipchura doing covering the fleet as they come Phil Kessel on that goal when the Canadiens have the last change?

Another mystery, a riddle really, is why Habs fans waste so much spit getting on Mike Komisarek's case for the umpteenth time when they have Scott Gomez to bare the brunt of their pent up venom.

I mean, we Andrei "Big Tits", Sergei "Little Tits".....and now "Useless Tit".

No mincing, Gomez has to be the most chickenshit player I've seen round these parts since Jason Spezza.

I heard it said on the broadcast that he's not the same player without Brian Gionta.

Boo, f'ing Hoo!

It takes testicles that's it!

Kessel's got one and he uses it. What'll it take for Gomez to get his rolling.

Other than winning one puck battle behind the net, I failed to catch a proper glimpse of Gomez doing anything that took guts.

Yeah he skates all pretty and often untouched through the neutral zone, but then he gets inside the blue line and throws off lame 45 foot wristers that goalies can stop in their sleep.

Gomez takes the easy way out too often. He doesn't defy, challenge, bare down, get dirty, deke, outmuscle or bust through. He just wings it, hoping.

Unless there is a teammate bullying his way into the crease, that effort is useless.

Unless you're the reincarnation of Stephane Richer, why bother.

That's why Gomez is an overpaid 15 goal scorer, and by what I've seen the past five games, the Canadiens are a harder team to play against when he's not in the lineup.

Bottom line, and I love womens' hockey, but Gomez is playing like a girl.

No offense to mine.

My Heart is Crammed in My Cranium...

blurr1974 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:24 -0000

...and it still knows how to pound. It's the Monday after a long weekend and Frank Black is singing a song just for me.

Let's just get to the links.

Steve is wondering what kind of return Niklas Hagman and Ian White could net the Leafs.
On the flip side of that argument, the general takes a look at Garnet Exelby and Jeff Finger to determine who is the less useless.
Down Goes Brown reviews the year that was.
Sometimes I worry about LD...
Leafs Rumination went to a Marlies game. Then it goes downhill.
Toronto Sports Commentary likes the cut of the Leafs jib lately.
Kavel is throwing a party for himself like nobody's business.
MLHS talks about the heavyweight battle that never was.
The Blue and White Beat likes Colton Orr. A lot .
Would Jason Blake be an easier commodity to move had Burke hung on to Dominic Moore? Would the rumored $3M per Moore asked be worth it? Hockey Centric's Leaf blog is wondering the same thing.
Supposedly the Anaheim Ducks are just one of the many teams pursuing Niklas Hagman.

Panthers delaminate, fall to Maple Leafs 6-4

Whale4ever — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:29:03 -0000

More photos » by Rick Silva - AP

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The second of rookie defenseman Dmitry Kulikov's two goals. A big night on the scoreboard for the 19 year-old ends in depressing fashion as Florida drops leads and momentum; the Cats continue to struggle mightily at home.

Pension Plan Puppets * Leafs at Cats GameDay Central * Boxscore

Ugly. Sickening. Disgusting. And that was just the crowd.

An announced attendance of 16,101 - on a Friday evening, with an abundance of $10 tickets (among other incentives) available, and the Toronto Maple Leafs as a ferociously strong drawing card considering the snowbirds have arrived in SoFla - was rather unimpressive. Downright embarrassing.

Folks who stayed away missed dual items of importance: the first two-goal game of Dmitry Kulikov's career, and the Panthers' collective inability to hold a lead finally bite them in the standings.

An eight-game point-streak was snapped - hard - while divisional opponents Atlanta and Tampa Bay advanced to a three-point lead over the Cats.

Leafs' coach Ron Wilson simply wove magic out of his troops, coaxing Phil Kessel and former Panther Niklas Hagman into two goals apiece, a four-point performance from Alex Ponikarovsky, and a less than awe-inspiring yet good enough to seal the deal 26 saves from Jonas Gustavsson.

Peter DeBoer's boys couldn't conform to Toronto's adjustments, despite Dennis Seidenberg's two assists, Radek Dvorak's splendid hustle (1g on 5 shots), and Tomas Vokoun's 27 saves.

This was a classic Florida meltdown, and it could be felt long before the Panthers lost their two-goal lead. Just a bizarre night on many counts.

The real entertainment came at the 11:12 mark of the first period, when Colton Orr and Steve MacIntyre decided to exchange phone numbers:

What more can be said other than someone's got to take the fall for a game the Panthers had no right - statistically - to lose?

Anyway, back at it tonight against the Predators. Which begs a question: Why did Scott Clemmensen not get the nod last night, freeing up Vokoun to start against his former club?

Islanders Gameday vs. Flyers: Please don't hurt us

Dominik — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:15:08 -0000

One complaint among Islanders fans this summer was the need for an enforcer or, at minimum, toughness, because teams like the Flyers, Rangers and Penguins had added physical guys. I'm all for team toughness, but I'm not for paying a guy like Colton Orr $4 million over 4 years to be your worst player. (Ah yes, Orr: Who's taken five times more penalties than he's drawn, and who was the only Leaf Monday night on the ice for more shots directed at his own net than at the Islanders'. (Yes, the same night the Isles were outshot 61-21. Pay that man a million dollars! Lock him up until 2013!)

Philadelphia Flyers (12-8-1, 25pts) at New York Islanders(9-8-7, 25pts)
7 p.m. | Nassau [home, sweet home] Coliseum | MSG+, radio

Frequent Flyer Hub: Broad Street Hockey

Granted, some nights you need to "put on the foil" and be armed with enforcers for a goon-it-up evening. And sometimes "the guys" enjoy that boost. But far more often, you just need toughness: Forwards who can hit (Trent Hunter, Sean Bergenheim), forwards who are not easily knocked off the puck (Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo), and forwards who are passable 4th-line players and are also willing to drop the gloves (Tim Jackman, Nate Thompson). The Islanders are generally undersized and need to rectify this over the long-term. But the solution is not to make a millionaire out of a guy who can only skate (poorly) six minutes a night, while taking dumb penalties and only finding a role when the other team's resident enforcer mutually agrees it's time for a job-justification bout.

But tonight is the first test against the physical Flyers, who are so physical even Dannyiel Briere is doing naughty things, right? Will they run over the Islanders physically? Will they hurt them? It's possible. But I'm more worried about Chris Pronger simply being physically dominant around the Flyers net -- John Tavares's workshop -- and using his long reach to disrupt any moves or shots Tavares tries. I'm also worried about the Flyers' 25.6% powerplay, and the Islanders' tendency to be tagged with several penalties per game (though not as much at home).

And more than that, I'm worried about the Islanders hurting us, the fans -- by getting a lead and making us run through a bottle of antacids and a six-pack of beer hoping against hope that they don't deviate from the approach that got them that lead.

I almost throw the 3-0 lead over the Leafs out; the Islanders were playing poorly before that three-minute spurt, so it's not like "keep doing what you're doing" was the strategy for success, particularly since the "Just throw it at Vesa" strategy became moot once Toskala left the game hurt. But overall, this is a young, not very deep team. So this protecting leads thing, it's going to take time. And ultimately, it's going to take a few more better players.

The Flyers Have Been Recently Rather Rude to the Islanders

**Islanders vs. Flyers 2007-09**
	Record	Shots	GF	GA	PP	PK	FO rec
2007-08	1-6-1	264-239	16	30	3/33	18/32	233-214
2008-09	0-4-2	203-182	12	22	2/23	13/17	192-197

In the throes of last year's misery, in a post noting how the Islanders were particularly feeble against their playoff-caliber Atlantic Division brethren, I recalled how the year before (2007-08) they'd played everyone tough -- except the Flyers. In fact, in 07-08, the Flyers wouldn't have made the playoffs without the 14 points they took from the Islanders. So in 2009-10, when the Islanders are closer to their 07-08 competitive selves, will the Flyers domination continue?

I'll just note a few things about Ted Nolan's meetings vs. Scott Gordon's meetings: Nolan had the superior team (and superior goaltending, with DiPietro playing 6 of 8), yet far worse special teams. I mean, just look at that PK: 18 for 32? Faceoffs are pretty close to even for both coaches, when you're talking some 400 faceoffs. And while the Islanders have outshot the Flyers in both years, that is often a product of a team constantly playing behind, throwing desperation bombs while an opponent is content to sit back and close out its win.

The Flyers goalie for 12 of those wins over the last two seasons? Why "Islanders-killer" Martin Biron, of course. Biron gets the start tonight, so hopefully his Islander-killing ways are behind him.

With the way Biron sometimes cheats off his post, I fear he's the type of guy whose teammates might know his weaknesses. Conversely, nothing brings out a singular focus like playing against the team that let you go.

This and That (and-uh)

Andrew MacDonald was sent back to Bridgeport "on loan," according to Katie Strang. If "loan" means we get him back soon, let it be so. I dread more Meyer-Witt by the same degree I relish the chance to see more of Jack Hillen's growth. Your third pairing is general your two weakest defensemen, but those two have been, well, our two weakest defensemen. By Corsi, Witt has been weaker than Meyer -- but in that measure Bruno Gervais has been weaker than both. (Fine print: Yesterday's straw poll concluded that this site's motto should be "So basically, the stats make no sense whatsoever." So there's that.)

Speaking of undersized: Old friend Marc-Andre Bergeron got two goals in the Habs' win over the Blue Jackets. That dude, every once in a while he makes you wonder...then he makes a play that gets him benched.

We're Talkin' About Practice, Man: The Islanders canceled the full-squad practice and just had Rick DiPietro and the scratches and some random regulars. I know they were coming home from the road, but to me the only guy who needed a rest was Roloson. The rest of them could stand to work on correcting a few habits. That said, coaches loooooove practice, and coming home is like giving them their remote control back so they can tinker and direct. So if Gordon passed up a chance to practice in favor of giving them a mental rest, I defer to the guy who is a professional coach.

Lineup Shenanigans: Chris Botta says tonight it will be the same 18 as Monday, though the lines may be shaken up. It's hard to evaluate anyone in Monday's debacle (outside of Sean Bergenheim, Josh Bailey, Hillen, and Dwayne "God" Roloson), but what did you think of Trent Hunter with Tavares and Moulson? In theory it makes sense. And Hunter set up the Hillen shot on Moulson's goal. But I wonder if it's time to put Okposo back up there and reunite that line? Or is it time for Okposo to rediscover how to score without being on that line?

For the Flyers, Briere (suspension), old pal Arron Asham, and Blair Betts are all out.

Prediction: Josh Bailey continues his scoring streak.

Tuesday Has No Feeling

blurr1974 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:15:09 -0000

There are somethings that can only be said by a Seinfeld episode.

The Zambonic Youth gang take a hot stove/round table approach to the season so far, and come to one conclusion: The Leafs may stink, but boy, they sure do love them all the same. Well, maybe a little less...
As he is sometimes wanton to do, mf37 tears out my heart, then stomps on it. Then lights it on fire. As the saying goes: Rule #2 - Double tap.
Loser Domi - Honkeydectomy. Need I say more?
Steve has let the MSM have their way with stats and story lines. Now it's his turn .
The Vintage Leafs give you a picture of a better #14.
Having seen as much of this Leafs squad as is humanly bearable, the Old Guys in Blue and White are hoping November brings some roster changes, in any way possible.
The Other Vatican is looking past current troubles to a brighter tomorrow. Not tomorrow as in the day after today, but a more metaphoric "tomorrow." He's also got an announcement about his own better tomorrows. Go over and show him some love.
Frozen Leafs does not like the jungle gym approach to this season by the Leafs. No more slides, please.
Getting to know the Great Bobby Or...err, Colton Orr!
Christian Hanson will be an NHL player, but don't take my word for it. Ask Marlies coach Dallas Eakins: "He is going to be in the NHL. He is going to find a way. I see it in his eyes."
This is more of an "Ain't that interesting" kind of link. Reports out of Columbus seem to indicate Nikita Filatov is unhappy with his role on the Blue Jackets and could be packing up and heading east, to Russia. I wonder if they'd be open to trading him...? (Prepare for an e3 on this tomorrow.)

Ranking the NHL's fighters

James Mirtle — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:55:54 -0000

More photos » by LM Otero - AP

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If you haven't been stopping by stats man Gabe Desjardins's pad lately, you'd be well-served to do so. He's banging out some good stuff over there.

The latest is a system of ranking fighters, one that comes up with Georges Laraque as the NHL's top heavyweight. Here's the list based on the past three seasons:

Player	Ft	In	Wt	Fights	W	L	T	GP	Fts/82
Georges Laraque	6	3	253	30	24	3	3	177	13.9
D.J. King	6	3	229	22	16	2	4	89	20.3
Derek Boogaard	6	8	257	29	21	6	2	133	17.9
Donald Brashear	6	3	234	37	23	9	5	220	13.8
Wade Belak	6	5	225	28	17	7	4	165	13.9
Milan Lucic	6	3	228	24	18	4	2	149	13.2
Aaron Downey	6	1	215	15	9	1	5	81	15.2
Raitis Ivanans	6	4	256	39	21	11	7	215	14.9
Colton Orr	6	3	222	52	31	16	5	209	20.4
Eric Godard	6	4	214	44	20	15	9	164	22.0

I'm afraid I don't quite get how the ELO rating system is coming into play here, but anything that uses chess to rank hockey fighters is all right by me.