Games of the Week:
1. Philadelphia Flyers @ Florida Panthers, 7:30pm, Tuesday, January 24
While the Flyers have six more points than the Panthers, it is Florida that sits one place ahead of Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are the leaders of the Southeast Division. The Panthers haven't played great hockey recently, as they are 3-4-3 in their last ten games and have a -13 goal differential on the season. Florida just snapped their four-game losing streak with a shootout win at Winnipeg on Saturday night. Philadelphia meanwhile have a solid +20 differential and have a league-best seventeen road wins on the year.
This battle of Central Division foes will see two teams who have a whopping 16-3-1 combined record in their last ten games. St. Louis is just one point behind the Wings in the Division, but are tied with the dangerous Chicago Blackhawks with 64 points. The Blues and Red Wings have met four times this year and have split the games 2-2, with the Wings shutting out St. Louis 3-0 in their most recent contest. The Wings might have the edge in this one, as they are a ridiculous 19-2-1 at home on the year, while the Blues are sub-.500 on the road.
3. Nashville Predators @ Chicago Blackhawks, 8:30pm, Tuesday
Another Central Division clash, this game features two teams that are separated by just four points. Nashville comes into this one as the hotter team, with a record of 8-2 in their last ten and two wins in a row. Nashville also has the second-most road wins in the West this year, while Chicago has a great 19-5-4 record at home. This game should be a clash of the Hawks' offensive speed and the Predators solid team defence.
Five Things to Watch for this Week:
1. The NHL announced this week the captains for this weekend's All-Star game. The game will take place in Ottawa, and fittingly, the captains are Daniel Alfredsson and Zdeno Chara. The Senators' Alfredsson is the longest-tenured current NHL captain, and will surely be the fan favourite on Sunday. Bruins' captain Zdeno Chara made a name for himself in Ottawa between 2001 and 2006 before leaving for Boston via free agency. The All-Star Player Fantasy Draft will take place at 8pm on January 26th, and to help out, Henrik Lundqvist and Joffrey Lupul have been selected to be assistant captains. Lundqvist will join fellow Swede Alfredsson while Lupul will assist Chara in his team's selections.
2. Expect a decision to be announced in the near future regarding Sidney Crosby's status for the remainder of the year. Crosby met with a specialist in chiropractic neurology in Atlanta for several days this past week, and is now heading to California to see Dr. Robert Bray, a neurological spine specialist. Bray worked with the U.S. Olympic team at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, and should help the Penguins get a better idea of if and when their captain can return to action this season. Crosby has missed 39 games this year, but scored a whopping 12 points in his eight starts. With two visits to two brain and spine specialists in such a short period of time, Pittsburgh might be trying to figure out if Crosby can play again this year in preparation for the fast-approaching trade deadline in February. However we all know no trade can replace what Crosby brings to the Pens' lineup when he is healthy.
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| "Geno" has filled the massive void left by Sidney Crosby |
3. With Crosby sidelined for the majority of the year, Evgeni Malkin has emerged as one of the best players in the league, if not the best. Malkin leads the league in points with 58 and his 26 goals makes him tied for third in the NHL with teammate James Neal. Malkin is on a tear recently, as he has eight goals and four assists in his last five games. Malkin played on 126 shifts in those past 5 games, meaning he scores a point every 10.5 shifts. This Sunday, Malkin scored a goal 1:31 into overtime to defeat the Capitals, to go along with two assists. He now has seven game winning goals this season, one behind league-leader Johan Franzen. Look for Malkin to continue this torrid pace and help keep his Penguins in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
4. Danny Briere is the most recent Flyer to fall victim to a concussion this season. Last week I wrote about James van Riemsdyk suffering a concussion; now Briere joins JVR along with Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, Matt Read and Chris Pronger as concussion-stricken Flyers. While Giroux, Read and Schenn have rejoined the lineup, Pronger has been ruled out for the year and van Riemsdyk is still out indefinitely. Jaromir Jagr was injured in the same game as Briere, as it appears his groin issue has resurfaced. The Flyers will be hard pressed to remain in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with so many injuries, especially with tough games against Boston (today) and the Panthers (Tuesday). Philadelphia will be one of the teams most benefited by the All-Star break, as it should allow time for Jagr and van Riemsdyk to heal and rejoin their team.
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| Taylor Hall after a freak injury in warmup |
5. With young superstar Taylor Hall receiving 30 stitches after a freak warmup accident last week, look for teams to start implementing mandatory helmet use in their pre-game routines. Before this incident, the New York Rangers were the only team that requires its players to wear a helmet during warmup, but are now joined by the wary Oilers. Edmonton can't afford any more injuries, especially self-inflicted ones, as they currently have five starters on the injured reserve. While Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the biggest name of these five, he is the only forward as the Oilers are missing a devastating four defensemen to injury, including assistant captain Ryan Whitney. While these injuries have decimated the Oilers blue line, they could be seen as beneficial in the long run. Edmonton is just six points ahead of the NHL's worst team, Columbus, and have lost four straight, meaning the Oilers could wind up with the first overall pick for the third straight season.
Look Back at Last Week:
1. Boston Bruins 2 - New York Rangers 3 (OT), January 21
Three Stars: 1. Marian Gaborik; 2. Andrew Ference; 3. Ryan Callahan
Marian Gaborik scored twice including the OT winner in this exciting Saturday afternoon matchup in Madison Square Garden. Tuukka Rask got the start over Tim Thomas and played well, but was ultimately out-matched by Henrik Lundqvist.
2. San Jose Sharks 3 - Vancouver Canucks 4, January 21
Three Stars: 1. Cody Hodgson; 2. Logan Couture: 3. Ryan Kesler
Ryan Kesler's dazzling goal with 5:49 left in the third gave Vancouver the late lead, but just 36 seconds later Dan Boyle evened the game with a goal on his own rebound. The tie lasted only 56 seconds however, as Cody Hodgson's second goal of the game proved to be the eventual game-winner. This frantic end-to-end pace was easy on the eyes and made for one of the best games of the week.
3. Ottawa Senators 4 - San Jose Sharks 1, January 19
Three Stars: 1. Colin Greening; 2. Craig Anderson; 3. Kyle Turris
In the contest of two scorching-hot teams, the Ottawa Senators dominated this game scoring four unanswered goals and adding to their amazing road stretch. Before losing 2-1 in Anaheim on Saturday, Ottawa was 7-0-4, unbeaten in regulation time, in their last eleven road games. Ottawa can't be happy with the timing of this weekend's All-Star break at their home rink, as they continue to be one of the hottest teams in the league.
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