Late Wednesday Toss-Up

I'm so sorry that I wasn't available to do the Wednesday Toss-Up, so I've decided to move the Toss-Up to the day after Thanksgiving.

If you want to know about my Thanksgiving, it was pretty cool. I spent the three days with my Dad in Indian Wells, a small town near Palm Desert. I had Thanksgiving dinner at the Indian Wells Country Club just right near our secondary home. I had a load to eat, especially four slices of glazed ham, two slices of turkey, two lemonades, and three plates of salad. Call that a great Thanksgiving. Today, my dad and I left Indian Wells to see the Blackhawks and the Ducks play at the Honda Center. The Blackhawks completely squashed them. After that, I saw two late basketball games as part of the 76 Classic at the Anaheim Convention Center. The first game saw UNLV bury Murray St. while the second game saw Tulsa completely overwhelm Stanford.

Yep, that was basically my Thanksgiving days for you. Don't worry. I still have a lot more. Blackhawks-Kings tomorrow at Staples. And then the completion of the 76 Classic with four games at the Anaheim Convention Center on Sunday. Man, what a weekend.

But enough about that. This toss-up ain't going to toss itself, so let's look at our debates and see what I think about.

Bigger surprise in the NHL so far? Justin Williams or Dustin Byfuglien?
I believe that Justin Williams in the bigger surprise in the NHL. Byfuglien is not really a surprise since he did so well in the playoffs with the Blackhawks and it seems to have translated with the Thrashers. Justin Williams was basically a non-factor last season, but he has brought his game up to lead the Kings with 9 goals, 13 assists, which gives a total of 22 points. This answer is most definitely Justin Williams because I know that Byfuglien is a great player.

More likely to win the Eastern Conference? Flyers or Capitals?
This shouldn't be up for discussion because both of these teams are the best in the NHL right now. Ovechkin is a beast on the ice. He can outplay the Flyers in any aspect he wants to. If he continues like this, the Capitals will win the Cup. I like the Flyers' rotation a lot and I think Jeff Carter is a great player, but the Capitals can neutralize them. I don't think the Flyers have a chance to beat the Capitals in the playoffs if they ever meet so I will go Capitals to win the Eastern Conference and possibly the Cup.

Better player in net for the Blackhawks? Marty Turco or Corey Crawford?
Let me explain this: Fans and players in the NHL never like Marty Turco because of his great save percentage, but fans in Chicago and Dallas seem to love him, so I don't get this. I believe that Turco is the right man right now in Chicago, but Crawford is building his way up. If he plays extremely well, he might take over Turco's job as the number one goaltender. That would mean Turco would get cut. This answer is Crawford because Turco is so past his prime and he gives up way too many goals in any one game, especially that disaster in Calgary where he gave Jarome Iginla a hat trick. Crawford is the better player in net; he'll lead the Blackhawks and not Turco.

More likely to fall down in the conference standings? The Canadiens or the Ducks?
The Ducks have fallen and they can't get back up. I believe the Ducks are going to finish last in the conference this year because Jonas Hiller can't keep the puck out of the net. If Randy Carlyle decides to move his number one goalie to Curtis McElhinney, I think I would pick the Canadiens to fall. Right now, the Ducks are falling. The Canadiens are still hanging in there, but the Ducks are falling unless the coach makes a change in the lineup.

Better movie this past week? Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 or Tangled?
This isn't a hockey question but it sounds relevant to my weekend. The Harry Potter was not as great as the six movies before it because I wanted to see more action and there wasn't any. I like all the movies that Disney makes and I think Tangled was a great movie. It was too funny and it had a great storyline, though it was nothing like Rapunzel, where it was based off of, but it is still a great movie. I think Tangled wins this because Harry Potter is so old and out-of-date and the actors hate being characters on these movies anymore.

Well, that wraps up the make-up date for the Wednesday Toss-Up. Keep tuning in for blog posts about things going on around the NHL and keep tabs this coming Wednesday as I WILL be returning to the Wednesday Toss-Up. In the meantime, enjoy your turkey (and glazed ham), puckheads!