Alright folks, after a week off due to copius amounts of sickness (don't worry, I still watched plenty of hockey, just didn't write about it), I'm back. Today's Games to Watch, however, is not, due entirely to the fact that it's a three-game lineup tonight, and two of them involve teams that are out of the playoff race. So consider the Bruins @ the Caps your Marquee game (virtually a must-win for the B's with all the pressure the Rangers are putting on them) and the Jackets @ the Blues (a re-match in the BATTLE OF BLUE~) & Wild @ Oilers your first-ever Ice Dancing co-winners. Okay, with that out of the way....
It's not yet time for our Eastern Conference playoff breakdown just yet, and that's just because the East is wayyyy too up-in-the-air to do such a thing. Literally the only guarentee for the East is that those aforementioned Capitals will finish 1st; the Devils, Penguins, & Sabres will finish in some order of 2-3-4, but in what order that will be, I have no idea. The Senators will probably finish 5th, and after that you've got 5 teams playing musical chairs for the last three playoff spots. So it's tough for me to write any kind of playoff breakdown until all the seeds are a little more clear, and that very well may not be until the regular season is over, anyway. Then of course it will be time to break down all eight of the playoff series and make predictions, so I guess what I'm trying to tell you is there may very well never be an Eastern Conference playoff breakdown.
Here's the Cliff Notes version, folks: the Caps look unstoppable, the bottom half looks uninspired (and that's the nice way to say it), and this may very well end up being the weakest Eastern Conference first-round since the lockout. Once the various dead weights and pretenders are out of the way- and other than maybe the Sens upsetting the 4 seed, this year has all the makings of a complete sweep of the top four seeds moving on to the next round- it does set up for what should be a very exciting second round & conference final. But I'm telling you folks, that first round could be very, very underwhelming. No matter who among that Habs/Flyers/Bruins/Rangers/Thrashers five-headed monster actually locks down the last three playoff spots, can you honestly see any of these teams being capable of a first-round upset in the top-heavy East? Nope, me neither. And that makes the prospect of writing the kind of playoff breakdown I did for the West (in which I could seriously see a Detroit, LA, or Nashville upsetting the top seeds) very underwhelming, much like the first round itself.
So with all that out of the way, we get to the actual point of this blog. We're in the middle of the last week of the NHL season, and almost all of the attention will be on the teams fighting for playoff position (deservingly so). Realistically, only the Rangers (who have a very good shot) & Thrashers (who have an outside, but still decent shot) in the East and the Flames (who probably has slightly less of a shot than Atlanta) in the West can still really be looked at as playoff hopefuls outside the current top 8s. They will still be in the conversation all week long, provided of course the playoffs remain a realistic possibility. The rest of the league's teams will be virtually forgotten this week, afterthoughts relegated to the back of their town's sports pages and that horrible last 15 minutes of NHL On the Fly where they stick the non-playoff teams this time of year. They will of course largely remain out of the conversation until after the NHL playoffs, save for any early shock-firings of their GMs or coaches.
So before we forget all of these teams exist for a while, I thought it might be a good idea to go through each of them, team-by-team, and discuss what went wrong with their respective seasons. With all the teams in the NHL who bounced-back from non-playoff years last year into solid playoff positions this year, we'll also rate each team's bounce-back potential (High, Moderate, or Low), looking at their respective chances of being next year's Coyotes, Kings, or Senators. Of course, any such pick is very early to make without knowing what they do in the draft or free-agency, but it's still fun to guess, right? Okay, we'll start today with the Eastern Conference, since they got shortchanged in the whole playoff breakdown thing.
Eastern Conference
New York Islanders
(33-35-10, 76 points, 11th in East, 5th in Atlantic, 22nd in Offense, 24th in Defense)
What Went Wrong?: Not a whole lot, actually. This is a very young team in the second year of a full-scale rebuild, and some of their young players took a big step forward this year. Last year's 1st overall pick John Tavares had a strong rookie campaign that was hurt by a long scoreless drought, which is kind of parallel for the team's season as a whole. If you take out a couple of long stretches where they just couldn't get it done, they would probably have been a playoff team, but that has to be expected out of such a young team. They improved somewhat on what was a league-worst offense last season, but the biggest concern for any young team is always their defensive play. 24th is not as big of a disaster as one might expect for such a young team, but that's with 40-year-old goalie Dwayne Roloson playing out-of-his-mind on a lot of nights, something this team can't expect year-after-year.
What should they do now?: The next step for the Isles and sophomore coach Scott Gordon is to come in next year and teach a more defensively sound system, similar to what Terry Murray did last year with the LA Kings. This will hurt their offensive production in the short-term and probably result in them missing the playoffs again next year, but once they've got their shots-against down they can rise up into the top 15 in goals against/per game, and that's the kind of structure you can build off of into winning more games and, ultimately, a playoff berth for years to come. They don't have the kind of offensive firepower to play a more wide-open system the likes of Washington & Pittsburgh play, and the sooner Gordon realizes that, the sooner the Isles can get back to the post-season. They made some strides this year, to be certain.
Playoff Hopes for Next Year: Low. You just don't go from 22nd in Offense & 24th in Defense to a playoff berth the following year without major changes. The Isles don't have the kind of money to spend in free-agency, and no one in the system screams "I'm gonna come in and turns this team around". Calvin de Haan, their "other" first-round pick last year, is probably a few years away, and they likely won't be picking high enough to grab a guy who can step right in and make a difference like Johnny T did. As for Tavares himself, many people will probably predict him to have a huge second year like the previous year's first-round pick, Steven Stamkos, has had this year, but I tend to see something more along the lines of a traditional "sophomore slump" for him next year. If I'm wrong and he takes a huge step forward next year, maybe they can sneak into the playoffs. But the best thing for this franchise would be to follow the LA model and take a year to preach defense, even if it means another year outside the bubble. Of course, you also have to keep in mind that making the playoffs is more difficult for the Isles than it is for the rest of these teams just because they play in what is almost always the East's strongest division.
Carolina Hurricanes
(33-36-10, 76 points, 12th in East, 3rd in Southeast, 15th in Offense, 25th in Defense)
What Went Wrong?: Injuries, injuries, and more injuries, in that order. Few teams in this league are going to make the playoffs in a year where their best player (Eric Staal) AND starting goaltender (Cam Ward) missed HUGE stretches of the season. The fact is, the Canes were top 5 in the league in the second-half, but just couldn't make up enough ground after their beyond-awful first-half of the season. This is still a really good team, and by being relatively bad this season it gave them the chance to trade away some of their veterans and bring up some relatively overdue prospects, almost all of who played well. Brandon Sutter, for instance, has quietly topped the 20-goal mark with 21 goals in just a 69-game rookie campaign.
What should they do now?: Stand pat. If they start next year healthy and with the same core intact, they will easily be a playoff team. Not much to say here.
Playoff Hopes for Next Year: High. Again, without all the injuries that doomed the start of their campaign, they would easily have compiled enough wins playing in the incredibly soft Southeast division to make the post-season. They are kind of destined to be the St. Louis Blues to Washington's Detroit Red Wings this decade: they will also benefit from playing in an incredibly soft division (yes, children, the Central used to be very, very bad), but unless Washington, like Detroit before them, has an injury-riddled campaign, they won't have much hope at a division crown. Still, they showed last year they don't need to win the division to have a good playoff run, and when a team's got Eric Staal & Cam Ward, I still give them at least an outside shot at having another one.
Florida Panthers
(31-35-12, 74 points, 13th in East, 4th in Southeast, 28th in Offense, 20th in Defense)
What Went Wrong?: Some pundits are trying to lay the blame for the Panthers' woes on injuries, pointing out that they lost two of their top offensive players in David Booth & Nathan Horton (who was FINALLY having a breakout year) for extended periods of time throughout the season. However, unlike the Carolina excuse, this time I don't buy it. Let's compare them to the Canes: the Hurricanes lost their starting goalie, by far the most devastating position you can lose, for long stretches of the season, and still managed to stay competitive even when they were long since thought to be out of it. The Panthers at times managed to stay around the hunt, and really only dropped out of it after the Olympic break, when they played some of their most uninspired hockey of the season (they're 3-5-2 in their last 10!), by the way WITH Horton & Booth (until recently) both in the lineup. This is just a team that doesn't play with any heart whatsoever, and that's why the Panthers' new owners recently wrote an unprecedented letter to their fanbase explaining why they had decided to tear it all down and start rebuilding yet again. This letter was necessary because we now officially hit the ten-year anniversary of the last time the Panthers were in the playoffs. Oh, and they haven't won a playoff series since 1996.
What should they do now?: Exactly what they apparently plan on doing: tear it all down and start over. Be really bad for a few years, pick high, and make sure your picks pan out this time. Other than a great starting goalie in Tomas Voukon (who is obviously wasting some of the best years of his career playing in South Florida), there is almost nothing here to build around right now. The Panthers have a goalie prospect in the system who they are very high on, so it's time to trade Voukon this summer at the draft and see what you can get for him. Anyone else other than maybe your youngest of kids should be traded too, and that includes Horton, who one good season that included a decent-length injury doesn't make up for the years of disappointment. See what you can get for him and the others, tear it all down, and try to go the Pens/Caps/Hawks route. Hey, it worked for them, right?
Playoff Hopes for Next Year: Low. Even if they don't do a full-scale rebuild, there's nothing here to suggest next season will go any differently. How much better can Voukon play? The fact that he's near the top of the league in Save % and the team is still just 20th defensively tells you all you need to know about this defense corps, which needs to be blown-up and started over. The 28th-ranked offense obviously isn't getting it done, either. There's nothing in the system that's going to turn this disaster around: their best prospect is a goalie, and goaltending is probably the only thing you can point to on this team and say you DON'T have a problem with.
Tampa Bay Lightning
(31-35-12, 74 points, 14th in East, 5th in Southeast, 26th in Offense, 26th in Defense)
What Went Wrong?: I'd love to tell you, because I honestly have no idea how this team was this bad. They've got Steven Stamkos currently sitting tied with Alex Ovechkin for second in the league with 46 goals, yet somehow they're 26th in Offense. They've got Nittamayki who at times played great for them in goal, and yet somehow they're 26th in Defense. The fact that they've got matching stats in both categories is kind of amazing, actually, and probably tells the story. This is just a bad hockey team, plain and simple. At this point, with so many guys having great years (Martin St. Louis is 5th in the league in points with 90) and others having certainly at least average years, you have to put a great deal of blame at the feet of the head coach.
What should they do now?: Fair or not, I do believe the new ownership will step in and fire both the GM Brian Lawton and head coach Rick Tocchet, and it's probably worth a try at this point. At that point, ownership must resist the urge to deal Vinny Lecalvailer and give him another year to try and bounce back, possibly without a head coach who he reportedly feuded with this season. A one-two punch at center of Stamkos & a more on-his-game Lecavailer is, quite frankly, terrifying. A small upgrade to their defense is probably also a good idea, but nothing that will break the bank like the unadvised signing of an over-the-hill Matius Ohland did.
Playoff Hopes for Next Year: Moderate. If their defense gets better (which it should as last year's second-overall pick Victor Hedman will probably have a stronger year next year as he gets used to the North American style) and their goaltending & overall team game is a little more consistent, this is a team that will probably make the playoffs. Of course, those are big ifs. But I definitely like their chances.
Toronto Maple Leafs
(29-36-14, 15th in East, 5th in Northeast, 21st in Offense, 29th in Defense)
What Went Wrong?: Clearly GM Brian Burke made the all-too-common mistake of overrating his own team, as he traded his first- & second-round picks this year and first-round pick next year for Phil Kessel, then promptly watched his team get off to an awful 0-7-1 start that made finishing near the bottom and thus giving up a lottery pick to Boston virtually inevitable. Despite that, there is hope for the sizeable fanbase that comprises Leaf Nation. Dion Phaneuf was picked up from Calgary and gives the Toronto team a bonafide blue-chipper on the blue-line. His time in Toronto so far has been a mixed bag (6 assists in 14 games which is certainly not bad for a defenseman, but his big crowing point was supposed to be his huge shot and he has yet to score a goal as a Leaf), but everyone will judge him on what he does at the start of next year, anyway. Some cautious optimism is actually floating its way into the fanbase by way of how well some of the young kids are playing since they came into the lineup late in the year; Tyler Bozak in particular has been a revelation, playing very, very well with Kessel and giving the Leafs a real top-line threat for the first time since Mats Sundin left. Still, the Leafs always seem to play well after they're out of it. The youth is why some fans and pundits are arguing it's different this time, but ultimately that remains to be seen.
What should they do now?: Probably exactly what they will do: after Tomas Kaberle's no-trade clause runs out this summer, trade him to another team for a draft pick or a top-6 forward. If they can get a legitimate top-6 forward to add to their young mix of Kessel, Bozak, Stalberg, and probably last year's first-round pick Nazem Kadri, this will be a much-improved Toronto team. Having Mike Komisarek, who missed most of this year with his recurring shoulder injury, back next season will probably help their lowly defense, which is probably better than the statline says anyway. Goaltending was their real problem, but getting JS Giguere from Anaheim and moving out Vesa Toskala in the process seems to have finally fixed that problem.
Playoff Hopes for Next Year: Moderate. It pains me to believe in what a Leafs team is doing in March & April, but I'm really going to give them a shot to carry this over into next season without automatically writing them off, because of all the youth. I really like how Tyler Bozak has meshed with Phil Kessel, and I like the chances of Dion Phaneuf having a real good first full year in Toronto. If the forward group is just a little bit better and the defense really comes together with a full season of Dion to go with a healthy Komisarek, this is a team that could easily sneak into the playoffs in the seemingly always-weak Eastern conference.
Alright folks, we're done with the East. I'll be back with the West at some point, but tomorrow we've got a huge schedule of big games so it'll probably have to wait until after another edition of Today's Games to Watch. As always, enjoy the hockey, and remember the playoffs are almost here!
Showing posts with label maple leafs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label maple leafs. Show all posts
Monday, April 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Versus returns to DirecTV; Today's Games to Watch 3/16
Alright folks, I know I missed a couple of days, and no it wasn't just out of the shame of being there in-person for my Blackhawks' 2.1 second collapse against the Flyers on Saturday. The Hawks weren't the only things collapsing on Saturday; the sky itself apparently decided to join them, as this entire region was just flooded nonstop with rain on Saturday & into early Sunday. So I ended up staying overnight in one of my least favorite places, putting the kibosh on any hopes of getting a blog up before the first NHL game at 12:30. As far as yesterday goes, did you really need me to tell you which of the THREE games to watch? Probably not. But we've got a full slate of 11 games to get into today, so here I am.
But before we get back into the swing of things, I wanted to talk a little bit about the return to DirecTV of the NHL's oft-maligned cable partner, Versus. As a DTV customer this kind of hits home, and obviously I'm thrilled the NHL playoffs will be on the satcaster. Before we put the kibosh on this story for good, let's take a look at a few of the details that came out in the network's return.
There should no longer be any debate on what the REAL cause for this outage was, thanks to some very telling quotes from both sides. From the beginning of this whole mess (way back in LATE AUGUST), we heard two different sides to this story. There was the Comcast/Versus side, which said that DirecTV wanted to put them on a lower programming tier (a sports-specific tier, apparently), and they would not accept losing a very large percentage of their viewership just when they were adding a ton of new properties. Meanwhile, the DirecTV side never said anything about a tier, they just said Comcast wanted more money and they were refusing to pay it.
Well, read the quotes from yesterday closely enough, and one thing stands out: Versus is not only back on DirecTV, but they're back on *the same tier they were on back before all this started*. The quotes go on to specifically state they will stay there from here on out. This not only means that Comcast's quotes were, at the very least, quite a bit less dishonest than DirecTV's, but it also means that there should be no question who blinked first and who, in the end, "won" this whole mess. Comcast said they were open to negotiations on money (and I imagine they did have to take a bit of a hit from what they were originally asking), but being placed on a lower tier was a non-starter and no deal would be done with that included. Not that I should have to reiterate it for you again, but that's exactly what happened.
DirecTV was facing mounting pressure from three different sides to get the network back; namely, the NHL fans we all know about have been increasingly pressuring the satcaster to get the network back on the air in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. It's worth noting that Versus has probably their strongest schedule I've ever seen from them for the rest of the regular season, including both of the remaining meetings in the NHL's most high-profile rivalry, the Capitals and the Penguins. A shocking amount of fans had already switched to their rival Dish Network in the past six months, thanks in part to a clever ad campaign that specifically pointed out Dish had Versus and DTV didn't, and you have to believe that number only would have jumped tenfold once the playoffs started and people were theoretically missing games not just twice a week, but every single night! It's also worth noting that several articles I've seen have mentioned that the pressure on DirecTV from hockey fans went up significantly after the Olympics, saying that hockey's "increased visibility" from the Games greatly helped Versus & the NHL put more pressure on the satcaster.
Besides that increased pressure from hockey fans, DirecTV was also under pressure from fans of mixed marital-arts, as the juggernaut UFC promotion has its first-ever event on Versus scheduled for this weekend. Finally, cycling fans have apparently been making some noise to DirecTV as well, as Lance Armstrong will be back in the Tour de France this year, which airs exclusively on, you guessed it, Versus. So facing all of this mounting pressure from all sides, DirecTV finally gave in and dropped their ridiculous demand, and what do you know, a deal got done almost immediately.
Hopefully they learned something from this whole sideshow mess: if you're going to promote your satellite service as having "the most sports coverage", you can't just ignore several sports because you don't think they're important. Yes, Versus is nowhere near as important as ESPN, everyone is aware of this. But when one of your sources of subscriptions is having one of the best all-around NHL Center Ice packages out there, you can't simultaneously thumb your noses at hockey fans and tell them their sport doesn't count. They lost a ton of this money through this whole process from irate hockey fans calling up, complaining, and getting 25, 50, and yes, even 100% refunds off their Center Ice packages, and they lost even more money from fans who finally just gave up on the service altogether. This all could have ended when the regular season started in October if they had just dropped their silly demand and put Versus back on the air, and hopefully the people in charge can look in the mirror and realize they just wasted seven months and a lot of profits and, in the end, had to give up on their demand altogether anyway. They lost, Versus won, end of story.
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Okay, with that bit of business out of the way, let's get back to the hockey. As always, here's the awards I'll be giving out to tonight's games:
Marquee Match-Up: The biggest game of the night, the game you absolutely need to see, featuring the biggest stars and/or the best rivalries.
The Runner-Up: Basically the same criteria that applies to the Marquee, just not quite as big of a deal as the night's biggest game.
Under the Radar: This is a game that, for whatever reason, just wouldn't normally jump out at you if you're taking a quick glance at the day's schedule, but upon taking a closer look, this should probably be a great game.
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: With the Winter Olympics fresh on everyone's mind, I'm naming this dubious "award" after the Olympics' most craptastic event that NBC tried to push off on us all in lieu of actual figure skating. Please do yourself a favor, don't watch this game.
Once those four picks are done with, I'll go through The Rest and tell you which of those games just might be worth your time as well. Even if you don't have Center Ice, I'll make sure to note which (if any) of these games are available on national TV in the US & Canada.
Tuesday, March 16th
Overall: An 11-game schedule provides some excitement, but there's really no genuine best-on-best match-ups to really get our hearts pumping.
Marquee Match-Up: Montreal Canadiens (35-29-6, 76 points, 3rd in Northeast, 7th in East) at New York Rangers (31-29-9, 71 points, 4th in Atlantic, 9th in East)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
National TV: Versus (US) & RDS (Canada, french only)
Two original six teams step into the spotlight on Versus (hey, a tie-in to the rest of the blog, yay!), as the Habs make a rare national TV appearance in the US as they visit the suddenly revitalized Rangers. The Rangers are sitting 1 point back of the struggling Bruins (who are in Carolina tonight), but the Bruins will still have a game in hand after tonight's games, making a win here for the Blueshirts even more important. Meanwhile, the Habs have been playing great hockey as of late, and they'll be riding a 5-game winning streak into the Garden. They couldn't have picked a better time to get hot, as they've still played more games than anyone else in the East (including the Rangers), so even though they're coming closer to locking up a playoff spot with each win of this streak, nothing's guaranteed just yet. If both these teams play as well as they've been playing of late, this should be nothing short of a great match-up, well worthy of marquee status. And hey, DirecTV customers, you can actually watch it! How about that?
Prediction: Rangers 4-3 (SO)
Runner-Up: Toronto Maple Leafs (23-34-12, 58 points, 5th in Northeast, 15th in East) at Ottawa Senators (37-27-5, 79 points, 2nd in Northeast, 5th in East)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
Though it's hard to pick the Maple Leafs for runners-up in anything other than "biggest failures" (and actually, that might offend Oilers fans since they, unlike Toronto, at least still have their 1st round pick), on a relatively weak night in marquee-quality match-ups, I have to give the nod to the Battle of Ontario. Here's something that might surprise you: that same Senators team that went on their club-record-setting 11-game win streak just a few short months ago has the exact same record as their southern Ontario counterparts in their last 10 games: 4-5-1. For the Leafs, that's a reflection of stronger play of late as some of the kids have stepped into the line-up and looked promising. For the Sens, on the other hand, that's a reflection of how they've suddenly run out of goals, and they've gone from having a slight lead over Buffalo in the Northeast to starting to fade fast in that particular race. You have to believe the Leafs would love nothing more than to beat their Ontario rivals and help continue that slide out of contention for home-ice advantage, in their own barn no less. This game could provide some excitement as a result.
Prediction: Sens 4-2
Under the Radar: Philadelphia Flyers (36-28-4, 76 points, 3rd in Atlantic, 6th in East) at Nashville Predators (38-26-5, 81 points, 2nd in Central, 7th in West)
8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST
This may be hard to believe when we're talking about an 11-game schedule for a league where MORE THAN HALF of the teams make the playoffs, but this is the only game of the night where both teams are in playoff position going into the game. So even though a game that reads "Flyers @ Predators" probably doesn't jump off the page at you, in actuality this is probably the night's best match-up, at least as far as the quality of the two teams goes. Both teams are also playing relatively well of late: the Flyers are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and the Preds are 6-4-0, with both teams coming off huge late victories over good opponents (the Flyers with the aforementioned 2.1 second shocker over the Hawks, while the Preds scored with about a minute-and-a-half to play to continue their mastery over the Kings). This should be a good, tight-checking, low-scoring battle between two teams who know how to play defense. As Mike Babcock said last night after the Wings-Flames game, even though people like to say "such and such game had a playoff feel", it's still not the playoffs. But this is probably as close as you're going to get tonight.
Prediction: Preds 3-2 (SO)
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: Edmonton Oilers (21-41-7, 49 points, 5th in Northwest, 15th in West) at Minnesota Wild (33-29-6, 72 points, 4th in Northwest, 11th in West)
8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST
I'm sure there will be some smart-aleck who will read this and think to themselves "But John, at least this is a divisional rivalry! What about, say, the Avs and the Blues?". And to you, imaginary person, I say, hogwash! How much of a divisional rivalry can it really be when one team is 20 GAMES BELOW .500 and it's a battle of 4th and 5th in the division? Please. At least the Avs and the Blues are both above .500. Hell, one of those teams is even in the playoffs! Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna tell you to watch that game either, but as far as games on tonight's schedule that are completely useless, I still give the edge to this one. Then again, given how the past few games I've given this award to have turned out (Sharks-Panthers was a 3-2 overtime thriller win for Florida, the Wild upset the Sabres 3-2 as well), I'm sure this game will turn out to be exciting, just so I can be wrong again.
Prediction: Wild 4-1
The Rest
Bruins @ Hurricanes, 7:00 pm EST: The Bruins are bad, but it's not for a lack of effort. They play hard and they usually play physical, but they just don't have the goal-scoring on most nights to get things done, especially now with Marc Savard out. It's hard to believe considering they're still holding onto a playoff spot in the East by the skin of their teeth, but the Bruins are 30th in goals for per game. Yes, out of 30. Meanwhile, Carolina's still got their sights set on a miracle comeback, 8 points back of the Bruins going into tonight, so obviously a win here would be huge. 4 point game, might just make it exciting. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Sabres @ Thrashers, 7:00 pm EST: The Thrashers' playoff hopes are fading fast with each heartbreaking loss, and they suffered yet another one to the Coyotes in a shootout. How many home games can Atlanta squander before they're officially out of it? Tonight they've got Eastern heavyweights Buffalo in, and this will either be a slaughter for the Sabres, or a very competitive, up-tempo game. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Coyotes @ Lightning, 7:30 pm EST: I heard one of Tampa's beat writers say he thinks the Lightning played their two best games of the season over the weekend; unfortunately for Tampa, that was still only good enough for a 1-1-0 record, thanks to a heartbreaking late goal given up against the Penguins. They won't have much time to dwell on that as they'll welcome the streaking Coyotes into the Forum. I'm expecting a physical, competitive game, as it's do-or-die time for Tampa. Of all the "rest" games, this is easily your best bet. Verdict: Probably Worth Your Time
Capitals @ Panthers, 7:30 pm EST: Fortunately for the Panthers, Ovechkin got suspended two games for his hit on Brian Campbell. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Capitals have a great record without Ovie in the line-up this season, as this isn't 2007 anymore and they're much more than a one man show. The last time these two teams played in Florida, it was a super-exciting, high-scoring comeback win for the Caps; then again, the last time the Caps played in Florida, the Panthers were still a playoff contender. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Avalanche @ Blues, 8:00 pm EST: Hey, so, remember when I said that this game wasn't quite bad enough to win tonight's Ice Dancing award? That should in no way be construed as telling you to watch it. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Sharks @ Stars, 8:30 pm EST: Remember when Dallas was sitting in 10th for the longest time and kept flirting with the idea of being an actual, honest-to-goodness playoff contender? Well, they're sitting in 12th now, 9 points back of 8th place Detroit. So much for that. Oh yeah, this game will probably suck, too. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Islanders @ Canucks, 10:00 pm EST: I've been getting a lot of crap from a very good friend of mine who happens to be an Isles fan about how often I tell people not to watch Islanders games. To be fair to the Isles, they've won 2 in a row and they've been better of late. But beating a Devils team that's actually not playing Marty and beating the Toronto Maple Leafs are two totally different things from beating one of the NHL's best in the Vancouver Canucks. With all that said, since it's the only late game tonight anyway, I'm gonna give the Isles the benefit of the doubt and say this MIGHT actually be competitive, if only because the Canucks are due for a let-down game. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Alright folks, that's it from me. As always, enjoy the hockey!
But before we get back into the swing of things, I wanted to talk a little bit about the return to DirecTV of the NHL's oft-maligned cable partner, Versus. As a DTV customer this kind of hits home, and obviously I'm thrilled the NHL playoffs will be on the satcaster. Before we put the kibosh on this story for good, let's take a look at a few of the details that came out in the network's return.
There should no longer be any debate on what the REAL cause for this outage was, thanks to some very telling quotes from both sides. From the beginning of this whole mess (way back in LATE AUGUST), we heard two different sides to this story. There was the Comcast/Versus side, which said that DirecTV wanted to put them on a lower programming tier (a sports-specific tier, apparently), and they would not accept losing a very large percentage of their viewership just when they were adding a ton of new properties. Meanwhile, the DirecTV side never said anything about a tier, they just said Comcast wanted more money and they were refusing to pay it.
Well, read the quotes from yesterday closely enough, and one thing stands out: Versus is not only back on DirecTV, but they're back on *the same tier they were on back before all this started*. The quotes go on to specifically state they will stay there from here on out. This not only means that Comcast's quotes were, at the very least, quite a bit less dishonest than DirecTV's, but it also means that there should be no question who blinked first and who, in the end, "won" this whole mess. Comcast said they were open to negotiations on money (and I imagine they did have to take a bit of a hit from what they were originally asking), but being placed on a lower tier was a non-starter and no deal would be done with that included. Not that I should have to reiterate it for you again, but that's exactly what happened.
DirecTV was facing mounting pressure from three different sides to get the network back; namely, the NHL fans we all know about have been increasingly pressuring the satcaster to get the network back on the air in time for the stretch run and the playoffs. It's worth noting that Versus has probably their strongest schedule I've ever seen from them for the rest of the regular season, including both of the remaining meetings in the NHL's most high-profile rivalry, the Capitals and the Penguins. A shocking amount of fans had already switched to their rival Dish Network in the past six months, thanks in part to a clever ad campaign that specifically pointed out Dish had Versus and DTV didn't, and you have to believe that number only would have jumped tenfold once the playoffs started and people were theoretically missing games not just twice a week, but every single night! It's also worth noting that several articles I've seen have mentioned that the pressure on DirecTV from hockey fans went up significantly after the Olympics, saying that hockey's "increased visibility" from the Games greatly helped Versus & the NHL put more pressure on the satcaster.
Besides that increased pressure from hockey fans, DirecTV was also under pressure from fans of mixed marital-arts, as the juggernaut UFC promotion has its first-ever event on Versus scheduled for this weekend. Finally, cycling fans have apparently been making some noise to DirecTV as well, as Lance Armstrong will be back in the Tour de France this year, which airs exclusively on, you guessed it, Versus. So facing all of this mounting pressure from all sides, DirecTV finally gave in and dropped their ridiculous demand, and what do you know, a deal got done almost immediately.
Hopefully they learned something from this whole sideshow mess: if you're going to promote your satellite service as having "the most sports coverage", you can't just ignore several sports because you don't think they're important. Yes, Versus is nowhere near as important as ESPN, everyone is aware of this. But when one of your sources of subscriptions is having one of the best all-around NHL Center Ice packages out there, you can't simultaneously thumb your noses at hockey fans and tell them their sport doesn't count. They lost a ton of this money through this whole process from irate hockey fans calling up, complaining, and getting 25, 50, and yes, even 100% refunds off their Center Ice packages, and they lost even more money from fans who finally just gave up on the service altogether. This all could have ended when the regular season started in October if they had just dropped their silly demand and put Versus back on the air, and hopefully the people in charge can look in the mirror and realize they just wasted seven months and a lot of profits and, in the end, had to give up on their demand altogether anyway. They lost, Versus won, end of story.
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Okay, with that bit of business out of the way, let's get back to the hockey. As always, here's the awards I'll be giving out to tonight's games:
Marquee Match-Up: The biggest game of the night, the game you absolutely need to see, featuring the biggest stars and/or the best rivalries.
The Runner-Up: Basically the same criteria that applies to the Marquee, just not quite as big of a deal as the night's biggest game.
Under the Radar: This is a game that, for whatever reason, just wouldn't normally jump out at you if you're taking a quick glance at the day's schedule, but upon taking a closer look, this should probably be a great game.
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: With the Winter Olympics fresh on everyone's mind, I'm naming this dubious "award" after the Olympics' most craptastic event that NBC tried to push off on us all in lieu of actual figure skating. Please do yourself a favor, don't watch this game.
Once those four picks are done with, I'll go through The Rest and tell you which of those games just might be worth your time as well. Even if you don't have Center Ice, I'll make sure to note which (if any) of these games are available on national TV in the US & Canada.
Tuesday, March 16th
Overall: An 11-game schedule provides some excitement, but there's really no genuine best-on-best match-ups to really get our hearts pumping.
Marquee Match-Up: Montreal Canadiens (35-29-6, 76 points, 3rd in Northeast, 7th in East) at New York Rangers (31-29-9, 71 points, 4th in Atlantic, 9th in East)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
National TV: Versus (US) & RDS (Canada, french only)
Two original six teams step into the spotlight on Versus (hey, a tie-in to the rest of the blog, yay!), as the Habs make a rare national TV appearance in the US as they visit the suddenly revitalized Rangers. The Rangers are sitting 1 point back of the struggling Bruins (who are in Carolina tonight), but the Bruins will still have a game in hand after tonight's games, making a win here for the Blueshirts even more important. Meanwhile, the Habs have been playing great hockey as of late, and they'll be riding a 5-game winning streak into the Garden. They couldn't have picked a better time to get hot, as they've still played more games than anyone else in the East (including the Rangers), so even though they're coming closer to locking up a playoff spot with each win of this streak, nothing's guaranteed just yet. If both these teams play as well as they've been playing of late, this should be nothing short of a great match-up, well worthy of marquee status. And hey, DirecTV customers, you can actually watch it! How about that?
Prediction: Rangers 4-3 (SO)
Runner-Up: Toronto Maple Leafs (23-34-12, 58 points, 5th in Northeast, 15th in East) at Ottawa Senators (37-27-5, 79 points, 2nd in Northeast, 5th in East)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
Though it's hard to pick the Maple Leafs for runners-up in anything other than "biggest failures" (and actually, that might offend Oilers fans since they, unlike Toronto, at least still have their 1st round pick), on a relatively weak night in marquee-quality match-ups, I have to give the nod to the Battle of Ontario. Here's something that might surprise you: that same Senators team that went on their club-record-setting 11-game win streak just a few short months ago has the exact same record as their southern Ontario counterparts in their last 10 games: 4-5-1. For the Leafs, that's a reflection of stronger play of late as some of the kids have stepped into the line-up and looked promising. For the Sens, on the other hand, that's a reflection of how they've suddenly run out of goals, and they've gone from having a slight lead over Buffalo in the Northeast to starting to fade fast in that particular race. You have to believe the Leafs would love nothing more than to beat their Ontario rivals and help continue that slide out of contention for home-ice advantage, in their own barn no less. This game could provide some excitement as a result.
Prediction: Sens 4-2
Under the Radar: Philadelphia Flyers (36-28-4, 76 points, 3rd in Atlantic, 6th in East) at Nashville Predators (38-26-5, 81 points, 2nd in Central, 7th in West)
8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST
This may be hard to believe when we're talking about an 11-game schedule for a league where MORE THAN HALF of the teams make the playoffs, but this is the only game of the night where both teams are in playoff position going into the game. So even though a game that reads "Flyers @ Predators" probably doesn't jump off the page at you, in actuality this is probably the night's best match-up, at least as far as the quality of the two teams goes. Both teams are also playing relatively well of late: the Flyers are 7-3-0 in their last 10 and the Preds are 6-4-0, with both teams coming off huge late victories over good opponents (the Flyers with the aforementioned 2.1 second shocker over the Hawks, while the Preds scored with about a minute-and-a-half to play to continue their mastery over the Kings). This should be a good, tight-checking, low-scoring battle between two teams who know how to play defense. As Mike Babcock said last night after the Wings-Flames game, even though people like to say "such and such game had a playoff feel", it's still not the playoffs. But this is probably as close as you're going to get tonight.
Prediction: Preds 3-2 (SO)
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: Edmonton Oilers (21-41-7, 49 points, 5th in Northwest, 15th in West) at Minnesota Wild (33-29-6, 72 points, 4th in Northwest, 11th in West)
8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST
I'm sure there will be some smart-aleck who will read this and think to themselves "But John, at least this is a divisional rivalry! What about, say, the Avs and the Blues?". And to you, imaginary person, I say, hogwash! How much of a divisional rivalry can it really be when one team is 20 GAMES BELOW .500 and it's a battle of 4th and 5th in the division? Please. At least the Avs and the Blues are both above .500. Hell, one of those teams is even in the playoffs! Don't get me wrong, I'm not gonna tell you to watch that game either, but as far as games on tonight's schedule that are completely useless, I still give the edge to this one. Then again, given how the past few games I've given this award to have turned out (Sharks-Panthers was a 3-2 overtime thriller win for Florida, the Wild upset the Sabres 3-2 as well), I'm sure this game will turn out to be exciting, just so I can be wrong again.
Prediction: Wild 4-1
The Rest
Bruins @ Hurricanes, 7:00 pm EST: The Bruins are bad, but it's not for a lack of effort. They play hard and they usually play physical, but they just don't have the goal-scoring on most nights to get things done, especially now with Marc Savard out. It's hard to believe considering they're still holding onto a playoff spot in the East by the skin of their teeth, but the Bruins are 30th in goals for per game. Yes, out of 30. Meanwhile, Carolina's still got their sights set on a miracle comeback, 8 points back of the Bruins going into tonight, so obviously a win here would be huge. 4 point game, might just make it exciting. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Sabres @ Thrashers, 7:00 pm EST: The Thrashers' playoff hopes are fading fast with each heartbreaking loss, and they suffered yet another one to the Coyotes in a shootout. How many home games can Atlanta squander before they're officially out of it? Tonight they've got Eastern heavyweights Buffalo in, and this will either be a slaughter for the Sabres, or a very competitive, up-tempo game. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Coyotes @ Lightning, 7:30 pm EST: I heard one of Tampa's beat writers say he thinks the Lightning played their two best games of the season over the weekend; unfortunately for Tampa, that was still only good enough for a 1-1-0 record, thanks to a heartbreaking late goal given up against the Penguins. They won't have much time to dwell on that as they'll welcome the streaking Coyotes into the Forum. I'm expecting a physical, competitive game, as it's do-or-die time for Tampa. Of all the "rest" games, this is easily your best bet. Verdict: Probably Worth Your Time
Capitals @ Panthers, 7:30 pm EST: Fortunately for the Panthers, Ovechkin got suspended two games for his hit on Brian Campbell. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the Capitals have a great record without Ovie in the line-up this season, as this isn't 2007 anymore and they're much more than a one man show. The last time these two teams played in Florida, it was a super-exciting, high-scoring comeback win for the Caps; then again, the last time the Caps played in Florida, the Panthers were still a playoff contender. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Avalanche @ Blues, 8:00 pm EST: Hey, so, remember when I said that this game wasn't quite bad enough to win tonight's Ice Dancing award? That should in no way be construed as telling you to watch it. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Sharks @ Stars, 8:30 pm EST: Remember when Dallas was sitting in 10th for the longest time and kept flirting with the idea of being an actual, honest-to-goodness playoff contender? Well, they're sitting in 12th now, 9 points back of 8th place Detroit. So much for that. Oh yeah, this game will probably suck, too. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Islanders @ Canucks, 10:00 pm EST: I've been getting a lot of crap from a very good friend of mine who happens to be an Isles fan about how often I tell people not to watch Islanders games. To be fair to the Isles, they've won 2 in a row and they've been better of late. But beating a Devils team that's actually not playing Marty and beating the Toronto Maple Leafs are two totally different things from beating one of the NHL's best in the Vancouver Canucks. With all that said, since it's the only late game tonight anyway, I'm gonna give the Isles the benefit of the doubt and say this MIGHT actually be competitive, if only because the Canucks are due for a let-down game. Verdict: Might Be Worth Your Time
Alright folks, that's it from me. As always, enjoy the hockey!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Today's Games to Watch 3/11
About Last Night...
Blackhawks 3-Kings 2 (OT)
(My Prediction: Hawks 5-Kings 4 (OT))
This marquee showdown between two Western Conference powers largely lived up to the hype, as the Hawks squeaked out a close overtime victory over Los Angeles in Chicago. Kopitar lead the way for the Kings with a goal and an assist while the Hawks' Patrick Sharp had 2 goals, one of which was the OT game-winner. The Hawks looked much better defensively in front of their goaltender than they did on Sunday against the Red Wings, and with Niemi still looking a little shaky in net, that's probably the way they're going to have to play from here on out. The Kings, meanwhile, had a good effort to earn a point in a tough building to play in, and remained right in the mix for the 4th spot in the West, now 2 points out but still with a game in hand on Phoenix.
Devils 6-Rangers 3
(My Prediction: Rangers 3-2)
If it isn't one thing with these New York Rangers, it's another: the anemic offense suddenly woke up, as the Prospal-Jokinen-Gaborik line looked dangerous just about everytime they were on the ice, while Erik Christensen continued his strong play since being a waiver-wire pick-up from Anaheim with a fantastic goal. However, it was the defense and goaltending that let them down last night, as Lundqvist just wasn't tracking the puck well in giving up 5 goals on 17 shots and the defense did him no help in front of him, clearly missing their coverage on many of the Devils' 6 goals. The Rangers remain 3 points back of 8th place Boston, and they've now spotted the Bruins 2 games in hand, as their playoff hopes are suddenly fading faster than ever. The Devils, meanwhile, did get the win at home, but Kovalchuck was held pointless and he still has yet to look integrated into the New Jersey line-up. He'll have to get going in a hurry down the stretch if the Devils want to have a shot at catching Pittsburgh and regaining the Atlantic division lead.
Coyotes 4-Canucks 3 (SO)
(My Prediction: Coyotes 3-1)
Another big win for Phoenix at home to continue to lead the Kings in the battle for 4th, as Phoenix managed to squeak out the shootout victory. Given the fact that this was Vancouver's final game of their epic 14-game road trip (they finished with an 8-5-1 record which has to be considered a monumental success), they had backup Andrew Raycroft in net, and it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Canucks, getting a point has to be considered a victory for them as well. The Canucks continue to get offense from up-and-down their line-up, and are looking more and more like they will be able to lock-up the Northwest division despite the strong play of the upstart Avalanche. Now that this road trip is over, the Canucks will finally return home on Saturday where they have one of the best records in the NHL (23-7-1), and their reward for making it through is a very home-heavy schedule down the stretch. It's looking like a great time to be a Canucks fan right now.
With last night in the books, let's get into tonight's 10-game schedule. As always, the awards I'm giving out are:
Marquee Match-Up: The biggest game of the night, the game you absolutely need to see, featuring the biggest stars and/or the best rivalries.
The Runner-Up: Basically the same criteria that applies to the Marquee, just not quite as big of a deal as the night's biggest game.
Under the Radar: This is a game that, for whatever reason, just wouldn't normally jump out at you if you're taking a quick glance at the day's schedule, but upon taking a closer look, this should probably be a great game.
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: With the Winter Olympics fresh on everyone's mind, I'm naming this dubious "award" after the Olympics' most craptastic event that NBC tried to push off on us all in lieu of actual figure skating. Please do yourself a favor, don't watch this game.
Once those four picks are done with, I'll go through The Rest and tell you which of those games just might be worth your time as well. Even if you don't have Center Ice, I'll make sure to note which (if any) of these games are available on national TV in the US & Canada.
Thursday March 11th
Overall: Yet another example of quantity not always beating out quality, tonight's schedule has double the games of last night, but as far as marquee-quality games, there's really no contest. It's a pretty weak schedule overall (honestly, the competition for the Ice Dancing award was stronger than anything else), but hey, we gotta talk about it, so let's get into it.
Marquee Match-Up: Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-4, 84 points, 1st in Atlantic, 2nd in East) at Carolina Hurricanes (27-31-8, 62 points, 5th in Southeast, 13th in East)
7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST
I know, looking at the records of these two teams doesn't exactly scream "marquee", but like I said, it's a pretty weak night for the NHL overall. The Marquee award goes to this game for a couple of reasons: first of all, it's a battle of two of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. The Pens are 6-1-3 in their last 10 while the Canes have put up an even better mark at 8-1-1 as their improbable march towards playoff contention continues. Secondly, it's a re-match from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pens man-handled the Canes en route to a 4-game sweep (and of course, eventually the Stanley Cup). Nothing gets a rivalry going like a playoff series, and the Canes are of course going to be out for a little bit of payback in front of their home fans. Also of note is both these teams should be relatively desperate for points: the Canes are of course trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while the Pens have a 3-point lead over the Devils in the Atlantic (with the Devils still holding a game in hand), and will in fact head into New Jersey tomorrow night for an Atlantic showdown. Given the fact that the Devils will spend today resting while the Pens are in action, getting points tonight should be considered a matter of great urgency for the Pens, as losses tonight & tomorrow will allow the Devils to retake the Atlantic lead.
Prediction: Pens 5-2
Runner-Up: Ottawa Senators (37-25-5, 79 points, 2nd in Northeast, 5th in East) at Calgary Flames (33-24-9, 75 points, 3rd in Northwest, 8th in West)
9:30 pm EST/6:30 pm PST
Eastern vs. Western Canada match-ups tend to be exciting games, and tonight's game between the Sens & Flames should (hopefully) be no exception. Going into this year, the Flames were a team expected to be challenging for the Northwest crown, but instead they're hanging on to a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. A big reason for that? Their awful home record (16-15-3), something they will have to turn around in a hurry down the stretch if they expect to hold off the Red Wings and whoever else emerges from the 10th-13th logjam as a playoff contender. Meanwhile, the Sens have been average on the road (16-14-1), again something they will look to turn around down the stretch if they plan on catching the Buffalo Sabres for the Northeast crown. A bad home team vs. an average away team, something has to give here.
Prediction: Sens 3-2
Under the Radar: Minnesota Wild (31-28-6, 68 points, 4th in Northwest, 12th in West) at Detroit Red Wings (31-23-12, 74 points, 3rd in Central, 9th in West)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
National TV: NHL Network (US Only)
This is a classic example of an under the radar game, as you just don't get anymore under that there radar than the Minnesota Wild. There was a poll last year the NHL conducted to find out which team has the least interest outside of their home market, and Minnesota shockingly "won" that poll. Yes, Virgina, that means there's more displaced Florida Panther fans out there than Minnesota Wild fan, that surprised the hell out of me, too. But then when I got to thinking about it, I'm exactly the type of person they were asking about on that poll (i.e. has the Center Ice package and watches a ton of hockey), and how many times have I watched a Minnesota Wild game this season? A couple times when they played the Kings or Hawks, and that's about it. So I guess I see their point. Anyway, with that bit of backstory out of the way, tonight's game involving the Wild might just be one to watch. I mentioned already of the 10th-13th logjam in the West, and the Wild are right there in it, 7 points back of 8th place Calgary with a game in hand. They've got a game in hand on 9th place Detroit as well, and if they can pull out a big win in regulation tonight in the Joe Louis Arena, that will put them just 4 points back of the Wings, still with that game in hand. A loss tonight, however, would all but erase the Wild's playoff hopes. This is the very definition of a four-point game.
Prediction: Red Wings 5-Wild 2
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: Tampa Bay Lightning (27-27-11, 65 points, 3rd in Southeast, 11th in East) at Toronto Maple Leafs (21-33-12, 54 points, 5th in Northeast, 15th in East)
7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST
Like I said before, the competition for this "award" was pretty brutal, with a lot of teams in playoff position vs. teams that couldn't be farther out of it. But this game is the first I can recall seeing of the hockey fan's greatest enemy down the stretch: the utterly and completely meaningless game. You'll see it plenty from now until the end of the season, battles between two teams with absolutely nothing to play for, and for the love of God don't you dare watch them, lest you be bored completely out of your skull. One could argue, I guess, that the Lightning are still technically "in" the playoff race in the East, which speaks to just how mediocre the Eastern Conference is this season when a team that's been as bad as Tampa Bay has been of late can still be in a playoff race. But, realistically, the Lightning don't have much of a shot. A win over the Maple Leafs would still put them 3 points back, and while that may not sound like a lot does anyone really think they can get it done down the stretch against teams that AREN'T from Toronto with the way they've been playing? The Lightning's playoff hopes realistically ended when they lost to the Habs on Tuesday, and until they're actually beating teams above them in the standings I'm officially considering them out of it. The Maple Leafs, of course, are really, really bad. To top it off, the Lightning always seem to play really well against Toronto, as in, major ass-kicking well. So yeah, don't watch this game.
Prediction: Lightning 5-Maple Leafs 1
The Rest
Oilers @ Habs, 7:00 pm EST: (National TV on RDS, French only) Should I really even bother putting any Oilers games in this listing from now until the end of the season? If you don't see the Oilers' name in the listing and immediately know what the verdict's going to be, well, congratulations, you're the immediate relative of one of the players on the roster. I say "immediate" because there's no way that, say, Mike Comrie's second- or third-cousin could want to watch this game. Welcome to the club. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Blues @ Islanders, 7:00 pm EST: Tonight's Ice Dancing competition was almost certainly stiffer than the actual Olympic event was this year, as you can see here. The Blues are okay, the Islanders are pretty bad. FEEL THE EXCITEMENT~! Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Bruins @ Flyers, 7:00 pm EST: See kids, a game doesn't have to feature non-playoff teams to be completely uninteresting! Yeah, okay, this is a Winter Classic re-match. Put their "thrilling" 2-1 game into the Garden instead of outside and I guarantee you not a single person would remember it today. Oh yeah, and thanks Matt Cooke for taking the only exciting offensive player out of the Boston line-up. They were boring as hell WITH Marc Savard. And now they don't have him. Woof. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Thrashers @ Blue Jackets, 7:00 pm EST: Okay, seriously, was tonight's NHL schedule some kind of giant prank on me? The THRASHERS at the BLUE JACKETS?! Really? Like you have to ask what this game gets. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Panthers @ Avalanche, 9:00 pm EST: You know, on just about any other night, a re-match of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final (that was swept by the Avs, by the way) would probably be an Ice Dancing contender, but not tonight. Compared to those last games I just listed, this game looks positively interesting. Of course, that's kind of like saying a knife wound sounds like a good time when compared to being infected with flesh-eating bacteria. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Predators @ Sharks, 10:30 pm EST: Oh my god! Is it a mirage? Can it be real? A game....involving two GOOD teams....that might actually be a little bit exciting?! The last time the Preds were in San Jose, it took a very late third-period goal to put the Sharks on top. And while the Preds can be a little boring and trap-happy at times, they also have a lot of young talent that's fun to watch (especially on the back-end). On another night, that might not be enough to be worth your time, but just compared to the rest of tonight's craptastic schedule, this game should be like a long gulp of fresh water from a spring in the middle of a desert. Verdict: Probably Worth Your Time
Yeah, okay, not exactly the greatest night of hockey I've ever seen. Might be a good night to go and visit your grandmother or something. But hey, if you get home in time, Preds-Sharks might be decent. Other than that, you're on your own folks. Good night, and good luck.
Blackhawks 3-Kings 2 (OT)
(My Prediction: Hawks 5-Kings 4 (OT))
This marquee showdown between two Western Conference powers largely lived up to the hype, as the Hawks squeaked out a close overtime victory over Los Angeles in Chicago. Kopitar lead the way for the Kings with a goal and an assist while the Hawks' Patrick Sharp had 2 goals, one of which was the OT game-winner. The Hawks looked much better defensively in front of their goaltender than they did on Sunday against the Red Wings, and with Niemi still looking a little shaky in net, that's probably the way they're going to have to play from here on out. The Kings, meanwhile, had a good effort to earn a point in a tough building to play in, and remained right in the mix for the 4th spot in the West, now 2 points out but still with a game in hand on Phoenix.
Devils 6-Rangers 3
(My Prediction: Rangers 3-2)
If it isn't one thing with these New York Rangers, it's another: the anemic offense suddenly woke up, as the Prospal-Jokinen-Gaborik line looked dangerous just about everytime they were on the ice, while Erik Christensen continued his strong play since being a waiver-wire pick-up from Anaheim with a fantastic goal. However, it was the defense and goaltending that let them down last night, as Lundqvist just wasn't tracking the puck well in giving up 5 goals on 17 shots and the defense did him no help in front of him, clearly missing their coverage on many of the Devils' 6 goals. The Rangers remain 3 points back of 8th place Boston, and they've now spotted the Bruins 2 games in hand, as their playoff hopes are suddenly fading faster than ever. The Devils, meanwhile, did get the win at home, but Kovalchuck was held pointless and he still has yet to look integrated into the New Jersey line-up. He'll have to get going in a hurry down the stretch if the Devils want to have a shot at catching Pittsburgh and regaining the Atlantic division lead.
Coyotes 4-Canucks 3 (SO)
(My Prediction: Coyotes 3-1)
Another big win for Phoenix at home to continue to lead the Kings in the battle for 4th, as Phoenix managed to squeak out the shootout victory. Given the fact that this was Vancouver's final game of their epic 14-game road trip (they finished with an 8-5-1 record which has to be considered a monumental success), they had backup Andrew Raycroft in net, and it was the second night of a back-to-back for the Canucks, getting a point has to be considered a victory for them as well. The Canucks continue to get offense from up-and-down their line-up, and are looking more and more like they will be able to lock-up the Northwest division despite the strong play of the upstart Avalanche. Now that this road trip is over, the Canucks will finally return home on Saturday where they have one of the best records in the NHL (23-7-1), and their reward for making it through is a very home-heavy schedule down the stretch. It's looking like a great time to be a Canucks fan right now.
With last night in the books, let's get into tonight's 10-game schedule. As always, the awards I'm giving out are:
Marquee Match-Up: The biggest game of the night, the game you absolutely need to see, featuring the biggest stars and/or the best rivalries.
The Runner-Up: Basically the same criteria that applies to the Marquee, just not quite as big of a deal as the night's biggest game.
Under the Radar: This is a game that, for whatever reason, just wouldn't normally jump out at you if you're taking a quick glance at the day's schedule, but upon taking a closer look, this should probably be a great game.
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: With the Winter Olympics fresh on everyone's mind, I'm naming this dubious "award" after the Olympics' most craptastic event that NBC tried to push off on us all in lieu of actual figure skating. Please do yourself a favor, don't watch this game.
Once those four picks are done with, I'll go through The Rest and tell you which of those games just might be worth your time as well. Even if you don't have Center Ice, I'll make sure to note which (if any) of these games are available on national TV in the US & Canada.
Thursday March 11th
Overall: Yet another example of quantity not always beating out quality, tonight's schedule has double the games of last night, but as far as marquee-quality games, there's really no contest. It's a pretty weak schedule overall (honestly, the competition for the Ice Dancing award was stronger than anything else), but hey, we gotta talk about it, so let's get into it.
Marquee Match-Up: Pittsburgh Penguins (40-22-4, 84 points, 1st in Atlantic, 2nd in East) at Carolina Hurricanes (27-31-8, 62 points, 5th in Southeast, 13th in East)
7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST
I know, looking at the records of these two teams doesn't exactly scream "marquee", but like I said, it's a pretty weak night for the NHL overall. The Marquee award goes to this game for a couple of reasons: first of all, it's a battle of two of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. The Pens are 6-1-3 in their last 10 while the Canes have put up an even better mark at 8-1-1 as their improbable march towards playoff contention continues. Secondly, it's a re-match from last year's Eastern Conference Finals, where the Pens man-handled the Canes en route to a 4-game sweep (and of course, eventually the Stanley Cup). Nothing gets a rivalry going like a playoff series, and the Canes are of course going to be out for a little bit of payback in front of their home fans. Also of note is both these teams should be relatively desperate for points: the Canes are of course trying to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, while the Pens have a 3-point lead over the Devils in the Atlantic (with the Devils still holding a game in hand), and will in fact head into New Jersey tomorrow night for an Atlantic showdown. Given the fact that the Devils will spend today resting while the Pens are in action, getting points tonight should be considered a matter of great urgency for the Pens, as losses tonight & tomorrow will allow the Devils to retake the Atlantic lead.
Prediction: Pens 5-2
Runner-Up: Ottawa Senators (37-25-5, 79 points, 2nd in Northeast, 5th in East) at Calgary Flames (33-24-9, 75 points, 3rd in Northwest, 8th in West)
9:30 pm EST/6:30 pm PST
Eastern vs. Western Canada match-ups tend to be exciting games, and tonight's game between the Sens & Flames should (hopefully) be no exception. Going into this year, the Flames were a team expected to be challenging for the Northwest crown, but instead they're hanging on to a playoff spot by the skin of their teeth. A big reason for that? Their awful home record (16-15-3), something they will have to turn around in a hurry down the stretch if they expect to hold off the Red Wings and whoever else emerges from the 10th-13th logjam as a playoff contender. Meanwhile, the Sens have been average on the road (16-14-1), again something they will look to turn around down the stretch if they plan on catching the Buffalo Sabres for the Northeast crown. A bad home team vs. an average away team, something has to give here.
Prediction: Sens 3-2
Under the Radar: Minnesota Wild (31-28-6, 68 points, 4th in Northwest, 12th in West) at Detroit Red Wings (31-23-12, 74 points, 3rd in Central, 9th in West)
7:30 pm EST/4:30 pm PST
National TV: NHL Network (US Only)
This is a classic example of an under the radar game, as you just don't get anymore under that there radar than the Minnesota Wild. There was a poll last year the NHL conducted to find out which team has the least interest outside of their home market, and Minnesota shockingly "won" that poll. Yes, Virgina, that means there's more displaced Florida Panther fans out there than Minnesota Wild fan, that surprised the hell out of me, too. But then when I got to thinking about it, I'm exactly the type of person they were asking about on that poll (i.e. has the Center Ice package and watches a ton of hockey), and how many times have I watched a Minnesota Wild game this season? A couple times when they played the Kings or Hawks, and that's about it. So I guess I see their point. Anyway, with that bit of backstory out of the way, tonight's game involving the Wild might just be one to watch. I mentioned already of the 10th-13th logjam in the West, and the Wild are right there in it, 7 points back of 8th place Calgary with a game in hand. They've got a game in hand on 9th place Detroit as well, and if they can pull out a big win in regulation tonight in the Joe Louis Arena, that will put them just 4 points back of the Wings, still with that game in hand. A loss tonight, however, would all but erase the Wild's playoff hopes. This is the very definition of a four-point game.
Prediction: Red Wings 5-Wild 2
I'd Rather Watch Ice Dancing: Tampa Bay Lightning (27-27-11, 65 points, 3rd in Southeast, 11th in East) at Toronto Maple Leafs (21-33-12, 54 points, 5th in Northeast, 15th in East)
7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST
Like I said before, the competition for this "award" was pretty brutal, with a lot of teams in playoff position vs. teams that couldn't be farther out of it. But this game is the first I can recall seeing of the hockey fan's greatest enemy down the stretch: the utterly and completely meaningless game. You'll see it plenty from now until the end of the season, battles between two teams with absolutely nothing to play for, and for the love of God don't you dare watch them, lest you be bored completely out of your skull. One could argue, I guess, that the Lightning are still technically "in" the playoff race in the East, which speaks to just how mediocre the Eastern Conference is this season when a team that's been as bad as Tampa Bay has been of late can still be in a playoff race. But, realistically, the Lightning don't have much of a shot. A win over the Maple Leafs would still put them 3 points back, and while that may not sound like a lot does anyone really think they can get it done down the stretch against teams that AREN'T from Toronto with the way they've been playing? The Lightning's playoff hopes realistically ended when they lost to the Habs on Tuesday, and until they're actually beating teams above them in the standings I'm officially considering them out of it. The Maple Leafs, of course, are really, really bad. To top it off, the Lightning always seem to play really well against Toronto, as in, major ass-kicking well. So yeah, don't watch this game.
Prediction: Lightning 5-Maple Leafs 1
The Rest
Oilers @ Habs, 7:00 pm EST: (National TV on RDS, French only) Should I really even bother putting any Oilers games in this listing from now until the end of the season? If you don't see the Oilers' name in the listing and immediately know what the verdict's going to be, well, congratulations, you're the immediate relative of one of the players on the roster. I say "immediate" because there's no way that, say, Mike Comrie's second- or third-cousin could want to watch this game. Welcome to the club. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Blues @ Islanders, 7:00 pm EST: Tonight's Ice Dancing competition was almost certainly stiffer than the actual Olympic event was this year, as you can see here. The Blues are okay, the Islanders are pretty bad. FEEL THE EXCITEMENT~! Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Bruins @ Flyers, 7:00 pm EST: See kids, a game doesn't have to feature non-playoff teams to be completely uninteresting! Yeah, okay, this is a Winter Classic re-match. Put their "thrilling" 2-1 game into the Garden instead of outside and I guarantee you not a single person would remember it today. Oh yeah, and thanks Matt Cooke for taking the only exciting offensive player out of the Boston line-up. They were boring as hell WITH Marc Savard. And now they don't have him. Woof. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Thrashers @ Blue Jackets, 7:00 pm EST: Okay, seriously, was tonight's NHL schedule some kind of giant prank on me? The THRASHERS at the BLUE JACKETS?! Really? Like you have to ask what this game gets. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Panthers @ Avalanche, 9:00 pm EST: You know, on just about any other night, a re-match of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final (that was swept by the Avs, by the way) would probably be an Ice Dancing contender, but not tonight. Compared to those last games I just listed, this game looks positively interesting. Of course, that's kind of like saying a knife wound sounds like a good time when compared to being infected with flesh-eating bacteria. Verdict: Not Worth Your Time
Predators @ Sharks, 10:30 pm EST: Oh my god! Is it a mirage? Can it be real? A game....involving two GOOD teams....that might actually be a little bit exciting?! The last time the Preds were in San Jose, it took a very late third-period goal to put the Sharks on top. And while the Preds can be a little boring and trap-happy at times, they also have a lot of young talent that's fun to watch (especially on the back-end). On another night, that might not be enough to be worth your time, but just compared to the rest of tonight's craptastic schedule, this game should be like a long gulp of fresh water from a spring in the middle of a desert. Verdict: Probably Worth Your Time
Yeah, okay, not exactly the greatest night of hockey I've ever seen. Might be a good night to go and visit your grandmother or something. But hey, if you get home in time, Preds-Sharks might be decent. Other than that, you're on your own folks. Good night, and good luck.
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