When are things going to turn around for Boston? While they are still just two points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, they blew a two goal lead for the second straight game - first against Montreal and then again against Vancouver - losing both games 3-2 in a shootout. They are winless in ten, and have failed to register more than two goals in nine straight. Here's a funny stat for you - Phil Kessel has four more goals and five more points than any player on the Bruins. They don't miss him at all...They've struggled to deal with injuries, have received average goaltending - doesn't get the job done when you can't score - and have lost 11 games which have gone beyond regulation.
The funniest part? They haven't won in ten and are still just two points out of the playoffs. What does that tell you about the Eastern Conference...
Young rookie forward Jamie Benn has been playing center lately out in Dallas. There are murmurs that Dallas is shopping injured center Mike Ribeiro for help on defense...Hmmm. Reason for the speculation or do these reports have some merit? We will find out within the next month, I suppose...
Henrik Lundqvist had a phenomenal outing last night, putting the Rangers on his back and leading them to a 3-1 victory over their cross-Hudson foe. Check out this save of the year candidate:
Nice to see Atlanta not only get their first victory of the Post-Ilya Kovalchuk Era, but to see Niclas Bergfors, the central piece in the return for Kovalchuk, net the winner. It was an all-around great day for the franchise, as they sold more game day tickets yesterday than for any other game this season, and had a reported attendance of 16,743. Weird, no? What a story it would be if Atlanta could qualify for the playoffs...
Jean-Sebastian Giguere is making his presence felt quickly in Toronto. Two games, two shutouts. At just 32, "Giggy" certainly isn't ready to ride off into the sunset, yet...
Speaking of Toronto, how about Colton Orr absolutely destroying Matt Carkner? Orr's my favorite NHL vigilante, because A) he's really freakin' good at it, and B) his technique is very entertaining. Forget protection, this guy is focused on going for the "W." Carkner is a great story, breaking into the NHL this season as a 29-year old. He's certainly become a favorite of mine - you can tell the guy's achieved his dream, and he'll do anything he can to stay up with the Senators. His fights usually don't end up like this:
The Red Wings really just aren't getting the breaks this year. Injury after injury, and it's not over, yet. In today's 4-3 loss to the Kings, not only did the Wings blow a 3-0 lead, but they also lost Tomas Holmstrom, Drew Miller, and Patrick Eaves to injury during the game. They were dominant in the final frame and hit two posts, only to see Michal Handzus put the game away late in the third. Well, at least Johan Franzen is about to come back.
The Phoenix Coyotes (lost 4-0 yesterday to the Dallas Stars) are tied for fourth in the NHL in points...fourth...in the entire NHL...on February 7th...wow. Hats off to Dave Tippett.
And don't forget - Penguins/Capitals Round Two today at noon - a great appetizer for the Superbowl.
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