December 4, 2009

Jeff Angus

2009-12-04

Nashville has recalled Cal O’Reilly.

 

Dobber’s Puck Daddy article from yesterday – check it out here!

 

Busy night tonight around the league! If I missed something, put it in the comments – I try to be as thorough and detailed as I can with these but usually an interesting stat or two slips by me.

 

Corey Perry’s impressive 19 game point streak is over.

 

Jaroslav Halak had a forgettable game, letting in six goals. His start only further entrenches Price as Montreal's go-to-guy (as if the recent sensational play by Price wasn't enough).

 

Chris Butler left the game after only logging a couple of shifts, and didn't return. The Sabres were up three-zip after the first, so maybe the Sabres didn't feel they needed him to return. I'll update this one.

 

Vanek had his first three-point game of the season. He has gotten off to an awful start – obvious buy-low candidate. The same applies for Pominville, who had two points. He won't produce as much as Vanek but is a better player than he has showed this season (and much of last season too, for that matter).

 

Patty O'Sullivan had two goals last night against the struggling Wings. He has been bad all season for the Oilers, but hopefully this jumpstarts his effort level a bit.

 

Deslauriers had a strong game, stopping 27 of 28 shots. With news that Khabibulin is still experiencing enough pain to remain off his skates, expect the Oilers to ride JDD. He may have the odd stinker but he is a pretty solid goaltender.

 

Andrej Sekera had a strong game as well, scoring a goal, adding an assist, and firing four shots on goal.

 

Is Tyler Myers good or what? He has simultaneously picked up both the defensive and offensive aspects of the NHL game so quickly. He had a helper and was a plus-3 in over 23 minutes of ice time. Quickly becoming the franchise skater in Buffalo – what a great pick.

 

Matt Moulson had a hat-trick last night (none assisted by John Tavares). He is for real. Kudos to the Islanders for finding this guy, and kudos to Moulson for making the most of his opportunity.

 

Roloson had a great game, shutting down the ineffective Thrashers and holding them to only one goal. Roloson is now 9-2-5 with a very respectable 2.69 goals-against average. Biron is 2-8 with a goals-against over 3. I think that speaks volumes to how important Roloson has been to the Islanders.

 

Okposo had two helpers. He has been pretty awful production-wise so far, and can do a lot better. I still expect him to hit 55-60 points this season.

 

Jack Hillen continues to log a ton of minutes for the Isles. Has developed into a pretty steady, dependable player, and he has lots of untapped offensive upside.

 

Phil Kessel continues to make the Leafs management team look smart for paying a hefty price to acquire him. He had two goals, and a fight to boot! It was his first major penalty in the NHL. The fight has been posted at the end of the ramblings. I'd like to eat some crow on Kessel too – I never thought he had enough hockey sense to be an elite sniper, as it seemed like he got by the lower levels with his sheer speed and skill. He is proving me wrong in a big way!

 

Umberger, Nash, and Huselius were a combined minus-10. Ouch.

 

Steve Mason had another awful game – four goals against on 14 shots. Sophomore slump is hitting him hard.

 

Alex Semin had a monster return to the lineup, recording four points. Brendan Morrison also had a strong game, recording three. Morrison and Washington have been a perfect fit for each other – his game is all about quickness, and he was obviously still bothered by his knee last season with Anaheim and Dallas.

 

Semyon Varlamov surprisingly escaped Ballard-caused-injury free last night.

 

Alexander Salak made his NHL debut in relief of Scott Clemmensen. Salak allowed four goals on 33 shots. As I said on Dobber Nation, he has gotten off to an amazing start to the season with Rochester.

 

Florida rookie Mike Duco had 27 penalty minutes and will most likely be hearing from the league after jumping Caps forward Alexandre Giroux following a clean hit. I pride myself on knowing most NHL/AHL players… but I had honestly never heard of Duco before.

 

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Speaking of Giroux, he fired six shots on goal. He probably won't stick in the NHL long term, but it is nice to see him being rewarded for absolutely terrorizing the AHL over the past few seasons.

 

Luongo was sensational against the slumping Flyers, making 38 saves. He got a bit lucky with a few posts, though. The Flyers are gripping their sticks really tight, and had several great chances slip by last night. Arron Asham was the most dangerous forward for them – I think that says a lot. A Dobber Hockey member emailed me last night, asking whether he should start Luongo against the Flyers, a team looking to break out. Simply put, ALWAYS play your stud goaltenders.

 

Brian Boucher had a decent game for the Flyers – he had no chance on the first two goals.

 

Solid fight between Bieksa and Richards as well, and the clip is at the end of the ramblings. Bieksa uses an MMA move (the superman punch) to surprise Richards at the beginning.

 

Sidney "sniper" Crosby continues his goal-scoring ways with two last night (although one was an empty-netter). He is on pace for 50, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he hits it.  He is on pace for close to 300 shots, almost 60 more than he had last season.

 

Budaj started for the Avs, after Craig Anderson sustained a minor neck injury after being run by Keith Ballard last night. Budaj was solid last night, but has been incredibly shaky for the most part over the past two or three seasons.

 

Selanne left the game last night with an apparent hand injury (early reports have it being broken, which would sideline him anywhere from four-to-six weeks). Tough break (pun) as Teemu has been terrific so far this season.

 

James Neal scored after going pointless in five, but it was far from highlight reel. He fired the puck towards the net and it trickled in off of James Wisniewski's skate.

 

Phoenix and Calgary battled in a low-scoring affair. Both goalies were tremendous – Kipper seems to be a completely rejuvenated player this year (the joys of not playing for Keenan anymore I guess).

 

Brian Elliot was brutal against the Kings, allowing six goals.

 

Wayne Simmonds continues to impress me more and more every time I see him. He had another goal in limited ice time – it won't be long before he forces his way on to one of the top two lines in LA for good.

 

Anze had a helper, but is still struggling without Smyth on his wing.

 

Whatever Mike Fisher did in the off-season, hopefully he continues to do it. He is on pace for close to 40 goals and has been far and away the most dangerous Senator forward all season. I had all but written off his offensive upside after a measly 32 points last season. He is already only three goals behind the 13 he scored in all of 2008-09.

 

Defensemen with more assists than Alex Edler this season: Green, Kaberle, Boyle, and Keith.

 

Gomez scored his first goal in 15 games last night in the loss. Gaborik has how many? Great move by the Rangers to move one big contract in to make room for a player that actually deserves it.

 

Phil Kessel shows his pugnacity and truculence:

 

Nilsson with a filthy, filthy goal. Ericsson still wandering around the Joe looking for his jock:

 

Bieksa catches Richards early and often:

 

 

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Mar 28 - 19:03 OTT vs CHI
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