Sid's Strike Golden for Canada: Post-Tournament Thoughts, and Why the Biggest Winner of Sunday's Matchup Was the Game of Hockey, Itself

What a game. What a tournament. What a finish.

Canada's 3-2 victory over the Americans may have left a bitter taste in the mouths of the Red, White & Blue contingent, but the game - the tournament, even - was a landslide victory, not just for Canada, but for the entire game of hockey.

Canadian fans got exactly what they wanted - a gold medal victory in the sport that is entrenched within the past, present, and future of their people - as well as redemption for their ugly seventh place finish in the 2006 Games in Torino.

American fans - passionate and casual followers of the game, alike - were treated to a great six games from their hometown squad, a run that, when compounded with the American victory at the World Junior Championships, brings hope and attention to the future of American hockey. And, most importantly - hopefully - the National Hockey League will see some much-needed attention directed towards their great game.

With NHL players' participation in the Olympics, the number one goal as far as the NHL was concerned was exposure of the game of hockey to the casual sports fan. With the games in North America, fans were able to watch the games at reasonable and convenient times, and in an atmosphere that was understandable both culturally and geographically.

If two great games against Team Canada, a 5-1 record, and a Silver Medal finish won't elevate the NHL and the game of hockey, itself, to further prominence amongst the casual sports fan in America, I'm not sure what will (aside from NHL games being carried by Versus, but that's a rant for another day).

Here's a few thoughts on the game from a purely hockey perspective...

- How about Sidney Crosby? A Stanley Cup less than eight months ago, led the playoffs in goal-scoring, is currently tied for the lead league in goal-scoring, and has now scored the game-winning overtime goal to give his hockey-crazed country their 14th gold medal of the Vancouver Games. Was he at his absolute best during the tournament? No, probably not, but great players come through in the clutch. With a shoot-out winner against the Swiss and his most recent strike to the back of the twine, "Sid the Kid" did just that. And to all the Crosby-bashers out there - shove it.

- Ryan Miller - what do I even need to say? The current-Vezina favorite took home "Tournament M.V.P." and "Best Goaltender" honors. He was phenomenal from start to finish for Ron Wilson's squad.

- Speaking of Ron Wilson, like him or not (I've never been a huge fan), you can't deny that he did a great job with a youthful group. He got the most out of Erik and Jack Johnson - two very young defensemen who played some great hockey in Vancouver. Despite Erik Johnson's faulty puck handling that resulted in Canada's first goal of the game, the tournament will be a major confidence builder for the 2006 1st Overall Pick. This was the best hockey he's played since the freak-golf cart incident that caused him to miss the entirety of what should've been his second NHL season. Jack Johnson, who had really began to ramp up his play with the Los Angeles Kings over their last handful of games heading into the Olympics, proved that has finally begun to understand the finer points of playing hockey at a high level. His raw skills - skating, stick handling, and shooting - are off the charts, especially for a defenseman.

- Zach Parise, named to the "All-Tournament Team," is a freakin' animal. As a Rangers fan, it was a treat to root for him, as opposed to against him, throughout the last two weeks.

- Say what you want about Chris Drury's bad contract (and yes, it's ugly), but the guy gives it 110% every time he touches the ice. It's clear concussions have taken their toll on the Rangers' Captain, but the guy will stand in front of a bus or a Shea Weber Slapper (not sure which one is worse, actually) for his team. That effort level is there every night for the Rangers, too. You'll never hear me say a bad word about the effort level of the player I've considered my favorite since his rookie-season when I was ten-years old, watching him in the playoffs with the Colorado Avalanche.

- Patrick Kane is well on his way to becoming a big game player. He was excellent throughout the last two games, and already has nine goals to his credit in 16 NHL playoff games.

- Brian Rafalski ("Best Defenseman" of the tournament) and Ryan Suter were unbelievably calm and poised throughout the tournament. Shea Weber had a great tournament, but Suter could've arguably snagged that spot on the "All-Tournament Team" over his Nashville teammate. Suter finished the tournament with four points and was a plus nine in six games.

- Jonathon Toews really is a heckuva player. His designation as "Best Forward" of the Olympic Games is well-earned. He was on for just one goal against all-tournament, despite going up against the other teams' top guns for the majority of his shifts. What does it tell you about a team's talent level when their "fourth line" center takes home "Top Forward" honors?

- Joe Thornton can rack up all the regular season assists he wants. He is S-O-F-T, soft.

- Drew Doughty is going to be a Hall of Famer. Yeah, that's right; I just predicted a 20-year old defenseman is going to be a HOFer. It is absurd that Doughty turned 20 in December.

- Roberto Luongo was really shaky all game, and really, he was a little iffy over the last two games. Parise never ties the game at two if "Bobby Lu" is able to snag an easy shot to his glove hand. But hey, he made the big saves he needed to make. That save against Pavol Demitra in the semifinals will go down as one of the greatest saves in Canadian international hockey history.

- Thankfully, we didn't see this contest conclude with a shootout. This game should serve as a reminder why a team-game fought between 40 or so players shouldn't be decided by a skills competition that typically involves four players from each side. The shootout may be entertaining in regular season games (still not a fan of ending any game with a shootout, myself), but I think everyone can agree that it has no place in playoff or championship games.

Thoughts on Sunday's USA/Canada Matchup, The Media's Boneheaded Portrayal of Team USA, MSNBC Pranked by a Fake Ryan Miller

The Red, White & Blue versus Canada with Gold Medals on the line...does it get any better, hockey fans?

In the Americans' semifinal matchup against the Finns, the Red, White, and Blue struck early and often - absurdly early and often - to come away with a 6-1 clobbering of Finland. By the 7:13 mark of the first period, the score was already 6-0...you know it's bad when your starting goaltender (Miikka Kiprusoff) pulls himself, and that's just what "Kipper" did after the American's fourth tally courtesy of Patrick Kane.

Everything that could go right for the Americans did go right in the early going. Kane broke out of his slump with his second and third goals of the tournament. Brian Rafalski added two more assists, and now leads the entire tournament in scoring with eight points, while Zach Parise chipped in with a goal and an assist of his own, bringing his point total to seven. Ryan Miller lengthened his shutout streak for two and half periods before being relieved by Tim Thomas.

Every member of Team U.S.A continued to pull their weight, whether it be Dustin Brown drawing two Finnish penalties which led to the second and third U.S.A. tallies, or Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan continuing to bust their butts defensively and on the penalty kill.

As for the Finns - embarrassing. They had been fairly flat and passive for much of the tournament, but no one expected an effort like this. After Kiprusoff's horrid turnover which allowed Ryan Malone to pot the first goal of the game, all the wind was sucked out of the sails of the Finnish skaters.

For the Canadians, their semifinal victory didn't come quite as easily. After putting forth an imposing effort in the first 40 minutes of their contest against Slovakia, Canada lost its focus and allowed Slovakia to climb to within one goal with just under five minutes to go in regulation.

Pavol Demitra, who played some of his best hockey in arguably five or six years, was stoned by the glove of Roberto Luongo with a shade under eight seconds left in the game. Live, I thought Demitra simply missed the empty cage and nicked iron, but on the replay it became clear that Luongo got a piece of his glove on it. Many Canadians have already dubbed the save "the Glove from Above."

It was undoubtedly a gigantic save by Luongo, but it might not have been necessary if he hadn't let in a weak Lubomir Visnovsky shot from the side of the net that got Slovakia's comeback started.

Perhaps the biggest bright spot for Canada was the play of the Brendan Morrow - Ryan Getzlaf - Corey Perry line. Morrow continued to throw the body every chance he could get, and his net presence resulted in two goals, one of which he scored himself via a deflected Chris Pronger point shot. Ryan Getzlaf showed no ill-effects from a recovering sprained ankle which kept him out of the morning skate, and was his usual hulking, dominant presence with the puck in the offensive zone.

For the Americans to win tomorrow, they need to keep doing what they're doing and get another great performance from Ryan Miller. In truth, the Americans are playing much better than they were heading into their first game against Canada - their defense has improved with every game.

The Canadians, too, are playing much better than they were heading into the first U.S.A./Canada matchup. If Canada can continue to throw the body and dominate down low in the offensive zone, they should be successful. Mike Babcock is surely hoping for some more production from the Sidney Crosby line - Crosby has no points in Canada's last two outings - and will need his defenseman to play a strong 60-minute game, something they've done just once (Russia), so far...

Is anyone else getting fed up with the current Team U.S.A. comparisons being made to the "Miracle on Ice" 1980 U.S.A. squad coming out of the media?

Seriously, this isn't even worthy of an "apples to oranges" analogy. This is apples to...something...err...very "unapple like."

The 1980 team featured a composition of college-aged kids who beat the best team in the world - a team that had beaten this same team 10-3 in a pre-tournament game, had routed an NHL All-Star team 6-0 the year before, had won every single Gold Medal dating back to 1960, and didn't lose a single international game after this one until 1985!

The media is making out the Americans to be a team that had a very remote chance of even medaling in this tournament, and many proclaimed their victory over Canada to be the biggest international American victory since the 1980 upset of the Soviets.

What about 1996 when we won the World Cup over Canada? What about 2002 when we won Silver in Salt Lake City? What about our World Junior Championship victory over Canada in 2004? How about our championship in the World Junior Championship over Canada that occurred not even two months ago?

Tomorrow's game will feature 23 NHL players facing off against 23 NHL players. Ryan Miller is the front-runner for the Vezina Trophy as the best goalie in the NHL, Tim Thomas won last year's Vezina Trophy, and Jonathon Quick leads NHL goaltenders in wins this season. Zach Parise was third in the NHL in goals and fifth in points last season. Patrick Kane is ninth in the NHL point-scoring race this season. The team boasts three of the 30 NHL Captains (Dustin Brown, Chris Drury, and Jamie Langenbrunner), twelve first round selections, and two of the last four first overall picks in the NHL Draft.

You want to point to the U.S.A. finishing eight in the last Olympics? Canada finished seventh!

Look, I'm not trying to underscore what the Americans have done, here. We have a young team that has come together and played some great hockey. But, this is a team that was clearly a medal threat coming in.

If the Americans take home gold, it will be great for the game here in the U.S. of A. It will, and should be, classified as an upset.

But it won't be a "miracle."

If you haven't already, take a look at this interview with Ryan Miller on MSNBC, an interview in which Miller claims that the Americans were already looking at video of Canada because the American side knew that Canada would beat Slovakia (this was before last night's game), and where he essentially guarantees victory over Canada in the Gold Medal Game.

Ryan Miller - a very soft spoken and professional athlete - wouldn't say that, right?

Right. Turns out, that wasn't Ryan Miller.

How MSNBC allowed somebody who wasn't the U.S.A.'s starting goaltender to con his way into a televised interview as Ryan Miller is beyond me. They issued a professional apology during "Hardball" later that night, and conducted an interview with the real Ryan Miller during that time.

A similar thing happened on SportsCenter the other day, with one of Howard Stern's buddies pretending to be Brian Dawkins...

Enjoy tomorrow's game - should be a dandy!

Final Four Set: Canada Blows Out Russia, Parise Leads U.S.A. Past Switzerland, Slovaks Upset Sweden, Tough Break Costs Czechs Versus Finland

So much for that epic, one-goal, Sidney Crosby versus Alexander Ovechkin showdown, huh?

Canada completely and utterly dominated Russia yesterday evening, winning by a score of 7-3 in a game which saw the Russians outplayed, outcoached, and worst of all, outhustled by Team Canada.

The Canadians game out with a fire and passion that completely overwhelmed Russia. Brendan Morrow may have had more hits than the entire Russian side on his first shift, alone. You may recall me voicing my concerns over Russia's defense while making my Olympic predictions:

"Russia's defense lacks depth and only has one bruiser in Anton Volchenkov, and I can easily see them being run down dealing with a star-studded Canadian line-up up front that will be laying more bodies on them than drunken bastards all over the hottest, sluttiest girl at the bar two minutes before close. Dealing with Sweden's group of forwards will be a handful for Russia defensively, too. Don't get me wrong, Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov are elite defensemen, but I don't like the blend of the overall group."

The idea of the Russian defensive group being able to compete with a fast, hulking Canadian group going full force became downright laughable last night.

The truth of the matter is that this game was over in the first period. Ryan Getzlaf, Dan Boyle, and Rick Nash made it 3-0 Canada less than 13 minutes into the first. Time to pull Evgeni Nabokov if you're Russian Coach Vyacheslav Bykov, right?

Apparently not.

With the score 4-1 after the first, certainly Bykov would pull Nabokov, now...yeah?

Alas, no.

Back-to-back Canadian strikes to kick off the second period meant that this one was over before Bykov finally pulled the trigger and sent Ilya Bryzgalov to take over for Nabokov in the Russian net.

Russia should be embarrassed. They didn't backcheck. They didn't compete physically. They didn't go to the net. They lost every important one-on-one or 50-50 battle. From Alex Ovechkin right down the line to Danis Zaripov, this team showed zero character.

Ovechkin's performance, in particular, was disappointing. Two goals were a direct result of Ovechkin lollygagging his way back on defense. He had just three shots on net and was a minus two in the plus minus column.

As for the Canadians - wow!

They came out hard and didn't let up. The entire defensive unit shored up their previous shortcomings from earlier in the tournament, and contributed heavily to the offense. Scott Niedermayer played his best game - Olympics or NHL - in a while. Dan Boyle had a wail of game, setting up the first Canadian goal and scoring the second, himself.

If the Canadians play like this going forward, they'll be looking "golden" come Sunday...

It may have been closer than we American fans would've liked, but Team U.S.A. was able to take care of business yesterday against the Swiss, courtesy of two goals from Zach Parise.

TSN and NBC analyst Pierre McGuire has maintained all tournament that for the Americans to succeed, Parise will need to lead the way and find the back of the net offensively. He wasn't wrong.

Parise is the Americans' version of Sidney Crosby. He works his tail off, is a beast in front of the net and along the boards, and is the catalyst for the Americans' offensive attack. Both of his goals yesterday - a deflection, and an empty net goal where he chipped the puck out of the U.S.A. defensive zone to himself - personified just the type of player number nine is.

Ryan Miller was once against stupendous, and the defensive group continued to show improvement. Tim Gleason, in particular, seems to have really hit his stride.

When it comes time to hand out the award for best defensemen in the tournament, Brian Rafalski will certainly be one of the top candidates. Not only does he lead the Americans in goals and points, but he and Ryan Suter have also been an unbelievable defensive pairing for the Americans throughout their first four games...

What the heck has gotten into Pavol Demitra?

The oft-injured Vancouver Canuck led the way for Slovakia last night, registering a goal and two assists as the Slovaks ended Sweden's attempt to defend their 2006 Gold Medal victory.

Seriously, somebody needs to tell Pavol it isn't 2003. Marian Hossa, Marian Gaborik, Zdeno Chara, and goaltender Jaroslav Halak have all pulled their weight, but without the excellent play of Demitra, there is no chance that the Slovaks are in the semifinals.

For the Swedes, this was a very disappointing tournament. Despite claiming the number two seed during preliminary play, they struggled mightily to score goals all tournament, and faltered last night despite surrendering just 14 shots on Henrik Lundqvist, who had yet to be scored on in his first two outings.

Outside of the Daniel Alfredsson - Nicklas Backstrom - Loui Erisson line, the Swedish forwards vastly underachieved. Daniel and Henrik Sedin combined for just one goal and five points. Henrik Zetterberg and Peter Forsberg each had only one point.

For the life of me, I still don't understand why Mattias Weinhandl lined up with the Sedins for the majority of the tournament. Okay, so they are good friends and had some chemistry...10 years ago in juniors! There's a good reason Weinhandl was never successful in the NHL - he wasn't good enough...

Somebody needs to explain to me the IIHF rule mandating that any player who loses his helmet needs to put it back on immediately or skate to his bench...while the play is going on.

The IIHF might need to explain the validity of the rule to the Czech Republic, as well, as the fallen helmet of Filip Kuba opened the door for Niklas Hagman to score the game-winner with under six and half minutes left in regulation to push the Finns into their customary spot in the semifinals.

With the Finns on the man-advantage, Kuba's helmet fell off and moved towards the endboards behind his own net. After disregarding the loss of his helmet at first, he realized (perhaps with the help of the ref) a second later that he needed to put it back on, or risk getting a penalty that would leave his squad two-men short. This left Hagman all alone in front, and he took advantage by deflecting a Janne Niskala point shot through Tomas Vokoun and across the goal line.

What a ridiculous rule.

Regardless, the Finns were able to capitalize on the opportunity, and deserve their fair share of the credit. Miikka Kiprusoff was perfect in net, stopping all 31 shots that came his way.

Expect a hard fought, low scoring goalie duel between the Finns and Team U.S.A. in their Friday matchup...

Super Sunday: "Miller Time" Rubs Canada the Wrong Way, Malkin, Ovechkin, and Datsyuk lead Russia over the Czechs, Backstrom Powers Sweden over Finland

Never underestimate the presence of a hot goaltender in a short tournament - or the presence of a faulty one.

American goaltender Ryan Miller put forth an excellent effort Sunday in Vancouver, stopping 42 of 45 shots, and clearly outplaying the Canadians' Martin Brodeur on the way to a 5-3 American victory. While Miller continually came up with big saves at big times, Brodeur not only failed to do the same, but also struggled mightily in handling the puck - shocking, considering that he's the undisputed best puck handling goalie in the history of the game.

The American defensive group - which received great performances from Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter, Brooks Orpik, and more surprisingly, 21-year old Erik Johnson and 23-year old Jack Johnson - turned in a gutsy effort against an extraordinarily talented Canadian offensive group. Were there too many mistakes? Certainly, but against a team like the Canadians that was to be expected. The American defense did their best to keep things simple - they were able to keep the Canadians on the perimeter much better than I anticipated, essentially eliminated odd-man rush opportunities for Canada, and even received big offensive contributions from Rafalski and Suter.

My hat's off to Ron Wilson for the way he utilized his forwards. It was clear right off of the bat that the Phil Kessel - Joe Pavelski - Ryan Malone unit didn't come to play. They struggled to get the puck out of their own defensive zone, and were a combined minus four between the three of them. Wilson essentially sat them down for the majority of the game after the first period, and decided to go with the grittier fowards deserving of more ice time - David Backes, Ryan Callahan, and Chris Drury.

Chris Drury has proved the several critics wrong who claimed that he shouldn't have been given a spot on the U.S.A. roster. Not only did he come up with a huge goal in yesterday's game - his second in as many games - but his efforts alongside Rangers' teammate Ryan Callahan while short-handed were much-needed. Drury and Callahan continually lay their bodies on the line, whether it be to block a shot or get the puck out of the defensive zone.

For the Canadians, it's back to the drawing board. They outplayed the Americans, but received an inadequate performance in goal from Brodeur, which was compounded by their inability to beat Miller. But their biggest problem going forward is that they are still receiving atrocious performance after atrocious performance from far too many of their top players.

Ryan Getzlaf and Joe Thornton were invisible. Getzlaf needs to get more involved everywhere - offensively, physically, and around the net - while Thornton simply needs to grow a pair - this guy proves time and again that he's softer than Liberace in the PlayBoy Mansion. He packs it in every time the going gets tough in the NHL playoffs, and thus far the Olympics have been no different.

Corey Perry's level of effort was downright embarrassing, culminating with Ryan Kesler's unbelievable empty-net goal, in which he outhustled a dilly-dallying Perry.

Defensively, the Canadians are still receiving poor efforts from veterans Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, and Dan Boyle. Niedermayer has been downright bad all tournament. Pronger turned in one of the worst performances I've ever seen from the big guy. Boyle was simply ineffective.

Expect the youth movement to continue defensively for Canada for the duration of the tournament. Drew Doughty showed why anyone who thought he was too young and inexperienced to have a place on the Canadian roster clearly hasn't watched any Kings' games this season, while Duncan Keith - probably the front-runner for the Norris Trophy - shook off the clearly-visible jitters from his first two games and turned in his best performance of the tournament. Keith led the way with over 24 minutes yesterday, with Doughty right behind him at 23:20. No other Canadian defensemen played more than 19:09.

The Americans grinded out the win with heart, hustle, and above all, a stellar performance by Ryan Miller...

In the first game of yesterday's trio of action, Russia's top guns were able to lead their squad to a 4-2 defeat of the Czech Republic.

Evgeni Malkin was the driving force offensively for the Russians, finishing with two goals and a helper, and Pavel Datsyuk put forth a masterful defensive game, while also chipping in with an empty-net goal and an assist.

But for the turning point of the game, look no further than Alex Ovechkin's absolute bomb of a hit on Jaromir Jagr.

Seconds before Malkin's second goal of the game, giving the Russians' a two-goal third period lead, Ovechkin absolutely steamrolled Jagr after the latter tried to cut back at center ice. Said Jagr of the hit, "I wish I had a concussion. That way I would forget Ovechkin quicker."

Ovechkin had two assists, numerous chances, and a plethora of big hits. The guy can change the course of the game as quickly with his body as he can with his world-class release.

For the Czechs, I thought Tomas Vokoun could've played better. He wasn't "bad" by any means, but he needs to come up with a stop on one of the three Russian goals that were put by him. On both of Malkin's goals he was slowing moving to his left, and he overcommitted to his left on the Viktor Kozlov marker.

The Czechs played well defensively, but they didn't generate enough offensively. I expect their power play to be much better going forward...

The Sweden/Finland game was thoroughly dominated by the Swedes.

Nicklas Backstrom netted a goal and two assists, while Henrik Lundqvist registered his second shutout in his second appearance of the tournament. Loui Eriksson was the recipient of two great Backstrom passes right in front of the Finnish goal crease, allowing him to notch his second and third goals of the Games.

One thing that really stuck out to me was the distribution of ice time for Sweden's defensemen.

Swedish Coach Bengt Ake Gustafsson has been using Nicklas Lidstrom and Niklas Kronwall very sparingly on the power play, using them for more taxing defensive minutes, instead. On the other side of the spectrum, Tobias Enstrom and Magnus Johansson played almost exclusively on the power play.

It may seem foolish to give Lidstrom and Kronwall so little time on the power play, but it's a great stroke of genius by Gustafsson. Any time Lidstrom and Kronwall are on the ice at even strength, Sweden is going to be a "plus" team regardless of their opponent. By allowing them to play more than they would normally at even strength, Gustafsson ensures that Sweden garners this competitive edge for essentially 45-50% of the time Sweden is playing at 5-on-5. Enstrom and Johansson are more than capable of performing well manning the points on the power play. These moves put Enstrom and Johansson in positions to succeed, while also making Sweden that much harder to play against 5-on-5...

Looking ahead to the playoff round of the tournament, it appears as if the Americans will have the most desirable path to the Gold Medal Game. After their bye to the quarterfinals, they will tangle with either the Swiss or Belarus. If they are able to win that match, they will likely play either the Czechs or Finns in the semifinals. Essentially, the Americans will not have to face Canada, Russia, or Sweden prior to the Gold Medal Game if they are able to make it that far - a huge plus.

The most interesting fallout from the seedings for the playoff round - the Canadians will faceoff against the Russians in the quarterfinals assuming that they are able to get by the Germans. One of these teams will be going home much earlier than expected...

Where We Stand, and a Look at Sunday's Trio of Marquee Matchups

For everyone who expected Canada and Russia to cruise into a gold medal matchup, day three of the Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament served as a wakeup call, exemplifying why this tournament is do difficult to win.

Canada was able to muster a 3-2 shootout victory over the Swiss on Thursday, but the Russians weren't so lucky, falling in a shootout 2-1 to a Slovakian team that was playing their second game in less than 24 hours.

To all the Canadian fans out there - step back from the ledge, my northern brothers. The Canadian squad will be fine once they play a team that employs more of a "normal" style of hockey. Don't get me wrong, the Swiss are the consummate team and have played excellent hockey through their first two games, but they play a style that can lull a team with so much talent to sleep - i.e. over passing, thinking too much, looking for the perfect shot, etc. It was clear that Canada was getting frustrated as the game progressed, as they were unable to break into the Swiss zone with speed. You need to give credit where credit is due, and the Swiss played a much better team game on Thursday than the Canadian side.

For Sunday's game against the Americans, Canada just needs to keep it simple. Play hard, shoot the puck more, and throw the body around.

Anybody whose watched the Americans so far knows their defense is downright brutal - too much pinching, no cohesion, and low percentage passing all over the place. I'm not saying the game Sunday won't be a close one, or that the US can't win - they certainly can - but I'd definitely push all my chips into the middle for Canada on Sunday.

Here's a few musings about the Canadian and American teams...

- Who will play with Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash? I think Mike Babcock went away from Jarome Iginla in that spot a little too early, and I wonder if he might pluck somebody off of the Corey Perry - Ryan Getzlaf - Eric Staal line and pencil them into the first unit. He gave Jonathon Toews a shot there during the third period, but I don't think he's the right fit on Crosby's wing. The one line that will surely remain unchanged is the all-San Jose Sharks line of Dany Heatley - Joe Thornton - Patrick Marleau, which has been the best Canadian line by a country mile. If I'm Mike Babcock I might just go back to Iginla on Crosby's line, and if that doesn't work change it up after a period. Maybe even try Getzlaf on the wing with Crosby? They are both pass first centers who like to have the puck a lot, but I could certainly see it working - they are both extraordinarily talented and have great puck sense.

- Babcock needs to start going with two power play units - three doesn't work. Make one unit comprised of the Thornton line, and have the other unit be Crosby, Getzlaf, and give the third spot to whoever is playing best.

- Duncan Keith still looks a bit jittery out there.

- Drew Doughty's turnover led to the first Swiss goal, but I'd still give him a regular shift. He makes things happen out there, and I still wouldn't consider him a defensive reliability in the slightest.

- Chris Pronger and Scott Niedermayer need to play better.

- For the Americans, it all comes down to defense. Ryan Miller is going to need a lot of help on Sunday, and it will be up to the American defensemen to put forth a much better effort than they have so far in the tournament versus lesser opponents.

- Ryan Whitney has been atrocious - he shouldn't see the ice versus Canada.

- I'd expect the bulk of the ice-time on defense to go to Brian Rafalski, Ryan Suter, and Brooks Orpik.

- The line of Phil Kessel - Joe Pavelski - Ryan Malone and the fourth unit featuring a foursome of David Backes, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, and Bobby Ryan have played very well. I'd probably change some things up if I'm Ron Wilson, as he did late in the Norway game. I'd put Jamie Langenbrunner on a line with Zach Parise - the Parise - Paul Stastny - Patrick Kane combination just hasn't cut it. Wilson just needs to go with whose playing well. David Backes, especially, is deserving of a lot more ice time come Sunday.

Here are the keys for the other teams taking to the ice on Sunday:

Russia vs. Czech Republic
- For Russia, they just need to compete harder. No one is going to the net, and there isn't enough cohesion amongst the forwards. I don't care how much talent you have, without a net presence it's all for naught. On the power play, Russia needs to completely change it up. Why Vyacheslav Bykov didn't give Pavel Datsyuk any time on the power play is beyond me. Here's an interview with Bykov, who gives some answers for why he went with Alexander Ovechkin - who is notoriously below par during shootouts in the NHL - three times against the Slovaks.
- For the Czechs, they just need to keep doing what they're doing. They didn't play their best hockey versus Latvia yesterday, but they were far from bad. Jaromir Jagr has been the Czechs' best forward, and if he can continue to perform well he gives the Czech Republic three very strong lines. Patrik Elias, Tomas Kaberle, Marek Zidlicky, and goaltender Tomas Vokoun have had strong starts to the tournament, as well. If they can discourage the Russians early and jump out to a lead, I love their chances tomorrow.

Sweden vs. Finland
- This rematch of the gold medal game from the '06 Olympics in Torino should be a closely contested tilt. I expect great goaltending from both sides (Henrik Lundqvist versus Miikka Kiprusoff), and a whole lot of physicality from start to finish (no pun intended). For Sweden to come away victorious, they will need to get better production up front, especially from the ineffective trio of Peter Forsberg - Henrik Zetterberg - Patric Hornqvist. For the Finns, they'll need big efforts from Kimmo Timonen, Sami Salo, and Joni Pitkanen on defense and efficient production on special teams.

Lastly, how about that gutsy effort from the Slovaks against Russia? Zdeno Chara, who had to withstand three or four big hits from Ovechkin, put forth an unbelievable effort, as did former running mate in Ottawa, Andrej Meszaros. The combination of Jaroslav Halak in net, the scoring prowess of Marian Hossa, Pavol Demitra, and (currently playing on the second line to balance out the offense) Marian Gaborik up front, and Chara on the blue line will make the Slovaks a threat against any team in this tournament.

Each of Sunday's winners will claim first place in their group, ensuring a bye into the quarterfinals. One second place team will also receive a bye.

News & Notes from the First Two Days in Vancouver

Two days and six games into the Olympic Games in Vancouver, and we're still awaiting our first upset. The Americans, Canadians, Russians, Finns, Swedes, and Czechs all took care of business in their first games of the tournament, just as expected.

Here are a few thoughts concerning the first six contests...

The Americans were far from impressive in their 3-1 victory over the Swiss. Their chemistry on defense looked disjointed far too much of the time, their big guns failed to do much offensively, and they made Ryan Miller work harder than he should've had to against a Swiss team that doesn't bring much to the table offensively. I thought the Swiss played a sound defensive game, and didn't look out of place when they opened it up a bit in the third period...

Ryan Whitney was simply atrocious. I doubt he sees much ice against Canada. The U.S. defense, as a whole, is going to run into a lot of trouble when they take on the Canadians on Sunday...

For the Canadians, everything was status quo versus Norway. They had a good all-around effort in a game in which they were relatively untested. Jarome Iginla (three goals) looked great when moved to the top line with Sidney Crosby (three assists) and Rick Nash (two assists). Patrice Bergeron (assist) looked good, as well, sliding into Iginla's spot on the fourth unit - expect that switch to stick...

Defensively, I thought Drew Doughty, Chris Pronger, and Shea Weber had very strong outings...

The Russians, too, were relatively untested in their opening game versus Latvia, winning by a score of 8-2. Their game tonight against Slovakia (who has to play their second game in less than 24 hours...against Russia...rough) should serve as a better measuring stick...

Mikko Koivu (three assists) and Niklas Hagman (two goals) led the way for the Finns as they took down Belarus 5-1. As usual, the Finns competed hard and played a savvy 60 minutes...

Sweden didn't bring their "A" game against Germany yesterday, but still got out of there with a 2-0 victory. Germany had their chances on an extended 5-on-3 advantage early in the second with the scoreboard reading 0-0, but failed to convert. Jochen Hecht hit a post, followed by a crossbar off of the stick of Christian Ehrhoff...

I understand that Mattias Weinhandl is a great friend of Henrik and Daniel Sedin, played on their line during their junior days, and has some long-standing chemistry with the two brothers. But having him penciled into the right wing spot with the Twins is just criminal considering you have Johan Franzen wasting away on the fourth line. Weinhandl played a relatively smart game, but was pushed off of the puck easily and wasn't able to make himself a big enough target in the middle of the ice for the Sedins...

Nicklas Backstrom's assist on Loui Eriksson's tally was a beauty. The Eriksson - Backstrom - Daniel Alfredsson line should be a force in this tournament...

The most entertaining game of the first six took place last night with the Czechs upending the Slovaks 3-1. Tomas Vokoun played an excellent game in net, coming up big at numerous times, and Jaromir Jagr led the charge for the Czech Republic up front with the game-winning goal and an assist. Jagr took a physical pounding - as always, especially in international play - but didn't relent. Like I said in my predictions - the big guy's going to have a great tournament...

Jagr got away with what could've (should've?) been called a hooking penalty on Marian Hossa right before being sprung for a break which resulted in a Jagr strike. Hossa had hit pipe seconds before Jagr's goal made it a 2-1 hockey game...

Marian Gaborik played...and started the game on a line with Zigmund Palffy and Jozef Stumpel...why? Later in the game he was reunited with his usual linemates of Hossa and Pavol Demitra, and subsequently scored a typical Gaborik-type goal on a nice feed from Hossa...

Tomas Kaberle was shooting the puck early and often. Maybe he's trying to send a message early in the tournament that teams can't just expect him to always dish the puck on the power play? Kaberle's always been one of my favorite players - he has poise, smarts, and is an elite puck moving defensemen...

Lastly, what's the deal with these boards in GM Place? The safari theme seriously couldn't be harder on the eyes...

Olympic Predictions

Olympic Hockey is upon us, at last.

The games will kick off tomorrow with the Americans taking on the Swiss, followed by the hometown Canadians squaring off against Norway and the Russians playing Latvia.

Here's how I envision the top eight playing out in Vancouver...

8. Switzerland
- The Swiss have the goaltending (Jonas Hiller) and the Olympic experience (beat the Canadians in 2006) to turn some heads in Vancouver. They'll face America, Canada, and Norway in round robin play, and will be substantial underdogs against both the Americans and Canada. Switzerland will need 30 spectacular minutes a night from Mark Streit on defense, and Hiller to play otherworldly in net. Hiller is very capable of turning in spectacular performances at clutch times (isn't that right, San Jose?), which the Swiss will need to pull off any upsets. Keep tabs on the Swiss power play - if it runs as well as it can, their chances off pulling of an upset increase dramatically.

7. Slovakia
- While it does appear that Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa will partake in the games, I still think Slovakia lacks the tools to warrant a medal-worthy finish. However, they'll be far from a cake walk for their opponents. Gaborik and Hossa should be centered on the top line by Pavol Demitra to form a trio that has been a handful in international competition. Jaroslav Halak has proven his worth as a very talented number one goalie over the course of this season with the Canadiens, and Zdeno Chara and Lubomir Visnovsky lead an underrated defensive group. All that being said, I'm not sure they have the depth to pull off enough upsets to catapult themselves to a medal. Outside of their top line, scoring goals won't be easy.

6. Finland
- While the defending silver medalists may possess three excellent goaltenders and a host of NHL talent, I'm hard pressed to find a reason why Finland will take home a medal this time around. The Teemu Selanne - Saku Koivu - Jere Lehtinen line, which has carried Finland for well over a decade in international competition, is composed of three players that have seen their best years come and go. Their defensive group will need Herculean efforts from Kimmo Timonen, Joni Pitkanen, and Sami Salo, and Mikko Koivu - arguably the most underrated player in the NHL, today - will need to be their best player outside of the crease from start to finish. Could they finish higher than sixth and take home a medal? Certainly. Selanne still has some gas in the tank, their forwards are a gritty bunch, and Niklas Backstrom, Miikka Kiprusoff, and Antero Niittymaki are all excellent goaltenders. I just don't see it this time around.

5. United States
- How will this young squad perform? The Americans will throw out a very balanced attack up front, and should receive an excellent performance from Vezina-candidate Ryan Miller in between the pipes. But, their defense is a major cause for concern. As I've mentioned before, Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson, and Ryan Whitney do not stack up well against the world-class forwards they'll be facing every game after they play Switzerland and Norway in their first two contests. For this reason, Miller will have to prove the handful of critics that believe he may be fatigued (with good reason) wrong - gut feeling, I think he turns in a very admirable performance in net. Upfront, the Americans will need a big effort from their top line of Patrick Kane - Paul Stastny - Zach Parise, as well as a solid defensive effort from their checking line of Dustin Brown - Ryan Kesler - Jamie Langenbrunner. I'm confident the Americans will fare better offensively than many in the media expect, but at the end of the day, they just don't stack up defensively. If they somehow come away with gold or silver, expect Miller and Parise to be the story for the Red, White, and Blue. Big efforts on special teams certainly would increase their chance for a medal.

4. Czech Republic
- The Czechs are a very intriguing lineup. They possess a well-rounded group of defensemen that includes some solid stay-at-home guys (Zbynek Michalek, Filip Kuba, Jan Hejda, and Roman Polak), to go along with three very steady puck-moving rearguards (Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, and Marek Zidlicky). I really like the blend they have defensively. In goal, Tomas Vokoun is having an excellent season with the Panthers even if his team isn't; he's more than capable of stealing games for the Czechs. What's hard to gage is how their forwards will rank. Can Jaromir Jagr still be a game changer up front, despite not gracing an NHL ice-surface for nearly two years? They garner numerous above-average NHLer's up front, but they lack the star power that the Canadian, Russian, and Swedish squads boast. If they finish in the medals, expect Patrik Elias, Tomas Plekanec, and Martin Havlat to have monster tournaments. They will throw out three lines that can score against any team in the tournament, and will need all three to do their part. For the record, I expect a big tournament from Jagr - the guy lives for moments like this.

3. (Bronze) Russia
- I cannot wait to watch Russia take the ice in Vancouver. The fire-power they possess up front is enough to make Zdeno Chara blush, and their goaltending should perform admirably whether Ilya Bryzgalov or Evgeni Nabokov gets the nod in net. Rumor has it that their top two lines are Alexander Ovechkin - Pavel Datsyuk - Alexander Semin and Ilya Kovalchuk - Evgeni Malkin - Maxim Afinogenov...wow. So about now you're probably asking yourself, "why does this idiot have them finishing third?" Simply put, I like Sweden and Canada more. Russia's defense lacks depth and only has one bruiser in Anton Volchenkov, and I can easily see them being run down dealing with a star-studded Canadian line-up up front that will be laying more bodies on them than drunken bastards all over the hottest, sluttiest girl at the bar two minutes before close. Dealing with Sweden's group of forwards will be a handful for Russia defensively, too. Don't get me wrong, Sergei Gonchar and Andrei Markov are elite defensemen, but I don't like the blend of the overall group. But - BUT - if their games turn into battles of special teams, they may become the favorite. Their power play units are absurdly talented, and they possess some excellent penalty killing forwards.

2. (Silver) Sweden
- Whenever somebody asks me what the best stereotypical nationallity is for a hockey player, my answer isn't Canadian, Russian, or American - it's Swedish. How such a small nation turns out so many phenomenal hockey players is beyond me. The Swedish lineup has one big trait in common - hockey sense. The Swedish roster is comprised of the best current goaltender in the world in Henrik Lundqvist (If you want to say I'm a Rangers fan, and that's why I'm labeling him the best in the world - phooey. The guy faces more quality chances than almost any goaltender in the league and still gets the job done. His playoff and international performances are consistently great), a plethora of smart, talented forwards who are great along the boards, in traffic, and at maintaining puck possession, and a defensive group that is solid but unspectacular. I love the fact that of their eight defensemen, six (Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Mattias Ohlund, Henrik Tallinder, Douglas Murray, and Johnny Oduya) are used to playing against their opponents' top guns, which will come in handy against the Russians and Canadians. The Swedes will throw out four lines that can score, but also play significantly above average defensively. Everyone seems to be asking "Canada or Russia?" - Sweden is right there, as far as I'm concerned.

1. (Gold) Canada
- But, it's Canada for me. The Canadians possess a roster with zero holes, great goaltending, and a great blend of youth and experience. Sidney Crosby, tied for the NHL lead in goals with Ovechkin, will finally get to play with talent (which is downright scary)... and then there is Ryan Getzlaf's line....then Joe Thornton's...and so on. They have by and far the best defensive group in the tournament - imagine one of Chris Pronger or Duncan Keith on the ice at almost all times. Despite their lack of holes and overwhelming group of talent, they can certainly be dethroned, but I find it hard to go against a team that has everything - the players, the home ice advantage, and a chip on their shoulder from '06.

20 Questions...Olympic Style

20. Who will get the nod in net for Russia?
Will it be the 'Yotes Ilya Bryzgalov or the Sharks' Evgeni Nabokov? It's not a bad problem to have for the Russian Coaching Staff, as both are great tenders enjoying excellent seasons. I'd guess they'll give Nabokov a shot as the number one because of his age and experience.

19. Will Peter Forsberg be healthy and affective?
The 36-year old injury-prone Swede has put up solid numbers playing with Modo in the SEL, but will his ankle be able to hold up in a grueling, high intensity atmosphere? If he's healthy, he's still a gamebreaker in my books. We are talking about a guy who took a year off and then came back and led the NHL playoffs in scoring...despite not playing in the Finals. When the going gets tough, Forsberg gets going.

18. How big an affect will the recently-added Johan Franzen have for the Swedes?
A big one. Tomas Holmstrom's injury will certainly hurt Sweden's power play, but there's no denying Franzen is a superior player. His goal scoring will fit in well on a line with the Sedins or on the wing with his Wings' teammate Henrik Zetterberg.

17. Who will skate alongside Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash on Canada's top line?
There's plenty of candidates - Jarome Iginla, Eric Staal, Corey Perry (if Ryan Getzlaf can't go, especially), Patrice Bergeron (great success alongside Crosby and Perry in the '05 WJC), and various others. My guess would be that Iginla starts the tournament alongside "Sid the Kid."

16. Why the heck is the USA versus Canada game on MSNBC and not NBC?
Ouch...wait for it, it gets worse...ice dancing will be on NBC during that time slot. The NHL's own carrier is relegating this great rivalry to one of its affiliate stations. For a great breakdown of the situation, check out this Puck Daddy article.

15. Will Jaromir Jagr still be a force?
Jagr is still putting up quality numbers in the KHL, but he hasn't graced an NHL ice surface in almost two years, now. He's been the Czech's go-to-guy for a long time, and even though younger players have emerged, he'll still need to have an excellent tournament to give the Czech's a chance at gold.

14. Are the Czech's the dark horse?
They certainly aren't getting a lot of press, but if you take a look at the Czech's roster, it's pretty darn good. Their forwards are solid, their defensemen can really move the puck, and Tomas Vokoun is a vastly underrated goalie who is very capable of getting hot at the right times.

13. What affect will the NHL-size ice surface have on the tournament?
This will be the first Olympics to feature the smaller NHL-dimensions. It's easy to assume, "this helps the Canadians and Americans," but the Czechs, Russians, Swedes, and Finns feature rosters full of NHL players, and even the few guys who aren't current NHLers have nearly all played in North America before. I think it helps the Americans the most, as they will try to play a very physical, agitating game. For the Canadians, if Martin Brodeur gets the nod in net, he'll be allowed to roam free of the trapezoid and play the puck a lot more than under current NHL rules. That could be a big help to the Canadians as they try to slow down their opponents' forecheck.

12. Will Canada go with a checking line?
With a lot of two-way forwards on Canada's roster, they could feasibly go without a checking line. But, I doubt they decide to go that route. Expect some combination of Jonathon Toews, Brendan Morrow, Patrice Bergeron, Jarome Iginla, and Mike Richards (has gone head-to-head with Alex Ovechkin in international play before) to make up a shut-down trio for the Red and White.

11. Can the Swiss cause some problems?
On paper, they don't look too imposing. But they are well-coached, and Canadians won't soon forget the Swiss/Canadian upset back in '06. Mark Streit and Jonas Hiller will have to be at their best for the Swiss to make any major moves.

10. How will the officiating hold up?
With International officiating, it's hard to say how consistent the stripes will be from not only one game to the next, but in individual games, themselves. Expect to see a decent amount of penalties for "hitting too hard" and "being mean."

9. Is Ryan Miller's recent play anything to worry about for the Americans?
Some have suggested Miller looks fatigued and his play has tailed off a bit of late. He has carried a big workload in Buffalo, but he should be in good form in Vancouver - he put forth a great effort against the Sharks last night. Expect Miller to play nearly every minute for the Red, White, and Blue - the only way the Americans take home gold is if Miller plays the best hockey of his life.

8. How will a deep Canadian team distribute ice time?
Every one of Canada's players - especially the defensemen - are used to logging big minutes for their respective NHL clubs. There is almost no drop off from player one to player 22 for the Canadians. Will the top lines up front play 20 minutes a game, or will each line see fairly equal ice? Will the top-four defensemen play big minutes with the other three only seeing 10-15 minutes a game? It will be very interesting to see how that plays out.

7. Are the Finns a legitimate gold medal threat?
They may seem like a long shot, but don't discount the Finns, the silver medalists in '06. They have excellent goaltending and a solid troop of forwards. If they are successful, it means their defense - clearly the weak point of their team - has played well above their heads.

6. Will the Americans' defensive group get torn apart?
On paper, the Americans' defense isn't looking too hot. The injured Paul Martin would've been arguably the number one defensemen for the US team. Mike Komisarek's loss may be addition by subtraction (can you imagine the number of penalties he'd take in international play?), but Ryan Whitney and young defensemen Erik Johnson and Jack Johnson stack up horribly against the top-end talent that will be on display in Vancouver. Tim Gleason, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski and Ryan Suter will need to have big tournaments. Like I said before, Ryan Miller needs to be Jim Craig-like in between the pipes for the Americans to contend for gold.

5. Is Russia's defense strong enough to win a gold medal?
Everyone knows about the absurd amount of firepower the Russians possess up front. The one area that could be deemed a weakness for Russia is their defensive group. After Sergei Gonchar, Andrei Markov, and Anton Volchenkov, they could have some problems. And, you can bet your bottom dollar that if they go up against the Canadians, Americans, or Finns, their defensemen will be taking a beating every time they go back to retrieve a puck in their own end. But, is it good enough to take home gold? Yes.

4. Will Marian Gaborik's laceration cause him to miss any time for the Slovaks?
After leaving Friday's Rangers game early and sitting out today against the Bolts, it's very possible Gaborik - the Slovak's top forward - will miss at least some time in Vancouver. The Slovak's rely very heavily on their top guys - losing Gaborik would be very detrimental to their outside shot of going home with a medal.

3. Speaking of Slovakia, what's up with Marian Hossa's status?
Hossa didn't take part in today's Hawks/Jackets game. Chicago is yet to reveal what Hossa's injury is, but it's clear that it came courtesy of a hit by Atlanta's Colby Armstrong. Like Gabroik, the loss of Hossa would be extraordinarily costly for the Slovakian Club.

2. Who will tend net for Canada?
Martin Broduer or Roberto Luongo - who will it be? The Canadians' first big test should come in their third game against the Americans. Brodeur brings a wealth of experience, superior puck handling skills, and an unrivaled list of achievements. Luongo is younger and playing in a familiar setting - but it is worth noting he was pulled in today's 'Nucks/Wild game. I would assume the Canadians give Brodeur the opportunity to take the number one job, but they could go either way. If Brodeur does have a fault, it's that he allows his fair share of weak goals when pucks are thrown at his feet from bad angles - something you can expect a decent amount of when Canada faces off against Norway and Switzerland.

1. Will Ryan Getzlaf play?
In my mind, Getzlaf is the Canadians' second best forward after Crosby. He was phenomenal in last year's playoffs, helped lead the Ducks to a Stanley Cup in '07, and has a rare combination of size, skill, and smarts. He's going to give it a go tonight as the Ducks faceoff against the Oilers, but it's hard to guess how his wonky ankle will hold up. In a tournament where every game is essentially a playoff game, health is vital. But, they could allow him to rest when the Canadians take on Norway and Switzerland so that he's in better shape as the tournament progresses. We probably won't know if he's in or out until tomorrow night.

Around the Rink: Cullen Traded to Ottawa, and Why the Bolts Are a Dangerous Fringe Team

It's been a pleasant 18, or so, hours for Bryan Murray and Senators Nation.

Coming off of an exciting 6-5 victory over the first place Washington Capitals - a victory which moved the Senators into first place in the Northeast Division - the Senators continued to grab headlines this morning with the re-signing of General Manager Bryan Murray and a trade which will see Matt Cullen shipped to Ottawa for Alexandre Picard and a second round pick in the upcoming draft.

Murray has wasted no time since reaching an extension with his club this morning, first announcing that the Sens have made an offer to impending free agent Anton Volchenkov, and then following it up with the Cullen trade.

Re-signing Volchenkov will be of paramount importance for Ottawa. While there's nothing flashy about the Russian defenseman's game, he is an excellent stay-at-home defenseman who throws his body in front of bodies and shots with unflinching regularity. Last night's game was a prime example, as Volchenkov - named the first star in a 6-5 game in which he had zero points - and long-time defensive partner Chris Phillips limited Alexander Ovechkin to just one shot on net. Volchenkov logged over 27 minutes, registering three hits and 11 blocked shots in the process.

As for the Cullen trade - it makes perfect sense for both teams. Carolina adds a young 24-year old defenseman with adaquate offensive and puck-moving upside, plus a second round pick. They now have four selections in the first two rounds of the 2010 Draft. Ottawa obtains a versatile centerman who has won a Stanley Cup, and will be able to fit in pretty much anywhere up and down the Ottawa lineup. In Carolina, Cullen played a lot of point on the power play, killed penalties, and showed the ability to slot in on a scoring line or on a checking unit...

The more I watch the Tampa Bay Lightning, the more I believe that they could pose a real threat to a top-seeded team in the Eastern Conference come playoff time.

The Bolts, currently with 63 points in 59 games played, sit in a three-way tie for seventh place in the East with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Boston Bruins, thanks in large part to a 7-2-1 record over their last ten games. But their points don't tell the whole story. Tampa Bay is just 2-7 in shootouts, a situation they (thankfully) won't have to deal with in the playoffs if they find their way into the dance.

While it might be easy to dismiss Tampa Bay as a team with little defense, poor goaltending, and a lack of depth up front, their recent play has shown that they are steadily improving their weaknesses.

On the backend, Mike Lundin has been performing excellently in a shutdown role with Mattias Ohlund. 18-year old Victor Hedman continues to steadly improve. In goal, Antreo Niittymaki has pieced together an impressive season, and boasts a .920 save percentage to go along with a 16-9-5 record. When Mike Smith is healthy, he's no slouch in net, either.

Offensively, Steve Downie has turned into a game-changer playing on the top line alongside Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. His hockey sense (believe it or not, he does have a great mind for the game...might come as a shock seeing how he's, err, crazy?) and ability to play along the boards has complimented Stamkos and St. Louis perfectly. Vincent Lecavalier has also upped his play a bit since the New Year, and could very well finish at a point per game for the season.

A more or two would certainly help their chances. If they could add a solid winger capable of playing in a top-nine role and a veteran defenseman, that would do them a world of good. Will it happen with the uncertainty in the wake of new ownership?

That's yet to be seen.

The Lightning have the necessary star power in the form of St. Louis, Stamkos, and Lecavalier. If their goaltending continues to perform well and their defense continues with their improved play, one Eastern Conference team could have their hands full when the third week in April rolls around.

Five Tell-Tale Statistics

5. The Boston Bruins have scored 134 goals this season, an average of 2.31 goals per game, ranking them last in the NHL. Last season, the Bruins were second in the NHL in goals for with 270, good for a 3.39 goals per game average. They are on pace for 81 fewer goals than last season.

- What a difference a year makes, huh? Last year the Bruins leading scorer was Marc Savard with 88 points. This year it's Patrice Bergeron, whose on pace for 53 points. Their leading goal scorer of a year ago, Phil Kessel, struck 36 times last season in 70 games. Playing in Toronto this season, Kessel has three more goals and five more points than anybody on the B's. From top to bottom, nearly every member of the Bruins is having a substantially worse season. Injuries and the departure of Kessel have certainly hurt, but the extent of their struggles is still simply dumbfounding. Let's put it this way: their most productive line this season has been the Marco Sturm - Bergeron - Mark Recchi line. Last season, this was their checking line.

4. Over the last year, from February 10th, 2009 to February 10th, 2010, Steven Stamkos has registered 50 goals in 87 games. In his first 50 games he hit twine just six times.

- Confidence is key. Over his first fifty games, Stamkos was struggling mightily to play against the bigger, stronger, and faster competition at the NHL level. A training camp and limited ice-time under Barry Melrose certainly didn't help, either. But, around a year ago, things clicked for the 2008 First Overall Selection in the NHL Draft. Playing with Martin St. Louis, Stamkos has been able to utilize his speed, smarts, and above all, his wicked shot, to become one of the top snipers in the game - especially on the power play.

3. The San Jose Sharks have 20 more regular season points than any team in the NHL over the last three seasons dating back to '07-'08.

- Yet, they haven't been able to move past the Western Conference Semi-Finals. 20 more regular season points than any other team in the NHL has added up to just two playoff series victories over the past three seasons for Joe Thornton & Co. Will they up the ante in the playoffs this time around?

2. Alexander Ovechkin has scored 41 more goals than anybody else since coming into the league as a rookie in '05-'06.

- Simply absurd. Ovechkin had ten more goals than any player in '08-'09, and 13 more goals than anybody in '07-'08. For the foreseeable future, they might as well rename the Rocket Richard Trophy "Alexander Ovechkin's Trophy." "Ovie" is bigger than everybody, stronger than everybody, and faster than everybody. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Perfect player in the perfect system with the perfect linemates (Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble). Even when his linemates were Dainius Zubrus and Chris Clark, Ovechkin still found a way to put up numbers. The guy's a freak.

1. Glen Sather's big name signings during the summers of '07 and '08 - Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, and Wade Redden - are being paid $1,336,111 per goal this season (Gomez: 8 goals - Salary: $8 million, Drury: 9 goals - Salary: $8.05 million, Redden: 1 goal - Salary: $8 million).

- Insert Laughter here.

Around the Rink: Nothing Beats Pens/Caps, Gainey Steps down, Why the Avs Are Successful

Seriously, does a regular season game get any better than this?

Yesterday's Penguins/Capitals game featured everything a hockey fan - or sports fan, for that matter - could want. Stars performing at their best (Sidney Crosby: two goals, Alexander Ovechkin: three goals, one assist), a three goal deficit erased, and an overtime victory, to boot.

There were big hits, timely saves, blocked shots, and tempers boiling. I hate the usage of the cliché "it's like a playoff game," but...this bout was like a playoff game.

While watching the game, I came across a "tweet" from Greg Wyshynski, better known as "Puck Daddy," who wrote, "Part of me wants a shootout so more people understand what a cheap way it is to end great game." I couldn't agree with Wyshynski's assessment of the shootout more. Look, I understand that the shootout can be entertaining. I understand that the NHL employs this gimmick to create excitement for a novice to casual hockey fan, as well as to create parity in the standings, however false it may be. You'll often hear members of the media think that they are settling the argument by asking, "Have you ever seen a fan leave a game during a shootout?" Really? Go figure, fans want to see what the outcome of the game is...what a novel concept.

The shootout is a gimmick, plain and simple. For the outcome of a contest which is the embodiment of the consummate team game to be decided by a skills competition that typically includes just eight of the 40 players involved in the game is a joke...

News broke a few hours ago that Montreal Canadiens General Manager Bob Gainey is expected to step down in a press conference later today. Pierre Guathier will step in on an interim basis.

Why now, Bob? Was he shown the door, or did Gainey make this decision of his own accord? TSN's Bob McKenzie is speculating:

"Many will say he was pushed but there's no evidence I've seen to suggest that and, in fact, I do not believe that to be the case at all...The most credible theory, and it's only that, based on conversations with those close to the Canadiens and Gainey, is that it really boils down to Gainey simply losing his appetite for the job and believing that he was likely not to return as GM after this season anyway...And, rather than stay on for the balance of the season and perhaps make some significant moves prior to the trade deadline that his successor would have to live with, Gainey simply decided the right time for him to leave was now."

Regardless of what you think of Gainey's prowess as Habs' GM, he's a good hockey guy and a good man. Here's hoping he finds himself in another NHL position sometime soon...

If you had to describe the Colorado Avalanche in one word, what would it be?

Young? Hardworking? Overachieving, maybe?

I'd go with "smart." The Avs' find themselves in their current position because their lineup is comprised of savvy, intelligent players. Their vets - Paul Stastny (may be young, but he's an old-timer in their lineup), Wojtek Wolski, Milan Hejduk, Scott Hannah, Adam Foote - the hockey world is already well aware of their high hockey IQ's.

But many of their younger players - Matt Duchene, Ryan O'Reilly, T.J. Galiardi - have shown levels of intelligence that one comes to expect from experienced players, not NHL rookies. Duchene, drafted third overall in this past draft, is able to anticipate where the play is heading a few steps ahead of the rest. O'Reilly (a second round pick in this past draft) and Galiardi (a second round pick in 2007) lead Avs' forwards in time-on-ice while shorthanded.

When your kids possess the smarts to go along with the skills, age can be more than compensated for.