SB Nation - Dennis Seidenberg

Weiss, Vokoun lead Panthers to physical victory on road, smack Flyers 4-1

Whale4ever — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 03:41:33 -0000

1 day ago: Philadelphia Flyers' Daniel Carcillo (13) is sent flying after being checked by Florida Panthers' Jason Garrison (52) and Mike Duco (68) during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Dec. 21, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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Points aplenty by the end of this one: Stephen Weiss (career-high 4 points), Michael Frolik (3), and Nathan Horton (2 goals) led the Florida offense over a confused and mentally battered Flyers club which displayed neither a semblance of confidence nor a peek at the realistic talent which is being paid top dollar.

Yes, the game got physical, as ~~hoped for~~ expected: Gregory Campbell and Ian Laperriere with fighting majors just 1:48 in, captains Bryan McCabe and Mike Richards at 3:42, and Mike Duco taking on a rather spry Laperriere at 13:26. Of the first period.

It settled down, however, as both teams gained - or lost - their legs in front of 19,323 paying patrons: a two-goal Florida lead going into the third frame was expanded upon (rather quickly) as the Cats banged in another duo within the opening six minutes.

Bottom Line: Panthers kept cool, resilient, and open to adjustment (rumors say that's what winning teams do) on a strange, bizarre evening. So much was expected: defending the honor of ~~Charlestown~~ Sunrise is never a short order, but this bunch made it look good (Laperriere's 30 minutes in penalties didn't hurt, yet keep in mind Dennis Seidenberg burned 17 of his own on a terrific night with 22:08, 1 assist, and a +1). Coach Pete DeBoer - again - kept his troops on-topic during what might have degenerated into bedlam with the entire league watching. Left Wachovia with the win, a healthy roster, and heretofore unbeknownst confidence...a combination hardly believable just days ago.

For the curious: Steve MacIntyre, understandably expected to log a healthy block of time, clocked 2 minutes on the ice (1 shot). Mike Duco got the lion's share of attention, logging 6:29 (5 pim) while garnering a boatload of money shots via Fox Sports Florida. Bryan Allen was a sparkplug as well (4 pim, 3 shots, 20:12 TOI).

Notes: Florida scored three power play goals. Philadelphia netminder Brian Boucher (hand injury) was yanked after allowing two goals on 13 shots; recent Carolina castoff Michael Leighton replaced him, stopping 15 of 17. Final SOG: PHI over FLA 31-30. McCabe, Allen, Seidenberg, and Duco all had at least 4 pim for the Cats, while Laperierre, Mike Richards ('member him?), and Danny Briere did the same for the Flyers.

Next up: Rangers on Wednesday.

Tracking the toughest players in the NHL: The Black and Blue Trophy

Hooks Orpik — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:54:39 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Hits like these are why Brooks Orpik is 4th in the black and blue trophy race, despite missing time to injury.

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Long-time readers might remember a metric we took a look at last season, the Black and Blue Trophy. It is a simple measure of which players are blocking shots and the opposition. It's tough, yeoman's work. Often times those throwing their body in front of rubber and into others end up on the shelf, an unfortunate reminder that shows the Black and Blue guys have to be durable to make it on this list.

This year's official Black and Blue trophy has a new twist: defensemen are now the only players eligible. In years past we've included forwards, but they don't block enough shots to be considered in the true spirit of what the award is trying to encompass. This isn't about the guys who forecheck hard (like Cal Clutterbuck and Dustin Brown) but someone that embodies the sacrifice of a black and blue player.

In this day and age there are a lot of great stats out there, like Behind the Net which does awesome work and has a vast database of in depth statistics. Here's a great resource that James Mirtle recently wrote to overview these new-age stats and metrics that are popping up more and more to judge how good players are beyond just goals and assists.

Behind the jump, your tough-nosed leaderboard.

A little more sophisticated look at defensive defensemen is Mirtle's list, which uses a secretive formula to rank players based off the quality of competition they play and the goals allowed by their team while they're on the ice. Brent Seabrook, Andy Sutton and Greg Zanon make both Mirtle's "best defensive defensemen" and the black and blue.

From last February's BnB list: Orpik, Greene, Robidas and Seabrook are on there, showing great durability. Most of those guys are towards the top of the lists and both years.

As always, this isn't a list without it's limitations (hits subjective from town to town, etc, etc) but it serves a purpose to recognize guys who may not be putting up goals/assists but are still specialized defenders.

Here's the rest of the list for the Penguins:

Among BnB/games played, Orpik is still the king (other than Guenin's very short sample size). What jumps out to me is Engelland, who did well to ring up a lot of hits in his brief time in the NHL.

Ex-Hurricanes Update

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 12:00:43 -0000

by Rick Silva - AP

25 days ago: Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun steers aside a shot as teammate Dennis Seidenberg pushes Toronto Maple Leafs' Lee Stempniak around the net during the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Rick Silva)

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Not only are the Carolina Hurricanes wallowing in last place in the NHL, but many of the team's players have put out less than acceptable individual statistics. For instance, Rod Brind`Amour has 8 points and is -19 in 31 games, Chad LaRose has 6 points and is -14 in 28 games, Tom Kostopoulos has 5 points and is -3 in 32 games, Scott Walker has 4 points and is -1 in 22 games, and Stephane Yelle has 3 points and is -1 in 30 games.

On the other hand, there are some familiar faces no longer on the Canes doing all right for themselves and for their new teams.

Last night, Patrick Eaves scored a shorthanded goal for Detroit and was given first star honors for the game as the Red Wings defeated the Coyotes, 3-2. Eaves has battled injuries this year as he always seems to, but he has scored more goals (3) and has more points (9) than any of the players listed above and has done so in fewer games, (22).

Remarkably, he is also +7 on a Detroit team that has struggled this year. In comparison, Todd Bertuzzi is -6, Dan Cleary is -8, Jason Williams is -5, and Valtteri Filppula is -6. The Hurricanes do not have a single player in the plus column at this point in this season.

Eaves was a throw-away in the Aaron Ward deal during the summer. After the trade, Boston immediately bought the forward out, making him a free agent. He signed with Detroit and looks to be making a name for himself again.

Of course the Hurricanes just put Ward on waivers Monday, but the defenseman who he replaced, Dennis Seidenberg, is having a great year so far in Florida.

Seidenberg is second in the NHL with 96 blocked shots, something he also excelled at when he was with the Hurricanes. His 84 hits lead Florida and he is third on the team averaging more than 21 minutes a game on the ice.

The German native has scored one goal, has 12 assists for 13 points, and is a +4. He has played in all 34 games for the Panthers and presently has better stats than any of the Hurricanes' defensemen.

____

Fans were pretty happy last March when the Hurricanes re-acquired Erik Cole from Edmonton and the winger was certainly instrumental in the team's successful run to the post season. But Justin Williams was sacrificed in the process.

Both of these forwards have had plenty of injury issues in the past, but let's compare how they are doing so far this season.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Erik Cole	20	6	2	8	-9	17	1	0	1	0	39	15.4

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Justin Williams	29	8	15	23	3	27	1	0	1	0	87	9.2

Williams has a better supporting cast to play with, but he has been the healthier of the two so far this year. One thing for sure, Cole needs to shoot more.

_____

Anton Babchuk decided to play in the KHL, but he's also having a good year. He leads all Avangard defensemen in scoring with 5 goals, 9 assists, 14 points and a +12 rating in 27 games.

Will the ex-Hurricanes continue to do better than their counterparts who were retained by the team?

Evgeni Malkin is the boss of the league: Pens beat Panthers 3-2 in OT

Hooks Orpik — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 03:51:04 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Fedotenko is a streaky scorer, seeing him net one might be a sign of things to come in the immediate future.

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Panthers vs Penguins coverage - Panthers vs Penguins boxscore - SB Nation blog Litter Box Cats

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers have already matched up three times this season and every game has ended the same: in a 3-2 win for the Penguins, all going to OT (one ended in a shootout). The Panthers must feel they're this close to getting over the hump and beating good teams around the league like the defending champs, but "this close" has only resulted in two out of a possible six points, which isn't going to cut it.

Steven Reinprecht started the scoring in the first for Florida off on a nifty hand-eye coordination goal to bat a puck baseball style out of the air and in the net. Under three minutes later, Pascal Dupuis took advantage of 18 year old defenseman Dmitri Kulikov making a play an 18 year old sometime makes, when he tripped. Dupuis made a nifty shoulder shake to his backhand which froze Tomas Vokoun and quickly moved back to his fore-hand and unleashed a perfect top shelf wrister.

Noted goal scorer Mike Rupp made a great play in the second period for the second Penguins' goal. Rupp softly dumped the puck in, and as both defensemen (Dennis Seidenberg and Bryan McCabe) went into the corner to retrive it. Noted laid a hit that disrupted both defenseman and Evgeni Malkin ended up with the puck. Malkin walked out of the corner, and found Ruslan Fedotenko all alone in front for an easy,slam dunk goal.

Florida would tie the game early in the third when McCabe jumped out of the penalty box and got a break. Brent Johnson made a stop but the puck eluded him, Johnny sprawled out for it but Stephen Weiss was able to curl and drag just in time and finish on the abanon net to tie the game.

No score until the overtime session, the Pens earned a powerplay when Jordan Staal bulled to the net and was tackled by Jordan Leopold. The ensuing faceoff was won cleanly by Sidney Crosby to Malkin, who passed to Sergei Gonchar. Gonchar and Malkin closed in, Bill Guerin got in a screening position and the puck was passed back to Malkin who quickly unleashed a heavy slapshot to the top corner. Game.

FSN unleashed a great stat, the Penguins are now 22-0-0 when they score 3+ goals in a game. And with the talent they have, it's not terribly difficult to get 3 goals a night.
The Pens are also 5-1 when they where their alternate third jerseys, which some fans consider cursed or bad luck. A couple more wins and that sentiment will fade.
It was a two-headed monster night. The big boys combined for 13 shots on goal (7 by Crosby, 6 by Malkin), 22:09 of ice-time for Geno, 21:54 for Sid, and Crosby dominated in the faceoff circle winning 18 of his 24 draws.
Chris Kunitz eased back into the lineup with 14:14 played and 2 shots on goal (5 total attempts). In fact, tonight was the first game that the Penguins got to use every one of their regulars (no one injured).
With Eric Godard a healthy scratch, Mike Rupp was the low-man with just 9 shifts and 6:09 of icetime, even though he made a great play to setup a goal. In close games with a lot of PP and PK time, the Noted one probable isn't going to get a lot of ice, but it was good to see him do well with what he got.
Pittsburgh officially out-hit Florida 34-13. Home town scoring advantage? The statisticans did charge the Pens with 12 giveaways (double the number of Florida's 6), so they can't be considered totally one-sided.
The much maligned PP went 0 for 5 before Malkin drove home the G-Dub. 1 for 6 isn't great, but in a one goal game, we'll take it.

A hard fought game, but the cream rose to the top with the OT winner. The Pens keep pace with New Jersey at the top of the Atlantic Division, and now we get to look forward to the full lineup getting a home and home series against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday and Thursday. The Flyers have a new coach and are a desperate team that's currently outside of the playoff bubble. You just know it's going to be an intense, playoff-like atmosphere in December.

Game 30 Preview: Jackets face Panthers in Columbus

Mike MacLean — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:56:59 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - AP

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The Jackets have had some time-three full days in fact-to regoup and, as I've said here many times before, right the ship. The team is coming off of two bad losses to the Leafs and Avalanche, two teams the Jackets need to beat. Tonight the Panthers come to town, and this being an out-of-conference matchup it is important to pick up these points. The Jackets have historically played well against the East, and that needs to continue this evening.

Dorsett makes his return to the lineup tonight-the team has missed his energy and forechecking badly. He brings a spark to the team that was obviously missing while he was out with a concussion. This is Murray's second game of the season, and I look for him to have a strong game. The lines have been adjusted quite significantly outside of the top line, with Umby sliding back to center with Jake and Chimmer. Chimmer has been playing very well lately, and I'm hopeful he can build on that given the chance to play with some skilled linemates.

Mase returns to the net, he simply must focus on the game and avoid letting in bad goals. The defense as a whole needs to continue to impove, and if the team continues to avoid playing the style the coaching staff is preaching, the ugly losses will continue to mount. If a team tries to play a skill game, without having the necessary skill to back it up, that's when you can kiss the season good-bye.

The Panthers have some skilled forwards and a decent defense, not to mention Vokoun is a fantastic goaltender. This will be a tough matchup, but one the Jackets can defeat. As far as I'm concerned, this is a must-win. In fact, you can say that about all of the games remaining this month. If they can go on a decent winning streak, they are right back in it.

Fearless Prediction: Victory?

Game Time: 7:00pm ET

Opponent's Blog: Litter Box Cats

Game Page: Panthers vs Blue Jackets Coverage

TV: FSN Ohio

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

More after the jump...

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Rule of thumb: He who forechecks, wins. The Blue Jackets have struggled against speedy forechecks this season, and they haven't established much of one lately, either. All that's left for the Panthers from three blockbuster trades (Roberto Luongo, Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester) are defensemen Keith Ballard, Jordan Leopold and Bryan Allen.

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
Jason Chimera	R.J. Umberger	Jakub Voracek
Andrew Murray	Samuel Pahlsson	Jared Boll
Raffi Torres	Derick Brassard	Derek Dorsett

Fedor Tyutin	Marc Methot
Mike Commodore	Jan Hejda
Kris Russell	Anton Stralman

Steve Mason

Mathieu Garon

EXTRA: Mike Blunden, Mathieu Roy, Derek MacKenzie

INJURED: Fredrik Modin, Rostislav Klesla

Florida Panthers

Steven Reinprecht	Stephen Weiss	Nathan Horton
Rostislav Olesz	Dominc Moore	Michael Frolik
Shawn Matthias	Jeff Taffe	Radek Dvorak
Victor Oreskovich	Kamil Kreps	Mike Duco

Bryan McCabe	Keith Ballard
Jordan Leopold	Dennis Seidenberg
Bryan Allen	Dmitry Kulikov

Tomas Vokoun

Scott Clemmensen

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?

Three Florida Panthers who need to improve. Now.

Whale4ever — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:02:58 -0000

Factoring only offensive numbers, outside of The Line - a forced but effective amalgamation starring C Steven Reinprecht, RW Nathan Horton, and LW Cory Stillman - few Cats have produced on a consistent basis, if at all.

There have of course been a number of encouraging individual efforts; Rostislav Olesz and his club-leading 53 SOG, Radek Dvorak's two shorties, Tomas Vokoun's 3 shutouts in four wins, the rapid emergence of Dmitry Kulikov into a known positive commodity on the blueline, Kamil Kreps and his +2 (seriously...it's tied for the team lead).

The relative long-term loss of last year's hero LW David Booth has unquestionably hit the offense hard, though his numbers prior to Dr. Mike Richards' outpatient spinal rearrangement were not entirely sparkling (9gp, 3p, -5) for a player many (fairly or otherwise) hinged the outcome of this season upon.

In any case, here are three Cats who must dial it up; players whom the club - a forward, defenseman, and goaltender - will ultimately rely upon to make or break the year.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Michael Frolik	16	3	3	6	0	12	0	0	0	0	33	9.1

It'll be another twelve months before the "book" is published, but second-year forward Frolik is on the cusp of gaining a reputation as a slow-starter; it was well into November of 2008 before he truly grew wings, and that may again be the case. A sophomore slump from a player who banged home 21 goals the previous year simply cannot be tolerated if a postseason spot is the collective goal. Frolik at the very least must finish with 45 points or greater, and he ain't on that pace.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	GTG	SOG	PCT
2009 - Keith Ballard	16	0	3	3	-5	19	0	0	0	0	9	0.0

Though his club is shooting blanks from just about every position, the surprise stat of the year may in fact be defenseman Ballard's 3 points in 16 games. After the departure of Jay Bouwmeester, it could have been safely assumed that Keith would be assured of top "D"-line offensive numbers; who was going to eclipse him, outside of Bryan McCabe? The additions of Dennis Seidenberg (Randy Sexton's move of the year?), Jordan Leopold, a healthy Bryan Allen, and that Kulikov kid have made life tough for #2. Even Allen has a goal. Ballard's far too important to the club to wallow in the basement. He may not yet be in Peter DeBoer's doghouse, but he's got a paw on the doorbell.

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Scott Clemmensen	4	187	2	1			16	5.13	99	83	.838	0

We're in Year Three of the Vokoun Era (which translates simply to"Love him - hate him, love him - hate him"), but only the second month of 1-B netminder Clemmensen, whose 2-1 record looks decent on the surface, but look a bit further to the right and horror rains down from the heavens. Right or wrong for "commenting" on his team's deficiencies in the defensive zone, it's only fair to give the guy a rider during his initial break-in period. Arriving from a Devils club who allowed an average of 29.5 shots on goal while playing a deeply-ingrained defensive-reponsibility-at-all-costs style, "Clemmer" is adapting to a Florida club which opens the floodgates for 35.4(!). No matter, he's got to be there when called upon. Success can't be had without relief for the number one.

Arguments? Additions?

Programming note: Panthers - Islanders Open Thread goes LIVE, 6pm tonight. No local TV for this one, kids.

Florida Panthers : Shot differential balloons to seven

Whale4ever — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:53:32 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Back-to-back losses to the Capitals - by a combined score of 11-5 - undoubtedly has the Panthers, if not their fans - reeling and looking for answers.

The old Shots For/Shots Against demon is certainly one area to focus on, though it is far from surprising: after 15 games, the Cats are averaging a 24th "best" 28.1 Shots-For while allowing an average of 35.1 Shots-Against, good for worst in the NHL. Again, nothing new here, but a seven-shot differential is scary, and not an efficient way to win games, much less remain competitive.

Obviously their goals-per-game numbers suffer as (one) direct result: on average, Florida is scoring 2.53 goals while allowing 3.60 (21st and tied for 29th with Toronto for last in the league, respectively).

While we're at it, lets look at some individual stats, in relation to the above numbers. Among those who have played at least thirteen games, here is your All-Bust plus-minus lineup:

Frightening. Yes, arguments could - and will - be made demanding exceptions for a few of these: Allen is returning from a year away, Uberkinder Kulikov is playing his first season out of juniors, etc. But wins typically come on the efforts of The Collective, and collectively they've sucked.

By the way, your current plus-minus "Kings" are Kamil Kreps, Dennis Seidenberg, and Steven Reinprecht: congrats on the plus-2, boys!

What about goaltending? In a word: brutal. Fairly omitting Alexander Salak's 18-minute relief effort in the first week, Tomas Vokoun and Scott Clemmensen are carrying numbers far more at home in the high-scoring 1980s:

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Tomas Vokoun	12	703	3	8			35	2.99	419	384	.916	2

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Scott Clemmensen	4	187	2	1			16	5.13	99	83	.838	0

Not cool. Not entirely their faults, of course, but neither has managed to make the Big Saves or carry the club to victory. And forget doing either of those on a consistent basis...it ain't happening at all.

Injuries have been sustained, lines were shuffled, call-ups made from Rochester (who's been killing the AHL for weeks), and it's the same old tired result. Has Pete DeBoer his a brick wall, or is this simply part of the learning curve for a young coach? Does Randy Sexton actually have any authority to spend money as he (responsibly) pleases? And where are the veterans, supposedly employed to lead the way for da youts? How about Captain Bryan McCabe and alternates Cory Stillman and Weiss?

Suggestions?

Carolina's Eric Staal injured; will miss Wednesday's game vs. Panthers

Whale4ever — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:18:13 -0000

Looks like the dreaded "Upper Body" injury has has found it's way into the Hurricanes' second most important player - and South Florida's favorite visitor - Eric Staal. 'Canes general manager ~~on a wire~~ Jim Rutherford:

"When things go wrong, they go wrong."

Also out of Raleigh, the GM accepts blame for his club's current nine-game losing streak, and...

(Rutherford) said not bringing back defensemen Dennis Seidenberg and Anton Babchuk has hurt. Seidenberg, an unrestricted free agent, priced himself too high initially and Babchuk "took a strong position with the team," Rutherford said.

"But it's hard to lose both in the same year and the points they brought to the table," he said.

So which 'Cane gets the lion's share of the hatred Wednesday night when the Panthers host Carolina in Sunrise?

Open Thread goes live right here at 6:30pm.

Complete effort by Panthers, Vokoun give Florida decisive victory over Blues, 4-0

Whale4ever — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:49:06 -0000

More photos » by Bill Boyce - AP

about 1 month ago: Florida Panthers' Keith Ballard (2) and Tomas Vokoun, center, of the Czech Republic, block a shot by St. Louis Blues' Yan Sastny (25) in the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

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In what can only be called the Cats' (4-7-1) most "complete" game of the young year, the Panthers wrapped two road matches in as many nights with a very convincing 4-0 win over the host Blues (5-6-1).

Florida netminder Tomas Vokoun (2-7-1) stopped 34 shots to secure a seriously well-deserved shutout. He was poised and efficient, displaying the same confidence his mates showed in front of him all evening.

That may be the real story: the confidence has run cleanly down the lines (no longer down the drain). Steven Reinprecht (2 shots, +2), kept his line in the now-familiar relentless mode fans are getting used to. He may have been held off the scoresheet, but linemates Nathan Horton and Cory Stillman each ended the night with a goal and an assist each. No coincidence there. Rostislav Olesz? Not the same kid he was only weeks ago. He's playing with a determination never before seen.

Quick notes: Vokoun looked every bit an All-Star, so lacking in his play of late. Stillman led the club with five shots. Defenseman Dennis Seidenberg (1g, 1a) was tops in ice time with 21:37 in a game with rapid-fire shift changes (indeed, it was difficult to tell who was playing with whom at times). Newcomer Victor Oreskovich finished with +
1 and 1 SOG in 13:42 (now THAT's confidence from your coach). He and Kenndal McArdle hit everything in front of them - and legally.

A terrific effort by the entire club. Only one game, but that's two wins in a row for those counting. And they looked renewed, fresh, and inspired; words not typically employed around these here parts.