Around the Rink: Questions for Torts, Canucks vs. HNIC, Tonight's Action

Called up by the Penguins yesterday morning, Chris Conner's second marker of the evening spelled doom for the lowly Rangers. Watching the Blueshirts right now is downright saddening. After last night's disappointing loss that saw the Rangers blow a third period one-goal lead 31 seconds after acquiring it, I have a few questions for Coach John Tortorella:

1. Why does Sean Avery only play 13:31 a night? Eight other Rangers forwards play more than the one guy that can bring life to MSG in the blink of an eye. Avery creates chances on offense, competes hard in every battle, and draws oodles of penalties. Yes, he takes some, as well, but more often than not he'll take somebody to the box with him. Plus, the New York penalty kill is money in the bank anyway.

2. No Ales Kotalik...still? Hey, I'm far from a Kotalik fan, but why hasn't he been plugged back into the lineup. I don't care if he's unhappy, pissy, or if Torts doesn't like him - he'll be much more affective than a Donald Brashear who barely fights anymore....

3. Why not give Brian Boyle a chance on the power play? The big guy's play has picked up tremendously of late, and he deserves a shot at some power play action. Boyle was a scorer in college, a scorer in the AHL, and a scorer during his first eight game stint in the Bigs with Los Angeles, the only opportunity he's ever received at the NHL level to play on a non-fourth line. What's to be lost by trying the 6'7'' Boyle (who actually has pretty solid hands - remember, he was a first round draft pick) in front of the net on the second unit?

As a side note from the game last night, it was good to see Michigan-native Chris Conner have a solid outing. He's already been sent down, but I've always liked what I've seen from the little guy dating back to his time with Dallas. He uses his speed very well and competes hard...

Seems like the Alexander Burrows/Stephane Auger confrontation isn't over just yet. After Hockey Night in Canada's Ron MacLean did a segment with NHL Senior Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell which was clearly on the side of Auger, the Canucks proceeded to boycott HNIC in last Saturday's game against the Hawks, refusing to talk or give any interviews with the CBC network.

You can watch the segment here: Part 1, Part 2.

I break the situation down as thus:

- Was MacLean's segment biased? Yes.
- Do I agree with what he said? Yes.
- Does Auger have faults, too (as I mentioned here)? Yes.
- Is the Canucks' reaction a little childish? Yes.
- Do I have a problem with their reaction? No.

MacLean is a member of the media and a former ref, who clearly has his own opinion, while the Canucks are standing up for their player. Everyone's acting in a fashion that should pretty much be expected...

Not too many big name games on the schedule tonight, but here's a few things to watch for:

- The Wings' Niklas Kronwall returns to action after suffering a sprained MCL on November 21. Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg will be reunited on the same line tonight, as well, as Detroit hosts Phoenix.

- It'll be interesting to see how the young Islanders fair as they continue to make a push for the playoffs. Tonight they will meet up with the Capitals on the Island. Center Josh Bailey is expected to be out of the lineup due to sickness.

- The Senators will put their six-game win streak on the line as Jacques Lemaire's Devils come to town. Ottawa is playing the consummate team game right now - they are committed to playing a sound defensive game and all 20 players are working their tails off night after night.

Whose Got "Hart?"

With just three weeks remaining until the Olympic break, the time is ripe to take a look at who would win the Hart Trophy for league MVP if the season were to end today.

Here are the candidates:

Sidney Crosby (PIT-C)
52 gp, 33-32-65, +11
- "Sid the Kid" has continued to mature into an elite two-way, well-rounded player, and has shown his ability to lead in the face of adversity this season in Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin, who surprisingly has just 17 goals this season, has seen his points per game drop down from 1.38 a season ago to 1.11 this season, Sergei Gonchar has missed 16 games this season due to injury, and Marc-Andre Fleury's play hasn't been up to his usual standards - yet, Crosby has improved his goal-scoring from years past, and is currently on a 50 goal pace even without first-line (or even second-line) caliber linemates. For my money Crosby is the most well-rounded player in the game today - scoring, defense, faceoffs, shootout goals, and leadership - the Pittsburgh Captain brings it all.

Marian Gaborik (NYR-RW)
50 gp, 39-32-61, +9
- Where would the Rangers be without Marian Gaborik? The slick Slovakian winger has more goals than all but one Ranger (Vinny Prospal) has points. Gaborik has used his elite speed, size, and vision to play a hand in over 45% of all of New York's goals, and has scored over 21% of them himself. The duo of Gaborik and Henrik Lundqvist is a big reason (the only reason?) why the Rangers currently find themselves on the right side of the 8-team cut-off line in the Eastern Conference.

Duncan Keith
52 gp, 11-35-46, +18
- The current favorite to take home the Norris Trophy as the league's top defender is having a season to remember. His offensive production catching up to his elite defensive play, Keith is now second amongst NHL defensemen in points, trailing only Washington's Mike Green. Keith is counted on by Hawks' Coach Joel Quenneville to shut down his opponents top players night in and night out, which he is able to achieve through his skating ability and smarts. Keith logs more minutes than every player in the league outside of Carolina's Joni Pitkanen, and has been, by and far, the MVP of a Chicago team that currently sits second in the NHL in points.

Ryan Miller (BUF-G)
43 gp, 27-10-5, 2.06 GAA, .934 SV%, 5 SO
- Buffalo's unexpected rise to the top of the Northeast Division can be placed squarely on the shoulders of the Sabre's Ryan Miller. Miller's play has been consistent from day one, and has allowed the Sabres to accumulate 67 points despite their lack of a top-25 point scorer or a top-69 goal scorer. While Calder-favorite Tyler Myers has done a phenomenal job on the back-end for the Sabres and Tim Connolly has been able to stay healthy and produce, it's Miller who has been the main reason for Buffalo's success.

Alexander Ovechkin (WSH-LW)
43 gp, 33-37-70, +30
- The league leader in points per game, as well as goals per game, the "Great8" has continued to perform at a Hart level for Washington. While ultra-talented sidekicks Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alexander Semin have performed excellently, it's Ovechkin who runs the show in Capital City. Now Team Captain, Ovechkin has scored goals, racked up points, and thrown the body around in a way that only Alexander Ovechkin can. There's not much that can be said about Ovechkin that hasn't already. The guy is, to quote Pierre McGuire, a "monster." Surprisingly, the Capitals are 6-1-1 in the 8 games Ovechkin has missed.

Henrik Sedin (VAN-C)
51 gp, 23-51-74, +23
- Who would've thought Henrik Sedin would lead the NHL in points come late January? This feat becomes even more impressive when one considers that his twin brother Daniel Sedin was side-lined for 18 games earlier in the year. Henrik's a very weighty player with the puck, and once he gets down low he is downright dominant. Along with linemates Daniel and Alexander Burrows, the Canucks first line is able to play a half-court game that has been near unstoppable. Henrik has improved his goal scoring ability - he's already set a career high this season with 23 - and has helped turn Burrows into a sure-fire bet to hit 30 goals this season. Henrik is living up to his newly inked contract...and then some.

Joe Thornton (SJS-C)
53 gp, 13-54-67, +17
- "Jumbo Joe" has enjoyed another widely successful regular season here in '09-'10. Currently on pace to record his third career 100-point season, Thornton has helped linemates Patrick Marleau (1st in NHL in goals) and Dany Heatley (tied 4th in NHL in goals) already eclipse the 30-goal plateau, and has seen his Sharks once again climb to the top of the league in points. Thornton's combination of size and deft passing skills is unrivaled. While Thornton will be largely judged on how his squad does come playoff time, there is no doubting his high level of play in the regular season.

And the Winner is...

As things currently stand now, the race for the Hart is unbelievably close. If I had to rank the top seven candidates, I would rank them as thus:

Winner: Sidney Crosby - In a very close call, I've got to give it to Crosby. Despite his poor linemates, Pittsburgh's anemic power play, and Penguin players' slumps and injuries, Crosby's two-way play, goal scoring, and leadership has kept the Penguins afloat all season long. Although his stats may be slightly below that of Sedin and Ovechkin, his all-around play and leadership give him the edge. Remember, while guys like Ovechkin and Thornton are surrounded by all-star talent offensively Crosby currently plays with Bill Guerin and Pascal Dupuis (gulp).

2. Ryan Miller
3. Henrik Sedin
4. Duncan Keith
5. Alexander Ovechkin
6. Marian Gaborik
7. Joe Thornton

BUT, if I were to give out the Lester Pearson Trophy for most outstanding (best, essentially) player in the NHL thus far this season, my top-five would look like this:

1. Sidney Crosby
2. Alexander Ovechkin
3. Henrik Sedin
4. Duncan Keith
5. Marian Gaborik

Flyers Win Battle on Broad Street, AO Takes Round One vs. Pens

Marian Gaborik dropping the mitts with tough guy Daniel Carcillo..?

Who saw that one coming?

Last night's 2-0 Flyers victory over the Rangers may have featured four fights, but the most glaring statistic was the goose egg that was dropped in the goals category by the Rangers.

The Rangers garnered just 24 shots, and failed to register any scoring chances of substance on Flyers' tender Ray Emery. New Jersey native and long-time Ranger fan James van Riemsdyk scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the second period, as he converted on his own rebound to make the score 1-0. One Mike Richards' power play marker later - off of defenseman Marc Staal's skate, with under three seconds left in the second, no less - and the Rangers' backs were broken.

It's goals like the one Richards scored last night that make him the player he is. Yes, on the surface it was a flukey goal. But, Richards knew exactly what the situation was. With little time left on the clock he made the smart play, throwing the puck in the direction of Staal and Danny Briere and hoping for the best.

Defensively, Richards - aided in large part by Chris Pronger - was able to shutdown Gaborik like few others this year have.

But back to the Carcillo vs. Gaborik fight for a second. It breaks down like this:

1. Carcillo clearly goes towards Gaborik during the scrum in front of the net.
2. Gaborik does drop his gloves first. I don't know if he knew that he was against Carcillo, or if he knew whether or not Carcillo had dropped his gloves already, but it is clear Gaborik dropped the mitts first.
3. Dan Girardi probably should have stepped in. I'm not going to be hard on him, because he doesn't deserve it. We are talking about a 1-0 game with big implications in the standings, and if he steps in he's done for the night. That being said, next time somebody needs to step in, ala Matt Bradley stepping for Alex Ovechkin when he was about to fight Steve Downie the other night.

I can understand John Tortorella's frustration. His best player fought arguably the top middle-weight fighter in the game today. As Torts said, there's no honor in that. But, at the same time, Gaborik did drop the mitts first.

All I know is the next Rangers/Flyers game is must-see-TV...

My first thought while watching the Capitals victory over the Penguins is that Pittsburgh needs to do something about their 29th ranked power play. Too much standing around, not enough net presence, and too much passing - it's not going to work, regardless of how much talent is out on the ice.

I thought Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin all played well, but you need to give the Great 8 the edge, as he scored a critical power play goal and was involved physically all night.

The Caps' power play is first in the league. The Pens is second to last. Ovechkin gets to play with Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Knuble. Crosby gets to play Tyler Kennedy and Bill Guerin (ugh.).

It will certainly be interesting to see what the Penguins do at the trade deadline. They need to add some scoring wingers for Crosby and Malkin, and wouldn't be amiss to add a depth player on the blue line.

Chalk round one up to AO and the boys from the Capital.

Around the Rink: 13 Games on the NHL Schedule Tonight, Round One for AO versus Sid the Kid, Team Cherry ousts Team Orr in CHL Top Prospects Game

With 26 teams in action, there's no shortage of drama in the hockey world tonight.

The Flyers will play host to the Rangers, who were embarrassed by the Broadstreet Bullies 6-0 in their first meeting of the season at the Garden. Expect a physical game in this one. I'd put the over/under at 6 penalty minutes for Avery...give me the over.

Brent Burns will return for the Wild tonight after missing 29 games with a concussion. They'll be visited by the Red Wings, who are currently sitting one point out of the eight spot in the West.

The Chicago/Calgary game should be feisty. With the Flames losing four straight and Hawks losing their last outing 4-1 to a short-handed Ottawa team, you can bet there will be a lot of players hot under the collar. Expect plenty of action and a few early bouts of fisticuffs.

The latest game on the schedule will see the Ducks pay a visit to San Jose. Whenever these two teams meets it's fun to watch. Expect Ryan Getzlaf to go up against Joe Thornton all night - playing "Jumbo Joe" always brings out the best in the Ducks' top go-to-guy.

But tonight's feature attraction features the first round of Caps versus Pens. Sidney Crosby vs. Alexander Ovechkin. Evgeni Malkin vs. Ovechkin. Crosby vs. Alexander Semin. Considered by many the league's current top rivalry, Capitals/Penguins games include the league's three top forwards and arguably the top two Cup contenders in the Eastern Conference.

But, why, WHY I ask, is round one of AO vs. Sid the same night as the NBA has Lebron tipping off against Kobe? C'mon.

Sid the Kid is fresh off of a six point outing against the Islanders, while Malkin is coming off of his second hat trick of the season. For the Caps, Jose Theodore played arguably his best game of the season two nights ago against the Red Wings, stopping 44 of 46 shots in a win over the Red Wings.

For those of you as nostalgic about the NHL's past as I am, here's a video from last year's playoff match-up between the Pens and Caps - Game Two. A 4-3 Caps win that saw both Crosby and Ovechkin notch hat tricks. Each player's third goal is absolutely sick - the kind of goals only Ovechkin and Crosby could score.



Last night's CHL Top Prospects Game saw Team Cherry beat Team Orr 4-2.

The game was very entertaining - physical, a good tempo, and a good chance to look at kids battling to better their draft stocks.

Here's a few thoughts on the game:

TSN's Bob McKenzie
NHL.com's Adam Kimelman

Will Kovalchuk be on the Move?

"See the stone set in your eyes,
See the thorn twist in your side,
I wait for you.
Sleight of hand and twist of fate,
On a bed of nails she makes me wait.
And I wait, without you.
With or without you.
With or without you."

- With or Without You, U2

Will he stay or will he go? That's the question that will follow Atlanta Thrashers General Manager Don Waddelll and Team Captain Ilya Kovalchuk until either a contract is signed or a trade is made.

If I'm Don Waddell, it boils down to this. If I can't sign Kovalchuk (and I won't get into specifics about money, term, etc. It's really impossible for an outsider to speculate on the role ownership is playing in this situation, the money and term Kovalchuk wants, etc.), but I am more than 50% sure my team will make the playoffs, I'm keeping him. For a lowly hockey market like Atlanta, making the playoffs is of the utmost importance.

But, if I think there is a better than 50% chance my team isn't going to the playoffs, I'm movin 'em. While more times than not moving a top-end star like Kovalchuk will fail to get a return that can equate with what Kovalchuk brings to the table (just ask Waddell about the Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and a 1st round pick (Daultan Leveille) for Marian Hossa trade...), the risk of losing a top-10 NHL caliber player for nothing is enormous, and certainly a risky road to take.

With teams like Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles - teams loaded with young talent - interested, moving Kovalchuk could land the Thrashers a nice return. If Waddell is playing his cards right, he's peddaling Kovalchuk right now while also trying to work out a contract. The sooner he starts listening to offers, the higher a price he can work towards.

This much is clear - the Kovalchuk situation is unique. Obviously if a team like the Hawks or Bruins picked up Kovalchuk, the league's power structure would be altered. But there's also the question of what happens if he doesn't sign an NHL contract before July 1st.

How much would he get in free agency? Could he get upwards of $15-20 million a season in the KHL, as has been speculated?

The Kovalchuk situation could be a game-changer. Not just for the Thrashers and this year's contenders, but for the hockey world as a whole.