Puck Previews: Sharks GM talks Rick Nash; Bruins vs. Blues; Toews injury update (Yahoo! Sports)
Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
Every the showman, Rick Neilsen of Cheap Trick waited until the climax of “Surrender” to have a stroke.
Preview: Boston Bruins at St. Louis Blues, 8 p.m. EST. One team is a physical, defense-minded group with great goaltending and few holes on their lineup. And the other team is the Boston Bruins. Andy Brickley’s advice to the inconsistent Bruins: Loosen up on your sticks, boys.
Preview: Washington Capitals at Ottawa Senators, 7 p.m. EST. Washington has won six of seven against Ottawa to improve to 13-3-3 in the series since the start of 2007-08, according to STATS. Of course, they’ll enter this one without Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, and with the fragile psyche of a team that had its lunch served at Carolina on Monday. Meanwhile: Other players whine; Zenon Konopka wines.
Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. Thus begins the Steve Downie era in Denver, as he plays right wing on Ryan O’Reilly’s line tonight. Said Joe Sacco: “We’re excited (to) bring a player like Steve who adds some grit and some skill to our lineup.” Said the Kings’ defensemen: ‘Well that makes one of us.’ Los Angeles enters the game hoping they didn’t use up their goals for the week against Phoenix last night.
Check out previews and updated scores for all of today’s games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page. For tonight’s starting goalies, check out Left Wing Lock.
Evening Reading
• Jonathan Toews has been ruled out for Thursday’s game against Dallas. Joel Quenneville on whether Toews is concussed: “We’re upper-body and that’s where we’re at with it.” [Sun Times]
• Sens GM Bryan Murray “won’t part with pending unrestricted free agent defenceman Filip Kuba unless some GM makes a very enticing offer.” [Citizen]
• San Jose GM Doug Wilson on the Rick Nash rumors: “We don’t talk about other teams’ players and any conversation I do have with a fellow GM would be kept in confidence… Historically, though, one of the most important things we do is make this a place that players do want to play and make it an attractive destination for players.” [Working The Corners]
• An epic Twitter war over booing Ilya Bryzgalov. [Crossing Broad]
• The top 10 ironman streaks in the NHL. [THN]
• Asking on TSN Radio, Brian Burke says of the Leafs trading for a goalie: “I’m not sure we’re not going to be in the market before we’re done.” [@Bruce_Arthur]
Puck Daddy Reader Comment of the Day: Licker on the Tuomo Ruutu contract:
29 other GMs just collectively said “WHAT???”
This is what gets professional athletes salaries all out of wack… This is going to be used as the comparison for every 2nd line winger with 60 point upside now.
Indeed.
Bold Prediction: Alex Semin scored twice without Ovi. Because Sasha cares.
Coyotes receive Antoine Vermette in trade (The Canadian Press)
PHOENIX – The Phoenix Coyotes have acquired centre Antoine Vermette from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Curtis McElhinney plus a pair of draft picks.
Vermette, 29, had eight goals and 19 assists, plus 12 penalty minutes, in 60 games with Columbus this season.
He was acquired by the Blue Jackets from the Ottawa Senators on March 4, 2009, and appeared in 241 consecutive games with the NHL club, totalling 61-91-152 and 112 penalty minutes.
The 29-year-old McElhinney was 1-0-0 with a 1.67 goals-against average and .944 save percentage in two games with Phoenix this season.
He went 10-13-0 with a 3.04 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 25 games with the American Hockey League’s Portland Pirates.
McElhinney is currently rehabilitating an injury and will remain on assignment with Portland.
The goalie has appeared in 69 career N-H-L games with the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks and Ottawa Senators, compiling a 19-26-4 record with a 3.09 goals-against average, .899 save percentage and two shutouts.
Columbus received a second-round pick in the 2012 Entry Draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2013 Entry Draft.
Senators rookie aims to keep the good times rolling
Eric Smith: Mixed Emotions In 6-3 Win Over Sharks & Connecting The Dots
VISIT BLUE JACKETS BUZZ TV
Mixed emotions had to be going through Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson last night as his team destroyed the San Jose Sharks 6-3 in front of 14,625 at Nationwide Arena Tuesday night. What Howson envisioned in the off season took 60 games to come to fruition right before he most likely will blow it up.
In Jeff Carter’s 500th NHL game he lit the lamp three times and the hats flew down on the ice at the same time as the scouts in attendance where calling their respective teams letting them know what Carter could do for their team’s if they got him in a trade.
“I don’t have any say in that,” said Carter “I can’t worry about the rumors and what’s going on.”
Even with all the rumors swirling, it still comes down to its a game the big boys play and the feelings of joy of doing well still comes through.
“It’s always nice to have a hat-trick especially at home in front of your fans. It obviously was a good feeling.”
Scouts from Vancouver, Ottawa, Pittsburgh (2), NY Rangers, Montreal, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Detroit all were in attendance at Nationwide Arena to see the display put on by both Carter and Rick Nash who had a goal and an assist on the Carter hat trick goal on a very unselfish play.
Aaron Portzline from the Dispatch reported that the Blue Jackets had scouts in attendance at both Toronto and Montreal.
Not to be out done by anyone, R.J. Umberger recorded a “Gordie Howe Hat Trick” in the first period against the Sharks.
“Where’s it been all year?” Umberger stated the obvious when helping a reporter finish off his question. “It’s what we envisioned at the start of the season, and it hasn’t worked out that way. Confidence has a lot to do with it. Tonight, we got it early in the game.”
On most nights Howson had to look at the heavens and ask ‘why is this happening?’ Tonight he might have asked the question again but added ‘now.’ to the question.”
On the other side he had to be grinning like the cat that just ate the canary with all the scouts in attendance, the deadline quickly approaching and the desperation of teams on the rise; performances by the players that are sure to give him the most return just made it easier to ask for the moon. Now, teams might be a little less hesitant to give up those players Howson wants after seeing what the likes of Nash and Carter can do.
Connecting the Dots – If you want to play connect the dots with the scouts in attendance here is my best guess:
Vancouver – Rick Nash and Jeff Carter
Ottawa – Jeff Carter
Pittsburgh- Antoine Vermette and Sammy Pahlsson
NY Rangers – Rick Nash
Montreal – this one is interesting since they seem to be sellers but the CBJ were scouting them last night too. Derick Brassard has always been linked at going there but that is a wild guess
Los Angeles- Jeff Carter and Rick Nash
Phoenix – game scouting most likely
Detroit – game scouting but maybe sniffing around Sammy Pahlsson.
Puck Previews: Hawks-Wings; Coyotes, Kings in first goal wins; Wellwood vs Wellwood (Yahoo! Sports)
Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished.
Sad Cody is almost as sad as Sad Keanu. Give him some sandwich, Keanu.
Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Winnipeg Jets, 7 p.m. ET
I will always, always, always preview these two teams if I get the opportunity, just because we now know they’re capable of a 17-goal game. But there are other reasons this one’s worth your time: Ilya Bryzgalov gets the start, which is enough to make us cackle with churlish glee; It’s Eric Wellwood vs. Kyle Wellwood in the battle of the two least cared-about brothers in the NHL; and the Jets are in the thick of the playoff hunt, capable of stealing either the Southeast Division or the 8th seed in the Conference, neither of which anyone else seems interested in winning. They should like their chances against the Flyers: Philadelphia has lost 6 of 8 and Jets have won all three contests between the two clubs this season.
Preview: New York Rangers at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m. ET
Two of the Eastern Conference’s best teams, two more brothers in Jordan and Marc Staal, and two likely Hart candidates in Evgeni Malkin and Henrik Lundqvist do battle. So who’s got the edge? In this case, the road team. Did you know the Rangers have never lost at Consol Energy Center? They’re 5-0-0 there. Clearly, they find the visitors’ locker room far more inspirational than it was at Mellon Arena, where they only won 12 of 47 games. Pittsburgh needs to keep the score down in this one: they’ve surrendered 10 goals in their last 2 games, and porous defense like that won’t work against the stingy Rangers.
Preview: Detroit Red Wings at Chicago Blackhawks, 8 p.m. ET
As amazing as the Detroit Red Wings have been at home, they’re only a .500 road team, a fact that likely has the Blackhawks quite excited. Mind you, Chicago might also be excited by the fact that their 9-game losing streak is a thing of the past and their 3-game winning streak is a thing of the present. Pavel Datsyuk will miss the game and the next two weeks to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery. But, on the bright side for the Wings, Jimmy Howard returns.
Preview: Los Angeles Kings at Phoenix Coyotes, 9 p.m. ET
If it’s goals you hate, this tilt between the offensively-starved Kings and the anti-offense Coyotes should do the trick. The Kings haven’t scored in two games, falling to both the Coyotes and the Calgary Flames 1-0 last week. The Coyotes haven’t allowed more than one goal in regulation in their last 7 games. In other words, brace yourself for 60 minutes of sudden death overtime!
Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Nashville Predators, 8 p.m. ET
Last season, contests between the Canucks and the Predators were insomnia-curers. This season? Scoring is the new boring. In 3 games, a total of 23 goals have been scored. The Sedins have 12 points in the season series. Pekka Rinne has been pulled twice and Roberto Luongo once. If you’re going to this one, get there on time: the season series has seen 13 first-period goals.
Evening Reading
• Take a look at Carey Price’s new mask. [Backhand Shelf]
• Jordan Bowman on Alex Burrows’ 500th game. [Legion of Blog]
• Erik Karlsson should be a Norris candidate, which, in my mind, underscores both Karlsson’s big-time contributions to the Ottawa Senators and the problem with the Norris trophy. [Sportsnet]
• Washington Capitals’ owner Ted Leonsis on his team’s performance Monday: “Worst game of the season. [...] We came up small when we needed to come up big and win a game on the road. Another wasted opportunity to get two points and move up in the standings. An unacceptable performance.” [Postmedia]
• If Dean Lombardi trades for Rick Nash, then he should be fired. [Battle of Cali]
Puck Buddy Comment of the Day: A Yahoo! User, on Bryzgalov’s injured hand:
Bryzgalov isn’t used to taking a puck to the hand. Nothing but net.
Bold prediction: Just after Adrian Aucoin wins it for Phoenix 1-0 in the 19th round of the shootout, half the audience at Jobing.com Arena realizes somebody robbed them while they were asleep.
Murray: Sens unlikely to do much at deadline (The Canadian Press)
OTTAWA – If the Ottawa Senators are going to make a push for the post-season, it’s more than likely going to be with their current cast of players.
General manager Bryan Murray says he has been working the phones with the trade deadline less than a week away, but adds there isn’t a sense of urgency to make a deal.
“I expect to talk to teams, which I’ve been doing a fair amount,” Murray said Tuesday. “I don’t know that we’re doing anything, but a lot of managers seem to be like me in that they’re not sure what they want to do. They are in the (playoff) race, but they aren’t convinced whether they are going to be in or out.
“We are all trying to be somewhat cautious.”
If Murray’s past actions are any indication, it’s unlikely the Senators will be very busy come Monday.
Murray has pulled the trigger on just five deals in four deadline days as GM with Ottawa.
And he says he already made his big move when the club acquired Kyle Turris from the Phoenix Coyotes in December for David Rundblad and a 2012 second-round.
The 22-year-old centre has five goals and 10 assists in 34 games with Ottawa and has provided stability to the team’s second line.
“That’s the kind of trade I’d like to make,” Murray said. “If we could get a younger player coming in that has a good future that can help us now, that’s the kind of thing I much prefer to do over trading away a young player for a veteran guy that is unrestricted.”
One name that seems to surface on a regular basis for the Senators is defenseman Filip Kuba, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
“I think he’s one of our best defensemen, if not the most steady guy at this point and time,” Murray said. “He’s played penalty killing, power play, been Erik Karlsson’s partner, plays a lot of minutes and has great respect on the team.
“I’m not sure why his name has ever come up, but at this point in time unless I got something awfully, awfully good it would not do us any service to not keep him here.”
With the Senators holding on to seventh place in the Eastern Conference heading into Tuesday’s game, the players say they feel confident with the group currently in place.
Goaltender Craig Anderson, acquired last year prior to the trade deadline, has been solid, while Karlsson has emerged as one of the league’s top offensive defensemen.
Jason Spezza, meanwhile, has been playing some of his best hockey and captain Daniel Alfredsson has exceeded expectations at 39 years of age. In addition the Senators have also been getting solid contributions from a number of their younger players.
“We have great chemistry and Bryan’s done a good job of putting us in the position we’re in and if he feels he can add to our club he’s going to do it,” Spezza said. “But if there’s no movement around our team we’ll be satisfied with it and we feel with this team going forward we can continue to win hockey games.”
Many experts predicted the Senators would be occupy the Eastern Conference basement this season. The fact this group has been so competitive says a lot about the individuals currently in the locker-room.
“We built ourselves up as a pretty solid group in here, a great group of characters and to mess with that right now I don’t know if that’s the wisest thing unless a big deal or something significant can happen,” defenseman Matt Carkner said. “I don’t think messing it up right now is the answer. I think a lot of guys here feel pretty safe and that’s a good feeling.”
Murray is well aware of the accomplishments made by this group, but adds it’s his job to always look at improving the team.
“I think chemistry is very important and the ownership that some of our veteran players have taken with this team has a big part to do with what’s happened,” he said. “So I do think guys liking and feeling good about each other, working together is all very important.
“But I also think if you make the right addition players buy into that very quickly and I think the message to the players is ‘we’re trying to help you.’”
Sens GM feels no pressure to make deadline deal
Karlsson: ‘I’ve come a long way since I came here’
Travis Yost: Playoff Contender, Trade Deadline Seller?
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With the Ottawa Senators holding steady in the Eastern Conference playoff race, many fans expected Bryan Murray to do the most Bryan Murray thing possible – make a big and potentially costly ‘buyer’ acquisition near the trade deadline.
However, recent talk from the front office – running as high up as owner Eugene Melnyk – suggests the complete opposite. The goal? To stick to the three-year plan often discussed in the off-season, a movement that puts a large focus on removing some of the less attractive long-term contracts currently on the roster, player development, and building towards a sustainable (and winning) business model.
In short? The Ottawa Senators might be headed to the post-season, but there’s an extremely good chance this team will still play the role of seller – at least, to an extent.
On the Fan 590 Monday, Eugene Melnyk spoke candidly about this team’s direction heading forward, making note of the youth movement currently underway in the nation’s capital. Melnyk expressed serious approval with how the ‘core’ of young players have taken Ottawa to the next level, noting their hunger and drive as one of the main reasons for the clubs success.
Still, Melnyk remained a bit worrisome about this team’s potential to make a push, especially this season. The team owner sounded extremely confident in his club’s ability to reach the post-season, but does not believe that the current roster make-up is a Stanley Cup contender. Really hard to blame, especially when pegged against the likes of the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference.
Without Stanley Cup potential, the front office will continue to make the right cap management moves in order to ensure long-term success. For this team, it means that at least one – if not more – of the older players on more sizable contracts could be headed on the way out, even if it means this season’s current product may suffer a touch.
The two names that most aptly fit the above description? Filip Kuba and Sergei Gonchar.
With respect to Filip Kuba, this team would generate a nice return for his services. Kuba’s completely refined his game after a troublesome year one season ago, coming back from an injury with incredible resolve. He’s played well offensively and has proven to be the most – and perhaps only – stabilizing force on the Ottawa back-end.
Considering the return for Hal Gill(2nd RD pick + upper-tier prospect), Ottawa has to – at the very least – consider the returns for Filip Kuba. The problem here, of course, if that Ottawa would break-up the one defensive pairing that’s proven reliable all year in Erik Karlsson and Filip Kuba. And, if this team does make it into the playoffs, they’ll need to lean on these two as much as possible.
So, although many suitors would line up for Filip Kuba, it appears that Ottawa would be far more reluctant to part with him as an asset, especially since his contract will come off of the books regardless at the end of the season.
On the other side of the coin: Sergei Gonchar.
A power-play dynamo who has struggled in the defensive zone for the past few years, Gonchar’s the ultimate mixed-bag. He can provide offense at his best; curtail defensive play at his worst. He won’t net quite the return that a Filip Kuba might, but his ‘name’ – key at the trade deadline – could help with Bryan Murray’s inevitable attempt to price gauge in the next few days.
Further, Gonchar’s contract – $ 5.5M over the next year and a half – is far less desirable than Kuba’s expiring one, and certainly fits verbatim with what Eugene Melnyk spoke so candidly about on Monday. It’s an aging player with a depreciating asset – one that they’d like to get off of the books as fast as possible.
With so many teams in the market for a defenseman, Gonchar would certainly receive some interest, and could return Ottawa nice pick and prospect, on top of clearing additional cap space for the 2012-2013 season.
And remember, every dollar might be needed to ink franchise cornerstone Erik Karlsson, who becomes an RFA at the end of the season.
Back with more tomorrow.
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Thanks for reading!