Who will take eighth in the East?

The regular season is closer to the end, and already some teams are trying to make a push to get into the playoffs. One of the interesting contests will be the teams trying to get that eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Those teams are the Boston Bruins, Atlanta Thrashers, and New York Rangers. So far, Boston has a hold on the eighth seed, but Atlanta and NY Rangers are not too far behind. All of the teams won their games last night, Boston over New Jersey, Atlanta over Toronto, NY Rangers over NY Islanders. It seems like any of those teams could be a lock for sure, but who will ultimately win it all? Well, I'll give you my take. First, I don't think the NY Rangers will get that eighth seed because their offense and power play have not really been that good this season. Sure they've had a few wins then and again, but they've had a lot of bad losses, including one to the Canadiens in which they were shut out 5-0 a few months ago. So the competition will be between Atlanta and Boston. I would like to see Atlanta get that eighth seed, because of their recent chances to try and get into the playoffs. Boston has been pretty good this season but their goaltenders Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask have been problems for this team, resulting in many goals against both of them. To be in all honesty, I don't know who will the eighth seed. It will either be Boston or Atlanta. Both have equal positives and negatives, so it just seems like I can't make a good choice on either of them. It's a toss-up. We'll see as we get closer to the end of the regular season. Who wins the eighth seed? Only time will tell.

Who deserves the net for the Chicago Blackhawks?

Some teams have no trouble at all getting into the playoffs, while other teams might have some problems they are trying to get addressed. One of the teams that has problem is the Chicago Blackhawks. They've had trouble with their goalie problems, switching between Cristobal Huet, Marc Crawford, and Antti Niemi. Now, all have done well keeping the Chicago Blackhawks in first place in the Central Division, and in the Western Conference. But does Chicago need a solid starting goalie in order to do well? Some people would say yes and no on both accounts. However, there needs to be a solid starting goalie in net for Chicago by the time the playoffs roll around. Antti Niemi has faired well and so has Huet. But in my opinion, Niemi may have been on fire of late, but it's Huet's crease. The Blackhawks need Huet in order to succeed in the playoffs. Without him, this team is reduced. Any teams like Detroit or Calgary could easily bounce the Blackhawks out of the playoffs if they rotate goalies. Plus, with Brian Campbell out of the lineup, they need more help to get in and Huet fits that. Well, we'll see if Huet can carry this team into contention and possibly get them a Stanley Cup.

Who deserves the Pacific Division?

It's getting closer to the end of the season. Teams like the Washington Capitals and the Chicago Blackhawks are set to clinch their division and earn the top seeds throughout the playoffs. But now since we are that close to the end of the season, I will finally bring out my top pick to win the Pacific Division, the division that has seemed to own most of the hockey world this year, besides the other good hockey teams farther east. You've got many favorites in this division that could win it. The Sharks, Coyotes, and Kings are perhaps most likely going to get into the playoffs. But who wins one of the top three seeds from that division? Now I realize that Sharks fan will be none too pleased if they don't win the Stanley Cup, the Coyotes want to keep their franchise in Phoenix, and L.A. wants to be the elite team again. These are all tough teams but my choice is not what many people might expect. It is not the San Jose Sharks, unfortunately. They do not have the team anymore to stay as division champs, nor the good enough players as a result of their bad losing streak, worse than the one in December. Not the Kings because they've suffered some pretty bad losses, plus they are starting to fall behind. Where does that leave us? You hit it right on the head! The team in Phoenix, the Phoenix Coyotes. Why do I choose them? Well, I believe their offense have dramatically improved. I think Dave Tippett came into this team with a mind set that he is going to shape these guys into the old Dallas Stars, where he did so well. They've got a good number of guys at the trade deadline, like Wojtek Wolski and Lee Stempniak as well as getting good goaltending from Ilya Bryzgalov. They might not be set to go on a run in the playoffs, but I guarantee they'll get at least one of the top three seeds, and they'll take the Pacific Division. We'll see how the season ends. Will Phoenix become the division champs? Will San Jose keep them at bay? Or will L.A. sneak up? We'll know when the season winds down, and it should be an intense run to the end.

Note to the NHL: Don't sleep on the Canadiens

There is a common theme happening to the Montreal Canadiens as of late. Comeback victories, shoot out wins, you name it. It is the team that has become the team that everyone in Canada once knew. It is the rebirth of the Montreal Canadiens. They've won 4 of their last 5 coming into the second half of the season and they look as though they're going to make a big run into the playoffs, if this fantastic play keeps up. The Canadiens know they can't disappoint their fans, so they have to keep winning and please them. So for the Kings, Ducks, Lightning, and Oilers, they pretty much put themselves to sleep, giving the Canadiens a chance to win and keep pace in the East. And they have. Don't criticize how fantastic of a job Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price have done in net. They are some of the main reasons the Canadiens have done so well. The question is will it last in the playoffs? They might have something special now, but teams had better be alert. Do not sleep on the Canadiens. If teams do sleep on them, they might have a chance to beat you any day.

What Did We Learn From the NHL Trade Deadline?

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and new players are starting off with new teams. Teams have increased themselves and gotten some big-time help to get them into the playoffs, while some teams have fallen back. So what teams did help themselves? Well, for one team, the Phoenix Coyotes definitely did bring in some more offense by adding Wojtek Wolski from Colorado and Derek Morris, one of the former players, to their roster. Possibly, my team the Anaheim Ducks did help themselves by adding Lubomir Visnovsky from Edmonton and Aaron Ward from Carolina. The Los Angeles Kings possibly helped themselves as well, getting Jeff Halpern from Tampa. Those are some teams that did help themselves, but who did not help themselves? Well, one team is the Boston Bruins. They got more defense than offense when it is their offense that is lacking to produce for this team. Getting Dennis Seidenberg from Florida might help, but he's a defenseman, not a forward. The Colorado Avalanche traded away one of their biggest offensive player and they might slip out. The Dallas Stars did nothing to help themselves and the loss on Tuesday night to the Kings could have told them to get somebody but they didn't. The Montreal Canadiens did nothing to address their needs, since Mike Cammalleri is out for another couple of weeks. The Toronto Maple Leafs, in my opinion, also didn't do anything. So with the trade deadline, we will now see if I'm right or if I'm wrong. These players will either help their teams, or drastically worsen their teams.

Does Jordan Leopold Fit for Pittsburgh?

It's March. Actually, it's the beginning of March. And as we approach the trade deadline in the NHL, teams have started to jump players. Even the Pittsburgh Penguins want to test the trading market. What do they do? They go out and make a trade. They acquired winger Jordan Leopold from the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2nd round pick in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft. If you do not recall, Jordan Leopold was part of a deal that sent Jay Bouwmeester to the Calgary Flames last summer. Well, Leopold is making another big jump, this time to the defending Stanley Cup champions. So, you're thinking that this is just some ordinary player. He's not Ovechkin, he's not Crosby, he's not going to produce. But you're wrong about this. He can produce and when he deosn't, he always knows how to bounce back. He's had somewhat of a productive season with Florida, but it wasn't like what people anticipated. He wasn't going to be their Bouwmeester in Florida and Florida is struggling to get into the playoff picture after coming close last year. He has seven goals and eleven assists. That is sort of productive, but with him going to Pittsburgh, look for his numbers to increase a bit. Not a lot, a bit. He will play well, and he will help on the power play. Look for Jordan Leopold to make some sort of impact on Pittsburgh. We don't know yet, but it's waiting.