SB Nation - Brian Rafalski

Howard, Wings Blank Bolts 3-0; Lose Zetterberg to Injury

MrNorrisTrophy — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:38:49 -0000

Jimmy Howard earned his first career shutout as the Red Wings defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-0 on Thursday night. But the win came after a huge loss as Henrik Zetterberg was injured on a collision with Swedish teammate Mattias Ohlund. Zetterberg's long term status is unknown as of now and leaves the Red Wings without 9 regulars...9 I said.

Zetterberg was injured in the first period while reaching for a stray pass from Ville Leino. Zetterberg was outstretched and the much larger Ohlund put his shoulder into Zetterberg--a clean hit by all means--and dropped him to the ice. Patrick Eaves took immediate exception to the play (finally, someone standing up) and was shoving Ohlund along the boards.

The Wings scored at 8:24 of the first as Drew Miller and Brian Rafalski combined for a great goal. Miller came off the bench and Rafalski spotted him from deep in the defensive zone and chucked a puck up ice that Miller knocked down to have a breakaway against Tampa Bay's goalie Mike Smith. Smith went for the poke check and Miller flipped it up over just before the attempt to score his 4th of the year, also coming against his former team. Take that TB front office!

Todd Bertuzzi continued his recent hot streak by scoring his 9th goal of the year during the 3rd period. The play started with a Pavel Datsyuk trademarked offensive zone takeaway. Datsyuk got it to Tomas Holmstrom and Holmstrom's pass was tipped in by Bertuzzi for a 2-0 Detroit lead at 6:48 of the third. Patrick Eaves tapped a Nick Lidstrom pass in behind Mike Smith for a 3-0 lead with 9:10 remaining; more than enough with the way the Howard was playing.

The Detroit win was also head coach Mike Babcock's 300th career win. Along with Howard's first career shutout, the two accomplishments were overshadowed by yet another injury. More on the injury to Zetterberg as it is made known. Howard's shutout marked his 11th win of the year as he stopped all 30 Tampa Bay shots. His GAA is creeping down with his great performances lately and he has won 6 of the last 8 games he started.

MrNorrisTrophy's Wing of the Game: Jimmy Howard. Howie played great in net tonight, stopping every single Tampa Bay shot. He stonewalled excellent scorers like Vinny Lecavlier and Alex Tanguay. The confidence train is a-rollin' for Jimmy.

Jimmy Howard

#35 / Goalie / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 6-0

Weight: 210

Born: Mar 26, 1984

NHLPA Appoints Getzlaf To Search Committee

Arthur from Anaheim Calling — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 23:13:06 -0000

More photos » by DARRYL DYCK - AP

Browse more photos »

THE TELETYPE:

The NHLPA announced that Ryan Getzlaf will join Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rafalski, Brian Rolston and Mathieu Schneider on a special committee to find a new Executive Director. The Ducks alternate captain will be the youngest member of a mostly American group that will work with former MLBPA Executive Director Donald Fehr in its search efforts.

The Players' Association removed former Executive Director Paul Kelly in August and have been looking for a stable appointee ever since. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire at the end of the 2010-11 season or a year later at the Association's option.

Price / Halak - The Stats - November 2009

Chris Boyle — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:13:39 -0000

What a difference a month makes.

Thirty days ago the Canadiens were in the middle of a goaltending controversy. Jaroslav Halak's agent was NITWITTERING Carey Price's won/loss record, the fanbase had placed the bus in reverse and were attempting to leave a fresh set of treadmarks on Price's back and the Canadiens were plodding through their schedule at .500.

Outside of the Canadiens still flirting with the .500 mark, the attitude regarding the goaltending situation has changed dramatically. Since this article is a retrospective on November, it is heavily weighted towards Price. Halak's one start didn't offer enough of a sample to legitimately track his monthly progress. What began as an even split in October, turned into a clear separation as Price started 11 of 12 games in November, almost rendering the title of this article, and its point, moot for at least the time being. A solid performance by Halak in Ottawa suggest that the busy month of December may tell a different story.

Surprised by the turn this has taken, maybe you shouldn't be. This has been typical of the story that Price has written over the first two and a half seasons of his career. Somehow, instead of the fanbase observing the roller coaster ride from afar, recognizing that as the roller coaster descends, a peak exists for it to climb, they jump on the roller coaster eyes closed screaming for dear life on its mad descents only to extol the virtues of the ride when they disembark.

Should Price struggle in February again, it is likely that the fresh imagery that exists in everybody's minds right now will once again dissipate in a mad panic

Panic in Montreal is generally followed by the rewriting OR ignoring of history. Even with Price's strong November this controversy is not over, it will continue to bubble just below the surface. Should Price struggle in January, the detractors who are silent right now will re-emerge with the same arguments, their memories will once again be wiped clean. While the starting goaltender in Montreal is one of the most heavily scrutinized positions in sports, the easiest may be the backup goaltender in Montreal. The backup's flaws are always concealed under the their baseball caps, their past transgressions completely ignored. This will never change.

At Eyes On The Prize, we continue try to look past the surface level blame and analyze what is really going on. This month we will compare Price's performance in November to October and also look back and try to clarify the factors that contribute to a team based stat like a win / loss record and how it relates to Price and Halak.

One of the main arguments against Price in October was his inability to win games. With Halak sporting a 5-2 record and Price at 2-5, the most simplistic argument was "Price doesn't make the big saves when he needs to" and "Halak wins games". That argument ignored plenty of factors, most importantly that wins are a team based stat.

While perusing the internet I came across an interesting perspective at Brodeur is a Fraud. While trying to debunk the myth of Brodeur's career, he came up with an interesting statistic that he refers to as Win Threshold. It essentially projects out what a goaltender would have had to do to earn a point (.500) by including the teams performance in front of him. In a 3-1 victory, the assumption would be that to earn a point the goaltender would have to allow no more than 3 goals. Inversely, in a 3-1 loss the goaltender would need to have allowed no more than 1 goal.

We can calculate what I'll call the "win threshold" for the goalies on each team by taking (shots against - goals for) / shots against. This gives us the save percentage that would result in the team ending up with an equal number of goals for and goals against over the course of the season. If the goalie's save percentage is above that number, the team is likely to win more than the lose, while anything below the threshold means that the team should end up sub -.500 (or sub -.550 in the shootout era).

This simple statistic beautifully illustrates the career of Chris Osgood AND his playoff run that allowed the media to begin the "Chris Osgood is a Hall of Famer" nonsense.

In 2008-09, Detroit's win threshold was .873, which was the lowest in the league. The Islanders' win threshold was .928, which was not only the highest mark in the league but also the highest of any team since the lockout......Naturally, comparing win totals on goalies playing on the Islanders to goalies playing on the Red Wings is completely senseless.

Using this as a starting point, I compared how this statistic affected goalies on the same team. Was the Canadiens offense responsible for Halak's inflated win total, or was it his superior goaltending? What would Price have had to do to compensate for the woeful offense in front of him? Was it that Halak was receiving an easier ride?

(Let me preface this by stating that this is judging wins and wins alone. If a goaltender was fantastic and had a .960 SV%, but only needed to produce a .895 SV%, it is not devaluing his performance, only stating that his margin for error was very high. I also understand that early saves can keep a team in a period. Teams play to the score and loosen up when they are up big and that some goals are scored late in a game and alter the margin for the threshold. It is obvious that providing replacement value will never replicate the actual performance that history has provided. This theory is being used only to illustrate that wins are a team statistic and that they are heavily influenced by not only what you save, but what offense your team provides).

To put this in perspective, the league average in save percentage is .910.

In order for Price to gain the majority of his wins, he has had to offer above average goaltending.
His margin for error was slim and when he failed to balance on the high wire, he was open to criticism.
A .915 save percentage is currently good to place 20th in the league.

Halak on the other hand was allowed to navigate with a greater margin of error. He only needed to offer a save percentage of .865 to register his 5 victories. Vesa Toskala's save percentage on the season is .863. So any goaltender slightly more competent than Toskala MAY have registered a similar number of victories as Halak.

Both goaltenders would have had to provide Hall of Fame type performances to avoid the majority of their losses.

How would those statistics translate if you offered up average replacement value? If Jimmy Howard and his .910 SV% replaced Price and Halak, the Canadiens would be in deep trouble. The Canadiens would likely be in the hunt for Taylor Hall, not talking about the importance of their December schedule.

Looking at Price's losses below, it is unlikely that an average goaltender makes any impact on his losses, hell, it's unlikely that Roberto Luongo would have made much of a difference.

Price's threshold in his 11 losses is a SV% of 0.944 and a GAA of 1.69. Numbers that would place him above Ryan Miller as the number one goaltender in the league. Six of those starts would have required a .940+ SV% just to procure a shootout. If the team continues to struggle offensively to this capacity, then it is going to require Jose Theodore 2002 MVP type performances to drag them into the playoffs. With Price and Halak entering their RFA season, THAT is a scary and expensive thought.

You would think with Halak's lack of activity in November, that his stat line would remain unchanged, but with only an 8 game sample, one strong start against the Flames resulted in an 11 point improvement on his save percentage and lopping 1/5th of a goal off his goals against average. In October, Price statistically lagged behind in all the major categories, but with a strong month has lessened the paper gap between himself and Halak. I made the argument in October that Price had a higher ceiling, but was prone to wild swings of inconsistency and the 2009 season has proven that out so far.

Through two months, what has been proven, is that the Canadiens goaltending is in good hands. With the transition of turning over half the team, and the numerous injuries to key personnel, the fact the team came through November at .500 is miraculous. At this moment, Halak's consistency offers the perfect compliment to Price, but due to the idiotic actions of his agent (Halak, Halak it a lot?), it is clear that Halak is eyeing a starting assignment, and will not likely find that in Montreal. You may be reading "Price / Sanford: the numbers" by ~~March~~ December. (note: as I am writing this, Sportsnet has reported that Halak has been placed on the trading block).

The fact that I can even mention a 2002 Theodore-like season is based on the strong November showing by Price. Playing behind an injury ravaged defense that produced roughly the same amount of shots as the previous month, from roughly the same areas, Price's numbers improved across the board. Price also managed to avoid a major meltdown like the Vancouver game, as well as producing a couple of 40+ shot gems against the Bruins and Predators.

With Halak pushing Price for the starting job in October, by all accounts Price responded to the challenge with hard work, which resulted in plenty of positive signs over the last month. With hard work Price's confidence level soared and his return to a hybrid style has allowed his athleticism to re-surface, because of this, Price managed to produce some miraculous saves during November. His patience has also been on display, particularly in shootouts and breakaways where once again he is using his huge frame to his advantage and refusing to commit before the shooter. With his gap control improving, he has been extremely hard to beat in 1 on 1 situations. This is a huge improvement on the tentative approach he used in late 2008-09. Add in his aggressive puck handling and his tenacity in battling to track the puck and the hope in Montreal is that Price has begun turning the corner.

Price's save percentage's also improved in almost every category in November, with his biggest improvement coming in shorthanded situations where his save percentage improved by over .200. His woefully low special teams percentage in October masked the fact that he was producing an elite level even strength percentage. With an improvement to mediocre powerplay standards, Price's statistics all experienced a significant jump across the board.

The question remains, what came first, the chicken or the egg? Did the Canadiens penalty kill improve in November because of Price, or did Price's numbers improve because of the penalty kill? Halak did not suffer the same special teams meltdown. Could that have had anything to do with the power of the opposition, or his own play?

With so many new faces and the loss of Markov, it is no surprise that the PK got off to a slow start. With the return of O'Byrne and Gill and the emergence of White and Pyatt, the October implosion by Price should be avoidable moving forward.

Interesting to note if Price had managed to produce an .878 powerplay SV% in October, his overall SV% would have improved from .889 to .920.

Price and Halak continue to get bombarded by shots and the Canadiens have once again regressed into becoming over reliant on goaltending to win hockey games. With the early season injury to the Canadiens best player (Markov in 2010, Koivu in 2002) and the continual 30+ shot barrages, this season is becoming eerily reminiscent of the 2002 season when Theodore needed to provide the difference every night.

With Price's numbers improving in November, the assumption would be that the Canadiens settled down and began to limit shots and scoring opportunities. The Canadiens actually surrendered an extra two shot attempts per game. Price still is averaging over a shot attempt against per minute on the ice, a trend that will either lead to a statistical regression or an MVP award.

In 8 of his 11 starts in November, Price faced 30+ shots, including a team record tying 53 saves against the Predators and a 42 save gem that was seconds short of his 1st shutout of the season. Only once in his 11 games did he have less than 50 shots directed at him. Price continued to excel on shots outside of 20+ feet as he only allowed 7 of 257 shots to beat him. His SV% below 20' feet drastically improved and is pushing towards the league average.

Price offered up plenty of spectacular saves in November, but also had some concentration lapses that resulted in some questionable goals, something that had been absent from his game in October (only 5 of 25 came in as questionable, with zero registering at fault). Although his statistics drastically improved over the month of November, with the Canadiens lack of scoring ability (25th in the NHL) and his unbelievably tough win threshold (see above), his margin for error was slim. This can be witnessed by his 0-4 record in the 4 games I credited a bad goal. In two of the games (Detroit and Atlanta) the margin of victory was one goal, the other two (Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh) were decided by two goals. As he matures, these goals should occur less frequently allowing him to become even more of a game changing player. He isn't yet ready to carry a team, but it seems the Canadiens have given him little to no choice in the matter presently.

Looking at the zones where Price has given up goals, his glove hand continues to be much maligned even though he has only been beaten high glove side 11 times through November (11/53). The reason for the questions lies in the amount of bad goals high glove side. Out of the 12 goals categorized as suspect or bad, 6 have been high glove side, making it much easier to understand AND defend the criticism.

Looking at his November chart also gives the impression that he is very vulnerable low stick side, but looking at the video below shows that a lot of those goals came as the result of cross ice passes in which Price was not able to square up and were the result of him in transition. A small concern for me through two months has been his vulnerability through the 5-hole, an area he has not been able to cover with his stick either in transition or static and squared up.

Goals deemed questionable or bad are marked in bold.

26. Rich Peverley feeds it in front and it deflects off Bryan Little by a moving Price beating him 5-hole. 10 ft.
27. Pass from behind the net to a wide open Peverley in the slot, snaps a shot by Price low-stick side. 14 ft
28. Point shot by Mark Popovic that knuckles by Carey Price beating him high glove side. 59 ft.
29. 5 on 4 PP. Cross crease feed to a wide-open Pavel Kubina who directs it pass Price into an empty net. 5 ft.
30. Kane cross crease pass to a wide open Colby Armstrong who beats Price low stick side. 8 ft.
31. 6 on 5. Point shot. Price makes the initial stop, Patrice Bergeron rebound beats Price low-stick side. 5 ft.
32. 5 on 4 PP. Scramble. Price makes 2 saves but cannot stop Ryan Malone as he beats him five-hole. 11 ft.
33. Price, big rebound and Alex Tanguay alone, chips it over Price beating him high glove side. 14 ft.
34. 2 on 1. Scramble. Wright beats Gorges to the puck and slides it into an empty net. 6 ft.
35. Price highsticked in the throat by Mara falls down leaving an open net. Robert Lang puts it top shelf. 15 ft.
36. Point shot wide deflects into an open net off Bissonnette's skate beating Price low glove side. 12 ft.
37. Price makes initial save, Steve Sullivan all alone finishes off his rebound beating Price 5-hole. 7 ft
38. 5 on 3 PP. Point shot stopped, Sullivan at the side of the net beats Price low stick side. 14 ft.
39. Odd man rush, cross ice feed to the slot. Brandon Sutter chips it over Price, high glove side. 14 ft.
40. 3 one 2, cross ice feed one timed by Jussi Jokinen beats Price low glove side. 32 ft.
41. Eric Fehr snaps a shot from the face-off dot beating Price high-glove side. 25 ft.
42. Morrison takes a pass in front and moves opposite to Price's momentum beating him low glove side. 6 ft.
43. 5 on 4 PP. Brad Stuart point shot handcuffs Price and trickles in. 55 ft.
44. 5 on 3 PP. Brian Rafalski point pass tipped home by Pavel Datsyuk at the side of the net. 12 ft.                         45. Nash behind the net finds Vermette who one-times it past Price beating him high blocker side. 11 ft.
46. 5 on 4 PP. Rick Nash centers it, Stralman cheating off the point beats Price low blocker side. 24 ft.
47. 5 on 4 PP. Antoine Vermette's shot stopped, rebound back to him, beats Price low blocker side. 20 ft.
48. Sidney Crosby snap shot from the top of the faceoff circle beating Price high glove side. 38 ft.
49. Bill Guerin from the corner. Price makes initial save, doesn't hold the post as he beats him 5-hole. 8 ft.
50. Crosby with a beautiful pass to a streaking Sergei Gonchar who beats Price 5-hole all alone. 8 ft.
51. Point shot deflected in front by Brooks Laich beats Price low blocker side. 18 ft.
52. Alex Ovechkin one timer from the top of the faceoff circle beats Price low blocker side. 38 ft.
53. 6 on 4 PP. Price stops a one-timer by Ovechkin, Fehr slides home the rebound beating Price 5-hole. 10 ft.

The November verdict: You have to be encouraged by the performance of Price and Halak through November and the improved penalty kill is a positive sign and a factor in Price's improved numbers. The volume of shots and scoring opportunities remain a major concern. In October I preached patience because of the integration of 10-12 players and the introduction of a new system. With injuries creating a revolving door of players it is likely that this team has still not properly gelled. The Canadiens have fallen into a pattern of struggling to produce offense and relying on Price and Halak to bail them out, and this is a dangerous game to play with developing goaltenders. They have been able to provide some fantastic results through November, but if this continues they will struggle to make the playoffs. To provide room for improvement moving forward, the goaltenders get a B+ for November.

To view the October Price / Halak analysis, click here.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 7

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:14:22 -0000

Devils up next: Sabres and Ryan Miller - (The Bergen Record)
Devils face America's best - (The Bergen Record)

Patrik Elias, Devils shoot down Red Wings - (The Bergen Record)
Devils defenders have a long chat; Two-man advantage adjustments - (Fire & Ice)
Elias explains quick departure; Brodeur believes Miller will be U.S. starter - (Fire & Ice)
Terreri filling in as second goalie as Brodeur gets afternoon off - (Fire & Ice)
Pandolfo and Oduya return to help Devils win - (Fire & Ice)
Devils turn back the clock to 1995 - (Fire & Ice)
Patrik Elias scores winner and then leaves building - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils win 4-3 in a shootout - (Fire & Ice)
Lemaire recalls happy faces of 1995 Stanley Cup - (Fire & Ice)
White will play vs. Red Wings; Sending Halischuk down was difficult decision - (Fire & Ice)
Remembering the 1995 Stanley Cup team; Danis still waiting - (Fire & Ice)
NJ Devils coach Jacques Lemaire tweaks 5-on-3 power-play unit - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils post-practice report - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils early practice report: Martin Brodeur not practicing - (The Star Ledger)
Jacques Lemaire enjoyed seeing '95 NJ Devils and return of injured players - (The Star Ledger)
Patrik Elias wins shootout for NJ Devils and then leaves hurriedly - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils rally for 4-3 shootout victory over Detroit Red Wings - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils GM Lou Lamoriello makes 'tough decision' to send rookie winger Matt Halischuk to minors - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils-Detroit Red Wings: As they played - (The Star Ledger)
Colin White in NJ Devils lineup; Matt Corrente will sit - (The Star Ledger)
Is former NJ Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski a future Hall of Famer? - (The Star Ledger)
Back injury will keep Brian Rafalski from facing NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils send Matt Halischuk to Lowell (AHL); Johnny Oduya and Jay Pandolfo activated - (The Star Ledger)
No roster move yet for NJ Devils - (The Star Ledger)
Healthy Devils best Detroit in shootout - (The New York Daily News)
Brodeur: Sabres' Miller 'no doubt' top U.S. goalie - (The New York Post)
Brodeur steals shootout win over Red Wings after Devils lapse - (The New York Post)
As Devils' vets return, decisions to be made - (The New York Post)
Watch Postgame Reaction - (Msgnetwork)
Devils 4, Red Wings 3 (SO) - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils honor '95 champs before facing Wings - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Pandolfo, Oduya activated; Halischuk to Lowell - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Devils-Sabres Preview - (FOXSports.com)
Devils honor '95 champs before facing Wings - (NHL.com)
NHL Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils' players stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom proud of reaching 200-goal mark - (Flint Township/Swartz Creek Advance)
Red Wings-Devils wrap-up: mental mistakes cost Wings more points - (MLive.com)
Sabres ranks among NHL's top 7 in PPG - (Buffalo Business First)
Devils face Sabres - (hockeybuzz.com)
Devils vs. Red Wings, 12/5/09: A Documentary Feature About Boomer’s First Trip To The Rawk - (Interchangeable Parts)
Devils vs LightningBOLTS!, 12/4/09 - (Interchangeable Parts)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Shocked by Monarchs, 6-5 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)
Devils iced in a thriller - (The Lowell Sun)
Palmieri leads Devils to a win - (The Lowell Sun)

TRENTON DEVILS
Devils Force OT, But Royals Win Again, 4-3 - (TrentonDevils.com)
Devils Comeback Falls Short - (TrentonDevils.com)
Reading Wins Back and Forth Match 5-4 - (TrentonDevils.com)
Reading vexes T-Devils in OT - (The Trentonian)
Justin Coutu Returned To Trenton Devils - (MLN - The Raw Feed)

MISCELLANEOUS
Ross gets a Devils' rush - (Denver Post)
DiNardo memorial hockey game to benefit their kids - (The Jersey Journal)
Spitfires skate to easy 9-5 win vs. Petes - (Windsor Star ); Adam Henrique

Jakub Kindl may play tomorrow

MrNorrisTrophy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 20:22:45 -0000

Grand Rapid Griffins defenseman Jakub Kindl may play tomorrow night for Detroit in the spot of Brian Rafalski. Rafalski is suffering from a sore back and is questionable for tomorrow's game against the Edmonton Oilers. If Rafalski is out, the Wings would be short one defenseman and need to fill it quickly or play with only 5 defenders.

From mlive.com's Ansar Khan:

Rafalski's back stiffened up on him 10 minutes into practice, forcing him to leave.

Already without Niklas Kronwall and Andreas Lilja, the Wings are thin on the blue line and have had to call on Brett Lebda and Derek Meech for a lot of minutes each game. Kindl could be called on from Grand Rapids to fill the spot for a game. Kindl has been talked about a lot as being a future anchor on the Detroit blue line but will have to wait until there is a vacancy. More on this as it develops.

There's also mention that Patrick Eaves will miss the game because of sore right ankle. Brad May and Kirk Maltby will both play with Eaves out.

2010 Olympics Preview: Detroit Red Wings

MrNorrisTrophy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:00:13 -0000

The folks at SB Nation hockey have been running a pre-Olympics features for each NHL team. Basically, we're all making guesses at which players from each team, who's close to making it, and all of the other types of assumptions that could be made towards the Olympic rosters. With a little over 70 days until the puck drops in Vancouver, we're going to look at the Detroit Red Wings side of the Olympics.

I covered Sweden, Russia, and the good ol' Stars and Stripes while Michael covered Finland, Slovakia, and Canada. We're going to do things a little differently than the others and do it based by country so why don't we start with the big chunk of the Detroit roster?

Sweden: 2006 Gold Medalists
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Germany

Nicklas Lidstrom- Pack your bags
On the heels of an official announcement about playing for Team Sweden, Lidas can now be officially added to this list. Lidstrom will be on the top pair for sure but the question of who his other partner will be still remains.

Henrik Zetterberg- Pack your bags
No doubt about Zetterberg being on the final roster, one of the best players in the NHL will surely be on top line for Team Sweden. Zetterberg is will likely be a set-up man for either winger and be able to contribute a great bit defensively and in the faceoff circle.

Tomas Holmstrom- Nearly a lock
Homer will likely be a third or fourth liner on the talent rich Swedish roster but can still provide a much needed service to the team: big body + crease= screen.

Jonathan Ericsson- In a battle
The only reason Big E is still in a battle is because of his youth and the fellow Swedes that could take his spot. My guess is Ericsson is in the third pairing or the next man in, depending on injuries (ie Niklas Kronwall)

Daniel Larsson- Work to do
Not that many expected Danny to take over Henrik Lundqvist's throne, but at least he was on the orientation roster.

The injured: Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall, Andreas Lilja. All three were likely candidates to start or be reserves until injuries hindered progress.

Finland: 2006 Silver Medalists
Group C: Sweden, Finland, Belarus, Germany

Valtteri Filppula - Work To Do
Prior to his wrist injury, he was as good as a lock. But, he's missed just over half of the games this season, which means he's got some catching up to do. He's expected back in mid to late December, which is only a few weeks before the Olympic teams announce their rosters. He's going to need a heck of a showing, assuming he's even back on schedule.

Ville Leino - In a Battle
The one-time Calder candidate has certainly disappeared this season, having only scored 3 goals and 2 assists in 22 games (compared to 5 goals and 4 assists in only 13 games as a call-up last season). He's looked a tad out of place on the Red Wings this season, even serving a game as a healthy scratch, in an effort to wake him up. But, many times the Scandinavian Olympic squads feature players more well-known in the homeland than to NHL fans. Leino certainly fits that description, winning the Lasse Oskanen Trophy in 2008 as the SM-Liiga's player of the year.

::Russia, Slovakia, USA, and Canada after the jump::

Russia: 2006 4th place
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia

Pavel Datsyuk- Pack your bags

Perhaps one of the most terrifying rosters in all of the Olympics, Russia is absolutely STACKED with talent. Pavel Datsyuk will join fellow Russians Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexei Kovalev, Alexander Semin, Sergei Gonchar, plus three high quality netminders Simeon Varlamov, Ilya Bryzgalov, and Evgeni Nabokov. Datsyuk can be placed on any line at any position and flourish with his linemates. Pavel will likely play the same role that Zetterberg does, defending primarily but setting up the superstars on both sides of him.

Slovakia: 2006 5th place
Group B: Russia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Latvia

Tomas Tatar - In a Battle
Red Wing fans should get excited about Tomas Tatar. He had a great camp and earned himself a place on the Griffins roster and is there to stay. He's a teenager, so at first glance he would seem to be a long-shot. However, it's no secret Tatar came alive during his last international experience: the 2009 World Junior Championships. In that tournament, he scored 7 goals and 4 assists in 7 games. H:e was rewarded for that effort with an invitation to Slovakia's pre-Olympic camp. He might still be a little green, but he's on the radar.

Canada: 2006 7th place
Group A: Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway

Dan Cleary - Work To Do
There's a good chance that the only folks associated with both the Red Wings and Team Canada are off the ice. Steve Yzerman, Ken Holland, and Mike Babcock all have prominent roles in forming and running the Canadian Olympic Squad, but Dan Cleary was the only player invited to Olympic camp. That's an insanely deep squad - and by all accounts, Canada could ice two Olympic teams - and Cleary's going to need some luck to make the cut. That's not to say he wouldn't be a valuable addition, because we all know what he brings to the table, but there's just so much talent available to the hometown town.

Todd Bertuzzi- Moving down
Bertuzzi has done little for his chances of joining the 2010 team other than be on Babcock's team. As mentioned above, there is just too much talent on the Canadian roster and likely no spot for him.

United States: 2006 8th place
Group A: Canada, USA, Switzerland, Norway

Brian Rafalski- Pack your bags
The Dearborn, MI born defenseman will most likely be on the top line. Rafalski is an elite defender and will be able to be a crucial part of this team. As a well balanced defenseman, the Stars and Stripes can look for some offensive production from Rafalski as well as expecting him to clamp down on the defensive end. Rafalski will likely be alongside Ryan Suter or maybe even the young Jack Johnson--no, not that Jack Johnson.

The New Jersey Devils All-Decade First Team

John Fischer — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:00:15 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Paul Martin, selected to the All-Decade Second Team, is seen here congratulating Martin Brodeur, selected to the All-Decade First Team, for yet another win. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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While the decade isn't over for New Jersey as this season rolls on, the 2000s have been very good to the New Jersey Devils. To summarize (among other accomplishments): Two Stanley Cups, three trips to the Stanley Cup Finals, several Atlantic Division titles, two Devils inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, two retired numbers, and a new arena.

Steve Lepore, Thibaut "Tibbs" Deshayes, and myself decided it was a good and interesting idea to determine who were the best Devils in the 2000s. Steve initially came up with the topic, we agreed it was worth thinking about, and so we all named first and second teams. Eventually, we came up with two teams we could agree upon as who stood out the most in Devils' red. If you've been following the team for much of the last decade, then may not surprise you too much; but figuring out who is worthy and at what level is certainly worth discussing (as well as who didn't make it).

Yesterday, I announced the All-Decade Second Team. What follows is the First Team. The format is the same, all stats are from the decade and current where applicable, but we also decided on a Coach of the Decade. Not an easy task given the number of coaches that have came to the Devils and left New Jersey for various reasons. I'd like to thank Steve and Tibbs for their input on this effort. Feel free to discuss the selections or the players named to the First Team (and who you would have rather seen) in the comments.

Left Wing - Patrik Elias (1999 - Current)

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Season (1999-Current) - Patrik Elias	663	258	361	619	138	341	73	9	58	2091	12.3
Playoffs (2000-2009) - Patrik Elias	114	38	64	102	23	67	18	2	6	334	11.4

Elias showed off his talents just prior to the 2000s, but really broke out in the very beginning of the decade and became the team's leading offensive threat up until last season.

While I would admit to not seeing the Devils of the 1980s or the early 1990s; I think it's fair to say that Elias had to have been the most talented forward the team has ever had prior to Zach Parise. His monster 96-point 2000-01 season remains as the single best scoring season by a Devil in franchise history and the closest any Devil has come to the Art Ross trophy, Elias coming in third place. The scoring would continue for Elias, despite some down years, still leading the team in scoring. Despite losing an entire season due to a lockout, becoming seriously ill due to Hepatitis A, and leading the team in scoring on some Devils teams that struggled to score, Elias came roaring back half way through the 2005-06 season, and continued to score thereafter: 45 pts. In 38 games that season; at least 20 goals and 35 assists each season since then, 78 in 77 games last season. On March 17, 2009, Elias became the franchise's leading scorer with an assist against Chicago, his 702nd career point.

In a way, Elias is the prototypical Devils scoring forward. He has the talent to make passes others don't even see, to get into spaces defenders tend to miss, and a pretty solid shot as well. Yet, Elias rarely took a shift off, he has been consistent about backchecking, and he hasn't shied away from taking - or giving - a hit. He's even clutch, he has 58 game winning goals. If you don't find that amazing, consider that represents 22.4% of all the goals he's scored in this past decade. Elias has been solid in all situations and is living proof that to be a New Jersey Devil and to be blessed with offensive talent is not a contradiction. Since he has been the offensive leader through most of the decade, has an outside shot at becoming the first Devil to score 1,000 points all in New Jersey, and was essentially Parise before Parise, he makes the First Team.

Center - Scott Gomez (1999 - 2007)

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Season (1999-2007) - Scott Gomez	548	116	334	450	59	362	28	0	17	1401	8.3
Playoffs (2000-2007) - Scott Gomez	97	21	44	65	14	50	5	0	4	115	7.7

A controversial pick, sure. After all, when the Devils recently announced the names of the 2003 Stanley Cup team, Gomez was the only one booed when his face and name came up on the big screen. The reasoning behind that is simple: he signed a fat deal with Our Hated Rivals shortly after becoming a free agent. Even though he's on Montreal now, Devils fans won't forget.

They also won't forget how smooth of a skater he was in New Jersey. He came up in the 1999-2000 season as a second line center and enjoyed a fantastic rookie year, winning the Calder Trophy for the league's best rookie. From then, Gomez grew as a player and in importance, eventually becoming the team's top pivot by the 2002-03 season, when the Devils won their third Stanley Cup. Gomez' playmaking and skating abilities meshed well with the offense; and only Scott Niedermayer was better than him on breakouts. He enjoyed a monster season in 2005-06; centering Elias and Brian Gionta en route to his best offensive season ever with 33 goals, 51 assists.

After a solid 60 point 2006-07 season, Gomez then jumped across the Hudson for the cash. Sad, really, as Gomez could have remained the Devils' #1 center, become a legend, and enjoyed more success with New Jersey. Still, we can't really factor that to what he did in New Jersey. Ultimately, we concluded that there hasn't been any Devils center who has done more than Gomez in the past decade, so he's on the First Team.

Right Wing - Jamie Langenbrunner (2002 - Current)

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Season (2002-Current) - Jamie Langenbrunner	473	123	205	328	47	357	38	9	27	1283	9.6
Playoffs (2002-2009) - Jamie Langenbrunner	63	18	31	49	12	55	3	0	6	167	10.2

Langenbrunner, in many ways, is the prototypical Lou Lamoriello player. Since coming to the Devils, he has been known for his excellent defending, solid offensive traits, a hard worker, and usable in all situations. Langenbrunner has fit just as well on the penalty kill, the power play, and either one of the Devils' top three lines. He has been able to play on a checking third line with Jay Pandolfo and John Madden in one season, while keeping up and adding to the youthful vigor of Zach Parise and Travis Zajac on a top line later on. All while contributing a significant amount of points, even in this season so far.

While he's not a player that will win individual awards, he's the kind of player a hockey team needs to be successful. He hasn't just been a benefit on the ice, but also in the locker room, where he has been team captain through three seasons across two coaches. Admittedly, I didn't understand why Lou pulled the trigger in moving Jason Arnott and Randy McKay for Langenbrunner and Joe Nieuwendyk in 2002. By the next season, I not only understood why but was absolutely grateful as his 11 goals and 18 post season points were instrumental in earning the Devils their third Stanley Cup in 2003. The 34 year old right winger has done so much for New Jersey - fitting in on offense, defense, and in leadership - that we agree he has been the best right winger across the last decade.

Left Defense - Scott Niedermayer (1999 - 2004)

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Season (1999-2004) -Scott Niedermayer	366	49	150	199	88	206	16	0	17	654	7.5
Playoffs (1999-2004) - Scott Nidermayer	78	8	26	34	17	52	1	2	1	127	6.3

What can I possibly say about Scott Niedermayer? He's the best two-way defenseman the Devils have ever seen and, in my opinion, only second to Scott Stevens across all time Devils defenders. Yet, the 2000s were really Niedermayer's best years in New Jersey. As Stevens' role diminished, Niedermayer flourished with his impressive awareness at both ends of the rink - making smart plays in his own end while contributing on offense. And he was clutch from the point, only in the 1999-2000 season did Niedermayer not score at least 3 game winning goals (he had none that season). Sure, not as prolific with the game winners as Elias; but again, this is from a Devils defenseman - a position that where players weren't really encouraged to jump up on offense unless absolutely sure until the past few seasons. That makes the stat all the more impressive.

Then there's his skating: so smooth, so effortless, yet so quick and almost always with a purpose. Supremely skilled and he was important to the Devils. I will say this to my dying days: if Tie Domi never elbowed Scott Niedermayer in the face in the 2001 playoffs, the Devils win that Stanley Cup. Niedermayer was that much of a difference maker, and he proved that in 2003 with 2 goals and 16 assists in the post season. He finally got the due he deserved after the 2003-04 season when his 14 goals and 40 assists plus his standard defensive excellence while leading the Devils' blueline earned him the Norris Trophy. A trophy never awarded to the Devils, with Scott Stevens coming close in 1994. Winning the Norris was deserved and established Niedermayer as a Despite all the great defense the Devils have shown over the years, only Niedermayer was individually respected for his excellence across the league.

After that, he became a free agent and the concerns became a reality. Niedermayer signed on with Anaheim for money/to play with his brother, much to the delight of Ducks fans. It wasn't the smoothest of departures, but unlike Gomez, Devils fans today don't begrudge Niedermayer. They didn't boo him when he came to the Rock earlier this month or at the mention of his name. I would think they would love to have Scott Niedermayer back. And why not? He was elite in this past decade for New Jersey. Being on the First Team was simply the proper course of action.

Right Defense - Brian Rafalski (1999 - 2007)

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	GWG	SOG	PCT
Season (1999-2007) - Brian Rafalski	541	44	267	311	100	180	19	0	13	977	4.5
Playoffs (2000-2007) - Brian Rafalski	102	17	43	60	22	37	9	0	4	162	10.5

Whereas Niedermayer was the best two-way defenseman the Devils have ever seen, Rafalski was one of the biggest finds coming into the 2000s. He represented that incoming group of Devils that were instrumental in this past decade: Rafalski, Madden (also a free agent signing), Gomez, and White.

Signed from HIFK Helsinki, Rafalski stepped right into the Devils' blueline in 1999-2000 with 5 goals and 27 assists. The smallish defender always found a way to set up a great play from the point or put a great, low shot on net lending itself to a great rebound opportunity. Rafalski racked up the assists season after season throughout New Jersey while providing steady coverage in his own zone. He was smart with his stick - both in checking with it and in not taking many calls because of it. He eventually was part of the best top 4 defensemen group the Devils ever seen: Niedermayer, Stevens, Rafalski, and Colin White, which was as good as you got in the early part of the decade. Rafalski had to take over the big hole Niedermayer left in the two seasons after the lockout, and truth be told, he held is own in terms of defending and production (49 and 55 points in 05-06 and 06-07, respectively).

Along with John Madden, Rafalski was evidence that an excellent player can come from anywhere - including an undrafted Wisconsin graduate playing in Scandanavia for four years who wasn't even 6 feet tall. Rafalski never made the noise Niedermayer did or had as big of an impact as Scott Stevens (of course, Stevens' impact was felt long before the 2000s). Nevertheless, he was steady and productive enough to stand out among the Devils defenders of the last decade. Again, because Rafalski contributed across a longer period of time with New Jersey, it behooved us to name him to the First Team.

Goaltender - Martin Brodeur (1999 - Current)

	GP	W	L	T	OT	SO	GA	SA	SV%	GAA	MIN
Season (1999-Current) - Martin Brodeur	643	368	200	48	24	66	1425	16533	.914	2.22	38529
Playoffs (1999-2009) - Martin Brodeur	115	64	51	0	0	17	235	2923	.922	1.99	7074

Do I really need to explain his inclusion? Do I really need to summarize why he's on the First Team? Not if you're a Devils fan; but if you're new or you're curious, let's break it down:

He's not only been the Devils' best goaltender in team history; but one of the greatest goaltenders of all time. His conditioning is legendary, racking up 70+ seasons without skipping much of a beat. His positioning and reflexes are awe-inspiring, still quick at 37 as he was at 27. His puck handling skills are so superb, the NHL Board of Governors instituted a trapezoid behind the net to rein in the netminder's ability. His unflappable attitude is laudable, a bad game or a bad goal on one night won't bother him, nor will he dwell on it to the point of affecting his play.

In this decade alone, he's had 6 40+ win seasons, only one season where he hasn't won at least 38 games, won four Vezina trophies, named to the NHL First All-Star Team three times, won two Stanley Cups, and has broken the league's record for most wins in a season (48 in 06-07 - the best single season performance of this decade according to Puck Daddy), most career wins in the regular season (569 and counting) and he will most likely break the league's record for career shutouts before this decade is done with (currently: 102). He even was honored by the state government of New Jersey, having declared June 18, 2009 as Martin Brodeur Day. Has any hockey player ever been honored with a day? Has any athlete in New Jersey ever got something like this? Even if the answer to either question is yes, that Brodeur received such an honor is remarkable in of itself.

There are probably some big accomplishments I've missed in this blurb. Feel free to yell at me for not noting them all, but quite frankly, there is only one Martin Brodeur and we are simply blessed to have watched him all this time in New Jersey, much less within the past decade.

Coach - Pat Burns (2003 - 2004)

Originally, we thought about a coach for each team; but ultimately we decided that didn't make much sense with the flux of the team. Who was really the second best coach of the Devils in the past decade? Claude Julien, who didn't finish the season? Brent Sutter, who quit on the team? Larry Robinson, whose major accomplishment was the 2000 playoffs?

We did agree that there was one superior coach among the bunch and that was Pat Burns.

Hired prior to the 2002-03 season, the disciplinarian head coach was seemingly a perfect fit with the team. Realizing that the Devils weren't going to be offensive powerhouses that season (and they weren't, their power play was notably and notoriously miserable), Burns had the team playing near-perfect defensive hockey with a incredibly motivated workman-like attitude. Devils fans were wowed by the efficiency (and horrified at the power play) and opposing fans were miserable at how relentless the Devils were. The Devils fought hard constantly and when they were clicking on the ice, the opposition stood little chance of getting significant offensive pressure, much less a chance of beating the team. He never relented while managing the team throughout the season and the playoffs, earning the Devils their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.

While 2003-04 didn't lead to similar playoff success, one couldn't complain too loudly about a follow-up season record of 43-25-12-2 and finishing just a point behind Philadelphia. In 2002-03, the Devils gave up only 166 goals, followed by only 164 conceded the next season - a testament to Burns' and the team's defensive success.

Unfortunately, instead of enjoying a relatively long coaching stint with the Devils, Burns had to step down during the lockout after being diagnosed with liver cancer in 2005 - after surviving colon cancer in 2004. He has since remained within the organization as a specialty scout in Florida, allowing Burns to be comfortable as he now fights lung cancer. His combined record in New Jersey is 89-45-22-8 (208 pts.). More important than his record was that he was key in the Devils' effort to have won the team's third Stanley Cup in 2003. I don't think the 2002-03 Devils go anywhere in the playoffs with someone other than Burns behind the bench. He knew what he was doing and he was successful in doing so. This made him stand out among the various coaches of the 2000s and we agreed he was the best coach the team had in this decade.

And so there you have it: the In Lou We Trust-selected New Jersey Devils All-Decade First Team:

Patrik Elias - Scott Gomez - Jamie Langenbrunner

Scott Niedermayer - Brian Rafalski

Martin Brodeur

Thank you for reading. Again, please feel free to discuss any of the players in the comments. Perhaps you would have liked to have seen someone else on the First or Second Teams. Maybe you want to add your own thoughts about any one of these players. Or, if you're feeling bold, suggest a Third Team of the Decade or some "honorable mentions" to the discussion. We hope you enjoyed this as much as we had thinking about it.

Maple Leafs demolish Red Wings 5-1

MrNorrisTrophy — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:37:56 -0000

More photos » by NATHAN DENETTE - AP

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On "Hall of Fame night" in Toronto, in which Brett Hull, Luc Robataille, and Steve Yzerman stepped onto the ice to be acknowledged, not much was Hall of Fame worthy from the Detroit end of things.

Phil Kessel had a big game for the Maple Leafs with a goal and an assist while goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped 35 of 36 shots for his second consecutive win. Chris Osgood gave up five goals on 28 shots as Detroit's three game win streak came to a close and Toronto won only their third game of the year.

Toronto's Wayne Primeau opened the scoring at 10:34 on a shot from the faceoff circle to the left of Chris Osgood. Primeau gained the zone following a failed pinch by Jonathan Ericsson and Kris Draper lost his edge to give Primeau a two-on-one against Brett Lebda. Colton Orr and Jeff Finger were credited with the assists on Primeau's goal, his first of the season. Phil Kessel added a goal with 26 seconds left to play in the first period to increase the Maple Leafs lead to 2-0. Ian White fired on net from the blue line and Jason Blake's rebound shot had originally beat Chris Osgood before Kessel tapped it in for insurance. Swedish goalie phenom Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson stopped all 13 of the Detroit shots in the first period with several great saves on quality chances.

Jeff Finger put a shot over Chris Osgood's shoulder on a 3-on-2 for a 3-0 Toronto lead 5:21 into the 2nd period. Finger, the trail man on the break out, received a pass from Lee Stempniak and was able to score his first goal of the year. The Wings were caught in a line change at the tail end of their power play and it resulted in the odd-man rush and a goal for Toronto. As if the 3-0 Toronto lead wasn't enough to deal with for Detroit, Jason Williams fell behind the Toronto net and left the game with an injury to his right leg. Early reports indicate a broken right leg.

Detroit finally got on the board in the third period. Although they didn't score on a five-on-three power play chance, they had several great opportunities. Soon after the power play ended, Dan Cleary received a pass from Brian Rafalski as both teams were changing and had only Gustavsson to beat. Cleary did just that as he scored his 100th career goal at 5:59 of the third, providing the only high point of the night for Detroit. The 3-1 Toronto lead quickly ballooned to 5-1 as John Mitchell deflected a Phil Kessel shot past Osgood at 9:22 and Alexei Ponikarovsky beat Osgood with a weak backhand at 12:44. Gustavsson was solid all game and allowed kept the puck out his own net and allowed his teammates to get chances at the other end.

Detroit returns to action on Wednesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

MrNorrisTrophy's Wing of the Game: No question about it, Dan Cleary. Cleary's goal was the lone high point in the game and a huge weight is off his shoulders after finally getting his 100th career goal. Goal 100 below.

Dan Cleary

#11 / Right Wing / Detroit Red Wings

Height: 6-0

Weight: 205

Born: Dec 18, 1978

Red Wings vs Maple Leafs coverage

Back on the grind...

MrNorrisTrophy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:14:02 -0000

More photos » by Larry MacDougal - AP

Appropriate players for the title...(AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

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Hey folks, sorry for the lack of content over the past few days. Halloween weekend takes more out of you than you'd expect I guess. Add on some surgery for me and various other things, I just wasn't able to get my mind in that mode. But after a brief break, we're ready to continue bringing you the Red Wings coverage and insight you've come to expect.

With that said, here are a few things for you to peruse prior to tonight's game against the Boston Bruins:

We've got a new layout! You may have noticed the subtle but good changes to the layout and design of the site. This is a SBN wide change and I personally think it looks great.
NESN (the FS-D of New England) did a Q&A with us and the link to that can be found here. Give it a read through.
The Wings went 2-1-2 over the West Coast road trip, earning 4 much needed points and now sit four points behind Chicago in the Central Division. Maybe this wasn't needed quite yet?
More than just four potential points were lost over the road trip as the Wings lost a crucial part of this year's offense with Valtteri Filppula being injured for 6-8 weeks following a broken wrist.
To add to the injury/inactive woes, three defensemen have come down with the flu. Niklas Kronwall, Brian Rafalski, and Jonathan Ericsson. We probably won't see until later in the day which players actually are fit enough to dress for the game tonight.
Don't look now but Pavel Datsyuk is starting to roll. Six points in his last three games as he finally starts to gain some momentum with his play heading into tonight's game against a banged up Bruins team. Speaking of those injuries, the Wings will get to go the whole night without having to think about Milan Lucic and Marc Savard.

Check back later for an abbreviated--and I mean abbreviated--look at the Bruins stats for the season.

Olympics Watch: Americans off to hot starts

James Mirtle — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:57:07 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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Following up on a look at the hottest Canadian players in the NHL so far this season, here's a look at which American players may be impressing the Team USA brass so far:

Goal

	Player	Team	GP	GS	W	L	OT	GAA	Sv%
1	Ryan Miller	BUF	10	10	8	1	1	1.86	0.936
2	C. Anderson	COL	15	15	10	3	2	2.11	0.936
3	Ty Conklin	STL	5	4	2	2	0	2.34	0.921
4	Tim Thomas	BOS	9	9	4	5	0	2.66	0.910
5	Jon Quick	LAK	13	13	8	3	2	2.59	0.905
6	J. Howard	DET	5	3	1	2	1	3.42	0.879

Thomas may be the reigning Vezina winner, but it's hard to argue with Miller and Anderson making the team based on their starts. The Americans have the NHL's two hottest netminders so far.

Defence

	Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-
1	Alex Goligoski	PIT	14	5	7	12	12
2	Matt Carle	PHI	11	2	10	12	9
3	James Wisniewski	ANA	9	0	9	9	6
4	Ryan Whitney	ANA	12	1	6	7	3
5	Erik Johnson	STL	12	0	7	7	3
6	Ryan Suter	NSH	13	2	5	7	2
7	Jordan Leopold	FLA	12	1	5	6	2
8	Brian Rafalski	DET	12	1	5	6	-1
9	Zach Bogosian	ATL	10	5	1	6	-2
10	Keith Yandle	PHX	13	1	4	5	-2
11	Matt Niskanen	DAL	12	0	5	5	-3
12	John-Michael Liles	COL	8	2	3	5	-4

There will definitely be some interesting decisions to make on the Americans back end, with some of the less-heralded names playing th best to this point. Whitney, Suter, Rafalski and Johnson were the only ones invited to the team's summer camp.

Forward

	Player	Team	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG	+/-
1	Zach Parise	NJD	L	12	6	8	14	1.17	7
2	J. van Riemsdyk	PHI	L	9	2	8	10	1.11	4
3	Ryan Malone	TBL	L	11	8	3	11	1.00	2
4	Dustin Brown	LAK	L	14	4	9	13	0.93	0
5	Patrick Kane	CHI	R	13	4	8	12	0.92	4
6	Tim Connolly	BUF	C	11	4	6	10	0.91	-1
7	Ryan Kesler	VAN	C	15	5	8	13	0.87	0
8	Jason Pominville	BUF	R	11	3	6	9	0.82	2
9	Kyle Okposo	NYI	R	13	3	7	10	0.77	0
10	Keith Tkachuk	STL	C	12	3	6	9	0.75	1
11	R.J. Umberger	CBJ	C	13	4	5	9	0.69	-3
12	J. Langenbrunner	NJD	R	12	2	6	8	0.67	6
13	Mike Knuble	WSH	R	14	3	6	9	0.64	7
14	Bill Guerin	PIT	R	14	3	6	9	0.64	5
15	Scott Gomez	MTL	C	14	2	7	9	0.64	0
16	Brandon Dubinsky	NYR	C	15	3	6	9	0.60	6

More tough calls here, probably, especially with players young and old like Van Riemsdyk and Tkachuk. Connolly and Pominville were not at the orientation camp but could play their way onto the roster in the next month or so.

SB Nation - Brian Rafalski

Howard, Wings Blank Bolts 3-0; Lose Zetterberg to Injury

Jimmy Howard

#35 / Goalie / Detroit Red Wings

***NHLPA Appoints Getzlaf To Search Committee***

Price / Halak - The Stats - November 2009

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 7

Jakub Kindl may play tomorrow

2010 Olympics Preview: Detroit Red Wings

The New Jersey Devils All-Decade First Team

Left Wing - Patrik Elias (1999 - Current)

Center - Scott Gomez (1999 - 2007)

Right Wing - Jamie Langenbrunner (2002 - Current)

Left Defense - Scott Niedermayer (1999 - 2004)

Right Defense - Brian Rafalski (1999 - 2007)

Goaltender - Martin Brodeur (1999 - Current)

Coach - Pat Burns (2003 - 2004)

Maple Leafs demolish Red Wings 5-1

Dan Cleary

#11 / Right Wing / Detroit Red Wings

Back on the grind...

Olympics Watch: Americans off to hot starts

NHLPA Appoints Getzlaf To Search Committee