SB Nation - Atlanta Thrashers

Tampa Bay Lightning Game 37: versus the Philadelphia Flyers

Cassie McClellan — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:00:38 -0000

by Steve Nesius - AP

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost to the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2.

This was Mattias Ohlund's 800^th career game. It was really too bad that the Lightning couldn't win it for him. That's quite a milestone.

And, just as importantly, Zenon Konopka scored his first NHL goal in over four years.

This was a strange game. More so than usual. It was like every period was an entirely different game with entirely different teams playing.

The first period was ugly. It was slow and sloppy and chippy and not very good. Even worse than they'd been playing on their recent road trip. There were a lot of penalties being taken - particularly by the Lightning. They ended up being down 2-0 after one.

Then the second period was entirely different. It had a great pace, the players were clicking, and all of that sloppiness was gone. The penalties slowed down, too. And the Lightning managed to score a couple of goals, ending the second period tied 2-2.

The third period was pretty typical of how they'd been playing a few games before. The players kept bunching up on the ice, leaving whole swaths of it uncovered. The defense wasn't clearing rebounds. The forwards were buzzing around but couldn't convert anything. The only bright spot was that the Lightning didn't take any penalties for the second period in a row.

Vincent Lecavalier had a whopping seven shots on goal - that doesn't include the two that were blocked. I'm sure there were a few more that weren't counted by the official statistician on the game, though. Hockey's a fast game, so you can't catch everything.

The other crazy stat of the night was Steven Stamkos's faceoff percentage. Earlier in the season, he'd been doing pretty well with faceoffs. But then he jammed his wrist at practice, and he's not done so well. He won just 29% of the 14 faceoffs he took - that's winning four and losing ten.

Alex Tanguay had a good night, though not so much statistically. He was controlling the puck and setting up some nice plays. So was Lecavalier. Victor Hedman was another player that had a good night - he had three shots on goal, four missed shots (shots that missed the net), and three blocked shots.

Jeff Halpern left the game, as did Todd Fedoruk. Halpern played his first game without the cage since he was injured. Although, both Halpern and Fedoruk are listed as having the ubiquitous "lower body injury".

The next game is Saturday, 26 December, at home against the Atlanta Thrashers. Game time is the customary 7:30 Eastern. The team has today and tomorrow off, so have a very Merry Christmas.

Flyers vs Lightning coverage [SB Nation]

Broad Street Hockey [SB Nation Philadelphia Flyers site]

Flyers vs Lightning boxscore [TSN]

Bruins out-gun Thrashers 6-4

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:13:56 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

1 day ago: Boston Bruins' Shawn Thornton (22) and Byron Bitz, center, tries to jam the puck past Atlanta Thrashers' Johan Hedberg, right, of Sweden, in the second period of an NHL hockey game, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

Browse more photos »

The Bruins scored three times in the span of 1:08 during the first period to jump out to an early 3-0 lead, as the Bruins beat the Atlanta Thrashers 6-4 in a Festivus showdown at TD Garden. The Thrashers battled back from the early deficit and made it a game, but the Bruins held on for the win.

The Bruins drew first blood 9:44 into the game with a power play goal from Marc Savard. Savard received the pick at the right circle and waited for Atlanta goalie Ondrej Pavelec to commit before roofing a wrister over the sprawling goaltender.

Daniel Paille made it 2-0 just 48 seconds later when Recchi found Paille on the doorstep for his fourth of the season.

A third goal come just 20 seconds later when Shawn Thornton's backhand centering pass from the left wall found Vladimir Sobotka driving to the net. Three goals in 1:08 was enough to drive Pavelec from the game as he exited after giving up 3 goals on 8 shots.

The Thrashers got one back with 5:16 left in the opening period thanks to Bryan Little's slapper from the top of the left circle.

Atlanta pulled to within one with 2:32 left in the first period when Ilya Kovalchuk's pass from behind the net found Maxim Afinogenov in the slot for a one-timer.

The Thrashers looked like they tied it up at 3-3 in the first minute of the second period when Evander Kane found the back of the net, but the goal was immediately waved off and Colby Armstrong was sent off for goaltender interference.

Seconds later, Marty Reasoner was called for tripping, setting up an extended 5 on 3 for the Bruins.The B's took advantage of the open ice on the 2-man advantage as Zdeno Chara's shot from the top of the right circle made it a 4-2 hockey game.

The Bruins took advantage of an other 5 on 3 power play with 10:28 left in the third period. Michale Ryder picked up a rebound from Patrice Begeron's shot, moved the puck from the forehand to the backhand and deposited it into the back of the net.

After having his first goal taken off the board, Evander Kane got one that counted to pull his team to within two with 6:02 left in the third period. Todd White set up in "Gretzky's Office" and slid the puck to Kane in the slot.

The Thrashers made it a one goal game just over a minute later. Ilya Kovalchuk broke in all alone and beat Tim Thomas for his 21st goal of the season.

Patrice Bergeron sealed the win for the Bruins with an empty-netter with 3 seconds left in the game to account for the 6-4 final score. The freebie was Bergeron's 10th goal of the season.

Final - 12.23.2009	1	2	3	Total
Atlanta Thrashers	2	0	2	4
Boston Bruins	3	1	2	6

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- The Bruins were 3 for 5 on the power play tonight. "It's a Festivus miracle!"

- Rene Rancourt was singing Christmas Carols during the first intermission. No word on whether or not he busted out "Dominick the Italian Christmas Donkey".

- The Bruins were actually out-drawn at the face-off dot 34-30

- 3 point nights for Zdeno Chara (1-2-3) and Marc Savard (1-2-3)

- Dennis Wideman led the B's in ice time with 27:52

- I like the way that the B's were pressuring the puck tonight in the offensive zone.

- The Thrashers were undisciplined on the PK and it cost them.

- 30 years ago today, Mike Milbury beat a Rangers fan with his own shoe.

- The Bruins are off until Sunday when the travel to Florida to take on the Panthers in a 5:00 early bird special start.

Happy Holidays from Stanley Cup of Chowder!

Thrashers fly into The Hub to take on Bruins in Festivus showdown

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:00:22 -0000

More photos » by John Amis - AP

Browse more photos »

The Bruins will host the Atlanta Thrashers tonight at the TD Garden. The Bruins will be gunning for their second straight win after shutting out the Ottawa Senators on Monday, while the Thrashers will try to end a 2-game skid.

Know Your Enemy

Atlanta Thrashers (18-13-4, 2nd in Southeast, 6th in East)

Head Coach: John Anderson (2nd Year, 53-54-10)

SB Nation's Thrashers Blog: Bird Watchers Anonymous

Leading Goal Scorer:

Ilya Kovalchuk

#17 / Left Wing / Atlanta Thrashers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 230

Born: Apr 15, 1983

	G	A	P	+/-	PIM
2009 - Ilya Kovalchuk	20	17	37	-3	41

Goaltending:

Ondrej Pavelec

#31 / Goalie / Atlanta Thrashers

Height: 6-2

Weight: 200

Born: Aug 31, 1987

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Ondrej Pavelec	22	1227	9	9		67	3.28	743	676	.910	2

Johan Hedberg

#1 / Goalie / Atlanta Thrashers

Height: 6-0

Weight: 190

Born: May 05, 1973

	GP	MIN	W	L	EGA	GA	GAA	SA	SV	SV%	SO
2009 - Johan Hedberg	17	887	9	4		36	2.44	464	428	.922	1

Injury Report

Boston Bruins Injuries

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Milan Lucic	ankle	11/26/2009
Mark Stuart	sternum	12/15/2009
Derek Morris	lower body	12/21/2009

Atlanta Thrashers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Bryan Little	undisclosed	12/22/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Mark Popovic	foot	12/14/2009

Angelo Esposito (out for season; knee) and Kari Lehtonen (IR; back) are also injured.

Lines & D-Pairs:

Boston

Steve Begin	Marc Savard	Marco Sturm
Daniel Paille	Patrice Bergeron	Mark Recchi
Blake Wheeler	David Krejci	Michael Ryder
Shawn Thornton	Vladimir Sobotka	Byron Bitz

Zdeno Chara	Dennis Wideman
Andrew Ference	Johnny Boychuk
Matt Hunwick	Adam McQuaid

Atlanta

Ilya Kovalchuk - Nik Antropov - Maxim Afinogenov

Slava Kozlov - Rich Peverley - Bryan Little

Evander Kane - Todd White - Colby Armstrong

Eric Boulton - Marty Reasoner - Chris Thorburn

Zach Bogosian - Ron Hainsey

Tobias Enstrom - Pavel Kubina

Boris Valabik - Chrisoph Schubert

Notes:

- The Bruins and Thrasher met on 11/19 with the B's winning 4-3 in a shootout

- The Thrashers are currently negotiating with Ilya Kovalchuk on a contract extension

- Zdeno Chara talked about facing Ilya Kovalchuk during Tuesday's NHL Winter Classic Conference Call:

"I think we all know that Ilya is an extremely talented player with a lot of skill and a lot of speed in his game. He's a natural sniper and that's what he does, what he does best, scoring goals, and for sure, he's very dangerous. Any time you play against a guy like that, you have to be on your toes and be ready to play the game and try to take away the time and space from him."

- The Bruins broke in some of their Winter Classic gear at practice on Tuesday. The team wore their brown pants and helmets.

- Milan Lucic skated before practice yesterday and could be back for the Winter Classic. Hopefully, they aren't rushing him back for this event.

- Atlanta gives up a league worst 34.6 shots per game.

- The B's have sent defenseman Andy Wozniewski back down to Providence.

- For more on the Thrashers, check out Bird Watchers Anonymous

- The game starts at 7:00 and can be seen on NESN. Open thread starts at 6:30.

Today's Obligatory Embarrassing Thrashers Fan YouTube Video

Wednesday links: Trying to make Western Canada our b---- edition

averagejoe — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:00:34 -0000

Let's sweep Western Canada.

Blues news

Blues vs. Flames tonight. Can the Blues complete the Western Canadian sweep? [CBS Sports]
The Flames are trying to stay in the playoff hunt. [Toronto Sun]
Keith Tkachuk talks. [Medford Transcript]
The Blues are no longer in the Central Division cellar. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]
Devan Dubnyk, the goalie the Blues dominated, didn't have the best game Monday night. [Edmonton Sun]
Looks at Team USA in the World Juniors. [Hockey's Future]
Bob Boyes, father of Brad Boyes, talks about watching his son play at the World Juniors. [CBC Sports]
Alex Pietrangelo scores to help Canada beat Finland in a juniors tuneup. [The Globe and Mail]

Hockey news

Your results from last night. [Yahoo! Sports]
A day before the Christmas Break, the NHL has a full schedule. [Yahoo! Sports]
Chris Pronger says the Flyers need to have fun. [Broad Street Hockey]
Edmonton's problem isn't scoring — we saw that first-hand. [The Copper and Blue]
You know, I may be wrong, but I think the best way to get more power play chances is not to whine about how your team is not getting calls. Refs LOVE being told they're missing things. [TSN]
Ilya Kovalchuck and the Atlanta Thrashers are still talking about a new deal, but talks aren't going well. [TSN]
A look at NHL records that probably won't be broken. [TSN]

Other links

Theses people were annoying in 2009. [Yep Yep]
It must suck to look like a cartoon character. [Man o Fest]

Video

Doug wants more Alec Baldwin. I will oblige.

gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Canucks Rumor Du Jour: They Are Interested In Ilya Kovalchuk

Sean Zandberg — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:28:35 -0000

Tweeted by NHLSourcesSay, who writes for HendricksHockey.com:

The Thrashers may want a D-man instead of Cory Schnieder. The Canucks offer would then be a 1st round pick, Demitra, Grabner, and a D-man.

First of all, it's just a rumor. Secondly...with (especially) Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond's contracts ending after this season (plus several d-men), the Canucks are going to need to pony up the cash to keep them here. Kovalchuk is making $7.5 million this season and is looking to make Ovechkin-type money next season ($9 million). Tell me where the Canucks are going to find that kind of money. On another super-long-term front-loaded contract? This trade is not going to happen, unless a lot of the current roster is pissed away whether that be now or in the summer..

Just my 2 cents. What's yours?

Rumors of Thrashers Relocation a Topic in Kovalchuk Contract Talks

The Falconer — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:43:06 -0000

Ben Wright has both the audio and a transcript of the Don Waddell press conference on Ilya Kovalchuk. Waddell's statement that talks have hit a snag is not a big surprise. What did surprise me is that it sounds like they are seeking some language or assurance that the team will remain in Atlanta for the duration of the contract.

The one thing we continue to keep telling people is this franchise is not going any place. Every time there's ever talk about a franchise moving we always get lumped in there- that we're going some place to another city. As we know, and our ownership has stated, we own the NBA team here along with the NHL team along with the arena. This franchise is not going any place, but we do get lumped in and it's a concern of a player that's going to sign a long term contract to remain with this franchise. He'd be signing that contract to stay here in Atlanta and not think we'd be going someplace else. There are of those kinds of factors you have to deal with.

and then later Waddell says:

Like I said the media has probably done a good job of putting us in Winnipeg and Quebec City and all these places to help stir the pot. There's been a few obstacles that are out of our control that we had to deal with along the way, so yeah, would I rather have got this deal done three months ago? I know one thing- I would have gotten more sleep by now. It still remains our first choice to get the deal done as quickly as we could.

Which answers a question I have long wondered about. When media outlets publish un-sourced speculation that the Thrashers are about to depart for Canada are they not causing material harm to the franchise? If relocation speculation is without any basis it would appear to be grossly irresponsible and in fact damaging to the franchises ability to get things done--such as talks with their star player.

I wonder if the Thrashers have ever threatened defamation suits to people who run these stories? I will point out that after Al Strachan said the Thrashers might move the next week he was kicked off Hockey Night in Canada. Perhaps it was a coincidence, perhaps not. I'm not a lawyer, so I can't say whether making false statements about a business enterprise is actionable or not, but to this non-lawyer it certainly seems that relocation rumors are producing a tangible cost to the franchise. The Thrashers ownership just spend millions suing each other. Perhaps they should drop a "cease and desist" order on the next person who claims that the Thrashers are touring the MTS Centre in Winnipeg--that ought to bolster their denials of any relocation talk.

Halak, Bergeron and Plekanec Help Habs Pull Off Ridiculous Win

Robert L — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 10:04:33 -0000

Call the Canadiens 4-3 overtime win against the Thrashers in Atlanta, this: a game of extremities in a season of the same!

All told, it was close to 63 minutes of hockey to baffle every expert, one filled with connundrums to confound, a riddle bag of polar opposites and a bevy of ridiculous notions unfolding before your eyes.

The Thrashers provided the Habs' dominatrix on the evening, but failed to administer the full humiliation. The Canadiens seem intent to place themselves in a position to be bent, chained and whipped, but as shown before, they've either mastered a Houdini slipknot or own the keys to their own handcuffs.

A bunch of things, even at a prolonged glance, simply fail to add up. Just as this team is about to get written off as goners this season, it displays fortitude from the murkiest road trench. It gets shellacked, but the shell shocked goal stands tall. It plays an often small game, but its smurfs and midgets pull off a Gulliver-ish mutiny, turning the master into a slave.

As evidence, the Canadiens are out shot 50 to 23 and goalie Jaroslav Halak is, unbelievably not named one of the game's three stars. This game would have been over about 12 minutes in had it not been for his second stellar performance in as many games.

The Habs have surrendered 90 shots in the first two games of this seven game road trip and are 2-0. Halak has stopped 87 of those and continues to make a case that he's a number one goalie, somehwere if not in Montreal. If GM Gainey is seriously considering trading him, the 360 degree smile on his face threatens to separate the top of his head from his jaw these days. The longer he hangs in, the more Halak's value rises.

Halak's two biggest accomplices in this "wrestled from the jaws of defeat" win were pint sized hero Marc - Andre Bergeron and the genitally reassigned Tomas Plekanec (check this!), indeed a pair of valuable commodities that will cost the Canadiens more dinero next season.

Bergeron's nightly resume included no less than scoring the tying goal in the game's final minutes on a cannon blast and adding the OT winner after receiving a beaut of a pass from Plekanec, steamrolling Thrashers' goalies Anders Hedberg while skating backwards, deking the goalie with a backhand into an open right side.

Earlier in third, Bergeron earned a two minute minor for bowling over the same Hedberg, sweeping in from the corner to flatten the goalie without apology.

A Hab fan seated behind the Atlanta bench, was wearing Guillaume Latendresse's number, possibly as a reminder than Bergy has assumed his spot on the fourth line.

MAB makes $750,000 on a one year, and GM Gainey cannot receive enough credit for this shrewd signing.

Bergeron, who dresses as a forward won't be confused with Chris Pronger anytime soon, but don't look now, he's tied for the NHL lead (with Dallas' Stephane Robidas) for goals by a defenseman with 9 and he's tied for 18th in points with 19. He goes to the net with aplomb as a forward, but can't find fit on the Habs starting 6 D despite the fact that since Andrei Markov's return, the team is surrendering an average of 45 shots a game.

The Trois - Rivieres, Quebec native was an NHL afterthought one week into the season, as 30 clubs passed on his services. The diminutive rearguard is occasionally a defensive minefield, but has made Gainey look like a genius for heaving him off the scrap pile after Markov went down. Now it looks as though Montreal have revived the killer two pronged power play point proficiency of the Markov - Mark Streit duo of year's past.

Who would have thought?

Plekanec minus Kovalev equals superstar?

Tomas Plekanec is far and away the NHL Comeback Player of the Year. In his 38th game, he has now surpassed his 39 point total of last season. After posting a sub par 20 goals and 19 assists in 80 games, he now has 7 goals and a whopping 33 assists in 38 games.

Plekanec has always been an honest and dedicated player, but this type of turnaround requires great examination. As there is little new that Plekanec is truly showing - meaning we've seen this quality before from him, just not in this quantity - one has to wonder how and why it has all come to fore as he blossoms into quite the (expensive?) player. The most astute theory you'll hear is that he has had the burden of playing with Alex Kovalev removed from his nightly duty.

The Kladno native is now tied for second in the NHL in assists, something a Habs player can't likely lay claim to since the heyday of Elmer Lach. Lately Andrei Kostitsyn have benefitted as Mike Cammalleri is covered more closely in recent games. Plekanec prior to gelling with those two, was making any player on his trio look good.

Without the responsability of having to cater his game to Kovalev's weighty style, Plekanec has been freed to use all on ice elements like he rarely has be allowed in the past. It's a revelation to watch him bloom.

How about this for an extremity? The more pressing it becomes for Bob Gainey to resign the pending UFA, the less likely is Plekanec to be in a hurry. Just weeks ago, it looked like a $4.5M a year renumeration would make for a fine salary fit, but now Plekanec is obliterating arguments that he's worth a cool $6M.

Bob should approach such a negotiation like this:

"Tomas, how much? Sign here!"

Plekanec does it all for the Canadiens. He's a more than dependable front line center five on five with strong defensive habits and awarenesses. He's the pivotal draw man on a first PK unit that has gained gallons in credibility over the past month. He's been the shrewd and alusive centerman on the power play, with no recognizable stigmas for the opposition to stiffle him with. He's taking a beating, but keeps on ticking. As dangerous as he's become with the puck, he's not to be left unguarded without it.

The resume of his night's work against the Thrashers was akin to a platter of served hors d'oeuvres that all tasted uniquely different. His goal and three assists were offered as individual displays of all the things he's been doing so well across 38 games.

On his goal, he streaked to the net with Kostitsyn as a decoy, the second feed option far from the play. He craddled the pass a split second, aimed, and then zipped a wrister into the opposite top corner, catching Hedberg moving the other way. If you blinked, you missed him let up on dashing to the net, just as Cammalleri caught his gaze. It was a subtle but atuned example of one little detail in his game.

He did the grinder horse work on the Kostitsyn power play goal, fighting for the puck along the boards, never caughing it up while being shoved, hacked and handled by an Atlanta defenseman. He hung onto it no longer than he needed to, and just as he was about to draw more attention, he slipped a soft feed to Cammalleri in the corner, who fed pass to Kostitsyn at the crease. The Atlanta focus time on Plekanec was such that Andrei had time for two whacks in scoring the goal.

On the tying goal by Bergeron on the power play, Plekanec was set up in Kovalev's old playground off to the right side board. He was economical in three quick plays, first cultivating the puck as it skinned round the corner board. He then took a split second to place himself, never allowing the Atlanta coverage to settle still. As soon as a Thrasher moved toward him, Plekanec dished off to Bergeron at the point. Just as quick, he received the puck back from the blueline, passing a one - timer cross ice to Markov who fed Bergeron for the blast. On the clock, this took all of six seconds. Kovalev would have used up a minute to paint such artistry, but on Plekanec's canvas, the paint is stil wet.

The overtime winner four on four was a textbook demonstration of what players without the puck must do to create pressure and goals. First, Plekanec took off, flying into open space in mid ice for a feed from Josh Gorges. Receiving the pass, he strode over the red line into the Atlanta zone, twice dragging a skate and pausing briefly to scan the landscape. Stopping inside the blueline, he fed a blazing Bergeron with a pinpoint feed just as he hit the crease's edge. Curiously, had that play broken down, Plekanec had both Gorges and Cammalleri as additional trailers streaking in, with himself poised to handle the back check.

Not making the highlight reel, was a shorthanded breakaway by Plekanec that could have altered the game earlier on.

A similar short handed play with Markov leading on three on one rush died a quicker death when recipient Scott Gomez fired three feet wide without even allowing himself a better look at the netting available to him. Call it Gomez squeezing the stick and being unaccustomed to Markov's space and time creating feeds, but once the Thrashers had come back to retake the lead, this bungled play haunted as a possible turning point. For a team being dominated as such, it can't afford to waste precious scoring chances. The game would have been 3-1 at that point, and the short handed KO would have set the tone for the remainder of the game.

Two final notes on the extremities theme.

It's great to see Andrei K looking like the better of his old selves again, but in a single game he's still quite capable of alertness and fog. On the Thrashers first goal late in the opening period, there must have been a dense mist encompassing AK46 as he was caught in the muck and mire three times in a split second span. As the first forechecker on a clearing play, he simply glided towards center, applying little puck pressure. From there, a coasting semi circle followed, not a gear engaged as a second pass sped by him. He'd lost his wing by this point, committed too far left and inside the Canadiens zone. Realizing he'd blown coverage, he stopped, did a sweep check and turned to find his defenseman Ron Hainsey streaking in behind him in the position he'd vacated. Hainsey skated in deep, unharmed and uncompromized, to feed Kovalchuk at the crease.

Other than that miscue, there have been more confidence inspiring moments from Andrei. He seems to get that in the offensive zone, he has three mandates to fulfill: hit opponents who have the puck in his vicinity; make himself availaable for passes in open spaces, and follow shots briskly to the net. He's a PPG player when he zoned in, no better than a pylon when he's not.

We've seen it time again this season, how the Canadiens own the ability to use their speed assets and turn games on a dime. Does it not make you wonder why, in the team's approach, such strengths are not employed in forechecking the opposition to death in their own end. Wouldn't a "two men deep" philosophy allow players such as Maxim Lapierre and Max Pacioretty, just to name two, to gain more puck time deep in the right end. Plainly said, doesn't puck pressure lead to more puck possession?

Maybe they want to employ such tactics in their game, but the lack of a second strong scoring line kills any momentum, and the many penalties taken zaps the thrust from sustaining any prolonged, shift to shift attack. Perhaps solving these two sore spots would heighten the Canadien's overall standing, being that goaltending is better than good, the penalty kill is feared and power play has recently added a second cannon.

Cripes, does that constitute a statement of hope after all?

Extremities!

Game shots courtesy of Montreal Canadiens.com

Canadiens vs Thrashers boxscore

Bird Watchers Anonymous

Lions In Winter - Montreal Stars Complete Unlikely Comeback

HIO - About Last Night.....

Fantasy Hockey Team of the Week: Dec.14-20

Rafal Ladysz — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 02:28:57 -0000

More photos » by Steve Mitchell - AP

8 months ago: Florida Panthers forward Nathan Horton holds his hand up to his right eye after being hit by the Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Phillips during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, March 31, 2009, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Mitchell)

Browse more photos »

Welcome to fantasy hockey team of the week, a series which will be found weekly on Die By the Blade. Our primary objective is to create the finest fantasy squad consisting of a center, left winger, right winger, two defensemen and one goaltender. In other words, just like a normal group regularly on the ice in game action.

We'll in addition herald a young gun, have a laugh at the gaffe of the week, highlight the best goal and more. By the season's end, a count will be undertaken to determine which players showed up in the most weeks. Of course, I'll try to provide some tips, real tips, for those involved in deep fantasy hockey pools.

Tons of scoring took place for the Nashville Predators, 23 goals in four victories to be exact, but it wasn't the expected players taking care of business for the most part. Marcel Goc has been tossed onto a number of lines by Barry Trotz and has blossomed alongside whomever. The German native came over from San Jose and if he can continue to bring the goods, it may allow the Predators to forget about that Rich Peverley character.

Numbers: four games played, two goals, four assists, six points, plus-six rating.

There are some indubitable certainties in life. We live, we sleep, we die and Ilya Kovalchuk will put pucks past goalkeepers. Atlanta's franchise performer, for the time being, has gone pointless on just eight occasions owning the instincts of a sniper. His back-checking and defensive play are another story but Kovalchuk gets paid to shoot the puck.

Numbers: four games played, two goals, four assists, six points, minus-one rating.

Sick of being referred to as enigmatic, Nathan Horton's potential has floated back to him quickly as he sits even with Rick Nash in points. What a sweet relief it must be for the Florida Panthers to witness the third overall selection in 2003 playing the best hockey of his career. The press loves to hound struggling stars but Horton seems like he can do no wrong lately.

Numbers: four games played, three goals, four assists, seven points, plus-two rating.

Two Thrashers make up our back line and we'll start with Tobias Enstrom who has proven to be an influential defender. Covering the ice well, the 25-year-old is dependable in sending that first break-out pass and sneaking into the play. While he could benefit from a bigger frame, Enstrom uses his assets well defensively to shut down the opposing competition.

Numbers: four games played, five assists, five points, plus-two rating.

Rounding out our five-man unit is Pavel Kubina and he's fit in well in Atlanta. With a plus-14 rating, he leads the squad in that regard and still packs a heavy shot which goaltenders will be lucky to stop but won't be able to avoid rebounds on always. The assists will arrive in packages for the former Maple Leaf considering the Thrasher forwards that hover towards the goal.

Numbers: four games played, one goal, four assists, five points, plus-one rating.

On we go to the most important individual on any team. In a far from convincing Pittsburgh display in Buffalo yesterday, Marc-Andre Fleury kept his side in the game with vital stops, none more impressive than his stretch across robbing Clarke MacArthur. As Sabres supporters, we know all about goaltenders being the No.1 star so no hard feelings to the Penguins netminder.

Numbers: three games played, three wins, 1.33 goals against average, .951 save percentage.

Team of the Week

Center: Marcel Goc

Left Wing: Ilya Kovalchuk

Right Wing: Nathan Horton

Defenseman: Tobias Enstrom

Defenseman: Pavel Kubina

Goaltender: Marc-Andre Fleury

Our young gun spotlight goes to Patric Hornqvist for his seven-point effort in Nashville's dominance. The rookie is up to ten goals and will undoubtedly surpass 20 come April. It's not often that Shea Weber and Steve Sullivan aren't overshadowed by a freshman often but the Swede managed to do it.

Matt Stajan had his head down and the body usually follows in those moments. Johnny Boychuk lined him up delivering a perfect open-ice check tucking the shoulder in and taking aim at the body. A little bloodied, Stajan skated off on his own and returned to finish out the match Saturday. That's our hit of the week in case you're wondering.

Drew Miller, younger brother of Ryan, has picked up the pieces in Detroit and gave the Tampa Bay Lightning something to remember him by. Knocking down a long pass out of the air, he managed to contain the puck and make a sweet move to the backhand as Mike Smith went for a poke-check. You can see it below.

Gaffe of the week is automatically handed to Vesa Toskala for his latest glove misusing. Toronto was controlling play up until that mistake which gave Buffalo the lead and really grabbed the life out of the Maple Leafs. Better luck next time Vesa if there is a next time.

Congratulations are in order for Mike Brodeur earning his first NHL win over the weekend in Ottawa. The Canadian has a huge last name to live up to if he looks to resemble the other Brodeur. One victory down, 578 to go.

Finally, a bit of recommendation for fantasy poolies. Do not drop Marc-Andre Bergeron because of Andrei Markov's early return from injury. The defenseman is planning on being used as a fourth-line forward and remaining on the powerplay alongside Markov. This was the type of role Mark Streit excelled in a few years ago before becoming a well-known blue liner.

Kovalchuk Contract Talks Intensify

The Falconer — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:42:33 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Browse more photos »

There has been a lot of speculation about Kovalchuk's contract situation so far this season. Most of that contract chatter is conducted in the absence of hard facts. Let's review the known facts as of yesterday.

Kovalchuk has played great hockey since being captain one year ago and embraced his leadership role.
Kovalchuk has played poor hockey (especially defensively) for the last month.
Kovalchuk's agent was at the game last night (perhaps for the first time all season).
Bruce Levenson was in Don Waddell's box last night (which has been rare this season).

Based on those known facts, I would deduce that Kovalchuk has become a bit more distracted about his contract of late. I would also deduce that Kovalchuk is not hearing exactly what he wants to hear in those talks. On the other hand, the physical appearance of both his Ilya's agent and the point man of the Atlanta Spirit ownership group suggests an intensification of talks. If either side were taking a hard line you could do that just as easily via the fax or phone, thus for me the physical presence of key players at Philips Arena suggest that there is an interest on both sides in forging an agreement. However, merely being interested may not be sufficient when you're talking about a $100 million dollar deal.

People have speculated about the intentions of both sides in this situation. The truth is that only about four people know exactly where these contracts stand at the moment and all of them have reasons to be less than honest. If you're the Atlanta Thrashers and talks are going poorly you don't want to broadcast that and hurt a team that currently sits in a playoff position. If you're Kovalchuk's agent you don't want your client to appear to be overly greedy or difficult if you anticipate negotiating with another club down the road. If talks are bogging down there are good reasons not to say so in public. On the other hand if talks were going perfectly, Ilya would have already signed on the dotted line.

My personal belief has always been that Kovalchuk with either re-sign with the Thrashers or go to the KHL. If the KHL wants to make an offer that is well in excess of the cap max there is nothing the Thrashers can do to match that. If Kovalchuk is motivated by a desire to return to his home country and become the biggest star in that league--there is little the Thrashers can do about that either.

Contrary to snipping remarks from northern journalists, I don't think Ilya is eager to play in another market where hockey is a bigger deal. He is a private person who doesn't seek out media attention and he enjoys being able to go out with his family without it becoming a public spectacle. He also is uniquely committed to making hockey successful in Atlanta.

Only Ilya Kovalchuk knows what number will get him to re-sign in Atlanta. What I do know is that the clock is ticking. Thrashers GM Don Waddell has indicated that he will not wait forever like the Florida Panthers did with Jay Bouwmeester last spring. The NHL trade deadline is March 3rd and the NHL is on the Olympic Break for the last two weeks of Februrary. If Kovalchuk has not signed by the time the Olympic Games commence, then I expect a crazy bidding war will transpire in the final days of February.

What will happen to the Thrashers team if talks drag out over the next seven weeks? Certainly it appears to be affecting Kovalchuk's play of late. The young core of the team (Kane, Bogosian, Enstrom, Little, Pavelec) might be immune to these distractions, but for veterans hoping for the Stanley Cup playoffs it could prove more troubling.

New Jersey Devils Morning News, Dec 20

TibbsBeastoftheEast — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 16:04:20 -0000

Devils notebook: Paul Martin stops skating - (The Bergen Record)
Rob Niedermayer fitting in - (The Bergen Record)

Devils change goalies, then beat Thrashers - (The Bergen Record)
Pelley breaks two-year goal drought; Lemaire shuffles lines; Parise has two assists, but no goals - (Fire & Ice)
Danis comes to Devils’ relief in 5-4 win in Atlanta - (Fire & Ice)
Live post: Devils score three in second, lead 5-3 in third; Brodeur pulled - (Fire & Ice)
Lamoriello: Martin "is going to be a little while longer"; Clarkson has begun skating - (Fire & Ice)
Brodeur to start again in Atlanta - (Fire & Ice)
Patrice Cormier named captain of Canadian World Junior Team - (Fire & Ice)
Notebook: NJ Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur didn't fight decision to remove him from 5-4 victory over Atlanta - (The Star Ledger)
Martin Brodeur pulled from NJ Devils' 5-4 victory over Atlanta Thrashers - (The Star Ledger)
Notebook: NJ Devils not getting caught up in impressive record, points total - (The Star Ledger)
Devils-Atlanta Thrashers, as they play - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils' Jay Pandolfo getting back into groove after tough 2008-09 season - (The Star Ledger)
NJ Devils pregame report: Martin Brodeur is playing tonight - (The Star Ledger)
Devils rally after Marty gets yanked - (The Star Ledger)
Watch Postgame Reaction - (Msgnetwork)
Maven: Devs Win Without Marty - (Msgnetwork)
Dean gets it done in Devils' 5-4 win in Atlanta - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Daneyko named honorary captain for 2010 AHL All-Star Classic - (NewJerseyDevils.com)
Stats - (Yahoo NHL)
Standings - (Yahoo NHL)
Devils Team Report - (Yahoo NHL)
Martin Brodeur: Still a Workhorse - (SportsUntapped.com)
Tough finding right words to describe Thrashers loss to Devils - (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
Patrice Cormier named captain of Canada's 2010 National Junior Team - (Hockeybuzz.com)

LOWELL DEVILS
Devils Shutout By Monarchs, 2-0 - (LowellDevilsHockey.com)

TRENTON DEVILS
Thrilling Resurgence Ends with Another Shootout Loss - (TrentonDevils.com)

MISCELLANEOUS
Gedig goes big to ground Grizz - (Vernon Morning Star)
Cormier named captain for world juniors - (National Post)