SB Nation - Lee Stempniak

Maple Leafs 2 v. Sabres 3 (OT): Peewee Mistakes Are Costly

PPP — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 06:00:01 -0000

by Frank Gunn - AP

Monkey See Monkey Do

Despite receiving yet another solid goaltending performance from Not Toskalol the Toronto Maple Leafs found a way to cough up a 2-1 lead on just two mistakes in the third period and overtime. It's a shame that the Leafs had two brain cramps that led to goals so late in the game because they got away with so many during the second period as they built up their lead.

The first period was reminiscent to the excellent display that the Leafs put on Friday night. The Leafs came out with jump - the lack thereof which has been a serious problem this year - but again were unable to make the advantage count. They actually left the period down a goal on the back of some poor defensive coverage and a howler by Jonas Gustavsson. He has to get his stick down between his legs on that one. Now don't say that I don't criticise The Monster.

The second period was back to the Sabres team we had seen all of last week. The Leafs took control of the game and scored two ~~lucky~~ hard working goals. Toronto tied it on a shot from behind the goal line by Viktor Stalberg. Stalberg shot it towards the front of the net and it deflected off of lanky Sabres Defenseman Tyler Myers and into the net. The second goal would be equally as strange as it deflected off the skate on Ian White who had pinched in from the point and drove hard to the net.

- David Olesky, Die By The Blade

In that second period the Maple Leafs had a few fire drills in their own end including one 8 man scrum in the crease that somehow saw the Sabres hit Nikolai Kulemin and Wayne Primeau and then slid it wide of the upturned net. At the other end, the Maple Leafs decided that one way to score goals might be to cause Ryan Miller some discomfort. As a result, Viktor Stalberg flew down the ice from the Leafs' face-off dot, burned Henrik Tallinder, and slid a pass towards a driving Colton Orr. The result of the increase in traffic was that Norris candidate Tyler Myers directed the puck past Ryan Miller.

The second goal was again a case of the Leafs doing the small things. Nikolai Kulemin - whose physical play was a highlight of the night and led to a number of other scoring opportunities - took Tyler Myers' ill-advised pinch (and a hit from behind) to set up an odd man rush. The Moustachulent Ian White drove to the far post and Lee Stempniak's pass went in off his skate. Unfortunately, that was all the offence that the Leafs were able to generate.

It's not hard to see how the Sabres are leading the Northeast. Ryan Miller leads the two most important goaltending categories:

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Ryan Miller	29	1718	20	7		54	1.89	862	808	.937	4

This unbelievable season has the Sabres' 3rd in goals against which offsets their 22nd ranked offence. That 19 spot gap plays much better than the Leafs' 17 spot gap between their 29th ranked defence and 12th ranked offence. Here are a couple of things that I picked up from the incredible Time On Ice site. TThe first is a chart looking at both the Corsi and Fenwick numbers Basically, the Corsi number looks at all of the shots that are directed at a net while at even strength and the Fenwick number ignores blocked shots. These are definitely not the be-all numbers but they do give you at least an idea of which players were on their back foot during the game.

Player Number	Goals		Saved shots		Missed Shots		Fenwick+/-	Blocked Shots		Corsi+/-
8 - D - KOMISAREK, MIKE	0	1	16	6	4	6	7	5	2	10
15 - D - KABERLE, TOMAS	1	1	16	6	4	6	8	5	3	10
9 - L - HAGMAN, NIKLAS	0	0	11	5	4	5	5	8	4	9
55 - L - BLAKE, JASON	0	0	11	7	4	4	4	6	2	8
84 - C - GRABOVSKI, MIKHAIL	0	1	10	6	4	6	1	7	2	6
18 - C - PRIMEAU, WAYNE	1	1	7	7	2	2	0	7	4	3
50 - G - GUSTAVSSON, JONAS	2	3	33	26	10	17	-1	18	14	3
2 - D - SCHENN, LUKE	1	0	9	5	4	6	3	6	7	2
12 - R - STEMPNIAK, LEE	1	0	6	7	2	3	-1	7	5	1
4 - D - FINGER, JEFF	0	0	7	7	4	5	-1	7	6	0
45 - L - STALBERG, VIKTOR	1	0	7	6	3	5	0	1	1	0
21 - R - MAYERS, JAMAL	1	1	4	5	2	2	-1	1	2	-2
23 - L - PONIKAROVSKY, ALEXEI	0	1	9	5	1	5	-1	2	3	-2
28 - R - ORR, COLTON	1	2	4	5	2	2	-2	1	1	-2
14 - C - STAJAN, MATT	0	0	10	7	2	7	-2	3	4	-3
81 - C - KESSEL, PHIL	0	1	12	6	2	8	-1	4	6	-3
41 - L - KULEMIN, NIKOLAI	1	1	6	10	2	2	-4	6	6	-4
22 - D - BEAUCHEMIN, FRANCOIS	1	2	10	13	2	6	-8	6	5	-7
7 - D - WHITE, IAN	1	2	8	15	2	5	-11	7	5	-9

The second page rom there goes towards explaining why Jamal Mayers and Colton Orr were out against Derek Roy and Jochen Hecht on the tying goal. Ron Wilson had deployed them most often at even strength against the Sabres' duo. They were a part of the unit that played the 2nd most minutes against them. If not for a momentary bobble by Mayers we wouldn't even be discussing the error.

As for the winner, that's where the title of the post comes in. I played defence once upon a time when I wasn't busy being a sniper and one thing I learned was that there should always, when possible, be a defenceman in front of the net. Frankly, trying to figure out why Francois Beauchemin felt compelled to run into the corner has left me baffled. It evidently surprised Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel too because neither one was prepared to rotate down to cover Roy before he potted the winner.

The full Ron Wilson presser is below and it's great to see a coach not trying to spin things positively. Actually, it's kind of funny because the media are trying to give him an opening to do just that. Considering Gustavsson's performance over the last two games (.944 sv% and a 1.59GAA) Chemmy is right that as fans we can try to at least feel a bit better about the weekend's games considering the Toskalol bascially surrendered two on Friday night. There's still a long way to do to get into the playoffs, especially considering last night's other results, but every point does count. Let's just hope that the wasted second points don't come back to haunt the Leafs.

Maple Leafs 2 at Sabres 5: Managing Expectations

PPP — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:09:49 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

Toni Lydman has to catch up to Niklas Hagman because he was laughing so hard thinking about the goal he scored.

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As some of you might know, I made the trek down to the Queen City as part of a friend's birthday celebration to catch The Heroes take on the Buffalo Sabres. I tried my best to talk myself into believing that the Leafs had a chance to win and then it was confirmed that Vesa Toskala was starting in net. Right then, my expectations for the game matched the subterranean levels of my expectations for the city itself. Unfortunately, while one was exceeded Toskalol did his best to remind just why I have a series of voodoo dolls with his likeness.

But things didn't have to go that way. In the space of a couple of minutes the wheels fell off:

The Leafs were dominant in the first period and thoroughly outplayed Buffalo in every aspect of the game. It took the Sabres almost 13 minutes to get their first shot on goal and they were outshot 10-4 by the visiting Leafs. The only goal of the period came just over three minutes into the game as Viktor Stalberg scored the first goal of his NHL career on a shot that appeared to deflect off of Craig Rivet.

- David Olesky, Die By The Blade

Things had started out so well too. Cutting off work at 2pm on a Friday and meeting up with the rest of the weekend warriors including a pal that had flown in from Calgary helped get things off on the right foot. Driving 2 kilometres on the QEW in about 40 minutes made me start questioning whether he would make it on time. Thankfully, we got across the border despite the border agent's best attempts to trip us up with his quick-fire questions.

Traveller's Tip # 1: Don't try to answer questions at the border as quickly as you can. Take your time and pay attention. Otherwise, that's how you end up saying 'yes' when you mean to say 'no' and you end up finding out that latex gloves are cold.

Once we crossed the border it was time to get used to how different things are in the United States. Instead of kilometres the speed is measureed in miles, instead of asphalt they apparently use something that resembles the surface of the moon (or a bombed out downtown core which brings me to...), and instead of an attempt at a vibrant downtown core they have abandoned buildings, parking lots, and HSBC Arena. Oh, and Chippewa Street but we're not at that point of the night yet.

The lobby of the hotel, much like HSBC, is already overrun with Leafs fans. Time is running short so we hopped in a cab to the arena to partake in some pre-game beverages. One short hour later and our table top would have brought tears of joy to any of the local cart-pushers. With 15 minutes to puck drop it was time to get into the game.

Traveller's Tip # 2: When in a busy bar a big first tip and a request that rounds come out two at a time will help ensure that at most only one hand will be devoid of a refreshing drink.

At this point the trickle of Leafs fans has become a full on deluge. Once we grab a couple of tallboys and hit our seats (row 19 behind the net the Leafs' attacked twice) to find ourselves surrounded! Thank God they were all Leafs fans. Saw some jersey fouls but the matching Wendel Clark jersey in front of me erased my memory of those. I was really confused before the beginning of the game because something seemed off. Then my buddy pointed out that almost every seat was filled before the anthems. Weird concept.

As you can tell from D.O.' excerpt, the game started well enough. Leafs RAUP was, as Joe Bowen is wont to say, was in good voice especially after Viktor Stalberg opened the scoring past the Leafs' nemesis Ryan Miller. My stomach sank when some yahoos started a 'Millllll-errrrrr" chant. As the birthday diva pointed out "It's probably not a good idea to heckle a goalie that thrives on that kind of thing". Too right. Fab and Gus Katsaros from Maple Leafs Hot Stove showed up a little late and missed the goal. They are clearly cursed but it was interesting watching Kats jot down notes and listen to Fabs talk because he was born to take over for Andy Frost. Also, apparently I have a potty mouth but really, after that game, I thought I controlled it pretty well because not one parent complained.

The first period actually flew by despite a couple of Leafs' penalties but once refreshments were purchased it was a lot easier to take a look throughout the crowd. That's when I spotted not one, not two, but THREE Buffalo residents (surely Sabres fans would rather spend money on Sabres' merchandise) with "Losers Since" #67 Leafs jerseys. Now, I loudly proclaimed that it just goes to show that real fans travel to support their team and fake ones wear their opponents' colours. With the team playing well and the sweet taste of liquid courage it seemed like we were set for a banner night.

Then the refs and Vesa Toskala landed a devastating one-two.

Traveller's Tip # 3: If you find out that Vesa Toskala is starting the game for your team get back in your vehicle and go home because he is the worst goalie on the planet. It's not even subjective. He's 46th in save percentage and GAA. For those keeping track, that's last in the league. And both other goalies have significantly better numbers. It's Toskala and as Chemmy put it, if you doubt it then you objectively know less than fuck all about hockey.

Jochen Hecht clearly interfered with Toskala on the first goal. We couldn't see it very well live but on the replay there is no doubting the fact that once again the referees blew an easy call and cost the Maple Leafs the first goal of the game. The team's improved on their ability to deal with those kinds of setbacks. What they haven't been able to deal with came up next. On a lazy dump in I visually started following the puck on its anticipated path around the glass. Unfortunately, Toskalol had a different idea. Rather than leave well enough alone he decided to do his best Jim Carey Price impression. In the span of maybe a second I went from "ok, let's chip it out" to "What the hell was he thinking thank God he got to it" to "I'd cry if I didn't expect it". Being about 100 feet away from that kind of trainwreck makes it all the more vivid.

Traveller's Tip # 4: The amount that your drinking will increase during a Leafs loss on a road trip is directly proportional to how much the tickets cost. My liver suggests that we should have gone with puckurgently's price bracket instead.

That really took the wind out of the Leafs' sails and the fans' enthusiasm. Suddenly, the HSBC was just the ACC South as the atmosphere began to resemble a mausoleum giving more credence to the argument that team performance comes first, vocal support comes second. Predicting that the rout would quickly be on was not exactly Nostradamus-level but it came true as first Mike Grier redirected a shot in with his leg/skate and then a wrister beat Toskalol over his useless glove. Once Jonas Gustavsson came in it wasn't clear who was cheering louder, the Leafs fans or the Sabres fans but at that point the game was over. The team's traded goals in the third period but that was all she wrote.

I have to admit that the Sabres fans were really well behaved. Sure, it helped that they were winning and outnumbered but the only guy that wasn't in a good mood was one that thought I was serious about throwing him over the escalator. Then there was the 10 year old kid that looked at me like I was insane when Lee Stempniak scored with 19 seconds left. Like 3 goals in 19 seconds is so insane.

Thank God for Chippewa Streeet though. Like an oasis in a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland it stands alone as a beacon of hope for the town of Buffalo and apparently it also houses all of the attractive women who, it should be noted, were much more pleasant than their Toronto counterparts. There might be better looking ones in Toronto but except for the 9 with the Tim Hunter nose (and yes, after she was rude to my friend I told her that) they were all pretty cool.

Traveller's Tip # 5: Getting strange women to talk to you involves listening to them. However, playing the 'dumb' card is not a good way to keep them talking if that involves pretending not to know what the seven wonders of the world are.

I guess it helps to have lowered expectations because at worst they are met (thanks Toskalol, you'll be getting a bill) and at best you are pleasantly surprised (single ladies with funny accents).

Traveller's Tip # 6: 50 Chicken Wings in Buffalo is a good idea. At 4am, however, that might not still hold true.

Maple Leafs 5 v. Thrashers 2: TODAY IS THE GREATEST DAYYYY

PPP — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 03:17:46 -0000

More photos » by CHRIS YOUNG - AP

Sorry Antro. You can't have Poni! He's mine!

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Chemmy would like you to listen to this song to understand the post title. Unfortunately, Smashing Pumpkins doesn't like having their music embedded.

The Toronto Maple Leafs bounced back from a pantsing in Boston on Saturday to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-2. They were paced by two goals by Alexei Ponikarovsky, a strong performance by Matt Stajan, and competent, nay, outstanding at times, goaltending by Vesa Toskala. Re-read that if you have to in order to believe it but there it is.

The Toronto Maple Leafs knew that they had to do something special. First, they knew that Puck Daddy was going to be in the building being afraid of King Clancy after a day spent visiting all of the city's sights. He also did his best Don Cherry impression: YER PATHETIC!! Could have used Jeff Marek standing beside him terrified and perplexed. Secondly, they likely (despite all protests to the contrary) read this abortion of an article by Mark Zwolinski featuring his best Working Class Howard impression:

Even though they are fully aware of it, the Leafs received another reminder yesterday of how fortunate they are to play in a city where no matter how poorly they perform, there's always a love-in waiting for them when they return home.

And that was the first sentence/paragraph/whatever journalists write since they stopped writing in proper English! Now, I know ad hominem attacks aren't the way to make your point but...come on, is Zwolinski an idiot? The love-in? Is this by the fans that spent so much time booing the team that JFJ actually got fired, that McCabe got run out of town, that Tucker and Raycroft were bought out, that reporters have commented on what a poisoned atmosphere the ACC has become? Really? Where are Amy Pohler and Seth Myers when I need them!

And because I can't let a mention of 'idiot' and Working Class Howard go without a proper mention here were the two records that the teams sported before tonight: Leafs at home: 2-7-3 Thrashers on the road: 9-2-1. What would those figures have told you before the game? That the Thrashers were likely to win the game. Well, that's not what Mensa Berger had in mind. His view was that 'something's got to give'. Sure Howie. Yeah, yeah, yeah, he could have been saying that the Leafs aren't this bad and the Thrashers aren't that good but knowing WCH who thinks that that was his point?

The first period was a whole lot of frustrating as the Leafs directed 30 pucks in the direction of the Thrashers' net only to see 20 get blocked or miss the net completely. Most notably, on a long 5-on-3 the Leafs managed to look completely toothless. Luckily for them, Toskala kept out all nine of Atlanta's shots. Every time I write that I have to check the scoresheet to make sure it's real.

The second period can best be described with a short anecdote. Godd Till, of Zambonic Youth fame, and I frequently chat about soccer, our old high school, whose hometown is worse (Cobourg came out strong but was trumped by Peterborough's NSFW late effort), and simulate British football commentary when we rip on right-wing extremists on Twitter. For the unitiated, that means writing hilarious overwrought and ridiculous things but our all-time favourite word is the only one that could describe the second period: Rampant. The Toronto Maple Leafs, for one of the few times this year, were well and truly rampant. One might have referred to 'champagne hockey' and 'the gulf in class' being tangible. Leading the stampede was Alexei Ponikarovsky although he had plenty of help from Matt Stajan (on pace for 26 goals), Lee Stempniak (on pace for 21 goals), and Mikhail Grabovski (on pace for 17 murdered pineapples).

That left the ACC crowd in ecstasy (sorry, still in Brit commenter-mode) as the home side ran up a 5-0 lead. Of course, that led to the mention by everyone that Vesa Toskala could pick up a shutout. People were angry, irate, and...crazy. Jinxes are superstitions. We can't control it. If people want to flout accepted societal norms and mention shutouts all willy nilly well...that kind of thinking is what gave us the current sexually equal generation of women so who's to say it's wrong? In the end, people just had to remember that a. the Leafs get ridiculously pleased with a good two period effort and b. Vesa Toskala was in net.

So for those keeping track at home, while the mittenstringers have been calling for Ron Wilson's head and people have been saying things like "The Leafs would have to win 6 out of every 10 games AND get an OT loss in there 6 times to make the playoffs!" the Maple Leafs have been picking up 6 wins and an OT/SO loss in their last 9 (6-2-1). Hmmm. Look at that. The Maple Leafs are not entirely out of the playoff picture. Weird. Because Damien Cox told us to abandon all hope and all we've been getting is an endless litany of Taylor Hall jokes. Sure, things look better if you take Ron Wilson's advice and read the standings upside down (PRESIDENT'S TROPHY!!1) but there's a lot of time to make them look, if not good, then at least acceptable.

Lots of great videos from last night's game here

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

The Trading Block: Who The Blues Could Move

gallagher — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:30:12 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

The trade of Lee Stempniak signaled to the Blues that it wouldn't be Andy Murray that would be held accountable for their slow start. Who could be this year's Stempniak?

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On Nov. 23 last year the Blues were 8-8-2 and 13th in the Western Conference, dead-last in the Central Division. They'd suffered some odd injuries, including an emergency appendectomy to one of their players. Fans were grumbling about the coaching of Andy Murray and the lack of team scoring (just 55 goals in 18 games to that point).

The next day the team traded Lee Stempniak, considered by most followers of the team to be one of the franchise's youthful building blocks, to Toronto for Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. The deal was a classic sell-high, buy-low for the Blues, as Stempniak had a bit of a point streak going at the time (he had three goals and 10 assists in 14 games to that point) and had been a 27-goal scorer once before in his short career. Meanwhile, both Colaiacovo and Steen had long since worn out their welcome in the Center Of The Hockey Universe as underperforming former first round picks.

But the trade was more than a "let's get two-for-one" deal for the Blues; this was a direct message to the players that Murray would be staying and if their performance continued to be mediocre, it was they that would be a-going.

The team continued to struggle along through November and December before going 6-4-1 in January and then, of course, going on The Run that ended with the Blues in the sixth seed in the West.

With the exception of waiving Manny Legace on Feb. 6, the Blues made no other roster moves after the Stempniak deal. Considering the similar state of the team today and the recent comments made by team owner David Checketts that the time to move forward is now, if the team doesn't start to climb the standings soon, another move will be made to shake up the roster. For the sake of this argument, we're going to assume that Andy Murray will not be fired and that the team will deal with first quarter doldrums in the same manner that they did last year and trade someone.

But who fits the bill to be traded this year? Last year's trade of Stempniak was unforeseen and shocking to fans, media and presumably, the players. If a trade is to be made this year, it'd likely be designed to shake up the players who remain behind. The problem is identifying a player who is shocking to see leave and sends the message, but not be the type of player that goes on to make you regret his departure.

Similarly, the roster is full of players that fans might want to see traded, but simply cannot be moved for one reason or another.

We'll analyze the current roster to see who is tradeable and who is not, leaving the minor leaguers and prospects out of the discussion as we're not talking about specific packages or team needs at this point. In the end, we'll give our most likely candidates to be moved if the Blues decide to dangle one of their players.

David Backes

#42 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 216

Born: May 01, 1984

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - David Backes 4 6 10 1 38

David Backes, RW: The Blues thought highly enough of Backes to match Vancouver's RFA offer to him before last season, agreeing to overpay him to the tune of $2.5 million a year. Backes paid back the Blues in spades last year with his 31-goal effort and his nightly physical domination. He became known as Chuck Norris around these parts and it was justly deserved.

But is he tradeable today? Backes' slow start made him an early candidate for consideration in a shake up trade, but his six points in his last four games has made him an even more potent trading piece. If the Blues were to trade Backes it would definitely shake up the roster and send the message that no one here is untouchable, but giving up on the 25-year-old could end up being seriously short-sighted. The return might be great, but what of the loss? Have we seen the top of Backes' game or is he just getting started?

Patrik Berglund

#21 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 187

Born: Jun 02, 1988

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - Patrik Berglund 3 2 5 -4 2

Patrik Berglund, C: The former first rounder from 2006 enjoyed a great rookie season, becoming coveted around the league for his 21 goals and 47 points in 76 games, despite playing in twice as many games as he ever had in a season previously. This season, however, has been the epitome of the sophomore slump for the young TechnoViking. He is on pace for just 11 goals and 18 points. His minus-4 stands out when compared to his solid plus-19 from last year.

Is he tradeable? Certainly. Would it be shocking? Absolutely. Would it be giving up on a talent who has not reached his final height yet? Probably. Depending on the return that could be gotten back, Berglund could find himself the target of a "needs a change of scenery" trade.

Brad Boyes

#22 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 17, 1982

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Boyes	6	9	15	-5	2

Brad Boyes, C/RW: In his short NHL career, Boyes has bounced from Toronto to San Jose to Boston to St. Louis. His talent is evident as he has scored 43 and 33 goals over the last two seasons, but his streaky nature and perceived lack of hard work has kept him on the move. He is on pace for 29 goals this year, despite a recent streak of nine points in his last 10 games. At just 27 years old, he is still an NHL commodity and would surely find suitors if he were on the Blues' trade block.

But can the Blues trade a guy who one could argue is the only real sniper on the team? The last person to score 33 goals in the Bluenote was Tkachuk in 2003-04. The last to score 43 was Brett Hull in 1995-96. Yes, Brett Hull. In 1996. He'd likely draw some talent back to the team, but scoring, even if it is streaky, is not a strength from which the Blues have a deep well to deal.

Eric Brewer

#4 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 222

Born: Apr 17, 1979

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Eric Brewer	1	2	3	-8	11

Eric Brewer, D: Calm down, boo-birds. Yes, Brewer might find himself atop many fans' Trade Now lists, but the Robot Captain seems to still be respected within the organization. His statistics continue to track along his career normal, in that area around 20-29 points, but his glaring minus-8 will keep the fans letting him know, "Brewer You Suck!"

If he hadn't missed a calendar year of hockey with various knee and back surgeries and if he wasn't currently on the shelf with another 'lower body' injury, Brewer might have some value. But add to those red flags his current contract of $4.5 million for this year and next and it's unlikely Brewer is going anywhere anytime soon.

Carlo Colaiacovo

#28 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 200

Born: Jan 27, 1983

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Carlo Colaiacovo	2	7	9	0	17

Carlo Colaiacovo, D: The beneficiary of last year's "change of scenery" trade, Colaiacovo has revived his career in St. Louis. The offensive defenseman, who never put up more than 24 points in an NHL season before, finished last year with 30 and is on pace for even more points this season, his contract year. He remains haunted by the injury bug, though he managed to play a career-high 73 games last season.

If the Blues think he can be re-signed and continue to be productive in a leading role for the team (he is only 26 now), he won't be traded. If they think he'll be squeezed out by upcoming defenders, Colaiacovo could be a prime trading piece.

Ty Conklin

#29 / Goalie / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 184

Born: Mar 30, 1976

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Ty Conklin	7	386	3	2			15	2.33	204	189	.926	1

Ty Conklin, G: Conklin has only been with the team for this season and played only seven games. he's been solid and (most importantly for a goalie) uncontroversial in the back-up goal. He fills a serious need for the team and he's paid appropraitely for this year and next.

There's no shock value to shake up the roster by trading Conklin and any trade involving him immediately opens a hole that has to be filled.

B.J. Crombeen

#26 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 212

Born: Jul 10, 1985

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - B.J. Crombeen	1	3	4	2	63

B.J. Crombeen, RW: The Beej has a very specific role on this team and depending on the night, he either plays it well by hitting and checking and making life a nightmare for the opposition, or he decides he's needed on the ice and puts himself on the ice for a too-many-men penalty. Basically, he's a role player who can chip in some points and allow older fans to boast that they remember when his dad played here.

Trading B.J. wouldn't be much of a blow to the team. Some might say that it sucks, but not too many fans or players would choke on the trade if it were made. There wouldn't be much of a return on a B.J. trade either because most people would see him as a starter, not the main event in any exchange.

Barret Jackman

#5 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 203

Born: Mar 05, 1981

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Barret Jackman	0	4	4	5	13

Barret Jackman, D: The World's Angriest Defender (TM), owner of the best You're An Idiot (R) look in the NHL, Jackman is an original Blue, drafted in the first round back in 1999. He has had to re-learn the game as a defensive defenseman after the new rules were implemented after the lockout. Despite his inexplicable role as "the guy we hate when Brewer is out of the lineup", Jackman plays a steady if unspectacular game and while he has seen time on the power play during the less-offesnive days, he clearly doesn't relish the offensive role and is happier defending his own net.

Jackman's trade would definitely shake up the team and the fanbase, though the return would not be terribly flashy due to his unflashy role and large contract ($4.5 million this year and next, $3.5 million in 2011-12).

Cam Janssen

#55 / Right Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Born: Apr 15, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Cam Janssen	0	0	0	-1	50

Cam Janssen, RW: It's almost superfluous to put Janssen's position in this description as all it does is designate where he lines up on face-offs. The local boy gone pro, Cam Smash, King of Eureka, spends his entire shift running around the rink looking for someone to run into or to punch. St. Louisans love their home-town products and Janssen is no exception. He plays a specific role and with his better skating and durability than heavyweight fighter D.J. King, Janssen has been useful to the team. Also, did we mention that the fans love him?

While his game has gotten better since he arrived here in February 2008, Janssen could be traded. The return would be low and the biggest shake up it would cause would be down I-55 south of 44, where they still need every body they can get to fill sandbags come spring.

Erik Johnson

#6 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-4

Weight: 219

Born: Mar 21, 1988

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Erik Johnson	4	14	18	6	16

Erik Johnson, D: Despite missing all of last year to a golf cart jousting incident (allegedly), the Eeeej leads the team in scoring, changes the way teams have to prepare for the Blues' attack, does a mean Napoleon Dynamite impression, isn't afraid to get down with your girlfriend in your car in Al MacInnis' driveway (allegedly) and is likely going to stage some sweet raid on Oshie's condo at some point to get his Elmo hat back.

How do you spell 'franchise'? Not sure, but it definitely has an E and a J in it. This kid isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Paul Kariya

#9 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-10

Weight: 180

Born: Oct 16, 1974

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Paul Kariya	6	5	11	4	12

Paul Kariya, LW: We owe Paul Kariya a bit of an apology. earlier this year we said something to the effect of, "The next time Paul Kariya takes a hit to make a play with be the first." Since that time, Kariya, who must have heard our admonishment through cyberspace, has been offering up his tiny, waif-like body to make plays. And, thankyouverymuch, it has resulted in Kariya's point totals rising, with points in each of the last three games.

Kariya is still on pace for a terrible offensive year, but that isn't the only reason that trading Kariya is a tough task. In fact there are 6 million reasons that other teams don't want to deal for Kariya. That hefty price tag, small offensive output and the final months of a contract owed to a notorious mercenary when it comes to free agency (just ask Anaheim, Colorado and Nashville) combine for a perfect storm of "hell no, we don't have interest in Kariya" among the rest of the NHL teams.

Chris Mason

#50 / Goalie / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 195

Born: Apr 20, 1976

	GP	MIN	W	L	T	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Chris Mason	19	1129	7	8			43	2.29	557	514	.923	0

Chris Mason, G: Mason is the goalie. He's not winning enough games because he's not getting enough help from the rest of the team. His personal stats are great (eighth in GAA and seventh in save percentage) and that's tough to do on a struggling team.

Trading Mason would happen if only one of two things were happening: 1. Tha Canucks called and said, "How about Luongo for that Mason fella straight up?" or 2. The Blues called a press conference and announced, "Screw this year, we love drafting high."

Jay McClement

#18 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 201

Born: Mar 02, 1983

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Jay McClement	4	4	8	0	6

Jay McClement, C: Silent Jay, one of the original members of the Blues' post-lockout Kid Line (along with the traded Stempniak), has developed into a legitimate Selke candidate right before our eyes. His even plus/minus is all the more impressive when considering that he sees most of his minutes against other team's top lines. McClement is also locked up for two years after this season to a reasonable contract ($1.45 million per). Plus, his stock photo looks like he has a skelton's grin, which is awesome.

McClement's trade would shock the locker room more than the fans, especially casual fans who too often overlook his quiet, workmanlike contributions to team success. His contract, work ethic and skill set make him a perfect add for an opposing team. His trade wouldn't bring back the intangibles he adds. It could happen, but it would likely be shortsighted.

Andy McDonald

#10 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-11

Weight: 183

Born: Aug 25, 1977

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Andy McDonald	6	8	14	-2	2

Andy McDonald, C: McDonald is struggling offensively this year but everyone has seen what he can do with the puck when he starts running hot. Plus, the Blues just locked him up for another three years after this year at an average of $4.7 million a year.

Trading McDonald would be the Blues saying that they made a mistake with a big contract and are having buyers' remorse. Which would put them on the 'sell low' end of the negotiations, the bad end to be on. The trade wouldn't shock fans or the locker room and the return would be less than impressive.

T.J. Oshie

#74 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-11

Weight: 170

Born: Dec 23, 1986

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - T.J. Oshie	4	9	13	1	10

T.J. Oshie, C/W: Oshie only seems like he's in a the throes of a sophomore slump because his rookie season took the city by storm. Young Mister Furnace Face scored the NHL.com goal of the year, blew up Rick Nash so badly (twice) that the fans coined the phrase "Oshied", got voted by someone to be his or her mayor in an actual election and had his name chanted by over 19,000 people on multiple occasions last year. By comparison, a second season where he only tallies 50 points would seem like a let down.

Last year, even suggesting that Oshie be traded would be reason enough to go into Salman Rushdie-like hiding for a writer. This year, it would be like suggesting that Anheuser-Busch is better off being owned by a foreign company like Inbev. It's still fighting words in most places, but in others, well, whatever, they just drink Schlafly anyway. Which isn't to say that Oshie's trade wouldn't shock the team and the fans, beacause it certainly would. The problem is that Oshie can score, but his intangibles are worth at least as much as his points, so the return on him wouldn't match what the team would give up.

David Perron

#57 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-0

Weight: 180

Born: May 28, 1988

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - David Perron	9	7	16	-1	14

David Perron, LW: Perron leads the team in goals, works his poutine-loving ass off on every shift (doing a great rookie Oshie impression) and has an early nod for selection for this year's NHL.com goal of the year. Despite what has happened between Perron and the coach in the past, he is newly mature and coming into his own. And he's only 21.

Despite the fact that he's coming into a contract year and will certainly be looking for a huge pay increase this summer, the day a competing general manager picks up his phone to learn that the Blues are calling to offer Perron in a trade is that GM's best day ever. David Perron is untradeable at this point, no matter the return (sort of insanity, which can happen in the NHL) because of his ceiling.

Alex Pietrangelo

#27 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-3

Weight: 206

Born: Jan 18, 1990

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Alex Pietrangelo	1	1	2	-9	6

Alex Pietrangelo, D: There's a rule in hockey that goes something like this: goalies hit their stride and their prime later than any other position. Defensemen hit their stride and their prime earlier than goalies, but still not until later in their careers. Forwards can be thrown into the league earliest at all because creativity, speed and their shot can compensate for other factors.

Pietrangelo isn't playing enough in the NHL for most observers and he's got nothing left to learn in junior, but that hardly makes him prime trade bait. The fourth overall selection from just last year going on the trade block would garner a ton of calls from around the league, but the fact is that the offers would almost always be "you take our busting project for your young defenseman who isn't playing anyway".

Roman Polak

#46 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 227

Born: Apr 28, 1986

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Roman Polak	2	4	6	6	22

Roman Polak, D: He's 23, he's locked up for this year and next for a little over a million bucks each, plays solid defense, can contribute offensively and is fast enough to rush the puck and get back to protect his own zone. He's quiet and unheralded and he's the Jay McClement of the defense. Plus, his fake Twitter account is awesome. As is farting in teammate's helmets.

The shock value is high, his replacement is fairly easy considering the Pietrangelo, Junland, Rundblad, Cole pipeline and the return on him would likely be comparable, if not exactly earth-shattering.

Alexander Steen

#20 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 205

Born: Mar 01, 1984

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Alexander Steen	1	1	2	-1	6

Alexander Steen, LW: Steen has been a staple on the McClement line almost since his arrival in St. Louis and he has also shown flashes of the offense that caused him to be drafted in the first round by Toronto back in 2002. But unlike his trade-mate Colaiacovo, Steen hasn't exactly made himself a more desired commodity around the NHL. he plays an important role for the team, but his role can be filled by plenty of similar players in Peoria who would love the opportunity.

No one nose what value Steen might have around the NHL, but we smell a boring trade if he's the tip of any deal because he's at the end of his contract and has likely reached his beak.

Darryl Sydor

#44 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-1

Weight: 211

Born: May 13, 1972

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Darryl Sydor	0	4	4	6	10

Darryl Sydor, D: Sydor's best days are well behind him. He's lucky that he happens to have a skill set that allows him to be paid premium dollars (a cool million for this season) to act as 'mentor' and not really be expected produce much offensively. Sydor's only value in trade would be at the deadline as a depth/veteran presence guy. As for shock value in trading Sydor at this point, it's unlikely there would be much shake up in the locker room after the initial "I couldn't believe he took Pronger's number in the first place" discussion.

Keith Tkachuk

#7 / Center / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-2

Weight: 232

Born: Mar 28, 1972

G A P +/- PIM

2009 - Keith Tkachuk 5 8 13 -3 22

Keith Tkachuk, LW/C: The days of trading Tkachuk for a big return are probably long gone. If the trade deadline were looming, there might be a ~~sucker~~ general manager or two out there who might still fall for the siren song of "big body, proven goal scorer, veteran presence" for their playoff run, but as for a trade today, there won't be many takers around the NHL.

Tkachuk is on a short, NHL-cheap contract and does have a strong locker room presence... which is exactly why the Blues want him and will be unlikely to trade him. It'd shake up the roster, but the return at this point wouldn't be worth the exchange.

Mike Weaver

#43 / Defenseman / St. Louis Blues

Height: 5-9

Weight: 182

Born: May 02, 1978

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Mike Weaver	0	1	1	5	8

Mike Weaver, D: Small but steady, Weaver doesn't get mentioned much because he is a defensive defenseman who does his job effectively. Not being mentioned much is a compliment for defensive defenseman.

As for trade value, Weaver has virtually none. There'd be little shock value to the team due to his journeyman status and zero shock value to the fans (have you ever seen a Weaver 43 jersey worn by a fan?) and the return would be the definition of infinitesimal.

Brad Winchester

#15 / Left Wing / St. Louis Blues

Height: 6-5

Weight: 228

Born: Mar 01, 1981

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Brad Winchester	0	2	2	1	24

Brad Winchester, LW: It's hard to believe that a guy who stands 6'5 tall and weighs nearly 230 pounds could ever be described as invisible, but Winchester has done just that and in the process has proven how a guy who is taken 35th overall in the NHL draft (2000) can muster only 200 NHL games and 36 points in the following nine years.

Yeah, this is about trade value and shake up of the roster, neither of which describe Winchester.

***************************************

So where does that leave the Blues if they are looking to make a trade? Here are our best guesses, by category.

Untradeable Due To Value:

These guys aren't going anywhere because they are too important to the team now and/or in the future.

Erik Johnson. If the trade documents came to the NHL offices, even those numbskulls would void it based on sheer stupidity. Wayne Gretzky got traded, sure, but not when he was 21 and the best player on his team.
Chris Mason. What do you need the second you trade Chris Mason? A top-10 ranked starting netminder. Whoops!
Jay McClement. Much like Mason, if you trade McClement, you suddenly need a guy just like McClement.
T.J. Oshie. Oshie's intangibles outweigh anything the team would get for him unless some other GM was eating peyote and then firing up the Blackberry to offer up some ridiculous package for the kid. The P.R. hit alone would making trading the Teej a huge mistake.
David Perron. The kid will be worth three first round draft picks to some RFA-contract-offering idiot this summer, so if the Blues are willing to lose an emerging talent like Frenchie, they should wait until then to do it.

Untradeable Due To Lack Of Value:

These guys aren't going anywhere because the return is too small.

Eric Brewer. The Robot is too broken and expensive to warrant interest from another team.
Paul Kariya. It isn't 1996 anymore. Kariya costs too much, is too close to unrestricted free agency and is producing far too few points to be of any interest to any but the drunkest of general managers.
Andy McDonald. We have no doubt that McDonald will be valuable again one day, but right now he too closely resembles the guy who was easily required for a virtually worthless Doug Weight two seasons ago.

Untradeable Due To Role:

Unless these guys are a problem in the locker room, and there's no reason to think they are, no possible advantage can be gained from trading them.

Ty Conklin. This guy gets traded and has to immediately be replaced by a guy who plays like him, gets paid like him and has the same demeanor as him.
Cam Janssen. Add in the hometown bump you get for having this guy in the lineup, the team would have to get something special to let go of the P.R. advantage Janssen brings. No GM in the league is about to overpay for Janssen.

Could Be Traded For Low Impact:

These guys could get traded, but the return will be small and the shock to the team won't likely be enough to cause significant change.

B.J. Crombeen. Swapping a role player for a mid-to-late pick or another role player isn't going to have the impact the team is looking to get. Plus, why ruin a whole season of blow job jokes if you don't have to?
Alex Steen. The worst thing that can happen to a player is to get injured and then have someone step into your role and make everyone forget you were gone. Steen has played 11 games this year. Seems high, doesn't it?
Darryl Sydor. "Oh no! They traded a 37-year-old depth defenseman they brought in for one year and would have been gone in six months anyway! I guess they are serious; anyone can be traded!"
Mike Weaver. Seriously, how many people really know Mike Weaver is on the team right now anyway? Impact of trading him: all of his immediate family have to update their mailing address for him. As if anyone mails anything anymore.
Brad Winchester: "So we have an offer for 228 pounds worth of hockey pucks. We lose maybe one more fight but we do save about $200 in souvenir costs."

Are You Kidding Me? Seriously. Are You Kidding Me?:

You want shock value? You want some return on your exchange? These are the guys the management and staff are going to argue about trading and the guys who, if traded, would make you call your friends liars when they told you about the trade.

David Backes. Sure, he's struggling. Sure he gets paid a lot for a guy his age. Sure it's been a long time since anyone here has vehemently compared him to Chuck Norris. But general managers in the NHL aren't as easily freaked out by slow starts as fans are. If Backes were made available, the list of teams with nice offers in hand would be long. Trading Backes shakes up the team, nets a good return and lets everyone know that no one is safe. The downside is that he almost certainly becomes a monster and regularly returns to haunt his former team.
Brad Boyes. Most fantasy hockey guys will tell you that the second you trade a great player you immediatley make yourself believe he was never on your team. Boyes can be streaky and frustrating and may always leave you wanting more, but when he's on your team he's a guy that can change a game. Trading him likely brings a nice return, scares the other players into focus and makes all of us go fantasy GM and pretend he never played here, because he's got at least a couple more great scoring seasons ahead of him.
Patrik Berglund. In five years we'll know what we had in Patrik Berglund. He's no Peter Forsberg, but is he going to become the shifty Swedish version of Pavel Datsyuk? Or is he on the fast track to becoming our next Jim Campbell? If he gets traded and blossoms into the slick playmaker with a nasty power play one-timer that we saw in glimpses next year, we'll be tasting our own vomit for the next 10-15 years. If he becomes the next great suburban Mite coach, we'll be applauding his trade like we used to talk about the Christer Olsson for Pavol Demitra deal.
Alex Pietrangelo. Classic giving up too early trade. The kid is 19-years-old and if not for a bout of mono in his draft year could have been drafted before Drew Doughty and Zach Begosian. If he goes away the Blues are counting on Jonas Junland or David Rundblad, both high-risk, power play specialist type of players, to round out their game and fill his spot as they swap him for a slumping scorer of comparable value like Columbus' Nikita Filatov.

On The Block:

These are the guys whose age, reputation, contracts and shake up value to the current roster make them the most likely players to become 'former Blues' should the team decide to go that way.

Carlo Colaiacovo. The guy is young and stepping into his game, but the crunch on the blueline, his contract status and injury history makes him a prime candidate to get dangled out there. His ceiling is probably ahead of him, but he's expendable from a P.R. standpoint, a talent standpoint and in terms of return.
Barret Jackman. This would be even more shocking than the trade of Stempniak last year, but his contract and the depth of the Blues' defensive pipeline makes this a 'head' move more than a 'heart' move. The return would likely be good, too, as Jackman's reputation around the league is excellent.
Roman Polak. How different is Roman Polak today from Dennis Wideman back when he was traded for Brad Boyes? When considering the current and future depth on the blueline, if the Blues could trade Polak today for another streaky sniper do you think they'd do it? Yeah, us too.
Keith Tkachuk. He's the vet with the good story because his family lives here and everyone sees him around town, but he's been rumored to be in the middle of more than one split locker room in his time as a pro. Sending Tkachuk away shocks the Blues' system, forces a younger guy to step up and likely results in a decent return. Short of a no-trade clause we don't know about, it could happen.

******************************

Trade rumors are always a risky proposition and the saying goes that when a team is struggling it's easier to change out one guy (the coach) than a whole team, the Blues have proved in the past that they're willing to change out one player to shake up the others.

Will this year be any different?

Sabres at Leafs

Chemmy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:05:06 -0000

Puck Drop: 7:00PM ET - Sportsnet Ontario / Versus

Tired of having Ontario born players tear up the team they grew up cheering for right in front of your very eyes? Had enough of ex-Leafs fans playing for other teams to our detriment? Well fear no more kids because with PPP Amalgamated Heavy Industries new consumer product Lee Stempniak we're turning the tides.

That's right, we have a hockey player who grew up in a city that wasn't Toronto and he's ready to beat up on his childhood ~~heroes~~ guys he watched on TV. For the low price of $3.5M in 2009-2010 you can get your very own Lee Stempniak today! Don't delay, his price might drop rapidly next summer and ~~you~~ we wouldn't want to miss out!

"(Monday night) is definitely a restart to the season, a fresh start, a clean slate, (a chance) to forget about what's happened and get back in the lineup and contribute."- Mike Komisarek in the Toronto Star

Mike Komisarek is off the IR which has led to Wallin, Finger and Exelby being healthy scratches. Our six d-men tonight are then Kaberle, Komisarek, Beauchemin, Gunnarsson, White and Schenn. Jonas Gustavsson gets the start against Ryan Miller who comes into tonight's game ranked 1st in the league in save percentage (.933) and first in the league in goals against average (1.93). Shit.

The Sabres are still enamored with their young defender Tyler Myers, who somehow was picked 12th in a four player draft yet seems to be a good player. On Myers and Kessel:

I asked Lindy Ruff if Tyler Myers would "square off" against Phil Kessel tonight, and he thought I meant "fight." - James Mirtle

Maybe Lindy Ruff doesn't know who Phil Kessel is. This could work to our advantage. Don't forget your SPG picks, check out Die By the Blade for SBN's Sabres coverage, and go Leafs go!

The NHL's top defensive forwards

James Mirtle — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:49:06 -0000

More photos » by David Banks - AP

Montreal Canadiens' Tomas Plekanec and Chicago Blackhawks' John Madden.

Browse more photos »

We're about far enough into the season that we can start to look at some individual stats and have enough of a sample size to draw some conclusions. This list is the same one I've been churning out for a couple years now, and ranks players defensively based on (a) quality of competition at even strength, (b) goals against per minute played at even strength and (c) goals against per minute played on the penalty kill.

Players also have to have played at least 15 games and fill a significant role on their team's shorthanded unit. Credit, as always, to Behind The Net for the data.

Here are the top 25 at the quarter-way mark:

	NAME	TEAM	GP	QCMP	EVGA/60	SHGA/60
1	BRANDON CROMBEEN	STL	21	0.12	1.44	1.33
2	KRIS VERSTEEG	CHI	22	0.13	1.49	5.25
3	JAY MCCLEMENT	STL	21	0.13	1.75	6.27
4	VERNON FIDDLER	PHX	25	0.03	1.86	3.61
5	JOHN MADDEN	CHI	23	0.12	2.17	5.61
6	DAVID LEGWAND	NSH	23	0.09	2.28	4.43
7	TRAVIS ZAJAC	N.J	22	0.16	0.73	9.20
8	MILAN MICHALEK	OTT	22	0.22	2.57	5.27
9	JAMIE LANGENBRUNNER	N.J	22	0.09	1.69	7.47
10	DANIEL WINNIK	PHX	25	-0.05	1.59	1.54
11	SAKU KOIVU	ANA	17	0.12	1.62	8.64
12	RYAN MALONE	T.B	21	0.18	2.20	7.49
13	MIKE FISHER	OTT	21	0.08	2.32	5.41
14	JOCHEN HECHT	BUF	20	-0.04	1.64	4.10
15	MIKE GRIER	BUF	15	-0.05	1.60	3.53
16	COLIN FRASER	CHI	23	0.04	2.33	4.39
17	JAMES WRIGHT	T.B	21	0.07	1.29	8.13
18	STEVE BEGIN	BOS	24	0.03	1.96	5.34
19	DANIEL ALFREDSSON	OTT	22	0.25	3.02	5.25
20	TOMAS PLEKANEC	MTL	24	-0.01	1.94	5.06
21	DAVID BACKES	STL	21	0.01	2.03	5.19
22	BRANDON DUBINSKY	NYR	18	0.06	2.20	5.72
23	JEFF HALPERN	T.B	21	0.06	2.34	5.54
24	SCOTT NICHOL	S.J	26	-0.07	1.89	2.35
25	JOEL WARD	NSH	21	0.14	2.10	8.81

There are a lot of different names so far than what we saw last season, and I don't know if that's due to the small sample size or if we're simply seeing new players step into these roles and excel. Players on the list who have gotten recognition as top defensive forwards in the past include Versteeg, McClement, Madden, Fisher, Grier, Alfredsson and Ward.

Without a lot of high profile names in there so far (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg) it'll be interesting to see what the Selke candidates look like this season. I don't think you could go wrong giving it to Alfredsson, who always does a nice job on the Sens' PK.

Players who scored on the low end among those that qualified include Wayne Primeau, Craig Adams, Lee Stempniak, Greg Campbell and Rod Brind'Amour.

I'll look at the top defensive defencemen in the near future.

Your Toronto Maple Leafs: How Did We Get Here?

mf37 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:32:36 -0000

An anonymous comment over at my blog Bitter Leaf Fan raised the question of how exactly the Leafs arrived in their current mess.

There’s not a single cause or easy explantion.

This franchise has gone through three, maybe even four, different phases since 2000, however; with the exception of one small window, all of these phases have focused on the short-term, sacrificing picks and prospects for a supposed fix.

After the jump, a look at the Leafs' propensity to deal away the future and the pile of pocket lint, loose change and used gum wrappers they got in return.

Pre-Lockout

The Pat Quinn teams of the early 2000s were powerful clubs. Each made the playoffs and several flirted with 100 point seasons. They combined a nice mix of talent and flair (Sundin, Mogilny) with grit (Roberts, Tucker) and solid goaltending (Cujo, Belfour).

These teams were often legitimate threats to go deep in the post season and on more than one occasion it was widely thought they could challenge for a cup. As a result, these teams made a number of trades where the future was sacrificed for the present. There was a small window of success and the Leafs went for it, selling off the future in the hopes of a big pay-day.

In 2003, the Leafs trade Brad Boyes (2000 1st round pick), Alyn McCauley and a 1st round pick for Owen Nolan

In 2004, the Leafs trade two prospects, a 1st and 2nd round pick for Brian Leetch.

In addition to dealing away those three first round picks, the Leafs also had some bad luck when their 1999 first round selection (and WJC 1st team all-star) Luca Cereda had to hang up his skates due to health complications with his heart.

From 1999 to 2004, the Leafs emerged with just two first round draft picks: Carlo Colaiacovo and Alexander Steen. Both would later be traded to St. Louis for Lee Stempniak.

The Missing Years

John Ferguson Junior’s tenure was like a ship lost at sea…or maybe it was a ship that kept running into ice bergs…or a lost ship, on fire, that kept hitting ice bergs. Choose your own nautical disaster metaphor and, in keeping with JFJ’s reign of error, the more apocalyptic and dire your selection the more accurate it will be.

Ferguson was GM from the 2004 to 2007 drafts.

Out of those five drafts, he managed to hold on to his first round pick in just once – giving the franchise Jiri Tlusty and a whole lotta NSFW jokes.

Unable to shake-off the "win now!" edict from the MLSE board, in just two years Ferguson sacrificed two first, a second and a fourth round pick in an effort to shore-up the team’s goaltending. Some four years later, goaltending remains a position of weakness that hasn’t been adequately addressed.

JFJ's draft day magic:

The 2005 first round pick (Tukka Rask) dealt for Andrew Raycroft.
The 2006 first round pick was Jiri Tlusty.
The 2007 first round and second round picks (along with a 2009 4th) to San Jose for Vesa Toskala.
The 2008 second round pick to Phoenix for Yannic Perreault.

Draft Schmaft Redux?

In 2008, Cliff Fletcher was brought in to try to move out the NTCs/NMCs on the club and start the, ahem, rebuilding process.

Given the need to get more talent into the system, he made some, shall we say, curious moves:

A swap of first round picks, 2008 3rd round pick, 2009 2nd round pick for Luke Schenn
2008 3rd round pick for Jamal Mayers
2008 4th round pick to get rid of Bryan McCabe
2008 5th round pick for Ryan Hollwegg
2010 2nd round pick for Mikhail Grabovski

In fairness to Fletcher, he also acquired a small parcel of picks:

2008 2nd round pick and a 2009 5th round pick for Hal Gill
2008 3rd round pick for Chad Kilger
2008 5th round pick for Wade Belak

An Eye for Talent? Um. Not really...

If you’re going to trade away picks and prospects, the returning players better pan out.

Clearly that has not been the case for the Leafs.

By my math, the Leafs traded five first round and three second round picks for the following return:

69 games from Owen Nolan.
28 games of Brian Leetch.
91 games (and 268 goals against) of Andrew Raycroft (plus a multi-year buyout)
17 games of Yanic Perreault
127 games (and counting) from Vesa Toskala

Stop and marvel at that return.

Five first and three third round picks for 332 games played (plus Toskala's starts until the end of the season).

I'll spare the Leaf defenders from doing the math - Brad Boyes, one of the former first rounders traded away, has played 347 NHL games, 15 more than this motley collection managed for the Leafs.

What's worse is that every single one of these players left the Leafs without a single asset coming back in return.

I'll wait while you drink it all in.

I don’t know about you, but I don't think there’s an adjective that can adequately summarize this. One could argue that only Bernie Madoff has done a worse job of asset management - and even that might be a stretch.

Making Mistakes Beyond the Draft

Even more painfully, that poor return only reflects the draft side of the equation.

The Leafs have not excelled in the free agency department (Blake, Finger), have made poor decisions in awarding NMCs and NTCs, and have made a series of poor decisions on talent retention – signing McCabe, Tucker and others to long-term deals rather than trading them at peak value. But I’ll save that rant/analysis for another day…

For now, in a nutshell, this is a good first step toward building a franchise that’s on target for a 50 point season and has limited options at hand.

Never Leave Early: Canes 6, Leafs 5 in Shootout

Bob Harwood Waeghe — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:03:25 -0000

More photos » by Gerry Broome - AP

about 1 month ago: Carolina Hurricanes' Tuomo Ruutu (15) shoots the game-deciding goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie Jonas Gustavsson (50) during a shootout in an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Browse more photos »

The Carolina Hurricanes fell behind early, made a game of it in the second, fell behind by two goals again, tied it up in the third, allowed what appeared to be a game winner in the final minute, tied it up again with less than three seconds left, and then finally prevailed in a shootout to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-5 Thursday night at the RBC.

At times the team looked pitiful, at times they looked like champions. It was like their season in a nutshell so far, all wrapped up in one game.

The Leafs scored first just one minute into the affair as Joe Corvo turned the puck over right in front of his own net. The visitors had a three man forecheck going and the pressure certainly worked to their advantage on that play.

They scored again at the 12 minute mark when Rod Brind`Amour inexplicably left Lee Stempniak alone on a rush. Brind'Amour skated to the center of the ice as the Leaf attacked at an angle. Stempniak's shot beat Manny Legace easily to make it 2-0.

Toronto made it 3-0 just before the intermission and some fans were wondering, what happened to the team that had just played Montreal to a regulation draw earlier this week?

But the Hurricanes came on strong in the second period. Stephane Yelle would score his first of the season when he dove on the ice to knock a loose puck into the net. Less than a minute later, Matt Cullen found an open spot at an impossible angle to make the score 3-2. The team had some life.

The third period was as wild as one can be. The Leafs scored once again on a rush during a powerplay, making the score 4-2. The Canes could have called it a night at that point, but they continued to fight.

Eight minutes into the period, Tim Gleason made a nice play at the blueline to keep a puck in the zone, then fired a shot at the net which beat Jonas Gustavsson. The crowd had new life and the team had some jump once again, but the defenseman was not yet finished.

Just three minutes later, he pinched during a powerplay and Brandon Sutter found him with a perfect pass. Gleason buried it, like he had been doing similar plays his entire life, giving him his first career two goal game. Last year the defenseman did not have a single goal during the entire regular season. Now he has four, his career high.

With the scored tied 4-4, both teams went back and forth but Carolina seemed to have more chances. They outshot the Leafs 14-7 in that period. But with 30 seconds left, Ian White got behind the defense and found an opening. He would beat Legace for what appeared to be a game winner.

The Hurricanes called a timeout and several fans headed for the exits, but the home team was not done yet. In an all too familar move, they pulled the goalie to give themselves an advantage but for the first time this year, it paid off. The puck went to the corner, then came back out front as Joe Corvo somehow found a way to get a shot through to the net.

There was a bevy of humanity out front as Tuomo Ruutu tipped the puck and was clearing bodies while he was at it. The puck bounced out to an open Erik Cole, who buried it. There was just 1.9 seconds on the clock at the time, but the refs added another second after a review. Regardless, it was a significant event, something to rally behind, and a possible turning point to the season.

After a scoreless overtime, Ruutu would make a beautiful move to score on his attempt in the shootout and Jussi Jokinen added to his fame, by easily scoring the insurance goal. Manny Legace stopped both Toronto shooters and suddenly the Canes no longer find themselves in last place.

Can they use this as a watershed moment?

Game Notes:

The team had 45 shots on goal, compared to 32 for Toronto. Corvo led the way with six.
The Canes were credited with 39 hits as Cole had eight and Ruutu had seven.
Ruutu had a monster game, (no pun intended) as he played almost 23 minutes, had four shots on goal to go with his seven hits, chipped in four assists, and finished with a team high +3.
Gleason looked like he had been a goal scoring machine his entire career. No doubt he needs to shoot more often, something the coaching staff has been telling him for years.
Erik Cole took a nasty tumble and flipped completely in the air as he was upended by Ian White while he tried to avoid a hip check. The play looked legal but Cole was unhappy about it. He went after White, drawing a penalty with a cross check, then both players dropped the gloves and fought briefly. In the dressingroom after the game, the winger was still upset and said that "maybe he should start looking for some leg hits out there". Obviously, he was angry because it was a similar play where he broke his leg earlier this season, but Cole might put himself in that position because of the way he tries to avoid those hits? More discussion about this later.
Rod Brind'Amour saw his ice time diminish in this game. He had a total of 10:08 on the ice and a season low 21 seconds of powerplay time. He picked up another -1 for the game and has an NHL worst -18 for the season.
"The Monster" looked very human after the first period and both Carolina shooters seemed to beat him easily in the shootout.

It's amazing, the difference in tempermant after the results of a shootout. The team was sky high after that game, but if they would have lost in the shootout, they probably would have been down and upset.

There is a lot to be said about their effort and their will to win last night, regardless of the mistakes. But will last night's success help to turn the season around? We will find out Saturday night when the Tampa Bay Lightning come to town.

(sorry for the delay with the recap, had technical problems)

Price / Halak - The Stats - October 2009

Chris Boyle — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:15:02 -0000

Entering the 2009 season the Canadiens franchise had plenty of unanswered questions. The goaltending question is an eternal one in Montreal and with both Price and Halak entering RFA years, 2009 should offer no reprieve. Late 2009 has mimicked early 2009 as inconsistency has plagued Carey Price. Jaroslav Halak although solid on nights, has also not taken the opportunity presented to him by Jacques Martin and cemented the number one job.

With neither goalie grabbing the hammer, the majority of fans have aligned themselves on one side or the other. I refer to them as Team Price and Team Halak. Both teams seemingly rise and fall with each performance. Both teams rally to attack one side should they falter and boast and offer, "I told you so's" when they excel. The 2009 campaign got off to a rousing start for Team Price as he opened the season 2-0 and was outstanding leading the Canadiens to a 2-0 start despite being out shot 81-44 and having 148 shots directed at him in 128 minutes. When Halak faltered in Calgary, the attacks on Halak and the management team for not starting Price were loud. Then Price was bombed in Vancouver and after Price lost 3 straight the controversy was back and Halak was awarded another start. Team Halak struck back. Halak offered up two strong starts in a row and Team Halak was now mounting their high horse. After 14 goals in 229 minutes the lines had once again become blurred. So what has changed?

Not much. Both goaltenders continue to fail to elevate themselves from an approaching platoon. Price and Halak have almost identical save percentages, while Halak holds the edge in goals against average. Halak also has a superior record at 5-2, but it has been accrued against inferior opposition as his opponents winning percentage is .545 (25-20-10) while Price's 2-5 record was accrued against a .650 opponents winning percentage (25-13-3).

Note: records reflect the team record when the goaltender faced them. I did not reference the Islanders as 5-4-5, but as 1-3-3 (their record when Halak faced them on Oct 22 and 1-4-4, their record on Oct 26). It would be disingenuous should Atlanta slow down to reference an under .500 record in April when they were hot and 4-1-0 entering Montreal on Oct 20.)

I used the Roy/Hayward duel as an analogy before the season, but I do not remember really caring who played in 1988, just that I hoped the Canadiens would win. This recent controversy has taken on a life of it's own. I get the feeling that some fans have begun to put their personal vindication of their opinions above the success of the team. It is why I refer to the divide amongst Canadiens fans as different teams. It is utterly exasperating because to this point it is the equivalent to arguing who is crazier, Amy Winehouse or Courtney Love? They are both batshit crazy.

I have gone over EVERY goal in October and 80% of them were unstoppable, they have both let in some suspect goals, but none more so than the other. Neither has significantly outplayed the other. One seems to be the Tortoise, one seems to be the Hare. Price at his peak has been dominant (Maple Leafs, Sabres, Blackhawks), but he has a tendency to nap and crash back to reality (Canucks), while Halak goes out, saves the pucks he should (Thrashers, Islanders), doesn't stop the ones he shouldn't (Flames, Penguins, Rangers) and offers a steady compliment. At the end of the day, their statistics are not that different. It was the same story last season. The goaltending is NOT the problem, it is the easy scapegoat. It is the simple corollary.

My opinion? If this team was a legit contender I could understand the cry for consistency and the Halak argument, but with a team that looks to be middle of the pack I would ride out the inconsistencies of the goaltender with the higher ceiling. The fanbase seems to have settled on goaltending as it's scapegoat and is happy to ignore the lack of secondary scoring, abysmal defensive zone coverages and atrocious special teams. The goaltending is but a symptom of a greater issue; targeting the symptom of anemia by drinking 5 red bulls a day does nothing to cure lymphoma. As each issue is addressed individually, the goaltending will miraculously improve.

For those who want to jump to emotional conclusions, this is probably not the article for you. I don't believe in simplistic judgments based on flawed statistical categories, so I have pieced together as many statistics I could for you to make your own judgments. I have tracked every goal. I have tracked where the shots are coming from, how many are blocked, how many are wide, where they are being scored from on the ice, where they are being scored on the goaltender, even strength, powerplay and save percentage from each distance. My intent is to track these things all season and give you a comprehensive month to month look and offer a comparable for Price and Halak, as well as eventually a comparison to their league leading peers.

I avoided statistical manipulation, there is no "remove the seven goals Price gave up against the Canucks and his SV% is.....". If you chose to ignore the winning percentage of the teams faced to make your argument, so be it. If you want to ignore the video evidence of each individual goal, be my guest. I have provided as much information possible in one place and hopefully through this research and presentation, Eyes on the Prize will be able to offer you a more rounded look for you to form your opinions.

SHOTS AGAINST

Price and Halak's statistical achilles heel is that they play behind a porous Montreal defense. A defense in transition and minus its best player, struggled in October to limit shot attempts. Beginning with the season opener when the Leafs directed 92 shots at the Montreal goal (46 shots, 21 missed shots and 25 blocked shots) Price and Halak have been faced with a consistent barrage. Price has been facing almost a shot attempt per minute on the ice (412 shot attempts in 436 minutes). Compare that to Tim Thomas who has faced 444 shots attempts in 542 minutes or Martin Brodeur who has faced 502 in 672 minutes.

The basic assumption behind these charts is the closer the shot to the net, the more likelihood of it resulting in a goal. The short charts below would reinforce this assumption as the majority of goals given up by Halak and Price increase the closer they move towards the goal and their save percentage also declines with each one.

Looking at his charts, Price has been almost flawless from 50+ ft and has really struggled from 20 ft and in. He only surrendered 3 goals in October outside of the slot and almost half (12 of the 25 goals) were scored within 10 ft of the net. Contrast that to Tim Thomas who only faced 8 shot attempts in all of October from within 10 ft. and Martin Brodeur who faced only 12 shots AT THE GOAL in 236 more minutes (almost 4 full games).

Depending on your perspective, his struggles could also be blamed on terrible special teams as 12 of the 25 goals he allowed in October occurred on the penalty kill (some may blame the penalty kill struggles on Price, I believe the video evidence below proves otherwise) resulting in a massive drag on his save percentage. The results between his even strength save percentage and penalty save percentage is a staggering .268. From .935 five on five to .667 shorthanded.

Halak has been very dominant between 20-40 ft. allowing only one goal all season, but he has also been victimized by the Canadiens soft defense down low as his SV% below 20 ft. is only marginally better than Price's .692. Where Halak has outdistanced Price is his consistency. His penalty kill SV% and regular strength percentage have not suffered from wild swings like Price. Although his 5 on 5 is not in the .930s, he has maintained an .850+ special teams percentage, a huge improvement on Price's .667. Halak has been a much more consistent option for the Canadiens through October 2009-10.

If the Canadiens can limit the shot opportunities below 20 ft. and improve their penalty kill, you will witness a spike in Price and Halak's numbers. Hockey is a team game and goaltending statistics are a reflection of team play. Can a superstar goaltender overcome defensive shortcomings? Yes, but not to the extent where he will lead the league statistically. Can an average goaltender look like a superstar when insulated in a strong defensive system? History has shown that answer to be yes. Rick Wamsley in 1982, Bob Froese in 1986, Byron Dafoe in 1999 and Roman Cechmanek in 2001 all had huge statistical years that were never duplicated on other teams. When you combine a superstar goaltender with a defensive coach you get Patrick Roy in 1989.

Unfortunately the Canadiens possess neither a superstar goaltender, nor an elite defensive coach. Carey Price has the potential to be a superstar, but at 22 is still midway through a steep learning curve. Halak at 24 has proven over the last 12 months that he is an NHL caliber goaltender, but has not shown that he can make the leap to the next level yet (and for those with short memories, Halak was a major question mark through October 2008).

GOALS AGAINST

The Canadiens goaltenders allowed forty-six goals in October and while watching the games I rarely found fault with either goaltender. I could easily have just referenced my memory to make my points, but I decided I would go through each goal individually and try to assess blame. I tried to assess the goaltenders positioning. Were they playing too deep in the net? Were they over committing to the shooters? Were they over pursuing the play and creating opportunities while scrambling back in to the play? How was their gap control, puck tracking, anticipation and rebound control? Were they exposed because of defensive zone turnovers? Deflections? Poor defensive zone coverages? etc etc.

Through 46 goals I found 1 bad goal and 8 that were suspect. I considered a goal suspect if there was a screen involved but the goaltender hadn't battled through the screen, if a shot from in close was stoppable if the goaltender was at his sharpest (ie. Raymond off the wing in Vancouver. If Price was sharp, he has the ability to make the save. So even though it was a partial breakaway, more often than not I expect Price to make that save from that angle, but it can not be categorized as a bad goal) or if the goaltender made a small technical error.

I also tracked where the goals beat the goaltender. I illustrated it below with the five main zones + the zone across the bottom which represents goals scored into an empty net (cross crease feed or tap-in). It was interesting that all the heat Price takes for his glove hand that Halak was more vulnerable allowing over 30% of his goals high glove-side.

Video evidence below (Goals deemed bad or suspect are in bold.)

1. Gill giveaway behind the net. Ponikoravsky one-time from the slot beats Price low stick side. No chance. 25 ft
2. 5 on 3 PP. Tomas Kaberle slap shot tipped in by Stajan at the side of the net. No chance. 9 ft
3. 5 on 4 PP. Scramble in front of the net. Matt Stajan taps it into an empty net. No chance. 5 ft
4. Point shot redirected. Tim Connolly pounces on loose puck and beats Price low stick side. 25 ft.
5. Ryan Kesler breakaway from the blueline. Great move beats Price along the ice glove side. 2 ft.
6. Mason Raymond in alone off the boards slides it through Price's 5-hole. Stoppable. 5 ft.
7. 5 on 4 PP. Tic Tac Toe to Steve Bernier who had an open net. No chance. 9 ft.
8. 5 on 4 PP. Price makes the initial save. Sedin all alone shovles it into an empty net. 10 ft.
9. 2 on 0 breakaway. Price cheats pass and Henrik Sedin makes him pay beating him high glove side. 8 ft.
10. 5 on 4 PP. Price stops initial point shot, Samuelsson puts the rebound through the 5-hole. 9 ft.
11. Scramble in front of the net. Price commits to one shot and cannot recover. No help from the D. 8 ft.
12. Mike Comrie wrist shot beats Price high glove side. Looked stoppable. 34 ft.
13. 5 on 4 PP. Point shot tipped in low stick side. No chance. 21 ft.
14. Defensive zone turnover leads to O'Sullivan alone in the slot. Beats Price low stick side. 28 ft.
15. Hejduk shot deflected in off Gorges. Price may have stopped it if his stick was in position. 30 ft.
16. Cumiskey throws the puck towards the front of the net. Deflects in off Belle's skate. No chance. 10 ft.
17. Ryan O'Reilly out of the corner untouched, Price makes the save, but cannot stop the rebound. 11 ft.
18. Chris Neil in the slot all alone. High glove side. No chance. 26 ft.
19. Daniel Alfreddson one timer on a 5 on 3 powerplay. Low glove side. 31 ft.
20. Alex Kovalev all alone in the slot. Snapshot blocker side. 30 ft
21. 5 on 4 PP. Alex Goligoski shot from the point on the PP. No screen beats Price high glove side. 55 ft.
22. 5 on 4 PP. Chris Kunitz clear cut breakaway from center beats Price 5-hole. 15 ft.
23. Kris Versteeg behind the goal shot deflects off Bergeron in between Price's pads beating him 5-hole. 8ft.
24. Cam Barker one-timer from the faceoff dot. Price is deep, shot beats him high glove side. 31 ft.
25. Patrick Sharp one-timer from the slot beats Price low glove side opposite to his momentum. 37ft

1. Eric Nystrom in the slot unchecked. Snapshot beats Halak high glove side. 19 ft.
2. Slap shot from the point. Tipped in front by Nystrom beats Halak low stick side. 13 ft
3. Slap shot from the point off the post. Jarome Iginla bangs in rebound beating Halak high glove side. 19 ft.
4. Kronwall slapshot from the blueline through a screen beats Halak high stick side. 60 ft.
5. Colby Armstrong from the faceoff dot beats Halak low glove side. 25 ft.
6. Halak gives the puck away behind the net to Josh Bailey allowing for an easy tap-in. 5 ft.
7. Halak stops initial shot, Ansimov left alone and beats Halak high glove side. 6 ft.
8. Ales Kotalik left alone in the slot. Beats Halak high glove side. 14 ft.
9. Gilroy slapshot from the point. Halak may have been screened as he is beaten low stick side. 61 ft.
10. Marian Gaborik breakaway from the blueline beats Halak 5 hole. 5 ft.
11. 5 on 4 PPG. Tambellini drives hard to the net. Halak is not set and exposes his 5 hole. 5 ft.
12. 5 on 4 PPG. Spacek giveaway leads to a cross crease feed and an easy redirection for Jeff Tambellini.
13. Turnover. Guerin feeds Crosby all alone at the side of the net. One-timer beats Halak low-stick side. 17 ft.
14. Halak stops initial shot, rebound to Sidney Crosby who beats a sprawled Halak top shelf glove side. 19 ft.
15. Halak stops point shot, scramble in front and Rupp puts home the rebound beating him low stick side. 5 ft.
16. Crosby alone in front, spin-o-rama. Halak makes initial save hits Crosby's skate and trickles in 5-hole. 5 ft.
17. 5 on 4 PP. Point shot rebound to Ponikoravsky in the slot who wraps it home low stick side by Halak. 15 ft.
18. 5 on 4 PP. Lee Stempniak slap shot from the point beats a screened Halak high glove side. 54 ft.
19. Cross crease feed to Ponikoravsky, beats Halak from a bad angle with a perfect shot high stick side. 19 ft.
20. 6 on 5. Kaberle takes a point shot that deflects off Hamrlik and Spacek to beat Halak low stick side. 63 ft

The October verdict: Patience is required. Patience for a Canadiens team integrating 10-12 new players. Patience for a team that is missing its only legitimate All-Star. Patience for a coach who is still installing a new system and approach and finally patience for the two kids between the pipes.

Chris Boyle is a frequent contributor to Eyes On The Prize and goes by the handle Wamsley.
He is a lifelong Habs fan and the editor of fantasysensehockey.net.