December 09, 2011

Jeff Angus

2011-12-09

 

Angus here – Boogaard link has been fixed. Sorry for that. Kaberle trade thoughts up soon. First thought – I feel bad for Montreal’s salary cap guy.

 

The Habs landed a roommate for Scott Gomez. They got fellow overpaid bust Tomas Kaberle from the Hurricanes for Spacek. Angus will give you the lowdown on that trade later today. But at a glance, I like Kaberle’s passing game clicking with Subban’s shot. He didn’t fit as well on a roster that already had several offensive options. I think he’s lost most of his game, but I think he can still be a 40-point player and positively boost Subban. Kirk Muller clearly enjoys Jamie McBain and what he can do – so he has pretty much passed the reins over to him. ~ Dobber

 

A classic Steve Ott game last night – one point, three hits, 12 PIM, and seven faceoff wins. An underrated multi-category star.

 

Nick Johnson and Casey Wellman both saw increased roles with Setoguchi out. Johnson had two assists, while Wellman played almost 18 minutes.

 

Matt Hackett’s shutout streak was stopped at just over 100 minutes after the Kings scored in the third period. Not a bad first couple of NHL games….

 

Stefan Elliott played only 14 minutes last night as the Avalanche dressed seven defensemen. He impressed me a lot on Tuesday night with his mobility and decision making.

 

This Derek Boogaard piece from the New York Times is both the best and saddest thing I have read all year. If you have 20 minutes to spare, I'd recommend you check it out.

 

After winning what seemed like 100 straight games, the Bruins have lost consecutive games. Florida shut them out last night, as Jose Theodore stopped all 40 shots he faced.

 

Versteeg, Weiss, and Fleischmann continue to be one of the league's best lines. Kulikov continues to be one of the most surprising defensemen this year, and Tomas Kopecky continues to be mister everything for the Panthers.

 

Kopecky's production isn't getting him a lot of press, but is doing everything – playing wing, center, forechecking, back checking, hitting, and generating chances.

 

Mikael Samuelsson finally made his Florida debut. Pointless in nine minutes of ice time.

 

Ed Jovanovski is on pace for about 15 points. Don't worry Florida fans, he'll have three more years to prove himself after this one.

 

Milan Michalek is making a strong case for his removal from the band-aid boys list. Michalek  scored again last night, and is still on pace for well over 40 goals.

 

Adam Henrique's stat line is impressive to say the least – two points, 25 minutes of ice time total, with almost four on both the power play and penalty kill. Oh, and he scored the shootout winner.

 

Parise and Kovalchuk combined for three points and a whopping 13 shots on goal.

 

Only one point for Claude Giroux last night. Dissapointing….

 

The ironman streak for Martin St. Louis was stopped at 499 games after he missed last night's game with facial injuries he sustained in a morning practice.

 

Artem Anisimov had a controversial goal celebration that set off a melee which produced 36 PIM for all players involved. Video below.

 

Forwards who played more than Steve Downie last night – Tom Pyatt, Ryan Shannon, and Teddy Purcell. Downie left the bench to join in…. he'll likely hear from Shanaban tomorrow.

 

The Lightning are going to release Brett Connolly to join Canada at the World Juniors.

 

Marian Hossa scored his 400th career goal last night. Didn't realize he had that many – should be a lock for 500 during the next three to five seasons. Hossa also added two helpers. His talent gets buried a bit in Chicago, but he's one of the best forwards in the league (when he wants to be).

 

Brian Rolston played PP1 for the Isles last night. He generated seven shots on goal, but ended up without any points.

 

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The Red Wings put up five goals on Phoenix in the first period alone last night. Mike Smith was chased after allowing four on 11 shots.

 

Kyle Turris has zero points in five games for the Coyotes.

 

After recording two helpers last night, Datsyuk has seven points in his last five games.

 

Jakub Kindl has four points in his last six games. He is still seeing bottom pairing minutes, but he is finding a way to get on the score sheet.

 

Why was Crosby sitting out last night? Not from the Kunitz knee, but likely from an elbow from David Krejci. Mike Colligan has more.

 

Watched the Montreal/Vancouver game last night – one of the first Montreal games I have managed to watch from start to finish this season.

 

Lars Eller had a very good game. He took a stupid penalty late in the game, but he's big and strong and plays a physical game. He has some skill, too. I could see him becoming an ideal second line center (55-60 points) in a few years.

 

Cody Hodgson didn't play much (including no OT shifts), but he had a great game. He scored a goal in regulation and added the lone shootout goal. He wins a lot of puck battles, and he's a very crafty player. Has been a pleasant surprise all season, and he seems to be getting better and better each game.

 

Hodgson only played 10 minutes as the Canucks really shortened their bench, but he is going to force Alain Vigneault's hand to play him more if he keeps improving this rapidly.

 

Hodgson is a great example of a non-linear developmental curve. Many (myself included) were starting to write him off after a disappointing start to his professional career. A chronic back issue held him back a lot, and he really struggled to translate over a successful OHL/international career. Patience is a virtue as we read time and time again, and this is just another example of it.

 

Rare that the Canucks score three goals and the Sedin twins have only one point between them. Montreal fans can attest to the magical display they put on in OT. The Sedins at 4-on-4 is basically a power play for Vancouver.

 

Bill Sweatt had no points in his NHL debut. He has limited offensive upside, but could become a speedster depth scorer if put with the right linemates.

 

Subban was pointless but had a great game. Like Gorges, he logged a ton of ice time against the Sedins.

 

Raphael Diaz scored a goal and played over 25 minutes. His fellow Swiss teammate Yannick Weber was a healthy scratch.

 

Mason Raymond looks like he hasn't missed a beat. He scored a goal last night and was skating miles all game long. The fact that he broke his back only a few months ago says a lot about how hard he worked in the summer and fall to come back from it in great shape.

 

Ville Leino was given a one game suspension for a chicken wing elbow to the head of Matt Read (from Wednesday night).

 

Kevin Porter was given four games for his hit on Booth. Porter has no track record and likely didn't intend to do it, but as Shanaban said in his video, the hit was reckless and a direct violation of the rule against kneeing.

 

Dougie Hamilton had three points last night and is now sixth in OHL scoring (among all skaters, not just defensemen). The Bruins also signed him to an entry level contract yesterday.

 

Artem Anisimov with a goal celebration confuses, impresses, and angers me all at the same time – a well-earned 16 PIM:

 

Hodgson showing off his sneaky good wrist shot:

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UPCOMING GAMES

Dec 27 - 19:12 DET vs TOR
Dec 27 - 19:12 BUF vs CHI
Dec 27 - 19:12 CBJ vs BOS
Dec 27 - 19:12 N.J vs CAR
Dec 27 - 20:12 DAL vs MIN
Dec 27 - 20:12 STL vs NSH
Dec 27 - 21:12 UTA vs COL
Dec 27 - 22:12 S.J vs VGK

Starting Goalies

Top Skater Views

  Players Team
LUKE HUGHES N.J
JACKSON LACOMBE ANA
PATRIK LAINE MTL
BRYAN RUST PIT
KIRILL MARCHENKO CBJ

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  Players Team
KAREL VEJMELKA UTA
DUSTIN TOKARSKI CAR
FILIP GUSTAVSSON MIN
SERGEI BOBROVSKY FLA
MACKENZIE BLACKWOOD COL

LINE COMBOS

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22.9 KEEGAN KOLESAR WILLIAM KARLSSON TOMAS HERTL
20.3 MARK STONE VICTOR OLOFSSON JACK EICHEL
9.2 TANNER LACZYNSKI BRETT HOWDEN PAVEL DOROFEYEV

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